Why are the Deaf Schools closing? WAD DOP Update Mayfest 2011

Winter 2011
Special points of
interest:
Why are the Deaf
Schools closing?
WAD
DOP Update
Mayfest 2011
Letter from Ministry
of Education
Page 2
Deaf Ontario News
Editor’s note
Hello there,
Lianne Valiquette is no longer
the OAD staff/editor. She did
a great job for OAD and
DOP. She will be missed. We
are looking for anyone interested in volunteering as edi-
We are hard at work
planning our big event…
OAD’s 125th Anniversary!
We are excited to host the
125th with Belleville
Association of the Deaf in
Belleville on November 11
& 12 2011.
The opinions expressed do
not necessarily reflect the
policy of Ontario
Association of the Deaf.
Articles from OAD NEWS
may be reprinted with
permission from the editor
and authors. Submissions
may be edited for length
and clarity. We reserve
this right.
On
cover
page,
Vanita
Dama is
one of
the models at World AIDS
Day on December 1 2010.
© 2011 Ontario Association
of the Deaf
tor. OAD will pay an honorarium fee.
We hope that you will be
more than glad to volunteer
for OAD and DOP.
This edition explores a wide
variety of issues. We also
have information on DOP’s
World AIDS Day.
And on that point, a friendly
reminder of OAD’s events:
* Mayfest on May 13, 2011
* OAD Knickers Golf on Aug
4th
2011
* OAD 125th Anniversary –
Belleville on November 11
and 12 2011. More information on OAD’s website.
Please mail us your resume.
Inside
Board of Directors
Directors at Large
President
Jackie Plant
Vanita Dama
Georgetown
Toronto
Vice President
John Mans
Shelley Ryall
Mississauga
Oshawa
Secretary
available
Gilbert Guerin
anywhere
Sudbury
Treasurer (acting)
John Mans
Mississauga
Michael Zagozdzon
Milton
Staff
Executive Director
Dean Walker
Educator/Planner
Kevin Canning
Communications Coordinator
Lori Archer
HIV Health Promotion Director
TBA
News for today
Contact us
Co-Editor and Layout/
Design:
Dean Walker
Office:
2395 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M2L 1A2
office@deafontario.ca
Co– Editor and Copy
Editor
Lori Archer
Contributors:
Dean Walker
Lori Archer
Jackie Plant
Kevin Canning
John Mans
Ontario Association of the Deaf
www.deafontario.ca
tty 416.513.1893
fax 416.413.4822
voice 416.413.9191
Deaf Outreach Program
www.deafontario.ca/dop
tty 416.413.1093
fax 416.413.4822
Page 3
President’s note
Hello OAD members!!
Happy New Year to all of
you and I hope the year of
2011 will bring the best for
you all.
I would like to express
gratitude to OAD members
for voting for me as president.
I am also looking forward to
working with you. I will be
Vice President/Treasurer.
Secretary position vacant till
further notice. Board at
Large: Shelley Ryall, Gilbert
Guerin, Vanita Dama, Michael Zagozdzon.
tion of HIV Health Promo-
tion Director.
Right now, we are working
closely with the Belleville
Association of the Deaf for
our next AGM. We are
I must thank Christine Ehrlich-Brady for two wonder-
looking forward to celebrating OAD’s 125 anniversary.
ful years as President. I am
This is huge! At the same
thrilled that she remains on
board as past President. I
time, we will be celebrating
BAD’s 25th anniversary.
am looking forward to
This is something that we all
willing to sit down with you
working with her.
can celebrate!! It’s a bonus!
and listen to your concerns,
your wise advice, and your
Welcome aboard and let us
As for Mayfest, please be
begin to work!
aware that there is a new
rich history about OAD. I
am excited to meet the
important people in govern-
I would like to say thank
you to OAD staff for their
ment, other organizations,
efforts to make OAD suc-
such as CAD, CHS, BRCD,
Silent Voice, OCSD and
cessful in many ways. OAD
staff: Dean Walker as Ex-
more. Feel free to contact
ecutive Director, Kevin
me at president@deafontario.ca
Canning as Educator/
Planner, Lori Archer as
I would like to say welcome
to our new 2011-2013
board members: Jackie Plant
as President, John Mans as
Communications Coordinator, and former staff Lianne
Valiquette. Dean will seek a
candidate for the new posi-
location. We must thank
TD Bank Group who is
proud to be the presenting
sponsor of the event again
in 2011 Check our website.
