Ranveer Singh has been constantly working towards raising the issues faced by the Deaf community. He has also been urging authorities to consider and declare Indian Sign Language (ISL) as the 23rd official language of India. He has signed a petition aimed at furthering awareness to this cause. Ranveer is lauding the steps taken by India to make textbooks and other educational material accessible for deaf children using sign language.
Ranveer says, “The news of NCERT textbooks being made available digitally in ISL for students in standard 1-5, is a huge step forward in a truly inclusive society. Inclusivity leads to accessibility and our leaders identifying this requirement makes me proud and hopeful for what’s to come in 2022.”
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has signed an MoU with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) to aid deaf children with educational material using sign language.
The availability of NCERT textbooks in Indian Sign Language (ISL) will ensure that hearing-impaired children can also now access educational resources and it will be a useful and much needed resource for teachers, teacher educators, parents and the hearing-impaired community. According to officials, the cognitive skills of children are developed in childhood and it is necessary to provide them with educational material in accordance with their learning needs.
“The National Education Policy 2020 is a progressive move much needed by the Deaf community and the nation and I commend this big step. This is an important start to equalise the playing field for the 70 lakh + citizens of the Deaf community,” says Ranveer.
He adds, “With my personal endeavour at IncInk, I will continue to be the loudspeaker for the community till their basic rights are met… and we are slowly but surely getting there.”
Ranveer’s independent record label IncInk, which he has formed with Navzar Eranee, has released multiple sign language music videos – the only record label to initiate this progressive step. Given Ranveer’s efforts towards making Indian Sign Language an official language, the deaf community in India has wholeheartedly appreciated him and also put out a heartfelt thank you video for him.
