In order to help spread information and curb misinformation, a team of deaf agents fluent in ASL have been trained to provide information about coronavirus.
Deaf Agents Providing COVID-19 Information via ASL
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CSD Works to Host Free Virtual Career Expo
CSD Works is hosting its first Virtual Career Expo on May 2, 2020. The main goal of the free Expo is to connect deaf job seekers in Austin and throughout Texas with employers seeking more diverse and inclusive workforces. CSD Works is a subsidiary of Communication Service for the Deaf, the world’s largest deaf-led social impact organization.
The Forgotten Victims of the Pandemic: The Deaf Community
Like most people around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has changed Nanette Harmon’s life. But there’s one difference. While all her other senses are alert to the rapid changes around her, she cannot hear — and so misses out on important news and updates about the crisis.
Deaf People Petition to Include ASL Interpreter In White House Briefings
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 11.5 million Americans living with hearing loss of some kind, which is nearly 3.6% of the population. Now, advocacy groups are petitioning for an ASL translator to be included in all White House briefings
CSD Learns Launches Embrace the Earth Toolkits
The Five-Week Teaching Module and Companion Live Earth Day Event are Available Free Online Through CSD Learns. Embrace the Earth is designed to enhance deaf and hard of hearing middle school students’ appreciation and understanding of STEM disciplines.
Coping with disease and disability in the time of coronavirus
Craig Radford, the director of Connect Direct, a subsidiary of Communication Service for the Deaf, told CNN that his organization had created a dedicated “ASL Now” hotline for deaf people to get answers to commonly asked coronavirus questions.
“We provide answers from reputable sources like the IRS, CDC [and] local government to answer their questions, and we provide them in American Sign Language instead of written English,” Radford said. “We have to update the source daily, staff the representatives, and provide a hotline number. We have received hundreds of calls in just 10 days of launch.”
Now, that data, along with emerging research from Italy — the second-most-affected country in the world — is showing just how dangerous Covid-19 is for older people, and others with with heart, lung, and immunological conditions.
Deaf Orgs Team Up to Provide Accessible White House Briefings
Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) announced today that is has joined forces with three leading deaf organizations – DPAN.TV, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and CONVO — to help provide live American Sign Language interpretation and closed captioning of the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings.
COVID-19 ASL Hotline
– Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) and its Connect Direct division
announced today the launch of a new coronavirus hotline for the deaf community made available through its
ASL Now platform. CSD’s free hotline brings the deaf community important and accessible information on
COVID-19 in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English.
Comcast’s COVID-19 Response
On the heels of offering new, low-income Internet Essentials
customers two months of free internet and raising the speed of that program’s service to 25/3 Mbps,
Comcast today announced additional steps to help ensure people stay connected to the internet as more
schools suspend classes and companies encourage employees to work from home due to the Coronavirus.