VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation

VAANI Deaf Children's Foundation was established in 2005 to advocate for the right of every deaf child to a complete life of respect and dignity.

Deafness is an invisible disability. The big problem that exists in this field is the lack of awareness and understanding about the whole issue of being unable to hear and the social and emotional trauma associated with it. In India, 8 out of 1000 children born are deaf and less than 1% of these receive a quality education. Deafness in itself is not a learning disability. Learning difficulty arises because deaf children cannot communicate. An undiagnosed 3-year-old deaf child will only know about 25 spoken words, compared to 700 words for a hearing child of the same age.
Alongside these problems, exist opportunities to address them; a positive attitude, increased use of social media, technological advances, collaborative approach, trained professionals and a dream to have an inclusive society.

VAANI works towards bringing communication to the lives of deaf children and their families with a vision to enable access to every deaf child. The most unique aspect about our work is that we not only teach deaf children but also their parents - thus ensuring that the training is sustainable and that parents are equipped to handle the child’s needs of communication, learning and comprehension.

Further, VAANI works with teachers in government schools, gram panchayat level officials, and the general public, to raise awareness about the issues of childhood deafness, and also has a presence on high-level decision-making bodies to effect changes in policy towards deaf education. With this holistic approach to the issue of childhood deafness, VAANI ensures that every aspect of the deaf child's ecosystem is sensitized, trained and impacted.

During the 13 years of our activity in India, mainly Northeast, East & Karnataka, we have worked with 61,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries, comprising of around 11000 deaf children, 22000 parents, 8000 professionals and 20,000 general public.

Our Current Programme

Parent-Infant program (0-5 years): This program focuses on Early Screening & Intervention for newborn babies. The early identification of hearing loss followed by immediate intervention ensures that the child starts experiencing life the way hearing babies can. Currently we are in process to set up a early screening & Intervention centre in Tumkur District hospital, Karnataka for early identification.

Sadhan Resource Centre (5-14 years): At Vaani Sadhan Resource Centre we pay individualised attention to each parent-child group. It is run by trained staff such as Special Educators (Teacher of the Deaf), Counsellors, Community Mobilisers and Visiting Medical Professionals. Primarily, communication and language skills are taught to children. The focus is on holistic development of the child. Hence, other activities such as life skills, physical development, and inclusion services are also conducted.

Youth Transition & Referral Advisory Programme (14 years & above): Youth Transition program is the process of preparing hearing impaired youth for life beyond education. There are wide varieties of resources available in VAANI to assist students, professionals, schools, and families in defining and working on post school goals.

An effective transition plan will equip each student with the tools and confidence to assume responsibility for their education and career decisions as they move into adulthood. VAANI aims at transforming every child into a responsible adult having a meaningful life with respect and dignity.

VAANI would be partnering with organizations who provide vocational/professional training preparing them for further education and employability.

With dedicated & experienced local staff and well thought through programs, we can create champions and community leaders, accelerate the impact by reaching more and more deaf children, empowering families, improve the capacity of special educators, wider our engagement with government agencies & institutions and work towards an inclusive society where our Children With Hearing Impairment can enjoy dignity and equal opportunities.