Pro-Tactile:
DB People at the Center
Chapter 4.2.1
Overview
• ‘Pro-Tactile’ is a philosophy and method
developed primarily by aj granda (she prefers
lower case letters for her name).
• Granda has developed this philosophy and
method in close collaboration with Terra
Edwards and Jelica Nuccio.
• It is central to this curriculum and to an
understanding of the experience of DB people.
Overview (cont.)
• This presentation explains ‘Pro-Tactile’ and
how it can (and should) be applied by SSPs,
interpreters and others in the DB Community.
Definitions & Distinctions
• ‘Pro-tactile’ is:
– a philosophy,
– a method, and
– an attitude.
• It should not be reduced to haptics (relating to
the sense of touch) although it is very much
about touch.
Pro-Tactile is a Philosophy
Philosophy
• As a philosophy, ‘Pro-Tactile’ asserts the right
of DB people to define themselves and their
own culture, and to not be dominated by nondeaf-blind thinking or the values of the
dominant culture.
• This means to value touch and the DB Way,
just as Deaf people value vision, ASL and the
Deaf Community (as opposed to “fitting in”).
Community
• As a philosophy, ‘Pro-Tactile’ rejects the
emphasis on differences such as degrees of
vision or amount of hearing among DB people,
which is based on an individualistic, “case-bycase” conception of what it means to be “deafblind”.
• ‘Pro-Tactile’ affirms the value of a common
tactile language but also community itself.
Responsibility
• The philosophy of ‘Pro-Tactile’ is centered in
the DB experience but it is also about
responsibility of the DB person to:
– take the initiative,
– think for themselves,
– seek out information, and
– do tasks on their own rather than passively
receiving information second-hand at the
discretion of others.
Autonomy vs. Independence
• The DB person who follows a ‘Pro-Tactile’
philosophy does things by themselves (as
opposed to alone).
• In the next slide the DB woman is shown the
position of the elevator button which she then
pushes herself.
• It is about responsibility and about a fuller
experience.
Empowering
• The ‘Pro-Tactile’ philosophy says, “DB can
do!” as in an earlier generation’s “Deaf can
do!” or I. King Jordan’s famous quote, “Deaf
people can do anything but hear.”
• Using touch and their intelligence: Given
access, DB people can do anything but hear
and see.
Pro-Tactile is Pro- (not Anti-)
Pro-, not Anti• ‘Pro-Tactile’ is pro-touch i.e. pro-tactile, proexperience and pro-responsibility.
• It is not anti-vision, anti-hearing or anti-SSPs.
• Just as being “pro-reading” is not being “antimath”, pro-ASL is not anti-English.
• While ‘Pro-Tactile’ promotes the use of touch,
it does not discourage any additional access a
DB person may be able to make use of.
Jorge (left) uses both touch and vision while
listening to Lee.
Pro-Tactile is a Method
Pro-Tactile as a Method
• As a method ‘Pro-Tactile’ supports ‘hands-on’
learning and ‘hands-on’ experience rather than
an experience limited to the DB person’s
partial vision / hearing or vicarious
information.
• SSPs should tell the DB person about the
environment and also facilitate touch as a part
of the experience.
Touch
• The next few slides illustrate DB people using
touch as a part of the experience while using
an SSP on a shopping excursion or learning
about new art in the light rail tunnel. These
are an illustration of the ‘Pro-Tactile’ approach
or method.
Pro-Tactile and SSPs
Sighted Pro-Tactile Method
• The way sighted people and deaf-blind people
use touch will be different, but when sighted
people are with DB people, this method
instructs them (sighted people) to use touch to:
– Maintain a presence (stay in touch with the DB
person)
– Use tactile back-channel signals (including ‘handson’) for listening to a DB person. (See
presentation, “Tactile ASL”)
Staying in Touch
• The next few slides show pictures of sighted
SSPs using touch to communicate nonverbally. This may simply be “I’m here” or it
may be back-channel information (feedback)
during a conversation.
• This staying in touch precludes the DB person
having to talk into a void.
Here the DB woman uses a pro-tactile approach to
choosing bananas while the SSP stays in touch.
Notice the SSP on the left staying in touch with the DB
man. The SSP on the right is doing the same, while the
two DB people are using one hand to talk and one to listen
and do back-channeling.
Pro-Tactile is an Attitude
Pro-Tactile as an Attitude
• ‘Pro-Tactile’ as an attitude or value
emphasizes:
1. The responsibility and ability of DB people to
seek out and get direct information on their own,
rather than to depend on mediated experiences as
filtered through SSPs or others.
2. A rejection of the pressure from the dominant
society to conform to sighted-hearing norms.
Pro-Tactile
is for Sighted People Too
Pro-Tactile for Sighted People
• ‘Pro-Tactile’ is a philosophy that values
equality of all DB people regardless of vision
or hearing, and values the contributions of
non-deaf-blind people who participate as
equals in the DB Community.
• In the pictures that follow you see non-deafblind people listening tactually (while still
using their vision).
Sighted-hearing
person
Sighted-hearing
person
Sightedhearing
person
Sighted-Deaf
person
Radical
• Sighted people listening tactually (as well as
with their vision) is a radical thing. It is
parallel to hearing people communicating with
each other using Sign Language (and no voice)
when in a deaf environment.
• Thus ‘Pro-Tactile’ is also political. It
challenges sighted privilege.
Conclusion
• ‘Pro-Tactile’ is a philosophy, method, attitude
and political movement.
• It is PRO-, not anti-.
• At its root it is egalitarian and values
Community.
• It is inclusive, not exclusive.
• It challenges sighted privilege.