DbI Review 35 - Deafblind International

Foc us Artic on Latin le head America hereUnited – Combating Exclusionfrom SocietyCarolina Benjumea reportsThe ThirdInternationalSeminar onDeafblindnessThe Third InternationalSeminar on Deafblindnesswas held last September atthe Catarina SpecialEducation Foundation in thecity of Florianópolis, thecapital of Brazil’s SantaCatarina State, and wasattended by professionals,parents and deafblind peoplefrom Peru, Brazil, Bolivia andColombia. The main theme ofthe seminar was inclusion ofDeafblind people in LatinAmerican society.A number of well-knownpersonalities, with wideexperience in the field ofpromoting the rights of thedisabled, were speakers at theevent. Similarly, it was asuitable occasion for joiningforces and setting targets forgetting deafblindnessrecognised as a uniquecondition and a first step indefending the rights ofdeafblind people.The event also allowedsuccessful experiences to beshared by professionals fromBrazil, Peru, Bolivia andColombia. Deafblind peoplewere panelists discussing theDeafblind Associations in thecountries represented. Thisemphasised, yet again, that itis possible for deafblindpeople to be included inactivities if they have asuitable guide and interpreterwho can act as acommunication bridge.F i n a l l y, participants haddeveloped an interest in thesubject, and, by taking part inthe seminar, committedthemselves to contributingtheir own individual grain ofsand towards always fightingthe exclusion of deafblindpeople from joining inwherever they are in LatinAmerica..Carolina BenjumeaAdministration andResources OfficerSense Internacional(Latinoamérica)cbenjumea@senseintla.orgJA N U A R Y – JU N E 2 0 0 5 • DbI Review • 3 5