By Carolyn Odio
I was happy to attend an ODHH community meeting with ODHH Director Earnest Covington III on April 8th in Olympia, Washington.

Earnest gave a Powerpoint presentation outlining the history of ODHH and his staff and their job duties. He also discussed the budget process and the services ODHH offers the hard-of-hearing and Deaf communities.
In Q&A part of the meeting, a question about the new airport came up. Earnest was asked whether he had a “seat at the table” of this newly formed Port of Seattle committee. He said he did not, but he would pursue that.
As I was speaking with one of his staff, she promised to pose another comment to him: Why can’t they use those TV screens all over the airport for captioning the PA speakers/gate announcements that we cannot always hear, especially when we’re sitting at the gate? This would be a huge benefit for all of the passengers, especially in case of a mass emergency.
I enjoyed getting to know Earnest and other Deaf and hard-of-hearing folks in Olympia. I urge you to attend one of the upcoming meetings in your area.
Community Meetings with ODHH and Earnest Covington III
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
1:00 to 3:00 pm
Spokane Public Library
Hillyard Branch
4110 N. Cook Street
Spokane, WA 99207
Saturday, May 20th, 2023
1:00 to 3:00 pm
Husky Union Building (HUB)
HUB 337
4001 E. Stevens Way NE
Seattle, WA 98195
Pay-by-Phone parking in lot N20 and N21. Go to the digital pay machine, input license plate number,
choose pre-arranged hourly, 3 hours, coupon number 110772.
Saturday, June 10th, 2023
1:00 to 3:00 pm
Tacoma Public Library
Anna Lemon Wheelock Branch
3722 North 26th Street
Tacoma, WA 98407
Free street parking and a small parking lot (5 spaces)