discovering deaf worlds january 2016 newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

12
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org January 2016 Volume 9, Issue 2 DDW Vice President Dr. Khadijat Rashid waves her hands in celebration and gratitude at DDW’s first annual Washington D.C. Gala

Upload: discovering-deaf-worlds

Post on 25-Jul-2016

223 views

Category:

Documents


7 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

www.discoveringdeafworlds.org

January 2016Volume 9, Issue 2

DDW Vice President Dr. Khadijat Rashid waves her hands in celebration and

gratitude at DDW’s first annual Washington D.C. Gala

Page 2: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

Board MembersPresidentShane Feldman Vice PresidentKhadijat Rashid, Ph.D.

TreasurerMichael Servé

SecretaryMencie Hairston

Donalda Ammons, Ph.D.Carol-lee AquilineAlim Chandani, Ph.D.Erin Moriarty HarrelsonBryan HenselJoseph Hill, Ph.D.Marty HillerKimberly Kurz, Ph.D.Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D.Stacey MillerMadan Vasishta, Ph.D.

StaffExecutive DirectorDavin Searls

International Programs Director and Co-FounderDavid Justice

Newsletter ServicesT.S. Writing Serviceswww.tswriting.com

About DDWDiscovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the self-determination of signing Deaf com-munities through local capacity building in developing countries.

DDW recognizes that all people, regardless of their social or econom-ic background, possess the capacity to succeed, and deserve equal ac-cess to education, the workplace, and the benefits that society has to offer. For more information, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.

DDW January 20162

2015 was an extraor-dinarily successful year for DDW. The key peo-ple driving this success were our volunteers on the board, committees, and DDW project mem-bers. Two remarkable individuals, Davin Searls and David Justice, are the torchbearers of the DDW vision: to enable or-ganizations in developing countries to attain what World Federation of the Deaf President Colin Al-len calls the “basic factors for human rights for Deaf people,” including “accessibility, sign language interpretation, bilingual education and sign language.”

Davin and David, who some endearingly call “D&D,” are an amazing team who appear to move together in perfect harmony. They have the Midas touch in every effort DDW has undertaken. What they touch does not necessarily turn into gold, but rather something more valuable: they create a sense of belonging, community, collaboration, and shared vision. We are incredibly grateful to have not only forward-looking leaders, but also highly respected international development professionals who have humbly served in our worldwide community.

While DDW has focused on organizational development in the Philip-pines this year, success lies in our ability to build the individual, who in turn becomes a stronger contributor to his/her organizations. Albert Einstein said, “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” DDW has created a program model that respects the culture, language, and community of the country it supports, embraces individual leaders, and provides the necessary suste-nance for prosperity.

The DDW board focused on significant activities and laid the ground-work for future initiatives this year. One example of this groundwork was the first DDW Gala event held in Washington, D.C., accompanied by the DDW board meeting. This brought us to the nation’s capital, a vital hub of international development activity, which then brought greater visibility for the organization. Among the comments shared at the gala were, “I’ve been looking for a way to support Deaf people in developing countries in a man-ner that respects their culture and language, and never knew about DDW before. What an incredible organization!” and “DDW did all of that in the last six years? Wow!” I welcome our new D.C. supporters and look forward to engaging them in DDW’s future endeavors throughout the world.

President’s Note: Shane H. Feldman

Davin Searls (left) and David Justice prepare for a program in Manila.

Continued on page 9

Page 3: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

January 2016 DDW 3

By Raphael Domingo

I have been involved in the Philippine Federa-tion of the Deaf’s (PFD) since its establishment in 1997. After my 2003 term, PFD board members con-vinced me to continue running the organization. I volunteered, often work-ing alone, for seven years, and then for the first time I received a modest salary through a four-year spon-sored project. I sometimes felt frustrated because some board members and the Filipino Deaf community were not helping with PFD. Where was all the leadership and support?

Now I look around and see a growing number of Deaf Filipino leaders, and feel my commitment to PFD has paid off. I am so grateful for this, despite the initial lack of organizational sustainability. I want to extend my warmest gratitude to DDW for its worthy partner-ship with PFD.

Truthfully, I thought that DDW might be like every-one else coming here: giving leadership training, and then leaving. I thought DDW might get frustrated with us for being too slow in moving forward with PFD’s work. At one point, I told DDW that the best thing that could happen would be to find any means for PFD to manage itself on its own without assistance from outsiders. DDW and PFD then discussed a partnership that would help get PFD to that place.

