Project Name: Social Inclusion of Deaf Children and Young People in Bangladesh.

Project Duration: 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2017

Funding organization: Centre for Disability Development -CDD, Deaf Child World Wide

Project Goal: The project goals to achievesocial inclusion of deaf children and deaf youths into their communities by reducing societal barriers, by building capacity of 45 deaf children, 20 youths & 65 families and empowering them to mobilize and claim their rights.

Project Objective:
• Parents will have improved parenting skills. Communication & language, socio-emotional & daily living skills of deaf children and youths will be developed.
• Deaf children and youths will have access to education, vocational skills development, employment, health, social safety nets and other inclusion opportunities in family & community. They will be accepted in families and bonding among members will increase.
• Deaf youths and parents are mobilized and are confident to raise their concerns, advocate & campaign for their rights and inclusion opportunities.
• Protective environment for deaf children and youths will be built through child protection systems and practices.
• Equal opportunities and non-discriminatory attitudes and practices will be observed.
• Knowledge and good practices by families and communities on healthy hearing care will be practiced.

Project Outcomes:
Outcome 1
65 parents are trained to communicate with Deaf Child and Young people, raise their concerns & protection issues, promote their rights, enroll their deaf children at schools, support them in their studies, and contribute in their development process.
Outcome 2
65children trained and communicate in sign language and have education by studying at home, pre primary and primary schools in proximity.

Outcome 3
20 deaf young people become more independent with communication & life skills, as members of organized groups; and by accessing development opportunities and services – social security / safety nets, vocational skills and employment .

Outcome 4
50 trained teachers of 10 primary schools create deaf children inclusive primary schools and support them to study and socialize in schools.

Outcome 5
Community people & authorities recognize & address rights and needs of Deaf Child and Young people’s & their families and preventable causes of deafness reduced.

Outcome 6
Songshoptaque and CDD have improved capacity to support Deaf Child and Young Peoples & their parents on communication & language, social & daily living skills, education, parenting, child & deaf young girls’ protection in 6 unions of Bangladesh.

Outcome 7
Development and printing of 7 different resource materials to raise awareness, support teachers & parents on Sign Language, parenting skills, etc.

Project impact:
• The project aims for social inclusion of deaf children and deaf youths into their communities by reducing societal barriers, by building capacity of deaf children, youths and their families and also by empowering them to mobilize and claim their rights. They will lead an improved life in a family and community that is deaf friendly.
• Deaf children and youths will participate in family and community events as well as benefit from accessing health, education, skills development, employment opportunities.
• Deaf youths, children & family members will communicate and express themselves effectively with Bangla Sign Language and improved hearing using hearing aids.
• Preventable causes leading to hearing loss and deafness is largely avoided by communities through knowledge build-up and good practices.

• Parents of deaf children with raise their child better with effective parenting skills specific to needs of deaf children.
• Deaf children are accepted by members of a family and parents recognize the potentials of deaf children and youths.
• Deaf children live in a safer environment with child protection systems in place in communities.
• Knowledge and skills on deafness, raising and supporting deaf children and youths remain within communities with trained parents.
• Mainstream schools are ready and willing to enrol potential children with hearing loss with deaf friendly school environment including trained teachers and students.
• Parents of deaf children and youths and deaf youths themselves are mobilized and active as groups to advocate on different issues related to deaf youths and children at local to national level.
• Duty bearers, private &civil society representatives and community will express their solidarity and support the rightful claims of deaf children and youths for their inclusion, promotion of equal rights, and protection against abuse.
• Deaf and hearing communities will enjoy improved relationship and bondage.
• Deaf children, youths and families will have better belief about their own capacity, consider themselves as equal to any other citizen of the country and are active members of their communities.

Project beneficiaries:

Name of stakeholder:
• Upazila parisad
• Union Parisad
• Upazila Education office.
• Upazila Social welfare office.
• Upazila Youth development authority.
• GO/NGO office.
• Local Industries.
• School management
• Business men.

Achievement of this project:

1. Developed an ECD center for Deaf Children.
2. Developed a Deaf club and Information center.
3. Entrance permission in Examination hall from Upazila Education authority to translate examination question paper by Bangla sign language for the deaf students.
4. Free hearing assessment from institute of Shahik, Chittagong for 7 deaf children.
5. Electricity connection confirm to deaf child sumi datta`s house by parents group advocacy..
6. We complete a list on all disable students in Anwara upazila for Govt. education allowance.
7. Three deaf children include in disable allowance.
8. Nine students newly admitted in Govt. primary school from our ECD center.
9. 28 primary school student learning bangla sign language.
10. 30 Deaf young and family members trained up on livestock from youth development authority.
11. By Songshoptaque survey we find out 773 children with disability in anwara upazila.
12. 6 hearing aid get from Upazila Education office by SI-DCYP project advocacy.
13. Four new deaf children admitted in ECD center.
14. 7 deaf young people received swing machine from the organization of CDD and Codec.