This newsletter includes stories about the World Federation of the Deaf and it's current president, Colin Allen; an interpreters' conference in the Philippines; a recap of DDW's Second Annual Benefit; and an article about the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Volume 5, Issue 4 June 2012 Spotlight on: 2011-2015 WFD President Colin Allen www.discoveringdeafworlds.org The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is an international non-governmen- tal organization representing approximately 70 mil- lion Deaf people’s human rights worldwide. The WFD is a federation of 133 national deaf associations; its mission is to promote the rights of deaf people to full, equal access to all spheres of life, including self- determination, sign language, edu- cation, employment and community life. WFD has a consultative status in the United Nations and is a mem- ber of International Disability Alli- ance (IDA). The WFD’s 2011-2015 president, Colin Allen of Australia, has worked extensively over many years with the WFD both as a board member and a proj- ect coordinator. He has also been involved in various development cooperation projects all over the world and has led local and national deaf associations in Australia. Allen was elected WFD President in July 2011 at the WFD General Assembly in Durban, South Africa, by 41 of 71 eligible votes cast. His platform strongly emphasized the importance of teamwork in accom- plishing deaf human rights in partnership with WFD’s 132 Ordinary Members. In his acceptance speech, Allen said that having encouraging deaf parents helped him on his journey. “We must all work together to rid the world of discrimi- nation and the oppression of deaf people, to achieve equality for the 70 million deaf peo- ple around the world.” WFD Action Plan The following vision, mission and goals have been adopted by the WFD General Assembly: Vision: Deaf people have full hu- man rights in an equal world where they and their sign languages are recognized and included as part of human diversity. Mission: The WFD promotes and advances the human rights of deaf people through coopera- tion with the United Nations and its agencies, national organizations of deaf people, and other partners. Goals: 1. Promote the human rights of deaf people by working in close co- operation with the United Nations and its hu- man rights mechanisms. 2. Establish Human Rights Training Projects for members of the Deaf Community globally. 3. Streamline its communications with its mem- bers and interested parties by enhancing the capacity of the website to respond to informa- tion requests. 4. Continue to seek partners and funding in line with its long-standing goals. Currently, Allen serves as the Director of Services at the Deaf Society of NSW in Australia, and is re- sponsible for delivery of services across five depart- ments. He has also worked as a development project worker for nine years. He was employed by the Finn- ish Association of the Deaf for projects in Albania, Cambodia, Kosovo and the Balkan Region, and co- WFD President Colin Allen is a world leader in Deaf community development, human rights and advocacy.
Transcript
June 2012 1
Volume 5, Issue 4
June 2012
Spotlight on:
2011-2015 WFD President Colin Allen
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is an international non-governmen-tal organization representing approximately 70 mil-lion Deaf people’s human rights worldwide. The WFD is a federation of 133 national deaf associations; its mission is to promote the rights of deaf people to full, equal access to all spheres of life, including self-determination, sign language, edu-cation, employment and community life. WFD has a consultative status in the United Nations and is a mem-ber of International Disability Alli-ance (IDA).
The WFD’s 2011-2015 president, Colin Allen of Australia, has worked extensively over many years with the WFD both as a board member and a proj-ect coordinator. He has also been involved in various development cooperation projects all over the world and has led local and national deaf associations in Australia.
Allen was elected WFD President in July 2011 at the WFD General Assembly in Durban, South Africa, by 41 of 71 eligible votes cast. His platform strongly emphasized the importance of teamwork in accom-plishing deaf human rights in partnership with WFD’s 132 Ordinary Members.
In his acceptance speech, Allen said that having encouraging deaf parents helped him on his journey. “We must all work together to rid the world of discrimi-nation and the oppression of deaf people, to achieve
equality for the 70 million deaf peo-ple around the world.”
WFD Action PlanThe following vision, mission and
goals have been adopted by the WFD General Assembly:
Vision: Deaf people have full hu-man rights in an equal world where they and their sign languages are recognized and included as part of human diversity.
Mission: The WFD promotes and advances the human rights of deaf people through coopera-tion with the United Nations and its agencies, national organizations of deaf people, and other partners.
Goals: 1. Promote the human rights of deaf people by working in close co-
operation with the United Nations and its hu-man rights mechanisms.
2. Establish Human Rights Training Projects for members of the Deaf Community globally.
3. Streamline its communications with its mem-bers and interested parties by enhancing the capacity of the website to respond to informa-tion requests.
4. Continue to seek partners and funding in line with its long-standing goals.
Currently, Allen serves as the Director of Services at the Deaf Society of NSW in Australia, and is re-sponsible for delivery of services across five depart-ments. He has also worked as a development project worker for nine years. He was employed by the Finn-ish Association of the Deaf for projects in Albania, Cambodia, Kosovo and the Balkan Region, and co-
WFD President Colin Allen is a world leader in Deaf community
development, human rights and advocacy.
2 Discovering Deaf Worlds
ordinated the WFD–Global Education Pre-Planning Project. Following this, he was responsible for con-ducting 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 is-sues. The reports are at www.wfdeaf.org/our-work/development-cooperation/project.
For more on WFD, visit www.wfdeaf.org.
The newly-elected 2011-2015 World Federation of the Deaf board.
Find DDW on Facebook and Twitter!
www.facebook.com/DiscoveringDeafWorlds
www.twitter.com/DDW_Team
June 2012 3
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 Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila, Philippines, to at-tend the Second National Interpreters’ Conference hosted by the Philippine National Association of Sign Language Interpreters (PNASLI).
