TSM Summer Internship Report

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PROJECT REPORT
Bhagat Puran Singh Pingalwara School for Deaf
Amritsar
Submitted by:
Sukhjot Singh
Roll No- 401057008
Industrial Engineering and MBA
Under the Guidance of
Gp. Capt. (retd.) Rajinderpal Singh Ji
Director
Bhagat Puran Singh Pingalwara School for Deaf (BPSSD)
LM Thapar School of Management
2014

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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project work entitled Outreach Program for Deaf and
auxiliary projects mentioned is an authentic record of my own work carried out
at Bhagat Puran Singh Pingalwara School for Deaf as a requirement of 6 weeks
project semester for the award of Masters in Business Administration, LM Thapar
School of Management, under the guidance of Rajinderpal Singh Ji. The project
duration was 5/6/2014 to 19/7/2014.
Sukhjot Singh
401057008
INE-MBA (Signature of student)
Date: 19/7/2014
I certify that the above statement made by the student is correct to the best of our
knowledge and belief.
Rajinderpal Singh
Director
Bhagat Puran Singh School for the Deaf
Industry Coordinator/Mentor
(Signature of Mentor)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I see myself as very lucky as I had a chance to work with such an NGO which is
engaged in doing a herculean task of serving those left behind by the society itself.
This internship helped me take a deeper insight into my own theory of life and
know what makes me happy. Of all the time spend working in this NGO, I had
immense exposure to the structure and working of such social structures including
this very prestigious NGO.
All my work was highly supported by my mentors who themselves were involved
with each proactive actions the project required. As these projects aim to create a
huge socio-economic impact, these require constant inputs from us. And this
mammoth task is possible; but with constant zeal for delivering more and more.
I believe I can engage more young and energetic minds which will definitely
produce results never thought of and help us become better citizens for mankind
and our developing nation.

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SUMMARY
In this internship I was engaged in TWO MAJOR MODULES of a single project;
Namely-Scaling Up & Outreach at Bhagat Puran Singh School for Deaf. Most of
my work during internship is in the purview of these two projects. These projects
are explained in detail in the further sections. I had little prior knowledge relating
to the issue of disabilities and the possible ways to uplift their own self. With time
I learned more about functions this NGO performs. I became more aware of some
basic laws and schemes the government has run for the benefit of those in need and
their actual implementation on the field v/s that on the papers.
The internship consisted of activities relating to the subjects of rural marketing,
cause marketing, creative writing, human resource management and project
management etc. It also had an essence of social entrepreneurship in the form of
imparting knowledge regarding various startups suitable for the “differently
abled”.
There are 63 million HEARING IMPAIRED people in India as reported by World
Health Organisation that is 6.3% population of India. In Punjab the number of deaf
people is not known. Presently we have 140 students and 14 teachers. The school
is run with very good technical support and proactive staff.
It has been made possible with the help from
1. ASL University, USA
2. Home of Hope Inc., Berkley, California, USA
3. Centre for Early Intervention on Deafness, Berkley, California, USA
4. Dr. Raj Desai, Project Deaf, India
During our experience of the past 9 years, we found that there is not a single sign
language interpreter in Punjab registered with Rehabilitation Council of India.
Standard of education for the deaf is very low in India. After spending 12 years in

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traditional deaf schools most of them are able to read and write like a 3rd
standard
student only. This can be changed if:
a. Competent sign language teachers are hired to teach.
b. Deaf children are taught in their first language i.e. sign language.
c. Sign language is used to develop the second language of the deaf.
d. Curriculum is prepared as per individual needs for maximum cognitive
development of the child.
The above points have been put to practice and results have been very
encouraging. After our visits in villages, it is found that only 10% of the deaf go to
school. The rest 90% remain without any education resulting in behavioral
problems, poor self-esteem and an un-worthy life. The social cost of this fact is
very high.
Deaf children should be introduced to language as early as possible. This ensures
their mental development and relationship building with the others. Here lies the
critical role of their education.
The NGO has a School for Deaf. The school started its operations on 2007 and is
growing under the leadership of GP. Capt. (retired) Rajinderpal Singh Ji. For
providing basic free services to the hearing impaired children, BPSSD is the only
such school in Punjab. It is working under the aeiges of ALL INDIA
PINGALWARA CHARITABLE SOCIETY.
The school was started with just two rooms and a single part-time teacher.
Subsequently, the project received a donation of INR 60 Lakhs which helped them
immensely to grow. The equipment was donated by Home of Hope (Berkley,
California) as well as the provided the technical support when needed. The most
valuable support for curriculum development came from Jill Ellis (Co-founder &
Executive Director) of Centre for Early Intervention for Deafness, USA.
In the absence of any prior sign language for Punjabi alphabets, the students were
reluctant to learn Punjabi. Thus our organisation’s pioneers developed the first

