 |
|
Hear the hearing impaired
by ROZAN SHRESTHA
| FROM ISSUE # 197 (May 2012) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
 |
|||
 |
REFER TO FRIEND |  |
PRINT THIS ARTICLE |
We can hardly imagine a day without being able to hear let alone our entire lives. Sounds help us differentiate people and facilitate communication. But what about the hearing impaired who cannot distinguish between different noises or who can't hear anything? I am close friends with people who are hearing impaired, but I can still have regular conversations with them because I understand basic sign language. It's when they start communicating with each other using faster hand movements that I have a hard time following. I met my friends at the School for the Deaf in Naxal. While most of them are currently studying, some of them also hold jobs. Many who are students want to go on to work, but a few also hope to continue their education. The problem, however, is that there are very few colleges and universities which cater to the deaf. These friends are stranded once they pass their SLC exams. When I ask those who are employed at the moment, they tell me they are happy to be earning an income, but are not satisfied with their workplaces. Most of them work as waiters (at Bakery Café), cooks, parking attendants, massage therapists and assistants. With such limited options, they are forced to take jobs which they are not interested in and where they face a lot of discrimination. When I visited my friends' workplaces to find out how different they were from 'normal' offices, I found that people talked behind their backs, customers tried to butter them in order to avoid paying, and shopkeepers would try to swindle them. But there were also employees and customers who made an effort to have a conversation or share a laugh with them. Another thing I wanted to know was how they are being paid and I wasn't surprised when my friends said they are not satisfied. They are made to work overtime, are underpaid and have no other option than to take the amount or leave empty handed. But I also understood why employers prefer to hire hearing impaired people. For example if there is a position where hearing ability is not a factor, then the organisation will have to pay a person with 'normal' hearing Rs 7000 or 8000 per month, but can get away with paying just Rs 4000 to deaf people. A restaurant owner in Thamel openly admitted to me, "Of course, it's more convenient for us to hire deaf people. We don't have to shout at them and don't have to hear them nagging either. They don't seem to mind being paid less, and are very happy." When I asked other restaurant and hotel operators all of them emphasised that besides the salary, they also provide various facilities to their hearing impaired staff and claim that their workers were happy. But my friends told me a very different story. They say they are badly treated and the pay is very poor. "They don't pay us enough and when we ask for a raise, we are told to leave. Yes, we are not satisfied, but what else can we do? It's better to stay on rather than being useless," confided one of them. There is no government policy to stipulate minimum wages for disabled population and no organisation to assess working conditions. No one seems bothered that the hearing impaired are being mistreated and taken advantage of. In many countries there are laws. But in Nepal it takes five year to introduce a new legislation and another five to implement it, so there is little hope for my friends. Since I have been a part of this family, I know the troubles and hardships that my friends endure every day. But they still manage to carry on and are warm, kind and funny. Most importantly they are satisfied with what they have. If there is anyone in this country who deserves equal rights and opportunities, they are the ones.
