{"id":2280,"date":"2019-03-01T11:32:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T16:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2280"},"modified":"2019-02-27T11:35:04","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T16:35:04","slug":"feature-nonprofit-introduces-first-local-support-group-for-deaf-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2280","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE: Nonprofit introduces first local support group for Deaf women"},"content":{"rendered":"

The statistics are staggering.<\/p>\n

Some 90 percent of Deaf or hard-of-hearing children are born into families with no experience with Deafness, and 75 percent of families do not sign with their children, creating a huge barrier to communication during their formative years.<\/p>\n

Fewer than 40 percent of Deaf\/hard-of-hearing individuals work full time, and many are forced to rely on government assistance like Social Security Disability Insurance to survive. One in four have resigned from a job due to discrimination and lack of access to communication.<\/p>\n

Hearing loss also disproportionately affects senior citizens, with disabling hearing loss impacting 25 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50 percent of those over the age of 75. Meanwhile, there are only a dozen Deaf-exclusive facilities in the U.S. Many seniors with hearing loss are turned away from traditional facilities because they\u2019re unwilling to provide American Sign Language interpreters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Americans with Disabilities Act implies that we have a right to access reasonable accommodations,\u201d said Joelene Orlando, associate director at WHOLE ME, Inc., a Syracuse-based nonprofit that provides services to the local Deaf community. \u201cYou would be surprised to hear that most hearing people do not know what the ADA is. We face a lot of discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for Deaf women, the problem is even worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeaf women experience challenges to career and education advancement just as women do, but being Deaf adds another layer of challenges and obstacles,\u201d said Rebecca Dadey, associate professor of ASL and chairperson of World Languages Dept. at Onondaga Community College. \u201cDeaf women often need to balance family with work, deal with gender discrimination, and deal with audism [discrimination against Deaf people].\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite that double discrimination, until recently, there was very little support for Deaf women in Central New York. WHOLE ME is addressing that with a new group that launched last fall thanks to a grant from the Central New York Community Foundation\u2019s Women\u2019s Fund. The $7,500 grant, part of $30,000 in grant money given out to public charities that support women and girls in Onondaga, Cayuga, Oswego and\/or Madison counties, funds a pilot program through June that offers support to women in the community at all stages of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that networking truly is the golden egg when it comes to helping others and we felt that may help inspire our Deaf women in gaining some real valuable resources, information and support in all aspects of our lives,\u201d Joelene said.<\/p>\n

The first meeting was held in October. The group aims to meet twice a month and averages about 12 to 15 people at each meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody’s at a different phase in their life, whether they’re graduated from college, or they’re looking for a job, or they’re new parents,\u201d said Joelene, who provides employment services at WHOLE ME. \u201cWe all have something that we can offer, and we kind of share our ideas, tips, advice. But we’re also helping a lot of other women who are struggling with resources or having access to services and programs, and I’d be like, \u2018Oh, I know somebody. Let me hook you up with this person.\u2019 It’s really, we really wanted to create a networking system for Deaf women, and that was one of the main reasons why we wanted to create that program.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are roughly 1,500 Deaf\/hard-of-hearing children and adults in Central New York. WHOLE ME \u2014 which stands for Work, Health, Organizational skills, Life experience, Entertainment choices, Math, English \u2014 works to reframe the stigma of \u201chearing loss\u201d into the possibility of \u201cDeaf gain\u201d and to highlight the contributions of Deaf culture. The organization has eight full-time staffers, six of whom are Deaf, including Joelene and outreach\/advocacy coordinator Lindsay Ryan Anthony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to set up [a women\u2019s group] two or three years ago, but at that time we didn’t have any funding,\u201d said Lindsay, who is finishing up a master\u2019s degree in social work at Syracuse University. \u201cWe’re lucky; that donation really helped us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women of WHOLE ME are hopeful that the Women\u2019s Fund will continue to support the group because they believe their work is just beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s so much more that we want to be able to do,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cDeaf individuals, for a while, for many, many years there’s been a history of oppression, discrimination, and there\u2019s a great need for programs and services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joelene and Lindsay said they hope to make Syracuse more like Rochester, one of the most Deaf-friendly communities in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go to a Wegmans or even a Starbucks, there’s somebody there that’s going to know sign language, even in the most basic form,\u201d Joelene said. \u201cThen if you come here, you don’t really see it much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group has discussed getting that kind of awareness and involvement here in Central New York. In order to help accomplish that goal, WHOLE ME is hosting an awareness event from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at their offices at 1010 James St., Syracuse (see sidebar).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to invite families, students, the community at large, politicians, teachers from other school districts to come and see what type of resources are offered, and how we can increase that visibility here in Syracuse,\u201d Joelene said.<\/p>\n

The group has also met with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and is working to join advisory boards, including the city\u2019s Advisory Board for the Office of the Aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to know what the community needs in order to help them,\u201d Lindsay said.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also open to going to different venues and speaking about Deaf culture, access to communication and more. In addition, the women\u2019s group will be taking part in a number of activities to increase their visibility, from fun events like rock climbing and Painting with a Twist to helping the Deaf camp in Old Forch, Camp Mark Seven, set up for the summer of 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be a household name by advocating for Deaf women in Central New York,\u201d Joelene said.<\/p>\n

That starts, Lindsay said, with awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther individuals may have a physical disability or a developmental disability, but they still have their hearing. There are some people that use wheel chairs, for example, but their communication ability is fine. So, Deaf individuals, they go through life and their disability is kind of hidden,\u201d she said. \u201cThere’s a Deaf attorney in Syracuse. His name is Michael Schwartz. One thing that he commented before and it really resonated with me was… he said something to the effect of, society is set up so that we are always at a disadvantage. If we’re dreaming big, Deaf people would be able to participate in all aspects of life. There would be no difference for them. We can hope, but we have to keep fighting the good fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What is WHOLE ME?<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHOLE ME\u2019s programs include:<\/p>\n