0:00:06.823,0:00:09.326 Didn't understand anything, did you? 毫无头绪对吧 0:00:09.326,0:00:10.725 (Laughter) 笑声 0:00:10.725,0:00:13.318 That's 63 million deaf people in India 在印度有630000000 聋人 0:00:13.318,0:00:17.001 who go through this [br]year after year, day after day, 他们年复一年日复一日的经历这些 0:00:17.001,0:00:19.896 trying to make sense [br]of a world they cannot hear. 尝试去感知这个听不见的世界 0:00:20.436,0:00:23.207 Huge lack of awareness and social stigma 巨大的意识缺乏以及社会污名 0:00:23.207,0:00:25.643 of having a child [br]that is differently-abled. 对于有这特殊的孩子 0:00:26.000,0:00:27.919 Parents run from pillar to post 父母四处 0:00:27.919,0:00:30.953 trying to understand [br]how to bring up their child. 尝试着了解如何抚养他们的孩子 0:00:30.953,0:00:33.892 And they are told, [br]"Even though your child can't hear, 他们被告知,“即使你的孩子听不见” 0:00:33.892,0:00:36.280 there is nothing wrong with his voice box. 他的喉咙没问题 0:00:36.280,0:00:38.396 There's nothing wrong 声带也没问题 [br]with his vocal chords 0:00:38.396,0:00:41.239 and he can be eventually他最后会被教会如何沟通交流 [br]taught how to speak." 0:00:41.239,0:00:45.893 There starts the journey [br]of years being spent trying to teach 这意味着这是一个多年的旅程花在指导 0:00:45.893,0:00:50.163 this little child how to articulate words [br]that he cannot hear.这些小孩如何清晰表达那些他们听不见的单词 0:00:50.893,0:00:54.283 Even within the family, 即使在家里,这些小孩想要 [br]this little child wants 0:00:54.283,0:00:56.309 to communicate with his parents. 和他的父母交流 0:00:56.309,0:00:59.930 He wants to be part [br]of the conversations in the family. 他想 成为家里沟通交流的一份子 0:00:59.930,0:01:03.920 But he can't. And he doesn't understand 但他不能。 他不明白为什么没人倾听他们[br]why nobody is listening to him. 0:01:04.620,0:01:06.732 So he feels isolated and misses out 所以他感觉到被孤立和遗漏了 0:01:06.732,0:01:09.923 on a crucial skill that is required在我们成长中被要求的最关键的技能[br]when we grow up. 0:01:09.923,0:01:14.464 He goes to school thinking, "Okay, [br]hopefully things will be different." 他去到学校想着“好吧, 希望一切会有所不同” 0:01:14.464,0:01:17.371 And he finds the teachers [br]opening their mouths and closing 他们发现老师的嘴一张一合 0:01:17.371,0:01:19.827 and writing these strange things [br]on the board. 以及在黑板上写着奇怪的东西 0:01:19.827,0:01:22.880 Without understanding, [br]because he can't hear,他们不同因为他们听不见 0:01:22.880,0:01:26.997 he copies it all down, [br]regurgitates it at the exam time, 他们复制下这些东西, 在考试的时候依样复述 0:01:26.997,0:01:31.474 and by rote and a few grace marks, [br]he finishes school, class ten. 通过机械性以及优雅的记号。 他本分的完成了学业。 0:01:31.474,0:01:34.704 What are his chances of employment? 0:01:34.704,0:01:38.230 Here is this child who really doesn't have[br]any real education. 0:01:38.230,0:01:41.483 Visual words, vocabulary [br]of thirty to forty words. 0:01:41.483,0:01:46.162 He's emotionally insecure, he's probably [br]angry with the whole world also, 0:01:46.162,0:01:49.117 which has, he feels has [br]systematically disabled him. 0:01:49.117,0:01:53.283 Where does he work? [br]Menial labor, unskilled jobs, 0:01:53.283,0:01:56.172 often in very abusive conditions. 0:01:56.179,0:02:02.037 That's where my "birth" journey starts [br]in 2004. I don't have, as Kelly said, 0:02:02.037,0:02:04.440 I don't have any family who are deaf. 0:02:04.440,0:02:07.546 Just a strange pull and, [br]no rational thought. 0:02:07.546,0:02:09.992 I jumped into this world [br]and learned sign language. 