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1 By IRENE GENTLE The Champion When 22-year-old Date Sharp returned from college this spring, he began to search for a summer job. The raft of resumes he sent out ail showed that he was employ- able, eager - and deaf. When the weeks dragged on widi no response, tha young Mr. Sharp tried a new tactic. Ha sent out alI dia sarne resurnes, this tirne taking out any referenca to daafness. "He got three calîs for interviews in one day," reported his mother, Carole Sharp. "'Ne almost faîl off our chairs." M.Sharp succeeded in gaining a job fm one of diosa inter- viws. Now, the Milton Deaf Action Group (MDAG) ia hoping to makedthe pmocess easîer for other deaf job-seekars widi an upcorn- ing inforination session. The session will be held May 27 ut the Milton Seniors Activity Centre, 500 Childs Drive, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The goal of the meeting is to help local businesses understand the needs of Halton's approxirnately 3,000 deaf and bard of hearing -residents. "We're hoping a lot of people will corne out to this," said Ms Sharp, a MDAG member. 'fley (tha deaf) are physically capable of doing any job." To dnrnm up interest, 500 invitations have been sent out to local businesses and service clubs. Ms Sharp said she would be happy if even 100 took tha tirne to corne out. Despite the work of MDAG, many barriers stilI exist to prevent tia deaf frorn becorning fully integrated in the cornrunity. Even tha simple set of joiing a ball leagua is usually out of tha ques- tion. The up to $50 an hour cost for an interpreter is too steep for rnost clubs to absorb. Until recently, interpreters and T1Y phones v i CANADA'S LARGEST MATTRESS FACIORY DIRECT e CANADA'S LARGEST MATTRESS FACTORY DIRECT sivel) 1 m t0rý CID W cn Sale Ends Sunday, May xi 2Z GREAT FOR THE COTTAGE! MANAGERS SPECIAL N% W rn M NO A EST r"22 00 INTER WAS $50.9 yeur NOW olle Runk For c o.A. REGULAR FIRM INDIVIDUAL SUPER FIRM SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT y 1"4" lm foi 0 1 1-ý CD Mi )IAYBED BUNK BED 7G E ýBED r :UT N 'TORA B SAL ýUT0N 1 D SA4 SA cn 13 SALE ýLE BED SALE 2C ÏA S A L_9ýE - Eý) LE 6W 2C ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ------------- % ...... . . . . . Factory Outlet ctory Outiet the OPEN N: 6" SUNDAYS! Sleep Facto 246 Main St. E. 490 Speers Rioad1 MILTON OAKVILLE 77,7711F-ý . 878-4606 842-3368 m= _JJ Wé li phüne ofders Acci Phoiie Otdrý Accepteil o- . mir ', ý-1, 'il mv Vve ire Ille factoi-Y. 4' Cls andIOb Champion, Frlday, May 18,1999g They worry deaf face doub Ail Speciais for a limited time only. J'Change$ Consçignoen Shoppe lot. 327 Bronte Street South, Milton, 875-2426 NOW OPEN ,Acceptlng Spring & Summer New and gently used /4%L dies Fashion ClothingY New Arts &Crafts .à ~OCONSIGNMVENT I ours: Mon.-Sot. 10:00 -6:00 i Evening Appointments - Avoulable 342 (11st 876-4419 Unk 7,EI. M ledqs en eVomazd eVat'b.§ - Panasonic C2-DPX33 OR Sony CDX-C4750 Your Choice $'ff9 Instolled $2991 * Taes Dual 10 OffL Audio Subwoofhrs $49 Boxed - Starfit $399 300 Watt Amplifier $O9 as Iow os 1i91 Sony Panasonic System Package System Package CDX-C4750 head unit C2-DP44 head unit Sony 400 Watt Ampi r ZAPCO 500 Watt Amplier Dual 12'...u - bxed Dual 1 0"JL Audiosub - boed Sony companesit speaker syàtm JL Audio Comparient speaker systensi Adorm Systerri Mar sSystemn fil Spedolsifor o Iimîedurn on>' le standard r the t iaf were considered a i 'if problem oiily. -That' like syng you*r in awh I t yo taý t po ide your own ramp, said Mu Sharp. The group was formed, two years ago after the Milton Youth alvisory Consn'ittee made a series of visits to local schools with 4ayor Gord Krantz. Ille committere wondered what the ids boped for in the future. At the E.C. Drury School for the Deaf, students had an easy ýne-word answer - inclusion. Since that trne, the town has gone hrough a few changes. 'IY phones - at a cost of about $700 - iave been installed et the police station, the public library, Zak's >harmacy and Town Hall. Milton District Hospital bas brought in =T phones, interpreters and closed captioning for televisions. At times, effective communication can be an issue between the searing and the deaf, said Ms Sharp. Since language is often mpaired by the hearing disorder, a rnajority of deaf students graduate high school with a grade four or five reading ability. A reliance on tihe American signi language - instead of an old Eanadian version - hasn't helped matters. The reason is that while the Canadian version encouraged the signing of entire sen- tecs, Arnerican signing favours a shorter style, said Ms Sharp. "Before, you used to sign a whole sentence, like 'I'm going to tiastore,"' she related. "Now, it's just 'store going."' The result has been a fîurthar harnpering of communication, she said. "If they don't know how to say it, how do they know how to write it? It's a problam." Despite that increased awareness will help open doors for the deaf, said Ms Sharp. "We've put a lot of work intor this. We've made a lot of headway."