Raymond Rodgers is already looking forward to the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany. He wants to play volleyball and, if needed, serve as a consultant for the local organizers in communicating with the deaf.
He wants to win a medal ( hopefully, gold ) , take in the German scenery, enjoy the parties and, well, just experience the Games like every other participant—regardless of the fact that he's deaf himself.
Rodgers, who was born deaf, was the Games' main liaison with the deaf community last summer in Chicago, which included fans and several medal-winning deaf athletes. Rodgers' company, Deaf Communication By Innovation ( DCI ) , coordinated interpreters for all events, including games; races; and the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
'My experience during the Games last summer was incredible,' Rodgers said through sign-language interpreter David Bareford, DCI's coordinator of interpreting services. 'It was an amazing time. It was a very different perspective on my part from when I volunteered as an interpreter in Amsterdam [ at the 1998 Games ] .
'In Chicago, we were operating all interpreting services. And it definitely was worth it.'
Rodgers' work for the Games—which, of course, spanned the spectrum of the LGBT community, plus the deaf world—was recognized last April at the Games' Night of 100 Champions at Soldier Field. He was among the 100 honorees—and still proudly displays his glass statue from the evening at his office on the North Side of Chicago.
'I was very honored to be included among those champions,' said Rodgers, 39. 'It wasn't as much a personal honor as it was that they were honoring someone from the deaf community … and, hopefully, I increased the exposure of the deaf community. I was honored to be recognized alongside Greg Louganis and so many others.'
Rodgers was proactive with the Games once Chicago snagged the Games from Montreal; he contacted local officials shortly after the deal was complete. Rodgers said local officials were immediately enthusiastic about working with him and his company.
Also, DCI was a corporate sponsor of the Games.
'We planned for the Games for two years and pulled it off wonderfully. It was a great experience—a huge event, a huge success,' he said.
Rodgers hired 26 interpreters from across America for the '06 Games. Most offered American Sign Language interpretation, while international sign language also was offered.
Jeff Liu, a swimmer from Long Beach, Calif., was among the numerous deaf athletes who won medals.
'I'd love to consult the local Games [ in 2010 ] , so everything runs smoothly,' Liu said. 'The gay community is about 10 percent [ of the general public ] . The deaf and hard-of-hearing community is about one percent. In the gay community, [ deaf people ] tend to be much more visible because they tend to be much more comfortable with the gay community. There seems to be more of a cultural sensitivity in the LGBT community, sort of a mutual respect.'
Rodgers, who is openly gay, said there are about 300 people who are gay and deaf on the North side of the city, and about 2,000 overall in Chicago—where he has lived for approximately eight years—and its surrounding suburbs.
Before founding DCI, he was working as a social worker, where issues often came up for those who could only access information visually. 'Improvements were needed in interpretation services,' he recalls. 'A lot of the issues in the LGBT community also are relevant to the deaf community.'
Rodgers founded DCI about three years ago, and it now has two full-time and two part-time employees, plus a roster of about 300 freelance interpreters, with about 100 working on a regular basis.
Recently, DCI added a captioning service to its roster, which also includes American Sign Language ( ASL ) classes and video production.
DCI is regularly hired to send interpreters to corporations, schools, government offices, hospitals, community events and other entities. The company started ASL courses about seven months ago; Rodgers now runs two classes.
In terms of videos, DCI specializes in educational items related to physical health. Soon, DCI will release videos about mental health issues.
DCI will present the 2007 Deaf Illinois Awards on April 7 at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage. The event will honor outstanding achievements in the deaf Illinois community. There are about five nominees for each of the 20 categories, which include Best Deaf Activist, Best Hearing Advocate, Best Politician, Best School and Best Deaf Day Event.
'There are a lot of public events, such as [ Northalsted ] Market Days and the Gay Pride Parade, where interpreters are not provided. I'm pushing organizers to include interpreters because the deaf often are left out in the cold,' Rodgers said. 'The deaf community is becoming more and more visible, more and more involved.'
Tickets to the 2007 Deaf Illinois Awards are $15 for the ceremony only, or $40 for the VIP reception and ceremony. Prices increase $5 each if purchased at the door or on the day of the event. Call 773-857-7709 or e-mail info@deafillinois.com .
See www.deafillinois.com .
