News

Deaf Reach: 2021 in Retrospect

When the Covid-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, Deaf Reach had to adapt rapidly and innovate to ensure continuity and safeguard our decades of hard work building education for deaf children and youths in Pakistan. The year was spent learning and developing distance learning. Navigating the pandemic and working to ensure the best possible outcomes for our staff and students at Deaf Reach Schools, as well as the beneficiaries of the Eduserve Program, proved to be very challenging.

The Eduserve team had to shift from their model of hands-on training sessions in the heart of communities and educational institutes to hosting their programs online. They successfully made the transition, and were able to impact thousands of participants and community members. In addition, they conducted an online symposium for university students and faculty that focused on diversity, tolerance and peacebuilding.

The biggest challenge we faced during the closures of our Deaf Reach Schools was how to care for our deaf students’ education and prevent erosion of their language skills. With generous support from key donors, we set up an in-house studio and the Deaf Reach team began the process of digitizing a large repository of curricular resources in Pakistan Sign Language (PSL). Our students were supplied with refurbished low-cost laptops, and we delivered the digital content monthly during the entire lockdown period. Thus, this time of adversity has birthed a new and innovative program that has set the tone for the future of Deaf Education in Pakistan.

For more information, read our Annual Report 2020 – 2021

When the Covid-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, Deaf Reach had to adapt rapidly and innovate to ensure continuity and safeguard our decades of hard work building education for deaf children and youths in Pakistan. The year was spent learning and developing distance learning.
Learn More

Eighteen Deaf Reach Scholars Achieve A1 Grade in Board Exams

Deaf Reach is delighted to announce that 18 of our young scholars from our Karachi and Rashidabad campuses achieved A1 Grade (distinction) in the Higher Secondary (HSC 2) final year board exams.

For most of these students, their academic journey began over a decade ago at Deaf Reach. Enrolled in the primary education and vocational training programs, the students were nurtured in a holistic learning environment. To support their continued learning, Deaf Reach initiated a Parent Training Program to teach Pakistan Sign Language (PSL), foster deaf culture and solve any learning and behavioral challenges faced at home.

As the students progressed in their classes, the Deaf Reach Program evolved to cater to higher education. All 18 graduates will continue their education journey by enrolling in the Deaf Reach Bachelor of Arts Program in the next term. We are extremely proud of our students and their teachers for this great accomplishment.

Deaf Reach is delighted to announce that 18 of our young scholars from our Karachi and Rashidabad campuses achieved A1 Grade (distinction) in the Higher Secondary (HSC 2) final year board exams. All 18 graduates will continue their education journey by enrolling in the Deaf Reach Bachelor of Arts Program in the next term. We are extremely proud of our students and their teachers for this great accomplishment.
Learn More

First Lady of Pakistan Visits Deaf Reach Sukkur

The First Lady of Pakistan, Mrs. Samina Alvi, was warmly welcomed by our students and staff on her recent visit to the Deaf Reach Sukkur Campus. While touring the facility, she interacted with the students in basic sign language to find out about their experiences in the classroom. Her visit of the campus included a tour of both the academic and vocational training facilities.

The First Lady has been a strong advocate for the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities and has reiterated that Pakistan is committed to greater inclusivity for all people with disabilities. Her visit to the Deaf Reach Sukkur Campus was a follow-up to her participation in the webinar hosted by Deaf Reach on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December 2020.

The First Lady’s goal is to foster awareness and highlight the work being done to facilitate inclusivity across all spheres in Pakistan – in education, digital literacy, healthcare, in the workplace, access to government services, not only physically but digitally as well.

The First Lady of Pakistan, Mrs. Samina Alvi, was warmly welcomed by our students and staff on her recent visit to the Deaf Reach Sukkur Campus. While touring the facility, she interacted with the students in basic sign language to find out about their experiences in the classroom. Her visit of the campus included a tour of both the academic and vocational training facilities.
Learn More

Deaf Reach Lahore Celebrates First Year of Operation

Our state-of-the-art Deaf Reach Lahore Campus celebrated its first year of operation. The Campus is located in Township, Lahore and currently accommodates a total of 115 students.

