Another Farewell

Today Jonathan Hooker (black shirt), a really fine advisor to the deaf program at Krousar Thmey, came to say goodbye to us at DDP as he finishes his volunteer term.  Jonathan has been instrumental in linking Krousar Thmey and the Deaf Development Programme and in arranging financing and keeping our sign language committee functioning.  His replacement will be Juliet who came with him today.  On the right is Keat Sokly, the co-director of DDP.

IDPD 2018

Today was Cambodia’s official celebration of the International Day for People with Disabilities.  The UN-designated day was 3 December but the government here transferred the celebration to today.  The annual event is rather a charade.  No person with a disability spoke or had any role in the planning or enacting of the celebration.  No person with a disability was even on the stage except for Mr. Veasna, in a wheelchair, who is head of the National Center for People with Disabilities.  We were required to be in the hall 1.5 to 2 hours before the starting point, the deputy prime minister spoke for 1.5 hours, they gave $1.25 to each person with a disability, and that was it.

The deputy prime minister spoke an hour and a half, the only event of the celebration.
This was the reaction of the people with disabilities sitting beside and behind me.
This our DDP sign language interpreter. Notice how many of the deaf people are following the interpretation she is giving of the speech.

Welcome to the Philippines….Not

I’m in the Philippines for an Asian Catholic deaf conference.  The trip was rather routine and even enjoyable until I actually got here.  More about that tomorrow when I start documenting the trip.  Getting through immigration was a trip and then the taxi couldn’t find the hotel.  But I’m here now and because it’s so late, I’m going to bed.  More in the morning.