Community Linkage

Community Linkage June 8, 2012

Every week there are new press releases, articles, information, and videos popping up concerning Paganism, spirituality, health, or disabilities. Community Linkage is a collection of useful information and sometimes entertainment for you.

Deaf Pagan Community

I got an email from Luna who started the Deaf Pagan Network. Luna is a High Priestess in Nova Scotia and has been involved with the Deaf Community for many years. The Deaf Pagan Network has been around since 1998. They want “To be a place where individuals of Like Mind can come together to discuss the Pagan Path, to share our traditions, learn about our spirituality, participate in rituals, and develop our own personal relationship with Goddess and God

To be a place where individuals of Like Mind can come together to discuss issues related to deafness such as sign language, interpreting, deaf access, being Deaf in a hearing world, and similar topics.

One of their allies, who isn’t Pagan, put together a video in Sign Language explaining Paganism. I think this is a very important tool for out reach between Pagans and others in the Deaf Community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5fyl7Zqgs

I’m going to get a translation of the video from Luna if possible. You can also find the group on Facebook.

I am grateful for the internationally popular Wild Hunt blog for bringing up two very important news items for Pagans with disabilities and developmental challenges. I hope you’ll see from these two items that Pagans are growing stronger as a spiritual community.

Pagan ASL Interpreter List Being Compiled

Ocean at the Deaf Pagan Crossroads blog is compiling a list of Pagan American Sign Language Interpreters in the US. She wants to make it “available to Pagan organizations around the country, who can then use it to make contact with those individuals, in an attempt to enhance accessibility to their events by members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.”

Ardantane is a pagan learning center and seminary near Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have just nine days left in their HARRE Potty campaign at indiegogo.com “One rather glaring problem with our facilities is – a lack of restrooms. We have one small toilet in the staff residence, but it’s not handicapped-accessible. Thus we created the HARRE Potty Project: “HARRE” stands for Handicapped-Accessible RestRoom, Eco-friendly.” If you’ve ever needed to go and couldn’t find a restroom, you’ll have some understanding of what it’s like having to find a usable restroom each day in town let alone in the country. Help them out even if it is just a buck or two.

In Other News

Families giving up on promised service dogs Chicago Tribune “The dog training operation, called Animals for Autism, was founded by Lea Kaydus, who with the families’ help won a $50,000 grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project to train and place the dogs. Kaydus had said the dogs would join their families by spring 2012.” However, the dogs have not been delivered and the organization has gone for long periods without communicating with the families. The Illinois Attorney General is currently investigating. Families have little hope that the dogs will become available for their children.

‘Push Girls’ Turns Spotlight On Women In Wheelchairs
The Sundance channel has a new reality TV show spotlighting women who became disabled at some point later in life. The show looks like it will have a lot of heart and great stories with moments of sorrow and triumph. Push Girl’s airs Monday’s at 10 pm on the Sundance Channel.


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