Art as advocacy: Dany’s journey
Stigma and discrimination have made school, work and living independently in Peru hard for people like Dany.
Born with sight and hearing loss, Dany wanted to use his experiences to make the world a better place for people with deafblindness. He wanted to speak up and champion his peers, to empower other young people who, like him, had a burning desire to bring about change.
Dany is a visual artist working with paint, drawing, ceramics and now wood. Studying visual arts was a challenge as Dany felt higher education wasn’t for him, but his parents championed his talent and he is now an accomplished artist.
Finding support from Sense International
When Dany came to Sense International Peru, the team recognised his leadership qualities and passion – his “burningness”. They nominated him to take part in the 2018 Helen Keller World Conference, hosted in Spain by the World Federation of the Deafblind.
Dany left the conference feeling inspired. On his journey home, with support from Sense International, he started planning the creation of Association of United Deafblind People of Peru (ASCUP).
“I’m very grateful to Sense and Ricardo. Sense taught me about disability law, and particularly the rights of people with deafblindness. Ricardo supported me to form a partnership for people with deafblindness, working together in our community. We now give talks, organised by Sense, to state organisations and ministries of government.” – Dany
Now, as president of the ASCUP, Dany is fulfilling his dream to be a changemaker. He’s playing a crucial role in collaborating with the Peruvian government and even recently led a sign language course to educate students on supporting people with deafblindness. Danny is paving the way to a more inclusive society and improving life for people with deafblindness across the country.
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