"Know me for my abilities, not my disability" - Robert M. Hensel
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see" – Mark Twain
"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone" – Martina Navratilova
"I choose not to place "DIS", in my ability." – Robert M. Hensel
"Children with disabilities are like butterflies with a broken wing. They are just as beautiful as all others, but they need help to spread their wings"
"The only disability in life, is a bad attitude" – Scott Hamilton
"Different but not less" – Temple Grandin
"Dis ABILITY: Broken in Body; Not in Spirit"
"Use their Skills: Light their Lives"
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress" – Frederick Douglass

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SERVICE PROJECTS

YMCA SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED

Hearing Impaired is more complex and a much worse misfortune because of the loss of the most vital stimulus, the sound of the voice that brings languages, sets thoughts and helps us in intellectual company of men and women. These Immortal words of the great scholar Helen Keller seem to have moved the Madural YMCA during late 1960's. Children with hearing impairment born into a family were considered a curse and a burden or a punishment from God. Having witnessed the helpless situation and complex problems of the hearing impaired young people, the Madurai YMCA initiated a special school in the year 1971. Over these years, our services have proved that the children who suffer hearing loss can be successfully trained to overcome the deficiency and lead a happy life. The programmes such as the preschool, special school, integrated education, capacity building and skill development fulfils the dire needs of the aurally and the orally challenged boys and girls between the age of 3 and 21 with residential facilities. Nearly 1500 boys and girls have successfully completed their studies and are now happily integrated into their own communities.

The Preschool trains young children with hearing Impairment from 2½ years in speech language, auditory training and lip reading for 3 years and integrate them in regular schools. More than 100students are integrated into normal schools.

The special school follows the Tamilnadu state curriculum for standards from I to XII. Every year students with hearing impairment appear for the X and XII standard Government examinations and pass out, successfully. Many of our students are graduated and are employed. The capacity building programme offers life skills training and computer education. English is taught as an additional language to the students from I to XII.

The Bakery Training Unit functions in the school offers training in bakery for the students from 6 to 9 standard and for the school dropouts. The unit also produces cakes, puffs, bread, bun, biscuits, somosa, cultets etc and caters to the needs of the public.

The special school is upgraded into a Higher Secondary level of education during the year 2013. 25 students currently pursue XI standard education. Though these children are exempted from learning English language, we teach them the basics of English from 1st standard onwards.

Address

YMCA Kamak Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired
Visalakshipuram, Madurai – 14
Phone No : 0452-2533813.

General Secretary & Correspondent: Mrs. J.Shamila Doris
Mobile No: 94430 - 17760.

Attention Please:- 'As a policy, we in YMCA Madurai do not engage or authorize our students with Hearing Impairment to appeal for donations on behalf of the charitable services provided. If at any point you are approached with such appeals, kindly dismiss them as fake and if possible kindly bring such dubious activities to our notice. Thank you'