The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) plans to set up a sign language institute for hearing impaired students, and will organize workshops and seminars to empower them.

IGNOU vice-chancellor, V.N. Rajasekharan said, “The deaf adults should be able to go to the highest level for which we will be conducting activities in different parts of the country. We shall appoint deaf staff on probationary basis for the proposed centre.”

The central government has helped to take this project to the next level by approving the establishment of an Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), on project basis for a period of five years, as an autonomous centre of IGNOU.