Interpreting Forward 2030, expanded hearing aid insurance coverage, 2024 Collaborative Experience Conference, and more
12/8/2023 3:55:21 PM
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Hello everyone! I am happy to be back with many updates to share with everyone. First, let me introduce myself. I am Dr. Darlene Zangara. I am a white woman. I have glasses, blonde hair, and I am wearing all black.
The Commission team has been busy this fall, working on projects such as Interpreting Forward and language acquisition. We have also been working on improving the accessibility of programs for people who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing.
I have an amazing team and we continue to look for ways to grow, learn, and positively impact the people of Minnesota. Recently, we received training on deafblindness and racial equity.
We have been traveling to different areas of Greater Minnesota to host community input sessions. So far, we have had sessions in Rochester, Mankato, Bemidji, Duluth, Moorhead, and Sartell (near St. Cloud).
Thank you to those who were able to join us, connect, share your experiences, and help shape the future of improving the quality and availability of interpreting services in Minnesota.
There are still opportunities to share your thoughts! Additional sessions are planned (at the time of this filming) for Thief River Falls, Brainerd, Faribault, the Metro Twin Cities area, and statewide on Zoom.
Here is an update on what has been happening with the working groups under Interpreting Forward.
They met over 10 weeks.
More than 25 hours of group discussion and collaboration was done to develop a map of how interpreting happens.
As a result, we have a systems map of pathways in interpreting. A systems map is a visual graphic with lines and descriptions, which show how parts of the larger system are related to each other. In this case, the map shows the pathway on how people step on the path to become an interpreter and different stages in the system where they either stay on the path or leave the path.
We are using this systems map to guide our discussion about how interpreting happens in Minnesota.
This group will reconvene after we have received more input and the other working groups have done their respective activities.
We have received more than 350 interviews and survey responses so far.
This team is currently responsible to interview more people now through the end of December.
If you would like to be interviewed, please sign up at the Commission’s website (Interpreting Forward).
This group is starting to meet. They will start their research on what is happening across the country in interpreting. They will compare that information with what we are learning in Minnesota.
This group is starting to meet. They will analyze the survey responses and interview data that has been collected. They will also identify trends and prepare to analyze the data from the National Research working group.
Again, if you would like to be interviewed or participate in the online survey, visit the Commission’s website.
One major accomplishment from the 2023 legislative session was removing the age limit in Minnesota Statute 62Q.675, which requires Minnesota health insurance plans to cover hearing aids for individuals who need them.
Before, this statute only covered children from ages 0-18. By removing the age limitation, this now applies to all ages, and covers both children and adults.
This law only applies to group insurance plans based in Minnesota. It does not apply to self-insured plans or other states.
Minnesota's expanded hearing aid insurance coverage law went into effect July of this year. There are still other barriers to getting hearing aids, however. For example, some audiology providers are having to turn away patients with certain insurance plans. We are seeking stories from people who have had trouble getting hearing aids on or after July 1, 2023.
Save the date! The 2024 Collaborative Experience Conference will take place on November 7-9, 2024. We will share more information as soon as possible.
I’m proud to share that Danelle Gournaris, Collaborative Plan Program Director, received her certificate in Education Advocacy (EA). This happened at the National Association of the Deaf’s (NAD) recent National Leadership Training Conference (NLTC).
Under the EA program, advocates are trained on federal and state education laws. They also receive training on various advocacy strategies and techniques. The purpose is to successfully address barriers to receiving quality education and language acquisition.
Congratulations, Danelle!
Since this fall, the Commission has met three times with teachers, school administrators, and professionals responsible for data tracking and language acquisition in Minnesota.
During these meetings, we explored and learned more about Minnesota’s current system for language acquisition in deaf and hard of hearing children from birth to age 5. This includes what data is currently being collected and where it is being reported.
We are learning how other states gather data as well. We appreciate the special presentation provided by the staff from Kansas’ Language Assessment Program.
While Minnesota does have a language acquisition system already, we are looking into ways we can enhance this system and ultimately benefit Minnesota's deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and their families.
In September, the national 988 suicide and crisis lifeline announced they added a direct calling service in American Sign Language to connect to crisis counselors fluent in ASL. This is in addition to other accessible ways to seek help, including online chat, 988 text, calling through an amplified or captioned phone, and the TTY. Visit 988lifeline.org to learn more and click on “For Deaf & Hard of Hearing” at the top of the page.
I am happy to share that Dr. Jaime Wilson will be presenting a workshop on dementia and how it impacts our deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing community in-person at St. Catherine University. It will take place on Saturday, December 9, 2023. The Commission is proud to be providing this workshop with our partner, the Minnesota Deaf Senior Citizens. We also appreciate the help of our sponsors, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division, St. Catherine University, and the Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. We are expecting members of the community, family members, caregivers, service providers, and state policymakers to attend. There is seating reserved for senior citizens and for deafblind community members. There will also be a book signing for Dr. Wilson’s book, “Preserving the Etchings of the Mind.” I hope you can join us! More information is available on the Commission’s website (Risk Factors for Dementia).
Here are pictures of recent events.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or if there is something you would like me to include in a future update, please email me. Thank you!
Featuring Dr. Darlene G. Zangara, Executive Director. The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing thanks:
Daisy Jo Shuda for voiceover.
Keystone Interpreting Solutions for film production.
language acquisition
hearing aids
education
executive director updates
communication access
