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Congratultions 

Luis Alcobia for 

  

Volunteer of the Year 



(See on page 4)    

Issue; Fall 2010

$5.00 CAD

Free for members




i

nside


EDITOR

 notes 


The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy 

of Ontario Association of the Deaf. Articles from OAD NEWS 

may be reprinted with permission from the editor and authors.      

Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We reserve 

this right.  

 

© 2010 Ontario Association of the Deaf



This issue explores a wide variety of issues. We have Keelin 

Carey, who is an employment counsellor. She writes about 

finding a job, and gives a few tips on how to get hired and 

stay hired. I hope you’ll find the time to read her column, 

and send in your questions for the next issue. 

We have a personal essay submitted by Bonnie Russell, 

who just received her Masters in Social Work from 

Gallaudet University. A good read  on deconstructing 

identity and privilege, something that many of us take for 

granted. 

 A number of good articles but not enough! We need more 

from our members, and our readers. Please do send in a 

story, article or interesting photo! 

On a side note, I came across a few worthy website links to 

check out, if you haven’t already. 

Deaf Ontario TV - local news coverage on video in ASL!  

www.deafontario.tv

The John Maucere Show!  Hilarious.  

www

.deafnation.com 

Enjoy the newsletter and please do give us feedback on 

how we can improve. 

Lianne Valiquette - Editor

news@deafontario.ca

Board of Directors

 

President



Christine Ehrlich-Brady

Vice-President

Jackie Plant

Secretary 

Vanita Dama

Treasurer

John Mans

Directors at Large

Hernan Guillermo

Shelley Ryall 

Staff 

 

Executive Director



Dean Walker

Deaf Outreach Program Client 

Advocate 

Kevin Canning

Event Planner

Lori Archer

Intra-Community Liaison

Lianne Valiquette

OAD NEWS

Editor and Layout/Design:

Lianne Valiquette

Copy Editor 

Lori Archer

Contributors:

Dean Walker

Lori Archer

Christine Ehrlich-Brady

Keelin Carey

Bonnie Russell

 

SUBMISSION 



DEADLINES

January 30     April 30

July 30        October 30

Deaf Outreach Program

www.deafontario.ca/dop

tty 416.413.1093   

fax  416.413.4822

CONTACT US

Office: 

2395 Bayview Avenue   

Toronto, Ontario   M2L 1A2

office@deafontario.ca

Ontario Association of the Deaf

www.deafontario.ca

tty 416.513.1893 

voice 416.413.9191

fax 416.413.4822 



P

resident’s Report

It has been a rewarding experience being the President of 

the Ontario Association of the Deaf. It was two years of 

transition for us from the old Board to the new Board, 

from the previous Executive Director to the new one, 

along with some new projects relating to Video Relay 

Service and the International Day of Sign Language 

Rights. It is not easy to make a one page report on our 

events, planning, and promotions. 

This year we were busy as we hosted/provided events 

like Mayfest, Summit O, the International Day of Sign 

Language Rights (Sept. 24/10), as well as our Annual 

General Meeting. This year, we invited all youth and staff 

from the 2010 Youth Canada Tournament for the Deaf 

(YCTD) at the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf, 

Belleville Ontario, to Mayfest (free admission). Next 

year we will have the 125th Anniversary OAD dinner. 

Belleville Association of the Deaf (BAD) will host the 

anniversary dinner in Belleville Ontario. This year the 

OAD hosted its first annual charitable golf tournament. 

We also participated in special workshops and projects. 

They were: Building Bridges The Whole Child 0 to 6 

-a Conference for Professionals on the Well Being of 

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth; and  

Access and Accommodation: within the Health Care 

Facilities of Northwestern Ontario & the Challenges 

and Expectations of Patients and Visitors: who are Deaf, 

Deafened, or Hard of Hearing.

DCC 2012: John Mans is our DCC 2012 chairperson. 

This will promote the coalition of the DCC 2012 and 

the Deaf History International Conference that we are 

planning to host during the summer of 2012. We held 

our first townhall on Thursday, August 26, 2010 with the 

purpose to form the Toronto 2012 coalition of World 

Deaf Track and Field Championships and the Deaf 

History International Conference. To date, we have held 

two town halls with the aim of hosting in different cities 

across Ontario. 

 

Strategic Planning: On May 15th we hosted a community 



forum to collect data on leadership, fundraising, and 

volunteering. As part of our Strategic planning, we 

would like to see more people to fill OAD Board seats 

along with the new position of Sign Language Rights 

Director, and Director of DCC 2012. We have some 

important issues to deal with such as; promotion of ASL 

across Ontario, and our accessibility or lack of it with 

current smoke/ fire detectors and other products. We may 

restructure our organizational operations once we have 

gathered the necessary list of needs, and write grants to do 

the work to promote a better Ontario. Together we can 

re-invest in our province for a better future. 

