Consultation In-Person Feedback Collection
Date: February 25, 2014
Group: Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in-person session (CART transcript of full proceedings available at the end of this document)
Location: Vancouver, BC
Number of Attendees: 95
Note: all the information and feedback gathered at this session will be inputted into the overall collection of data and feedback for consideration of the development of the Disability White Paper.
Feedback: /· Create new legislation that will preserve the rights of Persons with Disabilities to accessibility and accommodations. BC already has such an act specially for persons with Cognitive disabilities, The BC Community Living Act which could act as a model for new laws as well as the model that exists in Ontario, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the American Law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, 199), 2001, 2008,2010
· Adopt and follow the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
· Education – visual project (we don’t agree with it) – ambivalence w/self identity – social development – isolation – bullied
· Emotional/psychological impacts
· Language barriers at local school – 2d not 3d – long term $
· Save $ - transportation cuts
· Early intervention – limited choices – parents/dr. are not being educated – late ages – Band-Aid model/approach
· Late language acquisition – CNI no working now what?
· O-s critical language/cognitive developmental – some successful w/CI but what about others
· ASL exposures at earliest age should be required
· Parents applied for jobs – not neutral enough??
· Provincial service for deaf/HoH – provided many services “Band-Aid” – need 1 deaf representative/worker at work w/parent at early intervention
· Outreach programs – many live in isolated areas w/limited resources
· Interpreters often perform intervener/interpreter/teacher because of language delays, curriculum not suitable – teachers have no idea
· Truck drivers – limited opportunities
· Employment – employers need to be educated
· Sports – funding for interpreters?
· Emergencies – building codes, broadcasting
· Acoustic standards and design – BC Building Code
· Models of good design – Gallaudet and Cape Town, South Africa (hotel)
· Centre: to showcase access, arts, services (for all ages) to create bridge
· Workplace safety – alert systems, color codes
· Need mandatory provincial (not municipal) building codes
· Airports – communication access
· Hospital – access to information rather than by phone
· Call in information systems are a barrier
· Invisible disabilities – need to increase awareness and recognize legitimacy
· Hearing aids – not affordable for people in BC – creates many barriers – to employment and participation
· Youth – the successful transition to adulthood
· Technology – the better access to technology the better we are able to contribute – assistive technology is too expensive
· Loop system – courts, train stations, public places – model in New York, UK – helpful and works well for announcements – VanCity example
· Medical interpreting – for partners (family member) not just patients
· CHHA started hospital kit initiative to improve access for HoH people
· Transitioning support or HoH students into post secondary – students must choose between captioning and interpreting – not both – DA access services at universities are not knowledgeable about D/HoH issues
· Hospitals- typewell services available
· Education can be double the work for HoH students
· Disability tax credits and RDSP – not available if not ‘deaf enough’ – must go to doctor/audiologist – barrier long wait lists
· Replacement cochlear implants not covered – advised to remain on disability rather than return to work
· Transit pass support
· Hearing aid dispenser consultant position recommended for support and adaptation assistance
· TTY expensive and can be hard to read especially for seniors
· Manufacturing regulations to increase/promote access on new product designs
· Captel - “Cap-tel” - available in US for HoH phone users
· Video relay service (VRS) needed for phone access; can be linked to capital services
· FM systems are limited in ensuing privacy – infrared systems, loop systems should be available everywhere
· Need hearing people to be aware of D/HoH people – reduce stigma, be open minded – use media to increase awareness - high level government practices – best practices
· Fundamental assumption : everyone has a right and a need to have meaningful activity in their lives
· Barriers – attitude, economic
· Solution: universal equipment and device programs
· Need disability legislation to enforce people to change eg. ON Act, models like Community Living Act, UN Convention)
· Not charity model – should be a right
· Coordination of what services and support are available for eg caregiver tax credit, RDSP, etc.
· Universal design
· Possible outreach programs for PWDs re: resources – having disability takes extra energy
· Ministry of Disabilities – comprehensive
· Hearing aid education – WIDHH model vs. audiologists selling plus adequate education on how to use aids/devices
· Barriers: general awareness
· PWDs don’t always know what they need
· Need cultural shift about universal design – it’s helpful to everyone
· Attitudal barriers are #1 issues
· Anybody can get a disability so attitude is #1 issue
· Education about how precious being able bodied is
· Funding
· PWD have to go extra mile when it is hard to begin with
· Often lack of empathy – need to cultivate empathy – patience when it takes an extra 2 min when a person in a wheelchair is getting off the bus
· If no PWD in your life – how do you educate?
· Early education – kids aren’t afraid to ask questions
· Heard of hearing is invisible – educate every person you talk to
· Educate on ability in classroom
· Get rid of disability label
· Solution- PWD in decision making to help get laws changed
· Sponsor agencies and companies that are making a difference to help make it more normalized
· We’re the solution not the “patient”
· Stop looking at PWDs as receivers of services see us as problem solvers – eg. EATI has clients has partners
· People who live the life every day
· Universal design – USA – all has to be captioned by certain date
· The technology is there but if income is a smidgeon above they can’t get resource
· Worldwide consortium – guideline for all digital assets for universal assets – all sites should have level A by end of 2014
· Level A – no way to enforce, it is suggestion
· Costs $ but people won’t do it unless enforcement plan
· MSO – important to allow people to be independent
· Which in the long term saves gov’t $
· What about people who were not on PWD
· Hearing aid $2-3,000 plus cochlear implant $10,000 plus $200 battery – a lot of cost of PWD that most people don’t know about
· Often tension about who decides who gets devices – OT, etc.