After years of working together under various grants and organizational development training, the PFD-Sustainability Sub-Committee (PFD-SSC) and DDW hosted the National Forum on Deaf Leader-ship (NFDL) at the Pearl Manila Hotel in Manila last October. The event had 42 Deaf leaders (20 men, 22 women) from 25 PFD member organizations par-ticipating. Each representative chose one session to participate in each morning and afternoon. After each workshop, the two representatives from each member organization exchanged information. The forum was an important opportunity for them, to improve their organizations and realistically apply what they had learned. I had never seen anything like this before. It was so interesting.

Prior to the forum, PFD-SSC members drafted and revised presentations and practiced a couple times with feedback from DDW’s Davin Searls and David Justice. It was the first time I created my own outlines instead of simply using past presenter and trainer slides.

As fellow PFD-SSC member Patrick Ablaza and I started our four-hour presentation on financial management, I was wor-ried about how I could make the participants in-

terested in financial management, which I thought many considered a boring subject. They were much more eager to learn than I expected, much to my re-lief. The next morning, PFD-SSC member Jet Romo presented our outreach, marketing and public rela-tions session. Before the forum, he was anxious and

First National Forum on Deaf Leadership in the Philippines

Raphy Domingo assists participants during a Financial Management workshop activity.

Ronald & Catherine

Hirano

Page 4: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

DDW January 20164

asked me to practice his pre-sentation with him for sev-eral nights. When it was time to present, his presentation went well without any assis-tance from me. I believe this is due to everything he learned from the EXPAND program training.

I saw the same confidence in Patrick during our finan-cial management workshop. Patrick easily answered ques-tions, such as “If there is no receipt number, what will we do?” There were many im-portant questions and good points that we had not considered. We learned from the participants, and will apply that knowledge in op-erating PFD. During the group activity, the participants also shared feedback.

PFD-SSC members did an excellent job present-ing and working together at the forum. I was also im-pressed by how the participants kept asking questions even after a full day and evening of workshops. Some participants even came to our hotel rooms after dinner to further clarify information. They put their full trust in our capabilities as facilitators. In fact, we chuckled because these participants reminded us of how we were when DDW program specialists came to train us. It was a wonderful experience and challenge for us.

As I stood in front of the participants, guests, and sponsors, sharing my closing message at the forum, I congratulated them on becoming a part of PFD-SSC and preparing to serve as facilitators for their commu-

nity workshops. Some participants asked for a second National Forum on Deaf Leadership be-cause they wanted to learn even more about each topic. This alone proved that the forum was a meaningful and fruitful event.

A few weeks lat-er, some participants posted pictures on Facebook and I was pleased to see that many participants did follow through with

their financial management and fund development sessions. As an organization in a developing country, proper financial management is important in order to secure and maintain funds for sustainability.

I can see that the forum participants and PFD are ready to fight for equality with confidence, thanks to the EXPAND Program and the forum. I have worked with DDW and PFD-SSC since the beginning of their partnership; not only did DDW do a wonderful job in process consultation, but DDW also showed much patience with us. Many thanks to DDW, the U.S. De-partment of State, USAID for making these projects possible.

Mabuhay!

More about the DDW’s EXPAND program can be found at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/programs/usaid-expand-program.

DDW and PFD prepare for the National Forum on Deaf Leadership, held in October 2015.

Page 5: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

January 2016 DDW 5

Remarks by the Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. at the DDW Gala

On Nov. 7, 2015, Philippine Ambassador to the United States H.E. José L. Cuisia, Jr. delivered a heart-warming message at DDW’s Gala.

I am very pleased and honored to have had the opportunity to join the first Gala of Discovering Deaf Worlds in Washington, D.C. I would like to give spe-cial thanks to the Board of Directors, particularly to Mr. Shane Feldman and Ms. Mencie Hairston, who has been a reliable partner of the Philippine Embassy for the past several years. For those of you who may not know, Mencie is one of the pillars of the Filipino community in this part of the United States. Her orga-nization, Mabuhay Inc., is one of the major Filipino-American groups based in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Through Mabuhay, Inc., Philippine culture and heritage continues to flourish within the Filipino-American community.

