Photo: Amir Tomer (left) and Mark Grey. Credit: Ohad Kab
[EDITOR’S NOTE: we are interested in how many Deaf people participated in Eurovision activities and signing songs competition including teachers and students. JDCC News would like to hear from you! Please send email to [email protected]]
Found on Facebook:
[EDITOR’S NOTE: According to Haaretz, Amir Tomer is chief scriptwriter of the 2019 Eurovision competition in Tel Aviv]
Tomer: It all started a year ago. I started as a producer of the Student Union at Ben-Gurion University and where we started an accessibility initiative never seen before in Israel – sign language in musical performances.
Sign Language? In music? What is the connection?
Backward logic – This Is The Context!
Today, in 2018, hundreds of thousands of deaf and hearing-impaired people live in the State of Israel, starting their lives off at a disadvantage as opposed to those who can hear. They’re not poor or weak, and I’m not a savior. All we need is to raise awareness in Israel, and in the whole world.
In my position as production coordinator we produced the first accessible musical concert in Israel – in front of more than 6,000 audience members – and the responses we got were incredible. Thanks to the many accessibility efforts on campus, Ben-Gurion University was awarded the title “The First Accessible University in Israel” by the Israel Center for Deaf Studies and Shirley Pinto.
And so it continued. Accessibility and signing was prominent during our landmark Southern Student Day festivities and was followed up by the Student Days productions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Slowly but surely, we reached the most popular radio station in Israel – ‘Galgalatz’ – an important effort to raise awareness of the subject, in front of more than 35,000 people, and to my delight, the musical performances of Gay Pride Parade in Israel were also translated to Sign Language.
And we’re only getting started!
So, what’s going on today? Today I am proud to officially launch the Sign Now initiative to promote recognition of sign language as an official languages for tens of millions of the deaf and hearing-impaired in the world.
And what better opportunity to raise awareness of sign language than in the world’s largest musical show – Eurovision 2019 in Israel!
Play Video – www.facebook.com/sign.now8191/videos/264803630773493/
Video Description: The opening event of the Student Union at Ben Gurion University
The first accessible musical concert in Israel 31.10.2017
Imagine – May 2019. Hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Seven continents, bar with friends or home with the family Open the TV and see on the stage of the most famous musical show in the world Sign Language Interpreter Dance to the music and sign in sign language to the deaf and hard of hearing audience.
So … now I need your help
If you know someone who can help I would love you to tag. If not, please share so we can reach the right people.
Let’s make it happen.
Let’s celebrate diversity !
Thank you Thank you Thank you !!
Amir Tomer
