German Society of the Hearing Impaired - Self-Help and Professional Associations
The German Society of the Hearing Impaired - Self-Help and Professional Associations e. V. (DG) is the umbrella organization of the German associations of hearing impaired people as well as national professional associations that deal with the situation of hearing impaired people. It currently consists of 27 members and represents their common concerns and interests.
Ulrich Hase, state representative for people with disabilities in Schleswig-Holstein, has been the chairman since 1999. His deputies are Renate Welter and Andreas Kammerbauer .
tasks
The DG pursues charitable purposes without denominational or party political ties. It ensures the exchange of information and experiences among its member associations and coordinates their work insofar as this goes beyond the activities of an individual association. Furthermore, it informs the public about the special living conditions of deaf , hard of hearing , deaf and hearing impaired people. The DG supports the establishment of educational, advanced training, habilitation and rehabilitation facilities. It influences the German legislation affecting its member associations. In addition, it regularly publishes appropriate literature for deaf, hard of hearing and deaf people.
history
On April 24, 1954, the Society of the Deaf and Mute was founded in Marburg. Shortly after its dissolution, the DG was founded on October 10, 1962 in Euskirchen. It has had several names over the decades. From the “German Society for the Promotion of the Hearing and Speech Impaired” e. V. ”from 1962 the“ German Society for the Promotion of Hearing and Speech Damaged Persons e. V. "- followed by the" German Society for the Promotion of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing e. V. ”and finally its current name.
Peter Rijntjes became the first chairman. In 1964 Herbert Feuchte replaced him. From 1979 Heinz Barow worked as chairman before Peter Donath took over the management in 1991. Ulrich Hase has headed the German Society of the Hearing Impaired since 1999.
Telephone and remote interpreting projects
In 1999 the DG started the “Telesign” pilot project for the use of telephone and remote interpreting for German sign language . The aim of this state-funded project was to research the use of a telephone interpreting service in sign language in everyday professional life, to test it in practice and thus to promote the social inclusion of deaf people. After the successful completion of the project, Telesign Germany was finally founded in 2002.
In 2005, the DG recorded the positive Telesign results in order to enable interpreting in private contexts. A further project was therefore started together with Deutsche Telekom . The offer in German sign language was supplemented, however, by a telephone interpreting service in written German, in particular to enable deaf people to use the service. This combination resulted in the establishment of the Tess Relay Services in 2006. Political initiatives of the DG have also led to the right to use publicly accessible telecommunications services by deaf and hearing impaired people through the provision of switching services in Section 45 (3) of the Telecommunications Act ( TKG).
Members
Members are associations and working groups that are involved in the promotion of deaf, hard of hearing, deaf and hearing-impaired people and have a nationwide character. It currently consists of the following 27 members:
- Working group of heads of educational institutions for the deaf and hard of hearing. German Federal Directors' Conference
- Working group life on the trapeze
- Professional association of German hearing-impaired educators
- Federal Working Group of Hearing Impaired Students and Graduates V.
- Federal Association of Deaf Children V.
- Bundesfachverband Caritas Disabled Aid and Psychiatry e. V.
- Federal Guild of Hearing Aid Acousticians KdöR
- Federal Youth - Association of young people with hearing impairments V.
- Federal Association of Sign Language Interpreters in Germany V.
- Federal Association of German Text Interpreters V.
- Federal Association of Social Workers / Social Pedagogues for the Hearing Impaired e. V.
- Federal Association of Students of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education e. V.
- German Working Group for Evangelical Deaf Chaplaincy e. V.
- German Cochlear Implant Society V.
- German Deaf Youth e. V.
- German hearing impaired self-help e. V.
- German Tinnitus League e. V.
- German Association for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education V.
- German Deaf Association V.
- German Association of the Deaf V.
- German welfare association for the hearing and speech impaired e. V.
- Evangelical pastoral care for the hard of hearing in Germany V.
- Society of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Self-Help and Professional Associations - NRW e. V.
- Society for Sign Language and Communication of the Deaf e. V.
- Hessian Society for the Promotion of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing V.
- Deaf blind service e. V.
- Association of the Catholic Deaf Germany e. V.