Oregon State Hospital

Roberto Cabrera performs his Protactile poem “Oregon State Hospital”

^{translated from the Protactile by John Lee Clark}

Wandering in the museum
I came across a woman’s story.

Let us conjure her up
in the form of a fist.

First, they knocked her head
and they said, Tsk-tsk.

Next, they zapped her
and they said, Huh.

Next, they shone lights in her face
and they said, Phooey.

Finally, they bored a hole here
and another here.

Her head tilted gently to the side
and they said, Aha.

Credit

About this Poem

“Being a Protactile educator via the DeafBlind Interpreting National Training and Resource Center (now known as the Protactile Language Interpreting National Education Program) comes with an opportunity to play with the language of Protactile with a group of DeafBlind educators and a group of interpreters. In 2019, we took a field trip to Oregon State Hospital. The visit was a conversation starter, leading to the creation of an early draft of this poem.”
—Roberto Cabrera

Author

Roberto Cabrera

Image Description: Dominican male wearing a blue buttoned down collared shirt. The image zoomed in to his head and shoulders. He sits in front of a body of water, smiles directly at the camera. Tactile Impression: At first touch, my anxious and excited hands firmly on you, as you glide up my hairy, curly arm.

Roberto Cabrera is a second-generation DeafBlind, Queer, Dominican. He is known for his work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, a community outreach specialist, an educator, and a trainer.

Date Published

07/13/2023