Delhi University to drop ‘deaf & dumb’ term

New Delhi: The Delhi University (DU) is likely to replace the term ‘deaf and dumb’ with the phrase ‘hearing and speech impaired’ from the upcoming academic session. 

The varsity’s faculty of Music and Fine Arts will be the first department to implement this guideline.

“The varsity is planning to adopt the phrase ‘hearing and speech impaired’ as a central guideline instead of the term ‘deaf and dumb,’ which will be applicable to each and every department,” a university official said. 

Earlier, the university had replaced the term ‘blind’ with ‘visually impaired.’ Now, this change is being reportedly adopted for students who are deaf and wish to learn and study music.

The recommendation by the Academic Council to the Executive Council will likely be enforced from the upcoming session.

DU department officials have termed the move a change in nomenclature aimed to remove the stigma associated with the term ‘deaf and dumb.’ “Society and education in our university must go hand in hand. Educational institutions must always strive to bring about changes for the better. These developments need to be accommodated in the curriculum for students,” the official added. 

These students are allowed admission to the Faculty of Arts, thus introducing the transition. “Many students often feel offended on being called deaf or dumb. This step, taken by the university, will covers many grounds – one of the reasons is to improve vocabulary, as well as the fact that ‘hearing and speech impaired’ sounds less offensive,” a faculty member said.