Ever since the Coronavirus outbreak, Pradeep More, general secretary of the State Association of the Deaf, has been busy making videos of important announcements in the Indian Sign Language (ISL) and uploading them on social media. His impassioned tweet for making digital content accessible to all, prompted government authorities to take notice. "The Maharashtra State Commissioner of Disabilities Prerna Deshbhratar uploaded a video explaining the current situation in ISL. This was done in the first week of April, weeks after the outbreak. We were the last to receive information," More tells mid-day with the help of an interpreter.

The 2011 Indian census cites roughly 1.3 million people with hearing impairment. "Maharashtra has close to 15 lakh deaf people, out of which 95 per cent can't read." The statistics are hardly surprising in a country where education for the hearing impaired is lacking.