BISMARCK, ND (KFYR) – Joel Barish posts videos on social media about his travel experiences as a deaf world adventurer.
Originally from the Bay Area in California, Barish has traveled to all 50 states and 103 countries.
He describes himself as a globetrotter and his goal is to educate people about the deaf experience. Barish gave a talk about his travels at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library.
“I want to make sure that deaf people have access to education, and I try to share that with countries that don’t have as many rights as our deaf Americans,” Barish said.
On his adventures he has met deaf people from all over the world and learned from all of them.
“People think that sign language is international, but every country has its own language,” said Barish. “But even though we have different sign languages, it doesn’t take long for us to be able to communicate with each other.”
Barish wants to show the world that his deafness – and the fact that he doesn’t take an interpreter with him on his travels – doesn’t stop him from living a life full of adventure.
“We can do anything. I show people through videos what we can do, what deaf people can do, and that it doesn’t matter that we are deaf. We can do anything we set our minds to,” Barish said.
He is also a representative of DeafNation and an attorney.
Barish can be found on Facebook, Instagram and his website.
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