1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. deafness

 DAS INSIDER TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 1: COVER
J Deaf Access Services PAGE 2: COMMUNITY EVENTS
January 2015 PAGE 3: COMMUNITY EVENTS
PAGE 4: DAS MESSAGE BORAD
PAGE 5: SPRING GALA INFO
PAGE 6: ASL CLASS SCHEDULE
PAGE 7: ASL CLASS SCHEDULE
PAGE 8: DAS IN THE NEWS
PAGE 9: DAS IN THE NEWS
PAGE 10: MEET NEW STAFF
PAGE 11: MEET NEW STAFF
PAGE 12: MEET NEW STAFF
PAGE 13: STAFF & BOARD
Is there something important you would like added to the e-­‐newsletter? Contact: Ashley Hirtzel ahirtzel@wnydas.org COMMUNITY EVENTS *SMSD: Snow Day Make Up - School
in Session
When
*SMSD: NYS Regents Exams
When
Friday, January 16, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015 – Thursday,
January 29, 2015
Location
Location
SMSD
*SMSD
*SMSD: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- No School!
*SMSD: PTO Meeting
When
Monday, January 19, 2015
Location
When
Monday, February 2, 2015
Location
*SMSD
*SMSD
*SMSD: Board of Trustees Meeting
When
Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center:
“Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids: What’s
Best For Me?” (Free seminar)
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Call the locations below for dates and to
register:
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
50 E. North Street, Buffalo
Location
(716) 885-8318
*SMS
5225 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville
(716) 204-8680
*SMSD: I-90 Basketball Classic
6941 Elaine Drive, Niagara Falls
When
(716) 234-7887
2:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Location
*St. Mary’s School for the Deaf
SMSD
2 3 Congratulations
Aja Ruff!
Interpreter Assessment
We’re now conducting assessments
for anyone interested in working as
an independent contract interpreter
through DAS.
No Appointment Necessary!
Walk-ins are available Fridays
between 10-12 p.m.
Questions? Contact: Jeffrey Strauss
at jstrauss@wnydas.org
Aja is a scheduler at
DAS, who graduated from
the University at Buffalo
in December 2014. Aja
received a Bachelors
degree in Health and
Human Services, with a
concentration in Childhood
Mental Health.
Congratulations from the
DAS team, Aja. We are
so proud!
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is now available through DAS!
To learn more about VRI and how this can better assist the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing community, contact Jeffrey Strauss, at
jstrauss@wnydas.org
4 Deaf Access Services will be hosting its Spring Gala
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Help Bring a Celebrity to Buffalo!
Deaf Access Services is looking for sponsors to help bring Marlee Matlin to Buffalo,
NY to be the guest speaker at its first ever Spring Gala. The event will be held at
Statler City on April 11, 2015. Marlee Matlin is an Academy Award winning actress,
motivational speaker, and author of several books, including a New York Times best
selling autobiography. She has received many awards for her charity work, and was
instrumental in getting legislation passed in Congress in support of Closed
Captioning.
We’re reaching out to area businesses to become a sponsor for the event! The DAS
staff is dedicated to making sure our events not only surpass the communities’
expectation, but also help to promote our organization’s mission statement. The
sponsorship levels are affordable and include many perks including tickets to our
events. All funds are used locally to support access to services for the WNY Deaf and
Hard of Hearing community. If a monetary donation is not possible, DAS can use
gift certificates or product for the live auction at the event.
Proceeds from the gala will go directly towards the continuation of client services at
DAS. We look forward to your support!
TO BECOME A SPONSOR GO TO: WNYDAS.org/how-you-can-help/das-wish-list/
OR
CONTACT: Sharon Hanson at (716) 833-1637 ext. 100 – shanson@wnydas.org
5 Sign Language Classes Winter 2015 All classes will be held at Deaf Access Services located at: Tri-­‐Main Bldg. 2495 Main Street – Suite 446, Buffalo, NY 14227 ASL Beginner: Signing Naturally - Units 1-6
This course introduces the basics of American Sign Language
(ASL) and is designed for students who have little or no
previous knowledge of ASL.
This course uses natural approach method such as hand-on
activities for you to acquire and understand the language
better.
You will observe and express real life experiences in ASL
using ASL questions, commands, and other simple sentence
structures.
You will also be introduced to Deaf Culture, thus giving you
insight to the People behind the language.
When:
Mondays
Jan.12th – March 9th
5:30p-7:30p
OR
Tuesdays
Jan.13th – March 10th
5:30p-7:30p
OR
Wednesdays
Jan.14th – March 11th
5:30p-7:30p
Cost:
$125 (Individual)
$225 (Couple)
Course Materials:
Signing Naturally Units 1-6:
Student DVD & Workbook
Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C.
