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IN THIS ISSUE

Season of Gratitude | Mark your calendar |  Where we've been

Communications and Technology Program | Live Captions on iPhone with iOS16

Season of gratitude

November is traditionally a month of thanksgiving and gratitude. We would like to recognize our community stakeholders. Without them, the work of the commission would not be possible. Whether you serve as one of our seven commissioners, a member of the Legal or Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Councils, one of our 21 Colorado Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (COEHDI) Alliance members, or a member of one of our five COEHDI task forces; we thank you for your tireless work and dedication to supporting a barrier-free Colorado.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Mark your calendar

Holiday Schedule

‘Tis the season! There are state holidays coming up and our office will be closed:

• November 24-25 (Thanksgiving Break)
• December 26, 2022 (Christmas)
• January 2, 2023 (New Year’s Day)
• January 16, 2023 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)

WHERE WE'VE BEEN

Western Slope Deaf Initiatives Event

On Sept. 11, Ryan Hawkins, DeafBlind Services Coordinator, and Cliff Moers, CCDHHDB Director, presented on the Commission’s DeafBlind Services, Communications Technology Program (CTP), and Colorado Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (COEHDI) Program at the Western Slope Deaf Initiatives event in Grand Junction.

The goal was to educate the Western Slope region on rural services for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind (DHHDB). Other organizational booths, e.g., Colorado Daylight Partnership (CDP), Colorado Cross Disability Coalition (CCDC) Deaf Overcoming Violence through Empowerment (DOVE), and Rocky Mountain ADA Center, also provided information. 

Other presentations discussed ADA rights and research discrepancies in healthcare for rural DHHDB people. NorthWest Colorado Center for Independence, which coordinated the event, hopes to host this conference annually. 

ASL Night - Deaf Heritage Event

The event was a big success! Thank you to the Denver Office of Sign Language Services for hosting the event which had over (400) people registered.

CCDHHDB had a booth with a prize wheel that participants could spin. Many participants said the best part of the night was seeing old faces, catching up, and learning more about the services offered to the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities.

Image Description: CCDHHDB Staff Luke Adams and Heather Wilcox stand behind a festively decorated information booth - including a brightly colored game wheel and prize buckets.

Quality Health Network Healthier Together Summit

The Rural Auxiliary Services attended the Quality Health Network Healthier Together Summit in Grand Junction on October 13. The summit was a gathering of medical and behavioral health providers in western Colorado and several deaf and hard of hearing individuals attended as well. The program provided five sign language interpreters, including one Certified Deaf Interpreter, and a captionist for the event. Comedian Kathy Buckley, herself hard of hearing, provided a funny and moving keynote speech showing how important access to communication is to all human beings. 

Trish Leakey, Auxiliary Services Manager, hosted a booth and shared information about commission resources. Visitors to the booth learned that the Rural Auxiliary Services program provides sign language and captioning services free of charge to rural communities. Requests for services should be submitted to www.rascolorado.com. 

Image Description: Auxiliary Services Manager Trish Leakey and summit attendee Darlene Marsh stand behind the CCDHHDB conference booth full of brochures and lanyards, signing I Love You in American Sign Language.

Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council

The Rural Auxiliary Services program held a meeting on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 to discuss forming an advisory council. All nine meeting participants agreed to serve on the council, called the Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council. 

The meeting led to a great discussion on topics including how to define rural, barriers to accessing sign language interpreting services in the Fort Collins/Greeley area, and how to prioritize services within the program budget. 

Five members of the advisory council volunteered to serve on a rulemaking subcommittee to focus on rule drafting. The first subcommittee meeting was on Thursday, November 3, 2022. 

The second advisory council meeting was Wednesday, November 9. The schedule for future meetings is yet to be determined. Meetings are open to the public. Email Trish Leakey if you are interested in meeting information. 

DBCC Meeting

The DeafBlind Citizens Council meeting was held on Thursday, October 13, 2022. 

Agenda items included:  

• Denver International Airport Accessibility Group discussion.
• CCDHHDB updates/announcements.
• DBCC updates/announcements.
• Stakeholder updates/announcements.
• Including updates from: 
• DeafBlind Outreach.
• Helen Keller National Center.
• National Federation for the Blind - Colorado.

ACE Fall Summit Summary

The Advocacy Coalition for Equality (ACE) was founded in 2015 as an organizational resource network serving deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind (DHHDB) Coloradans. ACE members convene at three Summits every state fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) to cross-train on what partners offer; to share feedback on the referral system and programs; and to advise on the needs of the DHHDB communities.

Summary

ACE had their fall summit on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. 

Updates include: 

• Center Toward Self-Reliance resumed the social groups to meet again after putting it on hold for two years due to COVID. To learn more about it on the Center’s Facebook page.
• Marja Possner is the new intake coordinator for the Atlantis Community. 
• CSDB is back to their normal school year operations.
• DOVE held their fundraising gala on November 5th. 
• The Independence Center is now becoming a C4HC - Connect 4 (for) Health Colorado affordable care act insurance provider. It allows the center’s staff to provide on-site assistance for application, additional support, and health care literacy. The center has six staff members who can provide this support.

Sharon VonFeldt, CNA, of Deaf Heartening presented at the ACE Summit. She set up Deaf Heartening Caregiver LLC to address a crucial need in the community for older deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adults in Colorado. To learn more about the Deaf Heartening and its services, contact Sharon at deafhearteningcaregiver@gmail.com. 

COMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Captions Now Available on iPhone with iOS16

Apple recently announced that it was adding captioning on iPhones. Live Captions (Beta) is now available with iOS 16. This means that spoken language is turned into text and displayed in real time on the iPhone screen.

With FaceTime, Podcasts, videos, or even in live conversations, you can read what is being said on your device.

Please remember that the accuracy of the captioning may vary and shouldn’t be used in high-risk or emergency situations. Automatic speech recognition is being used so speaking clearly is very important.

After you set this up, a floating widget (caption image) appears on your screen. You can move this anywhere on the screen or use the microphone to get live captions for in-person communication.

For more instructions on how to customize captions or if you want to apply for a free iPhone, please visit the Communications Technology Program webpage or email ctp.ccdhhdb@state.co.us. You can also call 720-949-7457.

How to Set Up Live Captions on your iPhone

Update software

First make sure that you have updated your software to iOS 16.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. Tap Download and Install at the bottom of the screen.

Turn on Live Captions: