By Alex Garcia

THE RIGHTS OF DEAFBLIND IN BRAZIL BY ALEX GARCIA

HELEN KELLER WORLD CONFERENCE, TAMPERE, FINLAND, 2005

I – THE RIGHTS OF DEAFBLIND IN BRAZIL - THE PRINCIPLE UNDERLYING THESE RIGHTS

A common ideal to be realised by all peoples and nations, the aim being for every individual and every part of the collectivity to direct their behaviour and action towards complete liberty and a higher quality of life for themselves, by educating their minds.

II – GENERAL LEGAL OPTIONS REGARDING RIGHTS IN BRAZIL

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed by Brazil in 1948
• The Prevention of Discrimination against Minorities
• The Right to Welfare, Peace, Progress and Social Development
• The Salamanca Declaration
• The Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

III – SPECIFIC OPTIONS IN BRAZIL The National Directive for Special Education in Elementary Education (2001)

IV – A POSSIBILITY One Directive for Special Education makes specific reference to deafblind in some of its articles. If properly developed, it will form more democratic and liberated deafblind minds which will see every right as corresponding to a responsibility.

V – WHERE DO DEAFBLIND STAND IN RELATION TO THEIR RIGHTS IN BRAZIL?

• Deafblind in Brazil do not know their rights.
• They are heavily involved in exchanging favours.
• Deafblind are brought up to be incapable of making judgements.
• Not making judgements means that they do not truly understand themselves and therefore cannot manage their needs and differences via their rights and responsibilities.
• Deafblind have no freedom of thought.
• Deafblind are prevented from having certainty – a fundamental human right.
• Deafblind are confused about the difference between individual and collective rights.

VI – SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE In order for the lives of deafblind to develop better, we need to be educated in rights so that our behaviour is democratic and liberating. I therefore believe that the following suggestions are important:

• International support organisations must be careful not to support persons and institutions which have historically hindered the liberated development of deafblind.
• International aid organisations must support deafblind, i.e. organisations of deafblind for deafblind. This is possible.
• We must have significant support, discussed in a reasonable manner, in order for deafblind to free themselves from the control of certain professionals.
• Support for deafblind to become more active. This must certainly take into account their histories, because many of us in Brazil are alienated from our rights and our speech because many professionals and other people keep us in a small world so that we do not emerge into a free habitat, and we are thus not competitive and can be more easily manipulated.
• Change is needed among the powers that be so that our position before the public authorities can be strengthened, and support must therefore be given to the construction and development of an effective public policy.
• It is urgent for us to free our minds so that our powers will increase, given that the world develops on the basis of its power relationships. We in Brazil are historically at a great disadvantage in this relationship. I repeat: more powers are needed for deafblind.

VII - CONCLUSION I would like to conclude my presentation by emphasising that the deafblind of Brazil are all, despite their suffering, very good people. Good people, both those we know and those we do not know. Good people, those who are active and also those who are passive. Good people, those who fight for their rights and for freedom, as well as those who make changes while manipulating their own brothers and sisters. I would like to say to you all that you must become everything you are capable of becoming, that you must grow, if possible, until you come to full flower, tolerating all limitations, rejecting all that is unnecessary and showing, in all the greatness of our being, that we are everything we can be. To all of you for whom I live and work, thank you very much.

(2005-11-18)