Message From Board Member:

Jeanette Grimaldi 

I have known Deaf Access Services (formerly Deaf Adult Services) for many years.  As a consumer, member of the DAS Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors.

When I first came to DAS, I needed interpreting services for my college classes and meetings I need to attend. The Executive Director, at that time, was my former speech therapist - when I was a little girl she taught me how to talk and read lips (no signing allowed even though I knew how to sign).  When I walked into DAS, WOW! she can sign to me now and we were happy to see each other again!

At a young age, I always wanted to help people of all ages.  Upon graduating from St. Mary's School for the Deaf in 1983, I discovered that there was a need for Deaf Social Workers.  I had decided that Social Work was to be my career goal no matter how long it took me to get there.  When I graduated with my B.S.W. from Buffalo State College, I was also a volunteer for Independent Living Center (ILC) in Niagara Falls, NY.
After completing college, I was asked to join Independent Living Center as a Deaf Services Coordinator.

I was asked to join the Advisory Committee by a friend who is also an awesome ASL Interpreter.  When I became a member of the DAS Advisory Committee, I knew I wanted to be a part of the DAS Community to assist in educating the Hearing Community about the Deaf Community.  I wanted more than anything for the Hearing and Deaf Communities to work together.  

Seven years ago, I was asked to join the Board of Directors at DAS and I readily accepted! I enjoy being part of the DAS family.  I am so thankful for DAS for what they have done to assist with me to reach my career goals, by providing qualified Interpreters and will continue to support DAS.

THANK YOU DAS!

Stacey Allen

 
Hello Everyone! My name is Stacey Allen.  I joined DAS in August of 2013 as the Administrative Assistant.  I am honored to be a part of DAS.

As many may know, I am the first face you will see greeting you at the front desk.  I enjoy welcoming our clients, customers and community members to DAS. What's even more pleasant, is answering phone calls via the Video Phone (VP).  It is always a pleasure to welcome different individuals into our office either for ASL classes, appointments or to use the Public VP.

As an Administrative Assistant, I provide resources of information to the varies communities, I am responsible for directing clients, customers, and vendors to appropriate departments; I ensure that DAS is up to par and presentable for our clients, customers and interested community members who just 'stop by' to learn more about us.   Additionally, I assist each department with a variety of projects from mailings, copying, filing, phone calls and more. I also assist the Interpreting Department with receiving phone call for interpreting requests and sending out fax/email confirmations to different customers/companies.

Aside from my normal duties, I serve as the Executive Assistant to Sharon L. Hanson, our Executive Director.  I help Ms. Hanson in preparing for Board meetings and Special Projects that she may have on her schedule.  

What is CART? 

By Gloria Matthews

CART is abbreviated for Communication Access Real-Time Translation.  What this service does is provide real-live captioning to show up on either a laptop screen or a projector screen to the individual(s) who is/are D/deaf or Hard of Hearing. It was specifically developed for the D/deaf and Hard of Hearing community and is considered a huge breakthrough for individuals who did not learn the skills of lip-reading and/or sign language.  In other words, this technology will print out word for word what a speaker is saying on a screen, giving those with hearing loss equal access to information and communication in different settings.

When I first experienced CART services in the fall of 2010 at Buffalo State as a student, I was amazed by the technology and the ability to read what the professors were saying on a laptop screen.   I usually found myself not only doing my usual lip-reading but when the instructor walked around a lot and I knew I was missing out, I was able to turn to the screen in front of me to follow along.   It gave me the opportunity to raise my hand to ask for clarification or more information or questions out of general curiosity. It allowed me to participate in ways where I am usually unsure as to being comfortable and sure of myself in my ability to participate in classroom discussions and more. It was like I was able to function on the same level as all hearing students do. By the end of each class, I would receive the electronic version of the lecture on a flash drive or via email. Because of that, I made honors and was invited to join the Honors Society shortly thereafter.

What I just described is a similar testimony of those students who have used CART in the past and have gone on to not only graduating with high marks but became gainfully employed.   As it stands now, CART is most commonly used in educational venues. It comes under the "reasonable accommodation" aspect of the Americans with Disability Act. CART is not to be confused with C-Print or Note-taking, each an auxiliary aid. The CART provider attends each class with the student, sitting in the front of the room or off to one side where they are able to see and hear everything perfectly. Unfortunately, obtaining CART in educational settings remain a struggle, often because of a lack of knowledge regarding the applicable laws and a lack of understanding as to the needs of people requesting auxiliary aid.

Many entities have obligations under civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination and require the provision of accommodations, such as captioning in which it may be required to provide equal access to information and communication in employment settings, in the delivery of health care and mental health care services, for the provision of legal and law enforcement services and during court room proceedings. It is extremely important that you know and understand your rights to receive the proper accommodations to suit your needs.

In my experience of obtaining CART services, I originally went through ACCESS-VR (formerly VESID) as I was setting up my educational plan with them. ACCESS-VR then contracts Deaf Access Services (DAS) to set up CART services under their Interpretation Services. From here, DAS contacts their CART provider(s) to set up the schedule according to the needs of the individual requesting services. The request for CART services is the same as requesting for a Sign Language Interpreter. At the time of gathering information on the client's language preferences (ASL, Signed English, etc.) it is here when DAS discovers the client is D/deaf or Hard of Hearing but does not know sign language. They may have encountered an illness that caused immediate deafness and/or are late-deafened. The person's first language is English and with limited to no knowledge of sign language, CART Services would be the most appropriate means in communications. As you can see, DAS does cover CART under their Interpretation Services. Whenever one is in need of interpretation, do not assume it's just ASL; CART is also considered another means of interpretation.

For more information please contact Interpreting Services. 

Crisis Text Line

Spring It On!

Spring Gala 2016

If you are interested in attending please register online on our Spring Gala event page.

If you cannot attend but want to show your support, we are accepting donations, online, mail or in person.  We will greatly appreciate it!

If you wish to donate a basket or auction item to our Gala, please contact Gloria Matthews at [email protected] .

 

For an appointment, please contact: 

Andrea Russell: [email protected]

Petra Saunders:   [email protected]

For more information please contact:

DAS is currently conducting

Interpreter Assessments

For an Assessment appointment, please contact:

Carole DeRade: [email protected]

Already a Certified Interpreter? 

Please contact Lee Dray: [email protected]