Rebecca Epple
Photograph everything! Gather money and coin samples, food menus, buy a Sari, attempt to meet a few Deaf people preferably from India but could be from Nepal. Video interview them is possible.
I teach MS/HS Deaf students in a variety of topics and on an ever changing and rotating schedule of topics from year to year. Visual, hands-on and Deaf culture/language information will be mostly appreciated by the students. I plan to read the book: Deaf in Delhi and share that information with my students as well as much photography from Delhi. I am sure I will do many activities with my students such as photo sharing from all places on the trip in both India and Nepal, money conversion and comparison, culture and language similarities and differences, Deaf Rights and struggles, food, menus, Sari, ... etc. All these items are very visual and provide a meaningful hands on opportunity. My dream is to contact India's first Deaf United Nations volunteer. She is assigned to work in the Ukraine and knows both Indian Sign Language and American Sign Language. My students and this volunteer could use Skype for a "visit" and interview. I do not know if this is possible, but it is a dream to attempt. I would also like to contact the author of: Deaf in Delhi, if he is still alive as the book took place in the 1940's and beyond. As always with any traveling I do, I create scrapbooks, eventually. These are shared in our school library, at prom, staff talent showcase, and various school events for both parents and students to enjoy. I have done this with about 20 countries and will repeat with India and Nepal. Our HS social studies department also has used my books, photos and artifacts.
Read the book to get a good feel of the area and what the author experienced growing up. I would like to try to contact the Deaf School and possibly meet a few Deaf people during our free time or pre-trip time but I am not sure this is possible.