 

Canadian Association of the Deaf: Our aim is to work 



with the Canadian Association for the Deaf for a better 

future. The best moment of my tenure was to witness the 

announcement in Vancouver: the New Era and Accord 

that rejected the infamous Milan 1880 resolutions and 

called for Deaf Participation and Collaboration. One 

project, Compliance in the Disability Charity Sector was 

done with the aim to produce DVDs. Another project 

Deaf Women’s Leadership Conference, is in process and 

will be wrapped up in 2011.Currently, CAD is fighting 

back against the closure of Newfoundland School for the 

Deaf 

 

In the next several months ahead, we are in process to do 



the transaction from the old Board members to the new 

one.  After January 2011, my new role will be the Past 

President to give  OAD and others our on-going support 

and guidance.  I want to send my deep gratitude to past 

and present staff, board members and to thank you for 

your support and belief in OAD.  I ask that you remain 

enthusiastic and supportive in the New Year and beyond. 

 

Although we have a small number of staff operating the 



OAD, I would really like you to visit us, attend one of 

our events, work with us and keep our mission growing 

stronger and continue to build beyond our limited 

resources. 

 

I once again thank you for your on-going support and for 



sharing. We still need you to continue to strive to fulfill 

our OAD mission. 

 

OADly, yours 



Christine M. Ehrlich-Brady, November 2010

 



E

xecutive Director

Fall Report - Dean Walker  

Greetings my fellow members and citizens, I hope that you 

have had a good autumn. This year is even more exciting 

than last year with so much happening!

I will be brief today mostly because I can’t sit at my desk 

long enough to be long-winded.  The tireless staff at OAD 

and I are still busy completing our summer and autumn 

work.  Of course we recently had the big meeting with you 

and our fellow members.  We are always busy with OAD 

staff and with DOP volunteers, buddies and clients. DOP 

has not been quiet these past few months either while Lori 

and Lianne are busy preparing for the big event, World 

AIDS Day (WAD). We will host it on Dec 1

st

 2010 at the 



Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art at 401 Richmond 

Street West Suite 124, Toronto. We will be inviting some 

important people to attend. We are excited to have our 

membership and community friends join us there. Don’t 

miss it! In other issues, we continue to work on DOP’s 

strategic plan. Kevincent finally had the first meeting 

recently with Lori, Lianne and new committee members. 

The volunteer steering committee helped us a lot, and we 

are excited to continue to work with them. 

Last August 19th, 2010, we hosted our very first golf 

tournament. 32 golfers came and played all day, and 6 

golfers wore knickers! All participants enjoyed seeing 

the knickers and many have shown interest in wearing 

the knickers in future. We had over 50 guests attend the 

fabulous dinner banquet. Everyone is looking forward to 

next year. I will let Lori tell you more in her article about 

this event. We have booked August 4th, 2011 for our 

second annual Knickers tournament. Come on out and 

join us for the fun!

Lori contacted several different locations for Mayfest 

2011. The OAD board decided upon the Queen Elizabeth 

Building at Exhibition Place. Lori and I went there on 

October 19th to visit the building, and it looks good for 

our Mayfest. It is a much bigger and better space with a 

lot of available inexpensive parking. It will also be good 

for school field trips. We will be creative and hold mini 

workshops, art and culture displays and more. Please let 

us know if you would like to volunteer for our planning 

meeting. 

I don’t have an update yet about VRS. Treasurer John 

Mans and theBell stakeholder committee are required to 

set up a meeting. One staff from Bell has responded, and 

they will let us know by next week. That is all for now, 

and we will advise you when we have news from Bell or 

CRTC. 

October 23rd and 24



th

 - OAD’s Biennial AGM and 

Conference was a success. To be honest with you however, 

I was wrong in expecting a lot people would come. 

Unfortunately, many people were unable to make it. The 

people that did attend really enjoyed the workshops. There 

were five presenters. The first workshop, Beverley Dooley 

and Sally Palusci presented with “Know Your Rights: 

understanding your relationship with an interpreter”. The 

second workshop, Paul Smith presented “Leading the 

Way to Successful Immigration Integration”. The third 

presenter was Kevin Canning who lectured on DOP- 

Education and Support. I gave my presentation about 

Identity Theft. The last speaker -Gary Malkowski shared 

information and an Update – Education and DBC to 

the attendees. The next day, we had our Annual General 

Meeting. We invited Gordon Ryall as guest speaker during 

the AGM, and we had Janice Drake for our guest speaker 




at the dinner banquet. 

At the banquet we presented awards. Awards were 

given to Luis Alcobia for Volunteer of the Year 2010, 

Michael Zagozdzon for Youth of the Year 2010, Linda 

Campbell for Professional of the Year 2010, British 

Columbia Deaf Community for Organization of the 

Year 2010 and Dana McCarthy for Leadership of the 

Year 2010. Congratulations to all of them. Next year the 

Belleville Association of the Deaf will host OAD’s 125

th

 



Anniversary in Belleville.  The information will be coming 

soon. 


I will study and survey current membership and past 

membership in local clubs in Ontario and I will report 

my findings to the board. I noticed that the number of 

members has not increased for awhile. We also need to 

determine who to approach for core funding for OAD’s 

operations and much needed new programs. 

