Indo-Pakistani Sign Language (IPSL) is the predominant sign language in South Asia, used by at least several hundred thousand deaf signers (2003). As with many sign languages, it is difficult to estimate numbers with any certainty, as the Census of India does not list sign languages and most studies have focused on the north and on urban areas.
The Indian deaf population of 1.1 million is 98% illiterate. In line with oralist philosophy, deaf schools attempt early intervention with hearing aids etc., but these are largely dysfunctional in an impoverished society. As of 1986, only 2% of deaf children attended school.
Pakistan has a deaf population of 0.24 million, which is approximately 7.4% of the overall disabled population in the country.
Read more about Indo-Pakistani Sign Language: Status of Sign Language, Varieties, Grammar, Popular Culture
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