BRATTLEBORO — In the March 16 edition, an article about the informational meeting prior to the Brattleboro Town Meeting reported that “District 2 representative Mary Cain spoke out against the [Town Human Services Review] committee's decision not to fund organizations supporting the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in southern Vermont.... She said that the lack of funding effectively said to the estimated 1,500 Deaf and hard-of-hearing community members in the area that, 'we're not agreeing to help these people be independent and to stay here in Brattleboro.'”
I am writing on behalf of the Brattleboro Town Human Services Review Committee. We are concerned that your readers got the impression that our committee did not recommend funding for people who are Deaf and hard of hearing. We want to set the record straight.
The Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VCDHH) requested $5,000 for a case-management program that supports a small number of Brattleboro residents who are Deaf and hard of hearing to function at a maximum level of independence in our community. They did not request funding for “the estimated 1,500 Deaf and hard-of-hearing community members in the area.”
The Committee recommended that VCDHH receive $2,000 for this case-management program. This recommendation was clearly stated in the publicly warned 2010 Town Report, which can be found on the town's website at www.brattleboro.org. (Follow the links to Document Library, and then to Town Reports.)
VCDHH's choice to apply for support from Brattleboro taxpayers for case management with Brattleboro residents is a very good match with the intent of the town's human services funding and does indeed help Deaf residents be independent and stay in Brattleboro.