CANDIDATE’S MESSAGE PROVIDES INSIGHT TO THE KIND OF PUBLIC SERVANT THEY
WILL BE…MAKING SURE THEIR MESSAGE IS ACCESSIBLE
February 14, 2012 San Antonio, Texas– Pamela Gabriel Craig, candidate
for 37th District Court Judge in San Antonio engaged Deaf Link, Inc. to
make her campaign message accessible to citizens who are Deaf, Blind,
Hard of Hearing and for persons with low literacy. Craig stated, “My
goal is to make sure all citizens know how important they are to me and
to ask for their vote on April 3, 2012.”
Traditionally people with disabilities have been left out of the
political process for lack of access to candidate’s message and ability
to engage candidates with concerns or questions. San Antonio has a
Deaf, Blind, Hard of Hearing population estimated at 116,887.
Reaching out to this untapped voter base could significantly impact
both the campaign and the community. Craig stated, “I know the
importance of communication and have taken action to address a
long-standing issue in politics regarding the majority of citizens with
sensory disabilities; especially those who use American Sign Language
(ASL) that rarely have access to any political information. *Note:
American Sign Language has no roots in English and is one of the most
taught foreign languages in our colleges today.
Mrs. Gabriel Craig’s video message provides information to a wider more
diverse audience because of the multiple modalities in which it is
delivered: access for citizens who are deaf and rely on ASL, the
voicing provides access for persons who are visually impaired, blind or
low literate and the video is captioned for persons who are hard of
hearing.
Kay Chiodo, CEO of Deaf Link said, “I have great respect for Pamela
Gabriel Craig, she doesn’t just say she is dedicated to reaching out to
the community, she is removing communication barriers and welcoming
participation by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in the arena
of politics. “Deaf Link’s goal is to provide deaf and hard of hearing
people the same opportunities and level of participation that is
available to the rest of the population,” Chiodo stated. “In using our
service Mrs. Gabriel Craig is setting a new standard for candidates.”
Pamela Gabriel Craig’s accessible message:
http://content.deaflink.com/pgc/
About Deaf Link, Inc. — Deaf Link®, headquartered in San Antonio,
Texas was founded in 2002 by Kay Chiodo to provide accessible
communication solutions to business and organizations including local,
state and federal agencies. Services are specifically designed to
provide communication access for people whose disability affects how
they receive or relay information. Deaf Link’s Video Remote
Interpreting (VRI) service provides 24/7 access to American Sign
Language (ASL) interpreters over the internet, in real-time, using
state of the art video conferencing solutions from its secure
communication and video production center. Deaf Link® developed and
maintains the Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS™), enabling
emergency managers across the nation to provide accessible information
before, during and after a disaster for individuals with sensory
disabilities. For more information: http://www.deaflink.com