International Week of Deaf People – Day 7
Christina Walling-Zhimomi
Audiologist & Speech Language Pathologist
The theme of this year’s International Week of the Deaf People is “Celebrating the Thriving Deaf Community”. So, this year the focus is on how the global Deaf community is thriving in a predominantly hearing world. The Deaf community of Nagaland also thrives wherever they are: be it in school, at home or at work. This article gives us a peek into how the Deaf community in our state is flourishing and has integrated into the mainstream world.
1. Chumbeni Ovung is one among 6 siblings in her family and is currently residing in Kohima. She also has a twin sister who is hearing. She completed class 10 in Deaf Biblical Ministry, Dimapur and went on to study her higher secondary at Ferrando Speech and Hearing Centre, Shillong. There she also completed a two years computer course and is currently working as a teacher in Tabitha Enabling Academy, Kohima where she teaches children who are also Deaf. She has been working there for the last 5 years, and during the pandemic she has been conducting online classes for her students. She says that the pandemic has brought its own share of challenges, but like everyone else she is trying to overcome them with the resources and technology that are available to her.
2. Maongkaba Longkumer from Chümoukedima, Dimapur may perhaps be the first and only Deaf person so far who is employed in the Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) and holds the rank of a constable painter. He is a self-taught artist and loves to sketch and paint during his free time. Apart from painting, his other passion is playing football. This passion led him to being a part of the football team that represented India in the FIFA World Unified Cup held in Bangkok in 2013, which was also a first in our state.
He expressed his appreciation to the NAP for giving him an employment opportunity and he hopes that in the near future, more of his Deaf peers and other Persons with Disabilities in various districts of Nagaland will be employed in different capacities by the battalion. This will be just one of the many steps towards having a more inclusive society.
3. Lidemo Kikon, a native of Lakhuti village, Wokha is presently a class 10 student. He has three brothers and one sister. With an older brother who is also deaf, he is not the only deaf member in his family. He is skilled in making bazaar baskets which he sells to earn some pocket money. This way, he does not have to be a financial burden to his family. He uses the money to buy his necessities, new clothes and also makes a contribution towards buying groceries and household needs.
4. Aghato Kinny is a resident of Alaphumi, Zunheboto. He did his schooling in Deaf Biblical Ministry, Dimapur after which he moved to his village. At present he stays with his family and shares the responsibilities of running the household. He hopes to get married and start his own family in the very near future.
5. Nokmachier L Jamir is from Ungma village, Mokokchung. He is a passionate artist and has several accolades to his name. His passion for drawing started when he was just a little boy, and he would be found drawing and sketching every free minute he had. As he grew, his skill continued to improve. After completing class 10, he took a one-week training in charcoal drawing at Wandering Minds, Dimapur.
In 2019, he was awarded 1st Runners up at the Hornbill Festival Open Art Competition for the Specially Abled Persons. He was awarded the Excellence in Art Samarthya Award 2019-2020 in Bangalore. He also won in the Gold Medal category in the Online National Art Exhibition for Deaf Artists organized by Odisha Deaf Art Society, 2020. His sketches are in great demand among his family, friends and fans of his artwork. One of his sketches has even made its way to the United States. He has just completed his higher secondary and hopes to find a career through his passion for sketching.
6. Samzai Thou from Jalukie town, Peren completed his secondary education in the middle of the pandemic last year. Since then, he has been staying with his family in Jalukie. He occasionally makes baskets and sells them. But his passion lies in cooking. He enjoys cooking Naga and Chinese cuisines. During his hostel days, he taught all his fellow hostel mates how to make momo. He was the “master chef” of his hostel where the students would ask him for advice if they wanted to eat something special that day. He dreams of starting a small business related to cooking in his hometown in the future.
7. Viseba L Sangtam lives with his family in Kiphire town. He is a student of class 8 and has been attending online classes since the pandemic started. He laments that the network is very bad sometimes and that makes him unable to attend classes. Like many people around the world, he loves playing football during his free time. He also chops firewood for their kitchen and helps his parents with household work whenever possible. His younger brothers have been trying to learn sign language from him so that they can communicate better with him. He hopes to become an officer in the future.
8. M Chahtong Konyak is originally from Tizit under Mon district. After completing his education, he worked as a barista in Hope Café, Dimapur for almost 2 years. During the pandemic, everything was shut down and he had to return home to Mon. He stayed there for a year, helping his family and occasionally making videos in sign language, updating the Deaf community in Nagaland about the latest news and guidelines issued by the government. He is now employed as a sales assistant and delivery person in Sappho Corner, Dimapur. He is happy to have been employed there as it is difficult for the Deaf to get jobs because most employers consider sign language as a huge barrier and often prefer to employ the normal hearing people.
9. Asayi has been working as a carpenter in the government sector in Phek for the last 10 years. And in 2019, he married Azungla. She worked as a teacher in Deaf Biblical Ministry for several years, and even worked in a wedding planning team. The couple is currently settled in Phek. When the pandemic hit, they took up poultry as an extra source of income.
10. Megoseno left her family in Kohima to find work in Dimapur. She has been working in Vishal Mega Mart for the last two years. She got her job after undergoing 2 months of training at Youth4Jobs, Dimapur. During the training, not only did she learn soft skills and basic computer skills, but she also got hands on training in the retail sector. Though she took the training with several other people, she was one of the few to secure a job at a retail store (Vishal Mega Mart).
Being the only Deaf person employed there, she faces the age old challenge of communicating with her colleagues. However, she has made good friends there and they make an effort to learn sign language from her. She says that it is still difficult being different. There have been times when costumers would tease her and make fun of her. This is hurtful and she wishes that they would treat her with the same respect that they show the other employees.
11. Sepong Lam, a class 7 student was born in Tsawao village under Tuensang District. He enjoys cycling, reading, learning new things, cooking, volunteer work etc. He tries to help out at home with work and chores. Since the pandemic started, he has been attending online classes. Though he is happy to be home, he misses his classmates and friends. When the lockdown was eased, he started going to the Deaf Baptist Church, Dimapur on Sundays. This is when he gets to meet his friends and have fellowship with them. He has not yet decided what he wants to become in the future. All he knows is that he wants to be successful in whatever he does.
