Announcement – New Manager of Communication Services at IDHHC
Theme for International Day of Sign Languages and International Week of the Deaf 2018 – World Federation of the Deaf
[Watch ASL Video]
We are pleased to announce that following the declaration by the United Nations (UN), International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) will be celebrated annually on the 23rd September as part of the International Week of the Deaf (IWDeaf).
For this year, taking place under a cross-cutting theme of ‘With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!’, IDSL will be held on Sunday 23rd September 2018 consecutively with IWDeaf which runs between Monday 24th September and Sunday 30th September 2018.
THEME OBJECTIVES
‘With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!’ observes the following collective goals of the IDSL and IWDeaf:
- Reach out to and influence as many governments as possible to legally fulfil their obligations.
- Promotes deaf people as unique in having both perspectives of disability and linguistic minority and that sign language and deaf culture strengthens multilingualism and are means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally.
- Reflects the principles of the CRPD in its recognition of sign languages as equal to spoken languages. Sign languages are fully-fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from spoken languages, alongside which they coexist.
- Emphasises sign language as a critical prerequisite to the full realisation of human rights for deaf people. Early access to sign language and services in sign language, including quality education available in sign language, is vital to the growth and development of the deaf individual and critical to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals.
- Stresses that when working with Deaf Communities, the principle of “nothing about us without us” must be considered and integrated.
HASHTAGS
The recommended hashtags for both the IDSL and IWDeaf are:
#IWDeaf2018
#IDSL2018
#SignLanguagesDay
Tax Night in Victoria – March 27, 2018
IDHHC will host its Annual Tax Night on March 27, 2018 starting at 5:00pm. Tax Night is for low income Deaf, Deaf-blind, deafened and hard of hearing individuals; particularly for those who require the services of an ASL-English Interpreter or who have significant barriers to communication.
TO QUALIFY:
You must be on a low or fixed income.
- Single person: $30,000 maximum income
- Single person with one child: $35,000 maximum income(additional children $2,500 each)
- Couple: $40,000 maximum income
- If you are over these amounts please contact Leslee- ASAP
• You must live in the Greater Victoria area (Client exception see below)
• You must be Deaf, Deaf-Blind, deafened, or hard of hearing and require the services of an ASL-English Interpreter. Hard of hearing persons may not require interpreters.
REMINDERS:
- You must REGISTER BEFORE March 23, 2018 for this event.
- You must REGISTER via email/text or call at Victoria IDHHC
- Appointments given on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis.
- We WILL NOT do Taxes for businesses, friends or family members.
- 2017 Taxes ONLY – Be sure to bring tax receipts, T4’s etc. If you do not have them, then they are unable to fully prepare your taxes.
- CLIENT EXCEPTION: If you live outside the Greater Victoria Area and are a client at Victoria IDHHC (meaning you have received services in the past two years), please contact Susanne Harnden to register. susanne@idhhc.ca, TTY: 250-592-8147, TEXT: 250-818-5738, VOICE: 250-592-8144.
Limited Availability – Register Now!
Provincial Medical Sign Language Interpreting Services: Community Engagement
In late 2016, the Provincial Languages Services reviewed the provincial medical Sign language interpreting services.
The review gathered input from a variety of stakeholders, including the Deaf, hard-of-hearing and Deaf-Blind community.
Based on the feedback received from the community, we realized that we must engage further with clients who use Sign language interpreting services. To help do this, we have hired Delaney + Associates to facilitate and report on meetings with the community.
This engagement is to understand the values and needs of the Deaf, hard-of-hearing and Deaf-Blind and help us develop a medical Sign language interpreting services that works for the community. The engagement process will be completed by the end of March 2018.
An engagement session is taking place in Victoria (Vancouver Island: 1:30pm March 10, 2018, Quadra Room, Comfort Inn Hotel, 3020 Blanchard Street), and we are asking for your input. We are also offering an opportunity to provide feedback via Online Survey if you cannot attend in person.
In March 2018, we will consult with clients again when we have a proposed model for a service delivery. The proposed model will be developed with the input we receive.
For any questions, please email emina@rmdelaney.com
Thank you for participating in the engagement.
NOTE: The survey is anonymous. It consists of open-ended questions. We do not wish to collect any information that might identify you. We encourage you not to provide any identifying information, such as names, ages, or identification numbers, in your answers to open ended questions.
UPDATE: Please note because we are doing more engagement sessions, our timelines have been moved. We are now expecting that our final engagement session will be in April.
Quick Link to Provincial Health Services Authority for more information about MIS and community meetings.
Understanding Human Rights Law
~ Community Workshop Offering by IDHHC ~
ASL Interpreting & Captioning Provided
Presenters / Facilitators:
Patricia Cochran (Faculty Member, UVic Faculty of Law)
Kathryn Costain (JD Student, UVic Faculty of Law)
Mark Dunn (SVIAD and IDHHC Board Member)
A workshop with an objective where participants may leave empowered and informed with respect to their human rights.
Session will include presentations as well as the opportunity to ask questions.
Areas of information presented:
- Increasing basic knowledge of Canada’s constitution and BC’s human rights law
- A sense of both the potential and limits of law as a way of advancing the interests of Deaf individuals and communities
- Handouts identifying resources for further information
Date: March 10th 2018
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Quadra Room, Comfort Inn Hotel, 3020 Blanshard St. Victoria
International Women’s Day
March 8, 2018 – American Sign Language (ASL) will be provided at this event.
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first March 8 IWD gathering supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women equality. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organisation specific. Make IWD your day! – everyday!
