The Importance of Sign language
Can one imagine a world without sound? A child grows up learning about sound. Why, it starts hearing before it is born. It responds to sound even in the mother’s womb. As it grows, it learns to recognise its mother’s voice. It associates sound with different articles: when the phone rings, it looks at the telephone instrument, an association of ideas is formed!
Sign language, the deaf-mute vocabulary, is a vibrant, expressive form of communication. In fact, in many ways it is more intimate and wholesome than the spoken word - it is three-dimensional, has a certain beauty and grace and, contrary to popular belief, it involves not just the hands, but also body language and facial expressions.
Not many people know that sign language is also learnt by those who can speak and hear - like firemen, who use it to communicate in smoky and noisy conditions, and scuba divers, who need to ‘talk’ to each other under water. Often, police officers use it to communicate in volatile situations where silence and secrecy are vital.
About three percent of the general population has a permanent hearing loss that cannot be medically treated. Technologically advanced digital and programmable hearing aids that are currently available in the market make speech understanding easy.
Learning finger spelling or sign language goes a long way in bridging the communication gap between the hearing and those who have not acquired speech as a consequence of profound hearing loss.