This is one of my most favorite topics to explore! We inhabit a world that is visually and auditorily oriented. In this world, for most, co-presence is already innate, through interactions and our ways of communicating and existing. Except for us, DeafBlind persons, we adapt and learn how to live in this world. That leads us to losing our natural spaces, our need for contact with people and spaces. When we are forced to navigate and adapt to the rigidness of this world, we lose that sense of co-presence, or even just being present… Even worse, not existing.
Everyone that are not DeafBlind, they naturally experience co-presence by knowing our presence, simply through seeing or hearing. Non-DB persons may experience co-presence though typical visual and auditory channels, naturally. They have the advangate of social and emotional development through seeing and hearing peers, environment occurances, behaviors, communication, and languages. They are in their natural modes. They have the privileges to catch immediate nuances, pre-linguistic and linguistic experiences, and more.
What about us? We, simply, do not have that experience. Unless if we are in our most natural mode and forms, in our natural space- and that is protactile space. Our modality is unlike any others, tactile modality. We live through touch.
Unfortunately, we are just beginning to learn how to be co-present through tactile co-presence, and we are excited to share that as we continue more research into this through Protactile Kids grant. We will have infographics and modules coming shortly, stay tuned!
When we would like to connect with the DB person, we have to shift the space into a space that is the most natural- and it may feel unnatural at first. The DB person may need time to unlearn what we have been taught by the touch-taboo society we live in. If that DB person happens to be your baby, your child, your young one, or even a family member, tactile co-presence must begin ASAP, as it is a life-changing experience. The longer we stay with the habits we learned in bad faith, the harder it is to unpack, unlearn, and relearn.
Let’s learn how to co-create a protactile space all together, and be tactility co-present; you will experience something you have not experienced before, in a refreshingly profound way.
2/11/2024
Additional reflections on tactile co-presence:
This makes our interactions, personal and professional, easier and more effective. There are many techniques in how we can establish and maintain tactile co-presence. At first, it may be uncomfortable to some; but once rapport and trust is established, it becomes effective and practical. It promotes a safe space, personal, and working environment. Instead of explaining or translating it, sometimes doing it together and letting us touch through exploration is what we need. Incorporating this more informs us of more social nuances which leads to less assumptions and more stability and security in our shared experiences together.
It is all about joining each other.
Primarily sighted experiences are not always the way to go first. It is important to keep in mind that the way we experience and enjoy activities may be different. This is why we urge to touch more, especially what is happening around us and where we co-navigate through.
Let’s remove distantism together.