Evolution of deaf welfare
Monday, 13 October 2008
Iftu Ahmed
IN ancient times, wars were usual. Perhaps, there were no deaf heroes. So, deaf children were isolated. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was permissible to kill deaf children up to the age of three.
In 1000 BC, the Hebrew law protected the deaf from being cursed by others. But the practice was quite limited. Despite difficulties, a few miracles occurred on the lives of the deaf.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (469 BC-399 BC), the teacher of philosopher Plato (424/423 BC-348/347 BC) is quoted in Plato's Cratylus to have said: "The born of innate intelligence persons are perfect. Speech is the symbol of intelligence. Without speech, deaf are unable to use of language and ideas."
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), the student of Plato said: "Those who are born-deaf become incapable of reason and senseless. That is why hearing is a requirement for understanding."
Jesus Christ (7/2 BC-26/36AD) took care of the people with disabilities. He healed the deaf, the mute, the blind and the sick, brought to him.
In 77 AD, Pliny the Elder (23 AD-79 AD), the Roman author mentioned in his book, National History, Quintus Pedius, the Roman painter and the first deaf person to be recorded in history.
St. Augustine (354-430), the philosopher and theologian used to believe that deafness is the obstruction to faith because faith comes through hearing. He also mentioned that the deaf people can learn faith through the use of bodily expressions, signs and gestures. But he did not mention the inner spiritual power of the deaf people. Prophet Muhammad (sm) (570-632) took special care of the people with disabilities by praying, listening, sharing, honouring, breaking isolation, for biddery mocking and removing hardships and difficulties.
Gerolamo Cardano (1501-1576), the Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler who read Agricola's book and for the first time recognised first the ability of the deaf to reason said: "The deaf need to learn, read and write. His views challenged Aristotle's."
Spanish Benedictine Monk Pedro Ponce de Leon (1520-1584) was known as "the first teacher for the deaf." He established the world's first deaf school at the San Salvador Monastery in Madrid, Spain. It is not known that whether de Leon developed sign language or not, but he developed a manual alphabet so that his students could spell out letter by letter any word. Thus he taught the deaf to speak, read and write. His two deaf students participated in the conversations with hearing people by lip reading and speaking.
In America, Dr. Mason Cogswell (1761-1830), the prominent physician of Hartford, Connecticut, was concerned about her daughter Alice Cogswell (1805-1830) who lost her hearing and became a deaf at the age of 2. At that time, America lacked information on deaf education.
Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), the American pioneer in education of the deaf met Dr. Mason and Alice. Alice by then was nine years old. Dr. Gallaudet taguht her on experimental basis.
Dr. Mason sent Dr.Gallaudet to London to learn how to teach the deaf. Dr. Gallaudet met Abbe Roch Sicard along with his two deaf faculty members, Jean Massieu (1772-1846) and Laurent Clerc (1785-1869) in London. Sicard invited Dr. Gallaudet to visit Paris to learn deaf education. Dr. Galludet went to France with them, stayed in their school for two months and took lessons on sign language.
Dr. Gallaudet sailed back to America accompaying 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. In America, Clerc's teaching modified and enlarged the French sign language. Clerc became the father of American Sign Language.
In Bangladesh (formerly known as East Pakistan), the late Lion M. R. Khan was anxious about his eldest son Harunar Rashid Khan Harun ( now residing in the United States) who became a deaf. At that time, Bangladesh had no proper deaf education. MR Khan sent his son to enroll in Calcutta Deaf-Mute School. It is the story like Dr. Mason and his daughter Alice.
Manzur Ahmed, of Dhaka is also an ex-student of the Calcutta Deaf-Mute School. Bijoy Kumar Shaha, also a deaf of Dhaka, organised Dhaka Deaf-Mute Club. But it was not registered.
The East Pakistan Deaf-Mute Association was formed in 1963 and registered with the Social Welfare Directorate. Lion Mohiuddin Ahmad, a police officer, though not a deaf himself, was elected as its founding president, Lion M.R. Khan also not a deaf was founding vice president & treasurer, Manzur Ahmed, a deaf was founding general secretary, Harunar Rashid Khan (deaf) as founding Assistant Secretary and Bijoy Kumar Shahs, also a deaf was the founding assistant treasurer.
The Asoociation was established at at one room of 12/1 Ramkrishna Mission Road residence of Lion M. R. Khan. In 1967, the late Dr. M. O. Ghani, then Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University chaired a seminar and exhabition of the association. M. Osman Khaled, deaf-mute, the son of Dr. M. O. Ghani played a signifiant role with the association.
In 1969, the government alloted a plot of land at 62 Bijoynagar, Dhaka, to the association for establishing its office and institutions. In 1971, after the War of Independence, the association was renamed as Bangladesh Jatiyo Muko 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 Muko Badhir Songha was re-named Bangladesh Jatiyo Badhir Sangstha or Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf.