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Punjabi sign language dictionary which is being used by other schools of the state.
3 more books are under print. All the literature is free of cost.
In 2007, there was no curriculum tailored to meet the needs of each deaf child we
had with us. This has been our major concern and continuous efforts are on to
update the curriculum.
To make the curriculum more effective, we have hundreds of tailor made lesson
plans & presentations relating to sign language and other subjects. This is proving
to be very effective tool to teach the deaf. Moreover valuable curriculum support is
received from Gallaudet University, USA & Centre for Early Intervention of
Deafness (Berkley, California) in the form of articles, syllabi, lesson plans and
teaching methodologies.
At this point of time, the projects need more efforts to generate benefits in real
sense to those in need. These projects are further explained in the following
chapters including future scope.

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Table of Contents
DECLARATION..........................................................................................................................................2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................3
SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................4
Major Project: Spreading Education for the Deaf.........................................................................................8
Module 1- Scaling Up...............................................................................................................................9
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................9
Studied Concept:...................................................................................................................................9
Actions:...............................................................................................................................................17
Roles and Activities of Regional Centers: ..........................................................................................19
MODULE 2: Central Outreach...............................................................................................................21
Introduction: Need for the project.......................................................................................................21
Solution...............................................................................................................................................23
1. Assessment of the infant's medical records and current achievements.......................................24
2. A list of family strengths.............................................................................................................24
3. Major goals, or outcomes expected from the program ...................................................................25
4. Specific services needed to achieve those outcomes ......................................................................25
Studied Concepts: ...............................................................................................................................28
Actions:...............................................................................................................................................32
Outreach Expenses:.............................................................................................................................33
Auxiliary Projects: ......................................................................................................................................35
Human Resource Generation:.................................................................................................................35
Vocational Services for the Deaf:...........................................................................................................36
Social Media Marketing:.........................................................................................................................37
Finding Jobs for Deaf..............................................................................................................................38
References:..................................................................................................................................................40

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Major Project: Spreading Education for the Deaf
The major project has two modules, namely:
Module1- Scaling Up (Regional Schools)
Module2- Outreach
Central Team
Scaling Up
(Regional Schools)
Curriculum managed by
central branch
Regional Outreach
Team (Door-to-Door
service)
IT enabled Management
Information System
IEP: Individual
Education Plan for
Special Needs
Central Outreach
Door to Door health-
care related to hearing
impaired and multi-
disabled.
Early Identification and
Intervention
Mass Communication
Dept.
Curriculum
Development

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Module 1- Scaling Up
Introduction: The current status of the education of the Deaf in India today is
extremely poor. Oral methods are still the prevailing methods of educating the
Deaf. Most deaf children are not taught in Sign Language. The current system of
education in India does not prepare Deaf children to lead productive lives. This
emphasis on the development of oral skills undermines much more important
goals, such as development of a language, cognition, social skills and emotional
maturity. The main problem is a total lack of meaningful communication between
the teacher and student that is the key to education of all children, Deaf or hearing.
I believe that it is imperative that the present education system is shaken up from
its roots and a new system has to be implemented.
The term scaling up here means opening up of more regional education centers
especially in the rural areas of Punjab (for the time being). These educational
centers will impart education to the hearing impaired children as well as adults
through the medium of sign language.
Bhagat Puran Singh Pingalwara cannot itself fund all the expansion plans of the
school for deaf, so I started to work for getting funds out of CSR funds from
various companies in India.
Studied Concept:
The new Companies Act, 2013, has made it mandatory for companies to be
socially responsible by introducing the 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR)
regime. Section 135 of the new Companies Act, read with the CSR Rules,
mandates companies meeting certain criteria to set aside two per cent of their net
profits for undertaking and promoting socially beneficial activities and projects in
India. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) recently issued the CSR Rules,
2014, to implement this legislative mandate, which comes into effect on April 1,
2014

