KARACHI: The aim of observing the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” is to promote an understanding of issues pertaining to the disabled and mobilize support for their well-being.
Fatima Jinnah Dental College (FJDC) has always prioritized the interests of minorities and has taken countless initiatives over the years to highlight and attempt to solve the problems they may face on a daily basis. One of these communities that FJDC teamed up with this year is the hearing-impaired community of Pakistan.
Recognizing that a language gap exists between a person with normal hearing as opposed to a deaf one, FJDC had the vision of the development of a dental-specific sign language. As the literature on dental terminologies is extremely limited in sign language, this project would serve to remove the language barrier that may exist between a health practitioner and a deaf patient.
FJDC’s vision came to life in the form of a book titled ‘Pakistan Sign Language for Dentistry’. This book is written in collaboration with the Pakistan Association of the Deaf, one of the leading organisations working for the deaf community. Recently, an MoU was signed between the two organisations to acknowledge their partnership. The book was officially launched at Chief Minister House Karachi on the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”. This event served as the perfect platform for the unveiling of this book.
FJDC extends its support for the differently-abled and has always ensured that our faculty and staff are trained to give appropriate care and equity to such individuals in Fatima Jinnah Dental Hospital and Azam Town General Hospital. These people are a valuable part of our community and FJDC urges other organisations to get involved as well by training their staff effectively and spreading awareness on how to appropriately deal with them. It is up to us to make the disabled community feel welcome wherever they may go. Let us all join hands for the rights, self-respect, and inclusivity of individuals with disabilities.
