Credits

Project: Libras é Legal
Start: January of 2002
Agreement: FENEIS and Petrobras
Management: Social Consultant
Beneficiaries: 100 thousand people among deaf, educators, teachers of LIBRAS, business and general community
Numbers: 10 thousand LIBRAS É LEGAL kits distributed for free
Site: www.libraselegal.com.br

The LIBRAS É LEGAL promotes the inclusion of deaf people in society and the labor market, bringing the community to Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS). The project developed by FENEIS (National Federation of Education and Integration of the Deaf), with management of the Social Consultant and sponsored by Petrobras started in January of 2002 in order to teach and disseminate the first language of Brazilians deaf.

Currently the project is in the third phase of activities, in the first two were delivered 7500 kits, didactic materials that help in the teaching of LIBRAS for deaf and hearing. Now the goal is the distribution of 10 thousand kits to be used collectively among deaf educators, parents and other interested people.

One of the activities of the LIBRAS É LEGAL project is to open paths for the deaf in the labor market. These paths are opened through meetings with businessmen carried out in several States members.

The project operates in three southern states of Brazil (PR, SC and RS), in the capital of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and the Federal District. To attend a high percentage of deaf people living outside the catchment area of the project, the team of Libras é Legal, along with FENEIS produced a kit that has the same didatic as the original, but it's available for sale on the site of the project (www.libraselegal.com.br).

This initiative enables all interested in the kit, but not part of associations, government agencies and entities who work with deaf people, can have access to the kit and also learn to use the LIBRAS as a means of communication with the deaf.

Deaf citizens

This year of 2007, the LIBRAS É LEGAL project launched a campaign to ensure full citizenship of the deaf, is the Deaf Citizen campaign!

The citizenship of the deaf, requires the knowledge of LIBRAS by the listeners (police, private companies, hospitals, health centers and other sectors of civil society).

In the campaign website (www.libraselegal.com.br/surdocidadao) people interested in joining the campaign can make your registration and send your testimony. The campaign needs 10 thousand access/registrations to be brought to the public.

If listeners do not know LIBRAS, the deaf will continue to be a forgotten citizen. The Brazilian Civil society needs to know Libras to ensure full inclusion of the deaf.