And on that point, a friendly reminder of OAD’s events:

•  World AIDS Day (WAD) on Dec 1

st

 2010


•  Mayfest on May 13, 2011

•  OAD Knickers Golf on Aug 4

th  

2011


•  OAD 125

th 


Anniversary – TBA in Belleville in 2011. 

That is all for now. Please visit us in our office anytime.  

Thank you for reading here. 

Luis Alcobia  

Volunteer of the Year

Michael Zagozdzon

 

Youth of the Year



Linda Campbell

  

Professional of the Year



British Columbia Deaf Community 

Organization of the Year 

Dana McCarthy 

Leader of the Year

Congratulations!

Linda Campbell 

See 

http://www.theglobeandmail.



com/report-on-business/managing/

top-40-under-40-2009/linda-camp-

bell-39-ontario/article1591010/



Benefits of sign language

Published On Sun Nov 7 2010 

 

I am delighted that the American Academy of Pediatrics recently endorsed sign language in its material 



for new parents, recognizing that “Infant sign language really does deliver on its promise of improved 

communication.” I am equally pleased that the Canadian Pediatric Society President Dr. Robert Hilliard 

says he “applauds anything that helps children communicate, especially those with hearing or learning 

disabilities.”

I would like to bring to the attention of Star readers the impact and benefits early exposure to American 

Sign Language (ASL) has on deaf infants. Research has shown that acquisition of a strong foundation in a 

language during pre-school years is a requirement for future literacy development in English. ASL like any 

language and in particular first languages is a valuable building block for thinking, problem-solving, and 

assisting children to form relationships with others.

I find it ironic that professionals recognize the benefits of sign language to enhance communication and 

linguistic development for parents of hearing infants while many parents of deaf infants are not encouraged 

to have their child learn ASL. The emphasis for deaf infants appears to be on oral communication only, 

rather than exposure to ASL which would provide a strong foundation in language. 

Statistics have shown that deaf children from deaf families with a good ASL foundation achieve better 

academically due to their strong language foundation. Deaf children from hearing families who have no idea 

about deaf culture or the deaf world, and who are not encouraged to learn ASL unfortunately are often at a 

disadvantage. They typically have not acquired a strong first language to build upon. While I applaud signing 

programs for hearing infants, I am astonished that deaf babies are not given that same opportunity. How sad 

that is not the case!

It is important to have early detection of hearing loss, and appropriate early language development. For 

deaf infants that language is ASL along with exposure to fluent signers which helps to cultivate good 

communication. Adaptation to one language assists in more easily acquiring a second language. Once a deaf 

child has begun to ease their frustration in communicating by utilizing ASL, they are then better prepared to 

move on to acquire English skills.

It is the hope of OAD that deaf infants receive the strongest language foundation possible in the crucial early 

years, and that they receive the best education we can offer them.



Dean Walker, Executive Director, Ontario Association of the Deaf, Toronto

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/887246--benefits-of-sign-language






Interview  with  Catherine  Mackinnon  - 

Deaf filmmaker and producer. 

You were born in PEI then moved to Ontario and now 

you’re  in  California.  What  made  you  decide  to  move 

there? 

Long story short, I had a job offer as a producer. I thought 



this type of job would come ten years later down the road 

but it happened way sooner than I expected. Once I got 

my visa approved, I moved. The production of that film 

failed, collapsed. At that point, I was unsure what I would 

do . My first reaction was to move back home, but friends 

convinced me to stay.  I looked for work, worked differ-

ent jobs. I produced a film for a student at the University 

of southern California. That led to more opportunities. 

Your  dreams  can  come  true,  through  hard  work,  sweat 

and  tears.  The  economy  was  good  then,  but  now  it’s  a 

slow time. 

You are involved with the film Hamil. Tell me a little bit 

about the film, who was behind it all? 

 

Matt Hamil is the story of a deaf wrestler who became 



the ultimate fighting champion. It all started when two 

hearing producers from Freemont California interviewed 

him to ask him about his life. They then decided to make 

a movie. At that time a hearing actor wanted to play the 

role of a deaf actor. The producer asked if I could find a 

deaf actor, which I did. 

What were some of the challenges the film crew faced? 

It was interesting because Matt Hamil grew up oral and 

learned  sign  later  while  attending  Rochester  Institution 

of Technology, (RIT) which has a large deaf and hard of 

hearing population. The actor who is playing him -Rus-

sell Harvard, is culturally deaf from a Deaf family so the 

actor  has  had  to  fit  his  language  modality.  That  wasn’t 

the biggest challenge however. The real challenge was the 

fact that Harvard had no wrestling experience. He started 

working out only one month before the shooting began. 

Any funny stories? 

The funniest and oldest prop is the old FM system used in 

the film, which was donated by me. The art department 

couldn’t find an FM from 1974  to match the time period 

of the film, so I simply asked my Mom. She still had mine 

so we donated it. A very special thanks goes out to my 

Mom! 

What exactly is your role as a producer? 



I  am  a  co-producer.  I  work  closely  with  the  producer. 

