How did the WFD Board manage the different power distances while meeting and working?

During our work in the WFD there have been some conflicts caused by lack of knowledge. I would like to emphasize that knowledge is everything. You work well together if you have the same knowledge on the world. I have encouraged these, who experienced or caused conflicts to study more on the actual issue, and then return to the work with new knowledge.

 

Do you have experiences from conflicts or collisions between different cultures?

Yes, we’ve experienced some conflicts. But it happens mostly between different religions, such as the Islam, and the Protestants and the Catholics. Religion is really powerful. If conflicts should occur, I usually encourage them to think about being Deaf should be first, then the religion. That helps to make people cooperate and share the same goal and visions. There are almost no conflicts in Deaf issues. Back in time, there were some conflicts between the Orals and Deaf members, but nowadays there’s only Deaf Members.

 

Some Arabs have asked me about the idea of creating only one Sign Language in the Arabic Countries to simplify the cooperation and strengthen the Deaf Organisations. I did not encourage them to do so, because in each Arabic country there’s different cultures, and their own Sign Languages. I do not like the idea of creating a single Sign Language across physical and cultural borders.

 

Are Deaf people less religious than others?

From my experiences while travelling, I appreciate those Deaf people who are more Deaf being than they are religious. The religion is something which should be kept private, especially if you are working with other religions/cultures. I again encourage the Deaf people share their ideas and visions with each other. That will strengthen the Deaf Community and also the work of the WFD. The Youth should also be more active and I appreciate the recent increase of Youth participation in the WFD.