0:02:09.992,0:02:13.750 At that time, it was a challenge. [br]Nobody wanted... Nobody seemed to know... 0:02:13.750,0:02:17.145 "What is it that you want to learn, Ruma?[br]Is that a language?" 0:02:17.145,0:02:22.285 Anyway, learning sign language[br]opened up my life to this community 0:02:22.285,0:02:24.905 which is outwardly silent, [br]but is brimming 0:02:24.905,0:02:28.477 with the passion and curiosity [br]as visual learners. 0:02:28.477,0:02:31.141 And I heard their stories [br]of what they wanted to do. 0:02:31.141,0:02:38.612 And a year later, in 2005, [br]with meager savings of about $5,000 0:02:38.612,0:02:42.440 of a matured insurance policy, [br]I started this center, 0:02:42.440,0:02:46.120 in a small two-bedroom flat [br]with just six students 0:02:46.120,0:02:48.844 and me teaching them English [br]in sign language. 0:02:49.597,0:02:53.000 The challenges, the need of the hour [br]at that point was, 0:02:53.000,0:02:56.116 how do I get these kids who just [br]high school pass 0:02:56.116,0:02:58.360 into real jobs into the companies? 0:02:58.360,0:03:03.119 Jobs of dignity, jobs that can prove [br]that deaf are not dumb? 0:03:03.916,0:03:08.393 So, the challenges were huge. [br]The deaf were years sitting like this 0:03:08.393,0:03:10.629 and years of ennui and darkness. 0:03:10.629,0:03:14.094 They needed to believe in themselves. [br]The parents needed to be convinced 0:03:14.094,0:03:16.689 that this child is not deaf and dumb. 0:03:16.689,0:03:19.366 And he's capable of standing [br]on his own two feet. 0:03:19.366,0:03:20.643 But most importantly, 0:03:20.643,0:03:23.519 would the employer employ [br]somebody who couldn't speak, 0:03:23.519,0:03:26.987 couldn't hear, and very much [br]couldn't read or write either? 0:03:26.987,0:03:30.735 I sat together with some of my friends[br]from the industry, 0:03:30.735,0:03:34.513 and I shared with them my story [br]about what it meant to be deaf. 0:03:34.513,0:03:39.189 And I understood there were [br]clear areas in companies 0:03:39.189,0:03:43.077 where deaf could work, deaf people [br]could work as a great value add. 0:03:43.077,0:03:45.862 And with meager resources, [br]we created the first ever 0:03:45.862,0:03:49.187 vocational training curriculum for [br]deaf people in the country. 0:03:49.455,0:03:54.240 Finding trainers was a problem. [br]So I trained my deaf kids, 0:03:54.240,0:03:56.800 my students, to become [br]the teachers for the Deaf. 0:03:56.800,0:04:00.759 And it's a job they took on [br]with great responsibility and pride. 0:04:00.759,0:04:07.328 Still, the employer was skeptic. [br]Education, qualification, 10th pass. 0:04:07.328,0:04:09.053 "No, no, no, Ruma, [br]we cannot employ him." 0:04:09.053,0:04:10.387 That was a big problem. 0:04:10.387,0:04:12.492 "And even if we did employ him, 0:04:12.492,0:04:14.822 how are we going to communicate [br]with him? He can't read, write. 0:04:14.822,0:04:16.352 Can't hear/speak." 0:04:16.352,0:04:19.880 I just told them, "Please can we [br]take it just one step at a time? 0:04:20.592,0:04:23.086 You know, can we focus [br]on what he can do? 0:04:23.086,0:04:26.231 He's a great visual person. [br]He can work. And... 0:04:26.231,0:04:29.950 and if it works wonderful, if it doesn't, [br]we will at least know." 0:04:29.950,0:04:34.826 Here I would like to share [br]a story about Vishu Kapoor. 