State Disability Agency Announces First Sign Language Web Release and School for the Deaf Program for Deaf Awareness Week Sept 23-29 Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services

   Video!

Follow this link to open the ASL-version of the media release in a separate window.

The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) has posted the agency’s first video media release in American Sign Language (ASL) for the deaf on the agency’s website at www.okrehab.org/info/mr/07/Deaf_Aware_Week.htm

The agency’s public information office chose this time to test the new format in honor of National Deaf Awareness Week, Sept. 23-29. Staff video recorded a certified interpreter for the deaf who signed the media release content on camera in ASL. The video announcement was then posted to the website “DRS Online.”

Deaf Awareness Week is traditionally celebrated during the last full week in September. Each year, many organizations, companies and agencies hold activities and awareness campaigns to recognize contributions by the deaf, celebrate their rich cultural heritage and educate others about deafness.

DRS Director Linda Parker explained, “American Sign Language is a unique language with its own syntax, word order and beautiful expressions. That’s the reason that many people who use ASL as their first language have difficulty understanding information in written English.

“DRS plans to stream video announcements in ASL whenever the subject matter is of interest to the deaf community to be sure that everyone has access to the information,” Parker added.

According to U.S. Census-based estimates developed by Gallaudet University, 13,674 deaf and 162,125 hard of hearing individuals live in Oklahoma.Gallaudet University, located in Washington, D.C., is a four-year liberal arts university for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The Oklahoma School for the Deaf (OSD), which is a DRS division located in Sulphur, has planned a Deaf Awareness Day Program on Wednesday, Sept 26, at 12:45 p.m. in the school auditorium at 1100 E. Oklahoma Avenue.

OSD provides residential, early intervention and outreach education services at no charge to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The school offers preschool programs for children who are deaf at regional sites in Collinsville and Edmond.

OSD partners with the state Department of Education on an early intervention program called Enriching Children’s Communication Opportunities (ECCO) for parents of deaf children, ages three to six.

The Oklahoma School for the Deaf also provides critical outreach services for deaf or hard or hearing students attending local public schools. These services include audiological, speech and language and other assessments; in-service training programs; and recommendations for adaptations to the students’ educational environments.

The School for the Deaf operates the Oklahoma Equipment Distribution Program. This program provides special equipment at little or no cost for individuals of all ages with hearing or speaking problems that prevent them from using the telephone. Equipment includes ring signalers that flash when the telephone rings, loud bell ringers that adjust the loudness and frequency of the ring and Teletypwriters or TTYs. These devices, which are sometimes called Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf or TDDs, have keyboards that connect to telephones, enabling people to type messages to others with the same equipment.

DRS’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation counselors located throughout the state coordinate with the division’s Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to help clients reach employment goals in careers of their choice. As a result, those whose deafness was a barrier to employment become taxpayers each year, eliminating or reducing their need for disability benefits and social services.

Some of the services include evaluation, guidance and counseling, medical assessment, training, rehabilitation equipment or devices, and job placement.

Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing operates an Employability Training Center (ETC) which teaches pre-vocational and independent living skills. They provide help with job readiness, resume writing, job applications, job searches, job coaching and self-advocacy training. The center also offers awareness training and other assistance to Oklahoma employers.

In addition, Services to the Deaf staff manages the process for evaluating and certifying interpreters’ skills for the state of Oklahoma through a program called Oklahoma Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST).

For more information about DRS programs, contact Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Oklahoma City at (405) 522-7930 or toll free at (800) 833-8973. The Oklahoma School for the Deaf can be reached in Sulphur at (580) 622-4900 or toll free at (888) 685-3323. All the numbers are accessible by phone and TTY.

(###)