New touch-based language by DeafBlind people: Protactile
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ม.ค. 2020
- [Video transcript available below in the comment section]
A new language has been spreading within the DeafBlind community, and has revolutionized how some DeafBlind people communicate. Called Protactile, or PT, the language uses touch as its medium of communication. PT emerged in 2007, when a group of DeafBlind people in Seattle began exploring their natural tactile instinct. Rooted in DeafBlind people's experience, PT aims to resolve previous communication difficulties for DeafBlind people, and advance the community's autonomy. Today, the language has reached thousands of people, and is still evolving.
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The most random adhd thought caused me to wonder how deaf-blind people communicate and look this up, this is so enlightening and I’m happy it exists. May I ask, what job opportunities work for deaf-blind people?
Basically anything with the right accommodations. Haben Girma is a deafblind disability rights lawyer. Hellen Keller was an activist. I knew a deafblind person that worked in tech.
Sorry I'm not answering your question, but for the first part of your comment, that's the same reason I ended up here! I was watching videos about the deaf community, and I thought "wait.. how would a blind person learn asl?" And I ended up here 😊 (I also have adhd, could you tell?)
I never even thought about how difficult it would be for someone deaf blind to gage someone's reactions to a conversation. You'd never know if they laugh, or nod, or turn away, all those natural queues that are obvious to most people, and even people who only lack one of those senses. How interesting, I'm glad better forms of communication are being developed
I am a caregiver for a 61 year old deaf blind women. She has been lost through the cracks and knows very little sign language. She lives in a group home for intellectually disabled adults and as a younger person she was in an institution. Where we live there seems to be very little support for her. I personally know some asl but have no idea how to teach her. I would love to enrich her life and help her communicate better but don’t exactly know where to turn. If you have any resources for us can you please let me know. She is absolutely amazing and deserves to have a beautiful life.
Try contacting Jaime Lard at perkins school for the blind
What ever happened?
oh, you the care giver. I thought you were a bilnd and deaf person who wrote. I bet there's already a technology out there for blind and deaf people., I'm actually searching for it, if I find anything I'll update this comment as I usually do. Edit. I found out so far that these people use braile, touch ASL and specific touch pattern to comunicate
How would a person with sight and hearing go about learning PT to help advocate for it and it's speakers?
Just amazing, when human want to share what he have in the head nothing can stop it
Well I want to share that I hate you! Jk, have a great day :)
this is incredible!
I have never fully understood how anyone born completely deaf and blind can interact with and understand the world. How do you even start to establish what the world is, how to convey words, what words are, what communication even is. It's wild to me.
Most deafblind people aren't completely deaf and blind, just like most deaf people aren't *completely deaf* and most blind people aren't *completely blind*. Vision loss and hearing loss can look a lot of different ways, but there is a "threshold" where folks are considered deaf, blind, and deafblind.
The most common genetic cause for deafblindness is Ushers syndrome, and often you're boring with moderate or profound hearing loss, and then your vision changes gradually as you age. All of our senses give us information about the world, and touch is no different. You see from the video that this touch-base language facilitates communication just like a visual sign language, or auditory spoken language does.
How did things go with you during Covid? Must be hard and sad any government seems to overlook your community. I was blind in one eye for 2 months due to slip and fall on ice. My compassion for the deaf and blind people magnified after experiencing a part of their struggles. I am a support worker people with disabilities in Canada and now that my sight is restored, I am looking into adding ASL and Braille on top of my skills and help the deaf and blind. Although, I work with people with more intense and challenging behaviors. I would like to know the demeanor of deaf and blind community, must be sweeter and deeper. More power to you!
This is so exiting and brilliant way to communicate 🙌🏻 there should be classes in school for everybody to learn the basis of singing 💜💜💜
the problem probably would be acceptance since the "touch" like other sences is not really acceptable usually in the society.
