You all know there are many hearing people who travel all over the world.
They travel and share and talk about their experiences.
I travel the world to capture different Sign Languages, Cultures, Deaf establishments, individuals, etc.
I research into the lives of the Deaf.
How are we different from the Hearing?
We have our own Sign Language with the help of bilingualism we can write English very well.
When Deaf people see Deaf travellers they get inspired and they grow,
because their minds are closed and limited.
We open their minds to create awareness by teaching about the capabilities of the Deaf through Sign Language is understood easily.
This is an inspiration for all of us. That's the aim of Seek the World.
Another question, do you travel the world with your own money or does someone fund you?
Do you think I have robbed a bank?
No no, I am joking!
How do I get funds?
I enter into contracts. For example, I get paid by the government to shoot.
I have many sources of income. I am paid to hold presentations, I sell T-shirts, etc.
I have many sources of income but most of my funds come from the US government.
The world doesn't pay me, I come to India myself.
To travel across the world I have to fund myself but to travel in the US I am funded by the US government. That's the difference.
While travelling the world, what barriers have you faced
and in what way have you solved them? Please share your experiences.
I have travelled to different countries and seen many different perspectives about what is impossible for the Deaf.
For example, how did I do skydive?
I had a Hearing instructor. When he asked me how to communicate,
I said no and told him to teach me the right gestures. Once we were comfortable
I was able to Skydive.
Secondly, when I went to Iceland I wanted to Scuba Dive but they said it was impossible.
Then I showed them various famous Deaf persons who have successfully scuba dived across the world.
They were shocked! I asked them how do they communicate when they dive?
They use gestures because talking is impossible.
They agreed. It is a must to teach. When Deaf are oppressed, we must teach them that deaf can do many things.
That's when they become interested to include Deaf and welcome them.
This way Deaf can travel to such places since I have already taught them to encourage the Deaf. This is why I travel the world.
and many other reasons.
Wonderful! One last question,
what message would you give to our Deaf community.
Yes! All Deaf persons need to ingrain their mind that there is nothing impossible for a Deaf person.
You need to remember that there is no difference between Deaf & Hearing. Both are equal.
How is this possible? By communication.
You need to remember to learn to communicate using different languages, gestures, writing, technology and then everything is possible.
Secondly you must remember,
if you make a mistake or fail this is not a bad experience. It is good.
When you have bad experiences, you get to learn.
For example, when you first start drawing,
your portrait might be crooked. You then make changes to the shape of the eyebrows and fix the picture.
How did you do this? You learnt by making mistakes again and again and made changes.
Similarly, if you want to travel you will make mistakes but then you will learn.
If you want perfection, you must learn. Everything is ok. Even bad experiences are okay.
Learning is the best.
Thank you!
Welcome! Thank you!