One of the most common disabilities in the coastal region of Oaxaca is sordera, of deafness. It may be THE most common disability since polio has been reduced drastically in frequency. Because of the poor education system in Oaxaca, teachers may not even have an education degree much less a degree in special education- which means two things: one, that children with disabilities receive extra-subpar educations, if any; and two, teachers can not communicate with deaf students.
Moises, a language therapist here at Piña told me that a normal life for deaf children is - less than expected. It´s assumed that kids will never be able to read and write- our writing being based so essentially on sound. So it remains his work to capacitate deaf children to the point that they can lead normal social lives in their families and communities. If they have any hearing, they can wear auxiliares, or customized hearing aids. If their hearing is too low, however, they have to find work where it won´t be necessary to hear. Like almost everyone in Oaxaca, for deaf children, work is more important than education in the long run.

As a pilot project designed by a chinese volunteer, Anali, we started working on a practical, locally-oriented sign language instruction video for children, families and teachers to gain a basic understanding of important sign language vocabulary.
We shot all day last thursday, with two actors and one translator- all three deaf. Spanish didn´t help and neither did English, although I found myself speaking it once in a moment of desperation. All in all it was a very cool experience and I am looking forward to completing our pilot 100 signs.

I am also almost finished editing a 10 minute video for the lifeguards called ¨Salvando Vidas en la Playa de Muertos¨ (guess what that means) that they will bring to Oaxaca with them soon to help in their quest for government paid salaries.

Doing these side projects makes my documentary all the more richer, and not just for the footage that they allow me to collect. I´ve come to heavily value the process of making this film as part of my own education as a filmmaker and as a person. I cannot really describe the feeling that using my resources to give and collect at the same time provokes in me. Just that it is perfect.