I am truly excited about our recent launch of SignTalk Foundation and to announce the Foundation’s accomplishments attained over the last six months. First and foremost was the establishment of SignTalk’s YouTube channel, an online platform that gives a voice to the Deaf community. This channel hosts representatives from the Deaf community who comment on breaking news that affect the Deaf and interpreting communities. These commentaries are designed to speak directly to both the hearing and non-hearing public.
A catalyst for the development of this channel was the Nelson Mandela Memorial “fake interpreter” scandal. The media grasped onto this outlandish ordeal and contacted SignTalk LLC to comment on this event. We were proud to provide sign language interpreter representatives to major media outlets, including CNN’s Good Day News program.
SignTalk Foundation then followed this media display with a series of segments expanding on the Deaf community’s perceptions of the fateful effect of this event and similar less-known travesties encountered daily by Deaf individuals worldwide. The Foundation strongly believes that raised awareness will resolve misunderstandings and build mutual respect among people from different cultures and communities.
To date, the Foundation has produced seven YouTube segments, of which one has exceeded 35,000 views and another over 25,000 views. These numbers indicate great interest in bringing these topics to light. The Foundation will continue to provide such a platform.
I am excited about SignTalk Foundation’s new website/blog which intends to communicate to a wide audience. The Foundation will be inviting different guest bloggers to share expertise and perspective, including culturally-identified Deaf community members, sign language interpreters, deaf individuals who utilize assistive technology, and hearing individuals. I anticipate lively discussions and comments.
Some other goals of the Foundation are to explore the benefits of sign language interpreting for individuals with developmental disabilities and for children with autism. Additionally, we are interested in giving attention to the growing population of aging baby boomers who may benefit from learning sign language.
