DeafBlind people are creating a new language | American Masters | PBS

American Masters PBS
26 Jul 202317:59

Summary

TLDR在这个视频中,我们深入了解了Protactile(PT)语言,这是一种由聋盲人士创造的、完全通过触觉来表达和体验的语言。视频通过与聋盲社区的成员进行对话,展示了他们如何通过触觉来沟通和连接,以及Protactile如何促进了群体交流和社区的建立。视频中,Rebecca Alexander,一位患有Usher综合症的女士,亲身体验了这种语言,并分享了她的感受。Jelica Nuncio,Protactile的创始人之一,介绍了这种语言的起源、发展以及它如何帮助聋盲人士克服历史上的沟通障碍。视频强调了触觉在沟通中的重要性,以及如何通过触摸来建立人与人之间的深层联系。

Takeaways

  • 🚫 触摸在社会和文化中被视为禁忌,导致我们从小就内化了“只用眼看,不用手动”的态度。
  • 🧠 成年人需要通过大量工作来重新学习,以适应和接受适合聋盲人的规范,因为听视人的规范并不适合。
  • 👋 Protactile(PT)是一种全新的语言,由聋盲人创造,专为聋盲人设计,强调直接接触和代理权。
  • 💡 聋盲人通常最后获得信息,如果没有触摸,他们无法知道周围是否有人。
  • 📚 传统上,聋盲人依赖翻译和支持服务提供者,使用美国手语(ASL)或触觉手语进行交流。
  • 🌐 Protactile 允许群体交流,促进更深层次的联系和社区感。
  • 👂 Rebecca Alexander 患有 Usher 综合症,这是一种罕见的遗传病,是美国和全球进行性聋盲的主要原因。
  • 🤝 Protactile 使用双手语法,通过身体接触来表达,与 ASL 视觉环境衍生的手势不同。
  • 👥 Protactile 特别适合群体交流,允许所有参与者同时知道彼此的位置和体验。
  • 💖 通过触摸,可以传达温暖和灵魂之间的联系,触摸可以传达出比视觉或听觉更多的信息。
  • 🌱 Protactile 不仅是一种语言,它是一种哲学和运动,是对抗被称为“远距离主义”的主流社会模式的解药。
  • 👶 对于聋盲儿童,教授他们依靠触摸并发展自己独特的沟通方式,并不是将他们进一步排斥在世界之外,而是在建立一种所有人都能参与的共享模式。

Q & A

  • 为什么在我们的社会和文化中,触摸是禁忌的?

    -在我们的社会和文化中,从很小的时候起,人们就内化了一种观念,即“看,但不要触摸;用眼睛看,而不是用手”。随着成长,这些思想深深地根植于我们心中,我们需要做很多工作来重新学习、重新定位,并应用适合我们作为聋盲人的规范,因为听视人的规范并不适合我们。

  • 什么是Protactile语言?

    -Protactile(或PT)是一种由聋盲人创造,为聋盲人使用的语言。它通过触摸来体验和表达整个世界,使用手在接触空间中沟通,利用手臂、肩膀、背部和腿部。Protactile语言的特点是直接接触人和环境,没有人介入,促进群体沟通、更深层次的联系和社区感。

  • Rebecca Alexander患有什么疾病,为什么她对学习Protactile语言感兴趣?

    -Rebecca Alexander患有Usher综合征,这是一种罕见的遗传病,是美国乃至全球进行性感聋和失明的主要原因。由于这种疾病,她对学习这种新语言有着直接的利益,因为这可能帮助她更好地与世界沟通。

  • Jelica Nuncio是谁,她在Protactile语言的发展中扮演了什么角色?

    -Jelica Nuncio是Protactile语言的先驱和创造者之一。她出生于克罗地亚,是美国的第一位聋盲人,直到她的家人移居美国并学习了美国手语后,她才有了语言。她在2007年成为西雅图聋盲研究所的首位聋盲主任,并创立了Tactile Communications,这是一个为聋盲人提供学习和教育的中心。

  • 为什么Protactile语言与传统的手语(如美国手语ASL)不同?

