INTENTIONAL GATHERINGS

Deaf MIGRANTS

Opening title card is deep purple with Invisible Practice logo, and simple white text beneath a dividing line: “Intentional Gatherings, a community consultation series.” Video clips focus on various shots of sage being prepared and lit in a small cast-iron pan, as well as a hanging collage of orange shirts cut out of construction paper with handwritten notes on them. People of various ages and ethnicities sit around a large, round, warm wood-panelled room. There is some signing in Plains Indian, Ukrainian, and American.

[land acknowledgement in Plains Indian Sign Language]

"You’ve moved to a new country, so don’t be afraid of Indigenous people. Be kind. We all struggle in the same ways and experience oppressions."

"We learned Ukrainian Sign Language from birth. Now that we’re here, we have to learn American Sign Language and also English. It’s very hard—we need more time."

"Many friends used to help me out, but now we are all separated and I am often alone all day.”

"You can save your clips in a folder, and when you’re ready, try to combine them to tell a story."

Click the image below to read our full report.

ASL translation available here.

A circle of people in a warm, round, wood-paneled room. Everyone is seated on comfy chairs and couches with two small tables in the centre, covered in colourful paper.

Black and white. An Indigenous person holds an eagle feather in one hand and a small cast iron pan with smoking sage in the other. Another person’s hands are mid-motion within the smoke.

An Indigenous woman stands among a few seated people, her head thrown back in laughter.

Black and white. A woman cradles her head in one hand, listening intently to another person in the foreground.

A Tamil person is mid-sign, interpreting or clarifying another person’s comments in the foreground.

Black and white. Two middle-aged Ukrainians sit in warm clothing, listening calmly to someone out of frame.

An Ukrainian woman is mid-sign while several others listen in a semi-circle.

Black and white. Two interpreters in black clothing stand closely together, facing away from the camera. One interpreter gently touches the other’s back with their hand.

Two young Filipinx smile at the camera and at another person signing in the foreground. The young woman is flashing the two-fingered peace sign. Plates of food and juice are on the floor.

Black and white. A Turkish man has an excited expression with a young child at a craft table.

An Ukrainian man holds the hands of a standing infant who gazes excitedly up at him. A Tamil person crouches behind them with ready hands.

Black and white. An Indigenous woman listens cheerfully to a person in the foreground. She has glasses perched on her head, and holds her twin braids in front.

We gratefully recognize Connect Society’s support and expertise in providing accessibility support for DeafBlind participants.

The Intentional Gatherings community consultation series was made possible with generous funding from Canada Council for the Arts’ Sector Innovation and Development program.