Manitoba announces new funding supporting ASL education, training for Indigenous women
Province will provide $146K for partnership with Red River College Polytech
The Manitoba government has announced new funding supporting the delivery of American Sign Language education and programming through Red River College Polytech.
Speaking at the college Tuesday afternoon, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine — the minister responsible for accessibility, women and gender equity — announced the provincial government is investing $146,000 in ASL training through a partnership with RRC Polytech.
"This investment will help ensure that Indigenous, deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are able to connect with their communities, access services, participate in cultural and community events, and feel welcomed and included in all aspects of community life," she said.
The funding is through the province's Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag: All Women Doing Well strategy. The initiative is meant to empower women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people to live full lives, free from violence.
Of the $146,000, $128,000 will go toward supporting four Indigenous women in RRC Polytech's existing ASL-English Interpretation program.
"The dream is to ensure that Indigenous women are empowered, that they're liberated, that they have every opportunity to live their best lives," Fontaine said.
The remaining $18,000 is for the development and delivery of three ASL micro-credential programs that will introduce sign language and Deaf culture to learners directly on reserve, a provincial news release said. The training will have capacity for up to 15 learners per cohort.
The curriculum will incorporate Indigenous perspectives and be developed in partnership with Indigenous communities, the release said.
"These micro-credential courses will be delivered in community, helping reduce barriers to participation and making training more accessible for learners who may not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue ASL education," Fontaine said.
The micro-credentials program will be the equivalent to ASL 1, which is one of the prerequisites for entry into the ASL-English Interpretation program, the release said.
Manitoba accessibility minister commits to taking Deaf culture training after comments about ASL interpreter
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The announcement comes a year after Fontaine committed to taking Deaf culture training after she made negative comments about sharing a stage with a sign-language interpreter at a ceremony for Indigenous women graduates.
She then apologized, issuing two written statements and making an apology video where she said her comments didn't reflect how she feels about deaf and hard-of-hearing people or sign-language interpreters.
Cheryle Broszeit, an instructor in the ASL-English Interpretation program at RRC Polytech, attended the news conference Tuesday.
Speaking through a sign-language interpreter, Broszeit said the funding will "allow opportunities for Indigenous individuals to become interpreters so that they can go and interpret for their communities and fully represent their community members as they absolutely can."
"Our interpreters are always in very high demand. And so it's, it's wonderful that these students are coming to interpret for their community," she said through the interpreter.
