Thursday, May 17th & Friday, May 18th
10:00am – 5:00pm (daily)
Visions Office, Newport Beach, CA
Over the past 6 years, Visions has been working with a wide range of local partners in Ethiopia (particularly Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa) in creating services & opportunities for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, generating greater public awareness about deafness & hearing loss, building a coalition of allies, and training & empowering a cadre of professional in fields related to hearing loss & Deaf empowerment (https://www.visionsglobalempowerment.org/deaf-education-empowerment/)
Yet, we are under no illusions that Visions is the only actor in the country working alongside our Ethiopian colleagues and friends toward achieving these goals. We understand that throughout this incredible country there are organizations, institutions, and individuals working hard to develop infrastructure, train professionals, provide services, and altogether improve the quality of services and of overall wellbeing for those affected by hearing loss. We also believe that it would serve all involved well for us to come together to share our work, experiences, and future plans with each other; to identify possible ways to collaborate and strengthen each other’s efforts; and to overall create a more coherent and long-term strategy for our collective engagement.
While cost and distance may prevent us from having this initial symposium in Ethiopia itself alongside our local colleagues and friends, we hope this will be a positive first step toward eventually doing so. As such, we are inviting all those who are committed and interested in making a positive difference in Ethiopia in this regard to attend this symposium.
This event is open to ALL regardless of past experience, professional background, national origin, etc. Aside from those already involved in related efforts in Ethiopia, we extend an extra special welcome to anyone with a professional background in a field related to deafness or hearing loss, including:
*Deaf Educators
*Early Childhood Education Experts
*Interpreters
*Speech-Language Pathologists
*Audiologists
*ENTs
**Ethiopian Diaspora
Full event details, including symposium location, daily schedule/agenda, list of attendees with bios, and more will be circulated in the coming weeks to all who intend to attend.
This will be a FREE event, but donations are very much welcome in order to help offset the event costs: www.VisionsGlobalEmpowerment.org/donate
For guests visiting from out of town, please contact Greg at gtbuie@gmail.com to notify us of your travel plans. We will be happy to answer any questions and/or make arrangements for you, however possible.
We thank you for your interest in making a difference in the lives of millions of Ethiopians who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing, and look forward to having you with us here in Orange County, California for this inaugural symposium!
Facebook Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/218749535346235/
