September 2008 1

Volume 2 Issue 2

September 2008

• 63,203 kilometers (39,186 miles) traveled by air, train, and bus

• 113 hours of video footage documented

• 101 deaf schools, organizations, NGOs, clubs and worksites discovered

• 27 1/2 languages exposed to: 20-plus spoken/written and 7 1/2 signed (Khmer Sign Language in Cambodia is currently being developed)

• 14 monthly newsletters distributed to 2,000 readers

• 11 episodes of travelers’ diarrhea

• 5 man-made wonders of the world visited (The Great Wall of China, Army of Terracotta, Angkor Wat, Taj Mahal and The Forbidden City)

• 0 physical threats, thefts or major accidents in one year of travel

DDW: A Year in Review

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

What is DDW?

Dave Justice and Christy Smith are traveling the world to learn and share stories of empowerment, inspiration, and connection between international Deaf communities.

Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW) is an opportunity to give deaf people worldwide a voice. For more information, photos, video logs, and newsletter stories, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

Chinese dance teams are making headlines Expanding work opportunities in Thailand

2 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Deaf Development Program

creating independence in Cambodia Discovering villagers in the mountains of Nepal

A Look Back on DDW's Journeys

Deaf Associations of New Zealand

raising the bar

Australian Deaf Games empowerment Japanese students are tomorrow’s role models

Passionate teachers at schools in India

Return to Rochester, NY, USA

On September 25th, Dave and Christy will return to the United States. This will be DDW’s final full-length newsletter for this year. Thank you for following our first adventure, and stay tuned for more DDW updates in the not-too-distant future!

September 2008 3

Strolling through the backpacker district of Kol-kata, India, you are likely to be bombarded by touts, hagglers, and witty salesmen trying to sell you every-thing under the sun: “Yes please, chai?” “Sir! Beautiful kurta for you?” “Henna painting for hands, madam?” But tucked away in a peaceful escape just around the corner from New Market, you will find a pleasant and unexpected surprise: a modern, deluxe KFC restau-rant with nearly all-deaf staff!

Following the trend of similar KFCs in Singapore and Egypt, the day-to-day operations are run by 25 deaf employees (out of a total of 30 staff). “It is our responsibility to our country,” states Area Manager Paratha Roy, “to provide opportunities for deaf people to give back to the community.” Whereas most res-taurants worldwide will only hire deaf people to work ‘behind the scenes,’ the New Market KFC has hired deaf cooks, counter servers, and greeters who directly communicate with customers. When asked if there is ever a problem with miscommunication between em-ployees and customers, Roy responded, “99% of the time there is no difference.”

Laminated menus full of pictures and prices are used for taking orders and gestures with a smile are served. For example, holding up seven fingers then pointing to the sky signifies “7UP” and a frantic wave of one hand in front of your mouth asks, “Do you want that spicy?” They even replaced the sound buzzer with a flashing red light to alert the cooks when a new order has been placed.

Deaf employees are not treated any different than their hearing co-workers. They must hold a minimum

education level of grade 10 and pass the same 31-day training sessions as all KFC employees. Managers receive a foundation of visual communication skills when they undergo a three-day intensive sign lan-guage course offered by the Silence Training Institute. They learn Indian Sign Language and fingerspelling, as well as signs related to everyday interactions such as hot wings, sandwiches and soda spills.

After spending a full day in the shadows docu-menting the New Market KFC and several return vis-its, we felt nothing but friendly, upbeat vibes between managers, staff and customers. Hands waving! Thank you, KFC, for providing equal opportunities to the deaf community and proving your success! We look forward to seeing the impact you will have on the res-taurant industry worldwide to follow your example.

KFC: Employing Differently-Abled Staff

Come to New Market KFC!

September 27:Happy International

Deaf Day!

Donate to DDW at: www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

4 Discovering Deaf Worlds

A Thank You to Our Sponsors

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Over 19,000 cumulative hits

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Kevin Perdeaux...thank you for the much needed laughing yoga motivation. We laughed more with you that week than most of this past year. Best of luck on your new endeavors in Michigan; Ganesh will be guiding you!

Vivek Kothari…you have truly set an example of what it takes to create an environment that is accessible. Keep up the good work. We can’t thank you enough for your generous hospitality.

AnPi, Charoo and the Delhi deaf community…thank you for opening up your arms and welcoming us to the gateway of India. We are forever connected!

You, the reader...thank you for all of your support over the past year. You have helped us carry on our mission, and inspired us to continue our work.

Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!

September 2008 5

Hovering above the city landscape of Jaipur, Hotel Om Tower stands as the tallest build-ing in Rajasthan, India. Guests can enjoy panoramic views and authentic Indian, Chinese, or continental meals from the re-volving rooftop restaurant (a full revolution takes 60 minutes), or a refreshing dip in the rooftop pool from 180 feet high. This four-star establishment offers 60 deluxe, theme, and executive suites and an unparalleled level of hospitality.

While we were mesmerized by the beauty of this structure, what makes it unique in the eyes of DDW is the story behind its executive director. Born deaf, Vivek Kothari spent most of his years working his way up in the fam-ily business, Om Metals Infraprojects, Ltd. When Hotel Om Tower was established in 2003, Kothari seized the opportunity and earned his right to be-come the hotel’s executive director.

