Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

RESCHEDULED from October 14th to October 16th.

REGISTRATION LINK

We are rescheduling the Workgroup Kickoff Meeting that was on October 14^th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm due to the day being Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This is the day to acknowledge and honor Native Americans.

Out of respect, the meeting will now be taking place on October 16^th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. Please register here.

If you have any questions or concerns with the registration process, please contact Morgan Jericho at morgan.jericho@dshs.wa.gov.

Thank you!
Morgan

Morgan Jericho, MA
(he/they)
Management Analyst
Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH)
Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA)
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)

Previous message:

UPDATE FROM ODHH about the Interpreter Shortage Workgroup Efforts

VIDEO LINK

Hello Community Partners,

My name is Earnest Covington, III, and I am the Director of the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration of the Department of Social and Health Services. We want to update you on the status of the HB 2221 workgroup project, the Interpreter Shortage Resolution Taskforce.

The taskforce is expected to provide a legislative report to the Governor’s Office in June 2025. This report will detail the systemic barriers experienced by Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities and will provide a comprehensive analysis of sign language interpreter services in public, private, and community settings in Washington State.

DSHS and our community partners have been conducting intensive interviews to fill the program coordinator position leading this taskforce. We thank you for your participation in the interview process. Unfortunately, DSHS is currently unable to hire for the role.

The Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has appointed Morgan Jericho, Management Analyst 4, to lead and facilitate the taskforce meetings, monitor program activities, and support the data collection process. Morgan, who has worked with the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since 2023, supports multiple initiatives, including healthcare access, case management services, and legislative advocacy. You may have seen him working with community partners and leaders in the Washington State Association of the Deaf and the DeafBlind community, supporting the WSAD 2024 conference, ODHH expo, and other community events. His ongoing advocacy with medical interpreting issues will be incorporated into the taskforce.

The Program Coordinator position has been reposted. The person in this role will support Morgan in this initiative. Please see the job posting here.

Morgan will collaborate with you, and community members and leaders throughout Washington state, to support the Interpreter Shortage Resolution Taskforce. He will lead this project through completion in collaboration with taskforce members, the contracted research firm, and with legislative support to develop a report of systemic challenges and proposed solutions.

The first public taskforce session is scheduled from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, on Zoom. Please join us. Registration is required. LINK HERE.

Register for the public meeting at this link above, or email Morgan at morgan.jericho@dshs.wa.gov for more information.