Volume 5, Issue 4
June 2012 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
Spotlight on:
2011-2015 WFD President Colin Allen The World equality for the 70 million deaf peoFederation of ple around the world.” the Deaf (WFD), headquartered in WFD Action Plan Helsinki, Finland, The following vision, mission and is an international goals have been adopted by the non-governmenWFD General Assembly: tal organization Vision: Deaf people have full hurepresenting approximately 70 milman rights in an equal world where lion Deaf people’s human rights they and their sign languages are worldwide. The WFD is a federation recognized and included as part of of 133 national deaf associations; human diversity. its mission is to promote the rights Mission: The WFD promotes of deaf people to full, equal access and advances the human rights to all spheres of life, including selfof deaf people through cooperadetermination, sign language, edution with the United Nations and its WFD President Colin Allen is a cation, employment and community agencies, national organizations of world leader in Deaf community life. WFD has a consultative status deaf people, and other partners. development, human rights in the United Nations and is a memGoals: and advocacy. ber of International Disability Alli1. Promote the human rights of ance (IDA). deaf people by working in close coThe WFD’s 2011-2015 president, Colin Allen of operation with the United Nations and its huAustralia, has worked extensively over many years man rights mechanisms. with the WFD both as a board member and a proj2. Establish Human Rights Training Projects for ect coordinator. He has also been involved in various members of the Deaf Community globally. development cooperation projects all over the world 3. Streamline its communications with its memand has led local and national deaf associations in bers and interested parties by enhancing the Australia. capacity of the website to respond to informaAllen was elected WFD President in July 2011 at tion requests. the WFD General Assembly in Durban, South Africa, 4. Continue to seek partners and funding in line by 41 of 71 eligible votes cast. His platform strongly with its long-standing goals. emphasized the importance of teamwork in accomCurrently, Allen serves as the Director of Services plishing deaf human rights in partnership with WFD’s at the Deaf Society of NSW in Australia, and is re132 Ordinary Members. sponsible for delivery of services across five departIn his acceptance speech, Allen said that having ments. He has also worked as a development project encouraging deaf parents helped him on his journey. worker for nine years. He was employed by the Finn“We must all work together to rid the world of discrimi- ish Association of the Deaf for projects in Albania, nation and the oppression of deaf people, to achieve Cambodia, Kosovo and the Balkan Region, and co-
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The newly-elected 2011-2015 World Federation of the Deaf board.
ordinated the WFD–Global Education Pre-Planning Project. Following this, he was responsible for conducting and disseminating surveys across WFD’s seven regional secretariats regarding the status of Deaf people. Some of the issues that were explored were the status of Deaf people as citizens, deaf education, government recognition and support, sign language interpreting and other relevant issues. The reports are at www.wfdeaf.org/our-work/ development-cooperation/project. For more on WFD, visit www.wfdeaf.org.
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Second National Interpreters’ Conference in Manila By Nicky Templo-Perez On May 19, about 70 people trooped over to the Augusto-Rosario Gonzalez Theater of De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde in Manila, Philippines, to attend the Second National Interpreters’ Conference hosted by the Philippine National Association of Sign Language Interpreters (PNASLI). The theme was Level Up: Taking Professionalization of Sign Language Interpreters in the Philippines to the Next Level, and the conference featured speakers who discussed how sign language interpreters in the Philippines could better hone their craft. Elections were also held for the new board of trustees, regional representatives, and Deaf Advisory Council members. Japan’s Etsuko Umemoto and India’s Monica Punjabi Verma, Asia Representatives of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI), welcomed the newly formed PNASLI with messages of encouragement. This was followed by keynote speaker Lauro Purcil, who is blind and the Lead Convenor of the Philippine Coalition on the United Nations Council on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ka Lauro, as he is fondly called, addressed the scarcity of interpreters in the Philippines, and the importance of developing “a standard of interpreting that will result in the equalization of opportunities, non-discrimination, accessibility, inclusion and enjoyment of all rights and fundamental freedoms of the Deaf.” He
What is DDW? Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit international Deaf advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Deaf and hard of hearing communities in developing countries. DDW strives to advance the capacity of local Deaf communities around the globe to meet their social, educational and employment needs. For more information, visit: www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
Second PNASLI National Interpreters’ Conference participants gathered in Manila. also noted the importance of equally fighting for interpreters’ rights, and how this special group of individuals must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. After Ka Lauro’s keynote speech came a slew of different perspectives on sign language interpreters and how the profession could reach greater heights. DDW’s Davin Searls discussed his experiences interacting with Deaf leaders and their hearing allies from all over the world. Rosalinda M. Ricasa, Ph.D., of Gallaudet University, a Filipina who is a pioneer in Deaf education in the Philippines, discussed interpreting strategies and linguistic features. Liza Martinez, Ph.D., of the Philippine Deaf Resource Center discussed the difficulties of voice interpretation. John Xandre Baliza of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies talked about interpreting-related injuries and how to sign effectively and prevent injury. Soya Mori of the Development Studies Center of the Institute of Developing Economies tackled the importance of Deaf interpreters being included in the interpreting profession. It was indeed a full day for those who attended and everyone left looking forward to this year’s work of professionalizing sign language interpreting in the Philippines. There are 200-250 interpreters in the Philippines, of which 85 are certified by and registered with the Philippine Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. All of them have other primary jobs. For more information, contact philippinenasli@gmail.com.
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Bush Mango Drum and Dance gave a rousing performance at the second annual DDW benefit.