Thank you Dean for doing a
wonderful job with the
OAD website.
OADly yours,
Jackie Plant
OAD President
“Let OAD
grow strong as
we all keep
working hard
and grow
stronger! “
Jackie Plant
OAD President
125th Anniversary 1886 to 2011
On behalf of OAD, I am excited
Deaf (BAD) is willing to work with OAD, and we will
to inform you that the Ontario
jointly host our anniversary celebration in Belleville on
Association of the Deaf will
November 11th and 12th 2011. The theme is called
proudly celebrate our 125th An-
Celebrate the Spirit of Community. Our Chairperson
niversary this year. Wow, we
is Gayle Cronin. She is excited to work with BAD and
can’t believe that the OAD or-
OAD together.
ganization has actually been in
Please hold the date and we will have more informa-
operation for this length of time!
tion coming very soon ( newsletter and OAD website.) Ex: combo tickets, workshops, tourist info and
We are fortunate that the Belleville Association of the
more.
Page 4
Deaf Ontario News
Executive Director’s note
Dean Walker
Executive Director
Greetings my fellow members and citizens, I hope that you have had a good
winter. There was a lot more snow in
Toronto than last year. This year is even
more exciting than last year with so much
happening!
I would like to tell you more news of
what we having been working on. I received some letters from different areas
from Queens Park. I mailed the letter to
the Ministry of Children and Youth Service again in regard to the Ministry’s Infant Hearing Program that restricts Deaf
children’s learning of signed language. We
did try our best and explained about
many issues and concerns about deaf
infants and children. We are looking out
for the best interests of everyone. I believe that one problem is within the Ministry’s Early Years Programs Unit as there
are no staff who are experts with Deaf
children and use American Sign Language
(ASL) or Langue des signes québécoise
(LSQ). The Ministry’s Early Years Programs Unit acknowledged that the children who are Deaf and their parents
need information. They recognized ―the
strong feelings from advocates on both
sides of this issue‖ however, the Ministry’s Early Years Programs Unit still favour the auditory-verbal therapy programs. We stated ―Unfortunately, the
system is through an advisory committee
that is anything but unbiased.‖ We
learned that the one person we had been
working with left the Ministry’s Early
Years Programs Unit. We hoped that
they would look for someone to be his
replacement but we are not happy with
the job posting via Ontario’s web. The
position title is Consultant: Speech Lan-
about VRS. Treasurer John Mans and
(Bell stakeholder committee) are required to set up a meeting. One staff
from Bell has responded, and they will
have the meeting next month. That is all
guage Pathology, Audiology. We are very
disappointed with this and we would like
to see individuals with a wider range of
experience in the Deaf community be
able to apply for this type of position.
There is already a great number of staff
for now, and we will advise you when we
have news from Bell or CRTC.
with the Speech Language Pathology
qualifications. We look forward to having
new staff that support or know about
ASL in that unit. It would be a good move
for the Ministry’s position of being unbiased. What’s more, the position stated
―Mandatory Requirements: - You must be
a registrant of the College of Audiologists
and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario‖. There is no hope for any deaf candidates and I feel that this is being done
on purpose. Absolutely, it is favoritism. I
received the response from MCYS Senior
Advisor and set up a meeting for sometime this month. Will keep you posted.
On another topic, I wrote a letter to the
Ministry of the Attorney General about
many issues with interpreters in both
small claims court, and the courts in general in Ontario. It is a fact that OAD continues to receive ongoing complaints
from our clients and members about
these matters. I got a response from the
Director, Corporate Planning Branch
Court Services Division and they may
contact us to set up a meeting with them
soon.
Also, I was invited by Bell for the program for Bell’s Mobility Deferral Account
Proposal. I don’t have an update yet
I attended a meeting by the Ministry of
Community Safety and Correctional Services. The purpose of the Accessibility
Roundtable is for participants to advise
the Deputy Minister and senior management on the barriers and challenges that
persons with disabilities face when interacting with the Corrections system. They
learned a lot about the Deaf community
from my presentation. I will wait for a
report from them. They may contact us
again in the future.
