Note on Transliteration and Anonymization

I do not provide diacritical markings for spoken Hindi. I depart from technically precise transliteration in favor of readability.

I have anonymized all individuals and institutions, with a few exceptions. I do not use pseudonyms for government institutions such as the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities, the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre, and the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing. I do not use a pseudonym for Balavidyalaya or individuals associated with it, as it is a model program and known across India for its early intervention and training. Lady Noyce School is known by multiple generations of deaf adults and children throughout the National Capital Region. Finally, I name the four major cochlear implant manufacturers: Cochlear, Advanced Bionics, MED-EL, and Neurelec.

How to write of normal, normals, and becoming normal? Throughout this book, I place these words and phrases in italics or within quotation marks, and/or I leave them unmarked. I ask readers to forgive any inconsistencies and to see them as productive.