Spring It On! for Jewish Family Service 8 am Thursday, March 24- 8 am Friday, March 25, 2016.

Spring It On! for Jewish Family Service any time today during United Way’s 24 hour online Give-A-Thon and help us fund outreach services to help Deaf refugees living in WNY to access the employment, education, health, and social services they need to live independently well in their new homes.  Your generosity will also make possible Deaf and ASL interpreter and closed captioning services in the documentary we are making in collaboration with Buffalo's Deaf refugee population and the agencies, funders, and communities who serve them.   This documentary will raise awareness, increase funding and programming, and provide Deaf refugees with the chance to communicate in powerful new ways.  

When hearing refugees are resettled in the U.S., most have immediate access to ELL classes where they also learn about American culture, laws and other norms that help them adjust to life in their new home.  Along with the development of adequate English skills, this information helps them access the healthcare, education and employment they need to live independently in their new home.  

    Deaf refugees who arrive here must also develop communication skills and access information needed to rebuild their lives in America.  Without knowledge of American Sign Language – and sometimes lacking signing skills of any kind – this is a great challenge.  Some Deaf refugees may also have been denied any meaningful outside relationships or education outside of the home, and need additional acculturation support and services.

    Jewish Family Service Director of Program Development and Integration Pam Kefi has been working to develop equitable access to quality sign language instruction for local Deaf refugees. Last year, she partnered with Jason Goldstein of Services Bridges in Niagara Falls, and recruited Paula Brooks, a Deaf woman from Jamaica, to facilitate teach a community-based American Sign Language and life skills class to Deaf refugees from all over the world now living in here in Buffalo.  Now, JFS has launched a brand new ASL and vocational training program for Deaf refugees and is making a documentary in collaboration with this population and community partners, to take this issue head-on.

Click here to meet the JFS Refugee Team at Balkan Dining in Kenmore for a discussion about the clients they serve.

Click here to watch a conversation with Joy Higgins, Associate Principal at St. Mary's School for the Deaf. 

You will become an important part of the JFS "Lifeline for All!"