Understanding Deafness and The Deaf Community in Pakistan - Richard Geary - FESF - #TPE 380

The Pakistan Experience

Founder and Director of FESF Richard Geary comes on The Pakistan Experience to talk about Deafness, the Deaf Community, Choosing Pakistan, Cochlear Implants, Building a more accessible world and Technology. Richard Geary (USA) is the founder and Programs Director of Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF), a non-profit educational foundation operating in Pakistan since 1989. He and his wife, Heidi Gustanski-Geary, who serves as the Director of Education programs, are parents of a deaf child. He has worked in the field of Social Development for the past 47 years, managing personnel and services in non-profits in over ten countries throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. His work with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures has afforded him a wealth of training and rich experience in human resource development. Under his directorship, FESF pioneered The Deaf Reach Program in Pakistan in 1989, a unique academic and skills training program for deaf children and young adults that utilizes innovative technology-based resources for education. The Deaf Reach Schools, Training Centers & Colleges, provide education to hundreds of deaf students, with seven schools presently operational in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Tando Allahyar – Rashidabad, Lahore and Jhelum. Jhelum. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC44l9XMwecN5nSgIF2Dvivg/join Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Starting DeafReach and FESF in Pakistan 5:00 Having a Deaf Child and Services and Resources 11:41 What causes Deafness and what is Deafness 16:50 Language Deprivation and Intellectual Development 21:30 Sign Language and the Deaf Community 28:30 Cochlear Implants 32:00 Building a more accessible world and attitudes in Pakistan 41:30 Technology and Interpreters 45:30 Politically Correct Language and the word Disability 48:18 Audience Questions