American Sign Language and LSQ online videos launched

MONTRÉAL, June 2, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, as part of disability awareness week, launched today a series of videos in Québec Sign Language (LSQ) and American Sign Language (ASL) to help the deaf, deafened and hard of hearing community, as well as people with low literacy, to access information to defend their rights.

The 25 videos cover the themes explored on the Commission's website: the grounds for discrimination, the areas where discrimination is prohibited, the prohibited practices, youth rights, the mission of the Commission and how to file a complaint. Information is also provided in voice-over.

"The Commission is pleased to present these videos with a view to provide better access to its services. A large segment of the population will benefit from this information made available in his or her own language," said the president of the Commission, Jacques Frémont.

Available on the Commission's website and on YouTube, these videos were produced in cooperation with Cinéall Production des Sourds (CPS), a business established in 1999 by Sylvain Gélinas, a Montréal-based deaf artist who communicates in LSQ and works with interpreters and volunteers of his community.

ASL and LSQ, which have their own grammatical rules, are often the first language of deafened or hard of hearing people. In fact, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations in 2006 and ratified by Canada in 2010, recognizes that sign languages have the same status as spoken languages.

The videos are available on the Commission's website at www.cdpdj.qc.ca and on its YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/LaCDPDJ.

To find out more on the Semaine québécoise des personnes handicapées http://www.ophq.gouv.qc.ca/SQPH/

The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Human Rights and Youth Commission) ensures the promotion and respect of the principles set out in the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It also ensures that the interests of children are protected and that their rights recognized in the Youth Protection Act are respected and promoted. In addition, the Commission oversees compliance with the Act respecting Equal Access to Employment in Public Bodies.

Contact:

Patricia Poirier
514 873-5146 or 1 800 361-6477, ext. 358
TTY: 514 873-2648
[email protected]

ASL videos are available on the following pages:

• The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse's mandate and services.
• Filing a complaint at the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse
• Prohibited practices: Discrimination; Harassment; Exploitation of the elderly and of disabled persons; Violation of rights of a child or a teenager.
• Areas where discrimination and harassment are prohibited: Employment; Housing; Public services,public transport and public places; Juridical acts.
• Prohibited grounds of discrimination and harassment: Age; Civil status; Disability; Ethnic or national origin;Language; Political convictions; Pregnancy; Race or color;Religion;Sex;Sexual orientation;Social condition; Previous convictions.
• Hiring and pre-hiring process.
• Reprisals.

SOURCE: Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse

Patricia Poirier
514 873-5146 or 1 800 361-6477, ext. 358
TTY: 514 873-2648
[email protected]