By Richard Geary

Hifza, 17, is totally deaf, as is her 15-year-old brother. Both have been Deaf Reach students for the past four years. In addition to her courses in English and Sign Language, Hifza has gained valuable IT skills, learning MS Office applications, as well as enrolling in a course in Graphics Design.

Deaf Reach Training Centers, which currently operate in Karachi and Lahore, provide a place of excellence where the deaf and hearing impaired can develop their full potential and increase their opportunities for success. Courses are designed to meet the academic and vocational needs of the deaf community, with particular emphasis on English and IT training, as well as communication skills, sign language and social skills. Through a Job Placement Program, graduates are able to obtain gainful employment whereby they can help to support their families and be self-sufficient.

Emphasis on language skills and IT development has made a real impact in the lives of hearing impaired women, part of the goal of empowering women.

Hifza says that she wants to become a teacher so she can teach other deaf people, and also plans to work part time at a computer job.

Hifza concludes, “I enjoy learning and I am happy I can have this opportunity. It is not easy for deaf women in our country. So along with everything else, I want to be a role model for other deaf young women.”

Richard Geary is the Project Manager of Family Educational Services Foundation, a FCF project in Pakistan. Among the programs administered by FESF are the Deaf Reach Training Centers.