Inclusive Linguistic Environment: CITS Organizes Workshops for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
In 2021, CITS held three workshops for representatives of the community of the deaf and hard of hearing people as part of the project Inclusive Linguistic Environment. Students communicated with their mentors with the help of RSL interpreters – ASU students and graduates of the CITS courses in Russian Sign Language and the culture of deaf community. These were the project participants who chose the topics for the master classes according to their preferences and needs.
On November 17, Adelia Amirova, the owner of the Yagodka beauty salon, held a master class in hairdressing. Deaf and hard of hearing participants of the event received consultations from the Yagodka masters concerning individual hair care and got individual procedures. At the end of the master class, the participants were also given certificates for free procedures as a gift from the Yagodka salon.
The next event within the framework of the project was a master class in photography at СITS, attended by eight deaf and hard of hearing students of the Astrakhan Provincial Technical School and three RSL interpreters studying at Astrakhan State University. During the master class, the photographer Eva Kozhevnikova spoke about existing types of photography, paying special attention to those types of shoot that are most suitable for deaf and hard of hearing photographers. The expert also dwelled on the basics of working with light and methods of using light in portrait photography. She showed how to work with professional lighting equipment and how to get different kinds of portraits, after which the participants tried they hand in photography. At the end of the master class, Eva Kozhevnikova made New Year’s portraits of the participants as a gift. It is worth noting that CITS broadcast this master class with RSL interpretation on their Instagram account.
Finally, the third event was held at the Kotiki bar, where a culinary master class was organized for the deaf and hard of hearing people. During the master class, the chef Aleksandr Ikriannikov spoke about specific features of Mexican cuisine, after which the participants, guided by the chef, prepared traditional Mexican dishes and exotic Mexican lemonade. They took some memorable photos with the props of the establishment (traditional sombrero and Mexican poncho), and received souvenir caps (Mexican bowls) as a gift from the bar.
Both deaf and hearing participants of the workshops learned plenty of new and useful things. Sharing their impressions, they note that despite the fact that at first they felt ill-at-ease, the tense atmosphere gradually changed into a friendly and warm one. The deaf participants expressed their hope that there would be more events of that kind in the future. ASU students are also looking forward to new master classes, because they not only learn new things, but also improve their RSL interpreting skills.
Such master classes help CITS create a barrier-free linguistic environment to transfer knowledge to everyone. We hope that in the future, deaf people will study at our university together with hearing students.