Sign Language Games | Deaf Culture Week | Workshops
What?
“Sign Language Games” is a workshop for children led by Olga Romanowska—an educator, specialist in deaf education, and advocate for Polish Sign Language. The event invites both hearing and Deaf children to play together, during which differences in communication styles become a source of inspiration for collaboration and getting to know one another.
The workshops will take place within the “Primer of Empathy” exhibition at the Center for Dialogue, which focuses on diversity, mindfulness, and mutual respect. Through movement, facial expressions, gestures, and basic signs of Polish Sign Language, participants will work together on tasks, take part in games and icebreakers, and discover that communication can take many different forms. The activities foster empathy, creativity, and the ability to collaborate, demonstrating that playing together can become a natural language of understanding that transcends hearing barriers.
Who?
Olga Romanowska—a special education teacher for the Deaf, instructor and interpreter of Polish Sign Language (PJM), educator, and advocate for the Deaf community. She has been Deaf since birth and is fluent in both Polish Sign Language and spoken Polish. For many years, she has been working with children and youth, combining her pedagogical experience with educational and outreach activities. She is the creator of the “Migowe Zabawy” project, which promotes the learning of PJM through shared play, games, and educational activities.
For Whom?
The workshops are designed for children in grades 1–3 of elementary school—both hearing and Deaf. This program is intended for school groups that want to learn the basics of Polish Sign Language through play, develop empathy, and discover that different ways of communicating can be a source of cooperation rather than a barrier.
Why is it worth it?
The Łódź of Many Cultures Festival reminds us that diversity isn’t limited to different traditions or national languages. It also encompasses different ways of communicating and experiencing the world. “Sign Language Games” show the youngest participants that Polish Sign Language is a language in its own right, and that gestures, facial expressions, and movement can foster understanding just as effectively as words. Through group activities and games, children learn openness, cooperation, and respect for diversity, discovering that empathy develops best through shared experiences.
Accompanying event. Co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the “Linguistic Diversity” grant program of the Institute for Linguistic Diversity of the Republic of Poland.
Availability
The workshops will be conducted with interpretation between PJM and spoken language, making them accessible to both Deaf and hearing children. Participation in the event is free.
The event takes place in the “Elementarz empatii” exhibition space on the first floor. The Dialogue Center building is accessible to people with mobility impairments. It features wide, non-automatic entrance doors, an accessible restroom, and an elevator. The theater is located on the ground floor and has a ramp; the auditorium includes seating for people in wheelchairs. In front of the building, there is a large parking lot with marked spaces for people with disabilities. Assistance dogs and guide dogs are welcome both in the building and in the auditorium. The building is equipped with the ToTuPoint audio navigation system. The entrance to the parking lot is on Wojska Polskiego Street. Nearby bus and tram stops include: Wojska Polskiego/Centrum Dialogu and Wojska Polskiego/Sporna.
Photos: Olga Romanowska, press materials.