NEW ORLEANS — From Hurricanes to COVID-19, Shari Bernius is a consistent part of news conferences around New Orleans, using her hands and expressions to relay the spoken word to a community that may never hear it in times of emergency.
“This information is vital that they are aware, just like a hearing person is aware of what’s happening firsthand,” Bernius said.
Raised by deaf parents, sign language is Bernius’ first language. Now, administrator of the Deaf Action Center, a program of Catholic Charities, she’s been signing professionally for 41 years.
“It’s the people I grew up with, it’s the culture I know best and most comfortable in,” Bernius said.
Watching every sign is Lisa Dragna from New Orleans, who was found to be completely deaf at three years old.
“When I was growing up, I went to an oral school, so I had to learn how to lip read almost every day. I went to speech therapy,” Dragna said. “It was constant speech therapy.”
As a teenager, she learned sign language and got involved with the deaf community. Now, as an advocate, she pushes for interpreters to a part of any public speaking, especially during emergencies.
“I feel that whoever is speaking, whether it’s the mayor, the governor or anybody, the interpreter should be right next to them,” Dragna said.
That hasn’t always been the case, Bernius says Hurricane Katrina was an eyeopener.
“There were several incidents where deaf people were loaded on a bus, had no idea where they were going, why they were being shifted to another state,” Bernius said.
Since then, Bernius says the Deaf Action Center helped lead the charge to make sure news conferences, like the ones we see today, include interpreters. To folks like Dragna, it’s a sign of inclusion we can all understand.
The Deaf Action Center also provides services to the deaf community for things like doctors’ appointments and court proceedings.
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