1. Art Festival of the Blind – helping blind people to realize their dreams

What comes to mind at the mention of occupations for blind people? With countless blind people already achieving outstanding results in the field of art, the 20th Art Festival of the Blind is making it known loud and clear, that in terms of occupations, blind people are in no way limited to massage.

Prior to 1995, there were no opportunities for blind people in Taiwan to release music albums. At the time, not a single music album by a blind person had been released because the only accepted occupation for blind people was massage. Today, there are over one hundred music albums by blind musicians on sale in the market, some of which have even gained recognition after being selected for Golden Melody Awards. This feat and the countless blind musicians who have been recognized for their work is testament to the industriousness and importance of the Art Festival of the Blind.  

Though seen as a vulnerable group, the visually impaired community is being empowered by Taiwan’s Art Festival of the Blind to ensure that equality in music is no longer just a slogan.     

以下為中文對照

視障藝術季 實現盲人音樂夢

提到視障人士的職業，你會想到什麼？第20屆視障藝術季，讓大家知道視障人士的工作，不再侷限於按摩，而是有許多在藝術上優秀的成果。

在1995年前，其實台灣的視障音樂人並沒有機會發行唱片，當時的台灣社會，視障者從事的是單一化的按摩工作，所以並沒有任何一張唱片的發行。到現在視障音樂人，已經有一百多張的唱片在市面上，甚至有入圍金曲獎，獲得到金曲獎肯定的諸多作品，這也是讓藝術季繼續存在的目的。

現今，已經有許多盲人音樂工作者，受到肯定。被視為弱勢的視障族群，透過台灣藝術音樂季，使藝術平權不再只是一個口號。

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