Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Empowering the deaf
Members of The Pakistan Deaf Association (PDA) celebrates its 20th anniversary. Originally set up in 1987 as the Karachi Deaf Welfare Association (KDWA), it was turned into the Pakistan Deaf Association, in 1998, with Bilal A.Manzoor as its first president.
At its anniversary conference, proceedings were held in sign language. An interpreter, Fazla, aided the non-deaf community by translating their fluid gestures into words.
PDA is a national body that provides a platform for all those who are hearing impaired. They are given educational facilities and furnished with training courses in various fields. The body was inaugurated by a group of dynamic young students who themselves suffer from this disability.
PDA’s primary aim is to improve the lives of the deaf by providing them with facilities that non-deaf people have easy access to. For members of this community, access to these facilities is otherwise difficult and in some cases impossible.
According to all those who came on stage to communicate in their expressive and dramatic sign language, the deaf community suffers from social alienation.
Members of this community experience a severe lack of educational training, especially higher education. They have no access to books or knowledge, primarily because they cannot find books in Pakistan that are specifically designed for the deaf.
Unfortunately, the youths that belong to the deaf community are being wasted. These people have no other physical impairments besides their aural disability. But it is therefore, difficult for them to find direction.
In the past, and in present times, the deaf community, especially through this organisation, has been participating in various recreational activities including sports, drama and theatre. The deaf cricket team has won a cricket world cup as well.
On a lighter note, members of this community brilliantly enacted three short and humourous skits, which demonstrated their talent for acting. The use of sign language makes a person much more expressive in ways other than vocally. Therefore the pantomime by the PDA was a completely different experience for the audience, and everyone present greatly enjoyed their performances.
Members of The Pakistan Deaf Association (PDA) celebrates its 20th anniversary. Originally set up in 1987 as the Karachi Deaf Welfare Association (KDWA), it was turned into the Pakistan Deaf Association, in 1998, with Bilal A.Manzoor as its first president.
At its anniversary conference, proceedings were held in sign language. An interpreter, Fazla, aided the non-deaf community by translating their fluid gestures into words.
PDA is a national body that provides a platform for all those who are hearing impaired. They are given educational facilities and furnished with training courses in various fields. The body was inaugurated by a group of dynamic young students who themselves suffer from this disability.
PDA’s primary aim is to improve the lives of the deaf by providing them with facilities that non-deaf people have easy access to. For members of this community, access to these facilities is otherwise difficult and in some cases impossible.
According to all those who came on stage to communicate in their expressive and dramatic sign language, the deaf community suffers from social alienation.
Members of this community experience a severe lack of educational training, especially higher education. They have no access to books or knowledge, primarily because they cannot find books in Pakistan that are specifically designed for the deaf.
Unfortunately, the youths that belong to the deaf community are being wasted. These people have no other physical impairments besides their aural disability. But it is therefore, difficult for them to find direction.
In the past, and in present times, the deaf community, especially through this organisation, has been participating in various recreational activities including sports, drama and theatre. The deaf cricket team has won a cricket world cup as well.
On a lighter note, members of this community brilliantly enacted three short and humourous skits, which demonstrated their talent for acting. The use of sign language makes a person much more expressive in ways other than vocally. Therefore the pantomime by the PDA was a completely different experience for the audience, and everyone present greatly enjoyed their performances.