|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
||
by Sue Kropp
MAY 17 , 2002--Bonner Scholar Rhea Kennedy '02 has worked with several community groups in Lorain County during her four years at Oberlin. But it wasn't until her junior year that Kennedy found an organization whose work struck close to home, and landed her a spot on the Fox 8 evening news.
As a volunteer with the Deaf and Deaf-Blind Committee on Human Rights (DDBCHR), an Oberlin-based advocacy group, Kennedy has joined in the fight for this minority's rights.
"I think a big part of my wanting to work with this group has to do with the fact that my younger sister is deaf," Kennedy says. "I wanted to keep up with my sign language while I was away from her, but at the same time I wanted to learn more about deaf culture and deaf issues so that I could understand what she goes through on a daily basis."
Two weeks ago, Kennedy participated in a candlelight vigil at Parma General Hospital with a group of 60 deaf and deaf-blind individuals. The group gathered with community leaders and local activists to protest the care given to members of the deaf community in emergency situations. The protest was spurred on by a recent incident at Parma General Hospital, where an on-duty nurse denied a deaf man access to an interpreter after he was admitted to the emergency room. Fox 8 news showed up to tape the protestors as they stood vigil in front of the hospital.
"Basically, what members of the Deaf and Deaf-Blind community are asking for is the same quality of care that a hearing person would receive," says Kennedy. "To get this care, hospitals are required to provide them with interpreters. Otherwise, there is no way to guarantee that the doctor or nurse on duty will understand the patient's symptoms, or be able to prescribe the right treatment."
While raising public awareness through direct actions is part of Kennedy's work with the DDBCHR, she also contributes to the organization in other ways. One of her main occupations this past semester has been to put together the first edition of the DDBCHR's newsletter, which will keep members of the group and other allied organizations up-to-date on breaking news.
"The people contributing to the newsletter are either deaf or deaf-blind," Kennedy explains. "Their primary language is American Sign Language, or ASL, and their secondary language is English. As the newsletter's editor, I translate their ASL vocabulary into a more coherent, standard form of English for a wider audience."
Although Kennedy will leave Oberlin after graduation, she plans to remain active in grassroots organizing. In early June, she will begin a 15-week apprenticeship with D.A.R.T. (Direct Action and Research Training), an organization that trains individuals to serve specific groups through community organizing and activism. After completing the program, Kennedy will be placed either in Miami, Florida, or Louisville, Kentucky, where she will work with the communities that need assistance and help them to organize.
Please send comments, questions, and suggestions about Oberlin Online news and feature articles to online.news@oberlin.edu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
