Inclusive Humpback Whale Expedition

As seen in The New York Times:

SAMANA, Dominican Republic — Every winter, whale-watching excursions take tourists to ride alongside humpbacks frolicking in the Caribbean. One voyage this week pursued whales for their mysterious, multi-octave songs, but with passengers who didn't hear the grunting and squealing.

The dozens of deaf students wore high-tech backpacks that turn whale songs into vibrations, opening the world of whales to children who gasped and marveled at feeling the sounds for the first time.

"When I first felt the vibration, I felt it in my heart," said Nicole Duran, 15, a student at the St. Rose Institute for Deaf Assistance in Santo Domingo. "It reminded me of a heartbeat," she said through a sign language interpreter. Nicole was among 47 students on the field trip from Santo Domingo, the capital on the south coast, to Samana province on the north coast, a three-hour bus ride.

"I feel the pulses — it's like boom, boom, boom!" Melissa Castillos, 18, said aboard a 48-foot, power catamaran in the Bay of Samana. "I've seen photos and videos of whales, but this is the real thing."

The migration of several thousand humpbacks from the northern Gulf of Maine to the Dominican coast brings some 50,000 tourists to the area from January through March annually, the Tourism Ministry says. For three consecutive years, the visitors have included children and teachers from several Dominican schools.

Introducing deaf and hearing-impaired students to the whales and their music was the vision of Dominican artist Maria Batlle, 34, who in 2013 founded the Muse Seek Project. Her nonprofit's goals include using music as an educational tool for Deaf children.

Batlle said she learned in 2014 of the Subpac technology, developed for music producers and aficionados by a Los Angeles company, and a year later incorporated the devices into a music program she launched for the 500-student National School for the Deaf in Santo Domingo.

The annual whale migration to the Dominican Republic made it a natural learning opportunity for students interested in marine life, Batlle said.

"They learn about whale behavior, anatomy, the environment," she said. "They learn why the whales come here, what they do when they're here. They learn to appreciate why whale watching is important and why whale hunting should stop."