0:04:34.826,0:04:39.132 He came to us in 2009 [br]with no language at all. 0:04:39.132,0:04:41.242 He didn't even know sign language. 0:04:41.242,0:04:44.756 All he saw, processed in his brain [br]was through his eyes. 0:04:44.756,0:04:46.799 His mother was in despair and [br]she says, 0:04:46.799,0:04:49.791 "Ruma, can I please keep him [br]in your center for two hours? 0:04:49.791,0:04:52.163 It's really difficult for me[br]to manage him, 0:04:52.163,0:04:54.471 you know manage with him [br]24 hours a day." 0:04:54.471,0:04:57.796 So I said, "Yeah, okay." [br]Like a crash service. 0:04:57.796,0:05:02.830 It took us a very painstaking [br]one a half years for us 0:05:02.830,0:05:07.054 to give Vishu a language. [br]As he started communicating and 0:05:07.054,0:05:10.704 he got a sense of self and [br]he understand that there was... 0:05:10.704,0:05:13.567 I mean he couldn't hear, but heck, [br]he could do so many other things. 0:05:13.567,0:05:16.416 He figured out that he liked to work [br]on the computers. 0:05:16.416,0:05:18.383 We encouraged him, motivated him, 0:05:18.383,0:05:22.777 and put him through our I.T. programs. [br]He cleared all the tests, you know, 0:05:22.777,0:05:25.551 much to my nervousness.[br]An opening came one day 0:05:25.571,0:05:28.498 in the back end of [br]a very well-known I.T. company, 0:05:28.498,0:05:31.997 and just for the exposure and [br]the experience, I said, 0:05:31.997,0:05:34.880 "Let Vishu also go [br]for this job interview." 0:05:34.880,0:05:38.102 Vishu went there and cleared [br]all the technical tests. 0:05:38.102,0:05:42.284 Even then I said, "Uh, I just hope [br]he will be able to stick on 0:05:42.284,0:05:44.182 for 6 months at least." 0:05:44.182,0:05:46.371 It's been a year and a half now. 0:05:46.371,0:05:49.579 Vishu is stil there, [br]and he's not only just, 0:05:49.579,0:05:52.637 'oh, this poor guy working in [br]this hearing environment.' 0:05:52.637,0:05:58.105 He is winning laurels as best employee[br]of the month, not once but two times. 0:05:58.105,0:06:00.785 (Applause) 0:06:00.785,0:06:04.191 And I want to share with you that, [br]today, it takes us about 0:06:04.191,0:06:07.600 a year and a half to teach [br]a deaf person to get ready 0:06:07.600,0:06:10.087 to get into this real world [br]that we know about. 0:06:10.087,0:06:15.465 In a short time of 6 years, today [br]500 of my wonderful young students 0:06:15.465,0:06:20.198 are working in some of[br]the top organizations in the industry: 0:06:20.198,0:06:24.379 in graphic design profiles, [br]in the back end of I.T. organizations, 0:06:24.379,0:06:27.560 in hospitality, [br]in barrier breaking employment 0:06:27.560,0:06:30.531 like in the security, and in banks. 0:06:30.531,0:06:33.894 And also in retail outlets, and [br]doing direct customer service. 0:06:33.894,0:06:35.676 (Applause) 0:06:35.676,0:06:39.728 Directly facing people like [br]you and me in KFC, in coffee outlets. 0:06:39.728,0:06:42.053 I just leave you with [br]a small little thought that, 0:06:42.053,0:06:43.768 yes, change is possible. 0:06:43.768,0:06:48.174 And it just starts with one little [br]change in our perspective. 0:06:48.174,0:06:49.444 Thank you so much. 0:06:49.444,0:06:56.138 (Applause) 0:07:02.046,0:07:06.374 And this is applause, [br]it's an international sign for applause. 0:07:06.374,0:07:08.144 Thank you so much.