Asked to speak to deaf seniors group about Reverse Mortgages

This week I spoke with a group of about 20 deaf seniors about the services I offer and about reverse mortgages. I had been asked to speak by a deaf friend (Joel) who was a past president of the group.  Joel knows  I am a signing Realtor with a mission to serve the deaf community. I was thrilled with the opportunity to speak with the group but felt I could not speak specifically about reverse mortgages. Yes I know what Reverse Mortgages are & how they can help the senior population but I could not speak about them with detail & expertise. So I asked Gena Wright who is a Reverse Mortgage specialist with Bank of America to join me.

We split the cost of an interpreter, which was $78 for a minimum of 2 hours of time. I am fluent in ASL ( American Sign Language) because I grew up with a deaf sister and worked in the Deaf community in Boston years ago. So I signed my introduction and told them about myself and my mission to serve the deaf community as a Realtor, but we hired an interpreter to translate Gena's part of the presentation. Being fluent in an language is different from providing professional interpreting /translating serves. Professionally it was just the right thing to do. Knowing what your specialization is and reaching out to those who share other expertise can be a win win for all.

The group seemed very appreciative of the information provided. Great questions were asked.

Realtors should utilize deaf interpreters so that your services can be accessed by the deaf and hard of hearing community. By law it is a deaf individuals right to request an interpreter and to have the service paid for by the the professional. To learn more about the law go to the Americans with Disabilites Act website  http://www.ada.gov/. Or call 1 800 541-0301.