Rochester / Monroe County creating Deaf Equity Council

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Thanks for great news. I support u all way.

Why is there no audio?

So hard to see the interpreter with that light marbled background!!

great news.

Thank you for news 🙂

Thanks information more and updates

We know who are behind them to push. We know them. We are not blind-sidding about these people.

thank you

Thanks so much for sharing 😃👍

They just have to respect how the individual wants accordingly. If one wants his interest job to stay for his good reason. Be it. If another person wants to go for school. Let him go for it accordingly. But no coercing is necessary. So, your discussion has to be like that. Be sharp in your heads as deaf people. Be sharp on your own interests instead of the interests of others to force you. Be sharp about it!

You got to give a respect of the job of elders and their interest in their jobs here all over in u.s. You don't have to push them for R.I.T. college. We have the right to keep our own jobs to remain. We know what R.I.T. is all about. This is funny!

Teach them what to respect our job interests for people who are elders as supposed to be equity rights for us. But not for hearing privileged. They have to dumb us to go for college while they want to stay in their own jobs. This is not right. Know our rights to choose with. Insteading of coercing and circling against us is never appropriate. Wake up!

Don't trust these people!

😊 yah

#TrumpResignNow #RepealTrumpNow

Always a fake news

TRANSCRIPT:
The city of Rochester, New York and Monroe County has created a “Deaf Equity Council,” which aims to bring in members of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard-of-hearing community to help Rochester and the county become more inclusive of their needs.
[Full-screen image showing a press release with the headline, “County Executive Adam Bello and Mayor Malik Evans Announce Creation of Deaf Equity Council. Community members are encouraged to join… by emailing DeafEquity@monroecounty.gov or calling our Video Phone Number at (585) 206-1090]
[Video clip from RUclips/Monroe County, NY showing a press conference with Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and an interpreter. Bello says, “Today is an important day and the first step to showing what inclusivity and equity looks like for the Deaf community here in Rochester. I’m partnering with Rochester Mayor Evans to start the Deaf Equity Council (DEC). Its purpose is to advocate for the rights and well-being of Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard-of-hearing individuals in Monroe County.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans: Rochester has the highest amount of Deaf people per capita compared with other places. We recognize the importance of inclusion and making sure all in our community is included.]
Alex: Here is an interview with Davin Searls, a DEC representative.
[Begin Interview]
Davin Searls: My name is Davin Searls. This is my sign name. I’m based in Rochester, New York.
Alex: The Deaf Equity Council - can you explain what it is and how you got involved?
Davin: Sure. The main reason behind DEC is that the city, county, and government often makes decisions without involving the Deaf community. They may not realize certain things. So it’s important that we are here from the start, to have a seat at the table. Suppose someone is constructing a building, would they install a ramp and an elevator at a later stage? No, they would plan on this in advance. It’s the same concept here.
Alex: Rochester is well-known for having the highest per capita Deaf and hard-of-hearing population in the U.S. Is this true from your perspective and is it a big reason for DEC’s formation?
Davin: I can’t say for sure about the population, but it seems like it. I often meet hearing people who know some basic signs or how to use a pen and paper. They’re not awkward with deaf people. But there still needs to be improvements. I think many people have good intentions, like maybe they are very friendly with a Deaf neighbor, but that same person, when they go into an office and see that a Deaf person applied for a job, they might have no idea on how to provide an interpreter or other needs. So it’s a different situation and people can be unaware in certain contexts. I think many people don’t realize what they don’t know.
Rochester has many deaf people because of the University of Rochester, RIT/NTID, and the Rochester Deaf School - but their priorities are on students and staff. What about the off-campus areas? That’s where DEC comes in. Deaf people are taxpayers. They use public transportation and public health services. It’s important to have someone looking out for them and support deaf people here. That’s where DEC comes in.
Alex: I get it. It’s clear because you’re talking about a college environment that’s in an enclosed space, but what about the city around it? That’s clear.
Can you explain any situation or event where the deaf and hard-of-hearing community realized there is a need for DEC?
Davin: There’s so many different moments that adds up to this! But there are two key moments from two different initiatives. The first is called the Digital Accessibility Task Force. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, officials realized they needed to provide accessibility for deaf people on Zoom or on the internet. But that’s a very limited and narrow area as it doesn’t cover many other issues. The second is here in Monroe County, we started a “Language Access Plan,” which was based on a bill. Many in the Latino and Deaf community were involved and supported the bill. It focused on the importance of language access, but does it really include the full deaf experience? No. So these are two examples.
There were different situations that came up over time. Often officials from the city and county would reach out to me or others who they knew during emergencies, but we are just individuals who may not be here forever and we don’t represent the full spectrum of our community. So this is an opportunity to start a strong foundation that reaches out to the community and build a one-stop place where we receive information and provide tips and advice.
Alex: Can you explain how it looks like with the DEC officials and the general members? How is it structured?
Davin: The DEC is intended to be community-based, so we have a specific number of representatives that we want from the county, city, at least one DeafBlind individual, at least one Deaf interpreter, and then representatives from bigger institutions that employ deaf people - RIT/NTID, U of Rochester, and the Rochester School for the Deaf - all are invited to send at least one representative so they can represent their on-campus needs. But for the full spectrum of representation, it will be community-led.
Alex: The DEC is a new thing, but in the future, what do you think are some of the most important needs? Healthcare access? Emergency services? Any pressing priorities?
Davin: Great question. We are in the early stages. The goal here is to bring in community members to join us. Then we want to get input from the county, city, and departments to help us understand what gaps there are, what they don’t know, and what they assume. We want to bring that to the Deaf community and hopefully the DEC can decide for itself what the top priorities are. For sure, emergency preparedness has come up. Senior citizen support has also come up. There are many issues facing us and it’s up to the DEC to figure out what the most important priorities are.
Alex: Anything you want to add related to DEC?
Davin: Again, I encourage people who live in Monroe County, regardless of your age and experience, if you’re passionate about seeing improvements, to sign up and become a member. For others who live elsewhere, think about how you can make local change. DEC is one example that you can look to on how you can borrow from and make changes to fit with your area. I hope to see more deaf people become leaders and create policy and system changes all over the U.S.
Alex: Thank you so much, Davin for your time!
[End interview]
The DEC said they would hold an information session at the Henrietta Library on April 16. If you’re a Rochester/Monroe County resident and want to be a part of the DEC, you can check the link on how to contact them via email or videophone.
Davin also said if there are other Deaf people out there in other cities and counties who think there should be a DEC-like entity set up, they can reach out to Davin and the Rochester DEC to get information on how to set one up!
www.monroecounty.gov/dei-deafequitycouncil
Video: ruclips.net/video/556bB2j03NY/видео.html