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The new Companies Act, 2013, has made it mandatory for companies to be
socially responsible by introducing the 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR)
regime. Section 135 of the new Companies Act, read with the CSR Rules,
mandates companies meeting certain criteria to set aside two per cent of their net
profits for undertaking and promoting socially beneficial activities and projects in
India. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) recently issued the CSR Rules,
2014, to implement this legislative mandate, which comes into effect on April 1,
2014.
Every company with a net worth of at least Rs 500 crore, or a minimum turnover
of Rs 1,000 crore, or a minimum net profit of Rs 5 crore, is obligated to constitute
a CSR committee dedicated to undertake a mixed spectrum of initiatives, such as
promoting education, gender equality, women's empowerment, improving maternal
health, or ensuring environmental sustainability. The company's net profit would,
however, exclude any profit from its overseas branches or companies, and would
also exclude any dividend received from other companies in India. The law does
not treat foreign companies differently, and includes foreign companies doing
business in India, whether by themselves, or through an agent or even
electronically. (See reference 1)
Current legislation and policy in terms of the Deaf is wholly lacking. While The
Disabilities Act 1995, reserves 3% seats for disabled students in all Government
educational institutions and other educational institutions receiving aid from the
Government as per Clause 39. It mandates that every child with a disability till the
age of 18 years, should have access to free education. Its endeavor is to promote
integration of students with disabilities into regular schools as well as the setting
up of special schools and to equip them with vocational training facilities (Clause
26).
The Act also promotes research for the purpose of designing and developing new
assistive devices, teaching aids, special teaching materials, etc., and it promotes

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teachers training programs specializing in disabilities so that requisite trained
manpower is available for special schools and integrated schools for children with
disabilities.
Despite the provisions on Education in the PWD Act, there are minimal provisions
relating to the hearing impaired. It should be noted that Sign Language is not even
mentioned in the entirety of the Act. The only mention that the hearing impaired
get in the section on education is under Clause 30 of the Act where it is mandated
that the Government should prepare a comprehensive education scheme which
shall make various provisions, including restructuring the curriculum for benefit of
students with hearing impairment to facilitate them to only take one language as
part of their curriculum. While this does something to improve the workload of the
Deaf child, it is apparent that it has been formulated without a complete
understanding of what is needed in educating the Deaf. A complete restructuring of
the education system for the hearing and speech impaired, should in fact go much
further than simply allowing Deaf students to take only one language as part of
their curriculum.
The National Association of the Deaf is firmly of the opinion that:
 Education is the fundamental right of every child including the hearing
disabled in this country.
 Denial of language skills amount to denial of freedom of speech which is a
clear violation of Section 19 (1)(a). Denial of adequate access to a language
is discriminatory under Article 15 of the Constitution of India.
 Denial of proficiency in Sign Language training is a denial of equal
opportunities and clearly violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.
 Denial of language skills results in atrophy of a portion of the brain and
leaves the person ill-equipped to deal with handling all the necessary
elements of leading a sustainable life and as such is violative of Article 21 of
the Constitution of India.
 Denial of language results in poor educational levels leaving Deaf people ill-
equipped to follow a trade or a business. It is violative of Article 19 (1)(g)

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 The state has failed in its responsibility to ensure prevention of disability as
mandated under Section 25 of the Disabilities Act.
 The government has failed in its duty to make schemes for the benefit of
persons with disabilities as mandated by Section 36 of the Disabilities Act.
 It is the responsibility of the Rehabilitation Council of India to provide for
quality services in the field of disability, one of which is in providing
properly trained teachers for teaching the Deaf.
 The Disabilities Act mandates that every disabled child from the age of 6-18
years shall be given free and compulsory education which is clearly not
happening in the case of hearing impaired children as the number of teachers
trained to teach them is extremely low.
 The lack of proper and skilled teaching staff, hearing impaired children
sometimes spend 2-3 years in the same class and are often overage by the
time they have cleared their class 12 exams for entrance into under graduate
courses.
 Every student has a right to be taught in accessible format education and
information should be imparted in a format that is accessible to the said
student and denial of this right is a violation of Article 15 of the Constitution
of India.
 Currently, as the education system for the hearing impaired currently stands,
Deaf people are not able to access higher education and are extremely poorly
educated even at the secondary school level.
 The National Association of the Deaf has filed a Public Interest Litigation in
the Supreme Court on behalf of the Deaf community in India demanding
radical changes in the current education system of the Deaf. A copy of the
petition is attached herewith.

