Unheard Voices of Armenia: Voiceless People who have to be Heard (new blog)

This is why I like blogging. It provides a free platform for people to make their voices heard. Via personal email from the author, I came across this relatively new blog by the advocate for deaf and hard of hearing people in Armenia. It's named very appropriately Unheard Voices of Armenia, with the aim to empower those voices.

Here is background information about The Situation of The Deaf in Armenia.

Currently there are 8000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing people living in the different provinces of Armenia and in the Capital Yerevan where the majority of the Deaf reside.[...]

For the 8000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing, there are only ten interpreters none of whom are certified. They are CODAs, Children of Deaf Adults, and initially they became interpreters to help their parents in the hearing world. There are no higher institutions where interpreters may specialize in Deaf culture, or understand interpreter’s code of ethics.[...]

Although only recently the first Armenian Sign Language Dictionary was published, it is not available to anyone who wishes to have one. There are no known publications or researches done about Deaf culture or Deaf studies in Armenia today.

And here the author explains the reasons why she started her blog: Voiceless People: Not by Choice

The aim and purpose of the blog, Unheard Voices of Armenia is to empower the Deaf and Hard of Hearing who have remained voiceless for so many years in Armenia.