Comparable figures for the hearing population from Mumbai (2018) were 75% for LL and 90% for PL.

The success rate for getting a Learner’s Licence was 72% and that for Permanent Licence (PL) was 56%. The first two reasons may be attributed to the past experiences of the community, believe the FGD participants. Three main reasons for not submitting an application are fear of rejection by the RTO on account of hearing loss, discouragement from friends and family and the insistence of some RTOs that these individuals should submit the application from their home-town. Out of the 76 respondents, only 47 (62%) were able to submit an application for a Learner’s Licence (LL). The survey was supplemented with an online Focus Group Discussion (FGD) consisting of 2 women and 7 men from the survey respondents.įunnel analysis of the responses presents interesting insightsĬonversion funnel representing the success rate of getting a DL for the Deaf community 74% of the respondents were between 21 -40 years of age. The respondents included 18 women and 58 men who lived with hearing loss. 35 respondents from Bangalore, 23 from Mumbai and 18 from Delhi (76 total) completed the survey. In August-September 2020, Ola Mobility Instituteand V-shesh conducted an online survey to understand the experience of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community of getting a DL. However, in spite of the various research, expert opinions and court orders, the on-the-ground situation still has considerable scope for improvement. Subsequently, in 2016, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) directed all RTOs to consider applications for DL in light of the AIIMS statement mentioned above.

In 2013, the Mumbai High Court, in response to the petition filed by Amit Ashok Tribhuvan, issued notice to the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Maharashtra Government, Transport Commissioner and Regional Transport Office (RTO), Pune. It further added that if such a person meets the necessary conditions, and passes the driving tests, they should be granted a DL. In 2011, the National Association of the Deaf(NAD) secured a landmark judgement wherein the Delhi High Court observed that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing can apply for a Learner’s Licence (LL). The Indian Deaf community has long been advocating for their right to get a DL on similar grounds. Several countries including Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia allow Deaf people to get a DL provided they don’t live with other disabilities. Further, research from the United Kingdom has demonstrated that Deaf individuals have a faster peripheral visual response time as compared to hearing individuals. The All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) observes that, “Driving is primarily a visual function with little inputs from hearing.” It also recognises that the loss of hearing does not per-se impact the ability to drive.

Assistive devices for deaf drivers