The theme was Level Up: Taking Professionaliza-tion of Sign Language Interpreters in the Philippines to the Next Level, and the conference featured speak-ers 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 Con-venor 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 re-sult in the equalization of opportunities, non-discrim-ination, accessibility, inclusion and enjoyment of all rights and fundamental freedoms of the Deaf.” He
also noted the importance of equally fighting for in-terpreters’ rights, and how this special group of indi-viduals 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 inter-acting with Deaf leaders and their hearing allies from all over the world. Rosalinda M. Ricasa, Ph.D., of Gal-laudet 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 Re-source Center discussed the difficulties of voice inter-pretation. John Xandre Baliza of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Deaf Education and Ap-plied Studies talked about interpreting-related injuries and how to sign effectively and prevent injury. Soya Mori of the Development Studies Center of the Insti-tute 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 [email protected].
Second PNASLI National Interpreters’ Conference participants gathered in Manila.
What is DDW?Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit international Deaf advocacy or-ganization dedicated to empowering Deaf and hard of hearing communities in devel-oping countries. DDW strives to advance the capacity of local Deaf communities around the globe to meet their social, edu-cational and employment needs.
For more information, visit:www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
4 Discovering Deaf Worlds
Bush Mango Drum and Dance gave a rousing performance at the second annual DDW benefit.
June 2012 5
DDW Successfully Hosts Second Annual Benefit
On April 20, DDW hosted its Second Annual Ben-efit 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 organiza-tional development work in the Philippines and Costa Rica, where DDW is collaborating with local Deaf lead-ership 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.
Special thanks go to New York Relay Service, Uni-versity of Rochester American Sign Language Pro-gram, Nixon Peabody LLP, 480 Print, Joseph Neale & Marcy Oppenheimer, Interpretek, AllOut Marketing, Le-Chase Construction, Ramay East LLC, Justice Enter-prises, 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.
DDW supporters from Rochester and beyond congregated to celebrate
DDW’s accomplishments.
L-R: Board member Michael Schwartz with his wife Trisha and daughter Brianna, Executive Director Davin Searls,
and grand prize winner John Reid
6 Discovering Deaf Worlds
Call for contributing writers!
The Importance of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesBy 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, pro-tect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all hu-man rights by persons with disabilities.”
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act is a pio-neering civil rights law, it applies only to the U.S. By ratifying the CRPD, the U.S. will lend its power to pro-moting disability-related access around the world. Rati-fication is now up to the U.S. Senate.
The CRPD breaks from the traditional view of
people with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection and provides a new model where people with disabilities are “sub-jects” with rights, capable of exercising those rights and making decisions for themselves based on their free and in-formed consent.
The CRPD states that people with disabilities are active members of so-ciety. 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.
June 2012 7
Travel Cambodia February 1 – 10, 2013
For pricing and reservations, contact Dave Justice at:[email protected]
• Learn about Cambodian Sign Language
• Visit the temples of Angkor Wat
• Engage in the Cambodian Deaf Community
DEAF HAS NO BORDERS
Video phone: 585.286.3215 Voice Phone: 585.234.8144
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
8 Discovering Deaf Worlds
LOUISVILLE
K E N T U C K Y 51THEST
BIENNIAL
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF THE DEAF
CONFERENCE
WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE AT THE CONFERENCE:
FUN THINGS TO SEE IN LOUISVILLE THIS JULY:
JULY 3 - 7 , 2 0 1 2
VISIT AREA ATTRACTIONS:CHURCHILL DOWNS
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUMMUHAMMAD ALI MUSEUM
PARTICIPATE IN WORKSHOPS BY:COLIN ALLEN / PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF
DAVIN SEARLS and DAVID JUSTICE / DISCOVERINGDEAF LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIESWILMA NEWHOUDT-DRUCHEN / U.N. CONVENTIONON THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
MEET JACK R. GANNON, AUTHOR OFWORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF
A HISTORYWorld Federation of the Deaf: A History is
50 years of the WFD. From its inception
of friends from Italy, Austria and
Yugoslavia in 1949, through its 50th
Anniversary in 2001, this book covers
it all! Highlights of the quadrennial
WFD Congresses, board meetings
and the decades as well as quotations
taken from Congress proceedings
show our changing world views
through the issues of the day. Also
included are biographies of all WFD
award winners, histories of the Deaf
associations in each member country
of the WFD, and a color section of
international stamps recognizing
the deaf and disabled communities.
pages. Over 250 photos.
Endnotes and index. Softcover.
by Jack R. Gannon
“My hope is that this book will become
an important resource for Deaf people
everywhere to better understand the
founded and sustained the WFD and
our national organizations of the Deaf.
At the same time this book can serve
to enlighten those who are not deaf
and share our struggle for human
.” —Jack R. Gannon
Shipping charges will be calculated
based on weight and destination.
Upon receiving your order, we will
contact you with the shipping cost.
Brokerage fees, taxes, duties and
customs charged by the country
the package is being shipped to are
the responsibility of the purchaser.
http://www
.nad.org/W
FDbook
80.00 USD
Published by the National Association of the Deaf (USA)
AND MANY MORE SPECIAL EVENTS, PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS!
BE PART OF EVEN MORE FUN AT:DEAFESTIVAL KENTUCKY
WE WANT TO SEE YOU THIS JULY!
HTTP://WWW.NAD.ORG/LOUISVILLE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT
June 2012 9
DDW at NAD Conference!Davin Searls and Dave Justice will pres-
ent “Discovering Deaf Leadership in De-veloping Countries” at the 51st Biennial National Association of the Deaf Confer-ence 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.
• 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.
Did You Know?
10 Discovering Deaf Worlds
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 real-time 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!
Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!
Check out DDW’s weekly vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html