Luckily, they all know some sign, but some only finger 

spell.    I  wear  a  different  hat  everyday.  When  we  were 

working out of Rochester, New York, I drove the crew 

every day. I booked the interpreters from RIT. I made 

sure the food service was good. The production assistant 

is in the film, so sometimes I take over her role while she 

is in the film. I helped some actors with lines. I also did 

American  Sign  Language  (ASL)  coaching.  Really,  I  do 

everything. I am a woman of many hats!

What were some of the challenges? 

 

The hours are long. It’s not unionized so the work day 



can just keep going and going. We only had 5 days off 

out of 47 days. I enjoy it though. 

When is the film being released? 

It will be released this winter 2011.  The premiere is on 

November 7th in Los Angeles. They will be showing it 

at the World Film Festival in LA. Check it out on Face-

book www.facebook.com/HamillThemovie  http://www.

hamillthemovie.com/cast.php





For more information about this poster, contact Beverley Dooley Ontario at 

bdooley@chs.ca

 


Up

 and 


In

Down



 and 

Out


World of Work

 

Column by Keelin Carey 



S

ince the economic downturn 

in 2008, the world was in a 

global recession. Although 

the labour market improved 

since then, there are people still 

looking for work amidst the dead 

heat competition they face from 

other equally-qualified candidates. 

There are people who are employed 

and struggling to deal with workplace 

dilemmas and achieve an optimal 

level of job satisfaction. Ultimately, 

when it comes to work, they all 

have questions: What makes a 

productive job search that results in 

gainful employment? What makes a 

satisfying career with good relations 

with the boss and co-workers? You 

must have questions, too! Submit 

your questions or workplace dilemmas 

to 


keelin.carey@yahoo.ca

 and the 

selected ones will be chosen for 

the next Deaf Ontario newsletter. 

All identities will be anonymous. 

Read on to read common questions 

employment counsellors usually field 

in their line of work.

I have been looking for work for over 

a year with no luck. What should I 

do?

There are numerous factors and 



suggestions that cannot be covered 

in this column. The first thing on my 

mind is your employment goal and 

the qualifications you possess. The 

second is your research on the labour 

market. 


Grab five different job postings and 

read the requirements. Check off 

the ones you possess. Do you see all 

items checked off? If the answer is 

yes, review your marketing documents 

(i.e. resume, cover letter) and job 

search techniques. Seek assistance for 

revisions. Obtain a second opinion. 

Revise again. Many applications 

are discarded because of one or two 

grammatical or spelling errors. Pay 

attention to details in black and white. 

What about your job search skills? 

Maybe they need to be updated. Visit 

libraries and Employment Resource 

Centres. Sign up with employment / 

job development services. Talk with 

friends, family, and professionals. Take 

out books on job search. Surf the Net 

for articles on specific topics. Explore 

ideas and possibilities.

Suppose the items are not checked off, 

re-examine the requirements. If the 

first three requirements are checked 

off, then there is some hope. Options 

you may want to consider are: Taking 

a course, registering with a governing 

body or an association to qualify for a 

designation that confirms the integrity 

of your work in your field, or lending 

your time to an organization to acquire 

experience using specific skills. To pay 

bills, it might mean going off-track in 

taking an interim position – survival 

job - until you build up your skills-set 

to achieve your employment goal. 

If you do not meet the requirements, 

then do not lose hope. What other 

jobs are similar to your employment 

goal that you can start with first? 

You might want to consider an 

apprenticeship or take out an Ontario 

Student Assistance Program (OSAP) 

loan to attend college or university, 

or visit your local Employment 

Ontario organization to discuss Skill 

Development. An investment in time 

and education, along with a little 

elbow grease and positive attitude, 

will pay off in the future. A little 

research goes a long way in mapping 

out your future.

Should I disclose my Deafness in the 

cover letter? 

The safe answer anyone will tell 

you is not to disclose any details 

regarding race, religion, ethnicity, 

age, martial status, sexual orientation, 

and disability in your cover letters. 

The reason is that resumes and 

cover letters are to focus on merit 

– skills, experience, education, and 

accomplishments, thus prospective 

employers’ biases will not come into 

play when choosing who to contact 

for interviews.

Of course, such disclosure may be 

used to your advantage if it is a Deaf 

organization or an organization – 

business or non-profit – that has 

a hiring motto of being an Equal 

Opportunity employer. 

 

Some job seekers decide to disclose 



because they want to be upfront, 

especially when they rely on email 

and text-messaging for initial contact 

and need ASL interpreting services 

for the interviews. A few have said 

that some managers know “a friend 

of a friend who has a Deaf cousin” 

and, because of their familiarity with 

Deaf individuals in the past, they are 

willing to interview Deaf candidates. 

This is clearly in opposition of what 

Human Resources professionals and 

employment counsellors are trained 

to say in regards to disclosure of 




Deafness, but disclosing has been 

an advantage for some.

To disclose or not to disclose, that 

is the question. Which action 

are you comfortable taking? To 

decide, trying both will not hurt. 

Just make sure that you place 

the strongest emphasis on your 

MERIT above anything else in the 

letter and let your optimism shine 

through.

I have been offered interviews, but 

no job offers. What am I doing 

wrong?


