Deafblind people demonstrate that human connections go beyond what can be seen and heard and have found unique ways to communicate and relate to their environment. The around 9,000 deafblind people in Spain know this well, … of which more than 3,200 are affiliated with ONCE. In La Rioja, the organization serves 46 of these people who fight every day to improve their inclusion and accessibility.
Communication is one of the problems they face, and communicative mediators play a fundamental role in their lives. For this reason, one of their demands is to increase the number of these professionals. “There is a lot to do, we need many hours of mediation,” stressed Javier Muñoz, president of the ONCE Territorial Council, during the presentation of the coupon. A request that is also shared by Natalia Mejías, president of the Association of Deaf People of La Rioja. «We have made progress in recent years, but we require more mediation time. It is very important that they have more specialized care,” said Natalia.
The combination of the two sensory losses has an impact on many other vital aspects that, at times, limit personal development. Inmaculada Guillén belongs to the group of deafblind people and, through the mediator Montaña Anaya, she has shown her reality. “I have difficulties when it comes to cooking, walking, I am always accompanied by my husband,” she said. One of her demands is the adaptation of the facilities to enjoy them on equal terms with the rest of the citizens.
The work that Anaya does is fundamental. “We are the bridge between society and people with deafblindness,” explained the mediator.
To give visibility to this social reality, ONCE has put a coupon on sale on the occasion of the International Day of People with Deafblindness, which is celebrated next June 27.
#Argentina
