Do you feel included?

Given a context, it’s an easy question to answer directly with a yes or no…

But unfortunately, a LOT of people, even in various contexts, would answer “no.” And I can’t help but wonder… how is it possible that in a world as vast and diverse as ours, with countless cultures rooted in the experiences of intelligent human life in harmony with nature (theoretically)… and yet a lot of us still feel excluded… surely something is wrong…

Is it the people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time? Is it the places that aren’t right for the people? Is it the people who aren’t right for other people? Okay, I’ve hit a “blue screen” with philosophy here 😂

Even as I ask myself these questions… I also understand that there’s obviously a reason why everything is so different, and that each case is unique, but I dream of a world that’s just a little more empathetic… After all, given how far humanity has advanced—and continues to advance every minute—how is it that there’s still a society completely divided into castes, with no possibility of social mobility for individuals who are fully intellectually developed but can’t even manage to have a decent life? And I’m not talking about religion, like how society is divided in India, for example.

I’m talking about developed countries (as they say 😒… “first world” countries), governed by democracy and liberalism….why is it so difficult, in the middle of 2026, to include those who aren’t part of the majority?

The concept is simple, I believe: inclusion is the act of ensuring that all people, regardless of their physical, social, or cognitive differences, have equal access to opportunities and are actively welcomed. More than simply allowing their presence, it requires the removal of barriers to full participation in society.

Yeah, okay…..my questions simply thrown out into the wind can’t possibly be answered, hahaha, I know!! But I, for one, overthink everything – no secret there 😅 – but out of the blue, while creating content for our little blog and social media, I’ve been thinking these past few days… and I’ve never seen a single social media post that’s even slightly more targeted or that at least includes people who can only communicate through sign language…Maybe I should look more thoroughly, on various social media platforms…

Well, I actually saw a cool video on TikTok from the Sonic Temple 2026 festival (Columbus, OH-USA) where the sign language interpreter was translating the songs into sign language with all the emotion that goes with it! Check it out:

@sonictemplefestival

🤟 @Sublime

♬ original sound – Sonic Temple Festival

I thought it was really cool 😅

But I don’t know anyone in my circle who has special needs to the extent that they require this kind of inclusion (sign language, for example), which is precisely why I was wondering: is there anything specifically designed for this purpose? Is there enough content available for this segment of the population (an estimated 400 million people worldwide use sign language and its variants)?

Oh man… me and my questions, hahaha….😇 The thing is, I don’t even know if there’s exclusive content and all that, but with that in mind, still about the sign languages, I’ve started digging around – just for my own knowledge – and I’ve got some fun facts I’d like to share with you guys here:

• Sign language is not universal. Just like spoken languages, each country has its own sign language, with its own unique vocabulary and grammar. It is estimated that there are between 138 and 300 different sign languages in the world. They evolve independently, reflecting the culture, history, and experiences of local Deaf communities. Even countries that share the same spoken language may have completely distinct sign languages – wow 😱
• There is no specific documented date or location, but the earliest records of the organized use of gestures for communication date back to the 16th century in Europe (France).🇫🇷
• It was not until 1960 that researcher William Stokoe proved that American Sign Language (ASL) was a complete and independent natural language with its own grammatical structure, changing global perceptions; from that point on, other countries recognized their own sign languages as official (not including dialects and regional variations).🙁
• In sign languages, facial expressions aren’t just used to show emotion. They function as part of the grammar.🧏‍♀️
• In 1880, during the Second International Congress on the Education of the Deaf, held in the Italian city of Milan, oral education was deemed superior to manual education. As a result, sign language was banned in schools for the deaf. In the United States, this ban was not officially lifted until 2010. 🫣
• There are specialized sign language signs for fields such as technology, science, and mathematics.👩‍🏫👨‍🏫
• Just as in spoken languages, slang and idiomatic expressions also exist in sign languages. An example in ASL (American Sign Language) is the expression “train-go-sorry,” which is equivalent to “missed the opportunity” in English.🚂➡️🫤
• Indo-Pakistani Sign Language is the most widely used sign language in the world, with approximately 6.3 million users.😱
• Since 2014, the international Deaf community has had its own flag:

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See if you can spot the differences, for example, between the alphabets of Germany, the United States, France and Brazil:

And this is a video for our social media where I used a Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) app. It’s free and can be downloaded or used directly in your browser. I thought it’s really nice!

I’m looking into ways to make our content as inclusive as possible. Right now, I’m exploring ways to turn some of our posts into podcasts, including discussions and guests who can talk about the topics.

Do you have any suggestions on how we can share our content in a more inclusive way?

I’d love to hear your new ideas, and we can work together!!

In this post, I focused mainly on sign language, but in future posts we’ll also cover other forms of diversity and their place in today’s world ❤️.

xoxo 💋

Patty