Dna iCan marathon: Communication breakdown, but they finished the race

Fifty-two- year-old Vidulata Jaykar was one of the last few marathoners to cross the finish line of the 5-km Fun Run and it was only because she was waiting and guiding the rest of her mates from the Bombay Foundation of Deaf Women (BFDW) towards it before getting there herself.Despite hearing impairment and the resultant muteness, these proud women have been taking part in the Dna iCan marathon since the past three years. Accompanied by a young banking professional, Falguni Parmar, who volunteers to act as an interpreter for them on their regular Sunday meets, they tell us how people considered weaker are often looked at underestimated by the society."Many people who consider themselves normal often underestimate us and treat us differently because of our impairment. We are very normal, communication is a problem sometimes but we are no different from the rest. Women in the same way are often looked down up by the opposite sex," motioned Vidulata to Falguni on behalf of her group.The BFDW is a group of hearing impaired women from all over the city who meet on Sundays and help each other learn skills and create occupations through art, craft, embroidery, cooking and various performing arts to empower them."Even though we can't follow the news on TV, we meet every Sunday to discuss various happenings around the world. The increase in reports of violence against women is very disturbing. It just reinforces the lack of sensitivity in people these days that even we bear the brunt of," said Vidulata in her sign language. She teaches art at various NGOs for the deaf around Mumbai.The main problem faced by the hearing impaired is the communication gap bundled with the lack of patience in most people. "They are pushed around a lot because they can't talk and they say it has grown worse with the increase in number of people," said Falguni.On a positive note, the happy bunch indicated that technology has made things much easier for them, allowing them to converse through messaging, whatsapp and video calling on their devices.