    -Protactile语言与传统的手语不同,因为它是直接在身体上表达的,使用四手语法,而不是在空中。Protactile语言的词汇正在逐渐发展,不再像最初那样借用ASL的词汇。ASL的手势来源于视觉环境,而Protactile则更注重我们所感受到的东西,如物体的质地、温度和形状。

  • 在Protactile语言中,如何表达同意或跟随对方的思路?

    -在Protactile语言中,有一种称为'back channeling'的拍打动作,相当于点头,用来表示'我正在跟随你的思路'。

  • 为什么聋盲人通常最后获得信息?

    -聋盲人通常最后获得信息,因为他们在没有他人帮助的情况下无法通过视觉或听觉获取信息。如果没有人触摸他们,他们甚至不知道周围是否有人。

  • Protactile语言如何帮助聋盲人克服所谓的'distantism'?

    -Protactile语言通过直接的触摸交流,帮助聋盲人克服了'distantism',即那些依赖视觉和听觉的人与聋盲人之间的距离感。Protactile鼓励共享信息,直接接触,从而减少了聋盲人与他人之间的隔阂。

  • Roberto Cabrera和Hayley Broadway在Protactile语言的发展中扮演了什么角色?

    -Roberto Cabrera是第三代聋盲人,是一名职业康复顾问,也是为聋人和聋盲人提供教育的教师。Hayley Broadway和她的兄弟都患有Usher综合征,由会手语的听人父母抚养长大,她是聋盲儿童及其家庭的Protactile教练。他们与Jelica Nuncio紧密合作,共同推动Protactile语言的发展。

  • 在Protactile语言中,如何通过触摸来表达复杂的情感或信息?

    -在Protactile语言中,通过触摸的不同方式、位置和力度来表达复杂的情感或信息。例如,一个简单的拥抱可以传达温暖和人与人之间的联系,而一个尴尬的拥抱则可以传达出不同的情感信息。Protactile语言鼓励人们通过触摸来探索和理解物体的质地、温度和形状,并将这些感觉编码成语言。

  • 为什么Rebecca在Protactile房子的晚餐中摘下了她的耳蜗植入物?

    -Rebecca摘下了她的耳蜗植入物,是为了完全以聋盲人的身份加入他们,体验基于触摸的语言。她意识到,如果她能够听到,那么在尝试学习一种基于触摸的语言时,她将处于劣势。因此,她选择完全失聪和失明,以便更好地学习和体验Protactile语言。

  • 为什么有人认为教授聋盲儿童依靠触摸和开发自己的沟通方式会使他们与世界更加疏远?

    -一些人担心,如果聋盲儿童过于依赖触摸和自己的沟通方式,可能会使他们与主要依赖视觉和听觉的主流社会更加疏远。然而,Protactile语言的创造者和使用者认为,通过触摸和Protactile语言,任何人都可以与聋盲人共享和沟通,这实际上是一种包容而非排斥的做法。

Outlines

00:00

😀 触觉在聋盲文化中的重要性

在社会和文化中,触觉被视为禁忌,我们从小就被教导只用眼睛看,不用手触摸。随着成长,这种观念深植于我们心中。然而,聋盲人需要重新学习和适应,以找到适合他们的交流方式。Rebecca Alexander,一位患有Usher综合症的女性,正在学习一种全新的语言——Protactile,这是一种完全通过触觉表达的语言。Protactile由聋盲人创造,以他们为中心,允许直接与人和环境接触,无需中介。它促进了群体交流、深度连接和社区建设。

05:03

📚 Protactile语言的起源与发展

Protactile语言自2007年起发展,拥有自己的语法和句法,通过手部接触空间进行沟通,使用手臂、肩膀、背部和腿部。Protactile通过触觉提供信息,例如房间内人数、人们是坐着还是站着,甚至是医生办公室等待室内电视上的内容。Jelica Nuncio,Protactile的创始人之一,通过触觉与Rebecca沟通,强调了使用触觉的重要性。Jelica出生于克罗地亚,是美国的第一位聋盲研究所所长,她通过Protactile语言的研究和教育,推动了聋盲人自主权的发展。

