DEDICATED TO PAYING IT FORWARD . . . 

Testimonials

Myself, the IYR staff, and our Executive, wanted to express our sincere gratitude for your contribution to the Gathering in Banff. Your team of Deb, Deb and Laurel were a huge part in making this Gathering a success for Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR). More importantly, for the over 100 Indigenous youth who travelled from coast to coast to coast to be there. Accessibility and deaf advocacy are so important, and we believe it had an impact on the lives and memories of those present to see live interpretation in action.

Overall, we wanted to thank you for the time, effort, and passion you gave to this event and all who attended. Your contribution was invaluable, and we appreciate the opportunity to have shared space with you and your team in the beautiful mountains.

~ Canadian Roots Exchange, Indigenous Youth Roots ~

Thank you so much for your kind words and for providing interpreting services for yesterday's IDPD event. It was indeed a wonderful event, and we are grateful for your continued support in ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all participants. We completely understand the challenges in securing an in-person interpreter for the Rotunda, and I agree that the setup with the monitors worked very well.

We truly appreciate your partnership and the exceptional service you provide. I will definitely reach out if we require your services for future events. It is always a pleasure working with you.

~ Disability Policy and Supports | Disability Services, Ministry of Seniors, Community & Social Services | Government of Alberta ~

Choice Of Interpreters was the most fantastic ASL interpreting service we could have asked for! The two interpreters, Randy and Carla, were very willing to support our team and meet our needs, and even went the extra mile to help make our events accessible. The interpreters were thorough in arranging time to meet with us beforehand, discuss any specific needs or requests, and ultimately made our event go as smooth as possible. We're incredibly grateful for Choice of Interpreters and will definitely be accessing their services again!

~ SACE (Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton) ~

As Programs Manager I am proud to state that the Fyrefly Institute has a strong relationship with the Choice of Interpreters (COI) organization. Together, our organizations have collaborated to host two deeply impactful events in 2024, the AB GSA Conference and the Edmonton Mayor’s Pride Brunch. The limited capacity of Fyrefl y’s budgetary restrictions dictates that the Fyrefl y Institute is not always able to organize accessible programming deaf and hard of hearing youth. Due to the generous support of COI, we have been able to increase our programming reach to Deaf youth across the province of Alberta, mitigating this issue of inaccessibility to disabled communities.

Our community demographic includes the 2SLGBTQ+ community, a population that is impacted by discrimination in the form of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and ableism. Having COI in our community has positively impacted our youth by giving them a safe manner to address their unique intersectional mental health needs as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It is important for me to note that COI offers interpreters of the highest quality, specifi cally they have paired us with interpreters that are part of the queer and trans community. This practice allows our participants to feel welcome, safe, and represented. Additionally, I am compelled to note the ease of booking for interpretation. Lastly, the success of communication during the interpretation provided has been monumental, it has allowed participants that identify as disabled to thoroughly participate through a standard of universal design. This could not have been accomplished without Choice of Interpreters.

Please accept this letter as our commitment to support and engage with this valuable organization, ensuring we can develop accessible and intersectional programming to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I heartily endorse the efforts of the Choice of Interpreters.

~ Fyrefly Institute for Gender and Sexual Diversity, College of Social Sciences + Humanities, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta ~