Indigenous gathering for deaf and hard of hearing promotes community inclusion

A gathering at the Oneida Nation of the Thames near London, Ont., aims to bring together Indigenous people who are deaf and hard of hearing to connect with each other and address some of the challenges they face connecting with culture and community.

Indigenous gathering for deaf and hard of hearing promotes community inclusion

Over the last two years, Marsha Ireland and her husband Max have been developing an Oneida sign language inspired after years of feeling excluded or left out of community events because of language barriers. 

"When we have interpreters come into our community that are signing in American Sign Language (ASL) they come to a point in our discussions when one of our speakers will only speak in Oneida and then the interpreter's hands would just drop," said Max Ireland. 

"I really want people to leave here with this sense of pride that they understand and they can go back to their communities and really advocate for them to have their own sign language," said Marsha Ireland, a deaf mother and grandmother who is helping to create an Oneida Sign Language (OSL). Source