It is estimated that 218,495 deaf adults live in Puerto Rico (2018). While these numbers may be underestimated, they signal a huge population excluded from civic participation and development. Lack of legal literacy and access to justice fosters impunity regarding the discrimination and violence deaf families experience. This project supports know your rights campaigns, legal empowerment, and support In sign language. Together we can build an equitable and inclusive world.
Although several public policy commitments have been made, the deaf community awaits attention and support. Lack of interpreters and sign language literacy among government offices result in constant violation of the rights of these peoples to education, work, housing, bodily integrity and human dignity. These actions cost lives. Legal literacy and support are needed to defend rights and demand reparations.
This project responds to ALPR's commitment with legal empowerment. This project will provide sustainable accompaniment to the deaf community in three areas: legal education, legal support and advocacy. Focus groups will tell us the communities needs and wants. We will create a 50 resource video library, we will launch right campaigns in sign language and develop capacity to provide legal support to deaf individuals in sigh language. Main issues will be housing, disasters and violence.
We will continue developing the first know your rights and sign language library on rights and legal empowerment in Puerto Rico. We will establish a model of legal empowerment and support directed by the deaf communities needs and wants. We will promote their inclusion and access to remedy by a legal accompaniment model that we know works.