It’s amazing. ASL uses the signer’s hands as the words on a page. PT uses the recipient’s body as the page to receive the words made by the signer’s hand
[Video transcript part 1]
The video opens with a scene of Jaimi Lard, a DeafBlind woman, and Christine Dwyer, a hearing and sighted interpreter. They are demonstrating elements of Protactile language together. Christine describes the layout of a building to Jaimi in Protactile. Jaimi holds out one hand, palm up, to represent the floor. A close up shows Christine’s hand “walking” with two fingers on Jaimi’s palm. Jaimi keeps her other hand on top of Christine’s hand to follow her movements. Then Christine signs and applies various touches to Jaimi’s palm. Jing Peng, reporter and the narrator of this video, sits next to them and watches. There is a marimba soundtrack, which gets softer as the male narrator begins to speak.
Narrator: This is a new language that could change the lives of thousands of DeafBlind people.
The video cuts to a shot of Christine describing a detachable camera lens to Jaimi. Jaimi makes a loose fist to represent the lens. Christine taps on Jaimi’s hand and applies twisting motions to it. Jaimi’s other hand stays on one of Christine’s hands to track her movements.
The words “Protactile (PT)” appear on the top left of the screen.
Narrator: It’s called Protactile, or PT, and it’s based entirely on the sense of touch.
The video cuts to a scene of four DeafBlind people speaking PT. Two people are seated directly in front of the camera, and two others are seated further in the background. Each pair of people sit closely together, facing each other, the outer sides of their thighs pressed together. As the speaker talks with their hands, the person receiving the message follows the conversation with one hand, and uses the other hand to provide reactions on the speaker’s leg.
The video then cuts to another scene, where eight DeafBlind people are seated in four pairs in one long row. They are talking in PT.
Narrator: PT emerged in 2007 in the DeafBlind community. And it’s still growing and spreading.
The video cuts to a scene of Jaimi and Christine demonstrating elements of PT to around 50 people in a conference room. Jaimi and Christine stand side by side. Jaimi holds out her hand, palm up. Christine holds Jaimi’s palm with one hand. Her other hand traces lines on the palm, then applies various finger taps to it. Jaimi’s other hand follows Christine’s hand movement.
The text “Jaimi Lard” and “Christine Dwyer” appear on screen, near Jaimi and Christine respectively. Each name has an arrow pointing to the person it refers to.
Narrator: This is Jaimi Lard, she and her hearing and sighted interpreter, Christine Dwyer, have incorporated elements of PT in their communication.
Christine (speaking to the audience): I've known her for 30 years, and we have changed the way we communicate.
The video cuts to an interview setting. Jaimi sits in the middle of an office, flanked on either side by Christine and Jing. The text “Jing Peng, Reporter” appears under Jing’s chest. Both Christine and Jing have one hand placed on Jaimi’s shoulder. Christine and Jaimi’s knees touch.
Narrator: For this interview, Jaimi speaks in American Sign Language, which Christine interprets.
Jaimi (answering a question about PT): By getting it tactilely, we were able to be included in more.
[the rest of the transcript is posted in replies to this comment]
[Video transcript part 2]
The video cuts back to the conference room. Jaimi addresses her audience in ASL. Christine stands next to Jaimi, keeping one hand on Jaimi’s back as she interprets.
Jaimi (speaking to the audience): I was born deaf and blind.
Narrator: Jaimi works as a diversity speaker at Perkins School for the Blind.
The video cuts to Jaimi’s apartment. Jaimi chats in ASL with a Deaf Japanese woman named Kasumi. Kasumi speaks. Jaimi puts a hand on hers to track the signs. Jaimi smiles and signs “yes” with her other hand.
In the next shot, Kasumi teaches Jaimi the sign “flower” in Japanese Sign Language. Jaimi feels the sign with both hands and copies it. The sign starts with two cupped hands pressed together. Then the wrists rotate as the palms open and all ten fingers spread out like petals.
Narrator: Growing up, Jaimi learned American Sign Language, or ASL. That’s one of the ways DeafBlind people communicate: by placing one’s hand over the speaker’s to feel what they’re signing. But, there’s a problem.
Jaimi (speaking during the interview): American Sign Language is a visual language.
The video cuts to Jaimi and Christine speaking ASL to Kasumi in the lobby of a building. Kasumi watches their signs and nods.
