This month, I met with Erica Brown from Bridges Oregon, an Oregon nonprofit serving deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing individuals. Bridges Oregon’s mission is to facilitate equity and inclusiveness for its constituents and build bridges to opportunities through advocacy, education, and communication.
Erica is one of four hearing individuals working at the Deaf-led agency. Bridges Oregon has branded itself as “linguistically and culturally specific” for its focus on bringing awareness to the fact that most deaf persons do not consider themselves disabled at all, but rather a nonhearing culture with its own language, mannerisms, norms, and preferences.
Approximately 97 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have no experience with the Deaf community or American Sign Language (ASL). It is estimated that 70 percent of these hearing parents never learn ASL, according to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
ASL is the universal language of the Deaf; however, as with any of the primary languages, there are dialectical differences. Like spoken language, sign languages develop naturally through different groups of people interacting with each other, so there are many varieties. There are more than 150 documented sign languages in the world. ASL refers to the American version, while LSM (Lengua de Señas Mexicana) refers to the Spanish version.
Sign language is distinct from English. It constitutes its own language complete with a system of hand gestures, facial expressions, and body movements that convey grammar and tone. Providing ASL interpreters is also an Americans with Disabilities Act-protected accommodation. And yet, according to Bridges Oregon, there is still a need to fund this communication access because “there are no free interpreters.”
ASL interpreters are most often hearing people who have learned to sign later in life. This can create a gap in the formalistic way a hearing interpreter uses ASL and the native way that deaf people sign with each other. To truly close the gap, many deaf people often require both an ASL interpreter and a deaf interpreter who can explain things “in plain English,” as speaking people might say.
When deaf people don’t have access to sign language so they can develop language naturally, they can suffer from language deprivation. According to NAD, this amounts to nothing short of a health crisis for those affected:
“Research shows 70% of Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing children don’t have access to language. And it’s actually worse for Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) deaf children. Language deprivation is a devastating reality for many deaf children, and the NAD strongly believes this is a serious and urgent health crisis.”
When I asked Erica what are the most important ways to support deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, she suggested two things: raise awareness and address systemic barriers. Raising awareness is something we all can do. Bridges Oregon invites people to visit its office or take one of its trainings and share what they learn with others, especially people in their workplace.
Addressing systemic barriers requires the likes of Chad A. Ludwig, deaf founder and executive director of Bridges Oregon. He is a “man on fire” when it comes to bringing attention to the needs of Oregon’s Deaf community. Chad has worked tirelessly to demand that Oregon create a Deaf center akin to the Oregon Commission for the Blind, which provides state-funded vocational rehabilitation, independent living, and other resources to blind Oregonians.
Chad created Bridges Oregon in 2017 to fill the gap for deaf Oregonians. The organization has worked hard to obtain its funding through grants and to support itself through fee-for-service programs. Currently, its funding restricts its advocates’ support to survivors of domestic violence, assault, and general crime. Bridges hopes to provide expanded advocacy services soon to become a trusted source of support for the Deaf and Deaf Plus (i.e., deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals with additional disabilities).
In June 2024, the State of Oregon will begin to license ASL interpreters under a new program created by House Bill 2696. Erica suggested that companies and agencies that contract with ASL-providers for translation services review their contracts for compliance with the new licensing law.
For more information about Bridges Oregon, call 971-202-1500 or explore at https://bridgesoregon.org/.