Deaf Access Services
January 2016
DAS Insider
 
In This Issue
Board of Directors

President
Michael Cross

Vice President
Marie Bartolotta

Treasurer
Komani Lundquist

Secretary
Patty Tadak

Dina Capizzi
Jeanette Grimaldi
Nanette Harmon
Sharon LeRoy
Deborah Long
Christina Manning
Sharon Manning
Kristin Miller
Evy Salvato-Rood
Aaron Saykin
Sue Wantuck
Marvin Wuest

Emeritus Members
Alice Guinane
Kathy Hoffman

Pamela Rohring

Executive Director
Sharon L. Hanson

DAS Staff
Stacey Allen
Bryant Brady
Peter Culver
Carole DeRade
Lee Dray
Amy Heider
Marriam Kiani
Michael Lackey
Gloria Matthews
Andrea Russell
Petra Saunders

DAS Intern
Emma Weber
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Happy New Year DAS Supporters!

We hope the New Year has brought in new opportunities, new goals, and new outlooks. We have EXCITING NEWS to share!
Message From Board Member:
Marie Bartolotta, Vice President 
Board Member - VP

I have a dear friend whom I met when we worked together at Erie Community College. I knew she had served on the Board of Deaf Access Services (DAS) for many years. I admit I knew very little about what the organization did. One day, after I retired, I received a phone call from my friend asking me if I was willing to fill out the term of the Board Treasurer who had just resigned. She needed someone with a financial background to fill out the term since the agency was in the search process for a new director. No long term commitment was necessary. I accepted the challenge and, after almost six years, I am still on the Board.

As Treasurer of the Board, I chaired the Finance Committee. It was a new committee and difficult to recruit volunteers. It seems most people are intimidated by finances. It is really not that different from what you do at home. You have income and expenses and income has to be greater than expenses. If they are not, you have to make changes. What is different from home is that it's not your money so have to exercise what it called Due Diligence. Our due diligence involves tasks such as reviewing financial statements and audit recommendations, and developing policies to protect the agency's finances. This was the expertise I brought to Deaf Access Services.

As a hearing person, I had many misconceptions about what it means to be deaf. First, I learned that there is Deaf with an uppercase D indicating who you are. Deafness is an identity, a community, and a culture. You can be deaf (medically) and not Deaf (culturally), or alternatively, considered Deaf (culturally) but not deaf (medically). An example would be a hearing child raised by Deaf parents.

Second, I always thought of deafness as a disability. The Deaf community views Deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability or disease. Members of the Deaf Community also object to being labeled "impaired." They take pride in their Deaf identity. The pathological view, that something is wrong with them, is a big threat to the Deaf Community. When hearing parents find out their baby is deaf, their first response is to "fix it." More and more deaf babies are undergoing cochlear implants and are not encourage to learn American Sign Language, a cultural way of communicating.

Sign language is a beautiful and expressive language.
I tried taking classes in American Sign Language. I was good at learning foreign languages in high school and college and attained a reasonable level in proficiency in Spanish and French. Someone told me that learning sign language was like learning any other language. I soon found that was not exactly true. The added physical component changed the equation. Being somewhat dyslexic, I found myself making signs backwards. I guess you could say I am "signing impaired."

I think educating the public about the Deaf Community is important and I applaud the efforts of Sharon L. Hanson, the current Director of DAS, in this area.  I know we don't think of it as a primary function of the agency, but we need to do it to gain public support for all the other services we provide.
Our New Website!

We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of our New Website. It is more user friendly, cleaner, and easy to navigate; it will fit any screen size from mobile to wide screen!

This has been in the makings since the Summer of 2015. This site will have a few new exciting features, such as, information about our individual board members and an updated online interpreter request form.

We are looking forward to this launch as we have all been working very hard as a team to get the new website up to date and running! We hope you will all enjoy it!

The website address will remain the same www.wnydas.org.
Inside DAS: Community Relations

Happy New Year!

My name is Gloria Matthews.
I am your new Community Relations Assistant here at DAS.  I am honored and pleased to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

I started here at DAS on December 1, 2015.  In the last three years, I have been an active Board Member and Social Media Manager of the Buffalo Implant Group, B.I.G.

In my position, I am responsible for maintaining and managing DAS' Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube plus the Newsletter and the soon to be launch New Website! In addition, many of you may be communicating with me regarding our monthly newsletter contents, community related events, or other information that you wish to share with us and/or the community. Please keep it coming! 

To give you a little bit  about my background, I lost my hearing at the age of four due to an unknown illness and have been a life long hearing aid user and self-advocate. I am now a bimodal individual which means I wear one hearing aid (L)/ one cochlear implant (R).  With my background, I understand hearing loss and the struggles many go through, especially in the Hearing community.  I can relate to the challenges faced against those who are D/deaf and/or Hard of Hearing. Since, DAS is seeing an increase in more Hard of Hearing clients, I will also be contributing in the efforts to educate on what's it's like to be Hard of Hearing and what are the differences in terms of needs, environments, and culture. No one individual is the same when it comes to hearing loss and D/deafness. It is really all tied into making communication more accessible and equal, educating communities on hearing loss and D/deafness, and expanding the dialog to remove the misconceptions about hearing loss and D/deafness.

It is my hope that my background and experiences can help bridge the connection between the Hard of Hearing Community and the Deaf Community as well as the Hearing Community. 

I look forward to working with DAS and all the community members in an efforts to promote not only Awareness, but to advocate and educate all three communities about hearing loss, Deaf Culture, as well as the Hard of Hearing perspective.
New Satellite Office!

Are you Deaf or Hard of Hearing, live in Niagara County, NY and looking for a job? Well, look no further! 

DAS is proud to announce that Employment Services now has a satellite office at Independent Living Niagara County (ILNC) located at 746 Portage Rd. Niagara Fall, NY. 

For an appointment, please contact: 
Andrea Russell: arussell@wnydas.org
Petra Saunders:   psaunders@wnydas.org
DAS Message Board

On Monday, January 18, 2016 we will be observing Martin Luther King's Jr. Day.  

We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.



"Your free and confidential link to health and human services."

You can call 24/7 to speak to a trained information and referral specialist who can identify services in the community and provide you with the help you need.  Call 2-1-1 or click here to visit their website!
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
Can be used by:
Legal, Law Enforcement and Medical Professionals to communicate easier with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals


For more information please contact:

Petra Saunders: psaunders@wnydas.org
Looking to become an Independent Contract Interpreter?
DAS is currently conducting
Interpreter Assessments

For an Assessment appointment, please contact:
Petra Saunders: psaunders@wnydas.org

Already a Certified Interpreter? 
Please contact Lee Dray: ldray@wnydas.org
Crisis Text Line

Text START to 741741.

Live counselors are trained to use effective active listening to help you stay safe by moving from a heated moment to a cool calm.

For more information visit Crisis Text Line. 
Consumer Credit
Credit & Budget Workshop Series 

Monday, January 25, 2016 1-3pm
At Niagara WorkSourceOne Center

To register and request an Interpreter, 
please call 
716-278-8108.

To order the DVD kit in ASL please email:  basicbudgetkdw@yahoo.com
Niagara Regional Theater Guild
Proudly Presents an ASL Interpreted Performance of:

Friday February 5, 2016 at 7:30pm
The Ellicott Creek Playhouse
530 Ellicott Creek Rd.
Tonawanda, NY 14150

Presale: $12 with code: miracleASL

Purchase Tickets at Niagara Theater or call box office at 716-260-2319
Thank you for your ongoing support, business and loyalty!
Sincerely,
Community Relations
Deaf Access Services