10:05

🤝 Protactile语言的交流方式

Protactile特别允许聋盲人在群体中交流,通过膝盖、手和腿共享信息,而不是通过眼睛和面部,这是与美国手语(ASL)的主要区别。Hayley和她的兄弟都患有Usher综合症,由听觉父母抚养,他们学会了用手语沟通。Roberto是第三代聋盲人,作为职业康复顾问和教师,他强调了Protactile如何允许自然和有机的对话。他们讨论了触觉如何传达温暖和情感,以及如何通过触觉建立灵魂之间的联系。

15:09

👥 Protactile作为哲学和运动

Protactile不仅仅是一种语言,它是一种哲学和运动,是对抗聋盲历史学家、学者和诗人John Lee Clark所称的“远距离主义”的解药。远距离主义是指在视觉和听觉模式下设计的世界,使得聋盲人难以知道周围是否有人。Protactile运动强调共同存在的概念,即直接共享信息,以避免权力不平衡。Jelica、Hayley和Roberto讨论了如何通过触觉克服远距离主义,并通过触觉建立更深层次的人际连接。Rebecca在一个完全黑暗的环境中体验了聋盲人的生活方式,通过触觉进行了一次深刻的体验,包括与聋盲朋友共进晚餐和沟通。

🌟 Protactile的普及和重要性

Jelica强调,Protactile不仅对聋盲儿童重要,任何想要与聋盲人互动的人都需要学习Protactile。她认为,不应该总是让少数群体适应多数群体的规范。相反,任何人都可以采用Protactile规范,这样我们就可以共同分享触觉空间。她提到,家庭和朋友都在采用这些规范,以便能够与聋盲人共享生活体验。Protactile是为了所有人,而不仅仅是为了聋盲人,它鼓励人们超越传统的视觉和听觉交流方式,共同探索和分享触觉交流的新模式。

Mindmap

Keywords

💡触觉

触觉是视频中讨论的核心概念,指的是通过皮肤感知外界信息的能力。在DeafBlind(聋盲)文化中,触觉不仅是感知环境的主要方式,也是他们沟通和表达的一种语言,即Protactile(触觉语)。视频中提到,DeafBlind人们通过触摸来了解物体的质地、温度和形状,这是他们与世界互动的基础。

💡DeafBlind

DeafBlind是指那些既听不见又看不见的人。视频中讨论了DeafBlind社区如何通过创造和发展Protactile语言来增强他们的沟通能力和自主性。DeafBlind社区面临的挑战是如何在以视觉和听觉为中心的世界中找到自己的位置,而Protactile提供了一种直接、无需中介的沟通方式。

💡Protactile

Protactile是一种由DeafBlind社区创造的沟通方式,完全依赖于触觉。它有自己的语法和句法,通过手的接触在空间中传达信息。Protactile允许DeafBlind人们直接与他人和环境接触,无需通过视觉或听觉的中介。视频中提到,Protactile促进了群体沟通、深层次的联系和社区感。

💡自主性

自主性在视频中被强调为Protactile语言的核心。DeafBlind人们通过Protactile能够直接与他人沟通,无需依赖于翻译或辅助服务提供者。这种直接的沟通方式赋予了他们更多的控制权和参与感,从而增强了他们的自主性。例如,Jelica提到,通过Protactile,DeafBlind人们可以自己触摸物体,而不是由他人传递,这体现了共存的概念。

💡触觉语(PT)

触觉语,或称PT,是一种专门为DeafBlind人群设计的语言。它通过触觉进行沟通,使用手臂、肩膀、背部和腿部进行表达。视频中提到,Protactile的词汇和语法是有机发展起来的,不同于美国手语(ASL),它更侧重于通过触觉传达信息,而不是视觉。

💡共存

共存在Protactile运动中是一个重要的概念,指的是在沟通过程中,参与者共享信息和体验。共存避免了权力不平衡,确保了DeafBlind人们能够直接参与和体验世界。例如,Jelica在视频中提到,通过共同触摸一个枕头,而不是由他人传递,体现了共存的概念。

