HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2021.09.02 - 34848wr y
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
September 2, 2021
MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION 421-343
Sponsored By: Angela Powell
IN RE: Recognition of September 2021 as Deaf Awareness Month in Oakland County
Chairperson and Members of the Board:
WHEREAS the purpose of Deaf Awareness Month is to increase public awareness of deaf issues, people, and
culture; and
WHEREAS since first observed by the World Federation of the Deaf in the late 1950s, the month of
September, culminating in the International Week of the Deaf, is dedicated to promoting a greater
understanding and celebration of the deaf and hard -of -hearing community; and
WHEREAS approximately 1 out of every 1,000 children in the United States is born with profound hearing
loss; and
WHEREAS there are many misconceptions about being deaf and the challenges people who are deaf face in
their everyday lives, which can only be dispelled through greater public education and awareness; and
WHEREAS people who are deaf communicate using sign language, which is a fully fledged natural language
with its own morphology, syntax, and structure; and
WHEREAS according to the U.S. Census Bureau, at least 11,200,000 individuals in the United States are deaf
or hard of hearing; and
WHEREAS there are approximately 870,000 Michigan residents with varying degrees of hearing loss ranging
from mild to profound, including individuals who are born deaf and people who encounter late -stage hearing
loss; and
WHEREAS deaf culture is an important part of the fabric of our society; and
WHEREAS people who are deaf can work in almost any job, and the main barriers to employment arise from
inaccessible work environments rather than an inability to hear; and
WHEREAS deaf and hard -of -hearing individuals have made and continue to make numerous contributions in
the United States; and
WHEREAS much work remains to be done to promote the rights of people who are deaf, including access to
education, access to information and services, and the prevalence of sign language.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby
recognizes September 2021 as National Deaf Awareness Month in Oakland County.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk is requested to forward copies of this
resolution to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights - Division of Deaf, DeatBlind and Hard of Hearing, the
Michigan Deaf Association and the Michigan Coalition for Deaf Deatblind and Hard of Hearing People.
Chairperson, the following Commissioners are sponsoring the foregoing Resolution: Angela Powell.
Lisa Brown, County Clerk / Register of Deeds
COMMITTEE TRACKING
Date: September 17, 2021
2021-08-10 Legislative Affairs & Government Operations - recommend to Board
2021-09-02 full Board
VOTE TRACKING
Motioned by Commissioner Michael Gingell seconded by Commissioner William Miller III to adopt the
attached Resolution: Recognition of September 2021 as Deaf Awareness Month in Oakland County.
Yes: David Woodward, Michael Gingell, Robert I-loffman, Michael Spisz, Karen Joliat, Kristen Nelson,
Christine Long, Philip Weipert, Gwen Markham, Angela Powell, Thomas Kuhn, Marcia Gershenson,
William Miller 11I, Adam L. Kochenderter, Yolanda Smith Charles, Charles Cavell, Gary R. McGillivray,
Janet Jackson, Penny Luebs (19)
No: None (0)
Abstain: None (0)
Absent: Commissioner Kowall, Commissioner Moss (2)
The Motion Passed.
ATTACIIMENTS
None
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
I, Lisa Brown, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and
accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on September 2, 2021,
with the original record thereof now remaining in my office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Circuit Court at Pontiac,
Michigan on Thursday, September 2, 2021.
Lisa Brown, Oakland County Clerk; Register of Deeds