DEAF people are often viewed as intellectually inferior, linguistically impoverished and treated them as outcasts, though they can do everything except for hearing. The three deaf Nobel laureates -- Charles Jules Henry Nicolle (1866-1936), Sir Charles Scott Sherrington ((1857-1952) and Sir John Warcup Cornforth (age 93) -- are the finest examples of excellence. Besides, World Deaf athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cricket, cross county, cycling, futsal (an indoor version of association football), golf, handball, ice hockey, soccer, summer Deaflypmics (deaf Olympic games), volleyball, winter Deaflympics, water polo, wresting, tennis and table tennis championships amply testify this.
In 1864, Gallaudet College, the world's only federal chartered college for the deaf and hard of hearing students, was founded in Washington D.C. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) signed the charter of Gallaudet College. In 1986, Gallaudet College transformed to Gallaudet University, the world's first and only university for the deaf and hard of hearing students and hearing students who pursues careers related to deaf and hard of hearing people. The university was named after Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), a pioneer in the education of deaf people.
Advanced general education is known as liberal education which Gallaudet University emphasises. As a result, administration and supervision, applied literacy, art, American Sign Language (ASL) and deaf studies, biology, business, chemistry and physics, counselling, communication studies, education, educational foundations and research, English, family and child studies, foreign languages, literatures and cultures, government and history, hearing, speech and language sciences, interpretation, linguistics, mathematics and computer sciences, philosophy and religion, physical education and recreation, psychology, social work, sociology and theater arts have been flourished. Its world-wide fame is regarded as the "Mecca of the deaf people.''
Dr. Alan Hurwitz, the newly 10th president of Gallaudet University who took office on January 1, 2010 said in his presidential citation: "A University is an environment where the ideas are shared, individuals respect others who are different from them, and the civil discourse of opposition views is not only supported and respected, but encouraged and welcomed."
Regarding the student success, Dr. Hurwitz mentioned: "Student success is our beacon. It will help us envision Gallaudet University as a fertile ground for young deaf and hard of hearing students to develop their global knowledge and skills. It will also guide us to develop student leadership and advocacy skills to enhance the quality of life for deaf and hard of hearing people throughout the world. It will help us envision Gallaudet University with its vibrant resources of knowledge and skills to influence and impact education of all deaf and hard of hearing children in the USA and abroad."
To implement the dreams, Gallaudet University has introduced the five years (2010-2015) strategic plan with an updated version of Dr. Hurwitz's comments.
To establish the "epicentre" which is one of the goals of strategic plan of Gallaudet University for research, development and outreach leading to advancements in knowledge and practice of deaf, hard of hearing people and all humanity. Dr. Hurwitz optimised: "We will indeed to build on that work to become the epicentre as described in our strategic goal."
Unfortunately, according to the fact sheet of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), approximately 80% of the world's deaf people live in developing countries and they are the poorest of the poor.
Many of them have no voting or equal citizenship rights, no freedom to assemble or establish representative bodies. They could not marry other deaf, etc. 26 countries prohibited deaf people from driving and obtaining a driver's licence. In these most countries, sign languages were not recognised by the government.
Out of 53 countries only 6 countries Belize (formerly British Honduras), Brazil, Cuba, Ghana, India and Pakistan have a television broadcasting network, which produce programmes, news and documentaries for the deaf people.
The general proportion of unemployment for deaf people is 3 times higher than national averages. Carpentry, joinery, masonry, tailoring and dressmaking, etc. manual labor jobs are the most common for deaf people.
Sign language interpreters are available in only 29 out of 65 countries. Moreover, these interpreters are not trained professionals, nor are they certified by an authority.
Only 20% deaf children do not receive any education at all and in 18 countries, teachers have no formal training to teach deaf children. The condition is worse in developing countries.
It is time for Gallaudet University to focus on the deaf and hard of hearing people in developing countries and to make renaissance for them so that they can live in peace, harmony and prosperity as a worthy citizen of the country through the mission of joint-partnerships of their respective governments or Universities. It is the universal dream and humble plea of Alice Cogswell (1805-1830), the deaf daughter of Dr. Mason Cogswell (1761-1830), the prominent physician of Hartford, Connecticut, and Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the teacher of Alice Cogwell who taught her on experimental basis.
Published in the Financial Express, Dhaka, Bangladesh February 25, 2010
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