Clearly, you are qualified for the 

positions applied. Resumes, cover 

letters, and job search techniques 

are not a concern, which leaves me 

to wonder about your appearance, 

interviewing style, preparedness, 

and understanding of etiquette. In 

a nutshell, this is a make-or-break 

where the interviewers decide if 

they like you or not within the first 

20 seconds of meeting you. 

20 seconds?

Yes, twenty, 20, two-oh seconds to 

decide if you are worth their time 

or not. Even less than 20 seconds. 

First impressions count. It is not 

to say that first impressions define 

and cement our personalities and 

the outward appearances we present 

to the world, but they do define the 

moment when prospective employers 

take you in their eyes and make snap 

judgments. Make sure you are dressed 

appropriately, groomed to a T, and 

smiling with sincerity. Let your 

best qualities shine, and, mind your 

manners, too.

Did you ask someone to practice 

common interview questions with 

you and to throw in unexpected 

ones to keep you on your toes? Read 

about the interview process and 

appropriate interview behaviour 

and style? Research the company? 

Grasp the true context of the duties 

and required skills of the advertised 

position? Make a list of stories 

demonstrating key skills to wow the 

interviewer? Find out the best route 

of arriving on time for the interview? 

All of this PREPARATION is 

crucial to interview success.

Suppose you have done the above 

and still struggle to obtain job offers, 

what are the other possibilities? 

One person I know was so nervous 

when preparing for an interview 

that she became increasingly anxious 

and overwrought. As a result, her 

mental fatigue was evident during the 

interview in which she fumbled over 

her answers and did not demonstrate 

enthusiasm. It is important to know 

when to stop- enough is enough- and 

get a good night’s sleep. Another person 

dragged out his answers so long that the 

interviewer interrupted him to move on 

to the next question. That was feedback, 

and he did not shorten his answers 

for the duration of the interview. The 

interviewer may have perceived that 

as an inability to accept feedback and 

change direction – one of the key soft 

skills to be successful on the job. 

Sometimes, it is not during the 

interview that impacts the decisions 

of the interviewer, but what happens 

afterward. Following up with a thank-

you note is important as it shows your 

graciousness. Writing the thank-you 

note is also an opportunity to address 

concerns of the interviewer on short-

comings you may have, that may 

persuade the interviewer to consider 

you for the position instead.

It is vital to remain grounded during 

the interview. Staying in the moment 

will help you to be conscious of your 

body language and attitude. Be aware 

of the hidden messages the interviewer 

delivers between the lines. Determine 

if you truly want to work for the 

company. Do not forget the purpose of 

the interview: It is an opportunity to 

sell yourself as someone the company 

must have as part of its team. 

Last Words: 

In this column, everything is easier 

said than done. Stay proactive. Share 

your achievements and mistakes with 

others; they may offer insight as well as 

learn from you. With some faith and 

conviction in what you do, the door 

will open. Even just a crack is enough.

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will 

determine your altitude. - Zig Ziglar

L



SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

WEAR THE TEE-SHIRT

$20

DEAF OUTREACH PROGRAM



 

From the committee of  

Canadian Deaf Women’s 

Conference 2011 

“Cherish Life” 

Hilton Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ontario 

July 24-28 2011 

www.cdwc2011.ca

 

 

Wish 



you 

the 

best 

of 

luck 

Du comité de la 

Conférence canadienne des femmes 

Sourdes 2011 

"Chéris la vie" 

Hilton Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ontario 

24-28 juillet 2011 

www.cdwc2011.ca 

On 

vous 

souhaite 

le 

meilleur 

 



Dr. Wu, a multicultural guru walked into class 

and handed her students a blank white paper and 

pencils and asked us to write, “What does being white 

mean to you?”  I sat feeling dumbfounded. I was not 

able to conceptualize an identity I obviously had.   I 

have thought about my multicultural identity: Deaf, a 

woman, believer in equal love, vegetarian, to name a few, 

but never about “white”.  

I sat down looking at my blank paper with a 

pencil in my hand, not writing. I then looked at my 

classmates wondering if they were feeling the same as I 

was, feeling unsure.  They were a mix of white, biracial, 

Mexican, African American, culturally Deaf, Deaf, 

Hard-of-Hearing, hearing, female and one male.  I 

found some of them looking at bare walls or the ceiling, 

also not writing.  An African American student began 

to argue with the teacher, asking why she was also doing 

the activity.  Dr. Wu told her to write down what she 

was feeling at the moment.  I realized I ought to do the 

same so I drew a picture of my face with a question mark 

above my head. 

Dr. Wu asked us to discuss how we felt and 

what we wrote.  The same African American signed, 

“Privileged”.  It was all that she wrote on her paper.  I 

looked at her and instantly thought, “culturally Deaf 

privileged”, “member of a Deaf family privileged”, 

“member of and educated from a Deaf school 

privileged”.

