On September 29th, the organization Yug Sanskriti Nyas organized an online workshop on the occasion of International Day of Sign Languages. This year’s theme is “We Sign For Human Rights,” highlighting how the Deaf and the Hearing can work together hand in hand to promote the recognition of our right to use sign languages in all areas of life. The Workshop was open to the public and approximately 40 people were in attendance. During the workshop, attendees shared opinions, thoughts and suggestions for how to communicate using sign languages.
The Workshop Coordinator was Dr Sandesha Rayapa who is an Assistant Professor in Linguistic Empowerment Cell at Jawaharlal Nehru University. And her daughter Ms. Sabhyata Gabriyal who is trained ISL Trainee (Level I & II), Linguistic Empowerment Cell, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
The theme of the workshop was “Break the Language Barrier”. At the beginning of the session, participants were presented with background information by Ms. Abhivyakti Vivek and a form was made to fill by the participants to check the background knowledge on the same topic. The speaker was welcomed by L.C. Trivedi, Chairman of Yug Sanskriti Nyas who emphasized on the importance of observing this day. Ms. Sandesh Rayapa in her presentation reiterated the need to learn Indian Sign languages, as it is a completely different engagement with language which is highly visual, spatial and emotional.
The Signs and Symbols are illustrative and open grounds of expression. She further elucidated that more than 8 million of the Deaf population in India use the non-spoken sign language to communicate with one another. The hearing people have more than 150 spoken languages in the country whereas there is only one codified sign language for the Deaf. Thereafter, her daughter Sabhyata Garbiyal, demonstrated the basics of Indian Sign Languages which included alphabets, names of colors, relative words (father, mother etc.), and some other basic English words. The session ended with a vote of thanks given by Acharya Dhamrambir, Founder of Yug Sanskriti Nyas. The workshop concluded by singing National Anthem in Sign Language. The workshop encouraged and motivated people joined from all over the country to learn Indian Sign Language.