Wednesday: Sign Language Advocacy
Encourage everyone to actively advocate for the rights of deaf individuals and the official recognition of national sign languages. Your role in promoting national sign language in public arenas is crucial and greatly valued. Let’s all work together to sign up for sign language rights.
Please let us know if you know someone struggling to communicate through sign language at school, work, public meetings, or events. We’re here to assist on behalf of the D/deaf person and D/deaf with disabilities people. Let’s all unite and work together to understand and promote our collective right to use sign language as an official language in any country.
It is critical to remember them—D/deaf people and D/deaf with disabilities people—to be more inclusive in the community. This is not just a slogan; it’s a principle we must uphold—’ Nothing about us without us‘.
I have worked along with many D/deaf people, D/deaf with disabilities and people in the community over many years as an advocator through the Government, the Council, and Government agencies such as MSD (Ministry of Social Development), Kāinga Ora (Housing New Zealand) and Social Services. Your efforts in advocating for the rights of the deaf community are greatly appreciated and recognised.
Currently, the more significant issues are D/deaf with disabilities seniors who are living alone without their families, the need for home help services, the lack of understanding of the difference between mobility impaired/sensory impaired and D/deaf people who are permanent hearing loss from birth/early childhood age.
A couple came to the library several weeks ago and decided to learn primary sign language because the husband is developing hearing loss and finding it challenging to communicate with their family and friends in their community. That is a start for them to learn about us, so we enjoy sharing our experiences.
Life in Eureka 