Mélange Accessibility for All Magazine April 2022 | Page 91

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I agreed , because I have the same experience when traveling to other states in the U . S . I forced myself to start communicating , letting airport workers know that I am deaf when I arrive for my boarding call at the gate . There were no signs that allows deaf people to know when their number is called to come to the entrance , as well as knowing what important announcements are made , such as when the airplane has a delay or has changed to a different gate . This results in deaf people becoming confused and overwhelmed .
Nic explained that she went to Dubai for disability-related
events during World Expo in November 2021 , at Dubai ’ s airport , she had to keep her eyes wide open for any information and followed other people . She signed ,
“ Deaf people like us have to peel our eyes wide and find clues where we need to do and have to be assertive with our communication .”
Nic signed that deaf people are struggling with accessibility nationally . Still , she is proud of her home state of Minnesota that they are doing great with their accessibility , that they have certified deaf interpreters to assist other deaf people . " The Governor , Tim Walz , is doing fantastic with his big heart to allow our disability accessibility grow to better improve deaf people ’ s quality of life ."
I asked Nic who is her role model . She signed with a smile , “ My mother .” Her mother taught her to find her true self and strengths for fighting the barriers . That is how she became who she is today . She met her goal to be a successful Deaf Interpreter on local news and in courthouse rooms .
Nic experienced a barrier when she was doing her local