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When I was two years old, I had meningitis and lost my hearing.
So, my mother decided to put me in the Instituto Nossa Senhora de Lourdes.
It was a mixed class of deaf and non-deaf students,
but the teacher knew how to make the adaptations I needed.
It is not just any teacher who can teach a deaf person. The teacher has to be qualified for it.
But when I joined INES (National Institute for Education of the Deaf),
then I learned my language, which is sign language.
I work here at INES as a teacher.
I teach sign language for adult deaf students.
When I am not at INES, I am a volunteer at the Pastoral dos Surdos spreading the word of my religion.
I volunteered for the organizing committee of World Youth Day 2013, translating videos. I translated them into sign language.
Voluntary work is important, because we have to make deaf people aware that they can work as volunteers.
I can be a role model for the deaf, can't I? I can promote the linguistic issue for deaf people.
I created the sign for World Youth Day 2013.
It is as if Jesus is with open arms and embraces our heart.
Then I ended up thinking about the Rio 2016 Olympics...
Will people create a sign? I will try to give Rio 2016 a sign.
Then I had the idea of making the letter R in sign language... then I, O...
signalling the word 'Rio' Rio' in just one hand.
The Olympics... the Olympics form the Olympic rings.
Anyone can work as a volunteer.
Anyone can, but you have to be trained.
It has to be the same as it was at World Youth Day.
We trained blind people, wheelchair users,
and taught them how to work with people with disability.
Then they could work as a volunteer.
I would like to tell deaf people and any other person with a disability
to be a volunteer at Rio 2016.
I am not interested in money. I like to work as a volunteer.
Why? Because then I can show society that people with a disability
can act and participate. We don't need to be excluded.
I can help!