Deaf Education in India

Given that India is a multicultural and multilingual country, there have always been challenges in educating the deaf. After independence, many legislative policies were put forth for the rights of the disabled, but the country’s fast-growing population made it difficult to cope with the demand. In the current scenario, the government of India and many nongovernmental organizations have partnered to overcome this challenge. There is more research being done in the field, and many methods of communication and educational approaches that were previously suppressed, like sign language and bilingualism, have been brought forth. Further developments in this arena are being made. This chapter throws light on the past, present, and future of education of the deaf and hard of hearing in India, the challenges that remain, and the prospects that we envisage.