Context:

• The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the 2nd Edition of Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary in New Delhi.

ISL Dictionary:

• The Dictionary was brought about by Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• The second edition dictionary includes total 6000 words under the categories of academic, legal, medical, technical and everyday terms against the first edition which had about 3000 words.
• The ISL Dictionary is also available on ISLRTC’s YouTube channel.
• The dictionary is intended to serve as a resource for ISL teachers, ISL learners, teachers of the hearing impaired, interpreters, parents of hearing-impaired children and researchers.
• The dictionary was prepared with the involvement of the hearing-impaired community, by giving due consideration to their suggestions and understanding.
• National Workshops were conducted with hearing-impaired participants from all over India to provide feedback and suggestions on ISLRTC’s Dictionary. The videos recorded in the workshops have also been included as regional signs in the Dictionary.
• Most of the hearing-impaired persons use Indian Sign Language to communicate. The aim of the dictionary is to help spread the use of ISL which could result in better education and employment opportunities for hearing impaired persons.