The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) is celebrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) awareness month in connection with which it conducted a workshop on sign language here on Sunday.
AAC refers to a variety of communication techniques used by people who are unable to verbally communicate. AIISH said AAC awareness month is being celebrated throughout the world during October since 2007.
The objective of the AAC is to raise awareness of AAC and to inform the public about the different ways in which people communicate using AAC techniques and devices.
The organisers said the theme for this year is “Say What?” - Sharing your most memorable moments with AAC’’. The workshop was organised for the staff of the Mysuru Postal Division on ‘’Basics of Indian Sign Languages,’’ and about 150 staff took part in it.
The AIISH authorities said sign language, an alternative mode of communication to the hearing impaired, is a symbol of their pride and identity. “In the recent past, there is a lot of emphasis to promote awareness regarding sign language among the general public and professionals to facilitate barrier-free communication with the hearing impaired,” according to AIISH.
On the workshop for the postal employees, the AIISH authorities said the participants were imparted hands-on practical session and the programme was an initiative to help and enable the postal staff to learn how to engage in basic conversation with persons with hearing impairment using the sign language.
Dr. Angel Raj, IPoS, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Mysuru Postal Division, said sign language relevant not only when in India but had its use in any part of the world where people may not know the local language but need to communicate.
She said this was the second such workshop for the postal staff and earlier postmen and postwomen who come directly in contact with public had undergone the basics of sign language training. Angel Raj said Mysuru Postal Division was perhaps the first in the entire country where every post office from the division had employees who had undergone the sign language training.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner R. Loknath inaugurated the workshop and Dr. M. Pushpavathi, director, AIISH presided over it. The sign language training and workshop was conducted by Dr. Reuben Varghese, Scientist B., and Ruby, sign language teacher, AIISH, Mysuru.
