Deaf/Interpreter
Relations Committee
(DIRC)
Please
join us for our DIRC meetings in 2007
Date: Friday, October 19th
Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm!
TOPIC: EMPOWER DEAFHOOD!
PROTECT DEAF LEGAL RIGHTS - LEARN HOW TO COMPLAIN
CO-FACILITATORS:
Joshua Finkle, current President of Empire State Association of the Deaf, and Mary Kay Adams, CI
What do you do when the hearing person refuses to hire an interpreter? What do you do when the interpreter never shows up? What do you do if you experience discrimination? What will you do if you’re forced to use VRI instead of a live interpreter? How can we advocate for each other? Come to October’s DIRC meeting to learn more…
Believe it or not, there are state and federal agencies that want to help process and prosecute your complaints. We are lucky that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's administration wants to hear from the Deaf community. Join us on Friday, October 19th, 2007 as we talk with representatives from the New York State Attorney General’s office. They want to know your stories! Learn how to fight back when your rights are violated!
FREE pizza, salad, soda/water will be served immediately
following the DIRC meeting until 9 pm.
If
you are deaf-blind and need interpreting services, please contact
Debbie Swamback at DIRC@nycmetrorid.org to request interpreters.
Where
- OMRDD
75 Morton St., Manhattan
Take the #1 train to Christopher Street. Walk west along Christopher
St. to Hudson St. Turn left onto Hudson, walk south a few blocks until
you reach Morton St. Turn right onto Morton, and OMRDD is the first
building on your right. We will be meeting on the first floor in the
BIG meeting room.
DIRC
meetings are usually held on the 3rd Friday of every month, unless
otherwise noted. Topics are selected monthly.
DIRC
meetings are conducted in ASL with NO voice interpretation provided.
Click for DIRC History
Please
check this page often for updates.
History
of DIRC:
The
idea for DIRC came from the first Allies conference hosted by Region
1 RID in 1992. Members form Metro who participated in this conference
realized that there were huge conflicts between Deaf consumers and
interpreters in our community. They met with several Deaf organizations
in NYC to present the idea of DIRC. Once leaders in the Deaf community
joined RID's efforts, the idea caught on and DIRC has been a huge
success. NYC Metro RID has been hosting DIRC meetings since 1995.
When
Debbie Swamback was asked to describe DIRC in 30 words or less, she
replied:
"DEAF!
Can you figure out interpreters and their behavior?
INTERPETERS! Can you figure out Deaf and their behavior?
COME
to DIRC and LEARN about each other."
