The protocols put in place around Squamish to keep us safe from COVID-19, also add challenges for folks in town who are hard of hearing or Deaf.
Physical and social distancing, masks, and Plexiglass partitions have all played a significant role in increasing the already existing barriers to communication, according to Denise Robertson, executive director of the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre, a non-profit support agency.
The Deaf and DeafBlind community's inability to hear is not a disability, she noted in an email exchange with The Chief.
"Deaf culture and the use of sign language result in a cultural-linguistic minority that is as distinct as it is to any cultural and linguistic group," she said. "Hearing difference merely infers that alternate and/or additional communication strategies need to be used. COVID protocols have given everyone first-hand experiences of having difficulty hearing due to masks, Plexiglass barriers, and the physical distance between individuals."
The centre's manager of family and community services, Leslee Scott, uses a Cochlear implant — an electronic device that partially restores hearing — and is a member of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA).
“The use of masks has cut off our ability to lipread, and pick up visual cues based on people's facial expressions and without that our ability to understand and communicate is hindered,” she said in an email to The Chief.
And while everyone is feeling more isolated due to restrictions put in place to combat the pandemic, the impact hasn't been equal.
"Isolation and loneliness because of COVID has affected us all; however, the isolation, withdrawal, and loneliness has been significant on communities whose language depends on seeing people's faces, lip reading and using a visual language," Robertson said.
Missing Deaf culture
Members of the Deaf community say they are missing many aspects of Deaf culture during the pandemic.
"The ability to gather in person, which is an essential part of our community and culture, has been shaken. For many Deaf individuals who are often surrounded by hearing family members, the time spent socializing in person with other deaf individuals is vital to the core of who we are. Because of COVID we miss that," said Susanne Harnden, the centre's Deaf outreach worker in an email to The Chief.
How to better communicate
Robertson said the hope is now that hearing people have experienced difficult listening situations, there may be a shift in attitudes and understanding toward individuals with hearing challenges.
"Communication is a two-way street, and people can use more gestures, write things out, point to what they are speaking about, use a whiteboard, and wear clear face masks or shields that allow for facial expressions to be seen clearly. All of this will assist everyone, not just those individuals that rely on visual cues and information to understand messages," she said.
Using gestures, pointing, or using pen and paper greatly increases your message for everyone not just for people who are Deaf, DeafBlind or hard of hearing, she stressed. "Only 7% of our communication is through the use of words while 38% of our communication is non-verbal. COVID has shown us the need to become more proficient with our non-verbal skills to engage, greet, and connect with individuals as we go about our day to day tasks," she said.
Shift in services during COVID
The demand for interpreting and captioning services has substantially increased since March 2020, Robertson noted.
"With the significant shift to online platforms being used to replace in-person gatherings for social, work, and learning environments, so has the working conditions shifted for sign language interpreters. What was once a day filled with driving from location to location to provide interpreting services has now become interpreters working from home staring at a computer monitor to interpret a 3D language," she said.
Innovation
Robertson said that during COVID-19, online platforms have recognized the need to ensure they are accessible and inclusive to all users.
"The ability to spotlight sign language interpreters alongside a presenter during a meeting ensures that Deaf participants have easy visual access to the speaker as well as the interpreter," she said. "The use of either real-time or auto captions while participating in online platforms has been a significant benefit to individuals who rely on some hearing and/or lipreading. It also benefits individuals who are English [as second language users], those who process information better visually than auditory and for individuals with ADD/ADHD. "
The ability for presenters to have their PowerPoint/slides as their virtual background has also become a popular feature on Zoom.
Speech-to-text apps — like Otter, Ava and Sorenson BuzzCards — are being used more often, Robertson said.
Beyond the pandemic
New accessibility legislation is currently before B.C. Legislative Assembly lawmakers.
It has so far passed second reading. Next is the committee stage, where questions are asked about the bill.
If passed, Bill 6 — the Accessible British Columbia Act — would legislate accessibility standards to help identify, remove and prevent barriers to inclusion. Standards would impact employment, the delivery of services, and the built environment.
According to Stats Can, approximately 600,000 individuals in B.C. identify as persons with disabilities.
"Right now, far too often, far too many individuals are excluded," said MLA Stephanie Cadieux, MLA for Surrey-Panorama who is championing this bill.
"Over time, my own personal views about these things have changed. I used to believe that because I believed the majority of people wanted to do the right thing, that with education, we would get there. I still believe the majority of people want to do the right thing, but unfortunately, now I also believe that unless it is codified in law, we won't get there."
Immediately, even if the bill passes, it won't change anything in day-to-day life for most, said Cadieux, who is a wheelchair user.
"This is enabling legislation, which means nothing is codified by this immediately. All of the standards and expectations will be laid out by regulation by the minister over time. So there is a lot of work to do going forward."
Bigger picture, Cadieux said a cultural shift in how people think of "disabilities” is needed.
"What we really need to be doing is shifting the conversation to talk about people and just accept that people have all sorts of ways they interact with the world — different needs, different stages of life.'"
Cadieux hopes that the bill will pass this legislative session, so before mid-June.
"Government controls that. They don't have an obligation to continue to move it through. If they decided they wanted to hold off, they could. My expectation... is they will bring it forward in the next number of weeks."
Cadieux asked Squamish residents to check their unconscious biases about people with disabilities.
"Be open, ask questions, don't assume," she said.
"The best thing is to understand that you don't know and it is OK to ask, politely. What does somebody need to be included? What is not working? How do we fix it? And be open to it."
Writing your MLA and MP in support of the accessibility bill also helps, she said.
~With a file from Emily Rice
