The Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary, which is being developed by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), has so far compiled 6,032 Hindi and English words and their corresponding graphic representation of the signs which are used in daily life. The dictionary is being developed in both print and video format.

“A comprehensive Indian Sign Language Dictionary is the need of the hour to facilitate communication between the hearing and speech impaired and create a basic database for further policy making,” Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said today.

“Presently, the sign languages in a diverse country like India vary from region to region. Because of this, people from a region face difficulty in communicating with those in the other region,” he said at the inauguration of a two-day national conference titled ‘Empowering Deaf through Indian Sign Language’.

This dictionary will help bridge the communication gap, Gehlot said.