Cheering fans, shrill whistles and sometimes horrific bellowing: that's what makes the atmosphere in football stadiums - and he doesn't hear any of that: Ricardo Scheuerer is a deaf referee who referees football matches for hearing people in Germany's national league. Growing up in a family of deaf top athletes, he learnt early on what fairness in sport means in particular. The 29-year-old refereed the European Deaf Championships back in 2015. He regulates his assignments using facial expressions and gestures, sometimes with the help of a pad and pen. On Wednesday, 19 June, Scheuerer will be a guest in Prof. Dr Sabine Radtke's lecture from 7.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and will talk about his experiences. Anyone interested is cordially invited to attend the event in room SP 2 0 201. Two sign language interpreters will also be on site. Registrations are possible until Monday, 17 June, via e-mail to sabine.radtke@uni-paderborn.de.
The lecture entitled ‘Fundamentals of inclusive sport in school and extracurricular settings’ is also about shedding light on the perspective of inclusion from the point of view of various experts and, not least, breaking down fears of contact. "Deafness is rarely discussed in the hearing public. This is because there are generally few points of contact with deaf people, especially with athletes,’ says Radtke. "The topic of deafness is inextricably linked to the topic of “deaf culture” - because the deaf community does not see its deafness as a disability, but considers itself a cultural minority that has its own language: sign language. As a result, for many deaf people, inclusion means that we hearing people approach the perceptual possibilities of the sign language community, learn sign language and familiarise ourselves with the special features of deaf culture,’ she continues.
The rough atmosphere on the football pitch is countered by rigid official channels: His main job is in one of the highest federal authorities. Scheuerer is now also Vice President for Communication at the German Deaf Sports Association (DGSV).
This text has been translated automatically.
