Deaf history of Bangladesh
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Iftu Ahmed
IN 12th century Bengal under Muslim rule, deaf-mute people had legal rights in the areas of bequests, marriage, divorce and financial transactions. They used to communicate habitually with intelligible signs.
In 1914, during the British rule, the first Dhaka deaf-mute school was established under the name Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School.
In 1928, H. C. Banerjee, a well-known teacher taught sign language. He visited three residential schools for deaf-mute children in Dhaka, Barisal and Calcutta.
In 1931 and 1939, Rajshahi and Bogra Deaf-Mute School were established.
In 1940, the Dhaka Deaf-Mute Club was established by the students of Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School. Later, both Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School and Deaf-Mute Club were abolished.
In 1940 and 1943, Sylhet and Brahmanbaria Deaf-Mute School were established.
The then East Pakistan Federation of the Deaf-Mute, established in the house of a deaf member in Rajshahi in 1950, was short-lived.
There was a similarity between the stories of deaf Alice Cogswell (1805-1830) of America and deaf Harunar Rashid Khan of Bangladesh, now residing in the United States.
In America, Dr. Mason Cogswell (1761-1830), the prominent physician of Hartford, Connecticut was concerned about his daughter Alice Cogswell who lost her hearing and became a deaf at the age of 2. At that time, America had lack of information on deaf education.
Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), the American pioneer in the education of the deaf who met Dr. Mason and Alice. Meanwhile, Alice was 9 years of old. Dr. Gallaudet taguht her on experimental basis.
Dr. Mason sent Dr.Gallaudet to London to learn how to teach the deaf. In London Dr Gallaudet met Abbe Roch Sicard and two deaf faculty members, Jean Massieu (1772-1846) and Laurent Clerc (1785-1869). Sicard invited Dr. Gallaudet to visit Paris to learn deaf education. Dr. Galludet went to France with them, stayed at their school for two months and learnt from their teachers the sign language.
Dr. Gallaudet sailed back to America taking Clerc from the French school. In 1817, the first American permanent school for the deaf was established in Harford, Connecticut. Alice was the first student of Clerc. As a result, in America, the French sign language was modified and enlarged through the teaching of Clerc and he became the father of American Sign Language.
In 1951, the late Lion M. R. Khan of Dhaka was anxious about his eldest son Harunar Rashid Khan who became deaf. At that time, Dhaka had no deaf education. Lion M. R. Khan sent Harun to Calcutta to get admitted to Deaf-Mute School there. From 1953 to 1961, Lion M. R. Khan was a committee member of Calcutta Deaf-Mute School.
In 1954, a teacher organised Deaf Mute School at Begum Bazar in old Dhaka.
In 1957, the East Pakistan Federation of the Deaf-Mute was revived in the house of Bijoy Kumar Saha who was a deaf resident of Dhaka. Both Manzur Ahmed, a former student of Calcutta Deaf-Mute School and resident of Dhaka and Harunar Rashid Khan gave donations as the revived organisation was run with contributions from its deaf mute members. But it was not registered.
In 1959, Mymensingh Deaf-Mute School was established. Later, Deaf-Mute Schools were established in other districts of the then East Pakistan.
In 1961, the Social Welfare Directorate of the then East Pakistan opened Deaf-Mute School in a rented house at Central Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
In1963, the then East Pakistan Deaf Mute Association was formed and registered with the Social Welfare Directorate. Lion Mohiuddin Ahmad , a police officer, though not a deaf himself, was elected its first president, Lion M.R. Khan also not a deaf was the first vice president and treasurer, Manzur Ahmed, a deaf, was the founding general secretary, Harunar Rashid Khan, also deaf, was the founding assistant secretary and Bijoy Kumar Saha, also a deaf was the founding treasurer.
The office of the asoociation was established in a room of the Ramkrishna Mission Road residence of Lion M. R. Khan.
In 1964, the Deaf-Mute School at Central Road Dhanmondi was taken over by the government and remained Government Deaf-Mute School and was shifted to Asad Gate, Dhaka.
In 1967, the late Dr. M. O. Ghani, the then Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University chaired a seminar and exhibition of the association. His son, M. Osman Khaled, a deaf-mute, made the association vibrant. Now, M. Osman Khaled is the charirman of the Society of the Deaf and Sign Language User, Bangladesh.
In 1969, the government alloted a plot of land at 62 Bijoynagar, Dhaka to the association for establishing its office and first Deaf High School and other istitutions.
In 1970, HICARE School for the hearing impaired was established at West Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
In 1971, after independence, the association was renamed Bangladesh Jatiyo Muk-o-Badhir Sangha.
In 1975, the World Federation of the Deaf honored Lion M. R. Khan and Manzur Ahmed with its International Solidarity Merit Awards.
In 1976, Bangladesh Jatiyo Muk-o-Badhir Sangha was re-named Bangladesh Jatiyo Badhir Sangstha or Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (BNFD).
In 1992, the Deaf-Mute School at Asad Gate, Dhaka was shifted to Mirpur (Section 14), Dhaka and renamed, School for the Hearing Impaired under the National Center of Special Education (NCSE), with assistance from Norway.
