The once-controversial approach is now considered mainstream. Rightly so, Dr. Desai credits Anjali's success largely to early diagnosis and education. Dr. Desai estimates that in India, the average may be as old as 6. He learned that India has one of the highest rates of deafness in the world. Most of the deaf are illiterate and uneducated.
Discrimination is rampant.
He began to wonder if he could give India's deaf children the same opportunities for education and employment that his daughter had received. Almost immediately upon returning home, he launched Project Deaf India. The project quickly drew interest. In 1999, a Grant for Rotary Volunteers paid for two teachers from Gallaudet University to provide instruction in sign language to children and their families in Mysore for three months. Few deaf people in India know sign language, both because of a lack of funds and because of logistical problems-India has 38 different languages.