Communication and inclusion through Romanian Sign Language: lessons on deafblindness at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the University of Bucharest

On Sunday, December 14, participants in the postgraduate program Communication and Interpretation in Romanian Sign Language, organized by the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the University of Bucharest (UB), took part in a class dedicated to deafblindness – the combination of visual and hearing impairments, often in severe or total forms.

The activity was led by Etelka Csondi, Director of Sense International Romania, and Viorel Micu, a teacher at the Special High School for the Visually Impaired in Cluj-Napoca. Together, they offered participants an in-depth and practical perspective on how people with deafblindness communicate.

During the session, participants experienced different degrees of vision and hearing loss and explored alternative communication methods used by people who cannot see or hear, such as the Lorm alphabet or tracing letters on the palm. The exercises highlighted both the enormous effort required for communication and the extraordinary resilience of those who – without ever having seen or heard, or having done so only briefly – manage to build relationships and meaning through these methods.

A particularly impactful experience was represented by spatial guidance exercises carried out with eyes blindfolded and ears covered, even when accompanied by a guide. Spaces that were extremely familiar to most participants, such as the faculty corridors, became completely unfamiliar, generating a profound sense of vulnerability and insecurity.

At the end of the day, participants and instructors interpreted a Christmas carol in Romanian Sign Language, in a moment of strong emotional intensity. They were joined by the instructors teaching in the program that semester, as well as friends of the program and guests actively involved in the life of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Romania.

For participants, interpreting the carol in Romanian Sign Language was an exercise in communication and belonging, in which the message was conveyed through the expressiveness of gestures and facial expressions, beyond sound. The moment strengthened the bond among students, teachers, and guests and emphasized the importance of equal access to cultural expression for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

The postgraduate program Communication and Interpretation in Romanian Sign Language, organized by the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the University of Bucharest, offers participants not only professional training but also direct experiences that transform perspectives on communication and inclusion.

In the current academic year, 27 students are enrolled in the postgraduate program Communication and Interpretation in Romanian Sign Language, the only program accredited by the Ministry of Education and Research that grants qualification as an interpreter in Romanian Sign Language (RSL).

Its graduates will become interpreters in public institutions, courts of law, television, events, special education schools, and other settings, given that current legislation requires public and private authorities, institutions, and organizations to provide Deaf and/or hard-of-hearing persons with authorized Romanian Sign Language interpreters free of charge.

More details about the postgraduate program Communication and Interpretation in Romanian Sign Language are available here.