Legal Research

Sign-Language in Legal Community Settings ? Deadline Approaching

By Connie Crosby

We have talked a number of times on Slaw about projects funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario. Even here at Slaw our re-development over the past several months has been assisted by a grant from the LFO. What impresses me with the LFO is that they put funding into projects that are of the interest of the public. One such effort is the Connecting Legal Interpretation Network.

Based on the June 2010 Access to Sign-Language Interpretation in Community Legal Settings: Report to the Law Foundation of Ontario [pdf] (“Sign Language Report”) and the earlier Connecting Report by George Thomson and Karen Cohl, the LFO is inviting legal and community organizations to apply to its Access to Justice Fund for funding for projects that will improve access to sign-language interpretation in legal community settings.

From the FAQ [pdf]:

The Connecting Report, a report commissioned by the LFO and authored by George Thomson and Karen Cohl, stated that there was a need to improve the delivery of interpretation services in the legal sector and recommended the creation of a Connecting Legal Interpretation Network.

Following the release of that report, the LFO asked George Thomson and Karen Cohl to facilitate meetings between key legal service providers and interpreter organizations to assist the LFO in identifying priority areas where it should invite applications to fund legal interpretation initiatives.

On April 27, 2010, the LFO held a half day meeting on access to sign language interpretation in community legal settings attended by twenty-one participants including representatives of LAO and community legal clinics, advocates and service providers to the deaf community, other community and interpreter organizations, and Ontario government ministries and agencies.

As a result of this meeting, George Thomson and Karen Cohl prepared a report to the LFO entitled ?Access to Sign-Language Interpretation in Community Legal Settings? (the Sign Language Interpretation Report). This invitation for applications is based on the recommendations contained in that report and is the first step in creating a Connecting Legal Interpretation Network.

The LFO is looking to fund projects that meet one or more of these objectives:

? Test an outreach and intake model for a community legal clinic, in partnership with organizations serving the Deaf community.
? Create tools and protocols to assist legal service providers to serve Deaf clients and to make the best use of sign language interpreters.
? Bring members of the Deaf community, interpreters, legal service providers, governments and others together to create a vision that will be refined with knowledge gained from the above service delivery project.

These criteria will be used to assess the projects:

? A lead organization with expertise in (a) the provision of legal information and services to low-income and vulnerable persons, or (b) advocacy or service delivery for the Deaf community.
? A commitment to partnerships among community legal service providers, community organizations serving the Deaf community, experts in the provision of sign language interpretation, and other relevant bodies.
? The range of expertise the proposed partners will bring and their support for the project.
? An indication of how the project will:
-broaden knowledge about the legal needs of persons who are Deaf, the best ways to meet those needs, and how to ensure access to sign language interpreters in community legal settings; and
-contribute to a vision on access to legal services in community settings by persons who are Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.
? A rationale for the project scope and methodology, deliverables and success indicators, and a plan for sharing the results.
? A plan, budget and timeline for conducting and managing the project along with clear lines of accountability and delineation of roles.

The deadline for applications is February 28, 2011. Additional information may be found in the documents on the Connecting Legal Interpretation Network. Applications may be made by filling out the Access to Justice Fund application form on the LFO website.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on January 17, 2011 (boomark / email).