Around 2,500 people, including 200 participants with hearing and speech impairments, are expected to gather at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on October 31 for Signathon 3.0, an event promoting Indian Sign Language (ISL) and equal communication rights.
Ashray Akruti, which is organising the event, unveiled the Signathon jersey and goodie bags on Wednesday. The initiative is being held under the slogan ‘Sign. Support. Strengthen’ and aims to increase awareness of ISL while supporting the inclusion and independence of people with hearing impairment.
Participants aged 18 to over 60 are expected to take part, including corporate employees. The organiser said the event would bring together people from different age groups and backgrounds to promote communication access in public and social settings.
The first edition of Signathon drew about 1,000 participants, while the second attracted 1,500. The projected participation of 2,500 this year reflects the expansion of the initiative, according to the information released by Ashray Akruti.
“Through Signathon, we are trying to create awareness and encourage society to include persons with hearing impairment. The aim is to spread the message of inclusion and equal communication rights,” organiser Samuel Sudhakar said.
Ashray Akruti managing director D.P.K. Babu said the event was intended to be more than a marathon and was designed to promote an inclusive society. The organisation described the initiative as a platform for public awareness around the communication needs of people with hearing impairment.
Qualcomm senior director Nitin Sharma said inclusion and accessibility needed to be integrated into social infrastructure. He added that supporting initiatives of this kind was aligned with technology-driven equity.
Signathon 3.0 is scheduled to take place at People’s Plaza on October 31, with participants expected to include people with and without hearing impairment.
