Human Rights Commission Officially Launches Online Video and Recognizes Deaf Community Leader for his Inspiration

OTTAWA, Sept. 27, 2013 /CNW/ - A new accessible video to benefit people in Canada's Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing community as well as people with low literacy was officially launched yesterday at the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).

The online video, entitled "Your Guide to Understanding the Canadian Human Rights Act," provides information on human rights and discrimination in American Sign Language (ASL), Québec Sign Language (LSQ), English and French captioning, and English and French voice-over.

"I believe this is going to help a lot of people—whether they grew up Deaf and use sign-language as their first language, or whether they lack the literacy skills they need to read about their human rights," said Acting Chief Commissioner David Langtry. "This video is going to speak to its audiences about their rights in their language."

In a special ceremony yesterday, the CHRC formally recognized Jim Roots, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of the Deaf, for his leadership and integral role in the project. It was Mr. Roots who inspired the original concept for the video and led the project through to its completion.

People can have trouble reading for any number of reasons. There are an estimated 350,000 Canadians who identify as Deaf and use sign languages rather than the written word as their first language. Another 3.1 million adult Canadians have serious problems reading basic written materials, such as the directions on a medicine bottle. The video will allow these and other audiences to access information about their rights in the format that works for them.

The formal launch of the video coincides with the International Week of the Deaf.

The video is available on the Canadian Human Rights Commission's website and the Canadian Association of the Deaf's website.

SOURCE: Canadian Human Rights Commission

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