Note: Fort Worth City Council will consider the adoption of the
recommendations at their meeting on February 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in
the Council Chambers of the Fort Worth Municipal Building.
Interpreters will be provided for the meeting. Keep eyes on next
announcement. Thank you for your support!
EDITORIAL: Fort Worth should take specific steps to aid the deaf and
hard of hearing
The goal of a citywide “Let’s Talk Fort Worth” meeting four months
ago was to solicit ideas from residents to make the city a better
place to live. Speakers Tracey Michol and Muriel Buie made eloquent
appeals for the city to become more attentive to the needs of deaf
people.
Those words haven’t been forgotten.
The city’s Human Relations Commission took up the issue in the wake
of the Sept. 25 town hall meeting at Will Rogers Auditorium. The
citizen panel since has come up with a list of specific
recommendations regarding ways that the city can help make Fort Worth
more “deaf-friendly.” The City Council, which canceled today’s
meeting due to the weather, was to consider a resolution accepting
those recommendations to better assist deaf and hard-of-hearing
people.
The council should approve the resolution, which would be an
important first step toward actual implementation of measures designed
to make city meetings and services more accessible and beneficial to
deaf persons.
As the resolution stresses, “Fort Worth’s vision to be Texas’
‘Most Livable City’ cannot be realized without providing
accessibility and equal opportunity for all residents, including those
in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.”
Fort Worth Human Relations Commission recommendations to help deaf
and hard-of-hearing people include:
Ensure that all city-owned or city-operated facilities are
accessible, with technology such as Video Relay Service (VRS)
provided. Training should be given all city employees on the use of
VRS. The city, when appropriate, also should use Video Remote
Interpreting (VRI) services.
Train Fort Worth police officers and recruits regarding issues
specifically pertaining to the deaf and hard of hearing.
Encourage deaf and hard-of-hearing persons to participate in a
program to provide the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Office of Emergency
Management with vital information about themselves and to register
with the program.
Review city employment policies and disability programs in an effort
“to maximize opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing” and
ensure that they are not inadvertently discriminated against or
discouraged from applying for jobs.
Ensure that all televised meetings of the City Council and other city
commissions and boards are accessible by providing sign interpretative
services and closed captioning for broadcasts. Also, include closed
captioning for videos on the city Web site and provide American Sign
Language (ASL) services online.
Online: Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services:
http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dhhs/index.shtml
Goodrich Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing:
http://www.goodrichcenter.org
Deaf Action Center: http://www.deafactioncentertexas.org