Narrator: ASL is designed for sighted Deaf people. It’s meant to be seen. And many gestures that make sense to your eyes make little sense when you touch them.
The video cuts back to the interview setting. Jaimi and Christine demonstrate elements of ASL that are hard to follow for DeafBLind people. Christine describes a space by pointing at imaginary objects in the air, while Jaimi tracks her signs with one hand.
Jaimi (speaking during the interview): There were things I was misunderstanding. I just began to do a nod, and just go ‘uh-huh, uh-huh,’ and go along with things. But I wasn't always sure what I was going along with.
Narrator: It’s the kind of passivity that could hurt DeafBlind people’s independence and autonomy.
The video cuts to Jaimi’s office. Jaimi writes an email at her computer, using an app that magnifies texts on her screen. She leans forward, her face close to the monitor. She clicks the button “compose,” types on her keyboard. Her sunglass lenses reflect the magnified letters on her screen.
The soundtrack changes to an upbeat, rhythmic marimba, as the video transitions to a montage of PT demonstration by Jelica Nuccio and aj granda, two leaders of the PT movement. They sit close together, half facing the camera, half facing each other. Their knees touch. aj describes a waterfall to Jelica. Her palm makes fast, repeated rubs on Jelica’s hand and forearm, showing the intensity of the water flow. The rubs become slower and gentler, indicating a weaker water current.
In the next shot, aj describes a cooking procedure. Jelica holds out her hand, palm up, to represent the pan. On both sides of the hand, aj traces shapes and applies various taps, showing how the batter spreads out on the pan, how the fire licks the underside of the pan, and how the batter bubbles as it heats up.
Narrator: But in the mid-2000s, a group of DeafBlind people in Seattle realized they should explore their natural tactile instincts, and PT was born in the process.
[the rest of the transcript is posted in replies to this comment]
[Video transcript part 3]
The last shot of the montage is a close up of Jelica and aj’s legs. Jelica maps out spatial information aj’s thigh, tracing lines and applying various finger taps. When Jelica finishes, aj taps and scratches Jelica’s thigh in response.
Narrator: Not meant for sight, PT uses the receiver’s body as its vehicle for communication. Here’s an example of how the two differ: Christine will first use ASL to describing the layout of a building.
The video cuts back to the interview setting. Christine guides Jaimi’s hands around in the air to trace out the shape of the building. She then points to different parts of the imaginary building and signs what’s in those areas. Christine voices what she signs: “In the middle is the tower. And on the sides are two hallways. This one has classrooms, this side has offices. But if I'm going to change it to PT, I'm going to ask Jaimi to give me her hand. And I can use this to draw the visual information.”
The scene continues. Christine pats Jaimi’s hand, which has been placed on top of hers, to signal that she wants Jaimi’s other hand for mapping purposes. Jaimi holds out her hand, palm up. Christine applies finger taps to Jaimi’s palm to indicate the center of the building, then she draws the two hallways extending from either side of the center, one down Jaimi’s forearm, the other up to her fingertips. She then taps the areas on Jaimi’s palm and arm that correspond to the hallways, and explains what each side contains. She voices what she signs: “On each side are hallways, with classrooms and offices.”
Christine then indicates the route to the bathroom. She uses two fingers to walk on Jaimi’s palm, and signs to add information. Christine voices what she is telling Jaimi: “In this hall way you go left to the end. And then take a right. The second door on your left is the bathroom. Jaimi smiles in excitement.
Jaimi: “That's clearer.”
The video cuts to the conference room. During a break in the presentation, Christine draws spatial information on Jaimi’s palm. A woman walks up to converse with them.
Narrator: And this sense of one’s surroundings is vital for DeafBlind people’s safety and autonomy.
The video cuts to another montage of PT demonstration by Jelica Nuccio and aj granda. They sit close together, half facing the camera, half facing each other. Their knees touch. The first shot shows Jelica touching aj’s head and shoulders to describe the length of a person’s hair. One of aj’s hands rests on Jelica’s thigh, and makes tapping motions in response to Jelica’s description. Two arrows appear on screen, indicating the two ways in which information flows between aj and Jelica. One arrow follows Jelica’s arm and points to aj. The other arrow points from aj’s hand on Jelica’s thigh to Jelica.
