Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 2, 1 February 1985 — Workshop Alerts Agencies on Deaf Hawaiians [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Workshop Alerts Agencies on Deaf Hawaiians

Thirty representatives from 13 invited organizations, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, attended a four and one-half hour in-service training workshop for agencies servicing deaf Hawaiians Jan. 11 at the Alu Like O'ahu Island Center field office conference room in Kapalama. lt was the first workshop of its kind coordinated by Alu Like and Hawaii Services on Deafness (HSOD). Main objectives of the workshop were to alerl participants and their respective agencies on the increased awareness of deafness, sensitivity to deaf people and skill in communicating with the deaf.

All agreed it was a tremendously interesting workshop and that they wouldn't have missed it for anything. For all, it was a rude awakening to the world of silence as the first workshop exercise poignantly brought out. The exercise was called "Quiet Village" and it turned out to be just that as workshop director Ed Wake, HSOD ,executive director, involved the participants in three stages of silence. They first walked around the room with attention fixed to the floor with no talking, acknowledgment and touching allowed. The next phase involved looking at eaeh other, using facial expressions for acknowledgment and still without touching. The third step permitted touching to go with body and facial expressions.

When talking was permitted, participants were asked their reaction to the exercise. Almost all agreed it was "weird, traumatic, funny feeling, uncomfortable" and many more similar descriptions. Four guest deaf participants and interpreter Dianne Girard were very mueh involved in the workshop. Exercises included the use of gestures, mime, facial and body language, writing and lip reading. Exercises also included one on one situations involving hearing and deaf participants and interpreting in groups and at meetings along with sign language. Participants also had an opportunity to use a telephone system especially . designed for the hearing impaired. Many took advantage of the maehine called Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD).

Of an estimated 60,000 hearing impaired people living in Hawaii, at least 4,000 are handicapped to the degree that heip is required to perform such routine tasks as finding a job, obtaining human services and maintaining contacts with the hearing world. It has also been estimated that there were approximately 1,200 deaf Hawaiians among the 60,000. Where they are and how they ean be reached are perplexing questions confronting the participating agencies. Ruth Merz, planning and resource development officer

at Alu Like who packaged the workshop, pointed out she knows of nothing being done for this group of Hawaiians before. "We've got a start now, a beginning, so we ean identify these people. They will now know about us and hopefully eome to us for assistance," she said.

Mueh to the surprise of the hearing participants, the four deaf people admitted they did not know of Alu Like or OHA and what they do for Hawaiians. They also admitted little knowledge of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Bishop Estate and Bishop Museum. "The next step is for eaeh of our organizations to reach Hawaiian deaf people and other hearing impaired to let them know what we're all about and what we ean do for them," Merz stated.

Merz suggested that perhaps a fair would be the answer. She explained that such an event would enable participating agencies to have staff members on hand to explain their respective organizations and hand out brochures and other literature. Other participating agencies in addition to those already mentioned were The Kamehameha Schools, Department of Social Services and Housing Vocational Rehabilitation Division/Deaf Services and Oahu Community Correctional

Center. Also, Hale Ola O Ho'opakolea, Lunalilo Home and Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center. There was mueh role playing between deaf and hearing participants. A panel discussion with the deaf participants enabled the audience to ask them several questions, more importantly how the agencies ean help them. They had no ready answer and wanted time to think it over.

Wake kept the workshop going at a steady, lively paee, involving the entire audience and the deaf guests were kept completely informed of every discussion by the manipulations employed by interpreter Girard. Girard explained during a portion of the session that it took her about five years to leam sign language and sheepishly admitted she was still not proficient at it. No one was willing to argue the point.

Wake explained that HSOD is a private non-profit organization whieh gets its funding through the Aloha United Way and private sources. It held its annual meeting Feb. 1 at the Hale Koa Hotel where an eleehon to the board of directors was held, some changes in the by laws were made and reports of officers were heard. Presentation of a grant from Hawaiian Telephone Co. also highlighted the business portion of the banquet.

Trainer Ed Wake, executive director of Hawaii Services on Deafness, far left, along with four guest deaf participants, Sharon Drummundo, Rodney McFeeley (back), Corwin Kobashigawa (front), Interpreter Diane Girard and Tony Akiu.