Mencie champions a number of advocacies but none as passionately as she does for the welfare of the Deaf community. In the Philippines, great strides have been made to ensure the full participation and equality of rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities, including the deaf. Firm in its belief that persons with disabilities have the same rights as ev-eryone else, the Philippine government strives to re-move all barriers that are prejudicial to people with disabilities (PWD) with the end view towards integrat-ing them into the mainstream of society. The passport-processing office of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila, for example, has instituted a policy of giving employment opportunities to the Deaf. It is a policy that is paying dividends as our Deaf colleagues have proven to be among the most competent and hardworking employees of the DFA. Their determina-tion, integrity and commitment to public service con-tinue to inspire the rest of us to demonstrate the same level of dedication to our duties.

Notwithstanding our current efforts, we recognize that more needs to be done to uplift the quality of life of the Filipino Deaf community. This is why the gov-ernment attaches great importance to partnerships with the private sector and NGOs in promoting the welfare of our Deaf brothers and sisters. I am grateful to DDW for undertaking capacity-building projects in the Philippines, in direct partnership with the Philip-pine Federation of the Deaf. Through various trainings and seminars, DDW has given over 900 Deaf Filipinos the tools and skills necessary for them to access edu-cational and job opportunities. DDW essentially helps our Deaf kababayan to be self-reliant and become

empowered members of the Filipino citizenry.In mid-November the Philippines hosted a series

of high level meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). APEC is the premier econom-ic forum in the Asia-Pacific region, composed of 21 member-economies, including the major ones such as the United States, China and Russia. Under the Phil-ippine chairmanship, the theme of this year’s APEC is “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.” The key word here is “inclusive.” Growth and development, to have any meaning at all, must be felt by everybody in the economy. Everyone should reap the benefits of progress regardless of class, eth-nicity and race, religion, gender, and abilities. As the Asia-Pacific region becomes the new engine of global growth, the economies within are becoming increas-ingly aware of the need to include every segment of society, including the PWD sector. Let me assure you that the Philippines is determined to lead this effort without reservation and with the highest degree of commitment.

In closing, I would like to extend my congratula-tions to Discovering Deaf Worlds on its success. I wish you all the best going forward and hope that you will continue with your noble mission. May you all be friends and partners of the Philippines for many years to come. Maraming salamat at mabuhay.

(L-R): DDW’s David Justice, Philippines Ambassador H.E. José L. Cuisia, Jr., DDW Board Member Mencie Hairston,

and DDW’s Davin Searls.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” – Margaret Fuller

Page 6: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

DDW January 20166

The Year in Photos

Top to bottom: A roadmap exercise led by DDW Program Specialists Dr. Alim Chandani and Allie Rice during an EXPAND training on program development in February; PUSH Physical Theatre performed at DDW’s 5th Annual Rochester Benefit in April, attended by 350 guests; DDW board member and strategic planning committee chair Marty Hiller leads the board through a goal prioritization exercise at the annual board meeting in April; Davin Searls joins World Federation of the Deaf members and Judy Heumann, U.S. Department of State Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, during the opening ceremony of the 8th Session of the Conference on States Parties to the UNCRPD in New York City in May; Lizzie Sorkin and Debbye Byrne celebrate with DDW and PFD members after a successful day of training on public relations, outreach, and marketing in May.

Members of the Deaf Association of Iliolo after a community workshop hosted by Filipino Deaf community leaders as part of the EXPAND program in December

Page 7: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

January 2016 DDW 7

The Year in Photos

Top to bottom: DDW President Shane Feldman poses with conference attendees at the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters in Istanbul, Turkey in July; DDW and PFD-SSC have worked closely together for four years, which culminated with the National Forum on Deaf Leadership in Manila in October; USAID EXPAND Grants Officer Nancy Ebuenga with Maria Jera D. Lepatan from Cebu during the closing ceremony of the National Forum; Leah Maxson, USAID Democracy Fellow, delivered the keynote address at DDW’s inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C. in November.

Members of the Deaf Association of Iliolo after a community workshop hosted by Filipino Deaf community leaders as part of the EXPAND program in December

Page 8: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

DDW January 20168

Ernie & Mencie Hairston

“It may seem naively idealistic, but I know that as long as we can imagine a better tomorrow, we can work towards a better tomorrow. Such idealism has seeded the world with some of its greatest accomplishments and social institutions. I can change my own life and practices to make these ideals live in what I do in my life today.”

— James Orbinski

Page 9: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

January 2016 DDW 9

The birth of the D.C. gala idea originated during the spring DDW board meeting. One individual de-serving of recognition is the exceptional board mem-ber and volunteer leader, Dr. Alim Chandani, along with his committee. His committee, who included Kris Pumphrey, Derrick Behm, Smitha Hanumantha, Allie Rice, and Andrew St. Cyr, along with many other vol-unteers, did a phenomenal job in an incredibly short period of time. Gratitude goes to them for their time, commitment and support.

