A chit-chat with Nita of Yunikee & Sign Medium that makes life accessible for the people of deaf community

Nita was born hearing to deaf parents. Living through the challenges of communicating on behalf of her parents with hearing people, After pursuing many things, eventually began working with deaf children. In 2019, she founded Yunikee & Sign Medium, with her husband, Chaithanya, and a friend, Rahul, to make life accessible for 60 million people in the deaf community in the country. She also runs International Deaf Academy that provides high quality education to children in the deaf community.

Here’s a brief chit chat with Nita.

Team Yunikee

Please share your journey that led you to founding Yunikee.

I was born hearing to deaf parents and all through my life, I experienced firsthand the challenges and struggles a deaf person goes through even in simple things that we take for granted. At a time when phones were not common and digital video calling was not even thought of, my parents had to communicate with hearing people, and I started interpreting for them as I grew up. But for a deaf person, challenges are innumerable, be it in education, securing a skill for livelihood, healthcare, banking, any aspect in life that we take for granted is a challenge for a deaf person.

After I graduated, I went on to do various things like training, managing a team, teaching children, but was constantly drawn to do something for the community and help them have better access. With my education and experience, both lived and work related, I started working with deaf children and teachers of deaf children and ran campaigns to educate people on the importance of language acquisition and use of sign language as a medium of communication with the deaf community. In 2019 along with Rahul (a deaf friend of mine) and Chaithanya Kothapalli (my husband) we started ‘Yunikee’, an organisation with the primary goal of making life accessible for the 60 million deaf community in the country.

Can you share stories of people benefiting from Yunikee & Sign Medium?

Since 2019, we have helped over 15,000 deaf young adults pick up marketable skills and find a way for their livelihoods as per their aspiration. A few went on to start their own freelancing business, some joined government jobs, while some went on to set up their own businesses. A case in particular is a person called Vishnu Prasad, who went on to set up his own skilling and placement centre for deaf people in Madurai and is now running the centre successfully. He was a participant in our Champions League Program in Sign Medium.

Please share some of your most memorable moments in your journey.

Memories are many! When I see deaf people overcome their challenges, or when I see a deaf kid eager and now able to communicate with their parents in sign language or when I see children understanding concepts taught in schools through sign language, I am filled with joy and gratitude. We get to see these daily in our work. Every time it is a reminder that we are on the right path.

Please can you share about your journey at the International Deaf Academy?

98% of deaf children either drop out of or fail in their exams in school in class 8 - 10. This is primarily because the medium of instruction (Regional / English) is not accessible for the students. The objective of IDA is to provide high-quality accessible education to deaf children through bi-lingual education model. This ensures that the children learn academic concepts in a language they understand and secure well. This stops the root cause of their low employment, mental health issues and many others over the years. Since its inception, we have touched over 400 such children and are commencing classes for them in June 2024. This is a long-drawn change and these children when they graduate will be able to lead better lives and be financially secure.

How can one get involved in your work?

You can volunteer your time, skills, and resources with us. This will not only enable you to learn a completely different and wonderful culture and language, but also improve your empathy levels, or even find a career using sign language! You can simply write to info@internationaldeafacademy.org and join the volunteering program.

I would like to leave the readers with a couple of thoughts –

· More than just a hearing disability, deafness is an issue of Language and Communication.

· Sign Language is a complete language and not just a collection of gestures.

Here’s an example from my life to explain what I mean by this statement. I grew up communicating with my parents and the deaf community in sign language. I have interpreted almost everything under the sun, be it about health, social life, education, politics and even yoga and meditation, to name a few, in sign language.

Yunikee & Sign Medium Website: Yunikee.com

International Deaf Academy website: https://www.internationaldeafacademy.org