I applied ti this program to gain knowledge and experiences in order to deal with the following issues.

There are 14 shcools for people with hearing impairment.I found it is good that there is not much training for speaking.Unfortunately,professors who teach sign-language are not always available.At some schools,simple sign-language and body language are used as auxiliary measures at classes.If there are teachers with an excellent command of sign language,more advanced education can be provided to children with hearing impairment.

The government is supposed to bear the cost for sign-language interpreter at the court.In any other cases,the cost incurred for the sign-language interpreter,we must bear it.In addition,there are only five such interpreters.Of course family members and friends volunteer themselves to serve as an interpreter.Unofortunately,as they are not professional,they often make mistakes in translation.In many occasions such as at interview with doctors or in hunting,we have to ask friends or family members to be an interpreter.As such,people with hearing disability cannot feel at ease in everyday life.

Auditorily challenged people are not allowed to drive.Our job opportunity is nery limited in Sri Lanka but a driving license would increase the chance of employment for peole with hearing impairment.So,knowing it is illegal,many of auditorily challenged people drive to work without license.Since it is illegal,it the police find them driving the car,they would arrest them.

In many cases other than above,we are discriminated and disadvantaged.At 12 branches of the Sri Lanka Central federation of the Deaf,each representatives is working hard to deal with this discrimination and prejudice.Unfortunately,many auditorily challenged who live in the rural ares give themselves over to grief and envy those who do not have hearing impairment,and move into self-containment.It is partly because of a lack of information and knowledge on people with hearing disability.I believe it is important to make them proud of themselves and sign-language,and have them become involved with various activities to improve their social status.However,it is not easy and I have always been troubled by what is the best way to initiate such activities.

I spent the New Year’s at Mr.Azuma’s house.Mr.Azuma and his family warmly welcomed me,not as a guest but as a family member.I had an opportunity to experience Japanese culture including Japanese traditional New Year’s dishes and Kimono gown.During night time,auditorily challenged in the community took me to different places and entertained me.Besides during the home stay period,I have met many kind people.Especially,those whom I met in Aomori and Iwate prefectures are warmest and I feel a strong bond with them.

I noticed that there are also many problems in the education for people with hearing impairment in Japan.For instance,not many teachers with sign-language ability are available,so in many cases,the classes are conducted in spoken language.I was also surprised to learn that many schools for deaf are consolidated.I think it is because number of children with hearing impairment has declined and many of them are integrated.Is an increase of number of children who have been intergrated because their parents are not flexible and they avoid schools for auditorily challenged children?Or since the classes are taught in spoken language,there is no use to go to schools for auditorily challenged.

It was so impressed that I would not forget the day I first visited.

NPO Tatsunoko Bilingual Learning Center for Deaf Children.There,the teachers who are also auditorily challenged teach children with sign-language.At other schools,children were too shy to talk with me.but at Tatsunoko Gakuen,children are very eager to talk with me.This difference is whether they have learned through an ensured way of communication at school.

There are many sign-language interprepters in Japan.I also think that the sign language circle is good.At the same time,I realize some problems there.First of all,they only use Japanese sign-language at the circle.In the Japanese sign-language,only hands are used while we wiggle our eyebrows or open our eyes widely or sightly to express our thoughts and ideas.I was also surprised to find out that people without hearing impairment administer such circles.Some partcipants have not been able to improve their sign-language after 5 or 10years.I wonder if it is because the circle is operated by people without hearing impairment.At National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities and Setagaya Welfare Technical Center,the very effective curriculums are organized to develop sign-language interpreters.The sign-language I saw at the circle is just imitating what is written in the books,but at these specialized schools,the sign-language taught to the students is what people with hearing impairments use in their daily life.Development of qualified sign-language interpreters is the most urgent issue.I want to introduce the same curriculum to school in Sri Lanka to train interpreters.At the beginning,we will be able to train only a few people but in the future,we would like to develop as many interpreters as possible.

In Japan,auditorily challenged people can drive if they wear hearing-aids.I learned that it is the fruit of the long movement to improve the situation that it is the long movement to improve the situation that surrounds people with hearing impairment.After I return to my home country,I will ask the authroities to engage in activities to improve the situation for us.Even if the government allows us to drive under certain conditions,I will reject it.On the driving license,“Hearing Impairment”,not”Hearing Aids required”should be indicated.I will make it my efforts to achieve the goal,a driving license for people with hearing impairment.

I have read newspapers for auditorily challenged.Various topics relating to people with hearing disability are covered and I found all articles are very informative.I think if we have a similar information source in Sri Lanka,it would be very helpful for people with hearing disaility.Ordinary,people also need to widen their knowledge about people with disabilities.This kind of newspaper would help them understand their situation.And those who show their interest in our world can also work with us to improve the situation.I now want to issue a newspaper for auditorily challenged in Sri Lanka.Firstly,I will promote positive effect and usefulness of such newspapers to my fellowship in the organization that I belong to so that they would understand its necessity.Taking full advantage of what I have learned from the training in Japan,I have made an action plan and a project proposal.Through this project,I was able to have a clear image of newspaper making and its process as well as its effectiveness.And I was also able to prepare the presentation on the newspaper project to our fellowship.Once I get everyone’s consensus,I would submit the proposal to the authorities.One day,I want to to issue a newspaper for audiotorily-challenged people in Sri Lanka.

Japan is a beautiful country with four seasons.Hot springs that eased my body,snow that I saw for the first time in my life,and skiing,I will not forget the past 10 months I spent in Japan.Thank you so very much to the people at the Duskin Ainowa Foundation,staff at JSRPD and those who helped me during the training.