Deafness shaped Beethoven’s music

Progressive deafness influenced Beethoven’s compositions, prompting him to choose lower-frequency notes as his worsened, scientists said.

Beethoven first mentioned his hearing loss in 1801 at the age of 30, he had problems hearing the high notes. By 1812, people had to shout to make themselves understood and in 1818, he started to communicate through notebooks. In his last few years before his death in 1827, his deafness was apparently total.      Writing in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal, scientists in the Netherlands dissected Beethoven’s string quartets.

The experts looked at the first violin part in the first movement of each quartet, counting the number of notes above G6, which corresponds to 1,568 Hertz.      Use of higher notes decreased as the deafness progressed, they found. To compensate, he used more middleand low-frequency notes, which he could hear better when music was performed. But in the late quartets – written by the time he was totally deaf – the higher notes returned.

“When he came to rely completely on his inner ear, he was no longer compelled to produce music he could actually hear when performed, and slowly returned to his inner musical world and early composing experiences,” says the paper.

Mumbai Mirror

Doctors must be trained to communicate with the deaf

An advocate for the hearing impaired community is calling for doctors and health workers to be trained in Jamaican sign language so that they can communicate effectively with their deaf patients.

Deaf Community Leader, Rian Gayle, who was participating in a panel discussion organised by the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) on February 17 at the Alhambra Inn in Kingston, said that communication has proven to be a serious barrier between the deaf patient and the health system. She said that a number of deaf persons are avoiding healthcare because of the fear of embarrassment over not being understood. “Deaf people in our community avoid going to health services. They’re having difficulties when they go in (to the doctor), because they feel that the professional does not understand them when they try to communicate and it is not worth going,” Miss Gayle told the audience.

She said that instead of going to the doctor, unfortunately, many deaf persons resort to taking advice from untrained family members and friends, which often puts them at further risk.

She also recommended that other critical service providers, such as lawyers, court workers, and law enforcement personnel receive similar sign language training.

Miss Gayle, who is also a Research Officer at JAD, said that the deaf community is also being side-lined in the media.  “There is no captioning here on the TVs in Jamaica. It is so crucial, because as vital information is coming in from the government, such as hurricane warnings, without captioning, the deaf people are without that information,” she lamented.

Miss Gayle noted that while newspapers may share some positive incites about the deaf, they also help to perpetuate negative perceptions of the community. Citing the use of the word ‘dummy’ in the headline of an article published in a popular Jamaican newspaper, she stated that this is “a totally inappropriate and offensive term to use in describing members of the deaf community.”  Minister of Religion and talk show host, Rev. Garnett Roper, who also participated in discussion, shared Miss Gayle’s concerns over the absence of television captioning for deaf people.

“As a matter of right, not as a privilege, they need to be spoken to. As a minimum, caption use must govern all television presentations. It takes nothing off us,” he said, noting that sign language interpreters should be a permanent fixture on the news.  Legal Officer in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Carla Roper, further spoke of the need for the proper training of persons in the legal system so that they can effectively communicate with persons in the deaf community.

He informed that the Justice Training Institute has implemented such a programme, which he said, was a good start. Other maters coming out of the discussion include: the need for quality trained teachers and interpreters; relevant legislation to protect the rights of deaf people; rights-based approach to educational provisions; and the elimination of negative perceptions about the deaf. Other panellists were: Executive Director, Combined Disabilities Association, Gloria Goffe; Director of Family Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell; and Head of the Centre for Disability Studies, University of the West Indies, Mona, Floyd Morris.

Deafway Times

What Women Want: The ability debates

DEEPA ALEXANDER

The triumphs and disasters of the differently-abled in India are two ends of the spectrum. Among the 70 million disabled in our country are those who have conquered peaks, won gold at the Paralympics, and raced in Himalayan and desert car rallies. But, millions more struggle to meet daily challenges in a society that tends to portray the disabled  as either heroes or victims with little or no access to their rightful resources. The proposed amendments to the Copyright Act (1957) are seen as restrictive and discriminatory, as the copyright exception, which aims at allowing persons with disability easy access to copyrighted material, applies only to certain types of disability. We spoke to activists who address these issues, not as charity or welfare but as matters of development and dignity.

