WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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[soothing piano music]

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Namaste, I am Raghav Bir Joshi. 

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My residence is in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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During my childhood,

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I attended Naxal Central Deaf School.

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Initially, I had to walk to school,

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but I eventually got a motorbike

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and learned to ride it with the help of my colleagues.

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[traffic noise]

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One day, when my father left for work

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I grabbed his bike

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 and began riding it

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without him knowing.

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My father didn't listen to me

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when I told him that I can ride a bike

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and that I can get a driving license.

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[traffic noise]

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Subsequently,

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if caught by the police at night,

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the situation becomes even more complicated.

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We have been consistently

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pushing and pressuring the government

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to enforce the rights

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guaranteed by the Constitution.

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In Nepal,

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some [Deaf] people ride motorcycles without a license,

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causing issues during nighttime traffic checks by the police.

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While some [Deaf] foreigners can ride without a license,

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there are challenges for us.

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And efforts are ongoing

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to incorporate our rights into the legislation.

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[laughter]

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We are facing more challenges

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as the government's workers have changed over time.

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[contemplative piano music]

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In 2011

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led by the Deaf Federation,

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we filed a complaint

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at the Supreme Court.

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The lawsuit lasted for eight months

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without interruption.

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The case highlighted the denial of licenses

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to individuals with disabilities,

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citing the principles of UNCRPD. 

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[lighty piano music]

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In 2015,

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the parliament passed a transportation system,

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but the criteria set for roads disappointed us.

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I’m also a member of the Constitutional Assembly,

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and when my constitutional career began,

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[speaking in Nepali]

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I faced issues with speaking

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since only parliamentarians were allowed to speak,

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excluding others.

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Actually,

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they did give accommodations for sign language.

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After six months,

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the legislation had been modified,

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and I was given the opportunity

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to express my thoughts

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on numerous issues

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with the support of a sign language interpreter.

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This was a huge accomplishment,

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and I’m grateful for the encouragement.

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[speaking in Nepali]

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The Nepalese constitution provides free education in sign language

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 for the Deaf and Braille for the blind.

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However,

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our society encounters

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challenges

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because of the government's lack of concern

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of providing Deaf people with driver's licenses.

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[hopeful piano music]

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Around 70 to 80 Deaf people

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have permits,

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but

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others have difficulty

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since appropriate testing isn't being conducted.

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In spite of being a democracy,

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Nepal remains behind almost 99 other nations

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where abroad Deaf people can drive

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with their licenses and permits.

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It prompts the question:

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Why does Nepal allow foreign Deaf people to drive

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yet deny them licenses?

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We need to make efforts

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to close the gap.

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Individuals who are Deaf

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are able to drive vehicles

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such as trucks,

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helicopters,

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forklifts,

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and more in countries such as Australia,

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America, Japan, and France.

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Ten to fifteen Nepali Deaf people

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have immigrated to America,

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obtained permits,

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and are now working as Uber cab drivers.

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We're continuing to experience difficulties,

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but perhaps

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soon our efforts will pay off.

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Driving has become easier

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with the development of computerized

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and new electronic vehicles.

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We still have obstacles to overcome,

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but we anticipate success eventually.

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[uplifting music]