Sampurna Samvad - A Seminar On Sign Language

Absorbed in nature, ‘A Home away from Home’, Laxmi International School hosted ‘Sampurna Samvaad’ where students of the institution were imparted wisdom on sign language by trainers of Karulkar Pratishtan,an NGO which relentlessly works for the upliftment of the nation by extending solutions to varied social issues.

The program was attended by students of Laxmi Global School, Laxmi International pre- primary staff and by the students of Laxmi International School.

Purpose: The predominant mode of human communication is speech, and whenever it is hindered, humans resort to the tactile-kinesthetic mode. Use of sign language by persons with speech-hearing impairments is a classic example of such adaptation. The Demonstration took place at Laxmi International School, Sarigam, undertook the training of typically-developing students in Indian Sign Language (ISL), so as to facilitate communication and instruction of students with hearing impairment who are in mainstream learning environments.

Method: Training in ISL was imparted to students in higher primary classes.2- 40-minute sessions were conducted. After theoretical orientation in logical bases of manual communication, practical training commenced with elementary manual alphabets, progressed through essential daily-life vocabulary necessary to construct simple sentences and carry out general conversations, and culminated in signing the Indian National Anthem.

Results: Typically-developing students gained primary benefits such as improved awareness about non-verbal communication modes, mastery of basic skills in ISL, and positive attitudes towards sign languages.