Canucks for FSSA
Established by two alumni, Megan Youngs ‘03 and Christine Roschaert ‘06, in the purpose of educating and spreading the word of the protests, crisis and latest updates at Gallaudet University. Both hail from Ontario (ECD and OSD-SJW) respectfully. Website is maintained by volunteers. We welcome all alumni, friends and families in our cause to provide support to the GUFSSA in Washington, D.C. More information about the GUFSSA can be found at www.gufssa.com.
An excerpt from the website:
Gallaudet University Faculty, Staff, Students & Alumni (GUFSSA)
We are a diverse and multi cultural group of highly concerned individuals and organizations committed to working together respectfully for a better and united Gallaudet University: UNITY FOR GALLAUDET
We are faculty, staff, students and alumni. We are African-American, Asian-American, Latin-American, European-American, African, International, Hearing, D/deaf, and some of us are latecomers to the deaf community. We are diverse in gender, age, and sexual orientation. We came together from different places and different points and through dialogue, we now have a shared vision which united us for one cause. Our discussions are not about who is “deaf enough,” but about our desire for a president of Gallaudet who is fairly chosen, well-qualified, well-respected, and able to best lead and represent us as a growing diverse community.
Organizations represented in the FSSA coalition are:
- Graduate Student Association
- Student Body Government
- Black Deaf Students Union
- Latino Students Union
- Asian Pacific Association
- International Student Club
- Students-at-Large
- Students with Disabilities
- Faculty
- Staff
- Alumni
We believe that:
- the Board of Trustees’ presidential search process was flawed
- this process and the result divided us and created a hostile environment
- the Provost’ actions continue to divide the community, and
- uniting our community will be best achieved by a new search process
Therefore, the FSSA unanimously agrees to a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE in the search process and in the Provost’ actions that have failed to unite and lead this community.
More information can be found at www.gufssa.com . Be sure to check out their FAQs at http://about.gufssa.com/
4 Comments
October 18, 2006 at 9:02 pm
hello, please post the video clips from deaf nation http://mishkazena.wordpress.com/2006/10/18/fssa-ikj-and-jk-vlogs-at-deafnation/
The three videos was interviewed by deaf nation from JKF, IKJ, and members of FSSA yesterday.
A proud Canadian Gallaudetian for FSSA!
Class of 98
October 25, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Friends of Gallaudet!
The Deaf community of Canada supports the protest and demands of the FSSA! At first many of us were confused with the events that happened but thanks to the “Canucks for FSSA and FSSA at Gallaudet” they have educated us the true in-depth oppression that we are facing. All of us whether we are alumni of Gallaudet or not, we must take a stand against this oppression!
I caution you this is not only happening at Gallaudet but right here in our own country and around the World too. It is time we go a step further to getting world wide attention and to end oppression once and for all.
Deaf people still live in fear and are denied equal opportunity because MOST hearing people continue not to treat us with dignity. They say give them credit our society is better than 10 years ago, huh? Then why are many of us still unemployed and underemployed across Canada? Why are so many of us not hired as managers or able to run our schools and organizations across Canada? Why do we still have hands tied behind our backs and abiding by those hearing dominators who think they know our needs and path to a better future when in fact they know nothing!
Remember – The protest at Gallaudet is not only about Gallaudet but also about the true oppression that is happening around the World! If we are to end this oppression and take control of our lives then “We must stand firm and united to one cause, Deaf people can and will take control of how we want to live and represent our people, period!”.
Chris Kenopic
Ontario
October 26, 2006 at 9:21 pm
New video of Peter Ourisu Anash
November 1, 2006 at 7:53 pm
So what’s next on our agenda? Granted, the Unity for Gallaudet protest has united the Deaf and kept us glued to our screens, waiting for news, updates, vlogs and blog commentaries. We united for a cause, we connected to the protest and our Deaf pride shone. And now it ends. What are you going to do? Get off your seat, shut the computer say goodbye and call it a day?
Face it friends, there are still issues that Deaf
Canadians face and without us, without our input, our equal rights as Canadian citizens will yet continue to face shortcomings.
The Newfoundland School for the Deaf will soon close, and now there’s been speculation that the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf may suffer the same fate as well as the Alberta School for the Deaf too.
How about that no one is taking notice that Bill 59,
an Ontario Private member’s act Visual Fire Alarm
System Act alarms is still on the back burner? It
requires that all provincial and municipal public
buildings be equipped with a visual fire alarm system so that Deaf/HOH/D people are alerted to fire?
How about some attention paid to press the federal
government to get a move on with the Canadians with Disabilities Act? It’s not that it’s been swept under the carpet, but we need to inform the feds that we are waiting and watching.
Also, Canada doesn’t have too many Intervenor and American Sign Language Interpreter training programs and how come we aren’t making the demands to shorten the waiting time? How long is a wait? 2 – 3 weeks max? We can do better.
Also, we have yet to see public pay telephones at many selected locations. While Canada remains a leader in technology and has many enterprises in the fields of technology, we have yet to have the opportunity to use our hand held devices to call the local emergency services, or 9-1-1.
Fire alarms, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are costly, plus some products require the services of an electrician to install them in our homes and dwellings. How many of you sleep without the ability to hear your alarm at night? It’s a wonder we are not sleeping with one eye open. What other options are out there for us?
There are job opportunities available. Yes, the jobs
are there, but are the employers ready for us?
The Canadian video relay services will soon commerce, but when?
The Court Challenges Program has been cancelled and that is the very same program that gave us the right to have sign language interpreters present at federal services. Aren’t we lucky the case squeaked by? But the next time, for the next case, it would be difficult to get our foot in the door.
And must we continue to put up with closed captioning on television that continues to have spelling errors here and there? There’s this cooking show that said: add a tablespoon of corn sheer up…. Corn sheer up?
What the heck was that? ….Oh, corn syrup!
The federal government, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper has cut $17.7 million from adult literacy programs. We have yet to find out which of the programs that serve Deaf adults will be facing cutbacks.
The Ontario Human Rights commission is undergoing reforms, but not too many of us will be happy once the reforms are in place.
There have been several cases where it’s been
difficult to apply for the Ontario Disability Support
Plan and left many with questions.
I can go on and on about the challenges facing us,
Deaf Canadians, but I have to ask you, at some point, when do we start getting involved and speak out about the issues that we face? We did well for Unity for Gallaudet — united together in a show of support and we have seen the results of our protest.
We can do much more for each other. Let’s not allow fear, procrastination or apathy prevent us from uniting again, working together and breaking down the barriers.
Rita M. LeDrew