💡远距主义

远距主义是DeafBlind历史学家、学者和诗人John Lee Clark提出的一个术语,指的是在视觉和听觉为主导的世界中,DeafBlind人们常常被边缘化。视频中讨论了Protactile如何作为远距主义的解药,通过触觉沟通,使DeafBlind人们能够更直接地参与社会。

💡美国手语(ASL)

美国手语是一种视觉语言,通常由聋哑社区使用。然而,对于DeafBlind社区来说,ASL并不总是足够的,因为他们无法完全通过视觉来获取信息。视频中提到,Protactile与ASL不同,它通过触觉沟通,允许DeafBlind人们更全面地接收信息。

💡触觉沟通

触觉沟通是Protactile语言的基础,它允许DeafBlind人们通过身体接触来交流。视频中,Rebecca体验了完全依赖触觉的沟通方式,包括在完全黑暗中通过触摸来了解环境,以及在无法使用声音或视觉的情况下通过触觉来交流。

💡Usher综合征

Usher综合征是一种导致进行性聋和盲的罕见遗传病。视频中的Rebecca Alexander患有Usher综合征,她对学习Protactile语言有着浓厚的兴趣,因为这将帮助她更好地与DeafBlind社区沟通。

💡触觉空间

触觉空间是Protactile沟通中的一个概念,指的是通过触觉共享和体验的互动区域。视频中提到,不仅DeafBlind社区的成员,任何想要与DeafBlind人们互动的人都需要学习和采用触觉空间中的沟通规则,以实现更包容和平等的交流。

