Deaf, hard-of-hearing community can unite at picnic in El Paso on Saturday

El Pasoan Tamara Gastelum, CEO of El Paso SLI Sign Language Interpreters, may be a familiar face for those who follow El Paso County Commissioners Court meetings.

Gastelum, who interprets the meetings, has been using her hands to communicate all of her life.

"My parents are both deaf. My native language is sign language. I learned to speak through my grandmother and school, so I was delayed (in English). And when I graduated from high school, I knew that's what I wanted to do (be an interpreter)," she said.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science with a focus on Sign Language Interpretation from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, Gastelum realized she could not meet the demand for sign language interpreters. And she started to reach out to peers who were certified and created her own business, which now has 40 interpreters.

Her business has contracts with Education Service Center-Region 19, the Hospitals of Providence, the El Paso Independent School District, the city of El Paso and the county.

The business is planning a picnic for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members and their families Saturday at Album Park. The picnics were started five years ago as an annual tradition but had to be stopped in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I started it because when I was growing up my mom would take me to deaf social events and that's where I developed my culture and identity. I moved here from California and my mom took me to this picnic at Album Park, and I just remember it was really fun."

Gastelum said she is not sure how many people in El Paso are part of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, but she has seen her picnics draw more than 100 to 150 people, including both deaf residents and relatives.

"It's just to bring the community together. We have a contract with EPISD, so they are (inviting) the children. It's really neat to see, little kids signing and communicating with their parents," she said.

She says there is always a need for more interpreters, especially those certified on the state or national level. She believes there is a small group of actively working nationally certified interpreters in El Paso.

El Pasoan Andrew Salloum, who is the senior planner for the city of El Paso's Planning Department, said through sign language that he has been fortunate to have the use of an interpreter for many years.

"I was born hearing, but I lost it at the age of 2 due to meningitis," he signed. A doctor recommended his parents learn sign language so his family could communicate with him.

"American Sign Language was my first language, and I learned English in middle school and high school," he said. "I'm really proud of my parents, that they were willing to learn sign language, because a lot of people, unfortunately, their parents don't speak sign language with their deaf kids, from what I've heard and seen," he said.

Salloum graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a bachelor's degree in business and used an interpreter throughout those years. Now in his job, he also makes use of an interpreter every day as the city makes that an accommodation.

"I need communication accessibility to work with my colleagues and other people who don't know sign language, in every day. It's really hard to write back and forth and type and try to get things across," he signed. "And that's why I'm still working for the city and have been there for 17 years. I feel very lucky."

Salloum did have a job previously where he did not have an interpreter. He worked at a grocery store for five years, and it was challenging, he signed.

"Writing back and forth is extremely difficult," he said, adding he would use a note pad a lot.

"I don't know where I would be without an interpreter," he signed.

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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter.

Make plans for SLI picnic

What: El Paso SLI Sign Language Interpreters LLC Picnic 2023

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Eastwood (Album) Park, 3110 Parkwood St.

Information: slielpaso.com

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso's deaf, hard-of-hearing community can unite at picnic Saturday