Constituents Day in May for Deaf & Hard of Hearing
The Statewide Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Commission to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) invites you, the residents of the Commonwealth, to our annual Constituents’ Day at the State House on Thursday, May 17, 2018 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon in the Great Hall. Constituents’ Day is a gathering of Statewide Advisory Council (SAC) members, community members, legislators, and state agency directors to focus on issues of importance to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. There will be speakers emphasizing constituent, government agency, and legislative partnership. Several area legislators and other elected officials are expected to participate and the SAC/MCDHH invites everyone to please attend and actively engage with your vitally important advocacy.
It is crucial that the estimated 650,000 citizens in Massachusetts who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or late-Deafened actively engage their elected officials. In the Commonwealth, more than 60% of the people who comprise the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population are aged 65 or older, but my hearing issues were discovered at the approximate age of 5-years-old. Across America, the National Institutes of Health estimates 1 of every 8 people in the United States is Deaf or significantly Hard of Hearing and the fact that a person is Deaf or Hard of Hearing is not immediately visible and communication preferences and accommodations may vary widely, depending upon individual need.
MCDHH, established in 1986 by Massachusetts General Law, c.6 § 191-199, has 42 full-time employees, 36% of whom are Deaf/Hard of Hearing/ Late-Deafened, across 5 regional offices (Boston, Plymouth, Springfield, Westboro & Pittsfield). The mission of the MCDHH is to act as the focal point for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened people requiring services that were not available or accessible elsewhere. All services and functions are carried out in order to enable Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to have access to opportunities, information, education and services which will be equal to those of able-bodied people who hear and which will enable each Deaf and Hard of Hearing individual to live independently and productively while assuming fullest responsibilities as a citizen.
MCDHH provides several services and programs to the Community such as:
• Interpreter/CART Services Interpreter/CART Referral Services to provide interpreter services to ensure full communication access for both Deaf and hearing individuals at state, public and private levels in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. MCDHH handles approximately 30,000 requests annually.
• After-Hours Legal/Government Emergency Interpreter Services
• Communication Access, Training & Technology Services (CATTS): ADA Communication Access Compliance trainings to public health, public safety, human service, state agency and private enterprise personnel — approximately 100 per year; Technical Assistance for compliance and assistive technology issues — approximately 25 per year; Information to constituents: print and electronic media, educational exhibits, Internet self-service information through mass.gov content, telephone, e-mail and postal service — approximately 725 requests per year
• Case Management and Social Services: Deaf and Hard of Hearing infants, children, and adults and their families are eligible to receive case management services on a voluntary basis which include but are not limited to adult case management, family and children’s services, care coordination and collaboration with other state agencies.
Additionally, the Statewide Advisory Council (SAC) which hosts the MCDHH Constituents’ Day, seeks more, new, and diverse membership to more comprehensively represent the various concerns of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing citizens of Massachusetts. The majority of SAC members are residents who self-identify as Deaf community members, late-deafened deaf, deaf or Hard of Hearing. For more information about becoming a member of the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing’s Statewide Advisory Council, please contact ami.hanigan@ massmail.state.ma.us.
Brock N. Cordeiro, Dartmouth
Member, SAC/MCDHH
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