From 4 to 6 October, VU University Amsterdam will be hosting Week van Toegankelijkheid (Accessibility Week). Accessibility means more than removing physical and digital barriers, it is also about mutual understanding and inclusion. The VU wants everyone to feel welcome, regardless of background or condition.
During Accessibility Week, we organise various events as part of the long-term programme Studying with a disability. The aim is to create attention and awareness for this issue. This week also sees the official launch of the digital Info Point Studeren met Functiebeperking (Study with Disabilities) (SMF).
Doof kind
Doof kind (Deaf Child) paints a moving portrait of the infectious, deaf Tobias who has found his place in life and does not consider himself to be pitiful at all. Through the use of family videos, we see how Tobias grows up. He maintains a close relationship with his slightly older hearing brother Joachim. Together, they look back on their childhood. Communication with the hearing world is difficult, but Tobias' stay at Gallaudet University in Washington DC - the only deaf university in the world - feels paradisiacal.
The film shows how a disability can just turn into a rich culture and vice versa. Tobias cleverly manages to connect those two worlds: as a teacher of Dutch Sign Language, he teaches hearing students his language and culture. The unconditional acceptance of his deafness provides an opportunity to raise all kinds of questions, ranging from the problems of raising a deaf child and its effects on other family members to the sometimes absurd consequences of a disabled status. Winner audience award IDFA 2017.
