Many of you know that HEARD has been working for five years just to get videophones installed in jails and prisons across the nation. Check out this vlog with the latest huge win for our California community in our ongoing campaign. HEARD Intern Walter Hayslip-Pacut has the amazing Deaf Prisoner Phone Justice update for you in ASL!
The captioned version of the video is on Youtube at the link below and the transcript is below. Remember to share using #DeafInPrison & #PhoneJustice.
[TRANSCRIPT]
Title screen:
March 2016 Newsflash!
Deaf Prisoner Phone Justice Campaign
[Young white male with a dark jacket and short hair appears and begins signing in ASL][
Hello! I am Wally Pacut.
I am intern with HEARD, Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf. We have some exciting news to share with everyone.
If you have been keeping up with our organization’s all-volunteer advocacy, you know that our organization has been fighting for five years at the national level, for example, with the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice. We also have been advocating at the state level in numerous states.
What have be ben advocating for? Equal access to telecommunication.
Telecommunication includes videophones, TTYs and captioned telephones and deaf prisoners and CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) prisoners need equal access to telecommunication.
Our hard work is making a huge impact.
So now it is time for the announcement . . .. The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation has finally agreed to move forward with installation of videophones in California prisons.
We–HEARD, deaf and CODA prisoners and their families–have worked together to achieve phone justice. It was our collective activism that is the force behind phone justice success in California. We are beyond pleased to see our efforts pay off. During this effort, we also have provided support to attorneys who support phone justice for our community. This truly has ben a hard-fought, long-term collaborative effort.
Now, the deaf community, HEARD, deaf and CODA prisoners and their loved ones hope to see other states follow suit and ensure that phone justice is achieved for very person in every state. If you see that your home state or city jails and prisons do not have videophones installed, immediately start advocating to ensure that jails and prisons install videophones! You can advocate for phone justice too!
Equal access to videophones, TTYs and captioned telephones is hugely important. Not only does access to telecommunication impact the safety and health of our community members, it is paramount to promoting the success of our entire society.
We–deaf and CODA prisoners, their loved ones, and this organization–will continue our advocacy. Our tireless advocacy for phone justice for deaf and CODA prisoners will continue until ALL prison systems provide what is necessary to meet our needs and the needs of our incarcerated community.
If you want more information about our ongoing efforts or you want to learn about future phone justice updates, visit Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and search the following hashtags: #DeafInPrison & #PhoneJustice
If you search either of these hashtags you will find a lot more information.
I want to thank all deaf community members who have actually gotten involved in this effort.
We can do it!
We will achieve our goal.
Thank you for watching this vlog and there are more vlogs coming soon.
Exit screen:
www.behearddc.org
facebook.com/HEARDC
IG/Twitter @behearddc