Learn with Signs

Learn and Teach through Sign (LTTS) is a web based teaching and learning process launched in the year 2011 to fulfill the academic needs of persons with Deafness. LTTS caters a number of educational, life standard enrichment and communication oriented aspects up to degree level students with deafness using Indian Sign Language (ISL) as a medium of instruction. LTTS enables millions of Deaf throughout India to fulfil their educational needs through its various services. LTTS is launched keeping in view the empowerment of the deaf persons in the following ways:
Deaf persons will:

  1. have the right and access to use their first language / mother tongue for education purpose.
  2. have the right and access to exercise their civil as well as linguistic-cultural rights.
  3. have the right and access to pursue their studies in sign-language medium, receive bilingual education, as well as to have quality education by qualified teachers who will be experts in  concerned subjects as well as in Indian Sign language.
  4. be accepted as a member of a minority group and their language as a language of minority.
  5. have the options to decide on the use of majority and/or minority language for their academic purpose.
  6. be able to entertain their right to equal and, full access to information through  accessible communication mode (visual and gestural).

JUSTIFICATION FOR LAUNCHING LTTS

  • Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) mentions the role of sign language: “Persons with disabilities shall be entitled, on an equal basis with others, to the recognition and support of their specific cultural and linguistic identity, including sign languages and deaf culture.”  India has undertaken major international and domestic obligations by signing the UNCRPD and is bound to follow the provisions of the same. LTTS is a small step in the same direction specified in the UNCRPD.
  • The services provided under LTTS will provide services to all the students irrespective their cultural, socioeconomic and educational background. Keeping in view the aforesaid factors LTTS is launched free of cost and its coverage area is throughout the country.
  • In the year 2008, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation      (UNESCO) announced  International Year of Languages; focusing on the protection of minority languages because it has recognised the importance of languages in people’s lives. In the same series LTTS will a little to attempt to protect a minority language and promote the same.
  • It will provide persons with deafness barrier free environment to talk, express, learn and teach through their own language that is ISL and will be able to bridge between hearing community and deaf community.
  • It is recognized across the globe that Deaf persons have the equal ability as par with their non-impaired counterparts, however because of lack accessibility of communication; they lag behind so LTTS will provide access of communication and make them independent and high achiever in life.
  • LTSS will provide opportunity to involve the deaf students in the learning process. Students using technology become active participants in the learning process instead of passive watcher.
  • LTSS will build confidence in Deaf students because the web learning provides opportunity to their own answers; the learning process becomes much more interesting.
  • LTTS will transform the teacher from authority expert to facilitator. The teacher becomes more of a participant than authority expert when the students use technology to find answers online.