Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy
Photograph 1
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Indian Sign Language: Pedagogy
Indian Sign Language: Pedagogy
Photographs of pedagogical approaches adopted by the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy and Sewa Sadan School
These photographs were taken during my field trips, unless otherwise noted.
Sewa Sadan
School Logo
Source: Shared by the principal of Sewa Sadan
Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy
Photograph 2
During my field work, I found that disabled children are very aware of the disinformation that is often in circulation about their academic lives. In the case of the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy, all visitors are invited to ponder upon this poster, evocatively drawn by the students, on the nature of Sign Language. Unfortunately, many children and adults alike believe that the grammar of Sign Language is the same as that of any other written language. The students gently and artistically point out that it is time that the non-disabled population educated themselves on the basics of Sign Language. Step One: Acknowledge that Sign Language has a unique grammatical system of its own.
The students of the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy are also keen to place Sign Language on an equal epistemological footing with human dignity and everyday life. As visitors walk into the school and encounter the notice board, they are invited to ponder upon a tree of life.
The various multicoloured leaves read (from Left to Right): Natural Sign Language, Visual Learning, Social Interaction, Communication, Equality, Cultural Values, Acessibility, Freedom, Human Rights, Emotional Expression, Awareness, Development, Comfort, Education, Creativity, Imagination, Moral Values, Identity and Confidence. At the very centre is "Proud".
The children wish to counter the prevailing ableist stereotype that they are not proud to be who they are, and that they do not like to live the lives that they are currently living. They want no sympathy from the non-disabled. But, they are also keen to remind us, that the journey begins with acquiring Sign Language. Sign Language is a "Natural" language, they insist. And they are ofcourse, completely right.
Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy
Photograph 3
Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy
Photograph 4
Do any of us remember what we were doing in 2016 ? And how many children have clear memories of 2016 ?
The children of the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy remember it in very clear visuals. As can be seen from this photograph I took of their notice board, the children had a particularly hectic academic calendar in July 2016.
The children have created an archive. An archive of activity. An archive of feeling.
All disabled schools take pedagogy very seriously. The principal of Sewa Sadan School, Mr. Nitindra Badjatiya , explained the basics of Sign Langauge to me. Clearly he was of the view that Sign Language must be taught to all: the disabled and the non-disabled.
Mr. Badjatiya was also of the view that disability awareness must be integrated into the educational curriculum of all School Boards in the country; whether State or Central; in a 4 point programme:
1) Classes 1-5 can sensitise students to the social worlds of the disabled. He believed that this sensitisation must be accompanied by children encountering non-human worlds as well: particularly of animals. Ultimately, the point of their education was to develop an ethical and inclusive worldview.
2) Classes 6-8 can introduce students to the basics of Sign Language.
3) Classes 9-10 must include the typologies of disability in the curricula.
4) Classes 9-10 must also work in a project which involves a deeper understanding of disability.
Sewa Sadan School
Photograph 5
Sewa Sadan School
Photograph 6
Shared by
the principal of Sewa Sadan
Sewa Sadan School
Photograph 7
Shared by
the principal of Sewa Sadan
Photographs 6&7 document a training session on basic Sign Language and Manual Alphabet, along with Numbers for the student of V.I.T.S. School on the ocassion of International Sign Language Day.
Mr. Badjatiya had also taken steps to implement his 4 point programme for disability awareness. The first step was to build a main hall adorned with paintings depicting scenes from Indian mythology. The hall is now complete. He took me on a tour, and stopped before a painting of the Sun God, Lord Surya, on his chariot. Ever the educationist, he quizzed my knowledge of Indian mythology. "Did you know that Lord Surya, has a charioteer ?", he enquired. "Why, yes; of course", I informed him. "Well then, did you know that the charioteer's name was Aruni ?", he persevered. I informed him that I wasn't aware of this information. Mr Badjatiya had found his mark. "And did you know", he asked, "that Aruni was disabled?" That is when I understood what the Indian mythological paintings in the main hall represented. He explained each painting to me. All of them feature either animal characters or disabled characters.
I couldn't help thinking about all the painting galleries I had seen so far in my life. "Just how many of those paintings had an unconscious ableist bias written into them ?", I wondered.
The students of Sewa Sadan conduct workshops for non-disabled children. The non-disabled are seated in the main hall and tutored on the basics of Sign Language.
Source: Official Facebook page of the Sewa Sadan School
This picture has been sourced from the official Facebook page of the Sewa Sadan School. It is an act of disseminating awareness online, as well as a recognition of a more profound social reality: that the disabled must create their own online spaces, forums and discourse; to keep in touch; and to educate the abled. I came across this image after visiting the Sewa Sadan School.
In case you are a casual visitor to this website, please do circulate this image in your social circles.
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