My story : Umesh Grover

Dehradun, Uttaranchal

India

My age is 31 years. At the age of 5, I got ill because of which I became deaf. In my family, I have my parents and two brothers and don’t have any sisters. I, myself am married and have one kid. My wife is also deaf from childhood I live in DehraDun city and I am the Secretary of Uttranchal Deaf Welfare Association.

When I was at the age of 5, then I became deaf, because of which I face many problems. My parents face it too. Special school is one of the problem among them. Before that I was studying in a normal school, but because of sudden deafness, Principal told me that “You cannot hear so we are facing problems, while teaching you. So you please leave the school and join any deaf school.”

Somehow my parents sent me to Nanhi Dunhiya deaf school, Kalidas Road, Dehradun for my further studies. That school was not good at that time all students are illiterate and all teachers were not well versed with sign language. I tried very hard to pass High school.

My family faces many problems because they did not known sign language so they talk with me for communication, and for me it is very difficult. At the age of 20, I became well conversant with sign language and I used to meet deaf person of different states. I felt that deaf people were very less educated and society sees them with inferior point of view. Normal people’s life style and society is very high as compared to our deaf society. Normal people get success very fast, but nobody helps us to get success, as a result I feel very bad that deaf people and their family members do not get the proper co-operation from society which they deserve.

That’s why I started my own deaf club so that the deaf society can benefit. I started my club in 1990. In starting we had only 4-5 members, but today we are 100. With the help of this club, we help all others deaf people who reside in different city or states. Through this club we promote sign language, to society, help deaf people in their weddings, help in various deaf schools, provide interpreter for sign language, co-operate with deaf people for getting help from government.

From 1990 till now, our efforts are still going on to make our deaf people society to compete with normal people society. I believe that God will help us.