"The Legislative Process and How it Benefits Our Community"
Friday, October 4th • 3:00—6:00 PM
Presenter: James "Dino" Christianson, Jr. | CEUs: 0.3 PS
Held in Washington E
Description: This workshop will present information about Washington State politics and the legislative process. We will discuss pertinent vocabulary definitions and real-life examples of how the Deaf community has influenced the political process. Topics will also include how community members can make informed decisions and how interpreters can act as allies allies throughout the process. * Deaf Community Emphasis
Dino has been a Deaf client advocate and presenter of Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center in Bellingham, Washington State for fifteen years and a camp co-director, workshop educator, and certified challenge course facilitator of Deaf Teen Leadership (DTL) camp in Randle, Washington State for nine years. He graduated at the College of Fine Arts of Rochester Institute of Technology with communication support of National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design. In addition, Dino was a board member of Washington State Association of the Deaf (WSAD) for ten years, including a 4-year term as president and a 4-year term as treasurer. He learned more about legislation by attending legislators’ hearings and public forums in Olympia and got to know who his representatives were. He provided workshops about the legislation to Deaf teen delegates at DTL and the Deaf community. He attended some local, county, and state political events to develop relationships with representatives and political candidates. Dino’s interests have been changing lately, but he mostly enjoys reading and watching comic books, crime stories, warrior women, and political dramas. Also, he enjoys hiking, biking, cooking Mexican food, and having quality time with his wife and two daughters.
