Protactile
Protactile is a language used by deafblind people using tactile channels. Unlike other sign languages, which are heavily reliant on visual information, protactile is oriented towards touch and is practiced on the body. Protactile communication originated out of communications by DeafBlind people in Seattle in 2007 and incorporates signs from American Sign Language. Protactile is an emerging system of communication in the United States, with users relying on shared principles such as contact space, tactile imagery, and reciprocity. History In 2007, a group of three DeafBlind women working at the Deaf-Blind Service Center in Seattle, aj granda, Jelica Nuccio, and Jackie Engler, communicated with each other using American Sign Language (ASL) through the use of interpreters. Using ASL required the group to either use interpreters to communicate simultaneously or limited their conversation to just two people communicating at a time (using hand over hand signing). The three worked together to devise ways to talk with each other directly, using their sense of touch as the primary source of information. They began inviting other DeafBlind people into their conversations and interacting using these new communication practices. In describing the origin of protactile, granda and Nuccio write: Description Protactile has emerged in