India's first sign language dictionary to come up soon: Government

The Union Government will soon launch country’s first-of-its-kind Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people.
It is being developed in both print and video format by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).  It will give an uniform language to 50 lakh hearing and 20 lakh speech impaired people in the country.

Key Facts

• ISL dictionary will contain graphic representations of popular signs used by the hearing impaired and also their regional variations. It will also have legal, technical and medical terms
• It will help bridge the communication gap by promoting the use of sign language for hearing impaired students at schools and colleges.
• It will also enable government officials, teachers, community leaders, professionals and the public at large to learn and use sign language.
• It will enable the public utility organisations like hospitals, banks, courts, airports, and others to utilise the services of interpreters.
• So far, it has compiled 6,032 Hindi and English words and their corresponding graphic representation of the signs which are used in daily life.

About Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)

ISLRTC is an autonomous organization under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It was established under Society Registration Act, 1860. Its main objectives are to develop manpower for teaching and conducting research in Indian Sign Language (ISL), promote use of ISL as an educational mode in collaboration with universities, national and international bodies.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017