Penn ASL Lecture Series Presents: Advancing the Deaf Community in India by Dr. Alim Chandani

In this presentation, Dr. Alim Chandani will discuss his journey as an activist and an expat in India for 5 years. He will share his successes and challenges that he faced in India as a Deaf person.

In-person only event!  If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jami Fisher, Director of ASL, Department of Linguistics: jami@sas.upenn.edu

Bio:

Dr. Alim Chandani was born Deaf in Mumbai, India, and came to the United States in 1986. With degrees in new media/interactive design and rehabilitation and higher education studies, he received a doctorate in administration and supervision in special education from Gallaudet University.

Alim’s doctoral work brought him back to India in 2016, where he quickly got to work on successful initiatives, such as the Centrum-GRO Initiative, an intensive deaf empowerment and leadership training, and Access Mantra Foundation, which provides an online one-stop center with resources and services for Deaf people. As well as a social entrepreneur, Alim launched Freedom to Sign, a social apparel business that promotes Indian Sign Language and Deaf artists. As a result of his innovative work, Alim has received multiple prestigious awards such as the NCPEDP Mphasis award and the Bharti Changemaker award.

Alim currently serves as the International Relations Manager at the Gallaudet University Office of International Affairs. He also serves as a consultant for Hear a Million in partnership with Enable India; this program aims to enabling one million deaf people to become changemakers. One way this is happening is through an incubator program that trains Deaf Indians to establish their own non-profit organizations or businesses.

Alim strongly believes in showing the Deaf community around the world that “impossible dreams can become possible.”