2008
ASL Intermediate: Signing Naturally – Units 7-12
This course will introduce ASL grammatical structure and
conversational skills. You will learn in a natural approach
method with everyday real life situations. This hands-on
approach will help to develop your receptive and expressive
skills.
When:
Wednesdays
Jan.14th – March 11th
5:30p-7:30p
Cost:
$125 (Individual)
$225 (Couple)
Course Materials:
Signing Naturally Units 7-12:
Student DVD & Workbook
Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C.
2008
6 Sign Language Classes Winter 2015 All classes will be held at Deaf Access Services located at: Tri-­‐Main Bldg. 2495 Main Street – Suite 446, Buffalo, NY 14227 Classifiers/ASL Intermediate II
Signing Naturally - Units 13-17
This class introduces the basic
classifiers and focus on
expansion of those classifiers.
You will learn to describe objects, use spatial reference and
learn basic mouth morphemes. You will also learn appropriate
cultural behavior for directing & maintaining attention, as
well as various strategies to control the pace of conversations
and resuming conversations after an interruption.
When:
Mondays
Jan. 12th – March 9th
6p-7p
Cost:
$80
Course Materials:
Signing Naturally Units 1-6:
Student DVD & Workbook
Lentz, E.M., Mikos, K., and Smith, C.
2008
Baby American Sign Language
Babies are 100% capable of learning
to sign!
Their understanding of language
and their motor skills develop faster
than their ability to speak. For
example, most babies learn to wave and point long before they
can say, Mommy, Da-Da or Bye-Bye!
When:
Mondays & Wednesdays
Jan. 12th – Feb. 9th
Jan. 14th – Feb. 11th
4p - 4:30p
Cost:
$75 (Individual)\
$125 (Couple)
Parents can enjoy the benefits of signing, too. Think about it, if
your child can sign for what he/she wants instead of screaming
for it, everyone’s lives get a little bit easier! J
Register by phone at (717) 335-9192
For additional information, contact Nora Owen, Community Education Coordinator at:
E: nowen@wnydas.org or VP: (716) 335-9170
7 DEAF ACCESS SERVICES IN THE NEWS: Our
very own Hank Nevins acknowledges DAS ASL
Teacher & the ‘coolness’ of learning sign
language in the Buffalo News! (Read the full
article below)
We all have one or two favorite teachers
from our school days. One of my new
favorite teachers began tutoring me a few
weeks ago. And she doesn’t hear or
speak.
Her name is Chrissy Heckler. She teaches
American Sign Language classes at
Buffalo’s Deaf Access Services (DAS)
and she has taught me more with her
enthusiasm, facial expressions and sign
language skills in one month than most of
her hearing and speaking colleagues did
in years of traditional classroom
instruction.
I joined Team DAS in September, part
time, to assist it with government
relations and special projects. My boss,
Executive Director Sharon Hanson,
suggested that she and I should learn the
language of the people we are entrusted
to help. I agreed. I’ve always been
fascinated with sign language and was
eager to learn more about it.
When I told family and friends that part
of my training at DAS was learning sign
language, the unanimous response was,
“cool.”
It is cool. Very cool. And what makes it
even cooler is the fact that DAS offers
classes to everyone from babies to
veterans. That’s right, DAS will be
introducing sign language classes for
babies in January. Studies show that
young children adapt quickly to sign
language. The agency, working with
Veterans Affairs, is also addressing the
needs of veterans who suffered hearing
impairment or loss as a result of their
military service. And DAS will launch a
defensive driving program and high
school equivalency classes in 2015.
For those of us in the hearing community,
the daily sounds of our lives are taken for
granted. But think for a moment what it
must be like to not have verbal
communication, the sounds of nature,
traffic, radio, TV, motion pictures, you
favorite music, your computer, cellphone
– it’s a long list.
8 I am not deaf, but I am hard of hearing.
That journey began long ago and far
away with the constant rumble of Army
howitzers and helicopters in Vietnam’s
Central Highlands and continued with the
nearly 40-year radio career that followed,
exposing me to loud headphones and
even louder rock concerts. It all took a
toll.
I am addressing my hearing issues with
the assistance of medical professionals
and the VA. But my brief experience with
these twice-weekly sign language courses
has opened up a whole new world.
In 1983, a group of committed volunteers
interested in the welfare of the deaf
community set up Deaf Adult Services as
a non-profit organization. Thirty-one
years later, DAS (now Deaf Access
Services) continues to be the only agency
of its kind serving Western New York.