While studying at Gallaudet University, I was 

frequently told that Deaf leaders are often from a Deaf 

school or from a Deaf family. Some people believed 

culturally Deaf people tended to socialize together and 

were not friendly with Deaf people who do not sign 

fluently or have similar backgrounds to them.  My Deaf 

mother, who was born into a hearing family, thought 

Deaf families tend to socialize with each other.  At 

fifteen years old, I was surprised at her response when I 

asked her what she thought of the sorority, Phi Kappa 

Zeta (my older sister was in their pledge program). 

She said, “Oh, they mostly prefer women from Deaf 

families”.  At first I did not understand her but over time 

I realized other people were saying the same thing. 

During my last year at E.C. Drury School of the 

Deaf, I realized I would sit at lunch table, a large table 

that fit about 16 people, with friends, the majority of 

whom were from a Deaf family or had a Deaf sibling.  

Of course, I did not plan my behaviour.  I seemed to do 

it unconsciously.  I did not like what was happening so I 

asked everyone at the table to split and join other tables.  

Unfortunately, it only lasted about a week before we start 

ed to sit together again.  

Do You Feel Privileged in 

Deaf 

 

Community? 



Bonnie Russell 


When I studied at Gallaudet University to 

obtain an M.A. in Mental Health Counselling, I 

was given the opportunity to explore many different 

simulation activities.  One of the activities was doing 

two full days of being part of a pretend society.  It 

was a “game” to teach various aspects of sociology, 

political science, and communication skills.  The 

participants were a mixture of culturally Deaf, Deaf, 

hard-of-hearing, deafened, hearing, cochlear implants 

users, Deaf-blind; of different ethnicities, and a mix 

of religious beliefs (the list goes on). During those two 

days of being part of a pretend society, it was clear who 

was privileged – those who were culturally Deaf or 

hearing people who were fluent in ASL. They practically 

ran the whole society.  I was one of them.   

After the simulation activities I realized that 

all my life I had been given many rich opportunities: 

attending various leadership workshops and attempting 

some leadership roles or participating in roles that 

required leadership qualities. What struck me the most 

though was that I could not recall one time when a 

leadership instructor or a leadership supporter asked 

me to work with those who had less privileges in life or 

did not have similar leadership learning as I did. The 

simulation activities helped me realize that I could easily 

overlook potential leaders and automatically do the 

leadership work myself. 

In some ways, being white and unconscious of 

the privileges I have as a white person is similar to being 

a member of a Deaf family and from a Deaf school and 

unconscious of the privileges I have within the Deaf 

community. I think in the Deaf community culturally 

Deaf people view their social and cultural position as 

the norm just as white people view their social, cultural, 

and economic position as the norm. White society sees 

only itself, not recognizing that it is in a position of 

advantage that must be maintained at the expense of 

others.  I will admit that I still discuss the “failure” of 

non-culturally Deaf people and say how lucky I am that 

I have a “normal” social status, effectively turning non-

culturally Deaf people into an issue. It is my bias that 

all Deaf people would be happier if they were culturally 

Deaf with full access to American Sign Language, and 

an education that has access to American Sign Language 

for learning 

  I will continue advocating for the rights 

of access to American Sign Language, keeping Deaf 

schools open, and that no Deaf child should be banned 

from American Sign Language. I will also respect those 

who prefer not to be culturally Deaf and welcome those 

who prefer to have two worlds, being part of the Deaf 

world and the other world they are in.  I have viewed 

cochlear implants as Deaf cultural genocide. Today 

there are a lot of culturally Deaf people implanting 

their Deaf children and receiving cochlear implants for 

themselves. They continue to be part of Deaf culture 

and use American Sign Language.

 

The type of Deaf culture I was raised into is 



deeply important to me. Given my privileged life, it is 

my nature to hope for that same lifestyle for everyone.

As you read this, I hope you will begin to look 

at the people around you during a meeting, during an 

Annual General Meeting, (AGM) one of your home 

parties, or with your friends co-workers, or whoever you 

are with.  Look at the person who is most outspoken, 

that other people would listen to. Look at the people 

who appear the most confident and think about their 

race, their background and ethical values. Look at 

yourself also. Would you jump in without realizing that 

you have not asked the quietest person in the room, 

or a person from a completely different background as 

yours, what they think and encourage them to stand 

up and voice their opinion?  Or are you, yourself, the 

person who prefers a stronger person to speak so it is 

not necessary for you to speak up?  Ask yourself if you 

are the same person when you are with culturally Deaf 

people, or non-culturally Deaf people, or with a group 

of non-signing people, or with people from different 

backgrounds.

I am a fluent American Sign Language user, 

culturally Deaf and a member of a Deaf family. From 

an early age, teachers at the Deaf school and Deaf role 

models have given me rich opportunities to become 

who I am today -a strong confident woman. Did I 

know this made me privileged? No I didn’t. Do I feel 

privileged now? Absolutely yes.




Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

My name is Mati Metsala and I am 20 years old.  I 

was born in Toronto and still live there. I graduated 

from Northern Secondary School in 2008 and then 

continued with my education at George Brown College. 

I graduated in 2010 with an Ontario College Diploma 

in the Building Renovation Technician Program.

 

How did you get involved with basketball? What do 



you love about basketball? 

