Features
Newsday Reporter
Thursday 7 October 2021Flow staff during the sign language training session conducted by TT Association for the Hearing Impaired (TTAHI). –
Some 20-plus frontline staff members of Flow received basic communication and sign language training as part of the International Week of the Deaf and in keeping with the company’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda.
Flow is now deemed a deaf-friendly business, and members of the deaf or hard-of-hearing community can be assured that Flow’s frontline staff at the retail stores, call centres and install/repair technicians can communicate with them, using basic American Sign Language (ASL), said a media release from the company.
Reneasha Simmons, manager – people business partner at Flow, said it was critical for the company to embrace everyone.
“We are one culture, made up of different races, ethnicities, cultures, geographies, and diverse backgrounds, and it’s critical that we embrace all in our society who may need to access our services,” Simmons said in the release. “Our diversity defines us but it’s our commonalities that keep us connected.”
The training was led by the Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired (TTAHI) and included identifying a deaf customer; communication strategies between the deaf customer and Flow staff; and basic signs to communicate with the deaf customer.
A participant in the training, Tonia Fuller, said, “I am excited that the company I work for is proactive in ensuring that we are inclusive in our approach and training us to communicate with members of the deaf and hard of hearing community.”
Source: https://newsday.co.tt/2021/10/07/flows-staff-learn-sign-language/