Change in attitude

National Trust’s programmes work on building capacity, changing patronising attitudes, building trust in the abilities of people with developmental disability and creating an equal playing field. Unfortunately, deeply entrenched attitudes  continue to exclude people with disabilities. Even if an opportunity is given, it is given only once; if a person with  disability fails, incapacity is assumed. But, in the recent case of a young woman with intellectual disability who had been raped in a women’s home, the Supreme Court upheld her right to ‘choose’ to keep her baby, and she has proved to be a competent mother. However, the disapproval of the intelligentsia in the media is an indicator of the social prejudices people with disabilities have to live with.

Implement their rights

Ability Foundation’s thrust is on creating an equitable society. Through our magazine Success & Ability, we spread this message at a time when service to the disabled was seen only at the physical, and not at the emotional level. Persons with disabilities need access to inclusive education, employment and public places. Being ‘accounted’ in the Census 2011 will open up a plethora of possibilities. Accurate data will enable Government intervention at various levels, leading to proactive action. We need ramps for wheelchair users, audio announcements in bus / train stations for the visually-impaired, and video announcements for the hearing-impaired. Floor numbers in Braille for lifts, sign language interpreters in every hospital, police station and court of law, slip-proof flooring in malls, and large-print books in public libraries for those with low vision are the other needs. The implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities as per the United Nations convention and the Persons with Disabilities Act (PWD), in letter and spirit, is also essential.

A development issue

My daughter Tamana was born with cerebral palsy. It pushed me to found an organisation in 1984 to fulfil the dreams of children with special needs and those of their parents. Therapy and counselling for children and their families is essential for optimum adult rehabilitation. Since Independence, the disabled have been categorised along with sections such as women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. While these have had powerful political lobbies, there has been no spokesperson for the disabled. The dichotomies between the Ministries of Education and Social Justice further worsen the exclusion. Most policy-makers look at disability as a welfare, not a development issue. Disability should be jointly addressed by the Ministries of Health, Women and Child Development, HRD, Social Justice and Empowerment. The definition of disability in the PWD Act does not include autism, which leaves out nearly two million autistic persons in India. Admitting disabled children in normal schools is not enough — you need to have professionally trained staff, who are sensitised. I also hope for a different curriculum for special children, even as they are being integrated in the mainstream. Better pay scales will also bring in more jobs in the disability sector.

Public-private partnership

NGO-run establishments provide free schooling for disabled children. The Government has provided legislative intent  through the Inclusive Education Act, which makes it mandatory to include all kinds of impaired children. However,  Government schools that cater to the poor are generally marked by grossly inadequate infrastructure and teaching  aids, so imagine the predicament of the disabled. I would like a public-private partnership for day-care and residential  institutions which provide educational and recreational service on a long-term basis. This needs to be supported by   research institutions which focus on technology, communication and teaching aids. We need to benefit from global  expertise, and customise them to local needs. As Childline’s primary mandate is child protection, I feel that the  Government must compulsorily provide for a child protection policy in any institution that deals with disabled children, as, such children are more vulnerable to abuse.

The copyright angle

The Centre for Internet and Society is associated with the copyright amendment movement for persons with  disabilities, and is one of the founding organisations for the Indian Right to Read campaign. At present, the proposed copyright amendment is detrimental to the disability sector’s needs. The exception extends only to ‘specially designed’ formats such as Braille and sign language, and does not benefit the millions who have cerebral palsy, dyslexia and low vision, and the visually-impaired persons who do not know Braille. Such persons require audio, reading material with large fonts and electronic texts, which are not ‘specially designed’ formats. For conversion to non-specialised formats, the amendment proposes a licensing system, which will permit only organisations working for the benefit of the disabled to undertake conversion and distribution. This will prevent educational institutions, SHGs, other NGOs and print-disabled individuals from undertaking conversion. The licensing system will also require approaching the Copyright Board for each work, which will be extremely time-consuming. The waiting period for obtaining permissions and subsequent conversion will result in students losing academic years, a violation of their right to education. The  proposed amendment violates the Constitutional guarantee of equality under Article 14 since it discriminates between  those visually-impaired persons who know Braille and those print-disabled persons who do not. It is important for the  nation as a whole to take the concern of persons with disabilities as a mainstream concern.

