By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba\u2019s deaf community is demanding the province take action to combat audism \u2014 discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing \u2014 after the minister in charge of accessibility was caught complaining about an ASL interpreter on a hot mic. \u201cWhen leaders diminish the importance of authentic accessibility, it sends a message that deaf Manitobans can be overlooked,\u201d Andrew Stadnicki wrote in a letter to Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine over the weekend. \u201cThat attitude becomes policy, shapes budgets, dictates who gets hired, and ultimately keeps deaf people from becoming professionals, decision-makers, or role models.\u201d Stadnicki\u2019s three-page letter has been making the rounds on social media and was shared by others who, like him, are deaf or identify as… <\/p>\n
By Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba\u2019s deaf community is demanding the province take action to combat audism \u2014 discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing \u2014 after the minister in charge of accessibility was caught complaining about an ASL interpreter on a hot mic. \u201cWhen leaders diminish the importance of authentic accessibility, it sends a message that deaf Manitobans can be overlooked,\u201d Andrew Stadnicki wrote in a letter to Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine over the weekend. \u201cThat attitude becomes policy, shapes budgets, dictates who gets hired, and ultimately keeps deaf people from becoming professionals, decision-makers, or role models.\u201d Stadnicki\u2019s three-page letter has been making the rounds on social media and was shared by others who, like him, are deaf or identify as... <\/p>\n