Bámu Dá Mon, Sebastião Palha's project of deaf advocacy for social inclusion in São Tomé e Príncipe

'Bámu Dá Mon' is a unique project led by Sebastião Palha, a portuguese deaf advocate who deeply understands both deaf and hearing communities. His insights, shaped by his personal experiences, help bridge gaps and promote understanding between these communities.

Sebastião's work started with volunteering at WACT in São Tomé e Príncipe. He there saw firsthand the challenges that the local Deaf Association faced. Motivated by this experience, he devoted nearly two years of his life to create 'Bámu Dá Mon', a project that shows his dedication to improving communication and understanding between deaf and hearing people by pursuing social inclusion of the deaf community in the country.

Under Sebastião's guidance, 'Bámu Dá Mon' has been a strong advocate for the depth of deaf culture and the importance of sign language as a main form of communication within the deaf community. The project also promotes mutual acceptance and coexistence, and it acknowledges the positive impact of assistive technologies, like cochlear implants, while also ensuring that the importance of sign language and deaf culture is not forgotten.

'Bámu Dá Mon' has been involved in a range of activities. These include developing a Portuguese manual for the deaf called "In the School of Rosa and Tomé", written by Professor Doctor Ana Mineiro and Master Sebastião Palha. The project also produced an awareness video (https://fb.watch/nvBXYV-A6r/), edited by Rodrigo Rebelo de Andrade.

Adapted from:
https://accesslab.pt/viver-em-dois-mundos-o-dos-surdos-e-o-dos-ouvintes/
https://www.facebook.com/projetobamudamon
https://www.soloadventures.org/post/2019/07/11/sebasti%C3%A3o-as-li%C3%A...