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The following international documents highlight the importance of the use of Sign
Language as the language of learning and teaching in the education of Deaf
children:
UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities
Rules No. 7 and 9 clearly indicate that a national Sign Language as the language of
learning and teaching, as well as culturally sensitive instruction are vital for the
successful education of Deaf learners
UNESCO Conference on the Education of Deaf Children (1984)
At this Conference an agreement was reached as such that as language is important
for the development of the Deaf child, the child should have access to Sign
Language as well as spoken language. It was further concluded that Sign Language
should be recognised as a legitimate linguistic system and have the same status as
other linguistic systems
Salamanca Statement (1994)
The Salamanca Statement emphasises that educational policies should ensure that
Deaf people have access to education in their national Sign Language, and
furthermore, that persons with disabilities have the right to be educated in the way
that they choose (and that organisations of people with disabilities should be
involved in the design and implementation of programs).
Equally important is the guideline that children with special needs should follow
the same curriculum as all other learners. It also recognises the importance of
educators with disabilities to serve as role models for children with disabilities, as
well as the preparation of teacher trainers.

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World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) (1995)
The WFD unequivocally states that Deaf children have the right to be educated in
the Sign Language of their country, and that they also have the right to Sign
Language interpreters if they are educated among hearing children.
There should be a special bridge curriculum. There is a need for a study to be
carried out on what the hearing child knows at the age of 3 or 4 and what they have
managed to absorb by this age. We can then compare this with the Deaf child of
the same age in order to assess what needs to be done.
Mainstream schools should have a wing where Sign Language interpreters are
available as well as special support staff. Employment for the future needs to be
kept in mind. Employment opportunities for the Deaf should be assessed and what
opportunities will be available for the Deaf 10 years down the line.
(See reference 2)
Family Centered Services
1) Early Start recognizes that parent involvement is directly related to a child’s
success. The parents are considered to be the child’s primary teacher, such that the
child is receiving communication experiences in the natural environment (i.e.,
everyday routines, relationships, activities, places, and partnerships). Thus, Early
Start provides opportunities for parent support and training.
2) Early Start recognizes and respects the characteristics, values, and practices of
the diverse cultures of families. Staff recognizes and respects the history, beliefs,
and practices of the children and families they serve.
3) Early Start recognizes the parents’ resources, priorities, and concerns, and their
desired outcomes for their children, and develops an instructional program that will
support those outcomes.

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4) Early Start creates an environment where parents feel empowered and
comfortable in advocating for their children.
5) Early Start ensures that parents are aware of the Family Resource Centers and
other appropriate parent to-parent support specifically designed for families with
young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
6) Early Start ensures that parents receive information regarding communication
options, which is respectful of all communication modes and supports parents in
their communication choice(s).
7) Early Start regularly communicates with parents and provides them with
information about their children’s learning and development, as well as activities
in the program.
8) The staff recognizes the role that various family members and caregivers play in
promoting children’s development.
9) Early Start has an ongoing process for involving parents and other family
members, and the deaf and hard of hearing community in program development,
and encourages strong collaboration between staff, parents, deaf and hard of
hearing community members, and the business community.
Curriculum and Instruction
1) Curriculum and instruction for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of
hearing, including those with multiple disabilities, are family focused,
developmentally appropriate, and focused on the development of communication
skills and linguistic competence to ensure later academic, social, and vocational
success.
2) Curriculum for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing aligns with
standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).

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3) Appropriate, ongoing, one-on-one assessment is used to measure individual
growth and development of infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
(See Reference 3)
-A deaf student working on computer accompanied by CEO of Home of Hope Inc.
(US)

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Actions:
First of all, we recognized the expenditure incurred to open and run a school for
deaf. This laid down the foundation of talks with various organizations, whether
corporate or philanthropic. The expenses are as follows:
Operational Costs
Internet 1000
Teacher's Salaries (2x) 16000
Electricity 2000
Stationary 1500
Computer maintainance 600
Emmergency Expenses 1000
Tele-communication 200
Miscellanious Expenditure 1000
23300
*This excludes expenses in room lease.
Fixed Costs
Desktop Computer 30000
Printer 6000
Internet Connection 1500
Class Room Chair & Equpment 16800
LED TV 35000
Webcam 2000
Miscellanious 2500
Almirahs 12000
Mobile & Connection 5000
Bags (Yearly) 2500
113300
*Fixed Cost will not exceed 150000.
*This budget excluded building cost