Acknowledging that the majority of his 130-plus employees are hearing, Kothari refuses to let communication barriers interfere. Since there are no professional sign language interpreters or in-terpreter training programs in Jaipur, or the entire state of Rajasthan, Kothari decided to create his own accessibility. Two assistants were hired through the human resources department, upon one condi-tion: that they be willing and open to learn how to communicate in sign language. Kothari took it upon

himself to teach his assistants sign language for two hours each day, five days a week. In-vesting time and out-of-pocket expenses, he continues to train these assistants, who now fa-cilitate communication between local staff and top-end corporate executives.

During the time we spent at Hotel Om Tower, we were not only impressed with the sign language skills of Kothari’s two assistants, but of the overall “deaf-friendliness” of the entire staff. Receptionists, bellhops, and restaurant servers were all quick to use a sign or gesture, or comfortably write to make com-munication happen. Kothari has also opened doors to the deaf community by hiring six full-time deaf staff.

In a country where education and employment opportuni-ties for deaf people are severely limited, Kothari proves to be a thriving success and crucial role model to the deaf community of India. He is a profound example of the statement, “where there’s

a will, there’s a way.”

For more information on Hotel Om Tower, visit www.hotelomtower.com.

Director Creates Own Accessibility

A warm welcome from the deaf staff of four-star Hotel Om Tower

Vivek Kothari

Newsletter services provided byT.S. Writing Services, LLC

www.tswriting.comA Deaf-Owned Company

India is not Calcutta and Bombay. India lives in her seven hundred thousand vil-lages.

- Mahatma Gandhi

6 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Indian Sign LanguageIn each issue, DDW prints the fingerspelled alphabet of a visited country.

This image of the ISL fingerspelling alphabet, pro-vided by The Deaf Way, is one of several variations. With the diversity of multiple languages used through-out India, some letters, particularly vowels, are spelled differently depending on the region. There currently is no fingerspelling alphabet for Hindi or other native In-dian languages.

For more information on The Deaf Way, visit www.thedeafway.org.

Where are all the deaf women of India? Travel-ing across Northern India these past two months, we more or less only met men working for deaf associa-tions, foundations, and clubs. But that all changed when we arrived in New Delhi to discover The Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women (DFDW), a story of ordinary women who have had to lead extraordinary lives. With a double barrier to overcome from a cul-ture that subordinates education and job training for females, and often misunderstands or neglects deaf-ness, these women have taken charge of their lives.

DFDW began in 1973 as a support group for deaf women to share their experiences and brainstorm so-

lutions. 35 years later, this organization has blossomed into a vocational training and employment center geared towards low-income women and girls in the fields of batik painting, leather craft, beauty culture, tailoring, book binding, embroidery, and computers. Sign language courses and English language develop-ment are also offered to help fill in the gaps of limited public education.

The DFDW brochure states, “DFDW has a mis-sion to help women with hearing impairment walk tall and confident with other women in India and be-come productive and contributing members of soci-ety.” Not only does DFDW give these women oppor-tunities to “earn as they learn,” but they also provide the Pranay Milan Sammelan matrimonial service for those searching for a deaf mate!

While DFDW is expanding at an incredibly rapid pace, these women are in need of a larger workspace. DFDW’s current vision is to own their own land where they will build their dream house to accom-modate for the high demand of aspiring young deaf women seeking financial independence. If you want to support this strong willed women’s organization continue to rise, visit www.dfdw.net or e-mail them at info@dfdw.net.

Christy with the amazing women of DFDW

Earn While You Learn:

Creating Financial Independence for Deaf Women

September 2008 7

Our successful yearlong journey of discovering deaf worlds would not have been possible without your support. As we prepare for our return to the U.S., fundraising efforts will now shift toward video editing and captioning. Our intention is to create a one hour, international deaf aware-ness special in the likes of PBS or the Discovery Channel. We are currently coordinating with video specialists and need your help! The price tag for such a film incorporating multiple signed and spoken languages may reach as high as $60,000. We will soon begin approaching sponsors and other networks for funding, but your collective donations of $20-25 can help jumpstart this process for video logging and scripting. If you have enjoyed reading our newsletter and are feeling generous today, please make a small donation to help us see this project through. Donations can be made online or by mail. For more information, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

Thank you for believing in us!

Our Job isn't Done: Donations Still Needed

No change, not possible... This is too often the re-sponse when you want to pay a taxi driver or buy a bottle of water. ATMs only spit out bills of large denominations, which hardly anyone will accept in your day-to-day rou-tine. To avoid wasting massive chunks of time searching for change on the side of the road, or being pressured into over-paying, best to head straight to a bank from the ATM and exchange your money for smaller notes.

A packing luxury...While jumping from one city to the next, you will inevitably end up in a not-so-pleasant sleeping situation with dirty sheets and creepy crawlers – be it on an overnight train or bus, or at a dirty guesthouse. In the summertime heat, a sleeping bag liner sheet will keep you cool and shield you from waking up with multiple bug bites or mysterious rashes.

City tour for less than $1... When you first arrive to a new, unknown destination, here’s a great way to find your bearings: hire a bicycle rickshaw to show you around town. Most will only charge 20-30 Rs per hour (50-75 cents). Just be sure to make one rule: No shopping side trips!

International

Travel TidbitsHave Dave

and Christy

Come Visit You!

Schedule a presentation with Discovering Deaf Worlds at your

school, organization or club!

info@discoveringdeafworlds.com