Vasile Adamescu

Vasile Adamescu (5 September 19446 December 2018) was a Romanian educator. Deafblind from age two, Adamescu taught children with sensory deficiencies. He was awarded the Romanian National Order of Merit in 2013.

Early life and education Vasile Adamescu was born in Borcea, a commune in Călărași County, southeast Romania, on 5 September 1944. Vasile was the second child born to his parents, Zamfir and Voica; his mother died when he was an infant. At age two he lost his sight and hearing after contracting meningitis. Some teachers at the school were reluctant to accept Adamescu, as they thought he would be better placed at a school for the deaf. The principal of the school taught him the manual alphabet, and Florica Sandu, a special education teacher, taught him to speak, read, and write. Adamescu wrote about his education: He also ran free pottery workshops with the visually impaired and deaf and hard of hearing. It was the first book in Romania written by a deafblind person.

Honors He was named the Honorary Citizen of Cluj-Napoca in 2010. Sense International Romania named Adamescu a Promoter of the Rights of People with Deafblindness in 2018.

In 2013, Romanian President Traian Băsescu awarded Adamescu the National Order of Merit at the level of Knight in recognition of his dedication to educating people with disabilities.