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We established contacts between various notable persons/organizations such as:
1. Sheela Mistry: GRI Certified Training Partner for India and HR &
Management consultants. CEO of Insight Associates (Recommended by
UN).
a. She visited the school and was impressed by the dedication of
management and quality of education.
b. Thus she promised to link BPSSD to 1500+ companies for CSR
funding regarding the project mentioned above.
2. Gurudwara Khadoor Sahib: This place has a historic importance as the
Punjabi language was developed here.
a. We approached the Gurudwara authorities to donate us 2 rooms from
their already operating university to start a deaf school. The school
will cater to all the nearby villages.
b. We received a very positive response from the authorities. We hope to
see the work start in 2 months from now.
3. Baru Sahib Schools: This is a chain of schools imparting value based
education consisting of 129 schools. The organization showed keen interest
in this project when approached.
a. The school has a reach of 6450 villages, which is a very good sign
that if implemented, the school for deaf will truly serve the poor
families.

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-Deaf children playing out in the open.
Roles and Activities of Regional Centers:
 Teach Sign Language: Curriculum will be followed as of central branch.
 Multi Disability Teaching: Basic life skill will be taught to the differently
abled.
 Literature dissemination: Various self-help/ educational books for the
uneducated.
 Answer queries and provide guidance: Provide healthcare and diagnosis
support.
 Data Collection: Create and maintain record of the deaf children in
respective regions.

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 Webinar Courses: Online video assisted teaching from central branch.
 Providing jobs to female teachers: The training of all teachers will be at
central branch.
 Induction Programs: Sensitizing the parents for importance of education
especially for the deaf.
-Addressing students and teachers of a government school.

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MODULE 2: Central Outreach
Introduction: Need for the project
-Rajinderpal Singh addressing foreign students regarding education of deaf and differently abled.
As reported by WHO, there are about 250-300 million deaf people in this world,
2/3 of them live in the underdeveloped nations, of these India has the largest share.
Presently there is no government run program that looks after needs of the deaf
children from birth to 2 Years of age. In Punjab the state of the deaf children is
pitiable.
We have interviewed 80 parents of deaf children so far. The reason for deafness of
the children varies but majority of the cases of deafness appears to be because of
the baby’s sickness (jaundice, high fever), accidents, overdose of medicines and
lack of awareness. With some help 50% of these cases are preventable.

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The other reasons are the very low literacy level of the parents. They are not
capable of learning Sign Language. Therefore, the burden of educating their deaf
children has to be taken by someone.
There is very little information available to the parents of the deaf children about
how to bring up their deaf children.
The outreach Team!

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Solution
The way out of this critical situation is Early Intervention as being practiced in all
the developed countries.
Early intervention refers to services for babies who have conditions that may cause
delays in the development of five areas of skills. Some babies need specialized
support to develop those skills. These areas are:
 Physical development
 Cognitive development
 Communication
 Social or emotional development
 Adaptive development
To start with, the project would be limited to the deaf children all the required
support for their overall development would be provided.
Why is the Early detection of Hearing Loss so Important?
Initially, babies who are born with hearing loss do not look or behave any
differently from babies who are hearing. However, undetected and untreated
hearing loss has serious consequences on the acquisition of language skills as well
as cognition and emotional and social development. Deafness separates people
from people. The first 6 months of a baby’s life are very crucial for the
development of speech and language. Evidence shows that to be most beneficial,
screenings should be done before discharge from hospital with diagnostic
evaluation completed by 3 months of age. Intervention should be started by 6
months of age.
What can be done?
1. Assessment of the child.
2. Guidelines to check the development of the child.
3. Basic Sign Language for the parents.
4. Screening the child for hearing.
5. Reference to an audiologist.
6. Continuous support till the child reaches a school.

