The Dedicated Pathfinder

Hello, I am Askari Abbas.

I am working in PWC, I, for designing, I am also o d e l, and I am deaf.

When I was small I got the jaundice, that is how I then became deaf and my voice problem and, other thing, for 15 years I not went to school for study or how to speak English or Mathematics or General Knowledge.

So after 15 years my father was passed away, so I got to realize i had to take care of me, take care of my mom, my younger sister.

So I am a male with…responsibility.

I remember when somebody is asking me, like, “Hi Askari, what is your name? What is your future? What is your career?”, so I feel like why they asking me, what is the question?

I don’t know.

So, it makes me very sad.

That time only I realized, to starting, career in future, take care of me, then I join the Oral School , for 16 plus, that time I started learning English, Grammar use my verbal voice, use lipread and Sign Language.

So when I’m learning sign language I open.

From 18 plus I improve myself, then I complete Class 10 and 12 from NIOS and then I have complete from college from iLead, B.Sc in Animation, and Graphic designing and Multimedia.

And then I have joined the PwC. I’ve been working there for 2.5 years and also I’m a model also, doing for part-time job.

This is how I am doing this.

*

Askari, could you share what kept you at home for 15 years before you joined The Oral School for Deaf Children at the age of 16?

When I was in regular school, so everyone make me feel like I’m not in belong with them.

First of all they used to bully me, mock me, making fun of me, the way I am.

I cannot blame them, it’s not their fault but I found out something, they pity me, I feel like, It made me very upset.

They are…they did not take me as normal.

For 15 years, I have no friends, I have no, talking to anyone because nobody could talk to me, except only my family.

Only my family used to take care of me. There is a core communication.

They have own method to make me understand, they know my feelings, I used to talk with my family, not, I don’t feel like to go to school because I’m sad.

I’m not their type of them.

Then my father was passed away, and then I got, somebody asking me what am I doing, where I’m going, where my life is going there and too many people putting pressure, but it’s good for me, it’s good for me and then I started join The Oral School when I was 15, 16.

Then, you will not believe this, I am learning at the age of 16 plus, for any English Grammer.

What I have previously, I used to know alphabets, but not the meaning but now I’m starting to know the meaning and then, I would love to thank to my teacher from the Oral School, it’s like they are my mother and they never leave me.

If I go and question anything, they always make me understand for more than 20 time or thousand of the time.

I will always forever grateful to Oral School for Deaf Children, Kolkata

I used to sign language for ASL, but after I complete the Oral School everybody in India, they learning for ISL, which means Indian sign language.

So, I, it’s very complicated, though I am used to it.

But my preference is ASL.

My communication, I read, by lipread also, I I can hear but you don’t understand the sound clear, so after grad…after complete Class 12, then I used to go college and job, so many people does not know sign language, so, once I taught them, automatically it makes me improve myself, the more I speak in, the more I clear the verbal world.

Most of the time I read the lips also.

Second is, I don’t wear the hearing aid also.
When I was, after class 12, I starting dropping it, because it made noise, too much disturb my brains.

But I can fine one thing, with my family, friends telling me to wear machine: I know it’s good for me, but I’m not comfortable.

I, I can tell you one thing, there is pity and empathy.

One pity say, ‘aww you’re deaf, you used to be sad, you should wear the machine so I’m getting upset.

Not only me, for everyone also.

We are, it’s like a, we’re patient to wear this, for better communication with them.

What about them?

They should learn sign language for me.

That is not only for me, because I’m wearing this I can speak better, it’s not.

I have to, this is how, this is how we are, the way our communication is.

My language is just sign language.

I love sign language.

I don’t want to speak in Hindi.

So they should learn sign language.

Why?

If they’re telling me, ‘wear the machine’, then I should tell them, ‘you should learn sign language’, it’s not, but it’s ok.

I, I started learning Hindi, and I will, I love to learn, explore more.