DAS INSIDER TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1: COVER J Deaf Access Services PAGE 2: COMMUNITY EVENTS January 2015 PAGE 3: COMMUNITY EVENTS PAGE 4: DAS MESSAGE BORAD PAGE 5: SPRING GALA INFO PAGE 6: ASL CLASS SCHEDULE PAGE 7: ASL CLASS SCHEDULE PAGE 8: DAS IN THE NEWS PAGE 9: DAS IN THE NEWS PAGE 10: MEET NEW STAFF PAGE 11: MEET NEW STAFF PAGE 12: MEET NEW STAFF PAGE 13: STAFF & BOARD Is there something important you would like added to the e-‐newsletter? Contact: Ashley Hirtzel [email protected] COMMUNITY EVENTS *SMSD: Snow Day Make Up - School in Session When *SMSD: NYS Regents Exams When Friday, January 16, 2015 Monday, January 26, 2015 – Thursday, January 29, 2015 Location Location SMSD *SMSD *SMSD: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School! *SMSD: PTO Meeting When Monday, January 19, 2015 Location When Monday, February 2, 2015 Location *SMSD *SMSD *SMSD: Board of Trustees Meeting When Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center: “Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids: What’s Best For Me?” (Free seminar) Wednesday, January 21, 2015 Call the locations below for dates and to register: 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 50 E. North Street, Buffalo Location (716) 885-8318 *SMS 5225 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville (716) 204-8680 *SMSD: I-90 Basketball Classic 6941 Elaine Drive, Niagara Falls When (716) 234-7887 2:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Location *St. Mary’s School for the Deaf SMSD 2 3 Congratulations Aja Ruff! Interpreter Assessment We’re now conducting assessments for anyone interested in working as an independent contract interpreter through DAS. No Appointment Necessary! Walk-ins are available Fridays between 10-12 p.m. Questions? Contact: Jeffrey Strauss at [email protected] Aja is a scheduler at DAS, who graduated from the University at Buffalo in December 2014. Aja received a Bachelors degree in Health and Human Services, with a concentration in Childhood Mental Health. Congratulations from the DAS team, Aja. We are so proud! Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is now available through DAS! To learn more about VRI and how this can better assist the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, contact Jeffrey Strauss, at [email protected] 4 Deaf Access Services will be hosting its Spring Gala Saturday, April 11, 2015 Help Bring a Celebrity to Buffalo! Deaf Access Services is looking for sponsors to help bring Marlee Matlin to Buffalo, NY to be the guest speaker at its first ever Spring Gala. The event will be held at Statler City on April 11, 2015. Marlee Matlin is an Academy Award winning actress, motivational speaker, and author of several books, including a New York Times best selling autobiography. She has received many awards for her charity work, and was instrumental in getting legislation passed in Congress in support of Closed Captioning. We’re reaching out to area businesses to become a sponsor for the event! The DAS staff is dedicated to making sure our events not only surpass the communities’ expectation, but also help to promote our organization’s mission statement. The sponsorship levels are affordable and include many perks including tickets to our events. All funds are used locally to support access to services for the WNY Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. If a monetary donation is not possible, DAS can use gift certificates or product for the live auction at the event. Proceeds from the gala will go directly towards the continuation of client services at DAS. We look forward to your support! TO BECOME A SPONSOR GO TO: WNYDAS.org/how-you-can-help/das-wish-list/ OR CONTACT: Sharon Hanson at (716) 833-1637 ext. 100 – [email protected] 5 Sign Language Classes Winter 2015 All classes will be held at Deaf Access Services located at: Tri-‐Main Bldg. 2495 Main Street – Suite 446, Buffalo, NY 14227 ASL Beginner: Signing Naturally - Units 1-6 This course introduces the basics of American Sign Language (ASL) and is designed for students who have little or no previous knowledge of ASL. This course uses natural approach method such as hand-on activities for you to acquire and understand the language better. You will observe and express real life experiences in ASL using ASL questions, commands, and other simple sentence structures. You will also be introduced to Deaf Culture, thus giving you insight to the People behind the language. When: Mondays Jan.12th – March 9th 5:30p-7:30p OR Tuesdays Jan.13th – March 10th 5:30p-7:30p OR Wednesdays Jan.14th – March 11th 5:30p-7:30p Cost: $125 (Individual) $225 (Couple) Course Materials: Signing Naturally Units 1-6: Student DVD & Workbook Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C. 2008 ASL Intermediate: Signing Naturally – Units 7-12 This course will introduce ASL grammatical structure and conversational skills. You will learn in a natural approach method with everyday real life situations. This hands-on approach will help to develop your receptive and expressive skills. When: Wednesdays Jan.14th – March 11th 5:30p-7:30p Cost: $125 (Individual) $225 (Couple) Course Materials: Signing Naturally Units 7-12: Student DVD & Workbook Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C. 2008 6 Sign Language Classes Winter 2015 All classes will be held at Deaf Access Services located at: Tri-‐Main Bldg. 2495 Main Street – Suite 446, Buffalo, NY 14227 Classifiers/ASL Intermediate II Signing Naturally - Units 13-17 This class introduces the basic classifiers and focus on expansion of those classifiers. You will learn to describe objects, use spatial reference and learn basic mouth morphemes. You will also learn appropriate cultural behavior for directing & maintaining attention, as well as various strategies to control the pace of conversations and resuming conversations after an interruption. When: Mondays Jan. 12th – March 9th 6p-7p Cost: $80 Course Materials: Signing Naturally Units 1-6: Student DVD & Workbook Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C. 2008 Baby American Sign Language Babies are 100% capable of learning to sign! Their understanding of language and their motor skills develop faster than their ability to speak. For example, most babies learn to wave and point long before they can say, Mommy, Da-Da or Bye-Bye! When: Mondays & Wednesdays Jan. 12th – Feb. 9th Jan. 14th – Feb. 11th 4p - 4:30p Cost: $75 (Individual)\ $125 (Couple) Parents can enjoy the benefits of signing, too. Think about it, if your child can sign for what he/she wants instead of screaming for it, everyone’s lives get a little bit easier! J Register by phone at (717) 335-9192 For additional information, contact Nora Owen, Community Education Coordinator at: E: [email protected] or VP: (716) 335-9170 7 DEAF ACCESS SERVICES IN THE NEWS: Our very own Hank Nevins acknowledges DAS ASL Teacher & the ‘coolness’ of learning sign language in the Buffalo News! (Read the full article below) We all have one or two favorite teachers from our school days. One of my new favorite teachers began tutoring me a few weeks ago. And she doesn’t hear or speak. Her name is Chrissy Heckler. She teaches American Sign Language classes at Buffalo’s Deaf Access Services (DAS) and she has taught me more with her enthusiasm, facial expressions and sign language skills in one month than most of her hearing and speaking colleagues did in years of traditional classroom instruction. I joined Team DAS in September, part time, to assist it with government relations and special projects. My boss, Executive Director Sharon Hanson, suggested that she and I should learn the language of the people we are entrusted to help. I agreed. I’ve always been fascinated with sign language and was eager to learn more about it. When I told family and friends that part of my training at DAS was learning sign language, the unanimous response was, “cool.” It is cool. Very cool. And what makes it even cooler is the fact that DAS offers classes to everyone from babies to veterans. That’s right, DAS will be introducing sign language classes for babies in January. Studies show that young children adapt quickly to sign language. The agency, working with Veterans Affairs, is also addressing the needs of veterans who suffered hearing impairment or loss as a result of their military service. And DAS will launch a defensive driving program and high school equivalency classes in 2015. For those of us in the hearing community, the daily sounds of our lives are taken for granted. But think for a moment what it must be like to not have verbal communication, the sounds of nature, traffic, radio, TV, motion pictures, you favorite music, your computer, cellphone – it’s a long list. 8 I am not deaf, but I am hard of hearing. That journey began long ago and far away with the constant rumble of Army howitzers and helicopters in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and continued with the nearly 40-year radio career that followed, exposing me to loud headphones and even louder rock concerts. It all took a toll. I am addressing my hearing issues with the assistance of medical professionals and the VA. But my brief experience with these twice-weekly sign language courses has opened up a whole new world. In 