#MI #PA204 #MDCR #DODHH youtu.be/6pB6fiGS4Ac Note: Video is ASL version, below is the English version. This is not an exact transcript; both versions discuss the same concerns. [Video Footage Description: Kenya is wearing a light colored short sleeved blouse. There is a green wall behind her. She occasionally holds up a teddy bear during the vlog.] English Version: It has been SEVEN months and the Michigan Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DODHH) Director Sheryl Emery continues to be on administrative leave. There has been no change in the status of her leave; the investigation appears to be ongoing. Our heart goes out to Sheryl and her family, who have clearly suffered emotional and mental trauma from what has been a horrible and unjust process. Director Emery does not deserve to be treated this way. Adding salt to an already terrible wound, at a recent DODHH meeting (this past Thursday), the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) Director Matthew Wesaw awarded several people for their supposed work on PA 204, immediately after issuing a statement that he would not be discussing Director Emery. There’s nobody in the group of individuals awarded that deserves recognition for the work in getting PA204 passed than Director Sheryl Emery. The division continues to be administered by two hearing individuals Matthew Wesaw and Lori Vinson, both of whom have no knowledge or understanding of Deaf* people, Deaf* communities, Deaf* culture. It was painfully apparent during the meeting how much that lack of knowledge and understanding is creating damage to the community. For instance, the award that Director Wesaw gave out was a police teddy bear. Historically, members Deaf* communities have been treated like children, frequently approached with a paternalistic, patronizing demeanor. To award a group of Deaf and Hearing people working within the Deaf* communities a childish gift is completely insensitive. Worse yet, given the history – and recent tragedies- surrounding police mistreatment of Black people, including Deaf Black people, a police-symbol award is completely unacceptable. More so given the fact that it has absolutely no relevance to the division or to PA204, other than being from the trunk of Director Wesaw’s car, from his previous job. Leftovers. That’s another trigger that members of our community understand the significance of. Further offending the community, Director Wesaw opted to award a working, on-duty interpreter during the meeting. This interpreter left his team to receive the award. He was not involved in any part of drafting or creating PA204; he simply did his job- which he got paid for- and interpreted at some of the hearings. But he got- and accepted- an award. While on the job. In front of a room full of Interpreter Training Program students who watched this process unfold, and learned, under the authority of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights that this type of ethical violation is completely acceptable. For those who are not familiar, a huge part of the DODHH focus is on interpreters- qualifications, regulations, and so forth. If you look into DODHH actions, agendas, work plans- there is not really any focus on advocacy for Deaf Communities. Nothing related to mental health, Deaf in Prison issues, Education, Employment, and so on. And there are huge gaps in services in all of those areas. This leaves many of us wondering, what’s the point of DODHH? If the original intent was to provide a state agency that would advocate for Michigan’s Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind communities, then that has not happened. But then again, to be fair- maybe it is not fiscally possible? Maybe the division does not have the funds it needs to succeed in its mission? Director Wesaw has not assertively pushed for DODHH to get the funding it needs to serve the communities listed in its mission. In the meantime, there’s a one year wait-list for BEI results. Apparently there are no raters available in Michigan (there were before, we’re not sure what happened to the old ones). And it does not inspire much confidence when the DODHH board has asked Director Wesaw when they will go ahead with Deaf Culture training only to get the following response: “Our hands are tied.” At the same time the Michigan Deaf* Communities have been too lax, too accepting of this treatment. We all need to wake up and take action to ensure that our communities are taken seriously.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 13:30:19 +0000
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