A dozen special textbooks lying in wait for hearing impaired students in Kerala

"Pada pada pada pada paravakal paari." (The birds flew with a fluttering sound). That is how the very first chapter of the updated Class I Malayalam textbook of state syllabus schools starts. But how will a teacher communicate it in an effective manner to a hearing impaired student?

Such challenges have prompted the development of special textbooks and workbooks for hearing impaired students through Class IV. Dozens of such books, developed by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) following consultation with specialists and various workshops with teachers, are now available for distribution.

There are almost 800 hearing impaired students in Classes I to IV in 32 special schools in the state. But preparing special textbooks for them is a challenging task considering the different levels of hearing impairment. While some have slight hearing disabilities, there are others who cannot hear at all, making it challenging to introduce textbooks that would be appropriate for all of them.

"Though the conventional Class I textbooks acquaint children with different senses, a student who is hearing impaired has a handicap in knowing them. Moreover, they have limited vocabulary. We have tried to emphasize more pictorial and visual aspects in special textbooks that are supplemented by workbooks," said Anil Kumar A K, Research Officer (Special Education), SCERT.

Unlike regular textbooks that take four to five workshops, special textbooks have already been released following up to 15 workshops with teachers and subject matter specialists. This year, work on the special textbooks for Class IV will start in harmony with the revised textbooks for general schools.

Special textbooks from tomorrow

As per Sam John M, who taught in the primary section of the Government VHSS for the Deaf, Jagathy, Thiruvananthapuram, for almost three decades, special texts for hearing impaired students were a byproduct of the regular feedback provided by teachers from their own experiences in classrooms.

From Class 5, the hearing impaired students in special schools make use of the same textbooks that are adopted in regular schools. The special books of lower classes will prove beneficial in preventing any gaps in learning when the student is introduced to the regular ones in the UP section," he stated.

Minister V Sivankutty is scheduled to launch 12 special textbooks and workbooks for students of Classes 1 to 3 in the state capital on June 30.