Deaf world traveler documents his experiences

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Joel Barish posts videos on his social media of his experiences traveling as a deaf world adventurer.

Originally from California, Bay Area, Barish has traveled to all 50 states and to 103 countries.

He describes himself as a world adventurer, and his goal is to expose people to the deaf experience. At the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library, Barish gave a presentation talking about his travels.

“I want to make sure that deaf people have access to education, and I’m trying to share that with countries that don’t have as many rights as our American deaf people do,” said Barish.

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 each country has its own language,” said Barish. “But even though we have different sign languages, it doesn’t take very long for us to be able to communicate with each other.”

Barish wants to show the world that deafness— and not bringing an interpreter with him on his travels— does not stop him from living a life filled with adventure.

“We can do anything. I’m showing people with video what we can do, what deaf people can do, and that it doesn’t matter that we’re deaf, we can do anything that we have our mind set on,” said Barish.

He is also a representative of DeafNation and an advocate.

Barish can be found on Facebook, Instagram and his website.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.