I’ve gotten a number of comments and emails from individuals in the DC/MD/VA area wanting to know about Deaf-Friendly Pagan events in the area.
Here’s one you might want to check out…
It’s the Ecumenicon Conference, an annual spiritual event that focuses on exploring various spiritual paths, including Paganism. This conference is sponsored by the Ecumenicon Fellowship, an interfaith organization dedicated to advancing human spiritual evolution through work, study, worship, and education.
ECUMENICON CONFERENCE
Conference Theme – “The Wheel of Fortune” (Sacred Cycles)
March 27 – 30
Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon
Best Western Hotel and Conference Center
5652 O’Donnell Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21224
for reservations, call 800-633-9511
tell them you are with the Ecumenicon Conference
Cost of the Conference:
$50 Tuition + Sliding Scale Registration
($45 before March 1, $60 after March 1)
Additional Fees for taking optional Intensive Classes
Discounts provided for Senior Citizens and Students
SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS ARE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST
IF YOU NEED INTERPRETING SERVICES
PLEASE CONTACT ECUMENICON ASAP SO THEY CAN BE ARRANGED
contact Charles Butler at Chazzer3332000@yahoo.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS CONFERENCE
PLEASE CLICK ON THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE GRAPHIC BELOW
click above for more information
This conference has been occurring for several years – I’m not sure how long, but I know it’s been quite a while. One of the founders of Ecumenicon himself is a skilled signer and has been involved with the Deaf Community, and is a strong advocate of accessibility for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. As a result, the Ecumenicon Conference has always been Deaf-friendly. In the past, the Ecumenicon Conference had a Deaf person as their Deaf Services Coordinator – unfortunately, due to health problems he had to resign from this position. However, many of the staff have been trained on how to work with Deaf individuals, and they continue to provide sign language interpreters as necessary… when they are requested. They have had several Deaf people attend over the years, from all over the country.
I have attended this conference several times (although it has been awhile since I last went), and have always enjoyed it. There are many interesting workshops to choose from, with knowledgeable presenters. Topics which have been taught included the Goddess, Astrology, Tarot, Natural Healing, Meditation, Rituals, Magick, etc. Not all of the workshops focus on Paganism – there have also been workshops on Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and many other spiritual paths. Nor do they focus only on Wicca, but also on Asatru, Druidism, Strega, etc. In another words, there’s something for everyone!
As I look at the schedule for this year’s conference (click here to see the schedule), it looks like there are a number of interesting workshops being offered in subjects such as Shamanic Practices, Divination (including Palmistry, Runes, Tarot, etc.), Herbalism, Labyrinths, and Celtic Spirituality. There are also four Intensives – these are special subjects with several classes that a person can register for intensive study in that particular area. This year the Intensives are Defense Against the Dark Arts; Tarot, Kaballah, and Astrology; Hindu Tradition; and Christian Mysticism. These look interesting as well.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PAGAN TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE… ANYONE WITH AN OPEN MIND AND AN INTEREST IN SPIRITUALITY IS WELCOMED!
I would encourage anyone with an interest in Spirituality, and in Paganism, to attend this conference.
If you are interested in attending and you will need interpreter services, PLEASE CONTACT THE ECUMENICON FELLOWSHIP RIGHT AWAY SO THEY CAN ARRANGE INTERPRETING SERVICES. I would also strongly suggest that you first look at the schedule and determine which workshops you are interested in, so that interpreters can be provided for those days and times. Interpreting services do cost money, so Ecumenicon prefers to know in advance what days, times, and workshops you are planning to attend so they can arrange such services accordingly.
(By the way, if you are interested in interpreting for this conference, please contact the Ecumenicon Fellowship… I am sure they would appreciate your services!)
If you do go, please say “hello” to everyone from Ocean, and be sure to let me know how it went!
For more information about the Ecumenicon Fellowship, click on their logo below to go to their website:
click above for more information
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
WOW… I checked out the schedule, and there looks like some interesting workshops indeed! I’m not sure that I can go, although I really would love to be there. I do hope that members of the Deaf Community take advantage of this conference – as a Deaf Pagan myself I struggle with finding events, etc. that are accessible, so I applaud the Ecumenicon Fellowship for making this conference accessibile for Deaf and Hard of Hearing participants. Kudos to you!
Thanks for posting this information, Ocean. I do hope I can go at some point, because it really does look like something worth attending… and I’m sure I would learn a lot!
While I do think the Ecumenicon Conference is a great thing and I applaud the organization for its efforts to make the event accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people, I must say that I am concerned about the quality of interpreting services provided at the conference. While Ecumenicon has hired/used qualified professional interpreters in the past, it seems they have begun to rely more and more on a certain individual who, although he does possess signing skills, is NOT a qualified interpreter… and should not be providing such services for this event.
I realize that interpreters are a major expense, but if Ecumenicon truly wants to make itself Deaf-Friendly, it needs to realize that Deaf attendees must have qualified individuals in order to receive full comprehension, enjoyment, and value of the conference.
Otherwise, this Deaf Pagan in the area refuses to attend.
I have gone to one of the conferences in the past, and I truly enjoyed it when we had professional interpreters that gave us the capability to participate in the workshops instead of just sitting back and wondering what was being talked about. However, there is a certain person there who thinks he can sign well, (if you ask me, he doesn’t….. I’m not only one who observes that, other pagans who are also interpreters (or interpreters-in-training) noticed too.) So, with that knowledge, I am not going to attend the conference in fears that I WILL miss out on process within the workshop due to the poor performance of the certain person. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m disappointed, yes, that I will miss this opportunity, but I’m also steadfast on insisting on getting professional qualified interpreters who CAN sign excellently! So… *shrug*
I want to thank “Concerned Deaf Pagan” and Wolfers for sharing their experiences and concerns.
I have been fortunate that the times I attended the Ecumenicon Conference, that skilled, qualified interpreters were available, and I did not have to deal with the less-than-ideal interpreting services of particular individuals.
It is my hope that Ecumenicon will again be providing qualified interpreters this year… I would encourage anyone who is considering going to this conference to advocate for such services.
I do think that the above comments raise a very important point for all Pagan organizations to consider – not everyone who has signing skills is qualified to be providing interpreting services. The knowledge of sign language does not automatically mean you are able to interpret… signing and interpreting are two very different things!
I recommend hiring qualified individuals through an Interpreter Agency or some other source… or talk with the Deaf attendee(s) and find out what recommendations they might have – oftentimes Deaf people might know of interpreters who would be willing to provide services for these types of events.
Any organization wishing further information about providing interpreting services is welcomed to contact me privately for assistance.