By DAVID?FOLSE II
Slidell news bureau
COVINGTON—When you walk into a business or a public building you don’t really pay attention to the wheelchair ramps. You just know they are a part of the building and being accessible is something that has become the norm in 2014.
The new leader of the Deaf Action Center of the Northshore hopes to make accessibility for the hearing impaired and deaf just as normal.
Set to wrap up her first year as executive director, Denise Crochet leads a Deaf Action Center that is striving to assimilate the deaf world with the hearing world as well as assimilating the hearing world with the deaf world.
“We are a non-profit that serves the deaf and the hard of hearing community across the Northshore,” Crochet said. “We are fortunate enough to be the distributors and providers of a Louisiana Commission of the Deaf contract. That helps us in our funding service to be able to provide interpreting services as well as free telecommunications equipment such as alerts, flashers and TTY’s which are phones for the deaf community. Our basic purpose is to provide services to anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing. We are their advocates.”
It is that advocacy for the deaf community that Crochet said is the top priority of the organization she heads.
“We advocate for equal access for all,” she said. “That’s my and this organization’s top priority and responsibility. We can do that in all sorts of ways whether it be by gathering the community together and providing guest speakers on a variety of topics or just our basic interpreting services. There are many barriers that stop equal access to the deaf community and it is our job to try and break those barriers down.”
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990. While many people believe that the passing of this law provides for basic necessities like wheelchair ramps or elevators for handicapped people, Crochet said it is the ADA that is also the basis for equality for the deaf community as well.
“The same laws that provides for wheelchair ramps or service dogs also provide for interpreting services,” she said. “They are covered by the same law. You would be surprised how many people actually don’t know that. Throughout my career I have met with much resistance from businesses and organizations when it comes to providing interpreting services. To be in compliance with federal law, deaf and hard of hearing people are able to request these services.
“Basically a deaf person can be anywhere that a hearing person can be and they have to have equal access as well.”
While she believes that access is starting to become better as time passes and people become more informed, she said there is still a big stumbling block when it comes to getting businesses to provide equal access.
“It’s simple,” she said. “It’s expensive. Interpreting services are expensive. Often providers of services feel that the deaf person should provide those services themselves. That’s not in compliance with the national law. If you are open to the public you are responsible for making it accessible to everyone. An interpreter is no different than a wheelchair ramp or an elevator. The cost is at the expense of the provider. It is our job to educate them. We are here to help them and if need be, contract with them to help provide these services. That is what we are here for and that is what we do.
“Clear communication is very important. If a hearing person goes into a doctor’s office or a lawyer’s office to discuss matters that are vitally important to them or a loved one, would they not want clear communication between themselves and that doctor or lawyer? People have to and are starting to realize that the same holds true for the deaf and hard of hearing. An interpreter is the ramp to clear communication. That is simply a cost of doing business.”
The work with the deaf community has long been a passion of Crochet. A nationally-certified interpreter, she believes she is serving a higher purpose in her work.
“I’ve been the director for the Deaf Action Center nearly a year now,” she said. “I have been a practicing certified interpreter for 19 years. I love interpreting because it combines my passions of linguistics, research, and language. It is a wearing profession and fatiguing mentally and physically. I also enjoy working in the non-profit field so this also is a great thing for me to do and be in charge of.
“It has been a big learning curve for me in this first year, but I feel slowly but surely I’m getting my sea legs underneath me. I am now able to focus on the goals of the center that I want to accomplish, and that is mainly advocacy for the deaf community; particularly in the school system.”
Crochet also said one of her goals is to continue to introduce and familiarize the community with the deaf culture through American Sign Language Classes which they will begin to offer.
“You can call us as the center at 985-892-2581 or email us at deafactioncntrns@bellsouth.net,” she said. “You would be surprised at the high interest level in American Sign Language classes. We offer classes throughout the year. A six-week 12-hour class is about $120 dollars. It is a good bargain and you can learn a new language. It’s challenging but is also a lot of fun.”