Highlights

触摸在我们的社会和文化中是禁忌的,我们从小就内化了这种态度:'看,别摸;用眼睛看,而不是用手'。

随着成长,这些观念深深植根于我们心中,我们需要做很多工作来重新学习和调整,以适应我们作为聋盲人的规范。

Rebecca Alexander将学习一种全新的语言——Protactile,这是一种完全通过触摸来体验和表达的世界。

Protactile语言由聋盲人创造,为他们自己服务,强调拥有代理权,允许直接与人和环境接触,无需中间人。

Protactile促进了群体交流、更深层次的联系和社区感。

Usher综合症是导致美国和全球进行性感耳聋和失明的主要原因,Rebecca因此对学习这种新语言有着浓厚的兴趣。

Protactile有自己的语法和句法,通过手部在接触空间中的交流,使用手臂、肩膀、背部和腿部进行表达。

Protactile可以通过拍打(称为back channeling)来提供背景信息,类似于点头,表示'我在跟随'。

Protactile能够提供房间内人数、他们的姿势,甚至是医生办公室等候室内电视上的内容等背景信息。

Jelica Nuncio是Protactile的先驱之一,她作为Rebecca的向导,使用腿部首先与Rebecca建立舒适的交流方式。

Jelica出生于克罗地亚,是美国的第一位聋盲人士,她在美国学习了美国手语,并获得了公共卫生硕士学位。

Jelica在2007年成为西雅图聋盲研究所的首位聋盲所长,并引入了不依赖于听视规范的新模型。

Protactile语言自2010年以来一直在研究,它有着许多规则,这些规则是语言内部自然发展起来的。

与美国手语的视觉环境不同,Protactile使用四手语法,直接在对话者的身体上表达,更多地传达我们所感受到的。

Protactile允许聋盲人在群体中交流,这是它特别开创性的地方。

Hayley和她的兄弟都患有Usher综合症,由懂得手语的听人父母抚养长大。她是聋盲儿童及其家庭的Protactile讲师。

Roberto是第三代聋盲人,是一名职业康复顾问,也是聋人和聋盲人的教师。

Protactile的排列方式使我们能够分享信息,进行自然、有机的对话,我们通过前臂、大腿或肩膀等多种方式来分享信息。

在听人世界中,有句谚语说眼睛是灵魂的窗户。对于触摸,Roberto认为触摸可以传达千言万语,它具有能量和情感。

Hayley提到,拥抱是一种聚集在一起感受他人温暖的方式,但有时一个尴尬的拥抱也能传达很多信息。

Protactile不仅仅是一种语言,它是一种哲学和运动,是对抗聋盲历史学家、学者和诗人John Lee Clark所称的“远距离主义”的解药。

Jelica强调,Protactile是为了每个人,不仅仅是聋盲儿童,任何想要与聋盲人互动的人都需要Protactile。

Rebecca在Protactile(或PT)房子里与聋盲人共进晚餐的经历对她来说是深刻的,她完全聋盲地加入了这个完全聋盲的世界。

Rebecca通过触摸体验了整个房子,不是基于它看起来像什么,而是基于它感觉如何。

Jelica认为,世界不是由多数人决定的静止地方;世界是一个我们可以共同分享和找出如何共同分享的多变场所。

Transcripts

play00:02

HAYLEY: Touch is taboo in our society and in our culture.

play00:07

So we learn an attitude

play00:10

that we internalize from a very young age,

play00:12

"Look, don't touch; look with your eyes, not your hands."

play00:16

And as we grow up, those thoughts

play00:18

are really embedded deeply within us

play00:21

and we have to do a lot of work to kind of unlearn,

play00:25

relearn, and recenter, and then apply the norms

play00:30

that we feel right about, that do fit us as DeafBlind people

play00:33

because hearing sighted norms do not.

play00:37

[soft piano music]

play00:44

OK, this is Rebecca.

play00:49

First of all, I would like to thank you both, sincerely,

play00:54

for coming and sharing your time with me today.

play00:58

REBECCA: Today, I will be learning a whole new language.

play01:01

All the people I will be interviewing are DeafBlind.

play01:04

INTERPRETER: It encapsulates Protactile.

play01:05

REBECCA: The voices you hear are interpreters...

play01:08

INTERPRETER: It is so rich and comes with so much more.

play01:10

REBECCA: ...and so this is a story

play01:11

that may unfold an unfamiliar way.

play01:15

These are the creators and teachers of Protactile (or PT)

play01:20

and they will be taking us inside their world:

play01:22

a world experienced and expressed wholly through touch.

play01:27

ROBERTO: Our biggest organ is our skin,

play01:29

so why don't we use it?

play01:31

HAYLEY: We are really touching something.

play01:32

What is its texture? What is its temperature?

play01:35

What is its shape?

play01:37

DeafBlind people typically get information last.

play01:39

ROBERTO: How do we know that people even are around us?

play01:42

We don’t, if they don’t touch us.

play01:46

REBECCA (VO): Historically, DeafBlind people

play01:48

have had to rely on others:

play01:49

interpreters and support service providers.

play01:52

They have traditionally communicated with

play01:54

American Sign Language (or ASL), or tactile sign language.

play01:59

But Protactile is completely different

play02:01

from anything that’s come before it.

play02:04

It is a language created by the DeafBlind, for the DeafBlind.

play02:09

Having agency is at the center of Protactile.

play02:12

It allows for direct contact with people

play02:14

and their environment without someone in between.

play02:18

Protactile fosters group communication,

play02:21

deeper connection, and community.

play02:24

[laughter]

play02:28

I am Rebecca Alexander and I have Usher syndrome.

play02:31

Usher syndrome is a rare genetic condition

play02:34

that is the leading cause of progressive combined deafness

play02:37

and blindness in the U.S. and around the world.

play02:41

Needless to say, I have a vested interest

play02:43

in learning this new language.

play02:48

Protactile began in 2007, and like all languages,

play02:52

it has its own grammar and syntax.

play02:55

It's communicated with the hands

play02:57

and articulated in contact space

play03:00

using the arms, shoulders, back, and legs.

play03:04

This patting here is called back channeling,

play03:07

the equivalent of nodding.

play03:09

A way of indicating "I am following."

play03:13

Protactile can also provide background information

play03:16

like how many people are in the room, whether they're sitting,

play03:20

standing, or even what's on the television

play03:23

in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

play03:26

♪ ♪

play03:32

Jelica Nuncio, a trailblazer

play03:34

and one of the creators of Protactile, served as my guide.

play03:39

JELICA: So I'm gonna use our legs

play03:41

and first of all check in with you Rebecca

play03:42

to make sure that you're comfortable.

