Events and Language Access Initiatives
Sickle Cell Disease: A workshop for Interpreters
We are partnering with The Sickle Cell Association of Ontario and Hospital for Sick Children to offer our Access Alliance Community this workshop. Our objective is to build interpreter capacity to actively participate in the delivery of quality services for impacted communities. We want to build on the momentum of the ongoing research and development of education and care resources that have been recently produced as a result of multi-stakeholder collaborations. Among the different topics that will be covered are the following:
- What is Sickle Cell Disease? Who does it affect? How is it diagnosed? How is it managed?
- What to expect at appointments (adult and pediatric care settings)
- Evolutions in the language of Sickle Cell Disease
- Terminology Exchange – language specific break-out rooms
For more information please contact: languages@accessalliance.ca
Date and time: Wednesday November 1st, 2023 – 6 – 7:30 pm
Place: Online
Thank you in advance to our partners for the facilitation of the terminology exchange break-out rooms:
Conestoga College LITP | Humber College LITP | Interpreter’s Lab | Ontario Council on Community Interpreting
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The Cyber Security Module
The Cyber Security Module, the first workshop in a series created by the Alliance For Healthier Communities, is now available. The objective of the module is to help individuals protect themselves, their loved ones, and their workplace from being the target of cyber attacks. This course will help you identify when you are vulnerable or being targeted and what steps you can take to protect yourself.
Please note that this is a self-led, asynchronous workshop that will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete.
For more information please contact languages@accessalliance.ca.
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What is Debriefing?
Join other community interpreters to share experiences of, and strategies for, professionally challenging and/or emotionally distressing aspects of your work as an interpreter.
Sessions take place every other Wednesday from 5 pm to 6 pm on the following dates:
August 23
September 6, 20
October 4, 18
November 1, 15, 29
December 13, 27
Contact languages@accessalliance.ca for the zoom link.
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Special Debrief Session Presented by Wellness Together Canada
The purpose of this session is to learn about Wellness Together Canada (WTC) which is Canada’s first and only virtual portal and app supporting mental health. Users can access immediate, free services such as peer support, counselling, e-courses and more. WTC is available 24/7 and no referral or health card is required.
Date and time: Wednesday, August 16, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
For more information and to register, please contact languages@accessalliance.ca
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Interpreting for LGBTQ2S+ Newcomers
The purpose of this workshop is to increase familiarity with the history, terminology, and issues faced by this community, and to explore best practices regarding language support services for the various stakeholders involved.
Date and time: Thursday, June 29, 2023 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
For more information and to register, please contact languages@accessalliance.ca
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Dementia-Friendly Training for Community Interpreters 2023
Guidelines for community interpreters working in the mental health care sector specifically with clients suffering from dementia. These guidelines will introduce you to preferred person-centered terms that are meant to maintain dignity and respect for all individuals.
Dates and times:
April 27: 6 – 8 pm
May 4: 9 -11 am
May 25: 6 – 8 pm
For more information and to register, please contact languages@accessalliance.ca
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Harm Reduction 101: The Basics
This session is hosted by The Works, Toronto Public Health and presents an introduction to harm reduction theory and practices.
Session topics include:
- Definition and core principles of harm reduction
- History of harm reduction and drug laws in Canada
- Impacts of stigma associated with drug use
- Importance of non-judgmental and anti-stigma practices
Session takes place March 22, 2023, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Zoom.
For more information and to register: languages@accessalliance.ca
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Interpreter Debriefs
What is Debriefing?
Join other community interpreters to share experiences of, and strategies for, professionally challenging and/or emotionally distressing aspects of your work as an interpreter.
Sessions take place every other Wednesday from 5 pm to 6pm on the following dates:
January 11, 25
February 8, 22
March 8, 22
April 5, 19
May 3, 17, 31
June 14, 28
Contact languages@accessalliance.ca for the zoom link.
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Real Steps to Language Access in Health Systems: A Panel Discussion
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (Canada and US)
Access Alliance Language Services invites you to join our panel discussion on Real Steps to Language Access in Health Systems. Following the release of our report “Investing in Language Access to Optimize Health System Performance”, we have brought together a panel of experts to talk about what’s working now and how we can leverage those successes and implement best practices across health systems.
Our panelists will be discussing actions, sharing strategies and best practices. The goal of the event is to contribute to the conversation on language access and to provide various stakeholders with tools to realize the calls to action.
Please join us as we explore what each of us can do to promote language access in health care systems in our own context.
Our esteemed panelists:
- Doly Begum, MPP for Scarborough Southwest and the Provincial Critic on Citizenship, Foreign Credentials and Immigration Services
- Lola Bendana, Director at Multi-Languages Corporation, Member and Past-President of the Canadian Language Industry Association of Canada (CLIA)
- Nishi Kumar, Program Evaluator and Policy Analyst focused on health equity and the social determinants of health
- Dr. Aitor Montes Lasarte, Family Doctor, Basque Country
- Angela Sasso, Founder and Director of The Interpreter’s Lab, a program of Shifting Pictures, President of Critical Link International.
Read the literature review, Investing in Language Access to Optimize Health System Performance here.
Recording of panel discussion, Wednesday October 6, 2021
Slide Deck from panel discussion
Community Interpreting in Canada: An information session for Afghan Interpreters and language assistants
Wednesday, September 29, 2021, 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (Canada and US)
Access Alliance Language Services is hosting an information session for newly arrived Afghan interpreters, language assistants, and their support networks to provide an overview of the community interpreting landscape in Canada.
Please join us to hear about interpreter associations, accreditation/certification frameworks, training options, ILSAT/CILISAT, national standards, role of the CI, trends of on-site/remote, as well as initiatives from across the country relevant to interpreting and language support.
Meeting materials