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Do you hear us?

Updated on: 21 January,2011 06:07 AM IST  | 
Soma Das |

Only around 10 per cent of the Deaf population is educated, according to the World Federation of the Deaf. This results in high unemployment rates. Sanjay Dimari hopes to soon change that through a unique initiative that will not only offer the hearing impaired an opportunity to seek employment, but also a chance to integrate into mainstream society

Do you hear us?

Only around 10 per cent of the Deaf population is educated, according to the World Federation of the Deaf.u00a0 This results in high unemployment rates. Sanjay Dimari hopes to soon change that through a unique initiative that will not only offer the hearing impaired an opportunity to seek employment, but also a chance to integrate into mainstream society

The idea to start the self-sustainable online library Can't Stop Reading, occurred to 29 year-old Sanjay Dimari when he met a professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). The professor had an extensive collection of books, which he was thinking of selling, as he no longer had need for them.


This hand gesture denotes 'I Love You'

"The website is a non-profit social enterprise which targets individuals and corporates. Most of the operations will be handled by the hearing impaired, including the collection of books and deliveries," says Sanjay, who works as an operations manager at a Resource Process Outsourcing company (RPO).

Getting there
Sanjay and his team hope to source adequate funds in order to have the site up and running within the next six months. They are also keen that people donate books towards the initiative.

"We have managed to collect around 12,000 books in six months. Our target is to collect at least 30,000 books before we start the service. We also plan to periodically update our collection by investing in the latest books," says Sanjay.

Fiction, non-fiction, self-help, romance and management are some of the categories they have titles under. They also have several textbooks, which is why Sanjay hopes to tie up with NGOs working with underprivileged children so that the books can be put to good use.

Given that India has one of the highest deaf populations in the world (four out of 1,000 children is born deaf, according to a 2001 survey carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation), Can't Stop Reading seems a step in the right direction.

According to Sanjay, the hearing impaired are often sidelined vis-a-vis the visually impaired or the physically handicapped. "As they are unable to communicate, they often end up working as delivery boys, security guards or as attendants at caf ufffds. We want to give them a chance to handle a business, become entrepreneurs, read and learn more by working for a library," he says.

Members will be able to enjoy free delivery of the books both to and from their homes. And over time, Can't Stop Reading hopes to expand to major metros in the country. The biggest challenge right now is finding a space to store the books. A challenge that Sanjay hopes to soon overcome in the attempt to empower the hearing impaired.
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Log on to: www.cantstopreading.com
Email: support@cantstopreading.com or sanjay@cantstopreading.com




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