play03:43

Are you comfortable with how we're arranged?

play03:46

OK, so our torsos are a little far away,

play03:49

so we want to be close like this

play03:50

because we're gonna be using our torsos and our arms

play03:53

and our legs when we’re talking in PT.

play03:57

So we’re gonna really just focus on what we’re feeling

play04:00

between the two of us.

play04:00

You try to feel me as much you can Rebecca, OK?

play04:03

Don't worry about leaning back and trying to see, OK?

play04:06

Just really try to feel my language

play04:07

because that’s what I'm expressing is all through touch.

play04:12

REBECCA (VO): Jelica was born in Croatia,

play04:14

the only DeafBlind person in her family.

play04:17

She did not have language until her family moved to the U.S.

play04:20

and she learned American Sign Language.

play04:23

She received a master's degree in public health

play04:26

and in 2007 became the first ever DeafBlind director

play04:31

of the DeafBlind Institute in Seattle.

play04:34

JELICA: Historically, it's been run by hearing/sighted folks,

play04:36

but when I got in as director, we switched to a new model.

play04:41

We couldn't afford a huge budget for interpreters.

play04:44

So we had lots of different programs and projects

play04:46

that we are running and we thought, well,

play04:48

we're going to do this ourselves, this works.

play04:51

We said we’re not going to be using

play04:52

hearing/sighted norms here.

play04:54

We're not gonna be abiding by Deaf norms either

play04:56

and people said, well then, what are we gonna do because

play04:59

we hadn't been in communication directly historically

play05:03

and we established a PT Zone first and foremost there.

play05:06

And we said, anyone who comes into this space

play05:09

is not to be speaking in English.

play05:11

So there's no auditory communication here

play05:14

and there's no visual ASL happening either.

play05:16

Instead, when you come in,

play05:18

what you need to do is walk up to us and touch us.

play05:21

REBECCA: As Protactile developed and its benefits became clear,

play05:25

Jelica went on to found Tactile Communications,

play05:28

a learning and education center for DeafBlind people.

play05:31

She also trains interpreters at the Protactile house,

play05:35

the first and only of its kind in the world

play05:38

housed in Mommouth, Oregon near Western Oregon University.

play05:43

JELICA: Protactile language has been researched since 2010

play05:46

and there are many, many rules.

play05:49

And these aren’t arbitrary rules; these are rules

play05:51

that have arisen organically within the language.

play05:56

If you think about how a person may tactically access ASL,

play06:01

well, it's akin to lip reading in that we would be missing

play06:05

70 percent of the information because there’s no contact

play06:11

with our bodies; everything is up in airspace.

play06:14

REBECCA (VO): 70 percent.

play06:16

Imagine receiving only one third

play06:18

of what someone is trying to convey to you.

play06:20

JELICA: So instead, what we use in Protactile

play06:22

is a four-handed grammar.

play06:24

We're articulating onto the body of our interlocutor,

play06:29

and now, more and more Protactile words

play06:32

are coming into their own.

play06:34

We're not borrowing ASL words as much as we did in the beginning.

play06:40

ASL signs derive from a visual environment

play06:45

and we want to be articulating what we’re feeling.

play06:50

How something feels is very different

play06:51

than how something looks.

play06:53

REBECCA: So for example, ASL sign for dog.

play06:57

There's two different signs:

play06:59

first, dog like, scratching the ear, second is dog.

play07:07

Protactile sign for dog is this

play07:13

because when you feel it,

play07:16

it feels like what the head of a dog feels like.

play07:20

This is the Protactile sign for dog.

play07:23

[euphoric music]

play07:31

REBECCA (VO): Jelica works closely

play07:32

with Hayley Broadway and Roberto Cabrera.

play07:36

We sat in circle to have this discussion.

play07:39

Protactile is especially groundbreaking

play07:41

because it allows DeafBlind people the opportunity

play07:44

to communicate in a group.

play07:46

HAYLEY: The way that we’re set up here

play07:48

in this Protactile three-way allows us all to know not only

play07:54

that we're all three in conversation with one another,

play07:57

but also where we each are in space

play08:01

and what each of us is experiencing at the same time.