I was interviewed by Steve Paikin for
TVO The Agenda. They posted the interview into the TVO ―The Agenda‖ blog
website. (http://www.tvo.org/cfmx/
tvoorg/theagenda)
A few days ago I received information
with some serious concerns regarding
Deaf-Blind people. The Ministry of Community and Social Services is making cuts
to funding for intervenors. This means
that many of the Deaf-Blind will lose a lot
of our intervenors services. I have already
contacted our area riding MPP Kathleen
Wynne, and hope to hear from her
shortly.
The tireless staff at OAD and I are still
busy completing our winter work. I am
always busy with OAD/DOP staff and
with DOP volunteers, buddies and clients. DOP
continued to page 5
Page 5
Deaf Outreach Program New Project Funding
Last year DOP applied for special project funding from
ViiV Healthcare- Shire Canada. They are a global specialist HIV company established by Glaxo Smith Kline and
Pfizer to deliver advances in treatment and care for HIV
communities.
Our proposal was successful in receiving $12,000.00
from ViiV Shire’s Positive Action Canada Innovation Program.
The name of our project is the Deaf Outreach Project
HIV/AIDS Terminology Development in ASL.
clear communication with regards to medical terminology.
DOP will work on creating name signs for many of the
most frequently used terms. The next step will be to
hold workshops for interpreters and the Deaf community to teach everyone the new signs.
We hope to be able to produce a DVD in future that
will outline the new name signs. We are very appreciative of ViiV Healthcare- Shire Canada for making this
possible!
DOP recognized the need to develop name signs in ASL
for many of the complex and lengthy medical terminology. It is a tedious task for interpreters to constantly
finger spell things like human immunodeficiency virus and
other complicated terms. There is an urgent need for
continued from page 4
has not been quiet these past few
months either, especially while Lori and
Kevin were busy preparing for the big
event, World AIDS Day (WAD). We
hosted it on Dec 1st 2010 at the Prefix
Institute of Contemporary Art. We invited some important people to attend. It
was very successful. In other issues, we
continue to work on DOP’s strategic
plan. Kevincent had the first meeting
recently with Lori and the committee
members. The volunteer steering committee helped us a lot, and we are excited to continue to work with
them. You know that Lianne left from
OAD/DOP and moved to Belleville last
November. OAD hired a new HIV
Health Promotion Director for the Deaf
Outreach Program. She then got an better offer from another company. She left
here. So we will seek another candidate
soon. I hope that she/he will look for-
ward to the opportunity to promote
health awareness and public relations in
the HIV field.
I attended the Ontario Community HIV/
AIDS Reporting Tool workshop last
month. I learned more about updates
and results. I have the book here. You
may come and look at it any time.
Lori and I have a pretty difficult situation
with the Queen Elizabeth Building at
Exhibition Place for Mayfest 2011. However, we must move on. We will try our
best for you all. It looks good for our
Mayfest. It is a much bigger and better
space with a lot of available inexpensive
parking. It will also be good for school
field trips. We will be creative and hold
mini workshops, art and culture displays
and more. We are excited that the TD
bank group will once again support our
event. Please let us know if you would
like volunteer for our planning meeting.
I studied current membership, past membership, and surveys in local clubs in Ontario. We will start to work on a database on the computer. (We need to improve our database management system).
We are lucky to have many old membership forms in the filing cabinet we can
utilize. We will send mail to former
members to renew their memberships
and also send surveys. We need to determine who to approach for core funding for OAD’s operations and much
needed new programs. You know that
we have booked August 4th, 2011 for
our second annual Knickers Golf tournament. Come on out and join us for the
fun! Look at OAD’s site for more information. That is all for now. Please visit us
in our office anytime. Thank you for
reading here.
Deaf Ontario News
Page 6
Lori Archer - Communications Coordinator
Hello Everyone
Starting January 2011 my title has
been changed from Event Planner to
Communications Coordinator. I will
still be working on Event Planning,
however I will also be spending
more time writing and editing reports, correspondence, articles, and
website information. This is exciting
for me personally, as I love writing
and looking for the best methods of
communicating in clear English. Of
course I am also still working with
DOP, assisting wherever possible.
