• Direct: last minute coronavirus

They have not had it easy during the pandemic and even the lack of confinement is not a complete relief. The obligation to wear a mask in public places is an extra barrier in communication for deaf people. It leaves them unable to read lips and complicates the use of sign language , which requires expressiveness not only of the hands, but also of the face. Going to the supermarket, to a pharmacy or to the terrace of a bar is something that they cannot do with the autonomy and accessibility that they have been fighting for so long.

"We have to say again that we have hearing problems and we are looking for communication strategies. We have been adapting for many years and this pandemic has forced us to continue looking for resources." Carolina Galiana is deaf and knows perfectly well what it means to break down barriers. She was the first deaf student to be part of a university faculty at the University of Alicante, and the youngest member of the oldest institution in Spain: the State Confederation of Deaf People (CNSE). Since the presidency of Fesord , the Federation of Associations of Deaf People of the Valencian Community, has fought for no one to be left behind in this epidemic. And the rest have been many. The last one, the one with the masks. "Keeping the distance of two meters is what we have left . With sign language, despite not being able to gesture, which is very important, we can communicate. But if the person only handles lip reading, they cannot be far away. They are situations complicated, "he explains.

Initiatives have arisen to manufacture m ascarillas with windows on the lips , "but they are not homologated and above all we want security and effectiveness. We are not worth anything. Only in the Basque Country do we know that we are working with a company to achieve homologation "Carolina says. But the problem is not between them, but with the rest of the listeners, who will not wear a special mask.

So they give him imagination ... and resources. Mónica Díez's parents are also deaf. "The other day they went to buy and keeping the safety distance marked on the floor, they indicated the clerk the products and the quantities they wanted, pointing them with their fingers. In these cases, the will of whoever is in front of you is essential," says this educator. from Fesord, who has also been found who shrugs and makes no effort. "But it is not normal".

The problem of the mask is the last one that they have faced in this health crisis where physical contact, presence, has been eradicated. "To begin with we had problems even accessing information, because the institutional press conferences did not have a translator in sign language. We complained and it was solved," Carolina begins to report. "Then came the phone numbers to report symptoms and the doctors' telephone attention . Another barrier that we are having to break down by making the Administration see that we are here and that we have the same rights and demand equal opportunities." The last one has been the Income Statement that, for the moment, cannot be done in person throughout the country.

"Luckily we are a very strong associative movement and a digital platform, EsVisual , was developed years ago by the State Confederation of Deaf People , which allows telephone communication through a sign language interpreter that you see on a webcam and chat" . It was not created by Covid, in fact it has been very useful for ordinary procedures and even to file complaints of gender violence, but its use has multiplied in recent months. "We know that it has been key for some coronavirus patients in hospitals to communicate with their families or with their doctors and nurses while they were in isolation," says the president, always alert because they already know that the Administration only works in tow. "We are the ones who detect exclusions and alert. We would like every measure that is put in place for hearing people to take deaf people into account , to ask the federations for their opinion so that we can participate and provide solutions," he claims. .

The interpreters of the associations have also had to change their role. "Most of us had teams that were trained, that carried out interventions on the street, on a day-to-day basis, and that we have now redirected to online platforms. The network has had to strengthen and multiply."

Special interest has also been placed in childhood. In an age of online classes , helping deaf students has been essential so that they are not left behind. "There has been a willingness on the part of the teachers, that some know some sign language, and those who had the resource of a specialist have maintained it, but there are situations of all kinds." It is the experience of Monica, who has been seen explaining what Covid is to children so that they can understand it, supporting homework by video call "or simply maintaining contact two or three days a week so that they do not feel isolated."

Carolina and Monica are clear that, since communication is a thing of two, now it is time for a small effort from listeners to listen to them. With and without mask.

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Know more

  • Valencian Community
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19
  • Spain

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