1983, a group of committed volunteers interested in the welfare of the deaf community set up Deaf Adult Services as a non-profit organization. Thirty-one years later, DAS (now Deaf Access Services) continues to be the only agency of its kind serving Western New York. Staffed by deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing individuals, it provides a diverse, inclusive environment for people. In order to bridge the communication gap between deaf and hearing communities, DAS provides informative consultations, presentations and workshops to help people feel more at ease when working with deaf individuals. The agency also has support services to ensure the rights of deaf individuals are met by providing assistance, education and advocacy. Often the services of an interpreter are mandated by law. DAS provides qualified sign language interpreters to meet this need. As I navigate the world of deaf culture, I’m learning something new every day, thanks to Team DAS and a teacher who can’t hear or speak, but communicates better than most people who can. -0- 9 f Ss MEET THE NEW DAS TEAM MEMBERS Petra M. Saunders Community Employment Services Coordinator Joined the team in September 2014 Responsibilities: Assist clients with employment preparation, which includes work values, employer expectations, job responsibilities, resume preparation, interviewing skills and job search techniques. After job placement, assistance and support to both employers and client to assures a smooth integration of the new employee to the working world. Where is she from? Newark, NJ, relocated to WNY from Harrisburg, PA Education & Certifications: • Rutgers University-New Brunswick, NJ • Educational Certification: EIPA/ASL • Pending Certification: ASLTA (American Sign Language Teachers Association) Work Experience: • Job Coach & later Job Developer for Lexington School for the Deaf – Vocational Services, worked closed with NJ-DVR, New Jersey Division Vocational Rehabilitation. • Job Coach for Jewish Vocational Rehabilitation-East Orange, NJ Hobbies: • Reading (Non-Fiction) • Family Time • Travel – Languages and Cultures Contact: VP: (716) 335-9171 C/T: (716) 400-2738 [email protected] 10 Lee Dray Scheduling Coordinator Joined the team in December 2014 Responsibilities: Records and enters requests for interpreting or captioning services from area businesses, medical, legal, and educational establishments. Recruits Deaf or hearing interpreters to fulfill the requested jobs. Where is he from? Born & raised in Buffalo, NY. Lee moved out of the area 12 years ago and lived in various states, but recently moved back! Education & Certifications: • Gallaudet University: ASL & Interpretation • University of Phoenix: Curriculum & Instruction and Teaching of English as a Second Language. • Pending Certification: Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) (16 hours of Professional role & conduct already completed.) Hobbies: • Scroll sawing portraits of people or pets • Wood carving • Collecting antique Cameras Contact: VP: (716) 748-7100 Text: (716) 604-7740 [email protected] 11 Ashley Hirtzel Community Relations & Development Coordinator Joined the team in December 2014 Responsibilities: Works to enhance and expand the community relations and development activities of the organization, including public relations activities, developing sponsorships, marketing, social media, website management, event planning, and supporting the agency and board in their efforts to develop unrestricted funds for agency programs and services. Where is she from? Born & raised in Buffalo, NY Education: • Bachelors of Science in Communication, Medaille College Work Experience: • Reporter for WBFO 88.7 FM/InnovationTrail.org • Senior Producer/Anchor for WBTA Batavia 1490 AM • Reporter/Anchor WBEN 930 AM • Intern: WKBW Channel 7 & Time Warner Cable News Hobbies: • Traveling • T.V. & Movie trivia • Singing Contact: Office: (716) 833-1637 ext. 105 Cell: (716) 903-7347 [email protected] FA 12 Board of Directors DAS STAFF President Executive Director Michael Cross Sharon L Hanson Vice President Sue Wantuck Staff Treasurer Marie Bartolotta Secretary Patty Tadak Kendra Eaglin Jeanette Grimaldi Nanette Harmon Stacey Allen Lee Dray Ashley Hirtzel Michael Lackey Laurie Murray Sharon LeRoy Aaron Saykin Sharon Manning Hank Nevins Nora Owens Evy Salvato-Rood Marvin Wuest Deborah Long New Members Aja Ruff Andrea Russell Petra Saunders Komani Lundquist Dina Capizzi Jeffrey Strauss Christine Manning Volunteers Emeritus Members Charissa Farnsworth Emily Gernold Pamela Rohring Kathy Hoffman Alice Guinane 13
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