A message from our CAD President, Luisa on “COVID Vaccine Appointment”

VIDEO DESCRIPTION:

Luisa wears a pink sweatshirt and is sitting in the gray background.

ENGLISH TRANSCRIPT:

Hello Everyone. I am Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, President of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf (CAD). I can’t believe March is around the corner and it has been a year when this Pandemic first was announced in this country.

As of last week, people of age 65 and more can register to get a vaccination. If you have a computer, sign in on VAMS online. I share our experience with this.

My husband who is over the age of 75 and registered over a month ago via VAMS and then decided to call this number 877-918-2224 after long waiting online. He was able to get two appointments for the first and second vaccine shots. Last week he had his second vaccination as you know people kept saying that second vaccination could cause some effects. Both times he has no reaction. Again, I want to remind you that everyone is different. Some do get a reaction from the vaccination while others do not. My husband has none so he is lucky. Again, remember it’s not the same for everyone. And it’s your choice, too.

When the Governor announced that people over the age of 65 can register as of last week. I registered through VAMs and decided to call that 877 number on Friday afternoon after it was announced. It took me over an hour so I had to hang up but left a number to call back. I didn’t hear back so past Monday I decided to call the same number. The relay operator said “Press 1 if you speak Spanish and Press 2 for Relay CT so we pressed 2. In a short time, I was connected to the person and giving necessary information like name, zip code, etc. then I was able to make appointments for the first and second vaccinations in March. I will share my experience in the next vlog after my second vaccination.

If you have any concerns, questions, or need assistance, you can contact one of the five (5) Independent Living Centers in CT or contact us, the CAD. We will help to give a guide.

Thank you and stay safe by continue to wear a mask, socially distancing yourself, and wash your hands frequently. Take care of yourself.

Often people thought once got vaccinated, no need to use a mask. That is not correct. We still need to wear a mask a little longer to stop the spread of the virus until we get all clear (hopefully).

Thank you again and take care. So long.

A message from our CAD Youth Program Coordinator, Alvin Chege – “Improving Police Interactions with Disability Community” sessions

VIDEO DESCRIPTION:
Alvin wears a light gray sweatshirt and is sitting in the neutral beige background.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION:
Hello! My name is Alvin Chege. I am a member of CAD (Connecticut Association of the Deaf). I am the Youth Coordinator for the state of CT. I want to share the information with you on PTATF. PTATF stands for Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force. It’s about “Improving Police Interactions with Disability Community”. I am a member of Jonathan Slifka’s Subcommittee State Level.

Right now we have three upcoming dates: February 2nd, February 9th, and February 16th. These dates are for 18 years old and under to registry to watch, listen and testify. Strictly limited to 3 minutes of testimony.

https://www.ctpolicetransparency.com/upcoming-sessions

To access the live stream of the virtual listening session, please visit CT-N.com.

In order to accommodate all interested speakers, you will only be permitted to testify during one of the three listening sessions.

Interpreters would be provided on February 2nd, February 9th, and February 16th. Closed Captioning would be provided since we have some who aren’t familiar with ASL and depends on Closed Captioning.

In addition to providing in-person testimony, please email a copy of the written testimony. All testimony, written or spoken, is public information. As such, it may be made available online.

If you have any concerns and/or questions, please contact us through CAD Facebook, and/or Direct Message to Alvin Chege through Facebook.

That’s all I can say for now. Have a good night and stay safe!!

Signing off!!

Video description: Luisa wears a purple sweater cardigan and is sitting in the black background.

English transcript:
Hello Everyone, I am Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, President of the Connecticut Association

of the Deaf (CAD) wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Yes, it is strange to say Happy New Year especially during this pandemic- COVID 19. But we need to continue to be positive and patient with this pandemic. With what is going on in our country lately, it is important that we stay united and work together in a positive way to make our state a better place for our deaf/hard of hearing and deafblind community. CAD has been working with the Disability Rights of Connecticut (DRCT) focusing on hospital accessibility. It is an ongoing project for us all.

CAD also has been working closely with the state by participating in many zoom meetings on COVID both testing and vaccinations. There are many ASL vlogs on these and it is okay to watch. But to get yourself vaccinated, please focus on our state information. We have brought up that we need an ASL version of vaccination information within our state. I am giving you the basic information as of now and please watch for a VLOG from the Department of Public Health (DPH) with Alvin Chege. He works for the state and will give us more detailed information.

For now, I would recommend the official website of ct.gov/covidvaccine to get some answers. As of Monday, DPH is starting phase 1b and only those 75 years old or older should be registering. If you are 75 or older, go to this website https://portal.ct.gov/…/COVID-19-Vaccination—75-and…. There is a lot of good information on that page which includes a couple of different provider links as well as the toll-free number, and a link to VAMS – which is the overall scheduling system.

DPH is asking for patience, as the demand for the vaccine is high, and that number does have a call-back option due to the volume of calls, they are getting.

