NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing CEO appointed to Domestic Violence Advisory Council

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Jan. 21, 2015 - PRLog -- Sacramento, California — 01/21/2015 — NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing CEO, Sheri Ann Farinha, has been appointed to the Domestic Violence Advisory Council last week by Governor Brown. The Domestic Violence Advisory Council works with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to develop policies which make services to domestic violence (DV) survivors more accessible.  This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. To see the Governor’s official press release visit: http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18842

Sheri Ann Farinha who is deaf and uses sign language, has served as the chief executive officer of NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing since 1993, a social services and advocacy agency serving northeastern counties as a subcontractor for a CA mandated program under the California Department of Social Services. Farinha has an extensive background in advocacy for the deaf and hard of hearing community. She was the interim chief executive officer of the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness from 1999 to 2003, where she was the chief administrative officer from 1984 to 1993. She was founder and chair of the National E911 Stakeholder Council, served as a member of FCC's Emergency Access Advisory Committee which recommended the Text to 9-1-1 solution currently being rolled out nationwide. Farinha currently serves as Chair of the California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Board of Directors. Farinha is past-president and member of the California Association of the Deaf and former Secretary of the National Association of the Deaf.

NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of hearing runs a program for deaf and hard of hearing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, DeafSAFE. DeafSAFE works with DV survivors in Sacramento and surrounding counties and partners with DeafHope, which serves the Bay Area. DeafSAFE is currently grant funded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. DeafSAFE established in 2009, provides several services to survivors and their families: peer counseling, legal advocacy, court accompaniment, medical accompaniment, crisis intervention, financial counseling, document translation, and survivor advocacy. Through this program Farinha has gained insight into the specific needs of DV and sexual assault survivors in the deaf and hard of hearing community which will bring a unique perspective to her place in the Domestic Violence Advisory Council.

NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing is a nonprofit community-based organization serving deaf and hard of hearing individuals in 24 northeastern counties of California. Founded and managed by a team of deaf and hard of hearing individuals, NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing has been an organization ‘of, by and for’ the deaf and hard of hearing community for more than 37 years. Our mission is to educate, empower, and advocate while supporting equal access to employment, education, and public services. To find out more about NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing visit www.norcalcenter.org

For additional information, contact Chelsea Rummler at (916) 349-7500 or crummler@norcalcenter.org