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How will it be done
We are in touch with the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (Government run program for the
education of the out of reach children). They have no plans to provide any
assistance to the deaf children from birth to 2 years of age. However, they have
divided the towns into different blocks and the information about the key persons
of each block is available. One such block has been identified and it consists of 9
villages.
A survey of the 9 villages can be done in a month’s time. SSA block in-charge has
extended all the support.
Having identified the deaf children who need assistance a team would visit each
child at least twice a month two assess, guide and educate the parents and the
children.
Their role would be:
1. Assessment of the infant's medical records and current achievements.
Gross motor activities
Fine motor activities.
Assessment and training as per The "Greenspan" Floor Time Model
2. A list of family strengths
The strengths are traits, efforts, talents and existing systems that can be used to
achieve specific outcomes and includes individual family members, friends,
relatives and associates and personal traits that make the promise of a
successful program possible. Resources such as income, transportation, space,
time and easy access to information would also be considered strengths. In this
way, the family is empowered to view itself as capable in meeting the needs of
their child and the need for professional services is minimized the existing

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strengths and resources available to the family for addressing each targeted
outcome.
3. Major goals, or outcomes expected from the program
- Identification of the deaf children.
- Help in diagnosis of the child’s hearing impairment.
- Assessment and development of the child’s skills.
- Basic Sign Language of the parents and the child. With free of cost
pamphlets, booklets and hand-outs.
- Continuous support till the child reaches a school.
4. Specific services needed to achieve those outcomes
1. Transportation – a small vehicle to carry the team and the screening
equipment.
2. Equipment
a. Portable screening OAE.
b. Otoscope.
c. Tympanometer.
3. Team Members
a. Speech therapist
b. Social worker
c. Deaf role model.
d. Driver/ helper.
4. Other Resources
 Psychological Services
 Physiotherapy Centre
 Content Manager
 Legal Advisor
 Central Heads
5. Building
 Webinar room
 Operations room
 Library/ info room

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 Store Room
 Visitor Room
 Dining Hall with kitchen
During one of the outreach programs in Amritsar City.

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Outreach Visit at a village near Batala (Punjab).

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Studied Concepts:
Early identification of a hearing loss means an earlier start for young children with
a hearing loss and their families. Families with infants whose hearing loss is
identified through a newborn hearing screening program are able to make the most
of their babies’ first months of life by providing an optimal foundation for
language, cognition, and social-emotional development. Researchers have found
that when a hearing loss is identified early and families receive excellent
intervention services by qualified providers by one year of age, these children
attain language skills comparable to their hearing peers by the time they are five
years old (Yoshinaga-Itano, Sedey, Coulter, & Mehl, 1998; Moeller, 2000). In fact,
the benefits of early identification and early intervention have exceeded many
people’s expectations and have positively changed the outlook for children with a
hearing loss and their families.
Appropriate early intervention provides families with the information and support
they need to maximize their child’s overall development. Families participating in
early intervention, with the help of professionals, identify services that they believe
will benefit their children and themselves. Early intervention offers specialized
services by qualified professionals that are provided in a manner that is compatible
with the family’s concernsand priorities.
What is the Purpose of Early Intervention?
Families who have just learned that their child has a hearing loss typically have no
prior experience or information about what this means for their child and family.
Since more than 90 percent of parents with a child who is deaf or hard of hearing
are themselves hearing, the news often comes as a complete surprise. Although
parents react to the identification of their child’s hearing loss in many different
ways, they often need support as they adjust to this new and unexpected

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information. Parents want information about their child’s hearing abilities, how to
communicate clearly, and how they can enhance their child’s development. Early
intervention services provide families with support and information that promote
the family’s abilities to support their child’s growth and development (Bodner-
Johnson & Sass-Lehrer, 1999).
Soon after their infant or toddler’s hearing loss has been identified, most families
desire comprehensive information about hearing loss. They want to know the
impact of their child’s hearing loss on communication and language. They have
questions about the educational opportunities available, how their child will learn,
and how their child will get along with others. Families recognize the need for
support as they adjust to this unexpected reality and often find that professionals
and other parents of deaf and hard of hearing children are more understanding of
their situation than their own family members (Meadow-Orlans, Mertens, Sass-
Lehrer, & Scott-Olson, 1997).
What to Look for in an Early Intervention Program ?
Effective early intervention programs and services:
 Family-centered Services
o are family-centered, building on the family’s strengths and resources
to enhance the child’s development and learning;
o support the family’s connections with its culture/community and
access to
resources that promote the family and child’s well-being;
o provide information to the family about specialized services available
for young children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their
families;
 Communication and Language Acquisition
o provide information to the family about the importance of early
communication and language acquisition;

