Experience silence. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS & BODY LANGUAGE SIGN LANGUAGE BEING DEAF DEAF CULTURE & MUSIC
HANDS UP is a project by equalizent. HANDS UP is a year-round, interactive exhibition that takes visitors gently and with a lot of humour on an exciting journey into the world of silence. The aim of this journey is to reduce fear of contact with deaf people and to build bridges between the world of the hearing and that of the deaf.
You can find the new location of the exhibition in Viennas 2nd district at Blumauergasse 6, 2nd courtyard, 1st floor.
Here are some pictures from the re-opening.
equalizent – Schulungs- und Beratungs GmbH
What is life like when you are Deaf? How does Sign Language work? How do Deaf people perceive music? All this and much more can be experienced at HANDS UP – Experience Silence.
The exhibition is a project of equalizent – Training and Consulting Ltd, located in the Schottenstift (Scots Abbey), it shares premises in a 700-year old cellar vault with Dialog im Dunkeln (Dialogue in the Dark).
During your visit to the exhibition rooms – alone or guided by Deaf guides – you are insulated from the world of sound using earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones. Interacting with your guide or your fellow visitors, you quickly learn how much you can understand or explain without using your voice: face, body and hands take over communication. Facial Expressions, Body language, Sign Language, Every Day Life, Culture and Music: visitors experience the different areas of the exhibition with humour.
Often, it is just about gaining in confidence. A visit to our exhibition can encourage that. “Whether children or adults, everyone is always amazed and excited when they see that communication works with a bit of imagination and goodwill.” (Alicia Eliskases, HANDS UP Guide) We want to build on our visitor’s enthusiasm to enable us to break down barriers in the minds of hearing people. The exhibition ensures greater visibility of the Deaf community. “That’s why the exhibition features a section on famous Deaf people, as well as the history and culture of the Deaf.” (Alicia Eliskases, HANDS UP Guide)
“When hearing people realise that I’m Deaf, they usually look up in panic.” Alicia Eliskases, GUIDE
Companies, stakeholders from a variety of sectors including culture, social, business, industry and politics, schools, universities and educational institutes, as well private persons and tourists.
- The exhibition is well suited for school classes, promoting social and communicative skills.
- For companies, we recommend visiting the exhibition as a teambuilding activity. We have put together special team building packages that promote cohesion and cooperation amongst company employees.
- We also offer company celebrations (such as Christmas parties) which can be combined with a visit to the exhibition
- International guests to Vienna find HANDS UP the perfect way to immerse themselves in a different culture and at the same time, visit the historic cellar vaults of the Schottenstift. All exhibits and video clips are translated into English.
Austrian Sign Language: With this, Monika Haider clears up a common misconception of hearing people: Sign language is not international. Every country has its own sign language and there are even regional dialects, just as there are in spoken languages!
Click, tap or hover over the Teammember to see their Sign Language Name.
ALICIA ELISKASES
Andreea Cuparescu
Zdravko Vujicic
Elisabeth Röhrbacher
![[:en]Wiener Linien Logo[:]](https://handsup.wien/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wl_rote_lin_180x90.jpg){kind=small}
