Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts and Step Together

Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts and Step Together, conquer the peak.



The upcoming weekend will be marked by alpine volunteer actions Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts, which will characterize the atmosphere in 15 mountain huts over the summer, and Step Together, conquer the peak, which will accompany the blind and visually impaired to four mountain huts this weekend. The project partners aim to demonstrate through the involvement of volunteers, hut keepers, and hut visitors that the mountains are accessible to all, including the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as the blind and visually impaired, and that as a society we are capable of inclusive action.







The all-Slovenian alpine action Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts experienced an excellent response in its first edition last year, both among the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and people with cochlear implants as well as among the hearing. This year it started already in May at Planina nad Vrhniko, with the majority of events taking place from late June to mid-September. On Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, the deaf will serve in the Planinski dom na Zelenici, and the action will be accompanied on Saturday by the special event Step Together, conquer the peak, where the blind and visually impaired will be served by the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and the blind and visually impaired will also head this weekend to the mountain huts on Boč, Gorjanci, and Čavn. Both actions are part of the Week of Lifelong Learning.







The mission of the Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts action, organized by the Planinstvo za invalide/osebe s posebnimi potrebami Committee of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) and the Youth Association for People with Hearing Impairments VKLOP/IZKLOP (MOOSVID), is to enable full accessibility and inclusion of the deaf and hard-of-hearing in the social environment and entry into the labor market, to raise awareness of their abilities, and to establish cooperation among people united by their love of hills and mountains; its purpose is to promote Slovenian Sign Language and inclusion, raise awareness of deafness and hearing impairment, dispel fears, and increase the level of inclusion. The deaf will serve on June 29 and 30 also in the mountain huts on Boč, Uštah - Žerenku, and pri Gospodični na Gorjancih, on July 6 and 7 in Tamar, on Okrešelj, and Kriške pode, on August 3 and 4 on Kredarica, pod Stolom, and in Ruška koča, on September 7 and 8 on Kamniško sedlo, Čemšeniki planina, and Slavnik, and the action will conclude on September 14 and 15 on Mrzlica.







The Step Together, conquer the peak action takes place under the auspices of the Planinstvo za invalide/OPP Committee of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Slovenia, and the Association of Lions Clubs of Slovenia, which aim with united forces to encourage as many blind, visually impaired, and people with visual impairments as possible to join the action, to present mountaineering as an option for active leisure time, to bring blindness closer to others and society with menus in Braille and large print, and with appropriate support for the blind and visually impaired to enable reaching alpine goals. Blind and visually impaired hikers will thus on Saturday, June 22, under professional guidance head to Zelenica and Planinski dom na Boču, on June 23 to Planinski dom pri Gospodični na Gorjancih and Koča Antona Bavčerja na Čavnu. All hikes will be inclusive and thus intended for all hikers.







"With the preparation of both actions, together with the mountain hut keepers, we stepped into the unknown. With great willingness to collaborate and openness of the participants, we succeeded in breaking imaginary barriers and showing that mountaineering can include and unite. With the actions, we also convey that practically anyone can engage in mountaineering. We have full support from hut keepers or tenants and alpine associations, which is the basis for successful implementation of the actions. They skillfully adapted to the new challenge of collaborating with vulnerable groups; their approach is open, full of understanding, and they actively joined in creating the action's implementation. We all ventured into unknown activities that raised the level of inclusion, acceptance, and understanding of difference," explains Jurček Nowakk, head of the Planinstvo za invalide/OPP committee and long-time PZS guide. The Planinstvo za invalide/OPP PZS committee received recognition from the Youth Council of Slovenia on June 11, 2019, for the best volunteer project of 2018 for its pilot and sustainably oriented project of including people with special needs in sports or recreational activities. The committee also organizes inclusive hikes for the disabled and training for professional staff from summer to autumn.







Jurček Nowakk and Marjeta Čič, representatives of the alpine association in the Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts working group, emphasize that the basis of the entire action is inclusion in society and recognition of every individual in society, which also reflects the motto Be Inclusive. "With the Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts action, we have taken a solidarity step in society. For the purpose of the action, we motivated volunteers to socialize through various activities and enabled them to realize hidden wishes - to be noticed, accepted, included, and connected; the huts and alpine associations as well as municipalities and participating organizations support this with open doors and listening. We also contributed to the active lifestyle of all nature visitors, where examples of good practices and good stories emerged," emphasizes deaf hiker Maja Kuzma, head of the Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts action working group; Daša Peperko, representative of the MOOSVID association, adds: "We also aim to raise awareness of the deaf community in general and especially about the use of Slovenian Sign Language. This fits perfectly with the Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts action, which promotes inclusion among different communities, building bridges for collaboration and breaking stereotypes about the deaf and Slovenian Sign Language. At the same time, deaf youth have the opportunity to present their culture to many, which is phenomenal, as most do not have it in everyday life."







"Only with courage and determination can we ensure accessibility to information, mutual understanding, and acceptance of difference. In this way, the blind and visually impaired also prove and assert ourselves as full or equal members of society. Open to nature, receptive to movement and new experiences. Because we want to prove to ourselves and others that we can. Because we want to be an example to all who have vision problems. Because we must also or primarily ourselves take care of raising awareness of the general public about blindness. Because we must constantly remind those responsible to arrange accessibility to space, services, and information. Let's throw away stereotypes that divide us and are a source of misunderstanding. Let's be active and prove that there are no insurmountable differences between the sighted and the non-sighted. Therefore, let's step together and conquer as many peaks as possible," says Igor Miljavec, head of the No Barriers for the Blind/Visually Impaired working group, long-time president of the Intermunicipal Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Nova Gorica.







Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts







DATE



MOUNTAIN HUT



22–23 June



Planinski dom na Zelenici



29–30 June



Planinski dom na Boču

Planinski dom na Uštah - Žerenku

Planinski dom pri Gospodični na Gorjancih



6–7 July



Planinski dom Tamar

Frischaufov dom na Okrešlju

Pogačnikov dom na Kriških podih



3–4 August



Triglavski dom na Kredarici

Ruška koča

Valvasorjev dom pod Stolom



7–8 September



Kamniška koča na Kamniškem sedlu

Dom dr. Franca Goloba na Čemšeniški planini

Tumova koča na Slavniku



14–15 September



Planinski dom na Mrzlici







Step Together, conquer the peak







DATE



MOUNTAIN HUT



22 June



Planinski dom na Zelenici

Planinski dom na Boču



23 June



Planinski dom pri Gospodični na Gorjancih

Koča Antona Bavčerja na Čavnu











Additional information:



Jurček Nowakk, Planinstvo za invalide/OPP PZS committee, 041 770 798, pin-opp@pzs.si



Maja Kuzma, Deaf Serve in Mountain Huts working group, gluhistrezejo@gmail.com



Igor Miljavec, No Barriers for the Blind/Visually Impaired working group, 01 470 0 211, planinci@zveza-slepih.si