College for deaf to have graphic design course

26.04.2017

LUCKNOW: In a first, an exclusive College for Deaf is being established at the Shakuntala Misra Rehabilitation University .The institute, a first in Northern India, is aimed at empowerment and mainstreaming of hearing impaired students through augumenting their creativity with special clout of professional education and skill development.

The college will offer three-year Bachelor of Vocation in Graphics and Animation Designing, and will have multiple exit levels. The first exit level is after six months and any student who quits will be awarded a certificate.In the second level of exit, which is after one year, students will be given a diploma, while at the third exit point, after two years, students will be given an advanced diploma. Those completing the course will be awarded a degree. "The idea is to raise employability of students with hearing impairment by pro viding education and training," said A P Tiwari, university spoesperson.

The construction of college building, said university authorities is already in progress and classes will most likely, start functioning from academic session 2017-18. For establishment of the college, the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities (under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment) has allocated Rs 2.50 crore while a matching grant of Rs 2.61 crore has been allocated by Uttar Pradesh's handicaaped welfare department (Viklang Shashatikaran). The grant was meant for purchase of aids equipment and financial assistance in the form of grant in aids to reimburse the cost incurred by the college towards payment of salaries and allowances.

The BVoc programme will have two components--general education and skill development--which will constitute 40% and 60% of the course, respectively. The university's executive council, the apex body for administrative and academic decisions, has approved the proposal for creation of faculty posts for the College for Deaf.

The hearing impaired students attain education only till classes VIII or X because of their disability to communicate. The SMRU provides platform to such students to pursue a pre-degree course which is equivalent to class XII. Here, all students, including the hearing and visually impaired study along with the able-bodied. Inside each classroom, an interpretor is available to provide education in sign language for the hearing impaired. "Once a student finishes this pre-degree, heshe can be enrolled into the BVoc programme which will primarily focus on making them creative," Tiwari said.