Written by: Mirza Salam Ahmed
Posted on: July 03, 2019 | 
| 中文
ConnectHear graduates
As Islamabad blistered under the rising temperatures of July, I stepped out of the raging heat into a cool classroom at the Hangout – and was immediately engulfed by a serene calmness. A classroom full of students of all ages turned around to look at the new entrant, but not a word was exchanged. Instead, welcoming smiles filled the room instantly.
Disabilities such as deafness are often considered to be a huge barrier to success in our society. ConnectHear is a social entrepreneurial start up which aims to bridge this gap between the deaf community and the rest of society. It utilizes modern resources and platforms to increase awareness, provide guidance and help the deaf community integrate into the wider world. This year, it was the winner of the Diana Award for its social action and humanitarian efforts in Pakistan.
Deafness is the physical lack of hearing, while hard-of-hearing is defined as significant hearing loss. Hard-of-hearing individuals have residual hearing that makes it possible to understand a portion of human speech. Deaf people have no significant hearing abilities and rely on sign language or lip reading to communicate.
Nowadays, hearing loss does not equate to a lower quality of life, especially with all the advanced hearing solutions and support now available to individuals with impairments. However, many people unfortunately do not have access to the newest technologies.
ConnectHear runs a variety of different programs for the deaf community, from in-person and video-based interpretation to Sign Language applications. They are actively working in the big cities of the country to raise awareness and bring better understanding of deafness.
The start up is the brainchild of Azima Dhanjee, the founder of ConnectHear along with Areej Al Medinah and Arhum Ishtiaq. Azima’s program teaches Pakistani Sign Language and has had success with hundreds of students. Her program has amassed support from notable organizations such as The Nest I/O, Hashoo Foundation and Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Azima’s story begins from her home, where she realized from an early age the challenges faced by the deaf community.
“Growing up, I saw my deaf and mute parents struggle with communicating with the outside world,” Azima said. “I saw raw talent go unrecognized because of the barrier that is language. Using that as motivation, I have always wanted to create a platform to remove this communication gap and help the deaf and mute people reach their potentials.”
Currently, it is being run by trainer Kamran Lashari and interpreter-trainer Urooj Salman. Kamran, who was born deaf, battled against the odds to complete his higher education in Computer Sciences. He simultaneously maintained a career as a human rights activist, working with the UN to raise awareness for his community. Urooj, like Azima, was also born to deaf parents. After completing her education, she joined hands with Karman to become an activist for the deaf community.
Kamran explained that hearing loss can hinder a person’s personal and professional relationships as well as their emotional wellbeing. These effects may aggravate, especially if the loss goes unnoticed or untreated until it’s very severe.
He noted that the Pakistani government has the basic infrastructure to help the deaf community, but need to further this cause by providing higher education standards, increased awareness, and better access to ensure higher success rates. Complacency and lack of attention has so far been the bane of progression on this issue.
Urooj revealed that the majority of the students learning Pakistani Sign Language, which is different from American Sign Language, were neither deaf nor hard-of-hearing. The students came from a variety of different backgrounds and had unique stories for their cause. For instance, one of the students was learning sign language to better connect with her autistic students. Two other students, who happened to be sisters, were learning the language so that they could communicate with their father-in-law.
Azima, Kamran, and Urooj hope the program’s success can continue long-term so that they can continue to help the deaf community in Pakistan. ConnectHear’s Sign with Us! classes are currently taking place in Karachi, Lahore and, Islamabad for anyone who wishes to learn the language. Details are on Youlin Magazine's event page.
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