Day to promote social awareness and understanding of deafblind people (+photos).
From this Monday until next June the 27th, the National Day for the World Day of the Deafblind is being held in Matanzas, as in the rest of the Cuban provinces.
From this Monday until next June 27th, the National Day for the World Day of the Deafblind is being held in Matanzas, as in the rest of the Cuban provinces, to raise awareness about this unique condition, specific and with its own entity, which requires a great social understanding.
According to information from the headquarters of the National Association of the Blind (ANCI) in the province, several activities and initiatives are being carried out in the municipalities during these days, some in coordination with the National Association of the Deaf of Cuba (ANSOC) to highlight the work of these people in different areas, whether at work, family and community.
The program planned in Matanzas province and in the country includes rehabilitation, sports, recreational and cultural activities, Zonia Ferrer Long, vice-president of ANCI in this western territory, told Radio 26.
She specified that the board game tournaments (checkers, dominoes and chess), exhibition of handicrafts made by people with sensory disabilities, as well as discussions and exchanges with their families on how to enhance the autonomy and skills of the deaf-blind, taking into account that their hearing and visual impairment, whether partial or total, limits them for communication, mobility, access to information and to the environment, stand out.
According to him, to date they have been able to associate 40 people from Matanzas, of different ages, with a diagnosis of deafblindness. ANCI is in charge of the integral rehabilitation process, while ANSOC assumes the communication and guide-interpreter services, which are vital for the relationship of these people with their environment.
According to official data from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), there are 2,991 deaf-blind people in Cuba who receive the support of health professionals and are attended by ANCI and ANSOC, together with several organizations that make up the multisectoral and multidisciplinary team existing in the country.
Every June 27th, when the world commemorates the International Day of the Deafblind, Cuba exhibits achievements in this regard in the educational, health, social and cultural scenario, and bets on advancing towards a path of inclusion and equality for all.
Written by Yovana Baró
