They are also Children
Don Bosco Veedu Society has
tried to rehabilitate seven deaf and dumb children in the past one year. All
these children had run away from their homes or schools. It is often a tedious
task to restore them as it is very difficult to trace their family due to
communication issues. We have found that almost all such children also have
mental health problems and it is mainly due to the neglect they often feel even
if their homes are healthy. In all the seven cases our rehabilitative process
of training them in schools for deaf and dumb have failed due to the fact that
they often run away and find it difficult to adjust with others. It is natural
that they feel neglected in a family as they can get on the nerves of others
especially in conversations.
According to the World Federation of the Deaf
(WFD), approximately 66 percent of Deaf people live in developing countries,
where authorities are rarely familiar with their needs and where very few Deaf
children have access to employment and education. Only about 10 percent of the
world's Deaf population receive any education at all, and only one percent
receives this education in sign language - even though the majority of deaf
people worldwide use sign language in their daily lives. Even if home is healthy it would be much
better that they grow up with similar children so that neglect issues will not
crop up.
It is often difficult for a Deaf person
to break into a conversation. He/she cannot hear and be uncertain as to when
they can break in. When this happens, it may appear that they seem to be intruding
on what you say without contributing. In this circumstance, you need to be
proactive and turn to the Deaf person and make eye contact, as a signal to join
the conversation or to give a message or to ask a question. Deaf children are relegated to a low social
status as a direct result of the poor or nonexistent education they receive,
the stigma they face, and the lack of awareness of their full potential as
active members of society.
Waking up in
the morning can be the first daily activity that presents a problem. Many deaf
people can use their internal clock to wake up in the morning if they spend
some time learning techniques for waking up. Smoke detectors, timers on the
oven and even the telephone present problems for deaf people every day.
Technology is helping alleviate some of these difficulties. Alarm clocks can
now turn on lights or vibrate to help the deaf person wake up. Telephones are
also available to allow the deaf person to communicate on the phone.
Traditional school environments are difficult for a deaf person to navigate without the aid of interpreters. Special schools for the deaf help young people learn how to communicate with others and the skills necessary to get through the world as a deaf person. The use of interpreters in college helps many deaf people earn degrees and advance in the workplace.
Deaf children face the lack of positive Deaf role models
who can communicate successfully and mentor the children to reach their full
potential. As a result, most of the young people are doing poorly or failing
their classes. They cannot imagine attending college, let alone becoming a
successful professional. Society tells them that they are "dumb."
Without
proper education, deaf role models, mentors and tools to gain acceptance in
society, deaf children will continue to face issues of neglect.
