HANDSMATTER DEAFBLINDNESS

May the four hands shaping the matter become communication between the deafblind person and their intervenors or anyone else? May the tactile shapes become an empathetic approach to the deafblind condition for those who can hear and see? May we learn and discover about ourselves living and sharing an Handsmatter creative process held by deafblind or disabled persons?

Yes.

I arrived at the conclusion that deafblind persons as well as disabled ones are here to teach us to grow and to be inclusive.

I am referring to the idea that people with disabilities not only can teach us valuable lessons about life but also include in our mindset other visions of being human. This is a common theme in disability studies and is often referred to as the “social model” of disability. According to this model, disability is not an individual problem but rather a social one that arises from the way society is organized. People with disabilities are seen as experts on their own experiences and can teach us about the barriers they face and how to overcome them:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1468017319860216

After experimenting and experiencing the HANDSMATTER process for many years, I proposed it as a working method to be a moment of discovery for the deafblind person at the service of the communication and inclusion of deafblindness.