The writer lives in USA and
can be reached at
e-mail: E-Mail: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.com
IN ancient times, wars were usual. Perhaps, there were no deaf heroes. So, deaf children were isolated. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was permissible to kill deaf children up to the age of three.
In 1000 BC, the Hebrew law protected the deaf from being cursed by others. But the practice was quite limited. Despite difficulties, a few miracles occurred on the lives of the deaf.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (469 BC-399 BC), the teacher of philosopher Plato (424/423 BC-348/347 BC) is quoted in Plato's Cratylus to have said: "The born of innate intelligence persons are perfect. Speech is the symbol of intelligence. Without speech, deaf are unable to use of language and ideas."
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), the student of Plato said: "Those who are born-deaf become incapable of reason and senseless. That is why hearing is a requirement for understanding."
Jesus Christ (7/2 BC-26/36AD) took care of the people with disabilities. He healed the deaf, the mute, the blind and the sick, brought to him.
In 77 AD, Pliny the Elder (23 AD-79 AD), the Roman author mentioned in his book, National History, Quintus Pedius, the Roman painter and the first deaf person to be recorded in history.
St. Augustine (354-430), the philosopher and theologian used to believe that deafness is the obstruction to faith because faith comes through hearing. He also mentioned that the deaf people can learn faith through the use of bodily expressions, signs and gestures. But he did not mention the inner spiritual power of the deaf people. Prophet Muhammad (sm) (570-632) took special care of the people with disabilities by praying, listening, sharing, honouring, breaking isolation, for biddery mocking and removing hardships and difficulties.
Gerolamo Cardano (1501-1576), the Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler who read Agricola's book and for the first time recognised first the ability of the deaf to reason said: "The deaf need to learn, read and write. His views challenged Aristotle's."
Spanish Benedictine Monk Pedro Ponce de Leon (1520-1584) was known as "the first teacher for the deaf." He established the world's first deaf school at the San Salvador Monastery in Madrid, Spain. It is not known that whether de Leon developed sign language or not, but he developed a manual alphabet so that his students could spell out letter by letter any word. Thus he taught the deaf to speak, read and write. His two deaf students participated in the conversations with hearing people by lip reading and speaking.
In America, Dr. Mason Cogswell (1761-1830), the prominent physician of Hartford, Connecticut, was concerned about her daughter Alice Cogswell (1805-1830) who lost her hearing and became a deaf at the age of 2. At that time, America lacked information on deaf education.
Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), the American pioneer in education of the deaf met Dr. Mason and Alice. Alice by then was nine years old. Dr. Gallaudet taguht her on experimental basis.
Dr. Mason sent Dr.Gallaudet to London to learn how to teach the deaf. Dr. Gallaudet met Abbe Roch Sicard along with his two deaf faculty members, Jean Massieu (1772-1846) and Laurent Clerc (1785-1869) in London. Sicard invited Dr. Gallaudet to visit Paris to learn deaf education. Dr. Galludet went to France with them, stayed in their school for two months and took lessons on sign language.
Dr. Gallaudet sailed back to America accompaying 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. In America, Clerc's teaching modified and enlarged the French sign language. Clerc became the father of American Sign Language.
In Bangladesh (formerly known as East Pakistan), the late Lion M. R. Khan was anxious about his eldest son Harunar Rashid Khan Harun ( now residing in the United States) who became a deaf. At that time, Bangladesh had no proper deaf education. MR Khan sent his son to enroll in Calcutta Deaf-Mute School. It is the story like Dr. Mason and his daughter Alice.
Manzur Ahmed, of Dhaka is also an ex-student of the Calcutta Deaf-Mute School. Bijoy Kumar Shaha, also a deaf of Dhaka, organised Dhaka Deaf-Mute Club. But it was not registered.
The East Pakistan Deaf-Mute Association was formed in 1963 and registered with the Social Welfare Directorate. Lion Mohiuddin Ahmad, a police officer, though not a deaf himself, was elected as its founding president, Lion M.R. Khan also not a deaf was founding vice president & treasurer, Manzur Ahmed, a deaf was founding general secretary, Harunar Rashid Khan (deaf) as founding Assistant Secretary and Bijoy Kumar Shahs, also a deaf was the founding assistant treasurer.
The Asoociation was established at at one room of 12/1 Ramkrishna Mission Road residence of Lion M. R. Khan. In 1967, the late Dr. M. O. Ghani, then Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University chaired a seminar and exhabition of the association. M. Osman Khaled, deaf-mute, the son of Dr. M. O. Ghani played a signifiant role with the association.
In 1969, the government alloted a plot of land at 62 Bijoynagar, Dhaka, to the association for establishing its office and institutions. In 1971, after the War of Independence, the association was renamed as Bangladesh Jatiyo Muko 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 Muko Badhir Songha was re-named Bangladesh Jatiyo Badhir Sangstha or Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf.
The writer lives in USA and
can be reached at
e-mail: E-Mail: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.com