As the result of a coming together of efforts and goodwill, this is how we can summarize the roundtable discussion “Hands that speak and eyes that listen.” This activity was made possible through the coordination of the Association of Deaf People of Popayán –ASOPESORP, La Pamba Educational Institution, recognized for its bilingual-bicultural model that provides instruction in sign language and written Spanish to Deaf children and youth, and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Cauca (the office that oversees the Disability Program known as Unicauca ConSciente). Thus, those present at the roundtable included Dr. Francisco Pino, Vice President for Research; Dr. Aída Patricia González Nieva, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Joan Ortiz, student representative to the Superior Council; as well as a significant group of elementary and secondary school students and teachers.

The event began with a deeply moving artistic performance in which the Deaf students of La Pamba Educational Institution demonstrated their talent and creativity through dance, poetry in sign language, and the performance of the anthems of the University of Cauca and of the Republic of Colombia, also in sign language. This symbolic gesture reaffirmed the message that inclusion is not proclaimed solely through speeches, but is lived and built through actions that dignify the diverse voices and expressions of students. Subsequently, Mario Santacruz, a bilingual Deaf professor, shared a historical overview of the processes of exclusion and discrimination experienced by the Deaf community, recalling that there were even times when the use of sign language was prohibited. His intervention was joined by Juan David Loaiza, president of ASOPESORP, who outlined the laws that protect the rights of the Deaf population in our country, while also underscoring the social and cultural barriers that still persist and limit access to opportunities under conditions of equality.