by Patty Sarchi
“Sassy?” you ask. “Why did the Deaf-Blind Concerns Committee choose that name?”
Well, SASI (spelled “S-A-S-I”) is an acronym for Sight and Sound Impaired. Because many organizations who work on the issues which are particularly important to people who are both hearing and vision impaired have chosen to use that acronym, we decided it’s time our ACB committee adopts the title as well, because “sight and sound impaired” is an apt description for our membership and the issues we address.
We hope that our name change will not be offensive to any of our members. We simply want to lighten up our environment and encourage many additional people who may be visually impaired and hard of hearing to come see what our committee is all about and get involved. Within ACB, SASI is a group that will work to increase accessibility to all ACB events, as well as to promote awareness about ways to interact effectively with people who have both hearing and vision impairments.
To be SASI is to be doubly challenged and oftentimes frustrated. It is sometimes difficult for people with hearing and visual impairments to communicate with others, and just getting around, finding one’s way from place to place, can be a particularly daunting challenge.
Whereas a visually impaired person may have been taught orientation skills that take advantage of the sense of hearing, if one is sound and sight impaired, those auditory clues can become irrelevant. We want people who attend the ACB convention to be aware that we who are sight and sound impaired are among you. We hope you will extend an extra friendly touch to make us feel welcome and help us compensate for our additional sensory challenges.
The SASI gatherings are open to everyone. On Saturday, June 30, 2001 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. we will host a dynamic social. Look for this event in your program which will identify the location, and plan to join us. On Tuesday, July 3, 2001 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. we will host a panel discussion where questions about dual sensory losses and inquiries will be welcome. We look forward to having you join us. If you need to contact us for answers to questions about the ACB convention or to learn more about coping with a sight and sound impairment, you may e-mail me at psarchi@adelphia.net.