Graam

Tuesday, February 18, 2025
3:16 am

Hear Here…

Hear Here…

The journey of lending a listening ear to the cues of struggle… Doesn’t listen to anybody… always silent and inactive… doesn’t respond to instructions … ignorant and disrespectful… always sits alone… This is then followed by disciplinary actions.  How can one listen when one can’t hear? How many of us actually understand the power of hearing before listening? Is listening restricted only to perceiving and understanding sounds? Doesn’t silence also convey a message? This is a call for all to hear here.

While the society is emerging to extend an empathetic approach towards persons with hearing difficulty, its outreach in the grassroots, i.e., the villages are yet to yield change. Amidst the negative emotions and discriminatory expressions against persons with disabilities, many families and communities fail to identify a person with hearing disability as it manifests as an invisible impairment.

“He doesn’t respond to any of our calls, he is always silent, stays separate. We keep calling him and he just doesn’t respond. It seems like he doesn’t pay attention to anyone. This is disrespectful,” stated a teacher of Ramesh (name changed), a class five student, Government Higher Primary School, Dasarakoplu, Hassan. Ramesh was perceived to be a slow learner with least interest towards studies. Teachers and parents tried their level best to get Ramesh to respond, with failed results. On being helpless, all that they could do was shout at the child.

Chirayu is an initiative of GRAAM, under Sugamya Shiksha, for identifying and aiding children with hearing disabilities. Through Chirayu (which kickstarted in 2016), 2460 children underwent screening by qualified doctors. 11 schools had three screening sessions each followed by counselling of parents and students. 16 hearing aids have been provided to 12 students post-screening.

Hearing disability was the second most cause of disability and among the top most causes of sensory deficit according to the National Sample Survey (2002) which attempted to study disabilities in Indian households.

While Ramesh was one example, there would be many other children who are subjected to similar hardships whose future living and livelihoods are at stake. According to various studies, 63 million people (6.3%) in India, suffer from significant auditory loss. Four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing disability with over 100,000 babies that are born with hearing deficiency every year. Research also states that the number of persons with hearing disability per 100,000 was 291.

Therefore, all that it takes is an approach of compassion for finding out the cause of hardship and accordingly, an effective intervention to combat the concern.  This effort when implemented, can be translated as a confident boost for children’s endless imagination which opens up the window for building on dreams and aspirations for a lifetime. Let’s ensure that every child is endowed with a memorable journey of hearing and being heard.

(This article’s author is Ms Vishaka V Warrier – Senior Associate, Communication and Policy Engagement, GRAAM)

The journey of lending a listening ear to the cues of struggle… Doesn’t listen to anybody… always silent and inactive… doesn’t respond to instructions … ignorant and disrespectful… always sits alone… This is then followed by disciplinary actions.  How can one listen when one can’t hear? How many of us actually understand the power of hearing before listening? Is listening restricted only to perceiving and understanding sounds? Doesn’t silence also convey a message? This is a call for all to hear here.

While the society is emerging to extend an empathetic approach towards persons with hearing difficulty, its outreach in the grassroots, i.e., the villages are yet to yield change. Amidst the negative emotions and discriminatory expressions against persons with disabilities, many families and communities fail to identify a person with hearing disability as it manifests as an invisible impairment.

“He doesn’t respond to any of our calls, he is always silent, stays separate. We keep calling him and he just doesn’t respond. It seems like he doesn’t pay attention to anyone. This is disrespectful,” stated a teacher of Ramesh (name changed), a class five student, Government Higher Primary School, Dasarakoplu, Hassan. Ramesh was perceived to be a slow learner with least interest towards studies. Teachers and parents tried their level best to get Ramesh to respond, with failed results. On being helpless, all that they could do was shout at the child.

Chirayu is an initiative of GRAAM, under Sugamya Shiksha, for identifying and aiding children with hearing disabilities. Through Chirayu (which kickstarted in 2016), 2460 children underwent screening by qualified doctors. 11 schools had three screening sessions each followed by counselling of parents and students. 16 hearing aids have been provided to 12 students post-screening.

Hearing disability was the second most cause of disability and among the top most causes of sensory deficit according to the National Sample Survey (2002) which attempted to study disabilities in Indian households.

While Ramesh was one example, there would be many other children who are subjected to similar hardships whose future living and livelihoods are at stake. According to various studies, 63 million people (6.3%) in India, suffer from significant auditory loss. Four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing disability with over 100,000 babies that are born with hearing deficiency every year. Research also states that the number of persons with hearing disability per 100,000 was 291.

Therefore, all that it takes is an approach of compassion for finding out the cause of hardship and accordingly, an effective intervention to combat the concern.  This effort when implemented, can be translated as a confident boost for children’s endless imagination which opens up the window for building on dreams and aspirations for a lifetime. Let’s ensure that every child is endowed with a memorable journey of hearing and being heard.

(This article’s author is Ms Vishaka V Warrier – Senior Associate, Communication and Policy Engagement, GRAAM)

About Us

Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) is a development research initiative in India focused on policy research, impact assessment, and strategic consultation. Collaborating with government, citizens, civil society, and corporate sectors, GRAAM ensures grassroots voices shape citizen-centric public policies. Their mission is to drive development by building human and social capital through evidence-based, community-informed solutions.

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