The writer expresses his gratitude to Harunur Rashid Khan and M Osman Khaled for providing the materials for this write-up. He lives in Aurora, IL, USA and can be reached at: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net
IN 12th century Bengal under Muslim rule, deaf-mute people had legal rights in the areas of bequests, marriage, divorce and financial transactions. They used to communicate habitually with intelligible signs.
In 1914, during the British rule, the first Dhaka deaf-mute school was established under the name Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School.
In 1928, H. C. Banerjee, a well-known teacher taught sign language. He visited three residential schools for deaf-mute children in Dhaka, Barisal and Calcutta.
In 1931 and 1939, Rajshahi and Bogra Deaf-Mute School were established.
In 1940, the Dhaka Deaf-Mute Club was established by the students of Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School. Later, both Lalbagh Deaf-Mute School and Deaf-Mute Club were abolished.
In 1940 and 1943, Sylhet and Brahmanbaria Deaf-Mute School were established.
The then East Pakistan Federation of the Deaf-Mute, established in the house of a deaf member in Rajshahi in 1950, was short-lived.
There was a similarity between the stories of deaf Alice Cogswell (1805-1830) of America and deaf Harunar Rashid Khan of Bangladesh, now residing in the United States.
In America, Dr. Mason Cogswell (1761-1830), the prominent physician of Hartford, Connecticut was concerned about his daughter Alice Cogswell who lost her hearing and became a deaf at the age of 2. At that time, America had lack of information on deaf education.
Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), the American pioneer in the education of the deaf who met Dr. Mason and Alice. Meanwhile, Alice was 9 years of old. Dr. Gallaudet taguht her on experimental basis.
Dr. Mason sent Dr.Gallaudet to London to learn how to teach the deaf. In London Dr Gallaudet met Abbe Roch Sicard and two deaf faculty members, Jean Massieu (1772-1846) and Laurent Clerc (1785-1869). Sicard invited Dr. Gallaudet to visit Paris to learn deaf education. Dr. Galludet went to France with them, stayed at their school for two months and learnt from their teachers the sign language.
Dr. Gallaudet sailed back to America taking Clerc from the French school. In 1817, the first American permanent school for the deaf was established in Harford, Connecticut. Alice was the first student of Clerc. As a result, in America, the French sign language was modified and enlarged through the teaching of Clerc and he became the father of American Sign Language.
In 1951, the late Lion M. R. Khan of Dhaka was anxious about his eldest son Harunar Rashid Khan who became deaf. At that time, Dhaka had no deaf education. Lion M. R. Khan sent Harun to Calcutta to get admitted to Deaf-Mute School there. From 1953 to 1961, Lion M. R. Khan was a committee member of Calcutta Deaf-Mute School.
In 1954, a teacher organised Deaf Mute School at Begum Bazar in old Dhaka.
In 1957, the East Pakistan Federation of the Deaf-Mute was revived in the house of Bijoy Kumar Saha who was a deaf resident of Dhaka. Both Manzur Ahmed, a former student of Calcutta Deaf-Mute School and resident of Dhaka and Harunar Rashid Khan gave donations as the revived organisation was run with contributions from its deaf mute members. But it was not registered.
In 1959, Mymensingh Deaf-Mute School was established. Later, Deaf-Mute Schools were established in other districts of the then East Pakistan.
In 1961, the Social Welfare Directorate of the then East Pakistan opened Deaf-Mute School in a rented house at Central Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
In1963, the then East Pakistan Deaf Mute Association was formed and registered with the Social Welfare Directorate. Lion Mohiuddin Ahmad , a police officer, though not a deaf himself, was elected its first president, Lion M.R. Khan also not a deaf was the first vice president and treasurer, Manzur Ahmed, a deaf, was the founding general secretary, Harunar Rashid Khan, also deaf, was the founding assistant secretary and Bijoy Kumar Saha, also a deaf was the founding treasurer.
The office of the asoociation was established in a room of the Ramkrishna Mission Road residence of Lion M. R. Khan.
In 1964, the Deaf-Mute School at Central Road Dhanmondi was taken over by the government and remained Government Deaf-Mute School and was shifted to Asad Gate, Dhaka.
In 1967, the late Dr. M. O. Ghani, the then Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University chaired a seminar and exhibition of the association. His son, M. Osman Khaled, a deaf-mute, made the association vibrant. Now, M. Osman Khaled is the charirman of the Society of the Deaf and Sign Language User, Bangladesh.
In 1969, the government alloted a plot of land at 62 Bijoynagar, Dhaka to the association for establishing its office and first Deaf High School and other istitutions.
In 1970, HICARE School for the hearing impaired was established at West Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
In 1971, after independence, the association was renamed Bangladesh Jatiyo Muk-o-Badhir Sangha.
In 1975, the World Federation of the Deaf honored Lion M. R. Khan and Manzur Ahmed with its International Solidarity Merit Awards.
In 1976, Bangladesh Jatiyo Muk-o-Badhir Sangha was re-named Bangladesh Jatiyo Badhir Sangstha or Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (BNFD).
In 1992, the Deaf-Mute School at Asad Gate, Dhaka was shifted to Mirpur (Section 14), Dhaka and renamed, School for the Hearing Impaired under the National Center of Special Education (NCSE), with assistance from Norway.
The writer expresses his gratitude to Harunur Rashid Khan and M Osman Khaled for providing the materials for this write-up. He lives in Aurora, IL, USA and can be reached at: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net