I’m now approximately 40 days away from starting my Churchill Fellowship. The first country I’ll be visiting is the United States for three weeks.
In preparation, I’ve been keeping an close eye on the news coming out of the US, particularly since the inauguration of the current administration on January 20, 2025.
As I will be investigating on best practices in accessible fundraising for Deaf and hard of hearing communities, one of the biggest issues in the US is the decision to abandon Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across government agencies, corporate businesses, and not for profit organisations. This also includes accessibility which is paramount for Deaf & hard of hearing people and people with disability.
Another issue in the US is the pausing of grants usually given to not for profit organisations. Losing government grants will have major implications for not for profit organisations, particularly those who provide services & support to Deaf and hard of hearing people across the country. On an international level, USAID is affected, which also means Deaf and hard of hearing people living in developing countries won’t be able to receive supports they need.
To help myself prepare for my trip to the US, I’ve been following Heather Cox Richardson on Facebook as she has been providing succinct updates which has really helped to allievate my anxiety.
I’ve also been telling myself that I’ll be meeting with amazing Deaf people throughout the US, and that I’ll be able to hug them and let them know that they’ve got my support for the next four years. I’m really looking forward to having thought provoking conversations with like-minded Deaf people as I travel through the US.
I’ve reached out to several Deaf organisations in Minneapolis, Austin, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City and I’m very much looking forward to meeting with them to learn about their fundraising work. If you work for a Deaf-led organisation in one of those cities in the US, I’d love to meet you!
One of the most important features of the Churchill Fellowship is the ability to have impromptu meetings/conversations – you never know who you’ll end up meeting during your travels for the Fellowship! The US is a massive country with a much larger popular population – 335 million as opposed to 27 million in Australia – which is why I’ll be bringing my Auslan interpreter along so that I have the same opportunities to have impromptu meetings as the other Fellows who will have these during their travels.
After three weeks in the US, I’ll be heading over to England, Scotland and Finland for another three weeks. I’m also looking forward to meeting with several Deaf organisations across the pond and meeting with like-minded Deaf people. If you work for a Deaf-led organisation in London, Edinburgh or Helsinki, I’d love to meet you!
This will also be a fantastic learning opportunity for me, and the Deaf community in Australia, as they follow me through my travels on social media.
To see what I get up to during my travels, you can follow me on Instagram at @isigniwander
I’m also looking into another way to provide updates for those who do not have social media – maybe a community channel on WhatsApp or something similar.
Next post will be just before I jet off on my travels!