On December 6th 2018, Professor Vasile Adamescu passed away. It is an extremely sad moment for all those who knew him, as well as for those who know how special he was. Despite lacking both vision and hearing, Vasile Adamescu Graduated university, became a teacher for children with deafblindness, wrote books, knew five foreign languages, he was a sculptor and fought to promote the rights of people with deafblindness. Since 2015, he was a member on the Board of Sense International Romania.

It is difficult to describe in words the feelings we have, which is why we invite you to read about his life in Vasile Adamescu’s own words:

I was born on September 5th 1944, in the village Borcea, Ialomita County. I was the second born of my parents, Zamfir and Voica, poor but hardworking peasants. Until the age of 2, my life was normal. Unfortunately, I lost my mother prematurely, due to a simple cold. Not long after that, a tragedy fell upon me> while my family was out working the fields, I was left home in the care of an aunt. I fell asleep outside, on the porch, and a cold autumn rain started, which made me catch a bad cold. As treatments back then were only those traditionally known by my grandmother, she treated me the best way she could. A few months later, I lost the most elementary senses, vision and hearing. My father took me to see doctors, but it was in vain.

Until the age of 11, I lived in darkness and in silence, after which I was taken to the School for the Blin din Cluj. Florica Sandu, a bright teacher, managed the impossible, teaching me how to speak, read and write….

I graduated highschool and then I started University, learning Special Education, which I graduated in 1977. I became a teacher at the same school where I had studied, and I spent 30 years as a teacher there. Between 1983-1986, I studied sculpture at the Popular School of Arts. I loved sculpture since childhood. I learned new methods of working in clay, making vehicles, animals and buildings.

In 2010, I received the Honorary Citizen of Cluj. One year later, a received the title The Person with Disabilities of Year 2011. Since 2015, I became a member on the Board of Directors of Sense International Romania. In 2018, I received the title Promoter of the Rights of People with Deafblindness in Romania.

Recently, after many years of hard work, I managed to publish Volumes 1 and 2 of my autobiography, names „Confronting Life”.

The funeral will take place on Saturday, December 8th 2018, at 11.45, in Floresti, Cluj Conty. All those who wish to pay homage, are welcomed.

For December 3, The International Day of People with Disabilities, the Association Junior Sport in partnership with the Foundation Sense International Romania and the producer of sports equipment ANCADA, together with great champions of Romanian sports, launched the campaign BORN FOR SPORTS, a campaign dedicated to children with deafblindness.

Born for sports

Valeria van Groningen Răcilă – Olympic champion in rowing, Ecaterina Oancia – multiple Olympic and world champion in rowing, Silvia Stroescu – Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics, Alina Alexandra Dumitru – Olympic and European Judo champion, Irina Deleanu – world bronze medalist in rhythmic gymnastics and president of the Romanian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Dorina Gabriela Mihai – world fencing champion, Monica Iagăr – athlete, European high jump champion, Traian Rus – multiple world and European Kempo champion, Alin Romulus Păcurar – absolute Balkan champion, multiple European medalist in free fighting and Honored Master of Sports, Hajnal Iuliu – a legend of Romanian football, Gruia Docan – Holder of 4 dan Kyokushin Karate and president of the Romanian Federation of Kyokushin, Nicu Dobre – President of the Romanian Oina Federation, Ștefan Sandulache – former basketball player, currently Director of Bucharest Department for Sports and Youth, Mircea Barna – former captain of the national basketball team and owner of ANCADA sports equipment producer, Theo Matican – multiple medalist in national and international swimming, skiing and cycling competitions for people with disabilities, the young sports champions Nicolas Luca Lupu – fencing golden medalist, Miriam Ciolacu – football player and athlete with numerous trophies and medals, Monica Elena Duca – double world champion in acrobatic dancing, Andrei Victor Păcurar – multiple gold medalist in free fighting, Andrei Sandulache – basketball player, Alina Alexoi – National Romanian Television TV reporter and Andrei Pralea – Business Manager at ANCADA, launched the sporting equipment collection called BORN FOR SPORTS.

Through a series of suggestive photos, as well as a video, these 22 participants to the campaign sent a heartwarming message supporting the cause of children with deafblindness:

„I, born for sports, take into account the fact that beyond the sports community that I am part of, there are people with deafblindness, who can neither see nor hear about my performance. Yet, through my gesture, I bring light and sound into their life. Close your eyes, cover your ears, open your soul!“

The sporting equipment producer ANACADA will donate 30% of the sporting equipment sales from the collection BORN FOR SPORTS to these children! We thank the professional photographers for their probono support: Florian Gîndilă (Bucharest) and Iosif Vajnar (Pixel Prosport Târgu Mureș).

But… what is deafblindess?
Deafblindness is a severe multisensory impairment, most times associated with other types of disability, generating major difficulties in communication, access to information, orientation and mobility.
Among world well-known people with deafblindness, we can mention Francisco Goya – the famous Spanish painter who became deaf and blind in his last years of life, Helen Keller – a famous American writer, the first person with deafblindness who graduated college and our own Vasile Adamescu – a Romanian teacher and artist, who lost both his vision and hearing when he was a child, and now, he is the biggest promoter of the rights of people with deafblindness in Romania.
The Foundation Sense International Romania is the only organisation in our country working for the benefit of children with deafblindness, since 2001. Along the years, this organisation supported over 500 children through high quality education services, initiated the early intervention programme for babies born with sensory impairments and now is mainly focusing on young people with deafblindness, providing them with the opportunity to lean an independent life through the vocational programme.