DPH will be doing an ASL vaccine video (Facts about the VAX) much like the “stronger than COVID” campaign. Alvin Chege, DPH Human Services Advocate will be doing this in the next few days. Please keep an eye for that.

CAD will have its board meeting on Tuesday, January 26th at 6:30 via zoom. We will make sure that it will be alive and recorded so the deaf/hard of hearing and deafblind community will have access to this. We need your support and involvement.

Please continue to stay safe by wearing a mask, washing your hands, and socially distance yourself even if you already got vaccinated.

Thank you and stay healthy!

A message from our CAD President Luisa-

Video description: Luisa wears a pink sweater and she is sitting in the white background.

English transcript:

Hi everyone, this is Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, President of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf (CAD) and we want to share the information on safety during the holiday season this year. It is not easy to follow especially with Covid but it is important that we follow our Governor Ned Lamont’s suggestions during this time. His suggestion is to stay home, have a small group (people who live in your house) and it is not a good idea to invite friends and families over for dinner or any gatherings during this holiday season.

I personally do follow his plan even though I do love to travel. This year we stay at home and have a small dinner. This is important to stay healthy this way. If people ignore this and this will become a problem, some people will die or sick. Maybe next year this time we will see empty seats around your table. It could become worse.

It is wise to stay home and be safe and we, CAD Board members want to wish you all safe and happy holidays such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings. Hope 2021 will bring us a better year and good health.

We need to try to be patient and stay safe by using masks, follow social distance, and wash your hands until we beat the Covid together. We need to sacrifice some things so it can become better later. It is important to be patient this year.

As my father always tells me to be patient and things will look better out there soon. So do not try to ignore the governor’s suggestions this time.

We want to wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season – so stay safe.

Thank you.

English transcript-

Hi everyone… I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. I am Barbara Cassin. I am the secretary for the Connecticut Association of the Deaf.

The purpose of this Vlog is to share some information with you. Last spring/summer some of our board members and Jeff Bravin met through zoom. We were discussing concerns about the closed captioning on TV with the news stations. I know many of us have complained over the years that the accessibility to live reports such as weather or other emergencies has not been very good. Apparently, the problem has been that while much of the information that is planned (scripted) is accessible but those parts that are live are not. Sometimes captioning comes in too fast. We need to solve this.

So, Jeff Bravin contacted a PR agency and asked them for their assistance in contacting four of the major news channels; Channel 3, Channel 8 Channel 30, and Fox News. We then met with these four stations and they all said they would be very happy to try to improve their service, and that they were aware this was a problem. Also, they said that there would be new technology coming in the fall that they felt would help to reduce some of the problems. They recognize that breaking news, live interviews, and the weather were the primary issues but they are hoping that with the new technology that will be on board in the fall that this will improve.

I have already shared the information with the Governor’s State Advisory Board for those who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. I would like for you to watch Channel 3, Channel 8, Channel 30, and Fox News and give me your feedback. Do you think the closed captioning for the news, also for Breaking News, has improved, deteriorated, or unchanged?

Please give me your feedback by email to me. My email address is bjcola@comcast.net. Again, I need your feedback so that I can share this information with these TV stations. Thank you so much and continue to stay well and safe.

English Transcript:

Hi everyone, this is Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, Connecticut Association of the Deaf President. We were very busy all summer with many zoom meetings with various organizations and we have been focusing on interpreting for hospitals. Again it is time for this vlog.
Today we would like to talk about the absentee ballot. You all probably received or will be receiving an envelope from your town/city which looks like this. Inside the envelope, you will find an application (showing the application) that you need to check (verify) your name, address, etc. Please correct it if needed. If you do not want to go to the polling place on November 3rd because of COVID-19, please check the first in section II. That means you will get an absentee ballot after October 2nd. Please do not go to the polling place if you do this. On the other side of the form, you will see the Spanish version. Attached you will find an envelope (showing the envelope to mail) that you can put the application in and do either way – (a) go to your town/city hall and find a white box for that envelope to go into or (b) mail (postage free).
It is important that you vote this year and do your research (homework) to vote for the right person to run our country. More details can be found on the NAD website and we will be sending other vlogs regarding the absentee ballot soon.
Thank you and please stay safe by socially distancing yourself and use a mask. Please feel free to contact us at deafcad.org.

English Transcript:

Hi I am Barbara Cassin, CAD Secretary. I wanted to share 2 things with you that are related to CT courts. Beginning this Monday, July 20, some courthouses will be open again for court business, not all, only about 8. Please see the list below for the locations.

When you go to court you are required to wear face masks. Their hours will be 9am-5pm. They are available to be contacted through phone (video, VRS) or walk-in. To save time we suggest you try to solve problems before arriving at the court.

Due to the Covid19 pandemic many people have been impacted financially. Governor Lamont has extended the date to prevent people from being evicted to August 25th.

