People who are deaf and hard of hearing advocate for equal rights

EMILY O'CONNOR
May 4, 2016

JEFFERSON CITY With impassioned shouts and raised hands, a crowd reacted
Wednesday to stories of discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing
and applauded to speeches detailing efforts to end it.
The statements were part of a rally at the state Capitol organized by the Missouri Deaf
Grassroots Movement. The event was linked to a nationwide campaign to advocate for
improved access to employment, education and communication for people who are deaf
or hard of hearing.
A September protest in Washington, D.C., brought attention to a dearth of rights for the
community and started the national movement.
At the rally Wednesday, participants shared testimonies about discrimination in the
workplace, school, medical facilities, organizations and sports teams. Securing
interpreters appeared to be one of the main obstacles. About 200 people attended the
event, marching through the Capitol's halls and waving signs and hands.
"We just really want to get (lawmakers') attention, ... and we want to make sure our
rights, as a deaf person, and our language and our culture is protected," said Paul Kiel,
one of the event's organizers.
Wednesday was the first time the deaf and hard of hearing community took its advocacy
efforts to the Capitol, Kiel said, and it won't be the last.
"This is not a one-day protest," Kiel said as participants shook their hands in the air, the
American Sign Language sign for applause. "We're going to continue doing this annually
until we have the laws changed and our needs met."
Colleen Burdiss is an independent living specialist at Paraquad, an organization that
"empowers people with disabilities throughout the St. Louis area to increase their
independence through choice and opportunity." Burdiss said through an interpreter that
she is tired of seeing deaf or hard of hearing children fail due to language deprivation.
Most deaf children are born to hearing parents, she said, and they fail to receive the
language skills that they need. Instead of offering sign language, parents jump to getting
hearing aids and cochlear implants for their children.
"Cochlear implants are tools, but they're not a cure," Burdiss said.
Colleen and her husband, Bryan, are deaf and have a son who is hearing. Colleen said it
has been difficult to attend parent-teacher meetings and sports events for her son because
interpreters have not always been provided. Her son's graduation was the first time they
were accommodated.

Career advancement is another problem for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
"A lot of people talking about not being able to advance in their career because they need
to be able to make phone calls, which you can do with video phone services," said Emily
Fry, information program specialist for the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing. "But the company has to understand that technology and provide it."
Kiel said people in at least 45 states participated in the nationwide movement Wednesday
by traveling to their capitols and advocating for the rights of people who are deaf or hard
of hearing.
Fry said it's important for the deaf community to advocate for itself.
"We're really excited when we see people come out to the Capitol and advocate for
themselves ... . I can tell you all day that deaf people are discriminated against in
employment, but until you see somebody sitting in front of you and saying, 'I lost my job
because they would not provide an interpreter, even though I'm qualified to do my job,'
it's different. It's really different," Fry said.
Beyond advocacy
The Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing supports two bills being
considered in the legislature.
House Bill 1696 would require the commission to provide grants for families of people
who are deaf and blind. In March, the bill passed the House Fiscal Review and the Senate
Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee.
The Commission also supports House Bill 1904, which would create a text-to-911
service. The bill passed the House, House Fiscal Review, two Senate committees and has
been placed on the informal Senate calendar.
"I've heard just within the (deaf) community, if you need to call 911, you call, and if
you're able to voice, which not everybody can, you repeat over and over again, 'My name
is this, I am deaf, this is where I am ... .' But that's not efficient," Fry said. "If I, as a
hearing person, call 911, they can get information from me and there's communication to
help figure out what's happening, and we just don't have access to that right now in this
state."
About 4 percent of Missourians reported a hearing disability in the 2013 Disability Status
Report in Missouri. But only about 1 percent of Missourians identify as deaf, Fry said.
Deaf people understand how to interact with hearing people, but hearing people don't
necessarily know how to interact with deaf people, Fry said.
"The hearing community is very large, and we're just a small group. So it's going to take
time for us to get our message out, and it's going to take a lot of work," Kiel said.
He added that hearing people should be sensitive to the needs of people who are deaf or

hard of hearing.
"Respect our choices, our language and our communication needs," Kiel said.