Washington, D.C. (ABC7) — JPMorgan Chase has officially opened the first retail branch designed to serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.
The branch, located in Washington, DC’s H Street corridor, offers state of the art technology and design elements incorporated to best serve people with hearing loss.
The firm is also announcing a new, $250,000 philanthropic commitment to Gallaudet University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute to strengthen career pathways for deaf and hard of hearing students.
“As a bank, we want to make financial services available to all customers, including people with disabilities and their families,” said Jim Sinocchi, Head of Office of Disability Inclusion, JPMorgan Chase. “The technology and design of our new branch will allow the deaf and hard of hearing customers a chance to easily access our services if and when it’s convenient for them.”
The new H Street location will feature Chase’s newest branch design as well as state-of-the-art technology, including:
On-demand video remote interpreting service
T-loop Bluetooth technology that allows employees to speak directly with customers
Remote control camera technology that allows employees to communicate with customers on screens where they are seated in the branch
Digital screens with captions enabled
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Deafblind interpreting is a requirement in order for people with deafblindness to achieve full participation, equality, independence and self-determination in every area of society.
Deafblind interpreting is the provision via an intermediary of both visual and hearing impressions to persons with deafblindness.
This comes about through three fully integrated elements.
These elements are: the interpreting of speech; environmental description; and guiding.
Deafblind interpreting is provided using the interpreting methods, on the occasions and to the extent requested by persons with deafblindness.
DEAFBLINDNESS
Deafblindness is a distinct disability. Persons with deafblindness are persons with a varying degree of combined visual and hearing disability.
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Learning to sign is easier than ever, thanks to the internet.
The visual language, designed to aid the deaf or hard of hearing, is a set of gesticulations and hand movements that correspond to the spoken word.
There are numerous ways to learn American Sign Language (ASL) outside the old classroom method. From free online lessons to video tutorials, a world of possibilities is open for those aspiring to teach themselves this hands-on language
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As Walmart moves to phase out its familiar blue-vested "greeters" at some 1,000 stores nationwide, disabled workers who fill many of those jobs say they're being ill-treated by a chain that styles itself as community-minded and inclusive.
Walmart told greeters around the country last week that their positions would be eliminated on April 26 in favor of an expanded, more physically demanding "customer host" role. To qualify, they will need to be able to lift 25-pound (11-kilogram) packages, climb ladders and stand for long periods.
That came as a heavy blow to greeters with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other physical disabilities. For them, a job at Walmart has provided needed income, served as a source of pride and offered a connection to the community. Now Walmart, America's largest private employer, is facing a backlash as customers rally around some of the chain's most visible and beloved employees.
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Thanks to a lot of hard work Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week (DBAW) got some great attention around the country. The following are just a few of the activities:
OKLAHOMA: Governor Mary Fallin issued a proclamation recognizing DBAW 2018 and the accomplishments of deaf-blind Oklahomans. This proclamation came shortly after House Bill 1244, also known as the “Jeri Cooper Act,” was passed. The bill increases deaf-blind Oklahomans' access to Support Service Providers by providing grants for the program through the Department of Rehabilitation Services. The Bill was named in honor of Jeri Cooper, a rehabilitation teacher with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services who is deaf-blind herself. Jeri was a major advocate for creating a SSP program in Oklahoma. Accompanying Jeri at the signing were HKNC regional representative, Molly Sinanan and former HKNC student, Don G.
NEBRASKA: A proclamation issued by the Governor of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, was read at a ceremony which included Carlos Servan, executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Mike Foley, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nebraska. Others of note in the audience were Brent M., a Summer Youth Vocational Program at HKNC student this past summer
NORTH CAROLINA: Governor Roy Cooper issued a DBAW proclamation which was read at many events across the state by Ashley Benton, LCSW, Deaf/Deaf-Blind Services Coordinator with the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
KENTUCKY: Families and long range service plan partners gathered to celebrate the signing of a DBAW proclamation issued by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin.
TENNESSEE: During the Southeast Transition Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee, a proclamation from Governor Bill Haslem was read and presented to the community by Lisa Rimmell, Tennessee’s new state deaf-blind coordinator through VR. Since Lisa came on board, there has been a lot of hard work spreading awareness, providing workshops and collaborating on various events. One of the mentors for the Institute was former HKNC student, Ashley J..
PUERTO RICO: Two staff members from the Deaf-Blind Project in Puerto Rico joined other partners in celebrating the DBAW proclamation. Over the past year, HKNC has worked with Linda McDowell and Mike Fagbemi from the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) in building relationships and meeting with families.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Big smiles with families and Deaf-Blind Project members showing their proclamation from Governor Henry McMaster. The mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Stephen Benjamin, also issued a proclamation.
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Amanda Koller is getting her second master's degree. She has applied for more than 1,100 jobs in the past year. She hasn't gotten any full-time, permanent job offers.
She is also profoundly deaf.
The unemployment rate among the deaf is staggering. Fewer than 40 percent of those with a hearing disability work full time, according to the Yang-Tan Institute at Cornell University's analysis of 2016 American Community Survey data. Despite improvements in technology and accommodations that are making it easier for deaf people to work and communicate, deaf job hunters say employers still don't believe they can do the work.
"I apply to grocery stores and I can't even get a job there," said Koller, who lives outside Washington, D.C. "If you can't hear or speak right, you're not going to get a job. I don't think it matters what the company is, or what your background and work experience is."
On paper, Koller's background is impressive. She has a master's degree in public administration from Western Michigan University and a bachelor's in health sciences from Temple University. She's currently working toward a second master's in health care quality management from George Washington University.
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