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Myths and Facts About Early Identification and Intervention
Myth 1: Early identification of hearing loss works even without early intervention.
Fact 1: Early identification without early intervention may be detrimental to the
family and child.
Even the best program to identify a hearing loss will be ineffective if a seamless
referral and timely participation in an appropriate and early intervention program
do not follow. Unfortunately, early intervention by qualified providers is not
always readily available.
Early hearing detection and identification programs need to ensure that families
are referred immediately to programs and services that can support their
emotional needs and provide them with information and resources to enhance their
abilities to promote their child’s early developmental needs.
Myth 2: Children with a hearing loss will experience delays in communication and
language.
Fact 2: Early, quality intervention promotes age-appropriate communication and
language growth in many children.
Myth 3: Only some children benefit from early identification of a hearing loss and
early intervention services.
Fact 3: Children benefit from early identification and effective early intervention
regardless of individual differences.
Myth 4: All infants with a hearing loss and their families should receive the same
early intervention services.
Fact 4: Early intervention services must be flexible to meet individual situations
and respond to changes in family priorities, and be responsive to ways families
find most helpful.
Myth 5: There is one best communication approach for all children with a hearing
loss.
Fact: 5: No single communication approach works for all children.

31
Myth 6: Young children with a hearing loss and their families should receive
services only in settings that provide services for children without hearing loss.
Fact 6: Young children and families benefit from services provided by specialists
and in settings that provide services for other young children with a hearing loss
and their families.
Myth 7: Any early intervention specialist or speech and language pathologist can
provide appropriate services for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of
hearing and their families.
Fact 7: Qualified personnel with specialized preparation are essential for providing
appropriate services and achieving successful outcomes for young children who
are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
Conclusion
Early identification of a hearing loss is only the beginning for families with infants
with a hearing loss. Participation in a quality early intervention program soon after
a baby’s hearing loss is identified is the next important step. For many families,
however, finding a good program is not easy and families can be perplexed about
what components make a program effective. Misconceptions among practitioners
and policy makers can hinder the progress that children and families should expect
if provided effective early intervention services.
The knowledge about early identification and early intervention includes:
 early identification without early intervention may be detrimental to the
family and child
 early quality intervention promotes age-appropriate communication and
language growth in many children;
 children benefit from early identification and effective early intervention
regardless of individual differences;

32
 early intervention services must be flexible to meet individual situations,
respond to changes in family priorities, and responsive to ways families find
most helpful;
 no single communication approach works for all children;
 young children and families benefit from services provided by specialists
and in settings that provide services for other young children with a hearing
loss and their families
 qualified personnel with specialized preparation are essential for providing
appropriate services and achieving successful outcomes for young children
who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
Actions:
Our outreach team visited a village every week to educate and gather more
information about the current situation of the deaf children and their families. A
cluster of village residents were informed prior to the visit to assemble at place
such as a Gurudwara on a specified date and time.
We aimed the rural population of Punjab because of very poor state of health/
educational services with very little or no empowerment.
The team constituted:
Rajinderpal Singh (Director Sir), Sukhjot Singh (Intern), Pooja(Intern), 3 deaf
children and a sign language teacher.
The places visited were: Batala, Khadoor Sahib, Jandiala, Biharipur, Rauni,
Manavala etc.

33
The problems we identified were:
 No communication medium developed between child and parents.
 Absence of school for deaf within 50km radius.
 Lack of basic information regarding different disabilities.
 Already grown up deaf children with no education.
 Very low financial status of affected families.
 No evidence of any help from government agencies.
 Unwillingness/ Lack of belief of teachers regarding possibility of higher
education of deaf children.
The central outreach team will engage in the following activities:
1. Collaborate with each regional center to carry out outreach visits (Early
Identification and Intervention).
2. Website up gradation for any sign language development.
3. Provide assistance to other schools for deaf regarding curriculum and
teaching methodology innovations.
4. Provide legal guidance regarding: disability aides by government, providing
information on various health services and where they can be availed.
Outreach Expenses:
Centre Outreach Expenses
Recurring Costs
Qt
y Cost
Regional Coordinators (One for
two centres) 2 20000
Full Time Psychologist 1 20000
Physiotherapy Centre 1
Already
Available
Speech Therapist (Full Time) 1 10000
Content Manager 1 6000
Sign Language Dovelopment