The Hindu

Delhi Govt. Special School denies admission to 8 year old child

Dear Madam Chief Minister of Delhi,

It is most unfortunate and painful that a school meant for children suffering from hearing impairment has denied admission to a hearing impaired child in Class I without any valid reason. The Rajkiya Madhyamik Badhir Vidyalaya (Delhi Government Secondary School for Hearing Impaired Children run by the Department of Social Welfare at Sector-4, Rohini, Delhi-85 has refused to grant admission to 8-year-old Master Vicky even after repeated requests of the child’s mother. It is submitted that Master Vicky s/o Mrs. Kiran Singh r/o N-123/5, T-HUTS, Lal Bagh, Azadpur, Delhi is suffering from hearing disability. As per the Hearing Disability Certificate dated 01.08.2007 issued by Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, the child suffers from Profound Sensorineural Loss with pure tone average of 95 % dB in the better ear. It is submitted that from the past one month Mrs. Kiran, the mother of the child, has been asking the authorities of Rajkiya Madhyamik Badhir Vidyalaya to give admission to her ward in Class 1 in the said school owing to Master Vicky’s hearing disability, but the school authorities have been refusing to take him in their school. Even after repeated requests the school has not paid any heed to the child’s right to education. It is interesting to note that the said school is a special school, run by the Delhi Government for the children with hearing impairment.

One can imagine that if a special child has not been admitted in a special school run by the Government, then what will happen to the children with disabilities seeking admission in mainstream schools run by the educational departments of Delhi Government and the MCD. It is needless to say that as per the existing law and government policies, every child with disabilities is entitled to, as a matter of right, admission in the mainstream schools. Mrs. Kiran Singh thereafter approached Mr. Ashok Agarwal, who had a telephonic conversation with a teacher of the said school namely Mr. Bhupinder (as at that time the Principal was not available) and was assured that the child will be given admission. However, the child has still not been admitted by the school. Mrs Singh has lodged a written complaint with the undersigned, the copy of which is attached with this letter.

It is also submitted that Mrs Kiran was employed as an unskilled worker in a factory earning average wages of Rs. 2000/- per month. It is unfortunate that she has even lost her job because of the fact that for the last one month she has been toiling hard to get her child admitted to the said school. It is submitted that such arbitrary attitude of the school by denying admission to a disabled child is not only unconstitutional but also contrary to the provisions of Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008) read with the provisions of Article 14 (right to equality), Article 21 (right to life with dignity), and Article 21-A (right to education) of the Constitution of India as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) and the National Charter for Children, 2003. We request you to kindly take the necessary action in this regard as soon as possible and make sure that Master Vicky gets admission in the said school in Class I. The arbitrary act of the school should be taken seriously and the erring officials should be taken to task.

With regards
Ashok Agarwal, AdvocateAdvisor-
Social JuristM: 9811101923

Bursa opens Turkey’s first library for deaf people

A library of Turkish sign language was opened on Monday in Bursa to serve hearing–impaired people. In the library, Turkish sign language interpreters have been hired to teach new words to hearing–impaired people. Those who wish to learn sign language can use CDs in the library to teach themselves.

According to Recep ?ahin, the founder of the library, Turkish sign language has been used for more than five centuries and Ottoman statesmen used this language to prevent foreigners from understanding what they were talking about.

“The idea of sign language was transported to Europe via French diplomats who discovered Ottoman statesmen used a specific sign language during their negotiations. Later, the Americans learned of sign language from French diplomats and started to use it,” stated ?ahin, adding that sign language used to be common in the Ottoman palace and was also used in various parts of the empire. According to ?ahin, many hearing–impaired people from Turkey can communicate with people from North Africa, the Balkans and the Arabian Peninsula because the traditional imperial sign language has had an influence on sign language used in those regions.

Discussing literacy among hearing–impaired people, ?ahin stated: “Even educated hearing–impaired people in Turkey do not know many words in sign language, and those who cannot use Turkish sign language have very restricted ways of communicating with the world around them. We decided to open a library to standardize sign language.” In the library, books are summarized and loaded onto CDs that can be copied for free.

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com