Body without blah-blah

Non-verbal communication is significant in our interactions. Eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and posture are part of what we call "body language". In this workshop, we will help participants to explore various forms of non-verbal communication. We will explore possibilities and dive deep into sign language and braille, and how such communication tools can be instrumental in activating new aspects of communication. Here, we work with stammerers, lispers, and people with other speech disorders. Our motive is not to treat them but to let them move on in life and give them the techniques to cope with different challenges. We also nudge them to become better listeners.

We will demonstrate self-humor through activities like stand-up comedy, rapping and street plays. We would like to promote the representation of the disabled in comedy. There is a lack of participation in Cinema, music, theatre, and overall media. Therefore, we are taking this initiative towards addressing this imbalanced participation. We are not visible and when we are featured, we are often shown negatively stereotyped. We are depicted as objects of pity or as superheroes who have achieved great successes. Both of these scenarios are not what represents the majority of disabled people. Due to lack of awareness, there is a stigma attached to disabilities and certainly, there are misconceptions around how we are supposed to live our lives. There is a need for a balanced portrayal of disabled people as individuals and disability as part of everyday lives. Different modes of media can play a more constructive role in making society inclusive for all and successfully integrating disabled people in all aspects of societal lives. Through humor, we are going to address the most difficult questions around disability and initiate conversations we as a society generally avoid. Our goal is to create a more empathetic and patient society which is only possible by spreading awareness.

What our grantee is saying: "This Award is not only about the financial support but getting the validation from the experts who are working for years in the social sector that our proposed project is needed in the community. This is special as it is my first project which will build a foundation for our organization to thrive in near future.

I am excited to collaborate with my dear friend and a social changemaker himself, Nematuallah Ahangosh from Afghanistan. He is a Person with disability and pursue a dream like me to make this world more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities."

Financiado pelo capítulo Disability (January 2022)