Yesterday, the flag of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was raised from coast to coast across Canada to mark the beginning of the International Week of the Deaf. In Newfoundland, the flag was raised to fly over St. John’s City Hall, in Victoria, over the Legislative Assembly of BC, and here at Carleton, members of the university’s American Sign Language teaching team (mostly the energetic cranking of Todd Tobin) proudly raised the flag over the Carleton campus where it will continue to fly for the entire week.
Presentations by ASL faculty Todd Tobin and David Morton highlighted the historic significance of the event for members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community here in Canada and around the world.
They also took a moment to look back at the long history of ASL instruction at Carleton, in particular the essential role of the late Jon Kidd whose vision and wisdom guided the formation and philosophy of the program.
“We are grateful to the late Jon Kidd, who initiated our ASL Program in the early 2000s. His program philosophy has greatly influenced how we teach and guide students to understand our Deaf sign languages and culture in every possible way. “
(Todd Tobin on behalf of Denise DeShaw)
School Director, Michael Rodgers, echoed these sentiments, underscoring the continued popularity of ASL courses amongst our students.
Carleton was also pleased to welcome Wyatt Scott, a Carleton alumnus, who has contributed his time and expertise to the National Capital Association of the Deaf (NCAD) and the Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD). He shared his experiences as a long-time member of the Deaf community and provided a detailed explanation of the history of the WFD flag.
ASL Program Coordinator Denise DeShaw had been slated to address the group but was called away at the last minute to attend a flag-raising ceremony at Toronto City Hall as a representative of the Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf (OCSD) and the ASL Teachers of Ontario (ASLTO) where she serves as Director.
Congratulations to the organizers on the success of the event, and many thanks to the approximately 40 students, staff, faculty, and members of the public who took the time to attend. And, of course, many thanks to the exceptional interpretation skills of our ASL Interpreter, Josée-Sarah Bower, whose fluid shifting between signing and speaking made the event accessible to all.