The Lahore Deaf Reach School and Training Center is spread across an area of 5,000 sq. yards, and covers academic and vocational costs for its beneficiaries, as well as providing pick-up and drop-off transportation for students within a 50 km. radius. Students also receive a healthy lunch, books, stationery, uniforms, and participate in extracurricular events.

During its first year of operation, the Deaf Reach Lahore job placement program assisted 136 deaf young adults to acquire gainful employment at Sapphire Textile, Indus Home, and IGI Life Insurance, in addition to the 100+ jobs already provided by KFC in the Punjab.

Our state-of-the-art Deaf Reach Lahore Campus celebrated its first year of operation. The Campus is located in Township, Lahore and currently accommodates a total of 115 students.
Learn More

Deaf Reach’s Pakistan Sign Language Booth at Pakistan Learning Festival

Hundreds of students and teachers from across Karachi visited Deaf Reach’s Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) booth at the Pakistan Learning Festival hosted by Children’s Literature Festival (CLF), a nationwide movement and flagship programme of civil society organization Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA). To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the launch of Pakistan Sign Language digital resources, visitors were given a firsthand experience with the digital resources on the PSL Learning Units. The children were delighted to learn words in sign language and converse with the deaf community at the event.

The first day of the festival opened with the National Anthem performed by students of Deaf Reach School in PSL, followed by the Sanjan Nagar School Choir singing CLF Tarana “Humain Kitab Chahiye” written by Zehra Nigah and composed by Rakae Jamil. This was followed by Kathak performance by Har Sukh School and Sufi songs by Mahnoor Altaf, a child prodigy. Room to Read’s adapted Book in Urdu “Caterpillar Ko Joota Chaiyeh” was launched through role play by government primary school Nishtar Colony Lahore, under the Pakistan Literacy Project with simultaneous rendition in Pakistan Sign Language by Deaf Reach Pakistan.

The three-day Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) was planned as a hybrid event. The multi-site, multi-lingual and multi-cultural three-day Children’s Literature Festival, held in collaboration with the British Council Pakistan, Children Library Complex (CLC), Oxford University Press (OUP) Pakistan, Room to Read and National History Museum (NHM), kicked off with a number of interactive sessions and activities taking place simultaneously at three locations.

For more information on our Pakistan Sign Language resources, visit our PSL Website.

Hundreds of students and teachers from across Karachi visited Deaf Reach’s Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) booth at the Pakistan Learning Festival hosted by Children’s Literature Festival (CLF), a nationwide movement and flagship programme of civil society organization Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA). To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the launch of Pakistan Sign Language digital resources, visitors were given a firsthand experience with the digital resources on the PSL Learning Units.
Learn More

FESF Founder Richard Geary Speaks at World EdTech Forum 2021

Richard Geary, FESF’s Founder and Director of Programs, was a speaker at the leading EdTech conference organized by the World EdTech Forum 2021 held in London, UK. The Forum is a leading education technology event and has included keynotes and presenters from Microsoft, Google, and Harvard University. 

The area of focus for Richard’s presentation was “Creating Access and Inclusion for Marginalized Children via EdTech.” His address at the forum highlighted the Deaf Reach journey to adapt to digital and distance learning in the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the past decade Deaf Reach has invested in computer literacy for young deaf students, teachers and staff. Using their Pakistan Sign Language digital resources, the school system was able to rapidly adapt to pandemic conditions and develop an offline learning model. Students from the remotest areas were provided content-loaded laptops and remote teacher assistance to continue learning during school closures.

For more information, see our EdTech Report.

Richard Geary, FESF’s Founder and Director of Programs, was a speaker at the leading EdTech conference organized by the World EdTech Forum 2021 held in London, UK. The Forum is a leading education technology event and has included keynotes and presenters from Microsoft, Google, and Harvard University. 
Learn More

Latest Posts

Head Office – Karachi Block 12,
Next to PTCL Telephone Exchange,
Gulistan e Jauhar, Karachi​

Contact

Tel: +92 21 34017000
Email: info@fesf.org.pk
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin Instagram

Quick Links