Devangi Dalal Honored for Humanitarian Efforts in Providing Free Hearing Aids to Underprivileged Children

In recognition of her tireless efforts to help underprivileged children hear again for free, Devangi Dalal, an award-winning audiologist and speech-language pathologist, has been honored with a humanitarian award. Devangi is one of the founders of the Josh Foundation, an organization that provides free hearing aids to underprivileged children.

Over the years, Devangi has received many accolades for her work with young children who have hearing impairments. In 2012, she became the first Indian to receive the American Academy of Audiology’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2019, she was honored with the Women Influencers Award. Devangi has a long record of achievements dating back to the start of her professional career. She served as the executive secretary of the Maharashtra Speech & Hearing Association and is a long-time winner of the title of Best Pediatric Hearing Aid Center in India.

Devangi is also a prolific author, having written books like ‘Chalo Badhirone Sambhalta Kariye’ in Gujarati and ‘Kuch Suna Aapne’ in Hindi, which are designed for the hearing-impaired. She has also directed a 17-minute telefilm to create awareness of hearing impairment. During the covid-19 lockdown period, Devangi decided to write a book called “Spreading Positivity” in English and “Jagyatyarthi Sakaraatmakta” in Gujarati to spread positivity and hope during difficult times.

Through the Josh Foundation, Devangi has made consistent efforts to help children with hearing impairments and spread awareness about hearing impairment. Her foundation has distributed over a thousand hearing aids to children and has successfully provided children in 12 schools with 100 percent digital hearing aids. Devangi’s main objective is to help and support kids who have hearing issues and make them equally inclusive in society.

Devangi’s constant efforts and courage in accepting challenges to give a new life to people suffering from this unseen disability have made her reach an international platform. She is appointed as the First Advocate for Hearing Health from India by the Coalition for Global Hearing Health (CGHH) and is working with the WHO to promote public awareness about hearing health. She has been instrumental in collecting funds to the tune of more than Rs 4.5 Crore so far to support hearing-impaired children. Devangi believes that ‘the world will aspire to the beauty of kindness if we make these specially abled children equally inclusive in our society.’

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