Gerard Tremblay describes the introduction of American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation in the Yukon as the opening of a door to communication for the deaf community.

He now uses an ASL interpreter for a long list of activities, including participation in work meetings. He’s a carpenter, employed by the Yukon government.

Before, Tremblay told the Star this morning, “I was physically there, but not part of the discussion.”

Since the Yukon government launched the ASL program in 2012, “I can ask questions, I can be involved in the conversation, I can make changes and improvements in the workplace by understanding ... and just being involved,” he said.

“It opens a door for communication.”

But until Wednesday, that door was only open half-way, Tremblay explained.

The ASL program was initiated in 2012 as a two-year pilot project, and was then extended for another three years.

Yesterday, Richard Mostyn, the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, announced permanent funding for the program, to the tune of $170,000 per year.

The news was greeted with cheers, tears and applause from members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community who came out to the announcement.

In the program’s early years, according to Tremblay, there was some reticence from the community to take full advantage of interpretation services because the future of its funding was uncertain.

“Now that we hear this announcement ... finally these doors are open and we can get out,” he said after Wednesday’s announcement.

“We’re very happy,” he told the Star this morning.

As Mostyn told the crowded room yesterday, “When many of us go see our family doctor or attend a parent-teacher interview at the school, we take for granted that we are understood, and we take for granted that we are receiving the information we need to make decisions about our lives.

“The American Sign Language interpreting program provides deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Yukon with equal access to a wide variety of essential services. It helps them enjoy the same quality of life that is the right of all Yukoners.”

The $170,000 annual investment will fund ongoing program administration and the accredited ASL interpreter position.

Amanda Smith has served in this role since the ASL program launched almost six years ago.

The deaf and hard-of-hearing community can book Smith’s interpretation services for nearly every facet of daily living, from medical and legal appointments, to interactions with government services, to arts and sporting events – free of charge.

Businesses, service providers, employers and community organizations can also request ASL interpretation to facilitate communication with deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.

That’s where the program is so unique, compared to what’s offered by other governments in jurisdictions across the country, explained Ashley Kayseas, the Public Service Commission’s manager of diversity services.

“We have done some research looking at other jurisdictions,” he said, and typically, they do offer some level of ASL interpretation service.

“But it’s really defined more for access in government services, where ours is a bit more broad and actually kind of affects what we call quality of life activity.”

The ASL program serves about 14 people in the deaf community, and more than 45 businesses, organizations and government agencies, according to Kayseas.

Since 2012, more than 5,546 hours of interpretation services have been provided.

Smith explained her job is far from a nine-to-five gig.

In addition to appointments with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients, she’s also on-call to provide interpretation services at the Whitehorse hospital, and will sometimes work with the RCMP at crime scenes.

“I knew since I was young that I wanted to be an interpreter,” Smith told the Star this morning.

That decision was prompted by a bout of meningitis when she was 11 years old.

“The doctor said a side effect from that is deafness,” she explained.

While Smith didn’t lose her hearing, she was left wondering what life would be like if she had. She started learning sign language, and began meeting deaf people, who introduced her to interpretation.

Her job, she said, can be very emotional.

“You have other people’s language pulsing through you all the time, and other people’s stories.”

The difference her interpretation services have made in the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing Yukoners was evident at Wednesday’s announcement.

Clarence Barber recalled life in the territory before the ASL program.

“We were writing back and forth, trying to communicate, and it was very tiring to do that.”

Hospital visits were a fearful occasion, he explained.

“We don’t know how to explain to the doctor what we’re feeling, or what’s happening in English.

“With interpreting services, our understanding is there. We feel safe, we feel secure about our health and the information we’re receiving. That’s really important for us.”

Tremblay said he’s extremely thankful for the minister and the government’s investment, which will benefit not only current members of his community, but future ones as well.

“I feel good for other kids in the future who are deaf and hard-of-hearing that need interpreting services, and they don’t have to suffer.

“‘Where am I going to get this, how am I going to communicate?’ It’s in place; the support is there.”