You will see FAQ’s (Frequently
Asked Questions) below regarding
the change of location for Mayfest. I
would like to provide a little more
background here, so everyone can
better understand the situation.
We explained why we had to look
for another venue; however what I
would like everyone to know is that
we spent considerable time and effort trying to find another location.
It was really difficult!
In the past we had many complaints
about the lack of accessibility for
wheelchairs. The aisles were narrow
and it was not easy for people to
navigate. We knew we wanted to
find a place with more space to alleviate this problem. I cannot begin to
tell you the high costs at many of the
venues. What works well for corporations and businesses who can afford to pay top dollar, is definitely
not within our non profit organization budget. We unfortunately ran
out of options.
After months of checking places out,
and comparing space and costs it was
clear that the Queen Elizabeth building would best suit our needs. We
were very excited to sign the contract to have a good location with
more space that also allows better
accessibility, better parking, and the
opportunity to hold mini workshops.
The negative side we learned later
after signing the contract ,was finding
out the costs of things like electrical,
internet connections etc. The staff at
Exhibition Place have apologized profusely for neglecting to be clear on
the costs and provide us with the
exact expense and financial forms.
We know that it is not the best to
have these additional charges, but we
simply did not have any other options at the time. It had to be booked
last Fall and it wasn’t till January we
learned the other costs were much
higher than we anticipated. Exhibition
Place is now offering a 10% discount
on electrical service costs to non
profits that provide their charitable
registration number. Please see the
revised form on our website
We know we face some challenges
with the new situation and new location. We will make the best of this,
and hope that we have an enjoyable
and successful Mayfest at the Queen
Elizabeth Building. Maybe we will discover the location is wonderful and
the extra costs are really worth it!
We invite all of you to offer your input and ideas on an alternate venue
for the future. We want to know what
you think about Mayfest 2011, in order that Mayfest 2012 will be everything you want!
Lori greets Wayne at Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
Kevin Canning - DOP Educator / Planner
Here’s the update of what DOP has done in the last few
months. There were so many things that we- the staff, board
and volunteers have worked on. You will see what I mean.
DOP Strategic Plan
Our first Strategic Plan Steering Committee’s meeting was held
last October. We continued to meet monthly for 3 months;
brainstorming, discussing, and revamping two brochures (one
for Deaf Youth and one for the General Population, such as
Hospitals, and AIDS Service Organization). We will have a
Phase 2 with a new committee, along with some former com-
mittee members, and shall have a meeting of Phase 2 sometime
in early March. We will then focus on Deaf Persons Living with
HIV/AIDS (DPHA is a new word for you, because in the hearing
community, we say ―PHA‖ as Persons Living with HIV/AIDS).
DOP is very appreciative and grateful to those people who
were on the committee. They are Patricia Bass, Michelle Bourgeois, Joni Harvie, Darren Holst, Sally Palusci, and Wayne
Watts.
HIV 101 at the Deaf School
I was asked to give a presentation at
continued to page 7
continued to page 6
Page 7
Ottawa Mayfest is an annual cultural event in the Deaf and
chase a demonstration booth for our day activities. The event
Hard of Hearing community. This celebration has taken place
will be at Ron Kolbus Lakeside Center at 102 Greenview
in Ottawa since 1991. We are a non-profit organization. This
(Britannia Park Area, West Ottawa) from 9:00am to 4:00pm
event draws attendees from across Ontario. Family, friends
on Saturday May 28th, 2011.
and supporters in the community come together to recognize
their culture, provide community awareness, and raise funds to
Proceeds are donated to the community such as Deaf and
support program initiatives.
Hard of Hearing Children’s camp and other local projects. We
are hoping that we will be able to work together and support
The Ottawa Mayfest Planning Committee is a group of repre-
this wonderful event. Thank you in advance for your time and
sentative stakeholders. These people are from various agen-
consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any
cies and clubs that work with Deaf, Deafened, and the Hard of
questions you may have.
