Inclusive Communication - Sing Language Is Fun!

There are different kinds of Saturdays. The ones you spend all in your PJ's stepping out of the bed just to walk to the fridge and bathroom. The ones you go on adventure and conquer the world, or just explore it. There are Saturdays you spend with your friends or at work. Saturdays sunny and rainy, warm and cold, happy and nostalgic. 

And there are important Saturdays when you learn something new. 

That was our last Saturday, when our coordinators, Diana and Helder took us and some other people from our Association to Viana do Castelo for a training called Inclusive Communication. It was all about how to be more open and sensitive  for needs of deaf and blind people. In Portuguese so you need to forgive that I will not try to repeat what we learned exactly. Maybe Jorge would like to add something from himself? Jorge, are you here? ^^

We do talk a lot how people with disabilities are exactly the same people as anyone else, but it still may feel a bit awkward when we face one. Honestly, I do feel awkward, even though there was lots of years of education as a psychologist in my life, and two years of experience working with autistic children. Sometimes I just do not know how much or how little do. But as in any other situation in your life - feeling awkward and uncomfortable is absolutely fine You do not need to run away from those feelings, cover them with jokes or be scared. You can just sit with them, accept them, and sooner or later they will be gone.

So we learned how to help a blind person to move around. We took turns putting swimming googles which imitated some problems with seeing, like just peripheral sight or seeing just light (being blind does not mean seeing just black!) How much trust do you need to someone who guides you! But it is simpler than it seems. It is more or less all about right grid on your arm. Yes, I walked Helder into a door while guiding him... Yes, I need more practice...

The writing system for blind people is called Braille. It is made out of dots which you read with your fingertips. While looking at the letters you can learn the system in 3 months, but to do it just by touch you would need 18! I have tried to feel with my fingertips those tiny dots and all what it was, was a big confusion. The only thing I could sens was that there were some dots on the paper, but how many and in which line... no clue. The keyboard for writing with Braille on computer costs 10K Euro (as much as my dreamed VW T1 xD) and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets rewritten with the alphabet takes four volumes with A4 size pages written both sides! 

With sing language the thing is not any less complicated. Every country has its own version, even though there is something like international sign language. It is easy to understand why - language is a part of expressing your cultural identity, and diversity is beautiful! There is alphabet you can write with your hands, and signs for numbers, and as concepts/things are represented by spoken words there are hand gestures in sign language! 

Do you know what Viana do Castelo is famous with? Bola de Berlim! It's something like a doughnut cut in half, stuffed with vanilla pudding and covered with sugar and cinnamon. Heaven in your mouth. The organization were kind to treat us with some. 

Huh. I think I am done with talking. Enjoy the photos, and the video.