Under the slogan "One more culture: Sign Language deaf people present their culture and language".
For the fifth time the German Association of the Deaf organizes the Culture Days of the Deaf, to which all interested persons are warmly welcome. Inclusion according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the academic, professional, social and cultural field is here the central focus. With the recognition of the German Sign Language by the German Social Code and the Act on the Equality of Persons with Disabilities two important goals were achieved for the deaf community.
German Culture Days 2012. The project team of the fifth German Culture Days of the Deaf and the Board of the German Association of the Deaf prepare in collaboration with deaf people from all over Germany a varied program of workshops, presentations and discussions. Among the lecturers there are experts from the fields of Deaf Studies, Sign Languages and Deaf Education. The cultural program will accompany the entire course of the event.
Deaf Studies. “Deafhood is not seen as a finite state but as a process by which Deaf individuals come to actualise their Deaf identity (Ladd 2003). The exchange of experiences and empowerment strategies in the implementation of the rights of deaf people represents a central topic. Besides political and scientific topics there will be presentations about the Life of deaf people in Germany and other countries and Deaf people in the GDR. It incorporates topics that relate to the everyday life of deaf people.
Sign Languages. The Sign Language, which is visual-manually linguistically analyzable, is like any other language a natural language. Under the slogan: "One more culture: Sign Language's scientists will talk about the latest results from Sign Language linguistics".
Deaf Education. It has been scientifically proven that barrier-free education for the Deaf is only possible in a bilingual way, through Sign Language and spoken language. Bilingual education systems and Inclusion in education according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are part of the scheduled topics.
Cultural Program. The series of presentations and workshops will be liven up by the cultural program. Deaf culture is presented in the form of plays, shows and art exhibitions. Many well-known deaf artists from Germany and from many other countries will be present during the Culture Days. One highlight will be the closing event on Saturday evening.
The Venue. The exhibition Erfurt is the venue for the Culture Days 2012. The capital of Thuringia has always attracted people with intellectual, political and cultural interests. Due to its central location it can be easily reached by visitors from Germany, but also by international visitors.
The German Association of the Deaf wants to put a sign with this event, that the culture of deaf people is diverse and characterized by the Sign Language. The concern of deaf people is that communicative accessibility is provided in all areas of society and thereby to achieve an equal and effective participation in society.
For further information about single events and ticket prices please visit: www.gehoerlosen-kulturtage.de
