Best Outstanding National Award Winner

G.Prabhakar born handicapped (a deaf mute) is a native of Mangalore. He is a creative and talented artist. He is the recipient of National Award for Best Outstanding Disabled Employee in 2006, the State Award for Best Employee by Tamil Nadu State Government in 2004 and the Vocational Excellence Award from the Rotary Club of Chennai Gemini. G.Prabhakar had graduated from Government School of Arts and Crafts, Madras in 1961. He secured a First Class Diploma in both Applied Arts and Paintings and received a Gold Medal for the Best Outstanding student in the year 1958. He also is a graduate from Brooklyn Museum Art School, New York and has to his credit a Diploma from Moscow, USSR. He had attended the Art Club in New York Society for the Deaf under Dr.Rawley Silver in 1967.

Artist G.Prabhakar had conducted one man shows in Madras in 1963, New York in 1977, Hotel Chola Sherton in 1992 and six times at LKA Greams Road in 1983, 1994, 1999, 2000 2004 and in 2009. He had participated in the International Poster Competition for Peace and Humanity against Nuclear War in the year 1985 and in the Mahatma Gandhi Birthday Centenary Exhibition in the years 1988, 1990, 2003, 2004 and 2005. He also took part in the Hindustan Annual Cartoon Contest and secured the Second, Third and Consolation prizes in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1997 and in 1999.

G.Prabhakar has many awards to his credit. He was awarded first prize in Calligraphy contest in Bible Verse Indian Christian Art Association in the year 1988 and he secured second prize in a Poster Competition on Central Pollution Control in July 1991.

G.Prabhakar was awarded Special prize for the outstanding artist by Very Special Indian Art, New Delhi in 1995, 1997 and 1998. He was also awarded first prize in an International Poster Contest in the year 1997 and a certificate if Merit at the All India Poster Competition on AIDS Prevention in the year 1994. G.Prabhakar is the recipient of All India Iokmanya Tilak Art Exhibition held at Pune in the year 2005. He worked as a Professional Illustrator at M/s RK Swamy/ BBDO Advertising Ltd in Chennai from 1979 till 1999 and retired. G.Prabhakar told Chennai Plus that he works as a self employed co-ordinator for Visual Arts of the Deaf for cultures, art exhibitions and cultures fro the hearing impaired persona of all ages. G.Prabhakar resides at No-21/ 12, Dr. Nair Road, T.Nagar, Chennai-17. He can be contacted on 9840216942.

2 hearing impaired from Kovai join BTech

COIMBATORE: They came, they saw, they passed. This refers to two speech and hearing impaired students from Coimbatore Corportion High School for Deaf, who cleared the SSLC public exam to take up engineering course.

Interestingly, the duo - Pandi Murugan, a native of Karaikudi and Naga Devaraj of Coimbatore - have applied for the 6-year Integrated B.Tech course offered by Kalasalingam University in Virudhunagar district this academic year. Repeating its success story, the Coimbatore Corporation High School for Deaf had churned out four students who are now pursing their engineering course at Kalasalingam University under the Speech and Hearing Impaired Persons (SHIP) programme.

Imagine how difficult to impart teaching to speech and hearing impaired persons. Teachers who have been trained specially for this purpose are doing yeomen service in teaching them using sign language and through lip movement.

Express spoke to Corporation High School for Deaf headmistress Tamilselvi, who said that Kalasalingam University offers free of cost the six-year Integrated B.Tech course to those speech and hearing impaired students who are school toppers. As such, Pandi Murugan, the school topper with 300/400 is to get admission while a service organisation has come forward to get a sponsor for Naga Devaraj who scored 296/400.

Thanks to the dedication of headmistress and special teachers of Coimbatore Corporation High School for Deaf who brought laurels to the institution by scoring cent per cent result in the SSLC public exam.

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Palayamkottai lends an ear to hearing impaired

TIRUNELVELI: The proposal to start a college for the deaf in Palayamkottai would be raising hopes of deaf students in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, as it would pave way for better livelihood and employment opportunities.

If the proposal comes through, Palayamkottai would be the second place in Tamil Nadu to have a college for deaf after Chennai.The Florence Swainson Higher Secondary School for the deaf at Palayamkottai has moved the proposal to start a college for the deaf in Palayamkottai. A proposal would be forwarded to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University for approval.Once granted permission, three courses would be offered initially — BCom, BCA and BA (History or Economics). Since a new building is available on the school premises, it would be utilised for the college. No fee will be collected from the deaf students.Sources in the school said, “The plan to start a college came as students who complete their schooling here have to go to Chennai for higher studies.Studying in Chennai is not possible for everyone. If the college starts here, deaf students in the southern districts would be benefited”.Dr M P Ravanan, speech therapist and audiologist at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, said, starting of the college in Palayamkottai would give employment for deaf students.“Apart from India, there is a great demand for deaf graduates in foreign countries.Hence, the college to be started in Palayamkottai will certainly be a boon for the deaf”, he noted.feedback@epmltd.com

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Special courses for the hearing impaired at Presidency College in Chennai

Job-oriented: Hearing impaired students at Presidency College.
A pilot project by the State government ensured that an academic and a non-academic department came together for a pilot project to provide employment-oriented courses to the hearing impaired.

With the support of the Department of Social Welfare and the Department of College Education, Presidency College. Chennai, launched two undergraduate courses — B.Com. and Bachelor’s in Computer Application.

The funds for conducting the classes are allotted by the Commissioner for the Disabled under the Social Welfare Department and covers staff salary, purchase and maintenance of equipment such as computer and UPS.

The College Education department has been entrusted with designing the curriculum, conducting the examination, and selecting the faculty.

The students are provided scholarship by the Social Welfare Department that covers their hostel fee also.

On completing the course, the students can hope to get jobs such as data entry operators or as front office management staff, says B. Jothi Venkateswaran, head of the MCA department.
The programme, first of its kind experiment, is not without glitches.

While the college has been able to ensure that qualified teachers are posted for the B. Com. course, it has not been easy to find faculty for the BCA course. For the B.Com course, the college has been able to appoint two lecturers with M. Phil degree.
But the BCA course is taught by teachers who are paid wages only for the number of days they work.

“Many of them want to continue their postgraduation but the college does not have the teaching faculty,” says a senior college authority. Those that are teaching currently are doing so out of interest.

BCA faculty N. Vinoth has worked in a mainstream college but agreed to teach at Presidency College because he was more comfortable with the disabled students. Mr. Vinoth’s parents want him to take up a more lucrative job.

V. Radhika is an MCA graduate and a self-taught teacher for the hearing impaired. Her nephew’s disability inspired her to learn the sign language. “I used to help him do his homework. That has helped me to teach them.”
R. SUJATHA

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