These are the two updates CAD wanted to share with you.

Be healthy, stay safe, and enjoy your summer.

English Transcript:
Hello Everyone, I am Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, President of CAD (the CT Association of the Deaf). First of all, I want to express my feelings about the BLM. I was emotionally upset to see what had happened to George Floyd few weeks ago in Minnesota. It was wrong of that group of police officers causing his death and I was disgusted over their behavior! It is time for all of us to work together and help each other by listening and support each other.
Tomorrow CAD is sponsoring the Black Deaf Lives Matter and we encourage you to watch it. It will be on CAD Facebook live starting at 7 PM. The flyer is attached below. We want to take this opportunity to thank Milmaglyn Morales for hosting this panel and the people who are involved on this panel. For your information, it will be voice interpreted and we want to take this opportunity to thank the interpreters for doing this.
As the president, I got the information from the CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance that I would like to share with you all. The information will also be attached to this. It is a self-explanatory but I am going over few points. This relates to what is going on across America on torture and murder of George Floyd, and the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
During this COVID-19 Pandemic, the black community is susceptible to this virus because of the preexisting conditions caused by poverty, lack of health care, lack of access to adequate nutrition and the work in front line low wage jobs. Many of them work in front lines like in the supermarkets, sanitation departments, and many other places which might be susceptible to the virus.
Many of us who have benefited from white privilege must actively involve in dismantling the white supremacy. We must not make this about ourselves but there are things that we can do. We need to stop the racism. By doing this, we must do our work to stop white supremacist organizations by increasing the numbers of people of color throughout the Alliance and the disability rights movement, especially in leadership positions. The resources are listed on the form.
In closing, please keep this in mind that we need to work together as a team by supporting and helping one other! Especially during this time with the COVID 19, we need to keep ourselves and others safe by using masks, keep distance and wash our hands often. Hope you stay safe and thank you for watching this vlog.

English transcript:

Hi Everyone, I am Luisa Gasco-Soboleski, President of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf.

I am very sorry for not getting on the vlog for a while as I have been having problems with video and other things pertaining the deaf/hard of hearing/deaf blind community during this pandemic (Coronavirus). Hope this finds you all healthy and safe. Again we want to emphasize how important for everyone to stay safe by using mask, washing your hands frequently, and staying 6 feet away from others (socially distance). It is important to watch our governor, Ned Lamont’s updates every day. Please be careful when it comes to the social media and it can be misleading. Slow opening is important and please follow the safety protocols given by our state.
We got the forms on Tips for Healthcare Provider which I am attaching at the end of this. All hospitals in CT should have this copy. Thank you Yale New Haven Health for making this possible.
We also have the listing for the mental health (counselors, therapists, etc.) and it is also attached. Please share with others. It is important that we stay safe, calm and keep in touch with our family members, friends, and the community. We are grateful that we have wonderful technology to keep all of us connected. Please feel free to contact us if you need any support, feedback or any input. We are also working on interpreters in the hospitals and other important things through virtual meetings.
Again, we want to thank our interpreters, educators, healthcare workers, and all essential workers like police, firemen, grocery store workers, all the restaurants that have take-out services and many others.
Stay safe and be well.
Thank you!

Video description: Milmaglyn has a curly black hair. She is wearing a black glasses and black solid shirt. She is standing in a blue solid background.

English transcript:

Hello Everyone, This is Milmaglyn Morales representing CAD to discuss the Coronavirus, also known as COVID 19.

There are few points that we want to share with you:

1. Stay calm

2. Stay away from crowds

3. Wash your hands frequently

4. There is so much information out there- through social media such as Facebook, etc. but be careful because some information might be not accurate.

5. The information keeps changing every day and it is important to follow your local news. The Governor has been giving updates every day around 3PM with an interpreter and captions. (For next few weeks). We will update when it is necessary. As of now, we are aware that there are some times we do not see interpreter(s) or captions on TV but we are working towards that to make sure that we have interpreter visible at all times on TV and have captions. Your feedback is valuable.

CAD will not have a board meeting in Stamford on March 24th but will have a Zoom meeting with the board members to update. Follow us on our website which is up and running now.

We want you to be safe and healthy.

Thank you!

Video description: Barbara is sitting on a rocking chair in her home. She is wearing a University of Connecticut blue sweatshirt.
English transcript:
Hello, I am Barbara Cassin, Chairperson for CAD volleyball tournament. I need to inform you that the volleyball tournament will be cancelled on April 4th. The reason is because of the coronavirus concerns. This is for your safety. I apologize that we have to cancel. Those teams who have sent their team fees, I will return them to you. We may be able to host the tournament again in the fall or next spring but no date has been set up yet. I will keep you informed. Again my apologies.
Please help spread the word that the tournament is cancelled on April 4th If you have any questions feel free to email me at bjcola@comcast.net
Thank you!