Deaf community demands public forum after minister complains about ASL interpreter

By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba’s deaf community is demanding the province take action to combat audism — discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing — after the minister in charge of accessibility was caught complaining about an ASL interpreter on a hot mic. “When leaders diminish the importance of authentic accessibility, it sends a message that deaf Manitobans can be overlooked,” Andrew Stadnicki wrote in a letter to Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine over the weekend. “That attitude becomes policy, shapes budgets, dictates who gets hired, and ultimately keeps deaf people from becoming professionals, decision-makers, or role models.” Stadnicki’s three-page letter has been making the rounds on social media and was shared by others who, like him, are deaf or identify as…

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