play08:05

We're all sharing at the knees,

play08:06

not the eyes and face, which is a hallmark of ASL,

play08:09

but the knees and the hands and the legs.

play08:13

REBECCA (VO): Hayley and her brother both have Usher syndrome

play08:16

and were raised by hearing parents

play08:18

who learned how to sign to communicate with them.

play08:21

She is a Protactile instructor for DeafBlind children

play08:24

and their families.

play08:27

Roberto is third-generation DeafBlind

play08:29

and a vocational rehabilitation counselor

play08:32

and teacher for people who are deaf and DeafBlind.

play08:38

ROBERTO: The way we're arranged is so that we can share

play08:41

information, we can have a natural, organic conversation.

play08:44

That's why we're established the way we are.

play08:46

And we set up information to be shared on a variety of sources.

play08:50

It could be on your forearm, it could be on your thigh,

play08:53

it could be on your shoulder.

play08:55

It really depends on how you want to express

play08:58

the information being shared and reciprocate that.

play09:03

♪ ♪

play09:09

REBECCA: So, you know, in the hearing world, there's a saying

play09:18

that the eyes are the windows to the soul.

play09:24

How do you feel about touch

play09:29

the way that hearing people have that saying?

play09:35

ROBERTO: Touch will tell you a thousand words.

play09:39

I mean you look at a picture and that tells you a thousand words

play09:43

but really touch, it has energy, it has emotion.

play09:47

Everything is right here at our fingertips.

play09:51

I mean there is so much you can obtain.

play09:55

And our biggest organ on the human body is our skin,

play09:58

so why don't we use it?

play10:01

[hands tapping]

play10:05

HAYLEY: Well, a hug is a way to come together

play10:08

and really feel warmth from another human being.

play10:11

But, you know, sometimes you get a hug from someone

play10:14

and they lean over awkwardly,

play10:16

their feet are really far away from you,

play10:18

they're leaning kind of back or they give you an awkward pat.

play10:21

That conveys so much information.

play10:23

So, there's a soul-to-soul connection

play10:26

that can happen through touch also.

play10:28

Touch oftentimes is a fleeting sense

play10:31

for a lot of hearing/sighted people and what we want to do

play10:33

is broaden our tactile reach

play10:36

so we're not just getting in touch with things

play10:38

and then disconnecting two seconds later.

play10:40

We're really touching something.

play10:42

What is its texture? What is its temperature? What is its shape?

play10:47

So that we can really know those objects and then

play10:50

those can be encoded into Protactile language

play10:53

because they originate from a place of feeling.

play10:57

[piano music]

play11:02

REBECCA (VO): Protactile is more than a language;

play11:05

it’s a philosophy and a movement,

play11:08

the antidote to what DeafBlind historian, scholar, and poet

play11:12

John Lee Clark has termed distantism,

play11:15

ROBERTO: How do we know that people even are around us?

play11:18

We don't if they don't touch us because everything is designed

play11:22

for visual and auditory modes.

play11:26

And that is distantism at its finest.

play11:28

HAYLEY: John Lee Clark talks about autonomy

play11:32

in that distantism context.

play11:36

For many, many years, DeafBlind people were raised

play11:41

with a lack of autonomy because any time they were

play11:43

in a family environment, going to the doctor, or going

play11:46

into school environments, things were done for us.

play11:49

And what that did was prevented us from getting

play11:52

first-hand experiences and figuring out our own sense

play11:55

of embodied experience in the world.

play11:57

JELICA: For example, if we’re going to touch this pillow,

play11:59

we're going to do it together.

play12:00

I'm not going to grab it and then hand it to you;

play12:02

You are going to be reaching with me in copresence.

play12:07

Copresence is an concept in Protactile movement

play12:11

because we have power imbalances that occur

play12:16

if we're not in touch and sharing information directly.

play12:20

People will also sometimes do things for us

play12:22

and then say, "Here you go,

play12:23

I'm behaving in a way that’s empowering."

play12:26

But, you know, we don't need you to empower us; we have power.

play12:29

ROBERTO: And of course, people,

play12:30

they are not sure where to start with touching.

