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<div class="gmail-small-12 gmail-inset gmail-columns gmail-center"><div class="gmail-row"><div><header class="gmail-article__header gmail-article__header_no_subheadline"><h1 class="gmail-article__headline">Human rights complaint against St. John Ambulance over sign language will proceed</h1></header></div></div></div><div><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-small-12 gmail-inset gmail-columns"><div class="gmail-article__body gmail-clearfix gmail-article-story-body"><div class="gmail-no-right-rail"><div class="gmail-article__meta gmail-article__meta_padding"><div class="gmail-inset"><div class="gmail-article__byline"><span>By </span><span class="gmail-article__author"><span><span class="gmail-article__author-name"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/authors.vikander_tessa.html"><span>Tessa Vikander</span></a></span></span></span></span><span><span class="gmail-article__author-credit">StarMetro Vancouver</span></span></span></div><div class="gmail-article__published-date">Wed., June 27, 2018</div></div><div class="gmail-clearfix gmail-share-toolbar"><div class="gmail-share-toolbar__body" style=""><div class="gmail-clearfix gmail-sticky-replace gmail-sticky-replace--inset"><div class="gmail-sticky-replace__body"><ul class="gmail-share-toolbar__primary gmail-clearfix"><li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/06/27/human-rights-complaint-against-st-john-ambulance-over-sign-language-will-proceed.html#" title="Share on Facebook"><span class="gmail-staricon gmail-staricon-facebook"></span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/06/27/human-rights-complaint-against-st-john-ambulance-over-sign-language-will-proceed.html#" title="Share on Twitter"><span class="gmail-staricon gmail-staricon-twitter"></span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/06/27/human-rights-complaint-against-st-john-ambulance-over-sign-language-will-proceed.html#" title="Share with email"><span class="gmail-staricon gmail-staricon-email-outlined"></span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/06/27/human-rights-complaint-against-st-john-ambulance-over-sign-language-will-proceed.html#" title="More share options" class="gmail-share-toolbar-more"><span class="gmail-staricon gmail-staricon-more-dots"></span></a></li></ul></div></div><div style="height:62px;width:230px;margin:0px;border-spacing:0px;border:0px none;padding:0px;font-size:1em;float:none"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-trackContent-0"><p>VANCOUVER—The
BC Human Rights Tribunal has accepted a complaint by a Deaf advocacy
organization that alleges St. John Ambulance is not fulfilling its duty
to accommodate Deaf or hard-of-hearing people in its courses, even
though the complaint was submitted later than usually allowed.</p><p>The
complaint, filed by the Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf (OVAD)
in January outlines several incidents in which St. John Ambulance and
the associated St. John Society is alleged to have denied paying for
sign language interpreters for its courses, the first of which was in
2013.</p></div><div class="gmail-hero gmail-blur_effect"><figure class="gmail-image gmail-hideRegistration"><div class="gmail-image__body gmail-white-background"><img src="https://images.thestar.com/VCfEXFttT0VBVWjVaJoKmOyqCnk=/1200x788/smart/filters:cb(1530194400000)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/vancouver/2018/06/27/human-rights-complaint-against-st-john-ambulance-over-sign-language-will-proceed/scakes.jpg" alt="Kimberly Wood, president of OVAD, said the complaint is important to the Deaf community because first aid certification “is required in some workplaces and we also would like to be able to save our loved ones or somebody who is close to us.”" style="max-height: 650px;"></div><figcaption>Kimberly
Wood, president of OVAD, said the complaint is important to the Deaf
community because first aid certification “is required in some
workplaces and we also would like to be able to save our loved ones or
somebody who is close to us.”<span class="gmail-image__credit"> (<span class="gmail-image__credit__source">SHUTTERSTOCK</span>)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div><div><div class="gmail-alpha gmail-alpha--big-box gmail-show-for-medium-up gmail-hideRegistration"><div class="gmail-seo-media-query"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-large-vancouver-3" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/58580620/thestar.com/vancouver_2__container__" style="border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:600px"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-trackContent-3 gmail-blur_effect gmail-hideRegistration"><p>Under
the tribunal’s rules, a complaint must be submitted within six months
of when the incidents are alleged to have happened. But this rule can be
waived at the discretion of the tribunal, especially if the group
making the complaint can prove that the discrimination wasn’t just a
one-time thing, but is ongoing.</p><p>In a June 22 decision about
whether to accept the complaint, the tribunal decided the complaint
should go ahead, but it did not provide a final ruling.</p><p>“I am
satisfied that accepting any late-filed portion of the compliant is in
the public interest,” wrote tribunal member Norman Trerise.</p></div><div class="gmail-trackContent-5 gmail-blur_effect gmail-hideRegistration"><p>Kimberly
Wood, president of OVAD, said the complaint is important to the Deaf
community because first aid certification “is required in some
workplaces and we also would like to be able to save our loved ones or
somebody who is close to us.”</p><p>In a statement from B.C.’s Public
Interest Advocacy Centre, which is representing Deaf British Columbians
in the case, several court decisions establish the rights of Deaf people
to access sign language interpretation, and under the BC Human Rights
Code both public and private organizations, including charities, “are
obligated to make their services accessible to Deaf people unless it
causes undue hardship.”</p><p>Although the complaint was filed by the
Okanagan association, it was filed on behalf of all British Columbians
who are Deaf or hard of hearing, who use sign language, and who have
been impacted by the “practice of refusing to fund sign language
interpretation for St. John Ambulance courses.”</p><p>Wood said access to sign language interpreters is a vital part of an accessible society.</p><p>“It’s
same idea of telling people in their wheelchairs that they have to
bring their own ramps or build one so they can have access to buildings.