Hearing. Our traditional day event consists of games for the
children and information booths from the different organiza-
Kind Regards,
tions,
Kari English
Your presence at our event will help raise awareness in the
Ottawa Mayfest 2010
community about your services. We hope that you will pur-
ottawamayfest@yahoo.ca
continued from page 6
the Metro Toronto School for the Deaf (MTSD) on January
28th, and the students were brilliant! They asked some really
good questions. The teachers were very pleased that I went,
and that the students were eagerly asking questions. I had one
volunteer with me, and he did a bit of an explanation of how tcells work.
Gay Men’s Sexual Health Summit
I attended the 7th Annual Gay Men’s Sexual Health Summit on
Feb7th to 9th, and it was very beneficial for DOP to better
understand about Gay people’s struggles in life. What we need
to see here is to look at the positive side. I learned a great deal
about Pre- and Post- Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) for
HIV. It’s very complicated to summarize here, but I will be
more than happy to explain in person or by ASL. I also
learned about Resilience, and it was very helpful for my work.
If you want to learn more or need to know anything, feel free
to let DOP Educator know.
Ontario Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf
Symposium: Building Alliance in Queer Communities:
Bridging the Gap between Deaf and Hearing People will
be hosted by ORAD and Community One on Feb 25th at the
519 Community Centre. It’s Free. The flyer is attached here.
I’m on the committee for that.
Volunteer Appreciation
Evening
We had our fun night showing our appreciation of our
fabulous 53 Volunteers on
February 9th. It was postponed; due to a storm the
week before. We had
about 20 people showing
up that night, even in the
cold weather! They received nice certificates and
some prizes that were donated by an anonymous
angel.
It’s interesting to look on
how many volunteers we
had from year to year.
Kevin signs at World AIDS Day on
December 1, 2010
Year 2003: 44. Year 2004:
42. Year 2005: 30. Year 2006: 32. Year 2007: 34. Year
2008: 35. Year 2009: 46. Last year we had 53 volunteers.
Deaf Ontario News
Page 8
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
Dean has been told, and realizes that many people are
not knowledgeable and/or are confused about two issues,
Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Dean decided to give you more information about the
Page 9
and socially. Through the act and the accessibility standards, the goal is to make Ontario accessible by 2025.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,
2005 calls on us to make Ontario accessible by breaking
down barriers. The government will do this by developing, implementing, and enforcing accessibility standards.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. (AODA)
What are barriers to accessibility?
Back in 2001, the government passed a bill called the
―Ontarians with Disabilities Act‖
The Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 remains in
force.
This means that public sector organizations are still legally required to:
prepare annual accessibility plans
make them available to the public.
Public sector organizations are:
Ontario government ministries
municipalities
hospitals
school boards
colleges
universities
public transportation organizations.
It is not enough however, for law.
On June 13, 2005, the government passed the
―Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act, 2005‖.
The act:
It makes Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to develop, implement, and enforce mandatory accessibility
standards, and it applies to both the private and public
sectors. Ontario needs to be more accessible to people
with disabilities. It makes good sense — economically
Barriers are obstacles that prevent people with disabilities from doing the kinds of things many of us do without
thinking. Things like catching a bus, going to work or
school, and buying groceries.
What is a standard?
A standard is an agreed way of doing something.
Accessibility standards are the rules that businesses and
organizations in Ontario will have to follow to identify,
remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility.
Ontario is developing standards in many important areas
of life:
customer service
employment
information and communications
public transportation
built environment (buildings and other structures)
How are standards being developed?
Committees of people from the disability, business, and
public communities:
develop proposed accessibility standards
submit an initial proposed standard for public review
revise the proposed standard to incorporate public
input, and
submit a final proposed standard to the government
for consideration as law.
continued to page 17
Deaf Ontario News
World AIDS Day -
Page 10
Spotlight Fashion Show at Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
On December 1st, communities around the
world host events to educate the public about
AIDS, put a stop to the spread of HIV, and
provide support to those living with HIV and
AIDS. The Deaf Outreach Program of the Ontario Association of the Deaf provides access
to HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and support in American Sign Language (ASL). This
year DOP celebrated WAD at the unique Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in the 401
Richmond Street Complex.
DOP partnered with Jill Andrew Media/Curvy
Catwalk to host Spotlight- a fashion show.
