Dear friends,
In 2001 I owned the advertising and modeling agency Czech model management s.r.o.
and Mgr. Luděk Černý, at that time the director of the secretariat of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of the Czech Republic, asked me if I would start a new global project that would help to make young hearing impaired the people more visible around the world every year and help them to become more integrated into the wider hearing world society. As I was running an advertising and modelling agency at the time called CZECH MODEL management s.r.o. I therefore set up an annual global project for hearing impaired girls from all over the world called Miss Deaf World and the first year of this global competition was held on the island of Mallorca where I organised fashion shows with my modelling agency. In the following years when I saw how much interest and appreciation this newly established world competition was receiving all over the world, I was aware that I had to also gradually involve as many hearing impaired young people as possible all over the world in this newly established world project and therefore I gradually started to establish in different countries all over the world, their annual domestic competitions called Miss and Mister Deaf of their country, so that in the future as many young hearing impaired girls and boys as possible would be involved in this annual world project. Gradually, I have further expanded this annual world project to also include hearing impaired boys at the request of many states and since 2013, the winning Miss and Mister Deaf of their states have always come from all over the world to participate in the world competition every year.
All the hearing impaired winning Miss and Mister Deaf of their countries from all over the world, always have their 10 day free stay at the annual world competition and accompanying World Fashion shows, accommodation, food 3 times a day, as well as soft drinks according to the daily personal needs of each participant and also a total bus transport around the Czech Republic, around the accompanying World Fashion shows which are also held annually after the final evening in squares around different cities around the Czech Republic. Thus the newly established World Competition in 2001 and the accompanying World Fashion shows have gradually become something that is hard to put into words for hearing impaired young people all over the world. Suddenly, all these young deaf people around the world had the opportunity to show hearing people that if the hearing society gives them a chance and a space, these young deaf people are able to perform exactly the same quality and do the same quality work as hearing people despite their hearing impairment.
After the arrival of the winning Miss and Mister Deaf of their respective countries at the annual world pageants and the accompanying World Fashion show, we always try with our entire team of volunteers, without any financial rewards, to help all these young deaf people gain much needed confidence and knowledge, that hearing people respect them and have great admiration and respect for all they can do despite their hearing impairment at this annual world competition and World Fashion Show and that they also have, quite rightly, their rightful place of dignity in this global hearing society.
Unfortunately, there is a large part of the hearing public in the Czech Republic that thinks that this is a classic commercial beauty pageant where deaf girls and boys from all over the world just prove to each other every year who is more beautiful or better, which is unfortunately completely wrong and wrong opinion, because this annual world project and the accompanying World Fashion show have a completely different goal and purpose since its inception. These deaf young people from all over the world are totally unconcerned about what prizes the winning Miss and Mister Deaf World & Europe & Asia will receive at the annual world pageant and their main goal and aspiration is not the winning title but the opportunity to showcase themselves through this world project and to show hearing people that for young deaf girls and boys all over the world using it is not the most important thing, is that the hearing society will give them some financial support every month because of their hearing disability and they will still be sitting at home, but that hearing people all over the world will give them a helping hand and help them in their difficult life destiny, especially by giving them space, confidence and jobs so that they can work and live their lives to the fullest as hearing people do.
People ask me quite often where I and my team of volunteers still get the strength to organize this worldwide project for deaf girls and boys from all over the world every year for so long without any financial compensation. I will mention one of the stories that give us the strength we need each year to give these young deaf people from all over the world a helping hand in their difficult life situation. Each year, all the participants of the World Competition and the accompanying World Fashion shows also always introduce themselves to each other in sign language upon their arrival in Prague and the Czech Republic. One of the girls introduced herself as follows: I am deaf since birth and I have a younger brother who is also deaf since birth, my parents are also deaf. Unfortunately, I still can't get a job so I sit at home all the time because no one wants to employ me in our town because of my hearing disability.
After these words she paused for a moment, rubbed her eyes and then said that unfortunately both my parents are also blind so I had to learn blind writing in order to be able to agree with my parents on everything, but despite all these problems they all love each other very much in the family and her parents are very proud that their deaf daughter can represent their country and the whole deaf community in their country at this world competition. I won't even describe here after what this girl told us all how she felt at that moment, I told myself then that if I am healthy I must never let this world class and much needed project for these young hearing
hearing-impaired people from all over the world in the future will ever come to an end. Over the years, more than 94 countries from all over the world have come to the Czech Republic and the Capital City of Prague to take part in the world pageant and the accompanying World Fashion show in some years, with more than 60 Miss and Mister Deaf winners from their respective countries regularly taking part in the annual world pageants.
We are convinced that this annual world competition for hearing impaired girls and boys from all over the world when they also have their annual Miss and Mister Deaf World & Europe & Asia pageant and World Fashion show not only helps them to overcome their difficult life fate but also makes them more visible to the general hearing public and thus also helps them to integrate much more into the world hearing society. This world project also gives all these young hearing impaired people all over the world such a huge opportunity and chance for them to show the general hearing society all over the world not only their beauty but also most importantly their skill through this world project. Our intention and goal is to protect and advocate for the needs, rights and interests of all hearing impaired people in the world in order to achieve the maximum possible degree of equality of these citizens with the hearing population. The fact that many of us take for granted that we have healthy children and healthy families does not mean that we should turn a blind eye to the fate of other people who do not have this gift and are disabled in any way.
Sincerely
Josef Uhlíř
founder and president of the annual world competitions
Miss & Mister Deaf World & Europe & Asia and the accompanying World Fashion shows
