Hello everyone,
I’ve been back in Germany for a while now, and I’m still reflecting on so many experiences from my year abroad. It suddenly occurred to me that in my first blog post I’d promised to write in more detail about the Deaf-Blind Department – the school for deafblind children. So this final blog post will be about that.
The Deaf-Blind Department never ceases to be an incredibly fascinating place for me. The lessons and materials are very varied, and it was always interesting whenever I had the chance to sit in on a lesson. Almost all the learning materials are homemade, and as deafblind people perceive their environment primarily through touch, everything is three-dimensional and tactile. For example, right by the entrance there is a huge world map where every country has its own texture. From fabric and plastic to sand, everything is included. Beneath it is a key with the name of each country in Braille (a writing system for the blind consisting of raised dots) and the corresponding material, to establish the connection between the names and the countries.
In class, the children mainly learn Braille, tactile sign language (where the deafblind person holds the other person’s hands to feel what they are signing), the Lorm alphabet (an alphabet in which each letter is assigned a specific spot on the hand, which is tapped to communicate) and the children who can hear a little learn Arabic to find ways to communicate. To learn Braille, there are numerous textbooks in which objects, such as half a cup or a plastic spoon, are glued in, with the word written in Braille alongside them, so that – as with a world map – the connection between the word and the object can be made. There are also special printers that print all the dark lines slightly raised. Using the raised lines, the children can feel the object depicted. To learn to write Braille, the children have special typewriters with which they can write the words they have learnt.
Learning tactile sign language follows a similar pattern to learning Braille. The children feel an object and the teacher then demonstrates the sign, which the children then feel with their hands and imitate.
The lessons are very intensive and tailored to the individual. That is why every child has their own teacher and an individual curriculum, each tailored to the child’s abilities.
Another important aspect of the curriculum is showing the children how to navigate everyday life independently and confidently. For example, they learn to eat on their own and to find their way around their surroundings with the help of their white cane.
I was always fascinated by how much the children learn and the patience and creativity with which the teachers manage to teach them the school curriculum. But seeing how lovingly and considerately the deaf children treat the deafblind children also inspired me.
Now I’m back in Germany and often think fondly of the past 10 months. It was a time that was so varied and different from anything I’d experienced before. I’m so grateful for all the lovely people I got to know at the HLID and hope that in future I’ll have the chance to travel to Jordan again or meet friends from that time here in Germany. Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who supported and accompanied me during this time, and of course to you, dear readers, for your interest in my time in Jordan!!!
All the best and warm regards
Yours, Julia
This text was automatically translated using an AI-powered translation system.
