ISLAMABAD: Less than 5% of deaf children of school age in Pakistan attend school, reflecting the significant barriers they face in accessing education.

Less than 5% of deaf children of school age in Pakistan attend school, reflecting the significant barriers they face in accessing education.

Globally, the situation is similarly dire, with the World Federation of the Deaf estimating that 80% of the approximately 70 million deaf individuals worldwide have no access to education.

In Pakistan, approximately 1.2 out of every 1,000 children are born with moderate to profound congenital bilateral hearing loss. Among an estimated one million deaf school-aged children in the country, fewer than 5% are enrolled in schools, with enrolment rates even lower for girls.

Despite the challenges, Pakistan has emerged as a leader in developing a national sign language framework. The creation of a 6,000-word Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) dictionary has been a groundbreaking step, in promoting inclusivity in education and communication. Since 2012, the non-governmental organisation Deaf Reach and the Canadian charity Human Concern International (HCI) have been at the forefront of bridging these educational gaps.

Established in 1998 by Richard Geary and Heidi Gustanski-Geary parents of a deaf child in the United States and Canadian educator Daniel Marc Lanthier, Deaf Reach operates under the Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF).

Deaf Reach has helped countless students achieve remarkable milestones. Muhammad Amin, a deaf student from Hyderabad, secured second place in the Hyderabad Board Matric exams, competing against 2,200 candidates from mainstream schools across nine districts a testament to the potential of deaf students when given access to quality education.