PRESS RELEASE
There is a ray of hope for parents of special children who lack economic clout, but want their wards to receive education
Roorkee, October 05, 2013: IIT Roorkee faculty members and students have joined hands to break the social barriers and prejudices in the society against the hearing impaired. Founded on November 11, 1989, Anushruti is a humble social initiative of its own kind, growing under the aegis of IIT Roorkee. Committed towards delivering quality education to specially abled children in and around Roorkee, this NGO has risen as one of the finest initiatives at national level. With an excellent team of highly qualified and dedicated faculty and staff, supported by the management of IIT Roorkee, Anushruti aims to impact as many lives as possible and nurture their lives through unmatched professional contributions in sectors of education and research. Hearing impaired children from across Uttarakhand including cities like Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Deoband, come to the School to receive high quality education under National Institute of Open School (NIOS) Currently there are over 100 students at the school , who face many challenges in their daily lives.
Since hearing impaired is a hidden disability, often parents do not recognize the seriousness of it till the child is much older and crossed early learning years. . On recognizing these needs, Anushruti - formally known as theb ‘Roorkee School for the Deaf’ was founded with the aim of acting as a catalyst to provide services to the hearing impaired. In an age when a pre-primary school for the hearing impaired is still a rare concept, Anshruti opened its doors and provides full fledged 10 + 2 education for through ORAL AURAL TECHNIQUES using various assistive technologies, device and teaching aids. Anushruti also organizes a number of skill development / vocational training programs like miming, choreography, dramatics, photography, computer, photography, hospitality, apparel and accessory designing and craft and visual design etcto improve skills of the students in various vocational fields. . Anushruti is currently providing free diagnostic, audiometric and speech therapy facilities to the Community as ‘Service to the Society’.
The academic infrastructure consists of development and creation of engineering workshops for wood work, tailoring, designing etc. Development of a play zone and creation of an e-library with adequate state of the art computing facilities are provided to the students.
Speaking on the occasion, Anasuya Banerji, President of Anushruti, says “Anshruti is the first school for hearing impaired in a Hi tech Institute of national importance. It is a daunting task for a child with hearing impairment to understand sounds and develop language & communication skills, which in turn affects the child’s personal development and process of reasoning and education. We realize the importance of understanding the tangible and intangible nature of the work we do and we work towards creating positive feelings, self image amongst families and children with hearing disabilities. It is important that these hearing impaired children need training from early age. Moreover, we envision to minimize the disabling barriers in the education process of these special children through greater scientific support.”
Anasuya Banerji firmly believes, “Anushruti stands at the thresholds of embarking a new journey of new dreams through you, Life is a celebration. Nature is bountiful, let us join hands, share, care and enjoy in giving! None of us can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
The school also has a computer lab with special softwares for hearing impaired. Special educators specialized in fields like auditory training; speech therapy and language training, are the supporting system for the school. The organization conducts numerous guidance and counseling sessions for economically and socially backward parents. Life at Anushruti is a showcase that narrates the tale of how silence is nurtured to make a life out of it and provides an apt platform for several National Service Scheme (NSS) activities of IIT Roorkee.
Vivek Handa, a young talented professional who has been recognized by Sonia Gandhi herself for his astonishing talent in photography and painting, has mastered in various activities and has been honored with over 50 prizes in academics as well as co curricular domains like photography, fine arts, etc. Like any twenty year old-someone pursuing his studies, he has many aspirations in life but by his saunter, who knew that he could ever be challenged with hearing impaired. Vivek’s walks of life have also been covered by NDTV as they have telecast a documentary on him featuring as a ‘Photographer with a difference’. Currently, Vivek is a graduate and is employed with State Bank of India at IIT Roorkee as one of the finest employees.
. More than 4500 people so far have been counseled, diagnosed and treated. Anshruti makes all possible efforts to ensure and make this dream a reality for all those specially abled children with hearing impairments who come under it’s umbrella.
About Anushruti
Evolved from a confluence of two words anu (meaning small) and shruti (meaning sound), Anushruti,is a humble social initiative of IIT Roorkee engaged in the nurturance and education of children with hearing impairments since 1989. Today, after a journey of almost 24 years, Anushruti is a home to approximately 109 students with hearing impairments to receive education under its portal from neighbouring towns and cities as far as 60 kms from Roorkee. Founded and run on the principles of a Community supported model, Anushruti projects a strong platform for the growth of these children through its educational process and vocational training. The students at Anushruti carry a multifarious range of talents and activities including art and craft, photography, cooking and catering, stitching and tailoring, etc. in addition to their routine education. With a set of dedicated teachers and staff members, Anushruti welcomes everyone to connect, contribute and support the lives of these children with deafness and lead them towards a future full of confidence and brightness.
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