The Curvy Catwalk professional models- Aisha
Fairclough, Rochelle Reid, and Stephanie
Conover were both beautiful and entertaining
―strutting their stuff‖. Vanita Dama and Rali
Popcheva were crowd pleasers and amazingly
professional in volunteering to model for the
event. Jill Andrew did a fabulous job curating
the fashion segment. We were also fortunate
to have the services of Anselmo DeSousarenowned Deaf filmmaker/director/and actor
to act as Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
OAD President Christine Ehrlich Brady presented, and along with Kevin Canning lit the
commemorative candle while we all observed
a minute’s silence for those we have lost.
Entertainment was provided by Elizabeth Morris doing an ABC story about HIV/AIDS and a
poem entitled The Last Word. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed her performance.
George Brown College interpreting students
volunteered at the event assisting with everything from selling tickets, bar tending, and serving food. People enjoyed delicious appetizers
and hors dourves from A la Carte Catering.
Attendees were happy to have the opportunity
to buy raffle tickets for a draw. The lucky winners took home a TV/DVD, Hi-Def camera,
and an easy share HDTV dock!
DOP was proud to have planned an enjoyable
and entertaining evening commemorating International World AIDS Day.
Why does the government continue to close the Deaf
Schools in Canada?
Page 11
By Dean Walker
Many Deaf alumnis go through heartbreak when they learn that the schools they attended and have so many fond
memories of, are being forced to close in some provinces. They have contacted their MP’s and MPP’s, but unfortunately they never seem to understand why all alumni believe that it is important for the schools to be kept open.
I know it has been stated that the funding does not permit them to continue pay for the Deaf schools. The government
must have misinformation from people who are not supportive of Deaf schools.
Let me ask:
Did the government calculate the budget in the best interest of Deaf students?
I don’t think so.
Did the government survey overall deaf students, teachers and alumni?
I don’t think so.
Did the government factor in the cost for interpreters for deaf students in mainstream schools?
I don’t think so.
Did the government think about the long term effect for the Deaf students?
I don’t think so.
Did the government assume that the teachers can learn sign language easily?
I don’t think so.
Will it impact the government’s financial picture in the future?
Oh yes - most definitely!
We are concerned that there will be a big crisis for the Deaf students’ futures. For example, each Deaf student whose
language is ASL, will need two or three ASL interpreters in every mainstream school. Other Deaf students, whose language is English, will need different interpreters. An interpreter’s annual salary is approximately $50,000.00. The expense will be multiplied with Deaf students in mainstreamed schools in the province. What’s more, Deaf/blind students
need intervenors too. The cost will be high for our taxpayers. The government cannot afford to pay thousands of interpreters and other staff for Deaf students’ needs. The result will be a catastrophe in their post secondary education,
and it will mean more funds required for welfare for Deaf adults if they cannot go to college or university. The impact
on the Deaf students will be one of frustration and anger which could manifest itself at school, at home, at community
events, and basically anywhere in their daily lives.
If the Deaf schools remain open, the cost will be reasonable and there will be no crisis for everyone!
On behalf of OAD, I encourage you tell your area riding MPP and MP to listen to the Deaf Community right now.
Page 12
Deaf Ontario News
Deaf Canada Conference 2012
John Mans wishes to announce to you and all Deaf
Ontarians that OAD will proudly be hosting the
Deaf Canada Conference 2012. More volunteers are
still needed for DCC 2012! There will be mini
workshops and luncheon awards over a three day
period. John also wants to inform you that he is appointed as Co-chairperson, Treasurer, and Booth
information contact for now. Marc Noble is Cochairperson and is still looking for volunteers for
the entertainment committee, hospitality committee, book program committee, call for papers committee, and grant committee. Feel free to contact
John Mans or Marc Noble
(dcctoronto2012@gmail.com)
Page 13
Mayfest 2011- FAQ
Why did OAD Mayfest move to the Queen Elizabeth building at Exhibition Place this year?
Two reasons. First – the St Lawrence Market had planned
renovations. We were not allowed to book it in advance
for 2011. We needed to find an alternate location. We
had to book in advance at Exhibition Place. Second, the
St Lawrence would not allow OAD to use the building on
the Friday night because the farmers market needed to
set up for next day. (Originally we were hoping to book it
for the evening also).
Will Mayfest be back at the St Lawrence Market
next year?