Staffed by deaf, hard-of-hearing and
hearing individuals, it provides a diverse,
inclusive environment for people.
In order to bridge the communication gap
between deaf and hearing communities,
DAS provides informative consultations,
presentations and workshops to help
people feel more at ease when working
with deaf individuals. The agency also
has support services to ensure the rights
of deaf individuals are met by providing
assistance, education and advocacy.
Often the services of an interpreter are
mandated by law. DAS provides qualified
sign language interpreters to meet this
need.
As I navigate the world of deaf culture,
I’m learning something new every day,
thanks to Team DAS and a teacher who
can’t hear or speak, but communicates
better than most people who can.
-0-
9 f
Ss MEET THE NEW DAS TEAM MEMBERS
Petra M. Saunders
Community Employment Services Coordinator
Joined the team in September 2014
Responsibilities: Assist clients with employment preparation, which includes work values,
employer expectations, job responsibilities, resume preparation, interviewing skills and job
search techniques. After job placement, assistance and support to both employers and client to
assures a smooth integration of the new employee to the working world.
Where is she from? Newark, NJ, relocated to WNY from Harrisburg, PA
Education & Certifications:
• Rutgers University-New Brunswick, NJ
• Educational Certification: EIPA/ASL
• Pending Certification: ASLTA (American Sign Language Teachers Association)
Work Experience:
• Job Coach & later Job Developer for Lexington School for the Deaf – Vocational
Services, worked closed with NJ-DVR, New Jersey Division Vocational Rehabilitation.
• Job Coach for Jewish Vocational Rehabilitation-East Orange, NJ
Hobbies:
• Reading (Non-Fiction)
• Family Time
• Travel – Languages and Cultures
Contact:
VP: (716) 335-9171
C/T: (716) 400-2738
psaunders@wnydas.org
10 Lee Dray
Scheduling Coordinator
Joined the team in December 2014
Responsibilities: Records and enters requests for interpreting or captioning services from area
businesses, medical, legal, and educational establishments. Recruits Deaf or hearing
interpreters to fulfill the requested jobs.
Where is he from? Born & raised in Buffalo, NY. Lee moved out of the area 12 years ago and
lived in various states, but recently moved back!
Education & Certifications:
• Gallaudet University: ASL & Interpretation
• University of Phoenix: Curriculum & Instruction and Teaching of English as a Second
Language.
• Pending Certification: Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) (16 hours of Professional role
& conduct already completed.)
Hobbies:
• Scroll sawing portraits of people or pets
• Wood carving
• Collecting antique Cameras
Contact:
VP: (716) 748-7100
Text: (716) 604-7740
ldray@wnydas.org
11 Ashley Hirtzel
Community Relations & Development Coordinator
Joined the team in December 2014
Responsibilities: Works to enhance and expand the community relations and development
activities of the organization, including public relations activities, developing sponsorships,
marketing, social media, website management, event planning, and supporting the agency and
board in their efforts to develop unrestricted funds for agency programs and services.
Where is she from? Born & raised in Buffalo, NY
Education:
• Bachelors of Science in Communication, Medaille College
Work Experience:
• Reporter for WBFO 88.7 FM/InnovationTrail.org
• Senior Producer/Anchor for WBTA Batavia 1490 AM
• Reporter/Anchor WBEN 930 AM
• Intern: WKBW Channel 7 & Time Warner Cable News
Hobbies:
• Traveling
• T.V. & Movie trivia
• Singing
Contact:
Office: (716) 833-1637 ext. 105
Cell: (716) 903-7347
ahirtzel@wnydas.org
FA 12 Board of Directors
DAS STAFF
President
Executive Director
Michael Cross
Sharon L Hanson
Vice President
Sue Wantuck
Staff
Treasurer
Marie Bartolotta
Secretary
Patty Tadak
Kendra Eaglin
Jeanette Grimaldi
Nanette Harmon
Stacey Allen
Lee Dray
Ashley Hirtzel
Michael Lackey
Laurie Murray
Sharon LeRoy
Aaron Saykin
Sharon Manning
Hank Nevins
Nora Owens
Evy Salvato-Rood
Marvin Wuest
Deborah Long
New Members
Aja Ruff
Andrea Russell
Petra Saunders
Komani Lundquist
Dina Capizzi
Jeffrey Strauss
Christine Manning
Volunteers
Emeritus Members
Charissa Farnsworth
Emily Gernold
Pamela Rohring
Kathy Hoffman
Alice Guinane
13