Learning Sign Language in a remote school of Diafani, Karpathos | Greece

In the remote edge of Karpathos island in Greece, Vasilis and Marinos are the last students of elementary school in Diafani village, a small place in which grandmothers use to wear traditional costumes every day in their whole life. This village is unique in the whole world and due to their difficult life, this tradition is about to die within the next few years..

The two students with their teacher Theodora Koukourikou are trying to make their very own school an alternative place in which miracles can be happened and dreams can be created.

One of their acrivities is to learn sign and braille language. The two students didn't know how it feels to be deaf or blind since they have never seen people like them.. They didn't even know how they communicate with other people. So, their teacher starts emotional education workshops in order to help the kids realize how it feel to be unique and different at the same time, using the power of empathy. The students within some month they learn basic words in sign language and using the braille alphabet they learned to write messages and small textes, learning to express words of love in a special education language. Furthermore, they played together games for deaf and blind people, like closing the eyes and try to catch the ball with the bells using only the power of hearing and touching.

In Greek National Celebration of 25th of March, a celebration about the Revolution of Greece in 1821, the only two students and their teacher sing the greek National Hymn in Greek Sign Language in order to put empasis in the fact that Greek deaf people deserve to know the history, the importance and the words of their National Hymn. That's how they will help them feel equal and be part of the audience and generally the greek community as they have to and as they deserve.