· A little extra equip. etc. can make the diff – have to do a trust which is tricky – penalized if have assets
· Lack of qualified people
· Integrate model – people work together on a common goal
· Temporary need – education and learning how to use devices
· Hearing aids gathering dust – need to learn how to use hearing aid – theatre – not all staff know how to use it properly
· Cost – eg. pedals for cars – very expensive to just do normal life
· Huge cost to family
· A lot are passed down but need access
· RDSP – life changing program – your loved one has financial support – should be starting point
· Hidden – not publicised
· Should be out there
· ICBC’s you get insurance – not marketed well enough – have to do your own digging
· $ talks – RDSP
· Families and people exhausted as have to do 10X effort to get thru day
· RDSP – should be part of entry point – GF strong, OTs, etc.
· A lot of families can even get out of the house (sic)
· Gov’t should offer more home visits more outreach to families
· PWDs can’t get out in snow
· Flexible model that revolves around person’s needs
· Social workers/OTs have huge caseloads
· Give caregiver tax credit, RDSP, etc.
· Families can’t work f/t if caring for PWD family member
· CSIL – will allow people to be hired to look after them
· Only for young and have strong networks
· Need people you can trust
· Prevents institutions/hospitals increase quality of life and length of life
· People coming into hospital – need to have advance care planning- if done in advance and take people’s opinions into account, will avoid extraordinary measures
· More efficient use of resources to do this planning earlier
· Make American Sign Language an official language.
· American Sign Language is a visual language that can be readily used and accepted by those who rely upon their sights for communication purposes. English which is mostly an auditory language is not readily visually accessible.
· Official adoption of American Sign Language will allow one to master English more quickly.
· Make American Sign Language the language of instruction for any deaf children and students at all levels of educational institution.
· Too many deaf children end up leaving schools with“broken English”. They also have a broken American Sign Language, too.
· Deprivation of communication accessibility at an early age usually robs deaf children of a chance to master a language.
· Mastery of a visual language (ASL) greatly facilitates the mastery of a second language, English, in this case. Deaf children of deaf parents are usually superior academically to deaf children of hearing parents who do not sign.
· Do not allow parents of deaf infants/toddlers/children to consider communication options for their children. Too often wrong options have been selected. Require the use of American Sign Language during their formative years.
· Deaf adults should be employed to work with parents of deaf children to facilitate communication between the parents and their deaf children, to teach them ASL, to have higher expectations of deaf children’s abilities.
· With this enhanced communication, there will be more likely a strong bond of love between the parents and their children when they become adults. (Too often the relationship between non-signing parents and their adult children leaves out a lot to be desired as experienced by too many deaf adults.)
· In the opinion of many deaf adults, having communication options is politically incorrect. After all, all deaf children are inherently bilingual. This will allow the acceleration of the mastery of American Sign Language and English.
· Place British Columbia Provincial School for the Deaf (BCSD) under the deaf control, e.g., a 51% deaf majority school board, and removed from the control of the Burnaby School District.
· BCSD should be a school district by itself.
· This should enhance better accountability.
· Higher expectations of deaf children should ensue.
· Maryland School for the Deaf of which I was high school principal is under 51% deaf-controlled board of trustees and is one of two or three best schools for the deaf in the U.S. See www.msd.edu. Deaf students perform statewide examination as well as non-deaf students do in the state.
· Current Ministry of Education’s guidelines for special education proclaims that deaf children are too difficult to teach. We do not agree with this proclamation so feel it would be much more beneficial to deaf children obtain education under the leadership of the deaf-controlled school board.
· BCSD should provide and coordinate all early intervention/preschool education to all deaf children of pre-school age. Also, parents will be involved in learning and using American Sign Language through a variety of activities such as dining table communication, reading story books, naming various things in the community, playing games, etc.
· Enact British Columbians with Disabilities Act (BCDA)
· American with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been very much in the public, thus making it much easier for the disabled citizens to assert their rights.
· Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) is a comprehensive set of laws readily identified with disabled citizens of Ontario.
· While we have human rights in B. C., there has been too much ambiguity, so we need BCDA to strengthen our rights under one set of laws and clearly spells out responsibilities for participants in both the private and public sectors of our economy in terms of accommodation. Interpreting issues, for example, remain unresolved. Same with public announcements (SkyTrains, B.C. Place) which deaf citizens often miss.
· Involve deaf citizens in all governmental decision-making processes that affect all aspects of deaf citizens’ lives.
· WorkSafeBC has regulations that have been inappropriately adopted, thus hampering the efforts of deaf citizens to engage in certain positions gainfully, e.g., jack hammering, driving logging trucks.