With the aim of continuing to promote a more inclusive society, the municipal DIF System continues to give workshops for the learning of Mexican Sign Language to the general public of Puerto Vallarta.
As part of the more than thirty services offered to the Vallarta population, the Program of Attention to People with Disabilities and Attention to the Deaf offers these classes free of charge to the general population.
The course is aimed at adults, youth, and children who wish to learn basic sign language, which will allow them to communicate with people with hearing disabilities, promoting inclusion in this vulnerable sector of the population.
The Sign Language workshop is divided into basic, intermediate and advanced classes. The basic one is for signs assigned with words like mom, dad, thank you, please, the alphabet, greetings, family, and words of transportation. The intermediate consists of being able to form sentences and converse, and the advanced one is to develop body and facial expression, which allows them to start a dialogue with people who have hearing disabilities.
The workshop consists of 20 hours with students receiving a certificate, or a full 60 hours with an acknowledgment of the completion of all classes. People who complete the full workshop can then continue learning sign language in an advanced course offered by the same healthcare agency.
Interested persons can register for the workshop by calling the Deaf Attention office of the Municipal DIF System at 322 225 9936, extension 178. You must have a copy of your birth certificate, proof of address, and CURP.
DIF continues to provide care to the general population from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., prioritizing vulnerable groups such as older adults, single mothers, pregnant women, and the disabled, among others, through the Regional Rehabilitation Unit located on Avenida Paseo de las Palmas in sunny Puerto Vallarta.