Tyron Woolfe: The qualified but unemployed deaf men in Santiago (BSL)

Tyron is sharing a number of reflective blogs on Limping Chicken about the people he met and what he learned in Latin America.  Tyron has been travelling Latin America and returns from 7months away in March.

Santiago is the capital of Chile, it sits half way between the northern rural parts and the southern area of Patagonia etc.  I remember thinking just how busy the city traffic was yet thinking it was rather small for a capital city. It wasn’t until later when I went up the Costanera Center Torre 2 that I realised just how big it was!

To watch Tyron sign his article click play below:

My hosts knew you, Cristobal, and kindly put us in touch. We had agreed to meet up for the evening. You kindly texted to check if I was okay on the day and to reassure me you would wait for me as I was stuck in some small traffic.

We met up outside the metro station, Santa Lucia. Santiago has a number of must-sees, and I had thought I had already been up Santa Lucia, a hill famous for its views of the city. When we met and started walking up a hill, I quickly realised I hadn’t been to this famous landmark yet! “What was that hill I’d gone up last week?” I thought to myself! A not-very-famous one, with much less height!  It was no wonder I wasn’t inspired on that day!

We enjoyed the views whilst walking uphill over paved slabs and cobbles and dusty pathways. We admired the sunset and saw several people taking photos.

I got to know you and Vicente, your friend, as we walked up. We started with the usual pattern of working out our international sign fluency, our different particular signs, then a bit about my travels insofar and what I was doing in the Americas. I later asked both of you about life in Santiago for you and especially for deaf people. I learned a lot from you both.

In summary:

• Many employers in Chile do not want to employ deaf or disabled people.
• Vicente lost his job most recently, and it was blatant discrimination – hearing colleagues still remain there.
• You haven’t found your first job yet. You paid 280,000 pesos (324 pounds) each month for your University education over 4 years.
• You had to pay for interpreters during your degree, this is means tested.
• Welfare is only 104,000 pesos each month (120 pounds). This gives you literally nothing, especially after transport costs at about 700pesos per hour.
• There is a new law as of April 2017 that dictates that 1% of employees should have a disability, but with 18million Chileans this number is ridiculous.
• There is practically nothing free in Chile for deaf people. No freedom pass or reduced travel. You have to pay for your own audiological equipment. You have to pay for interpreters for any work related meetings. You have to pay for interpreters for University lectures, although this does get means-tested.
• The divide between the rich and poor is very big in Chile compared to the UK; otherwise known as income inequality
• Many people, including your families, just think its best for you to move to another country, e.g. Spain. Its bewildering!!
• Many deaf people are still living with their parent/s compared to hearing people of a similar age, they just cannot afford it.

Marches have been arranged year after year by the Chilean Deaf Association. I saw the Deaf Association building, it looked really nice, like a huge house. It was given to deaf people by Pinochet, (previous president of Chile until politics changed in 1988).  No rent or payments was needed. However the deaf association is totally run by volunteers. There is no CEO or staff to do the work that is needed to bring about change, it is all voluntary and easily exposed to unfair criticism and malpractice.

Many deaf people have given up on the marches and have started to decline going to the Deaf Association especially with the advance of mobile phones and social media. Thus to form a critical mass to bring about change politically has always been a struggle.

It was rather difficult for me to even try to imagine how difficult things must be for you. It was the sheer depletion of motivation in your faces that struck me, rather than lack of. You both were evidently smart and keen to digest information. You just wanted to work, to do something productive but you have been turned down so many times it has exhausted you. You also knew your deaf friends across Chile were almost all unemployed.

The father in my host family lost his hearing at 1yr, he was brought up orally and heavily educated by his Mother. He had acquired sufficient speech and was one of the lucky deaf people today to be in good employment. This is not to say speech is necessary, but it was interesting to note his advantage compared to you in terms of gaining employment; discrimination.

Given that you were both unemployed, I didn’t have the heart for us to go to a pricy restaurant. I suggested we hunt a cheap place, you suggested a burger bar near your home that was owned by a deaf man. I was intrigued. I’ve been to other deaf-owned restaurants, e.g. Mozzeria in San Francisco. We have also had all the hype about Starbuck’s employment of deaf people. So why not!

At Inclusiva, the burger bar, I recognised that the owner was clearly hard of hearing – although he signed to us. Again, an oral deaf person had employment. Amongst his staff was a female deaf signing waitress who served us and got talking with us about employment. She had more positivity about her, she believed things will improve.

We were served a special menu which didn’t cost the world. It was good to see how Inclusiva shows the world that deaf people can run their own business – I could see the awareness amongst the many hearing customers who came for food. I was impressed with the concept, although I could see that for you Cristobal, it was not so motivating. You wanted to do something with your degree in graphic design. The same for Vicente, who has a degree in computer engineering.

It was hard for me to know what to suggest to you both. I certainly don’t think everyone should just move to another country, but that’s easy for me to say. I just cannot really understand why such a beautiful country with its large income inequality can allow widespread discrimination and not see the economic and psychological benefits to be gained if deaf people were supported into work.

As we said goodbye, it was hard for me to not feel somewhat guilty in a sense, because I was going to enjoy travelling more. I know you both had no ill-feelings, and I would not say you were jealous at all. You both hugged me goodbye and we agreed to hope to meet again.  I wished you both much luck and you wished me luck too. Vicente gave me a bracelet and said it had been blessed by Buddha and wanted it to guide me forward. I was touched.

As I travelled Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama,  I came across more qualified deaf people who are struggling to find work.  It led me to conclude that this is the situation for 1000s of deaf people in Latin America although there will always be exceptions.  It feels unfair and I know that by sharing my learning with my UK friends and family there has been great appreciation of how good things are in the UK.  Numerous employment support projects, the welfare benefits unemployed people can get, and all the freebies we take for granted.

It also reminded me of how fed up I got over the past few years with deaf people wanting more and more, especially when they have so much in the UK. Talking with you and Vincente reminded me of how much I have achieved with thanks to the UK system and how I was in a fortunate position to travel for so long whilst considering my experience, qualifications and thus options for my next career move.

If anything, meeting you and Vincente made me really value my life and experiences and opportunities more. Gracias amigos.

Tyron is travelling the Americas until his money runs out. Part of the opportunity whilst travelling includes developing some of his writing skills and his blog has been recently shared with his friends and wider.

Tyron is in his early 40s and loves a good laugh and cuddle with friends and family. He has worked for over 20 years with deaf children and young people. He is keeping an eye out for his next career move whilst travelling. His travel writing focuses on the people he has met whilst travelling rather than about the places he has seen.