We the Deaf people and hard of hearing should be able to have access to
what we need to function in our society, not denying our access,” she
said.</p></div><div class="gmail-seo-media-query"><div class="gmail-article-related gmail-hideRegistration"><div class="gmail-article-related__body"><div class="gmail-inset"><div class="gmail-article-related__layout-alpha"><div class="gmail-article-related__alpha"><div class="gmail-big-box"><div class="gmail-seo-media-query"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-large-vancouver-10" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/58580620/thestar.com/vancouver_9__container__" style="border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-article-related__related"><div class="gmail-article-related__layout-alpha"><div class="gmail-article-related__related"><h4 class="gmail-article-related__heading gmail-show-for-medium-up">You might be interested in</h4><ul><li><div class="gmail-story gmail-small-story--list gmail-medium-story--small gmail-large-story--small"><div class="gmail-story__image"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2018/06/26/donald-trump-made-103-false-claims-last-week-shattering-his-dishonesty-record"><div><div class="gmail-media-responsive gmail-media-responsive-16by9"><img src="https://images.thestar.com/KHax4msQTS1EXZf1IQi9sr_8UqQ=/93x52/smart/filters:cb(1530051240238)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/analysis/2018/06/26/donald-trump-made-103-false-claims-last-week-shattering-his-dishonesty-record/trump.jpg" alt="Trump is now up to 1,829 false claims for the first 521 days of his presidency, an average of 3.5 per day."></div></div></a></span></span></div><div class="gmail-story__body"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2018/06/26/donald-trump-made-103-false-claims-last-week-shattering-his-dishonesty-record"><span class="gmail-story__headline">Donald Trump made 103 false claims last week, shattering his dishonesty record</span></a></span></span></div></div></li><li><div class="gmail-story gmail-small-story--list gmail-medium-story--small gmail-large-story--small"><div class="gmail-story__image"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/06/26/officers-accused-of-consuming-marijuana-edibles-while-on-duty-ate-chocolate-laced-with-cannabis-oil-documents-show"><div><div class="gmail-media-responsive gmail-media-responsive-16by9"><img src="https://images.thestar.com/NE2lA2PEY4jn-L74h6uNeDv2JDI=/0x313:450x566/93x52/smart/filters:cb(1530129798053)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2018/06/26/officers-accused-of-consuming-marijuana-edibles-while-on-duty-ate-chocolate-laced-with-cannabis-oil-documents-show/vittorio_dominelli.jpg" alt="Const. Vittorio Dominelli, left, is one of the officers charged with multiple counts of professional misconduct under Ontario’s Police Services Act."></div></div></a></span></span></div><div class="gmail-story__body"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/06/26/officers-accused-of-consuming-marijuana-edibles-while-on-duty-ate-chocolate-laced-with-cannabis-oil-documents-show"><span class="gmail-story__headline">Officers accused of consuming marijuana edibles while on duty ate chocolate laced with cannabis oil, documents show</span></a></span></span></div></div></li><li><div class="gmail-story gmail-small-story--list gmail-medium-story--small gmail-large-story--small"><div class="gmail-story__image"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/06/27/man-killed-after-crashing-car-into-two-moose-in-northern-ontario"><div><div class="gmail-media-responsive gmail-media-responsive-16by9"><img src="https://images.thestar.com/p75_g5UxLQQYtkMfImOe_l0xLHU=/0x0:1200x675/93x52/smart/filters:cb(1530124218415)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2018/06/27/man-killed-after-crashing-car-into-two-moose-in-northern-ontario/moose.jpg" alt="Provincial police say the incident happened at about 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday in Bonfield Township, Ont., near North Bay."></div></div></a></span></span></div><div class="gmail-story__body"><span><span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/06/27/man-killed-after-crashing-car-into-two-moose-in-northern-ontario"><span class="gmail-story__headline">Man killed after crashing car into two moose in northern Ontario</span></a></span></span></div></div></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="gmail-fsk_splitbox_onscreen" class="gmail-fsk_splitbox_onscreen gmail-sb-opened"><div id="gmail-fsk_splitbox" class="gmail-fsk_splitbox_27 gmail-sb-opened" style="height:359px;text-align:center;width:603px;clear:both"></div></div><div class="gmail-trackContent-8 gmail-blur_effect gmail-hideRegistration"><p>According
to tribunal documents, the Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf says
that in 2013 it contacted the Kelowna branch of St. John Ambulance and
asked it to provide sign language interpretation for one of its courses,
but was denied. A similar request happened again in 2017, to which St.
John Ambulance is alleged to have replied that it does not fund sign
language interpreters because it is a “not-for-profit charitable
organization.”</p><p>In another incident outlined in the documents, a
staff member from the BC School of the Deaf contacted Burnaby and New
Westminster branches of the society to organize private first aid
training for its students, and informed the organization that the
instructor would need to have a sign language interpreter to make sure
the school’s students could understand what was being taught. But St.
John Ambulance replied to her saying that although interpreters are
welcome, the society is “not able to book or fund interpreters.”</p></div><div class="gmail-trackContent-10 gmail-blur_effect gmail-hideRegistration"><p>St.
John Ambulance did not reply to an interview request before deadline
and its lawyer named in documents declined a request for an interview.
But tribunal documents state that the society says it does not have a
policy against providing sign language interpreters.</p><p>In documents,
the society says “their denials were not pursuant to a policy, but
rather were decisions made in response to requests and informed by a
consideration of the circumstances at the material time.”</p></div></div></div></div></div>
<br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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