The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the “Coalition of the Willing” to build India’s first integrated life-cycle support model for Persons with Hearing Impairment
About this partnership
- It aims to accelerate empowerment and opportunity for persons with hearing impairment.
- It also seeks to pioneer an integrated life-cycle model of empowerment that supports individuals with hearing impairment from early intervention and education to skilling, employment and social inclusion.
Priority Areas:
The partnership focuses on seven critical dimensions of empowerment
- Early Intervention: Strengthening early identification and educational support systems.
- Education & Literacy: Developing Indian Sign Language (ISL) learning resources and digital content.
- Assistive Technology: Expanding accessibility through innovative technological solutions.
- Skill Development: Creating vocational training and specialized skill-building pathways.
- Employment & Livelihood: Promoting job linkages and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
- Financial Support: Facilitating scholarships and educational assistance for students.
- Awareness: Generating national-level awareness about hearing impairment and inclusion.
Significance:
It marks the beginning of a collaborative national framework that brings together government institutions, civil society organisations and technology innovators to build a comprehensive and sustainable support ecosystem for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
About Coalition of the willing
- It is a consortium of organizations with diverse expertise in technology, education, accessibility and social empowerment.
- It includes Yunikee (Gopalakrishnan Foundation for the Deaf), Blee Tech Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Training and Educational Centre for Hearing Impaired (TEACH), WinVinaya Foundation, Buddy4Study India Foundation, VCrop Technologies Pvt. Ltd., and the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).