Hurricane Matthew Warnings in ASL Interpreted Live for Miami Residents

Accessible Communication for the Deaf is working with Miami officials to issue Hurricane warnings to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community

October 6, 2016

This week, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and city council members issued several press conferences in light of Hurricane Matthew’s approach to south Florida. If you’ve seen the latest coverage, you probably noticed a sign language interpreter next to the podium. This morning, Lisa Campbell, senior director of Accessible Communication for the Deaf (ACD) interpreted the storm warnings during a press conference.

“There is a sense of neighborly duty when working with local emergency services in times like this.”Lisa Campbell, Senior Director, ACD

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are crucial in emergency situations. Imagine knowing there is an emergency but not being able to understand pertinent and life-saving information? “There is a sense of neighborly duty when working with local emergency services in times like this,” says Campbell. “Knowing the information I’m interpreting can save someone’s life is truly a humbling feeling.”

Watch Lisa in this morning’s news conference

About Lisa

Lisa Campbell started to study sign language at the age of 13 from a friend. Since then, she’s immersed herself in the Deaf community where she found her passion for helping people. It’s her devotion to the field that opened the door to a world full of opportunities. With encouragement from friends and family, she and her husband Brian started Accessible Communication for the Deaf in Fort Lauderdale in 2013 and Tampa in 2016. In her free time, Lisa loves going to the beach, wine tasting and spending time with family. Her commitment to ASL and the Florida community drive her to succeed and knock down language barriers each and every day.

Mastering ASL requires tremendous dedication, focus, practice and fluency in not one but two languages: English and American Sign Language. All sign language interpreters contracted by ACD are professionally trained and hold credentials from the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).

Hurricane Matthew Safety Information

Here is some information for you to stay safe if you’re in Miami:

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Miami-Dade County. Miami officials urge residents to stay indoors and stay safe as the storm nears the coastline. The Emergency Operations Center is fully staffed and in operation; police, fire and rescue will be available until winds reach 55 mph. In the event of a power outage, please call 311 or 800-4-outage.

Four Shelters Open in Miami (8,000 capacity)

Dr. Michael Krop Senior High School 1414 NE 215^th Street Miami, FL 33179	Booker T. Washington Senior High 1200 Northwest 6^th Avenue Miami, FL 33125
Robert Morgan Educational Center 18180 SW 122^nd Ave. Miami, FL 33177	Darwin Fuchs Pavilion (Pet Friendly) 10901 SW 24^th St. Miami, FL 33165

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About ACD

>Accessible Communication for the Deaf is a sign language interpreting company with locations in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, Florida. In 2014, ACD was acquired by Interpreters Unlimited and operates under the IU Group of companies: Interpreters Unlimited, Accessible Communication for the Deaf, Albors & Alnet and Arkansas Spanish Interpreters and Translators. Today, ACD proudly serves school districts, government departments, hospitals and medical facilities, law firms and other businesses with professional in-person and video remote American Sign Language services. For more information please visit www.acdasl.com