Narrator: Another key innovation of PT is its two-way communication channel between the speaker and the receiver.
The next shot of the PT montage shows aj describing an intense water current. Her palm makes forceful, successive rubs on Jelica’s arm. Jelica’s other hand, placed on aj’s thigh, makes repeated tapping and scratching motions as Jelica receives aj’s message. An arrow points to Jelica’s hand to highlight its movements.
Narrator: This allows the receiver to transmit reactions and emotions in real time without interrupting the speaker, through a mechanism called backchanneling.
The next shot of the PT montage starts with Jelica speaking to aj, who gives a tap on Jelica’s leg. Two arrows on screen indicate the two-way information flow. Jelica finishes her sentence. As aj starts to speak, she lifts her hand from Jelica’s thigh, and Jelica in turn places a hand on aj’s thigh to provide feedback. The two arrows fade out and two new arrows pointing in the opposite direction fade in.
Narrator: This two-way flow is crucial for a sense of connection and engagement.
Video transitions back to the interview setting. Reporter Jing’s hand stays on Jaimi’s shoulder as he listens to her answer. At one point, Jing taps Jaimi’s shoulder repeatedly, and a circle appears around his hand to highlight the movement. Jaimi smiles and nods in response.
Narrator: During our interview, Christine and I gave tactile feedback to Jaimi.
A shot of Christine tapping Jaimi’s thigh repeatedly. A circle highlights the hand movement.
Narrator: Here, Christine is nodding.
A close up of Christine’s hand making rapid, repeated scratches on Jaimi’s shoulder. Christine’s laughter can be heard off screen.
Narrator: Here, she is laughing.
[the rest of the transcript is posted in replies to this comment]
[Video transcript part 4]
Jaimi (speaking during the interview): If there was no backchanneling, then you kind of get distracted. Because you’re trying to figure out: Are they still with me in this conversation? Did the person turn away? But by having a constant touch, it makes me feel like you care about this conversation, and you care about me. If I trust you, then we're going to have a much clearer conversation.
Video cuts to Jaimi and Christine in the conference room. As Jaimi gives her presentation, Christine places her hand now on Jaimi’s back, now on her shoulder. A montage shows Christine’s hand tapping, scratching and closing into a fist to rub Jaimi’s back. As Jaimi and Christine laugh, Christine scratches Jaimi’s shoulder to convey her mood.
In the next sequence, the audience watches a video about Jaimi’s life. A clip shows Jaimi making coffee in her kitchen. The video’s female narrator, voicing Jaimi’s perspective, says: “My hands are not only tools. They are my eyes and ears too. The way people touch my hands is important: Never grab or pull, using a light touch and gentle guide is much politer.” A blind woman can be seen among the audience. A man in a wheelchair sits in the front row.
Jaimi and Christine chat in ASL as the audience view the video.
Video cuts to the interview setting. Christine uses PT’s mapping technique to describe a space to Jaimi. A close up show Jaimi’s hand on top of Christine’s.
Narrator: Jaimi and Christine are among the thousands of people who have been exposed to PT. As the young language grows, it’s seeing new expressions rooted in DeafBlind people’s experience that don’t exist in any other language.
The video soundtrack rises in intensity as the video cuts to a montage of different aspects of PT. In the first clip, two women interlocutors break into laughter. They guide each other’s hand to their own throat, so the other person can feel the vibration.
The next clip shows a woman talking to two other women in PT. The three sit close together in a cluster, facing each other, their knees touching. The speaker’s two hands make mirroring movements, conveying the same message to the two receivers, who follow what is said with one hand. Both receivers hold out their other hand, palm up, toward the speaker. The two palm’s sides touch. The speaker applies various touches to the two hands, the receivers’ shoulders, and her own chest.
