Silence, like solitude, is only good if it responds to a voluntary act. When it is installed permanently, when one does not decide about it, it becomes a drama, since it conditions and limits the lives of those affected. That is why the motto of the new campaign of the Spanish Confederation of Deaf Families (FIAPAS)which was presented yesterday in Congress, is illustrative: ‘Hey! Let’s fill the silence with life’.
This new FIAPAS campaign is part of its awareness program ‘Let everyone hear it’, started four years ago. The objective of this initiative is “offer a social image more adjusted to the current reality of deaf people and cause society to commit to their inclusion”. On this occasion, the focus is on the hearing aids that, for those affected by hearing loss, represent a before and after: the difference between hearing and not hearing. In this sense, FIAPAS vindicates the right of these people to access the hearing aids or implants they need, “without any type of discrimination”.
The campaign website contains different videos, including a general one and another focused on the testimonies of boys and girls who demonstrate that hearing well has changed their lives.
The presentation of the new campaign, which has the collaboration of UMusic Junior, was held yesterday Wednesday in the Congress of Deputies. And the president of the chamber herself, Ana Pastor, recognized that “Although many obstacles have been overcome, there are still many things to do” to achieve full social inclusion of men and women who suffer from hearing loss.
The president of the Commission for Comprehensive Disability Policies of the Lower House, Jordi Xuclàtook the opportunity to urge the Spanish Government to “take notes” and, as he had in his electoral program, expand the public hearing aid coverage, from which only those affected up to 16 years of age benefit. The good news about this is that the Minister of Health, Dolors Montserratconfirmed several weeks ago that this coverage will be extended up to 26 years of age, although gradually and without specifying deadlines.
The new FIAPAS campaign can also be followed and commented on through Facebook and Twitter using tags #LetEveryoneHearIt and #Let’sFillWithLifeTheSilence.
