Last Saturday, when I set foot on the playground at Church Park Convent, I could sense the air being filled with excitement. Children were hopping from one stall to another, playing games and having fun interacting with each other, without words.
The ‘Deaf Children’s Mela’ was hosted exclusively for hearing-impaired children by the Deaf Enabled Foundation (DEF), a pan-India voluntary organisation working for the empowerment of the hearing-impaired.
More than 120 children from eight schools for the hearing-impaired from Chennai, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Chidambaram took part in the mela.
Kangana Goel, a class IX student of Little Flower Convent Higher Secondary School for the Deaf in the city, was busy shooting balloons at one of the stalls. This is the second time she is attending the mela and she loves it.
“I get to play many games here and I don’t have to worry about having someone communicate with me or understand me because we all speak the same language of silence,” Kangana gestures this message and it is interpreted for me. And then Kangana goes back to bursting balloons.
The blazing sun did not seem to bother the children as they merrily went about the stalls, playing dart, wheel of fortune, angry birds and more games. The staff and volunteers too were hearing-impaired.
“Deaf Enabled Foundation has been conducting the mela for the past eight years in Chennai. Through the mela, we want to give the children an opportunity to forget their disability and enjoy themselves through games and other fun activities. It is their day and we ensure they have a good time. It also gives them a chance to interact with other children and forge new friendships and expand their horizons,” Ramya Miryala, COO of the Foundation.
The event was sponsored by L&T India as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. “L&T partners with us every year to organise the mela. We start the preparations a couple of months early and book a ground and pick the games,” she adds.
Actress Priya Anand, the brand ambassador of the Foundation and chief guest at the mela, says disability should not prevent these children from a leading a normal life.
“I am glad to see the children breaking barriers and approaching life with faith and a big smile on their faces. As a society, it is our responsibility to create better opportunities for them and treat them as equals,” she says.
Priya is planning to learn sign language soon so that she can get to know and communicate better with the children.
DEF also offers skill development and vocational training for the hearing-impaired. It works in association with IT firms and multi-national companies to create employment opportunities for them.
“Disability should not come in the way of skill and talent. People with disabilities deserve a job and pay on par with others with similar skills. We work with companies to ensure that workplaces create an inclusive environment for them,” says Ramya.
In Hyderabad, the Foundation has a restaurant called Talking Hands which is run by the hearing-impaired. It is the first restaurant owned and run by the deaf community.
For more details about the Foundation and its work, visit def.org.in