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Every year, the last full week of September marks the celebration of International Week of the Deaf, providing a valuable opportunity for the Deaf community to unite. Historically, this community has developed a unique form of self-expression, asserting that their identity is rooted in belonging to a cultural and linguistic minority. This identity transcends boundaries of class, race, and gender and is deeply tied to fluency in sign language. It encompasses individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss, their families, sign language interpreters, and others who work with sign language users.
As a linguistic minority, the community often struggles to socialise outside their close circles, making it challenging to integrate into mainstream culture. This difficulty is partly due to persistent barriers that limit their opportunities to connect. Two key factors contribute to this — lack of awareness about the Deaf community and the mainstream community’s unfamiliarity with sign language.
With this in mind, the theme for this year’s International Week of the Deaf is ‘Sign Up for Sign Language Rights.’ The focus will be on advocating for the recognition of sign language as a fully developed language, deserving of equal status alongside spoken languages.
In line with this, the British rock band Coldplay has committed to providing sign language interpreters at their upcoming concerts in India. As part of their efforts to enhance accessibility, the band will offer local sign language interpreters at every performance, along with other support measures for Deaf or hard-of-hearing guests. This initiative is part of Coldplay’s broader commitment to inclusivity during their ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’, which will stop in Mumbai on 18, 19, and 21 January, 2025.
Efforts like these are becoming more common as a growing movement seeks to foster inclusion for the Deaf community. However, many advancements still remain limited in scope and reach. According to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, there are nine key indicators of an individual’s quality of life. While material living conditions and education are crucial, equal importance is placed on leisure, social interactions, and an individual’s overall life experience.
“We have several Deaf employees at our company, and they are among the most friendly and enjoyable colleagues to work with. However, I’ve noticed that conversations beyond the immediate scope of work are a challenge and this impacts their long-term career progression as well,” says Mira (name changed), a diversity and inclusion practices manager at a leading IT Firm in Gurgaon.
Most social and cultural events are inaccessible to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community as there are no systems in place to ensure their inclusion. In the absence of laws or policy directives, the inclusion of the community depends entirely on the initiative of other organisations. This gap is exacerbated by the fact that the mainstream often doesn’t have an understanding of how to include the community.
“I recently attended the Indian folk rock band, Swarathma’s concert in New Delhi where the lyrics of their songs were played on a screen, and thought about how it is a great way to include the Deaf and hard of hearing people as well. The very next day, I mentioned this to my friend and she said, ‘But why would Deaf people attend a music concert?’ That’s when I realised that the layperson may not know how Deaf people may be experiencing and enjoying music or participating in cultural events,” comments Raghav, a music enthusiast from Delhi.
Swarathma, recently also performed at a concert with a sign language interpreter for the first time. When asked about their experience, Jishnu, a band member says, “Concerts are not just about the music. If it were just about listening to music, you would just press play on an MP3 player instead. Our concert is a sense of collective energy that is radiated by the performers. It is reflected onto the audience and then reflected back to the performers in what one hopes is a virtuous circle of ever-increasing energy that creates an unforgettable communal experience. And there is no reason to say that persons with any kind of ability can or cannot or should or should not experience something like this.”
Prashant, a Deaf trainer at v-shesh, shares, “Only events organised by and for the Deaf community are accessible to me. As a result, not only do I miss out on opportunities to attend interesting events, I also miss out on forging friendships and meeting like-minded people with similar interests.”
Beyond gathering for a performance, events like concerts or plays provide individuals with the opportunity to form a community and experience a sense of belonging. These shared experiences foster connection, creating a space where individuals can engage and feel included.
There are multiple levels of Deafness, and people across the hearing spectrum may experience and enjoy music in different ways.
One of the primary ways in which someone Deaf might enjoy music is by feeling the vibrations. The bass notes and beats often create vibrations that they may use to ‘listen’ to the song. This also provides them with multiple ways to enjoy a song — a song felt through a speaker at home is very different from how one might experience the song at a live performance.
Including sign language interpreters at cultural events will make them more accessible to the Deaf community.
Those with partial hearing loss may be able to enjoy music that is played at a particular pitch or decibel level.
Sign language interpretation helps sign language users understand the lyrics of songs. Sign language interpreters have become more common at several large concerts with Lollapalooza being the first to do so in India.
Deaf people also benefit from live captioning and lyrics provided in song streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Apple Music also has a playlist curated by Deaf people. You can learn more about how Persons with Hearing Impairment experience music using this link.
This leads one to ask a deeper question:
How can having accessible cultural events come to be the norm rather than the exception?
The simple answer to that is by generating awareness.
“We are participating in several festivals this year that will attract diverse audiences, and we hope to have sign language interpreters present. The number of people who understand sign language isn’t what matters; rather, having sign language available helps raise awareness about its importance. This simple presence can help everyone recognise and appreciate the Deaf community, which is a significant step toward greater understanding,” says Jishnu when asked about what Swarathma plans for future concerts.
From a glass-half-full perspective, sign language interpreters were rare in universities, workplaces, and courts just a decade ago. Today, however, they are increasingly becoming a common feature in these settings. With this positive shift, there is hope that such inclusivity will soon extend to cultural events as well, making them more accessible to the Deaf community.
These efforts are not merely about fulfilling legal mandates or ticking boxes — they represent a deeper understanding that culture, music, and social gatherings are integral to the human experience, and should be available to everyone.
“As an interpreter, I am only invited to certain types of events — seminars, conferences, or corporate workshops. Hardly do we ever come across an invite to interpret a play or a concert. This needs to change. By not including the community at cultural events or gatherings, they continue to stay in their bubbles,” says Annu Malik, who is an ISL interpreter and special educator.
With each event that embraces inclusivity — whether through interpreters, captioning, or other innovations — we move one step closer to a world where the Deaf community can fully engage in cultural life. Over time, what is seen as innovative today will, hopefully, become standard practice across cultural landscapes, ensuring equal participation for all.
Written by v-shesh; Edited by Pranita Bhat
Sources:
United Nations International Day of Sign Languages
Eurostat Quality of Life
Eurostat Quality of life indicators – social interactions
‘This Sign Language Interpreter Rocking Out at Lollapalooza Mumbai is a Whole Vibe‘: by News18, Published on 1 February, 2023
A Playlist Curated by Deaf People Apple Music
‘How Do Deaf People Experience Music‘ on YouTube
Coldplay Inclusivity On The Tour
‘Coldplay Return To India on Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025‘: by Anurag Tagat for Rolling Stone India, Published on 19 September, 2024
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