34
Team
Curriculum Development Team 2 16000
Outreach Expenses
Driver 6000
Oil (Limited to
2000kms/month) 8000
Vehcle Maintenance 500
Electricity Expenses 10000
Total 96500
Fixed Costs
Audiology Equipment 2
Already
Available
Outreach Vehicle 1 600000
Webinar Room 1 70000
Total 670000
-School’s website spreading awareness regarding deaf including an online Punjabi Sign
Language dictionary

35
Auxiliary Projects:
Students during summer art and craft camp.s
Human Resource Generation:
A renowned university of Punjab, GNDU, has a vast range of departments and
specializations. I approached two Head of Departments namely Mrs. Suninder
Kaur Tung (Psychology Dept.) and HoD of English dept.
a. After a few meetings, it is decided that students of Diploma in Mental
Health and Counseling will have a curriculum approved weekly visit
to BPSSD scheduled in their time-table.
b. This will be a credit course for the students as well.
HoD of English Department agreed to arrange for interns for mass-media and
creative writing tasks.

36
Vocational Services for the Deaf:
Apart from educating a differently abled being, it is also very important to make
them empowered to earn their own bread. This required identification of various
jobs where the deaf would easily fit in. These were
 Tailoring
 Housekeeping
 Storekeeping
 Cooking
 Catering
 Helper (factories)
 Laundry Services
(And many more)

37
The following are the institutes which were willing to provide education to the
deaf:
a. Deeds Catering Institute (Mumbai)
i. 1 year catering course
b. Mr. Vishal, Pallavi Hotels (Panchkula & Mumbai)
ii. Catering
iii. Housekeeping
iv. Cooking
v. Store Keeping
c. Rana Cooking Institute (Amritsar)
vi. Diploma in India Cooker (3 months)
d. Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (central government scheme)
vii. Majority of Hospitality Colleges
1. Cookery and Patisserie
2. Housekeeping
3. Indian Dishes
Social Media Marketing:
a. Made 2 documentaries on domestic violence taking a case of an
elderly woman.
b. The documentaries were uploaded to BPSSD’s YouTube channel.

38
-After interviewing a rehabilitated lady (a case of domestic violence).
Finding Jobs for Deaf
I contacted various corporate bodies and discussed upon the need to give
jobs to differently abled. Thus the following doors opened up for the deaf to
work at, that is:
a. Pallavi Hotels (Panchkula and Mumbai)
i. Catering
ii. Housekeeping
iii. Cooking
iv. Store Keeping

39
b. Best Price (Amritsar Branch)
v. Housekeeping
vi. Store Keeping
vii. Inventory Checkup
viii. Isle Maintenance
c. Deeds Institute (Mumbai)
ix. Tailoring order in batches if 500 suits. Specimens already
sent for inspection.
d. In-house carpentry and minor electrical work.
e. In-house tailor rooms with complete equipment. Operated by
deaf ladies/girls.
f. Gyan Sagar Institute of Management
x. Initiated talks with Director of the institute for stitching
orders of western dresses.
xi. Currently the tailoring manpower is skilled only in
stitching Indian dresses.

40
References:
Ref. 1-: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/new-csr-rules-ministry-of-corporate-
affairs-company-law/1/204363.html
Ref.2- http://nadindia.org.in/position-papers/education/73-nad-deaf-education.html
Ref.3- BEST PRACTICES FOR EARLY START
FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS
WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING, California Department of Education
2005
Ref. 4- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association-Council on Education of
the Deaf (ASHA-CED) Joint Committee. (1994, August). Service provision under
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act-Part H, as amended (IDEA-Part H)
to children who are deaf and hard of hearing ages birth through 36 months. ASHA,
117-121.
Ref. 5- Bodner-Johnson, B. (1994). Preparation of early intervention personnel. In
J. Roush & N. Matkin (Eds.), Infants and toddlers with hearing loss: Family
centered assessment and intervention. Baltimore: York Press.
Ref.6- Bodner-Johnson, B., & Sass-Lehrer, M. (1999). Family-school
relationships: Concepts and premises. Washington, DC: Pre-College National
Mission Programs,
Gallaudet University
Ref.7- Calderon, R. (2000). Parent involvement in deaf children’s education
programs as a predictor of child’s language, early reading, and social-emotional
development. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5, 140-155.

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