January 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

Auxiliary Services Updates | Mark your Calendar

Communications Technology Program

Welcome to 2023, Colorado style!

Skyline of Denver against the mountains covered in snow in early sunrise light

Image Description: The Denver city skyline against the snow covered Rocky Mountains and slightly cloudy skies after a snowstorm, under the light of an early morning sunrise.

AUXILIARY SERVICES UPDATES

New Certified Deaf Interpreter

Introducing Kevin Harrer

The Auxiliary Services unit is pleased to announce that Kevin Harrer will be joining the team as a Certified Deaf Interpreter on February 6, 2023. This is a new role with the commission and Kevin will work closely with the Legal Auxiliary Services and Rural Auxiliary Services programs. Please join us in welcoming Kevin!

Kevin is a Colorado native and has a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Special Education and a minor in Mathematics. He has a Master’s Degree in Deaf education from Gallaudet University. He holds a Status II Court/Legal Interpreter designation and is in the final step of obtaining a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. He expects to receive his CDI certification in the near future and intends to pursue BEI certification as well.

Kevin is best known for his work as a Deaf teacher, teaching Mathematics and American Sign Language (ASL) at several schools and the Pikes Peak State College (PPSC). He has worked in education, medical, video relay, government, and legal settings for more than ten years as a ASL/English communication specialist.

A white male with brown mustache goatee and curly hair wearing black tshirt with a beautiful background scene of the Pikes Peak mountains and outdoor trees under the bright blue with partially white cloud sky

Image Description: A white male with brown mustache, goatee, and curly hair wearing black shirt and background scene of the Pikes Peak mountains and outdoor trees under the bright blue with partially white cloudy sky.

Kevin is a member of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and strongly advocates for Deaf communities in Colorado, including the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind Alumni Association.

Kevin is passionate about advocating for communication access in Colorado. He is particularly passionate about Deaf education, especially addressing language deprivation for Deaf children.

Kevin currently lives in Colorado Springs. In his free time, he loves to participate in various Deaf events, producing video presentations, and basically anything outdoors in the mountains, such as hiking, snowboarding, skiing, and bicycling.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to him and welcome him aboard!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Mark Your Calendar

COEHDI Alliance Meeting

January 20, 2023 from 10-11:30 a.m.

The COEHDI Alliance meets the third Friday of each month from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and members of the public are invited to submit a public comment.

Contact info@coehdi.org for Zoom link.

Deaf Blind Citizens Council

Thursday, February 9, 2023 from 4-5:30 p.m.

Online registration is required. Anyone is welcome to attend whether they are deafblind themselves, a family member, a professional working with deafblind individuals, or a stakeholder of the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities.

Quarterly Commission Meeting information

Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 4-6 p.m.

Online Zoom registration is required. ASL interpretation and CART will be provided. Deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind individuals, members of the public, professionals working with the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities, and any other interested stakeholders are more than welcome to attend!

Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council Meetings

First Wednesday of the Month

The Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council (RASAC) holds meetings the first Wednesday of the month from 3 to 5 pm. The January meeting was held the second January of the month (January 11) due to holiday schedules and the council discussed draft rules relating to defining “rural area” and other issues. The RASAC rulemaking subcommittee met the day before to review the materials that were presented to RASAC on January 10. These meetings are held via Zoom and are open to the public. Email ras.ccdhhdb@state.co.us if you are interested in meeting information.

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Transcribe Google Meet Video into Google Docs

Google Meet can now be transcribed into a Google Doc. Like recording a meeting, the transcribed file is saved in the “Meet Recordings” folder in the host’s Google Drive.

The host or co-host must turn it on prior to your event.

Participants will be warned before joining the meeting that the video call is being transcribed, similar to when a video call meeting is being recorded.

Image Description: Twelve individuals attending an online Google Meet, with a pop-up option menu to the right for Transcript, with the text "Transcribe this call. The transcription will be saved to Jessica Ayala's Google Drive after the call. Currently, only English is supported" and a blue Stop transcription button.

It takes several minutes before the transcript is placed into your Google Drive and the transcript can be edited if Google Transcribe missed anything.

Also, it is only available on desktops and laptops.

For any communications technology questions, please contact ctp.ccdhhdb@state.co.us.

This is The Navigator newsletter, a monthly report of news and updates from the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind. You can subscribe to related topics and other newsletters using our sign-up form. Contact us via email at

outreach.ccdhhdb@state.co.us

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