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DDW Successfully Hosts Second Annual Benefit
DDW supporters from Rochester and beyond congregated to celebrate DDW’s accomplishments. On April 20, DDW hosted its Second Annual Benefit at the Harro East Ballroom in Rochester, N.Y. With a fundraising goal of $15,000, over 400 people from across the nation purchased tickets and raised over $22,000. Proceeds will be applied to DDW’s organizational development work in the Philippines and Costa Rica, where DDW is collaborating with local Deaf leadership teams to improve education, employment and human rights for Deaf people. DDW continues to be entirely volunteer-run with over 30,000 volunteer hours logged since its inception in December 2006.
L-R: Board member Michael Schwartz with his wife Trisha and daughter Brianna, Executive Director Davin Searls, and grand prize winner John Reid Special thanks go to New York Relay Service, University of Rochester American Sign Language Program, Nixon Peabody LLP, 480 Print, Joseph Neale & Marcy Oppenheimer, Interpretek, AllOut Marketing, LeChase Construction, Ramay East LLC, Justice Enterprises, and Martin & Suzi Oppenheimer Philanthropic Fund for their generous sponsorship. We also thank Bush Mango Drum and Dance for their energizing performance. If you would like to see photos from this event, please “like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DiscoveringDeafWorlds.
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The Importance of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities By Michael Schwartz, Ph.D., LL.M. On May 17, President Barack Obama sent the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 13, 2006, to the U.S. Senate for ratification. According to the president, the CRPD represents “the principles of equality of opportunity, nondiscrimination, respect for dignity and individual autonomy, and inclusion of persons with disabilities, [and] seeks to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities.” Although the Americans with Disabilities Act is a pioneering civil rights law, it applies only to the U.S. By ratifying the CRPD, the U.S. will lend its power to promoting disability-related access around the world. Ratification is now up to the U.S. Senate. The CRPD breaks from the traditional view of
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people with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection and provides a new model where people with disabilities are “subjects” with rights, capable of exercising those rights and making decisions for themselves based on their free and informed consent. The CRPD states that people with disabilities are active members of society. It is a revolutionary human rights instrument that reaffirms the right of people with all types of disabilities to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms. It identifies areas where accommodations are needed for people with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights. In short, the CRPD is a call to combat discrimination based on disability anywhere in the world. Hopefully the U.S. will do the right thing and ratify not only the CRPD but also its place in the pantheon of human rights everywhere.
DEAF HAS NO BORDERS Travel Cambodia February 1 – 10, 2013 • Learn about Cambodian Sign Language • Visit the temples of Angkor Wat • Engage in the Cambodian Deaf Community For pricing and reservations, contact Dave Justice at: ddwjourneys@discoveringdeafworlds.org
Video phone: 585.286.3215 Voice Phone: 585.234.8144 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org June 2012 7
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VISIT AREA ATTRACTIONS: CHURCHILL DOWNS LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUM MUHAMMAD ALI MUSEUM BE PART OF EVEN MORE FUN AT: DEAFESTIVAL KENTUCKY WE WANT TO SEE YOU THIS JULY! FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT HTTP://WWW.NAD.ORG/LOUISVILLE
DDW at NAD Conference! Davin Searls and Dave Justice will present “Discovering Deaf Leadership in Developing Countries” at the 51st Biennial National Association of the Deaf Conference in Louisville, Ky. For those able to attend, please stop by Room KICC211 on Wednesday, July 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.to learn more about DDW’s work. Information about the NAD conference can be found at www.nad.org/louisville/ workshops.
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Newsletter services provided by T.S. Writing Services, LLC www.tswriting.com A Deaf-Owned Company
The most recent country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol (OP) was Estonia, on May 30. First adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 13, 2006, the CRPD opened for signature on March 30, 2007. Including Estonia, there now are 113 state parties that have ratified the CRPD, and 65 that have ratified the OP. The CRPD defines disability as including “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others,” and is intended to protect the rights and dignity of all persons with disabilities (see article on page 6). The CRPD recognizes the “specific cultural and linguistic identity [of the Deaf community], including sign languages and deaf culture.” The U.S. signed the UNCRPD on July 30, 2009, but has not signed the OP, nor ratified either document.
For more information about the CRPD or to read the full text of the document, visit http://bit.ly/bxmj0r.
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Shout-Outs! Shout-Outs! Shout-Outs! DDW sends a huge, hearty thank you to all of the volunteers who helped coordinate and run DDW’s Second Annual Benefit: Lauren Bain, Marylark Box, Alex Caven, Alan Hood, Dave Justice, Bill Keenan, Kim Keenan, Kathy Dollinger-Meyer, Lyndsey McGrath, Maria Nikolaou, Elizabeth Pattison, Brian Plath, Kevin Richmond, Jenna Sadue, Davin Searls, Lauren Searls, Sheena Stuart, Catherine Stutzman, and Susanna Supalla! Kim Kelstone: You continue to go above and beyond for this organization. Thank you for your
support and service through every event and meeting we host. We are lucky to have you! Hearing Loss Association of America, Rochester Chapter, and Alternative Communication Services: We appreciate your guidance and pro bono services in providing realtime captioning accessibility at our recent benefit. Thank you! Mary Kay Hargather: You and your staff were a pure joy to work with, and we will most certainly consider hosting a future benefit at Harro East Ballroom!
View DDW’s weekly vlogs Check out DDW’s weekly vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html
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