Global Alliance Update

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family safe and healthy during these difficult, emotional and uncertain times. To keep you updated, here are some highlights of recent Global Alliance activity.
Over the last two months, the Global Alliance and the Clear2Connect Coalition have co-sponsored several virtual social gatherings, entitled “Social Distancing Doesn’t Have to Mean Social Isolation.” Members from both organizations, as well as colleagues who are not yet members, have gathered online to share how they are dealing with working from home, telehealth and the sometimes emotional lift it can be to be away from friends, family and coworkers. Global Alliance members have donated their captioning services for these gatherings. With stay-at-home orders being loosened nationwide, we will hold our final gathering on June 11. Keep an eye on our social media pages for updates. We hope you can join us.

Jen Schuck, Global Alliance Treasurer, recently presented to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Veterans Across America Chapter. Jen spoke about the many forms and methods of captioning, and she spoke about the work of the Global Alliance.

In late May I provided pro bono captioning for the HLAA Plymouth, Massachusetts chapter meeting. During this meeting I was afforded the opportunity to speak about captioning, my career as a captioner, and about the vision and mission of the Global Alliance.

The Global Alliance is the Communication Access Sponsor for the HLAA Walks4Hearing, many of which are taking place virtually this year. Our thanks to the following Global Alliance members for graciously donating their time to caption these Walks:

• Sharon Vivian (two Walks)
• Teri Darrenougue
• Cheryl Little
• Deanna Baker
• Karyn Menck
• Steve Clark

On May 11, the full Global Alliance Board of Directors held its quarterly Board meeting. In addition to the usual business of approving minutes from the previous Board meeting, our Treasurer’s report and committee reports, the Board voted to approve the hiring of International Conference Services (ICS) to provide association management services for the Global Alliance. The Board also discussed proposed changes to our bylaws and policies and procedures as set forth by the Policies and Procedures Committee. These matters now go to our legal advisor for further review before being finalized. If you’re not familiar with the makeup and diversity of our Board, I invite you to go to our website to learn more. Thank you to Global Alliance member Christine Slezosky for donating her captioning services to help make our Board meeting fully accessible.

The vision of the Global Alliance is universal accessibility to the spoken word via all forms of captioning. Advocating for high-quality captioning is what we are all about. Working diligently to achieve these goals is our Assessment and Certification Committee. Members of this committee have contributed their time and talent to craft an assessment and certification that will test all captioners in ways that reflect real-world settings. There is much work to be done before presenting the final product. While we don’t expect to have this in its final form until later this year, I’m confident that the Global Alliance’s assessment and certification process – and the resulting professional certifications and designations – will be recognized as the gold standard for captioning.

In closing, I want to say thank you. Thank you to our members for your support and confidence. Thank you to our followers, who may not yet be members. If you’re not a member, now is the time to join. We need you! Finally, thank you all for taking care of each other. Every one of us continues to be affected by COVID-19 and the stay-at-home orders. We all feel the pain and anger that has gripped the US and is being expressed from coast to coast. Please stay safe and healthy and be good to those around you.