Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world: Pakistan (Pakistan)

Created 10 April 2000, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

Pakistani flagDavid Bar-TzurPakistani flag

map of Pakistan

Flag: World flag database.
Map: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.

For a quick, interesting resource for facts about this and other countries,
try Mystic Planet - The New Age directory of Planet Earth.

Note: A flag next to a link shows what language the website is in. If it is followed by this icon: (video camera: This links to a video), it is a video in that spoken language. A flag followed by Sign Language iconmeans it is in the sign language of that country. globe (international icon)Sign Language iconmeans there is International Gesture.

Deaf and employment Deaf and social services Deaf culture Deaf education & youth Deaf history and current events
Deaf sports & recreation General interpreting issues History of interpreting Isharon Ki Zubann (Pakistani Sign Language) Isharon Ki Zubann (Pakistani Sign Language) dictionaries
Machine interpretation or transcription Organizations Religion & Deafness

Deaf and employment

Khan. S. S. (2002, November). Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) assisted learning tool for deaf in Pakistan.

Deaf and social services

Miles, M. (2000). Enabling the disability NGOs? Centralisation versus competition in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Pakistan several small, autonomous NGOs worked locally and provincially, often centred on particular schools or service units. Some practical collaboration took place, but the NGOs were often in mutual competition for resources and renown. As the number of NGOs increased, repeated efforts were made to achieve a Pakistan-wide platform and coordination, but geographical factors and friction between various participating groups and viewpoints prevented any lasting success.

Miles, M. (2000). In the Spotlight: Richard Geary, Director FESF. What impact does technology have on the disadvantaged members of our society? Richard Geary, Director of the Family Education Services Foundation (FESF) works with the deaf community in Pakistan and gives us a very VERY brief insight...

Deaf culture

DeafTODAY. (2005, January 27). Tea and conversations with Lahore's deaf. In the heart of the city on Temple Road lies one of the oldest tea stalls in Lahore. Every evening as the sun sets, 'Yahkoo da hotel', as it is popularly known, is the scene of heated, but silent, conversations. The tea stall is a popular meeting place for the city's deaf, who gather there to discuss every topic under the sun, in sign language of course.

Geary, R. Silence no longer a barrier. Our center serves as a school, club and meeting place for the number of hearing impaired citizens in the community. In this city of over 14 million, I often need to be more than just a teacher, but also a father, helper, confidante and friend for the young deaf people who come to seek help and guidance in their lives.

International Bibliography of Sign Language - Pakistan.

Mr. Khalid Dar Deaf from Pakistan.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

World Deaf directory - Pakistan.

YouTube - adnanatk's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

YouTube - aliendar's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

YouTube - aqeel1978's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

YouTube - hasansaeedkhandeaf's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

YouTube - jampak55's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

YouTube - mesaleem's Channel.Pakistani flagSign Language icon

Deaf education & youth

DeafTODAY.

golden marble bulletAl Hoda School for Hearing Impaired and Speech Centre. Al Hoda is a Swiss funded school in Pakistan that educates hearing impaired children.

golden marble bullet(2003, May 24). Musharraf announces Rs10m for Dewa Academy. "An individual having determination and will to do and perform can overcome his weakness." This was stated by President Gen Pervez Musharraf at the inauguration ceremony of the Dewa Academy Complex and Institute for deaf and dumb children in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

golden marble bullet(2003, May 24). Government to give more attention to special people's education: Musharaff. President General Pervez Musharaff has announced that the government would give more attention to special education in the country so that special people could be accommodated as an important and equally capable part of the society.

golden marble bullet(2003, January 27). Deaf students to be provided free higher education. Sindh governor, Dr Ishratul Ebad has said that facility of free higher education will be provided to the deaf in the province. He was speaking as chief guest at the award distribution ceremony held for deaf students passing BA exams at the DEWA College of Special Education at DEWA Academy on Saturday evening.

Family Care Foundation.

golden marble bulletFamily Educational Services Pakistan Karachi.
golden marble bulletYearly report 2001: Family Educational Services, Pakistan.

Geary, R. Silence no longer a barrier. Our center serves as a school, club and meeting place for the number of hearing impaired citizens in the community. In this city of over 14 million, I often need to be more than just a teacher, but also a father, helper, confidante and friend for the young deaf people who come to seek help and guidance in their lives.

Ida Rieu Welfare Assocation. Since the time of its inception in 1922 the Ida Rieu has been imparting education and vocational training to the Special children i.e. the blind and deaf and has a glorious history of achievements. Since the past many years through strenuous efforts the Ida Rieu School for the Blind which was at the initial stage with only 2 students in a tiny room has now emerged as the Country's leading School for the Blind and today has got a strength of over 900 Blind and Deaf Students.

Shettle, A. (2004, Spring). Deaf Children with Additional Disabilities in Developing Countries, Pakistan.

Deaf history and current events

Sign, gesture, & deafness in South Asian & South-West Asian histories: A bibliography with annotation and excerpts from India; also from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma / Myanmar, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Persia / Iran, & Sri Lanka.

Sir Syed Deaf Association. Women Club and Computer.

Deaf sports & recreation

Cricket.org. (2003, February 1). PCB appoints committee to study deaf cricket.