I started playing basketball during my high school years 

and developed a great passion for this sport. In addition 

to being on the high school team, I took part and 

assisted in many basketball clinics organized through 

Silent Voice.  In 2009, I joined the ODSA Men’s 

Basketball Team Ontario. Currently I am playing in a 

league every Wednesday night and I also practice several 

times during the week at Variety Village. 

You were the captain of Team Canada for the 1

st

 

World U21 Deaf Basketball Championships in 

Poland 2010. How did your team play? 

There were a total of 12 men’s teams participating at 

these games. Team Canada came in 9

th

 place, which 



was a real accomplishment given the strengths of the 

other countries and their teams who had been playing 

together as a team for many years.Overall, this was an 

amazing and exciting experience. It was great to meet 

the other athletes and coaches from different parts of 

the world and make new friendships. 



What do you love about the sport? 

What I love most about basketball is that it is fun and 

exciting to play because there is always a lot of action 

that takes place on the basketball court. At times it can 

be challenging and I love challenges. It teaches you to 

work together with a team, learning many different 

drills and learning to shoot hoops from many different 

positions. Teamwork also helps develop one’s self 

control.

What’s next for you? 

After my return from Poland, I did a one day basketball 

clinic for children at the Estonian Children’s Camp in 

Udora, Ontario. My next plans are going to be to try 

out for the Team Canada Men’s Team and participate at 

the World Championships in Italy in October 2011.



Thank you for your time. Good luck! 

Canada represented 

at the 1st World U21 Deaf Basketball Championships 2010 in Poland

Interview with Mati Metsala - Team Captain




O

AD Knickers Golf 

Tournament August 

19th 2010 by Lori 

Archer

OAD’s Executive Director- Dean 



Walker had a dream of turning 

a game of golf into a fun event 

while raising money for OAD at 

the same time. With his creative 

thinking, he came up with the 

idea of playing in the old style 

“Knickers” attire. Knickers were 

popular in the 1930’s to the 1980’s, 

and revived by Payne Stewart who 

won three majors in his career. 

The OAD “Knickers” tournament 

was officially launched with its 

inaugural event held at the Royal 

Ontario Golf Club in Milton.

Players enjoyed a fun day in a 

tournament which was unique for 

its blend of Deaf and non deaf 

golfers, as well as for the colourful 

knickers apparel worn. There was a 

BBQ lunch and a delicious dinner 

buffet, not to mention numerous 

prizes and great trophies. The 

Silent Auction held during dinner 

time was really popular with many 

bidders vying to win items such 

as an autographed hockey jersey 

by Montreal Canadiens great Ken 

Dryden, a getaway at the Briars 

resort, a Coors ice chest cooler, 

Nike golf bag, Patio umbrellas, and 

a gift certificate from GolfKnickers 

apparel to mention a few.

OAD would like to thank all 

our wonderful sponsors for their 

generous support! We were very 

fortunate to receive such incredible 

assistance from so many businesses 

and individuals. Please note our 

terrific donors on our Sponsor and 

Donor page, and we encourage 

you to support their businesses 

whenever possible.

The special “Knickers” style 

trophies were presented to: 

Best Knickers- Dana McCarthy

First Place Team- ONESTOP 

Media- Ian Gadsby, Adam Hilliard, 

and Kevin Raeside

Longest Drive- Bill Sorley      

Closest to the Pin – Kevin Raeside

We are all looking forward to next 

year’s event which will be held 

again at the Royal Ontario Golf 

Club on August 4, 2011. Get your 

knickers on and come out and join 

us! 


OAD Knickers 

Golf Tournament 




OAD PresidentChristine Ehrlich-Brady and Executive Direc-

tor Dean Walker with our sponsor Ian Gadsby of ONESTOP 

Media-winner of the First Place Team with Adam Hilliard and 

Kevin Raeside. Below- our sponsor BMO with Knickers group.  

Dana McCarthy wins the Dryden jersey from our silent auction



Top right: Volunteers Amanda 

Weingarten and Madlen Satz 

with Event Planner Lori Ar-

cher, OAD’s newsletter editor 

Lianne Valiquette and Luis Al-

cobia - volunteer; Dean Walker 

and Mark Couture, John Mans 

OAD’s Treasurer and volunteer 

Lisa Couture ; Golf Carts head-

ing out for the day; Lori Archer 

- OAD Event Planner and 

Dean Walker - OAD Executive 

Director; Matt Courtre; Dana 

McCarthy.  Photos compli-

ments of Snap Milton, John 

Mans Vanita Dama and Lianne 

Valiquette

© Snap Milton

1st Annual OAD Knickers Golf Tournament 

July 2010




© Snap Milton

© Snap Milton

Rob  Murray (Course Director) Amanda       Dean Walker Dana McCarthy (winner of          Jeff Goy, Christine Ehrlich-Brady and Rick 

Weingarten (interpets) Dean Walker  and      best clothes) and Allan Hume                              Bourns 

Allan Hume (Golfknickers of Canada)  

 

Amanda Weingraten(Volunteers) Lori Archer and Madlen Satz (Volunteers)



 

Lianne Valiquette and Luis Alcobia                       Mark Couture and Dean Walker              Lisa Couture (Volunteers) & John Mans

© Snap Milton 

© Snap Milton 

© Snap Milton 

Photo courtesy of John Mans




Tell us a little about yourself, 

where were you born? 

