Casal de Sords de Barcelona
Hello, I am Santi and I represent the Association of Deaf people in Barcelona (Casal de Sords de Barcelona), of which I have been a member since 2009. As a member and due to my experience in the entity, I have also participated in some tasks. Broadly speaking, I have served as general secretary for two periods of two years each, I have participated in the collection of membership fees, and I have been an accountant supporting the entity’s budgets for two years. It has been a very enriching experience that I have enjoyed very much.
To introduce the association, I will talk a little about its history and development, among other aspects. The current official name of the entity is Casal de Sords de Barcelona, which was founded in 1916. It is an entity that, from this year 2022, has a history of 106 years. It has had a very long history and, therefore, has gone through different stages. In the past, the association was more focused on the field of leisure and entertainment, the organization of tournaments, excursions and outings to nature, dance and social gatherings, among others. Today, the association is more focused on the rights of Deaf people in terms of accessibility and politics. It also has a social character, which exists in parallel to the activist character. The objectives and the struggle of the entity have gone hand in hand in the historical period. In fact, in the 50s and 60s, a women’s section was created, with the aim of defending women’s rights, promoting their participation in the field of sports and their presence in society. This section has already disappeared, due to equality between both genders. Likewise, the entity also participated in the integration of the Deaf in the field of sports and the Silent Sport Group of Barcelona (Cercle Esportiu Silenciós de Barcelona) was formed, the current Sports Group for the Deaf in Barcelona (Club Esportiu Casal de Sords de Barcelona). Currently, the association and the Sports Group function independently.
The association has been led by more than thirty presidents, two of whom have been women. With these 105 years of history, the association is mainly focused on politics and society. There are almost 200 member partners in the entity, which will continue to function for many more years, we hope up to 100 more years! I personally am very happy to be part of it.