Advocacy
"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth." - William Faulkner
"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth." - William Faulkner
The Deaf world is always focused on working with the Deaf and Hearing community on ways to achieve a full recognition for "Deaf Identity", of, with, and by the Deaf community. Deaf advocacy is as old as the days of Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc in 1817 ratifying Deaf education for American students. The 21st century is becoming a very promising time for the American Deaf community given all of our efforts to expand our communication access through sign language interpreters and capture ideas bridging the Hearing and Deaf communities together. That is the easy part. For the past 18 years, I have studied, worked, taught and lived with many Deaf people throughout the state of New York where I have witnessed strong "internalized oppression" where Deaf individuals choose Hearing individuals to lead and decide the direction of Deaf services, forgoing the opportunities themselves. The struggle remains uncovering the knowledge that the Deaf community is strong and capable of anything. We CAN lead our services. We CAN decide our future. We MUST.
With thanks to the Deaf community and its allies, advocates, Deaf and Sign Language interpreters, Hearing people who are learning, living and/or communicating in sign language - all tirelessly advocating for Deaf people to take on leadership roles in all Deaf services - Service Bridges stands proudly Deaf owned and operated. At the end of the day, a Deaf person is making the decisions that lead this organization. That is in and of itself, true advocacy.