It depends on the St Lawrence’s plans. We don’t know at
this time. The Exhibition Place manager hopes that we
will continue there for the long term. If they make a good
deal for us, we may use there for day and night in the fu-
ture.
Are we aware it is more expensive than the
St .Lawrence?
We expected that there would be changes for our business
one day. We have to prepare for this situation. Yes we know,
and we are working with this as best we can. We must learn
to live with it while doing our best especially for non profit
organizations like ours.
Must the exhibitor pay the electrical and internet?
We know that it is very expensive but it is up to you. If you
can manage without electrical you can save your money. Exhibition Place is now offering a 10% discount on electrical service costs to non profits that provide their charitable registration number. If you bring a laptop, you need three extra
batteries for the laptop, For internet, you could try to check
continued to page 24
Deaf Ontario News
Our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night
Volunteers Left to Right
Front Row: Victoria Bispham, Sally
Palusci, Connie Dignan, and
Grazyna Biala
Middle Row: Travis Turcotte, Luis
Alcobia, Ashraf Khan, and Chris
Butler
Back Row: Wayne Watts and Dave
Cooper
Page 14
Volunteers 2010
Our annual volunteer appreciation night was held
February 9th in the dining room at BRCD.
Over the years, the numbers of volunteers has
grown. We are proud to count 53 wonderful dedicated individuals as volunteers in 2010.
These loyal supporters volunteered in a variety of
duties at Mayfest, Pride Day, OAD’s Knickers Golf
Tournament, Scotiabank’s AIDS Walk for Life,
World AIDS Day, and at times in the OAD/DOP
office.
Each volunteer received a certificate of appreciation
signed by the OAD Board President and the Execu-
Page 15
tive Director. After mingling and enjoying refreshments, we held a draw for prizes. One of our generous supporters donated some wonderful items that
five lucky volunteers took home. It was fun to see
who would win!
There are many opportunities throughout the year
for you to get involved as a volunteer! Some may
offer experience that is beneficial to your career by
learning new skills. Some may offer you the chance
to meet new people and make new friends. Whatever your interest in volunteering, you can be sure
that it gives you the opportunity to have some fun
while giving of your time and expertise to the Deaf
community.
If you are interested in volunteering
for any of our upcoming events, or
want to learn more, please contact
us at office@deafontario.ca or on
our website at www.deafontario.ca/
volunteers.html
We recognize...
1
Ahmet Kocak
22
Jenny Shimano
2
Amanda Weingarten
23
John Paul Ward
3
Andrea Krause
24
Joni Harvie
4
Andrew Ellis
25
Jordyn Thomspon
5
Ashraf Khan
26
Julio Rodriguez
6
Catriona Revell
27
June Grant
7
Chris Butler
28
Kimberly Pellet
8
Chris Corsini
29
Luis Alcobia
9
Connie Dignan
30
Lyn Haliburton
43
Tala Jalili
10
Corene Gruppuso
31
Melissa Santini
44
Taylor Bouwmeester
11
Crystal-Anne Booth
32
Michelle Bourgeois
45
Terry Jordan
12
Darren Holst
33
Pat Bass
46
Tiffany Mark
13
Dave Cooper
34
Phunky London
47
Travis Turcotte
14
Desiree Wint
35
Rali Popcheva
48
Vanessa Floros
15
Edwina Neault
36
Robyn Sauks
49
Vanita Dama
16
Eric Savage
37
Ryan Kraft
50
Victoria Bispham
17
Franklin Banooed
38
Sally Palusci
51
Wayne Watts
18
Grazyna Biala
39
Samir Siddiqui
52
Wil Zoller
19
HoFai Chau
40
Sara Bettencourt
53
Will Beck
20
Jan Strakhov
41
Shari Maracle
21
Jeff Panasuik
42
Shelly Nafshi
In closing, a big THANK YOU to
our fantastic volunteers. Without
you, we simply could not do what
we do!
Thank you!
Deaf Ontario News
Letter from Ministry of Education
Page 16
Page 17
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky,
Minister of Education
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
continued from page 9
The government then decides what will become law and
when.
What happens when standards become law?
Once developed and made into law, these standards will
include the steps and timelines that businesses and organizations will have to follow.
Where are we now?
The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation is now law. It came into effect on January 1, 2008.
