We all, from the esteemed school, Balavidyalaya , would like to state that we are not "DEAF AND DUMB" but only DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING"! The wordings DEAF AND DUMB are against the RPWD Act - UNCRPD - technology!

"A person is eligible for concession only when both hearing and speech impairment is present in the person" - is absurd.

With advancement in technology all deaf children can speak when provided with early intervention training. Therefore the concession form should say - deaf and hard of hearing persons with marginal disability are eligible for concession. This is what RPWD Act defines - deaf and marginal disability in hearing are persons having hearing loss of 40db and more.
A petition had been put forward in the PM office and Ministry of Railways to change the wordings, but to no avail. If u all sign this petition it will be a ray of hope and can probably touch a chord and sensitise them to change the wordings, and make all the efforts of Balavidyalaya Successful!