Mélange Accessibility for All Magazine April 2022 | Page 92

To Table of Contents news for the deaf and hard-ofhearing individuals because she was shorter than her colleagues on the show . She mentioned to the newsroom that she was struggling to communicate properly because of the difference in height – compared to her colleagues . Her “ voice ” was heard because they added a wood box for her to stand on to add more height and for her to be equal with her colleagues .
Her comments is a good tip for us in the deaf community that we need to remind ourselves to speak up to be heard .
" We must remind ourselves to break barriers by speaking up to be heard and to create accessibility ." she signed .
I asked her what her first wish was and she signed , " Accessibility would be much better with medical offices , law enforcement , law offices , and general offices if they requested an interpreter when a deaf person appears to ask for their service . Accessibility and education will help with effectiveness between service providers and deaf and hard-ofhearing individuals .
We need more people like her in our Deaf communities .
I want to give final words to Nic Zapko . The best of luck with her endeavors and to creating more accessibility in our home state of Minnesota . I would recommend other people follow her steps to make our home state the best nationally for people with disabilities . No matter where we came from , we must be true Minnesotans to be helpful !

“ My wish is for better accessibility so that deaf people do not have to ask for an interpreter at a doctor ’ s appointment . They should know to request an interpreter for her / his convenience .”

As a deaf person myself , I appreciated having this opportunity to interview Nic and being able to ask her to share her personal experience .