The next sequence shows a man performing PT poetry for two women. All three sit close together, facing each other, knees touching. The man’s hands make mirroring movements on the two receivers’ body. His hands, placed on the back of the women’s heads, start to shake rapidly. Then the shaking hands travel down the receivers’ necks, across their chests, and down their arms to their hands, which are placed on the man’s knees. His hands clasp their hands, and all six hands slowly lift up, continuously shaking, above their heads. The shaking stops.
Narrator: It’s a new frontier of communication and connection.
Jaimi (speaking during the interview): I really want more training actually. I’ve learned some, but I don't really have it all down in depth. So, I would like to certainly learn some more.
Video cuts back to the conference room. Jaimi and Christine thank their audience at the end of the presentation. The audience applauds. Instead of clapping, they shake their open palms above their heads and stomp the ground with their feet. Jaimi and Christine also lift their hands and shake their palms. Then Jaimi and Christine pat each other’s shoulders in celebration. Video cuts to black.
Credit screen: Video produced by Jingnan Peng. Production supervisor: Samantha Laine Perfas. Additional clips: DeafBlind Interpreting (DBI).
Video ends. End of transcript.
I am very grateful to CSM not only for just being, but even specifically for explainitory naming of each article. Thank You
This is beyond fascinating , im in awe of this languish ❤️
I am just now learning about PT communication. This video gave wonderful insight! Thank you!
I learned a few years ago through a TH-cam video about how VRChat was connecting Deaf people all over the world, they had created a place to teach not only hearing people who were interested but also other deaf people other variants of sign Language. It was really cool to see hear people be so interested in learn sign language, with classes utilizing both deaf teachers and teachers who already knew sign language at the same time. All just members of the community who were passionate about learning and connecting with eachother. Learning multiple kinds of sign language, kinds from places around the globe that I didn’t even know existed.
Maybe someday there will the technology to allow tactile communication over the internet so the deafblind can also form this kind of community and connect with eachother no matter where in the world they are. That would be really cool I think.
Thanks from France for that... video put in my playlist #jobforeveryone !
So cool to see a variation of ASL!
Great efforts 👍
honestly I feel like PT works so much better.
Wonderful 🙂🙂
Muy interesante!! 🤟
this is so wholesome! I want to learn this. I have a lot of questions - can 3 people have a conversation this way? Is it possible for cognitively impaired persons to learn this?
omg, this is so cool
What if you're also neurodivergent and sensitive to touch???
Then you receive cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with PT
You seem to be teaching Helen Keller communication skills
I just wish the technology existed to give ALL deaf people successful cochlear implants to the brain so they could at least hear. Nobody should have to live without both sight and sound.
Rather than expecting deaf people to always adapt to what hearing people can do, why not make the environment more adaptive to deaf people? If a person wants a cochlear implant let them get it because THEY want it, not because you believe they should have to live just like you.
@@NotaPizzaGRL👏👏👏
I don't understand. Mrs. Sullivan invented this language over 120 years ago and taught it to Hellen Keller. Why was it reinvented in 2007 when it was available for over 120 years?
Anne Sullivan didn't invent or use pro-tactile. Helen Keller communicated using fingerspelling, where each word was spelled into her hand or the hand of her interpreter using the ASL alphabet. Pro-tactile is an entirely different language and different way of communicating
I understand how awesome this is but surely we can assume that there'd be many deaf & blind people who would feel uncomfortable being touched by strangers.
I guess it depends on one's definition of "uncomfortable." If an adult starts slowly losing their sight, do they feel uncomfortable wandering around a grocery store with a white cane? Yeah! They probably do at first. But after the initial awkwardness wears off, it's probably still preferable to walking into walls or, in this case, never communicating with anyone.
Like they say in the video, deafblind people tend to turn to their tactile instinct. I don’t think they find it uncomfortable when its their only form of communication and exploring.
Bros doin Naruto hand symbols
Why not just draw letters on their Palm to spell words there you go much easier
This isn't new. Protactile has been around in the Deaf and DeafBlind community for a long time.
Covid Said no
I wonder how covid affected this though. That must’ve been all sorts of awful.
A hideo kojima language
Gg comm