DEAFBC

Room for rent in a newer house with a view of the mountains. The room has a big window with a view. You get your own private washroom as well. The house is in between Guildford mall and Gateway station close to 148 Street and 108 Avenue in Surrey. You can access the house via the C73 bus and the 335 bus. The rent is $515 per month which include heat, electricity and Internet as well as watching TV in the family room. It is a shared kitchen. The room is available for March 1.

In the house are all adults: mom, dad, sister and brother. If you have any questions please feel free to ask by texting (604) 307-2458 or email: airjeeter@hotmail.com.

REMINDER!! We have a town hall TONIGHT at 6:30 PM!!
BCVRS website:
http://bcvrs.ca/2015/02/bcvrs-town-hall-tonight/

Deaf Interpreters will be provided for Deafblind attendees and voice interpreters for the hearing!

Deaf Canada LIVE streaming (starts at 6:25 PM):
http://deafcanada.ca/live-event/

Downloadable powerpoint presentation (PDF):
http://bcvrs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TH-Feb-19-PPT.pdf

Come & show your support for VRS in Canada!!

To All Registered DHH Stakeholders and Complainants:

The Interim Board of Directors of CAV has received a number of complaints surrounding the selection of the ASL Member/Director and the Third DHH Member/Director. These complaints assert that the processes followed to select the ASL Member/Director and the Third DHH Member/Director were flawed and do not accurately reflect the choices of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community. We have reviewed these complaints with the CAV’s legal counsel and wish to provide the following responses.

Appointment of the ASL Director

With respect to the ASL Member/Director selection process, we have received complaints that suggest voters were “inappropriately” influenced in casting their votes.

We note that only Registered ASL Stakeholder groups were eligible to vote in the CAV election process to determine the ASL Member/Director. The Interim Board of CAV provided clear, complete and accurate information about candidates for the ASL Member/Director position and the election process to all Registered ASL Stakeholders. All ASL Stakeholders thus had all of the information required to carefully consider the nominees and to select a candidate.

Certain ASL Stakeholder groups ran their own internal consultation processes to canvass their members to determine how they would vote. How these consultation processes were conducted was entirely up to the ASL Stakeholder groups themselves. It was up to each ASL Stakeholder group to certify that its vote represented its members. It is not open to the Interim Board of CAV to question the validity of any ballot received from a Registered ASL Stakeholder. The Interim Board is required to rely on the certifications received from Stakeholders, and the Interim Board did not, nor should it have, involved itself in these internal Stakeholder deliberations and discussions.

Accordingly, we believe that the ASL Member/Director election process was conducted fairly and legally, and fully complied with the CAV Bylaws, as approved by the CRTC (available online at: Constating documents for the CAV). Therefore, the Interim Board of CAV has no basis, nor sees any need, to question the results of the ASL Member/Director election process, and will take no further steps in relation to such election. CAV’s external legal counsel concurs with this view.

Appointment of the Third DHH Director

With respect to the appointment of the Third DHH Member/Director, the CAV Bylaws provide that the Third DHH Member/Director is to be jointly selected by the ASL Director and the LSQ Director (section 6(c)). The person serving as the Third DHH Member/Director may represent the interests of ASL users, LSQ users, or both ASL and LSQ users.

The individuals elected to become the ASL Director and the LSQ Director on the permanent Board of Directors of the CAV have jointly chosen Suzanne Laforest to serve as the Third DHH Director, which they have assured us was made after careful consideration. This appointment was made in full compliance with the process set out in the CAV Bylaw and is valid. We therefore have no basis nor any reason to question this appointment and will take no further steps in relation to this appointment.

We have also been made aware of concerns that the appointment of two DHH Directors who use LSQ will provide a preference for the roll out of LSQ services over ASL services. We note that all seven Directors who will serve on the Board of Directors of CAV will have a duty to make decisions that are in the best interests of the CAV. The appointment of two Directors who use LSQ will NOT result in a preference for the roll out of VRS services in LSQ over ASL. The CRTC has directed that VRS services in ASL and LSQ must be treated as equally as possible—in fact, the Board of Directors of CAV has a duty to take all reasonable efforts to ensure that ASL and LSQ services are equally comprehensive. ASL and LSQ services will launch on the same day.

In the near future, the final two Directors of the permanent Board of Directors (the Independent Directors) will be chosen jointly by the three DHH Directors and the two TSP Directors. Following this, the seven members of the permanent Board of Directors as well as the two Permanent Invitees will assume their duties at a meeting to be scheduled this spring. Once the permanent Board has been established, CAV will move forward in its work to bring VRS to Canada.

Until the permanent Board of Directors is in place, the Interim Board of Directors will continue to be responsible for CAV activities.

We thank you for your support and collaboration in working together to reach our goals.

Thank you,

Gary Birch
Jonathan Daniels
Frank Folino

Deaf Community: Culture, Language, History, and Values

Everyone is welcome..which means YOU!!! – Youth, Middle, and Seniors.

Admission cost: $1.00 or any donations would be appreciated!

Time: 1-3 PM
Date: Feb 21, 2015, Saturday
Place: New Westminster, Douglas College, Room 3410.

See you all there!

Hosted by BCCSD, ASL Director, Kimberly Wood

If want more information, please feel free to email Kimberly at susanbrowneyed2@gmail.com.

Date: Friday, February 20th, 2015
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm (ASL interpretation will be available for the official start and end time from 4:30pm – 5:30pm)
Location: 800 E Broadway, Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Vancouver, BC
Who: community members, public, open to everyone

What: Come attend the opening of the Anne Frank Exhibition, Anne Frank – A History for Today, a travelling exhibition from Amsterdam to learn about the Holocaust, WWII, and the story of Anne Frank. there will be an opening from an elder, an appearance from the Dutch Consulate, music and light refreshments. youth volunteers will be on site to give tours of the exhibit, as guests are invited to look around.

This exhibit will be travelling to various Neighbourhood Houses from February to June 2015.

official tours with ASL interpretation can be booked upon request through vanessa@peernetbc.com.

facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/659841110810438/

Landon Krentz

When Landon Krentz moved to Vancouver at the age of 20 in 2010, he found little support for deaf queer people. So he resurrected BC’s Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf (BCRAD) while simultaneously reaching out to the hearing community to make room for deaf people and other people with disabilities and encouraging event organizers to be more inclusive. Now 24, he sits on the board of the new Foundation of Hope to assist gay refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers, and works with the Queer Arts Festival.

http://dailyxtra.com/vancouver/news/together-now-xtra%E2%80%99s-community-portrait-98913