 

My grandparents were born in 



Germany then moved to the 

Ukraine to avoid the war. I was 

actually born in the Ukraine, then 

when I was 4 years old we moved 

back to Germany, where I grew up 

in the south west part, Heilbronn, 

north of Stuttgart. I was a day 

student at the nearby school for the 

deaf. (Paulinenpflege Winnenden 

or 


http://www.lindenparkschule.

de/


).  My teachers were all hearing, 

and very few signed. They preferred 

us to use hearing aids and speak. 

Sign language was not accepted as a 

language until 2002, after my time.  

Now more deaf teachers are being 

hired -slowly, and more interpreters 

are provided for the deaf. 



So you are here on placement as 

part of your university program is 

that correct? 

 

Yes, this is part of my program’s 



requirements. We must have a field 

placement and a certain number 

of hours. I am going into my third 

year at KOLN, in the Childhood 

Education and Family Studies 

program. 



What made you choose Canada, of 

all countries? 

I applied to England, Holland, 

and even Vancouver but I was 

not chosen. The Rumball Early 

Education Centre chose me, so I 

came. My professor encouraged us 

to seek international opportunities; 

however I was the only one who 

chose an international placement. 

My other classmates, about 40 in 

total and all hearing chose to stay 

local. 


Is this your first time in Canada? 

No, I spent a month out west, about 

three years ago, backpacking around 

Vancouver with my boyfriend. We 

went to Whistler, camped in parks 

and saw bears.  The mountains and 

beaches there are beautiful. 

Will you have any holidays during 

your placement so that you can 

visit Ottawa or Montreal? 

I won’t have any holidays so not sure 

if I’ll make it to another city, but I 

do hope to make it to Milton and 

Belleville at some point. 

What is your ultimate goal after 

you graduate? 

Global Perspectives



Olga Hertle, is an international student from Germany who has been working with the 

Rumball Early Education Centre, a pre-school program for deaf and hard of hearing children. 

I would like to set up a centre for 

deaf children and their families that 

teach sign language and deaf culture. 

Germany does not have such a 

centre so I hope to establish one. 




Since the early 1990s, Havana has 

improved. “Havana has a very vibrant 

gay and lesbian scene; however, while 

same-sex relations are supported, it is 

not recognized by the state”.

UNESCO claims that the Deaf com-

munity in Cuba has a literacy rate of 

99.8%. Julio disagrees, “Literacy is a 

concern for the deaf in Cuba. Many 

don’t read and write. Perhaps this 

is due to a poor education system” 

Access to our language however, 

seems better. Interpreters are easier 

to get than here, in Toronto. Remov-

ing communication barriers in Cuba 

seems to be more of a national real-

ity.  The National Cuba Association 

of the Deaf has over 20,000 members 

who are Deaf. Recently, published in 

the Havana Times, an article states 

W

earing a white tee-shirt, roll up 



jeans and sneakers, Julio skips 

in to the coffee shop. There always 

seems to be a happy skip in his walk. 

He smiles and gives me a hug. We 

settle down with our drinks. Julio Ro-

driguez is one of the Deaf Outreach 

Program’s avid volunteers.  

Julio Rodriguez was born in Cuba, 

on what’s called the Island of Youth. 

He later moved to Havana to attend 

the school for the Deaf. There were 

approximately 300 students in total 

who all signed. The teachers were 

hearing and did not sign. The signing 

ban was removed later in 1999. Julio 

moved to Canada because he loves 

different cultures. He loves to travel 

and doing this in Cuba isn’t easy. You 

must find a sponsor, and then ask for 

permission to travel. While in Cuba, 

he met a Canadian, they got married 

and moved to Toronto. Upon his first 

impression, he experienced culture 

shock because he had to learn Ameri-

can Sign Language (ASL) but he has 

grown to love Canada. 

It’s so different from where he grew 

up in Havana, where homosexuality 

wasn’t accepted, which was difficult. 

Even though his family loved and 

supported him, homophobia was 

still prevalent among the police. “The 

police would arrest only those who 

were openly gay, and not those who 

were straight. It was wrong” He said. 

that tours of old Havana, which has 

been declared a UNESCO world 

heritage site, are now available in sign 

language. 

Cuba is also well known for high 

standards in health care. It has under 

taken extensive campaigns against 

HIV/AIDS. In 2003 Cuba had the 

lowest HIV prevalence in the Ameri-

cas and one of the lowest ratios in 

the world. Cubans have free access to 

medical cocktails called HAARVT

Julio has two younger sisters and 

hopes one day he can sponsor them 

to move here. He visits “home” a few 

times a year. I asked him, “What’s the 

one thing you miss about Cuba?” He 

replied with a smile, “The beach”. 

Volunteer



     

 

Julio Rodriguez



Snap shot 


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