DeafTODAY. (2005, April 4). Indian deaf cricket team to strengthen peace process. Minister for Special Education Monday said that the visit of Indian deaf cricket team to Pakistan would promote the on-going peace process between the two countries. She was addressing a reception arranged at Directorate Special Education, Garden Town, Lahore for Pakistan and Indian Deaf Cricket Associations.

Hobpk2006. Pakistan Deaf Cricket Tour to UK.

Pakistanian Deaf martial artists.

Sir Syed Deaf Association.

golden marble bulletCricket.

golden marble bulletCompetitions.

General interpreting issues

طفلة تقرأ صوره الفاتحه عن طريق لغة الاشاره و هيه ص...

History of interpreting

Mrs. Shahla Ali. Interview with a Pakistani Sign Language interpreter.

Isharon Ki Zubann (Pakistani Sign Language)

International bibliography of sign language. Click on appropriate initial letter, then on "Indopakistani Sign Language" or "Pakistan Sign Language".

Pakistan Sign Language: A language of Pakistan.

South Asian linguistics - Sign languages (All dialects).

Vasishta, Madan M. Sign Language in Indo-Pakistan: A Description of a Signed Language (review), Sign Language Studies - Volume 2, Number 3, Spring 2002, pp. 342-346. Where the hand goes, the eye follows; where the eye goes, the mind goes; where the mind goes, is the heart; where the heart is, lies the reality of being. Bauhinia Adriana, The Mirror of the Gesture (ancient dance treatise) Linguists and scholars of related disciplines have studied American Sign Language and several European sign languages extensively. However, they have done little systematic work on analyzing the sign language -- the Indo-Pakistan Sign Language (IPSL)--that more than one-fifth of the world's deaf population uses. Zeshan's book is a much-needed and much-anticipated contribution to this area and will help linguists and educators alike, not to mention the Deaf community on the subcontinent. This reviewer was involved in developing the first Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary and participated in the investigation of ISL grammar (Vasishta, Woodward, and De Santis 1980). The investigation into the linguistic structure examined in that dictionary was limited to initial analyses of ISL phonology and syntax (Vasishta, Woodward, and Wilson 1978). Except for a...

Wikipedia. Indian Sign Language. or Indo-Pakistani Sign Language.

Woodward, J. C. (1993, Spring). The Relationship of Sign Language Varieties in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Recent research has shown that sign language varieties in India and Pakistan are related. This report examines the possible relationship of sign language varieties in India and Pakistan to those in Nepal by analyzing comparative lexical data from sign language varieties in the three countries.

Zeshan, U.

golden marble bulletAspects of Pakistan Sign Language. Presents data on Pakistan Sign Language collected during videotaped interviews with informants. Questions whether nonmanual components of a sign should be included among the language parameters and considered equivalent to the phonemes of spoken languages.

golden marble bulletSign Language in Indo-Pakistan: A Description of a Signed Language. This title is based on research collected in Karachi focusing on Indo-Pakistani sign language. It examines topics from basic, central, and problematic handshapes, to sign families, extraneous influences on the sign language and morphology.

Isharon Ki Zubann (Pakistani Sign Language) dictionaries

Dawn.com. (2007, June 28). KARACHI: Sign language CD launched.

SignPuddle. Dictionary Pakistan.

Sir Syed Deaf Association. Computer First Sign Language & Pakistan Sign Language. Computer First Sign Language: The initiative consists on the Sign Language which was developed and evolved during practical experience and repeatedly tested at the Centre. The Management of SDA was fully conscious of the fact that we needed a much larger inventory of vocabulary to run such a comprehensive, higher level computer literacy programme for hearing-impaired. However, we decided to publish volume-1 based on what has so far been developed. We like to continue this programme further on for developing advanced vocabulary. Pakistan Sign Language: It becomes our social responsibility to come forward for the help of our brothers who are in the world with this disability. While children having partial hearing-impairment may go for normal education/communication, the children with nearly total deafness have to get support of sign language in their communication. Last, but not the least, is the interaction of able members of our society with the deaf members. If the able members also learn the basics of Sign Language, to be able to communicate with their deaf brothers, this will help in eliminating any social segregation on this basis. The book "Pakistan Sign Language" has been written with this objective in mind. To make the book of basic use in our everyday life, it has been divided into chapters on topics of importance in our routine life.

Machine interpretation or transcription

musuf. (2004, March 8). Boltay Haath Interview-Aaj TV (Pakistan Sign Language).Pakistani flagvideo camera: This links to a video

Organizations

Pakistan Association of the Deaf is a national Association of Pakistani deaf community and a member of World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD). PAD is responsable to represent Pakistani deaf community nationally and internationlly and for welfare of the deaf people. PAD established 1st computer literacy center for the Deaf in Pakistan, published 5 books on Pakistan Sign Language and a CD, provide basic literacy and computer classes for children and adults, also offer course for interpreters,...

Sir Syed Deaf Association is a blessing for a hearing imparied community of pakistan. It has help to teach those who are hard of hearing, not only to deal their individual situation, but also to make it easier them to community to others.

Religion & Deafness

Gerritsen, P. Avatar & Nepal. Although ReSurfacing and the Avatar Materials are translated into the Nepalese language, it had to be translated again during the course into sign language, because only two of the deaf and mute students were able to read. We used simple signs for the coaching between the deaf and mute, and the speaking students went on just like at any international course. Actually guiding them through the Initiation session was very easy. For the processing steps we created a simple sign language, and we gave the Initiation while Hari Bol was translating in sign language.

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