Finding her way out of silence
Archana was born deaf. Archana has a 9-year-old brother. Her family includes her grandmother and her father’s sister. Her parents are farmers.
She visited the Koppal Early Intervention Centre regularly with her parents.
She received a hearing aid with the help of Starkey Foundation Then her parents joined a parents group and started attending short stay camps.
On the advise of one of the parents, Archana’s parents to go to AIISH (All India Institute for Speech & Hearing), Mysuru. Here, she was provided quality hearing aid for better hearing, as well as inputs in speech therapy, listening therapy, pre-school training, etc.
After this, the parents came back home and admitted Archana to UKG class at her own village at the age of 5.
Samarthya staff supported her through home-based sessions and sessions in camps. With all these inputs, Archana improved in writing vowels and consonants. She is now also writing 1 to 100 and is able to do 2-digit numbers’ addition and subtraction. Her speech also improved and she is able to recite rhymes, read sentences, etc.
Archana’s aim is to complete her education and become a police officer.
The project recognized her mother’s skills and provided an opportunity for Hema, her mother. to work in the project. After her appointment, Hema mother opened a learning centre at her own house and is now supporting 2 to 3 deaf children from her surrounding villages.