|
| |
Shalom Zone
|
|
In January of 2000, Christ United Methodist Church of
the Deaf was designated a Shalom
Zone. The Deaf
Shalom Zone provides a multiplicity of
services to
meet needs of this population, all of which is
coordinated by Carol Stevens, a General Board of
Global Ministries
10-10-10 missionary. "We see
ourselves as a nontraditional
agency of deaf and
hearing people serving together, endeavoring to
meet
the needs of the deaf community," says Ms. Stevens.
"Almost all of the work of "the zone" is done by
spirit-filled volunteers who use their gifts to help
others.
"The three major areas of activities are case
management
services, development of new service
programs, and advocacy and
empowerment.
The first area is case management services. Some
people
who have been helped are:
 | A young man dying of AIDS, who had a huge
trash bag of letters
containing words like "court"
and "jail,"
was able to reclaim his stolen identity
before he died.
| A Latino mother and her deaf child with multiple
disabilities
were provided with a volunteer
Spanish interpreter to shepherd
her through
medical systems and to get proper schooling
for her
son.
| A deaf man who did not know that he had a
primary doctor or
insurance because he lacked
an interpreter and advocacy received
his first
check up fourteen months after his cancer
surgery.
| A deaf man, addicted to heroin for thirty-four
years since the
age of eleven, is now drug-free,
working and living in his own
apartment and
serving deaf-blind people as a volunteer.
|
| | |
The second emphasis of development of new
programs helps
fill some of the many gaps in
services for deaf people that hearing
people can
readily access. Examples are: parenting classes (for
deaf
parents at risk of losing custody of their children)
taught by deaf
role models and a special-designed
curriculum the help deaf parents
learn the skills
needed to become better parents; Drug abuse
programs; transportation, interpreters and mail
readers to help
deaf-blind people live more
independent lives; and support for those
who need
hospice service.
The final area is advocacy and empowerment
activities.
Through the advocacy and support of the
Deaf Shalom Zone, a new
Office of Deaf and Hard of
Hearing has been established locally,
judicial rules for
court interpreters have been changed, and deaf
people have input in the agencies that serve them.
Click here
to go to the Deaf Shalom Zone's website.
"Deaf Shalom Zone Provides Many Services."
General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church.
Retrieved 23 Mar. 2007
<http://gbgm-umc.org/disc/christumc.cfm>. |
|
|
|
|
To receive periodic newsletters and information on
events sponsored by the Deaf Shalom Zone, please fill out the online form.
|
| |
ASL on the Net
Programs & Tools
Devotions in ASL
Find an Interpreter
Find Interpreting Workshops
|