Public sector organizations have to meet requirements
under this standard by January 1, 2010. The private sector and non-profit organizations will follow January 1,
2012.
As of January 1, 2010, Ontario’s hospitals, schools, municipalities, and other public sector organizations are now
required to comply with the requirements.
The remaining standards are being finalized now.
Is it good enough for the Deaf community?
Last year I was invited by the Ministry of Community and
Social Services in Queens Park with some representatives
from CHS including Gary Malkowski for the Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, (AODA) to celebrate
the fifth anniversary. We did not see anything for Deaf
consumers in the video and the program book. We
were very disappointed. I already discussed this with the
Minister of Community and Social Services, Madeleine
Meilleur, and I encouraged MCSS to work with Deaf consumers in AODA now. I think that she realized about the
needs of Deaf consumers.
There is more information on line, Check the web. Here
is the link: http://www.accesson.ca/en/mcss/programs/
accessibility/
Make sure that you tell your friends, co-workers, your
boss, your local stores and your location riding MPP
about AODA and your needs.
Page 18
Deaf Ontario News
OAD proudly sells our products here.
OAD must fundraise for our important operations. We try to provide products for everyone to buy. We will
be thrilled if you show your support by buying one or more. The order form is on the next page.
In the Store for sale
DOP T- Shirts - Sign Hands
“D” “O” “P”
Book - SAMUEL GREENE
By Clifton Carbin
On sale - $20.00 each.
On sale - $29.95 each.
DVD - Classic Ontario ASL
Name Signs
By John Hemingway
On sale - $40.00 each.
Golf Divot
On sale - $25.00 each.
2011
Calendar
Deaf Ontario Now
On sale - $25.00 each.
On sale - $14.00 each.
Check on http://www.deafontario.ca/products.html for more information and details
Page 19
Deaf Ontario News
Media Information
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Deaf Ontario News
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!
OAD has a new website layout.
Please take some time to check out our
new format.
Do you feel it is an improvement?
Is there better communication?
Do you find it easy to order products?
We want your opinions!
Please email us at office@deafontario.ca
and tell us what you think.
All suggestions welcome.
Thank you!
At the AGM, the motion was made that members will have two choices for subscribing to Deaf Ontario News.
The choices are email or regular mail. Please let us know which you prefer. Next issue, we will send an enewsletter either to your email account, or mail a newsletter to your home address based on your choice.
Please advise us by Email to news@deafontario.ca Thank you.
Page 23
Ontario Association
of the Deaf
OAD Knickers
Tournament
Royal Ontario Golf Club
6378 Trafalgar Road
Milton, ON, Canada
The board and staff are excited to host
our 2nd Annual Golf Event on August 4,
2011. We hope you will join us for a fun
day at our OAD Knickers Tournament!
We think you will enjoy golfing and wearing the unique knickers yourself. We are
encouraging everyone to wear the Knickers clothing. There will be awards for low
score, longest drive etc. and BEST
CLOTHES!
To assist outfitting you with the knickers
clothing we have arranged some good
discounts and special deals for your team.
Contact our representative Allan Hume
from Golfknickers.ca at golfknickers@nor
-del.com
Thursday, August 4, 2011
1:30 - Shotgun Start
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Awards
The guys wear the Knickers clothes
The 2010 OAD Knickers
continued from page 13
your service provider (Bell, Rogers, TELUS etc) to buy the
wireless stick plus data plan.
Will people pay for the parking pass?
Where can the exhibitor find motels?
There are several hotels and motels about 5 km to the west
on Lake Shore Blvd.
No, parking passes are only for exhibitors who will unload and
load their stuff. Other people can pay for parking anywhere in
the CNE.
What about transit?
Will there be better accessibility and lots of
parking in CNE?
TTC (street car and bus) See
detailed information with the
Yes there is the Go Train,
Absolutely! It is a lot better than the St Lawrence. Wheelchairs
map on our website.
will be glad for the extra space. There will be more space for
www.deafontario.ca/
mayfest.html
everyone to chat. Also the school bus drivers will enjoy the
parking lot.
Will someone provide/sell the refreshments
inside?
We must use the on site services of Exhibition Place. They are
working out a menu for us. We will post more information
when we have it.
SPONSORED BY