play12:32

Most people feel very nervous about this.

play12:35

But they can start with our shoulders.

play12:37

It is a very simple and safe place

play12:39

that is appropriate to touch.

play12:41

And just that one small cue

play12:43

is the first step away from distantism.

play12:47

♪ ♪

play12:51

REBECCA: What happened the night

play12:52

that I was invited to dinner to

play12:54

the Protactile (or PT) house was a profound experience for me.

play12:59

They were having tacos that night and invited me to join.

play13:03

Cameras weren't allowed and I said, "I gotta go."

play13:07

And when I got there, it was completely dark,

play13:10

because of course;

play13:12

they don't rely on vision or hearing to navigate.

play13:14

[door creaking] And I realized

play13:16

that I could see absolutely nothing.

play13:19

I also realized that I was able to hear and being able to hear

play13:24

put me at a disadvantage if I was trying to learn a language

play13:27

that was based in touch.

play13:29

So I took my cochlear implants off

play13:32

and I joined them completely deaf and blind

play13:36

in this completely DeafBlind world.

play13:39

I was given a tour of the entire house based on touch

play13:43

and it was so interesting to experience the whole house

play13:47

not based on what it looked like, but what it felt like.

play13:51

Having to eat tacos with them

play13:53

and figure out how to make it all work

play13:55

and not be able to communicate what I needed by using my voice,

play14:00

nothing other than touch, well, how do you communicate

play14:04

when you have messy taco fingers?

play14:07

When I was getting ready to leave, my friend Lesley

play14:10

signed on my chest and it felt like she was tracing

play14:14

the shape of like a semicircle from my left shoulder

play14:17

to my right shoulder and I didn't understand.

play14:22

So I asked her in tactile sign, what does that mean?

play14:25

And she was saying goodbye to me.

play14:28

She was telling me that she was smiling,

play14:32

that she was happy to have been with me,

play14:34

and because I couldn’t see her smiling,

play14:37

she was letting me know by...

play14:41

It was such a vulnerable and incredible experience,

play14:45

certainly not something I think a sighted/hearing person

play14:49

would ever think of or even feel comfortable with.

play14:52

Last question about,

play14:55

how you, you, respond to hearing/sighted people...

play15:08

hearing/sighted people who say

play15:10

when you teach a DeafBlind child to rely on their touch

play15:17

and to really develop their own form of communication,

play15:21

you ostracize them further from being able to participate

play15:25

with the rest of the world.

play15:29

What are your thoughts about this?

play15:40

JELICA: So, I think the key here isn’t

play15:44

just to think about the children

play15:47

need Protactile, but anyone in our world who wants

play15:51

to interact with people who are DeafBlind need Protactile.

play15:55

I mean sure, you could say that the world

play15:56

is hearing and sighted, but DeafBlind community

play16:00

is a minority community, as are many other communities

play16:04

and it’s not always on the backs of the minority communities

play16:08

to assimilate to hearing/sighted norms.

play16:12

We don't want to think about the fact that the community

play16:15

is centered around DeafBlind people.

play16:17

It’s not; it’s a community centered around touch,

play16:20

around Protactile norms and anyone can adopt

play16:22

those Protactile norms.

play16:24

The families are adopting these norms,

play16:26

friends are adopting these norms

play16:27

so that we can all share in tactile space together.

play16:30

We go to restaurants and they bring a cup to the table,

play16:32

they touch the cup to my hand or to the DeafBlind child’s hand

play16:36

instead of putting a cup on the table and not touching me.

play16:39

And I knock it right over

play16:40

because I don't even know that it’s there.

play16:42

So again, Protactile's for everyone.

play16:44

You don't have to assimilate

play16:45

because the world isn’t a stationary place;

play16:48

that’s just decided upon by those in the majority.

play16:51

The world is an ecliptic place where we all can share

play16:54

and figure out how to share together in a modality

play16:58

that we can jointly connect in.

play17:08

[hands patting] [laughter]

play17:17

CREW 1: OK, now hit it. CREW 2: Do it.

play17:20

[clank] [laughter]

play17:25

♪ ♪

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