The Rochester community was the incubator for DDW, and continues to serve as the roots that drive DDW’s growth. The support from Rochester-area do-nors, leaders and volunteers are the key to our up-ward trajectory, and we look forward to continuing this relationship.

Our foray into a different locale for our gala and board meeting is the precursor to a future goal, to become a truly international organization comprised of leaders who reflect the values established by our or-ganization. DDW board meetings would then be held in the developing countries that we serve. These di-verse staff, board members, and volunteers will carry out the vision for a world where Deaf people in devel-oping countries are equipped with the tools and re-sources necessary to attain their human rights through their respective national and local organizations.

Our board has only begun this dialogue to lay the groundwork for this future. We need your continued support, so here’s how you can help: 1) continue to tell others about DDW, 2) share any grant or funding opportunities that fit the organization’s mission, and 3) where possible, give with your time or funds.

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

DDW Board of Directors, Staff, and Program Specialists at the inaugural DC Gala last November.

Continued from page 2

Page 10: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

DDW January 201610

Calling all interpreters and ASL teachers! Want to make a difference in Deaf communities worldwide?

50 STATE CHALLENGE

$500 - $1,000 per workshop for a total of $25,000 nationwide!

All proceeds will go to DDW’s organizational development projects in partnership with

Deaf associations in developing countries.

FUNDRAISING GOAL

FUNDRAISING GOAL

FUNDRAISING GOAL1

Collect tax-exempt donations for DDW from attendees in lieu of registration fees

Make a difference in the world!

Challenge someone you know in another state to do the same

Double your impact!

Host a workshop in your town

Attendees can earn CEUs!

2

3

Here’s how:

www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/50-state-fundraising-challenge

Page 11: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

January 2016 DDW 11

Calling all interpreters and ASL teachers! Want to make a difference in Deaf communities worldwide?

50 STATE CHALLENGE

$500 - $1,000 per workshop for a total of $25,000 nationwide!

All proceeds will go to DDW’s organizational development projects in partnership with

Deaf associations in developing countries.

FUNDRAISING GOAL

FUNDRAISING GOAL

FUNDRAISING GOAL1

Collect tax-exempt donations for DDW from attendees in lieu of registration fees

Make a difference in the world!

Challenge someone you know in another state to do the same

Double your impact!

Host a workshop in your town

Attendees can earn CEUs!

2

3

Here’s how:

www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/50-state-fundraising-challenge

Joseph Neale & Marcy Oppenheimer

Page 12: Discovering Deaf Worlds January 2016 Newsletter, vol. 9, issue 2

The following champion supporters to DDW this past quarter are recognized for their confidence in our team! Thank you!

Dr. Donalda Ammons & Dr. Diane MortonDr. Scot and Sally AtkinsJarlath BloomDr. Gerard and Judy BuckleyShane FeldmanDr. Betsy FiniganErin FintonDonald GallowayMelissa Echo Greenlee and Benjamin AbramsMary GulickErnie and Mencie HairstonErin Moriarty Harrelson and Paul HarrelsonRonald and Catherine Hirano

William HayesMarty and Karen HillerGreg and Charmaine HlibokCarl and Michelle JusticeMaria JusticeRaymond JusticeDr. Poorna and Dr. Raja KushalnagarBeverly and Wayne LeChaseGaurav MathurBrian Milburn and Sheena StuartDr. Harold and Mary MowlCatherine O’BrienCaroline PezzarossiKatherine PutnamMiako Rankin Susan RizzoHoward RosenblumTracey SalawayDr. J. Matt and Susan C. SearlsMichael and Barbara Serve

Jutta and Joe StuartDr. Ted Supalla and Elissa NewportRobert TobinChris and Staci WagnerRobert WeinstockWendy Wiatrowski

Special thanks also go to our phenomenal interpreting team at the D.C. Gala, all of whom donated their time and services to provide accessibility for the evening:

Miako Rankin (coordinator)Krystin BalzariniSheila JacksonMary Beth MorganCorrie PondStephanie SforzaJennifer Wagner

Shout-outs

DDW January 201612

EAT DRINK NETWORK LEARN BE ENTERTAINED www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/annual-benefit

ROCHESTER N.Y.

SAVE THE DATEFRIDAY APRIL 15th, 2016

6 ANNUALBenefit

th