Chase opens first bank for deaf and hard of hearing in D.C.

Washington, D.C. (ABC7) — JPMorgan Chase has officially opened the first retail branch designed to serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.

The branch, located in Washington, DC’s H Street corridor, offers state of the art technology and design elements incorporated to best serve people with hearing loss.

The firm is also announcing a new, $250,000 philanthropic commitment to Gallaudet University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute to strengthen career pathways for deaf and hard of hearing students.

“As a bank, we want to make financial services available to all customers, including people with disabilities and their families,” said Jim Sinocchi, Head of Office of Disability Inclusion, JPMorgan Chase. “The technology and design of our new branch will allow the deaf and hard of hearing customers a chance to easily access our services if and when it’s convenient for them.”

The new H Street location will feature Chase’s newest branch design as well as state-of-the-art technology, including:

On-demand video remote interpreting service
T-loop Bluetooth technology that allows employees to speak directly with customers
Remote control camera technology that allows employees to communicate with customers on screens where they are seated in the branch
Digital screens with captions enabled

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National NewsHuman ResourcesFebruary 4, 2020DEAF, bank, design, tech, branch, access, inclusive, employee, asl, customers, bluetooth, financial, servicesComment

Schools for Deaf, Blind Feel Effects of Teacher Shortage

The Arizona Capitol Times reports that more than 200 teachers currently serve approximately 2,000 children in two schools for the deaf, one school for the blind and at statewide cooperative programs in local public schools.

The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind has 13 teacher vacancies and will need 21 more teachers if a proposal from Gov. Doug Ducey to provide $1.6 million in additional money to the schools' early childhood program is approved by lawmakers, agency spokesman Ryan Ducharme said.

About half of the agency's teachers will be eligible for early or full retirement within the next five years, Ducharme said.

The schools have used relocation stipends and sign-on bonuses to sweeten the deal for teachers who may want to work for them.

The agency spent $33,500 — more than any other agency — this year on relocation expenses aimed at enticing teachers to come work in Arizona, according to figures from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

This year, 26 agency teachers got a $1,500 stipend to relocate from out-of-state, Ducharme said. New teachers to the agency also get a $1,500 sign-on bonus.

The agency's average teacher pay — $47,636 — is slightly higher than the state's average for teachers overall, $47,218. The majority of the schools' teachers, nearly 83 percent, have master's degrees because of the specialty training required to work with students who are deaf or blind, Ducharme said.

National NewsHuman ResourcesJanuary 16, 2018deafblind, deaf, teacher, shortage, help, financial, arizona, school, agency, stipends, children, programsComment

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