A landmark turns 30

From: Deccan Herald - Bangalore,India - May 17, 2007

Bharathi Prabhu

Dr SR Chandrashekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing, Bangalore, has grown into a premier training and research centre while continuing to offer excellent clinical services.

Dr SR Chandrashekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing is a landmark of sorts on Hennur road and surrounding areas of Kariyanapalya, Bangalore. Dr SRCISH itself crossed another landmark this year having completed 30 years of a very illustrious existence. From a single story building it has now added two additional floors and an annexure on the side. Within its precincts are to be found a plethora of services ranging from clinics, diploma, graduate and post-graduate training programmes, school for hearing impaired children, mothers' training programme and many more, all of which provide excellent learning opportunities for those training to become speech language pathologists and audiologists (subsequent to B.Sc /M.Sc) or teachers of the hearing impaired (subsequent to diploma)

Beginning
The Institute began as a project of the Bangalore East Lions' Club in 1977 with the primary aim of providing excellent clinical services to people with speech, language and hearing problems as these services were almost non-existent at that time. Its then director and current patron-in-chief, Dr S R Chandrashekhar, succeeded in making it a centre of excellence very soon. The institute started an integrated school for children with hearing impairment (HI) at RV Institute in 1983. A pre-school for young children with HI was started in 1987 at the institute itself and soon became popular with parents. The institute also started a diploma course in education of the deaf for the first time in the State. The government on its part has recognised its work by conferring on it the Rajyotsava award.

Programmes
Nearly 8 per cent of the population has some form of communication problem or the other and there are only around a thousand speech language pathologists and audiologists to diagnose and treat them.
Thus there is an urgent and acute need for manpower development in the field. Realising this, the Institute, which already had an excellent infrastructure in place embarked on the task. The Institute has now grown in to a premier training and research centre while continuing to offer excellent clinical services. It has been recognised as a centre of excellence by the Rehabilitation Council of India.
Its graduate and post-graduate training programmes in speech-language pathology and audiology (started in 1993 and 1999 respectively) have become well-known. The courses are affiliated to Bangalore University and follow a semester scheme. The internship of one year after the graduate programme provides the students with work experience at different settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres etc.
SRCISH organises frequent scientific programmes that not only benefit its staff and students but also other professionals. Excellent staff, state-of-the-art equipment, abundant practical training and a well-equipped library with internet facility have all contributed to the success of the training programmes.
Its alumni both in the country and outside have made the institute proud.
The institute has hostel and canteen facilities for the students.
The institute's post-graduate diploma in special education, hearing impairment, D.SE (HI) is offered both in Kannada and English. Students with this diploma have found employment as teachers in schools across Karnataka. In service candidates, both from government and private schools have also benefitted from the training.
The Institute has been recognised as a centre for doctoral research.

Other activities
Among its other activities are the Sunaad school for Hearing-impaired children, the first Kannada School of its kind, a pre-school for children with language difficulties including those with autism, camps in rural areas and school screening programmes. The Institute is also the first speech and hearing Centre in Bangalore to become a partner in Cochlear Implantation Programme (Cochlear implants are surgically placed in the inner ear to enable patients with severe-profound HI to experience sound.)
The Institute's Department of Sign Language offers basic and advanced courses in sign language which are popular not only with the families of deaf individuals but also with volunteers who are eager to communicate with the deaf.

Admissions
Admissions are now open for B.Sc (SLPA), M.Sc, D. SE (HI) and the Sign language courses.
For details contact: 25460405/25470037/2546847
ishroot@vsnl.net or ishblr@indiainfo.com.

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