Deaf Protest Draws Small Crowd, Attention

Deaf News: Deaf Grassroots Movement protest draws small crowd, attention.



STAUNTON, VA -- Newsleader: Only a few people attended Thursday morning’s Deaf Equal Access Now rally, organized by the Deaf Grassroots Movement and Wesley Arey, a member of the Shenandoah Valley Club of the Deaf.



Arey wore a large, green bubble-sized costume with the words “Deaf Access Now” plastered across the back. He walked up and down Beverley Street handing out pamphlets to passersby.



Despite the small crowd, the rally drew attention through its bright green signs that lined the block from Lewis Street to North Central Avenue. Signs called for equal pay for Deaf people, access to American Sign Language for Deaf children, and equal access to jobs and services.



Arey got involved with the movement after seeing a video on Facebook that outlined the realities that Deaf people face on a day-to-day basis. The video went viral and Arey decided to help. Last year, he helped campaign for a rally held in Washington, D.C.



“Over one thousand people showed up to the rally. It went on for two days,” Arey said in an email. “There were speeches, testimonials, and chants. After the rally, we went home and decided to continue meeting.” That’s when they came up with the name Deaf Grassroots Movement.



“Since then, it has expanded from seven people with small-town ideas for Deaf equal access to countless activists, representatives and political advocates countrywide,” Arey said. “But we have a long way to go. My role in this is the interim executive director.”



Thursday’s rallies took place across the state - not just in Staunton. Deaf protesters in Richmond, Fairfax, Norfolk, Martinsville, Wytheville and Lynchburg also participated.



“This rally includes 113 cities around the U.S,” Arey said. “Now that we have spread out, we are expecting fewer people from each city. I am expecting 10 people.”



“DGM strives to make noises, get attention and encourage others to fix Deaf people’s issues,” Arey said. “We hope this will get the lawmakers involved. We want them to recognize us and get involved in initializing the process of helping us solve our problem.”



SOURCE



Related DGM on the News:

Deaf Grassroots Movement Raises Awareness For Deaf Community - WBRC

Deaf Grassroots Movement's National Corner Rally Held Today - KATC

'Deaf Grassroots Movement' Rallies at Main Street Square - KOTATV

Deaf Grassroots Movement Activist and Supporters Rally at Shepler Park - KSWO



Follow @Deaf Grassroots Movement:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/deafgrassrootsmovement

Official Website - http://deafgrassroots.wixsite.com/tdgm



Deaf Grassroots Movement Hastags:

Facebook - https://facebook.com/hashtag/dgm

Instagram - https://instagram.com/explore/tags/dgm

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hashtag/dgm



Related Deaf Deaf Grassroots Movement:

DGM and NAD - Partners For Deaf Rights

Deaf Grassroots Movement - National Deaf Rally

Deaf Grassroots Movement Nationwide Rally

Deaf Protest at White House in Washington DC

Deaf Protest At The White House 2015 Live Video

DGM Raises Awareness For Deaf Community

Deaf News: Deaf Grassroots Movement raises awareness for Deaf community.



GULFPORT, MS -- WLOX: Members of a nationwide organization called the Deaf Grassroots Movement met outside Gulfport City Hall on Thursday in an effort to raise awareness for the needs of the Deaf community.



They held signs and spoke to city leaders about opportunities offered by the city, as well as how to improve their education, job opportunities, and communications access.



City spokesman Chris Vignes said the city is one of the only on the coast that offers sign language interpreters during city council meetings. He thinks it's important for groups like DGM to raise awareness and also for the city to pay attention to their requests.



"Anytime you have a chance to help people in need, whether it's a special disability or bringing awareness to a cause, we're glad that they're here, because we can learn from what they need and how we can better help," Vignes said.



On it's website, the group says the goal is to promote equality for all with the quality of life improved for the Deaf community.



This is the second time the Deaf Grassroots Movement has promoted a nationwide rally. The first was on May 4, 2016.



SOURCE



Related DGM on the News:

Protest Draws Small Crowd, Attention - Newsleader

Deaf Grassroots Movement's National Corner Rally Held Today - KATC

'Deaf Grassroots Movement' Rallies at Main Street Square - KOTATV

Deaf Grassroots Movement Activist and Supporters Rally at Shepler Park - KSWO



Follow @Deaf Grassroots Movement:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/deafgrassrootsmovement

Official Website - http://deafgrassroots.wixsite.com/tdgm



Deaf Grassroots Movement Hastags:

Facebook - https://facebook.com/hashtag/dgm

Instagram - https://instagram.com/explore/tags/dgm

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hashtag/dgm



Related Deaf Deaf Grassroots Movement:

DGM and NAD - Partners For Deaf Rights

Deaf Grassroots Movement - National Deaf Rally

Deaf Grassroots Movement Nationwide Rally

Deaf Protest at White House in Washington DC

Deaf Protest At The White House 2015 Live Video

DGM and NAD - Partners For Deaf Rights

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf Grassroots Movement and National Association of the Deaf as the partners for Deaf Rights in the United States.



WASHINGTON -- Get outside and find a street corner on October 20th! Fight for our rights for access, education, and employment. Last week, the Deaf Grassroots Movement (DGM) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) met via videoconference.



We talked about how we can work together, build a relationship between DGM and NAD, and identify our plans for the future. The primary focus of our discussion was about October 20th. On that day, in 85 cities across America, people will stand at a street corner with signages to bring attention to three important issues for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community: access, education, and employment.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

Howard - DGM and the NAD work together and support each other. Allow me to explain how. The NAD has always met with the federal government to discuss various issues including education, employment, and access. While such discussions are productive, sometimes we get nowhere. Thanks to DGM’s movement and making noise about our needs, the federal government reached out the NAD recognizing the their actions. This helps the NAD continue the dialogue we want to have with the federal government. I am very appreciative of the work DGM has done to support the rights of deaf and hard of hearing people.



So, October 20th is a very important day! You can get involved by looking for the DGM Facebook page in your state, and find out details about October 20th. You can join for an hour, a few hours, or all day! Your time contributed to this movement will have an impact across the country! This movement will occur every now and then, not just October 20th, so we can remain visible and bring attention to the community including the politicians. We want them to know that we are still here!



SOURCE



Follow @National Association of the Deaf:

Facebook - https://facebook.com/nad

GooglePlus - https://plus.google.com/nad

Twitter - https://twitter.com/nad

YouTube - https://youtube.com/nadvlogs

Website - http://nad.org



Follow @Deaf Grassroots Movement:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/deafgrassrootsmovement

Official Website - http://deafgrassroots.wixsite.com/tdgm



Deaf Grassroots Movement Hastags:

Facebook - https://facebook.com/hashtag/dgm

Instagram - https://instagram.com/explore/tags/dgm

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hashtag/dgm



Related Deaf Deaf Grassroots Movement:

Deaf Grassroots Movement - National Deaf Rally

Deaf Grassroots Movement Nationwide Rally

Deaf Protest at White House in Washington DC

Deaf Protest At The White House 2015 Live Video