India's Deaf Community Opposes PIL for American Sign Language | ISH News скачать в хорошем качестве

India's Deaf Community Opposes PIL for American Sign Language | ISH News

A new Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court by Aman Azad, who runs a news portal for the Deaf. In his petition, he has requested that India should replace Indian Sign Language (ISL) with American Sign Language (ASL). Azad says that ASL is used in many countries, and if India adopts it, Deaf students will get better study materials and global job opportunities. He believes that this change will help India’s Deaf community connect with the wider world. However, the Indian Deaf community has strongly opposed this demand. They say that India already has its own language – Indian Sign Language (ISL) – which has its own grammar, culture, and identity. They feel that replacing it with ASL would erase their language and disrespect their community. ISL has signs deeply connected to Indian culture. For example, the sign for “man” shows a moustache, while “woman” shows a nose ring. ASL and ISL are quite different — ASL uses mostly one hand, while ISL uses two. The Deaf community says it makes no sense to replace a language that people already use and understand. Aqil Chinoy, CTO at India Signing Hands, said, “Language is identity. The PIL is unnecessary and damaging. What we need is strong support for ISL in schools, not ASL.” He added that many Deaf schools in India don’t even use ISL. Teachers focus only on speech and lip-reading, leaving students without proper sign language education. Dr Avinash Pandey, faculty member at Mumbai University’s Department of Linguistics, said, “Every language has a way of thinking about the world; if we lose different points of view, it’s a major loss to humankind.” He explained that when languages die, the communities that use them also disappear. Prashant Issar, MD at Bellona Hospitality, questioned the PIL’s purpose. “Instead of making ASL mandatory, why not make cochlear implants cheaper? Or provide free hearing aids and low-cost batteries?” he asked, noting that batteries can cost between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 every month. Alok Kejriwal, founder of the India Signing Hands Foundation, also strongly opposed the PIL. He said, “The Deaf community already communicates in ISL. Why force them to learn an American language? What we need is more ISL interpreters, ISL teacher training, and ISL-based teaching materials.” He reminded that Indian Sign Language is already recognised by the Government of India, and efforts should be made to strengthen it, not replace it. Several Deaf organisations like AIFD and NAD have also urged the government to improve Deaf education, train more teachers in ISL, and build better support systems instead of bringing ASL into India. The community stands united in its message: ISL is their language and identity, and they want the Supreme Court to reject the PIL and protect their right to use their own sign language. #AmericanSignLanguage #Deaf #DeafCommunity #IndianSignLanguage #SignLanguage #ASL #PIL #DeafCulture #BreakingNews #IndiaSigningHands #ISH #ISHNews ISH News broadcasts the Daily News and Entertainment online in Deaf-friendly accessible formats which are in Indian Sign Language (ISL), visual images with titles, voice-over and closed-captions. This ensures that we provide equal access to every individual, whilst promoting awareness. Follow us for all the latest News & Entertainment and to keep up-to-date on all the happenings at ISH News: WhatsApp Channel: https://ish.news/ish-whatsapp Facebook:   / ishnews   Twitter:   / ishnews_tv   Instagram:   / ishnews   Official Site: http://www.ishnews.tv/ Thanks for watching!! Favourites, Likes, Feedbacks & Shares are always appreciated.