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FOR RELEASE: January 24, 2001 Pontiac-GMC Hosts First Community Outreach Program of its Kind for the Deaf in 30 Cities in 19 States Nationwide DETROIT - For the first time ever a major car company has launched an extensive, annual community outreach program for the deaf nationwide. Pontiac-GMC, Division of General Motors Corporation, has teamed up to sponsor an American Sign Language (ASL) tour at auto shows in 30 cities spanning 19 states from New York to California. The 2001 tour will provide opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students of all ages, senior citizens and community members to experience an auto show and its wealth of innovative products with the assistance of sign language interpreters who are also trained product specialists. Groups ranging in size from five to 100 are provided free tickets to an auto show, as well as lunch and a souvenir as a memento of the experience. Sign language interpreters accompany the participants and provide translation through the General Motors Experience display area at the auto show and beyond for up to six hours at the show. The nationwide ASL tour by Pontiac-GMC is in its third year, with more than 1,600 participants logged over the past two years. Some 1,500 are anticipated to enjoy the auto show experience in 2001 with the help of the Pontiac-GMC ASL program. "There are more than 28 million deaf and hard-of-hearing living in the United States that often do not have an opportunity to experience an auto show, much less one with the aid of a sign language interpreter," said Lynn Myers, general manager for Pontiac-GMC. "We are proud to present this program as an outlet for the deaf community to become more educated car buyers through a fun-filled experience where they can touch and feel a variety of vehicles and ask questions." Ron Swartz, President of the Deaf Community Advocacy Network (D.CAN!), likened the car-buying experience for the deaf and hard-of-hearing to that of a person who speaks only Spanish attempting to learn about and purchase a vehicle from a salesperson who only speaks English. "The program created by Pontiac-GMC is currently the most extensive program of its kind that is 100 percent accessible for the deaf community," said Swartz. "We applaud Pontiac-GMC for their efforts and encourage deaf and hard-of-hearing to get involved in the years to come. It is truly a great opportunity to learn more about one’s dream car and ease future car-buying experiences for the deaf and hard-of-hearing." Pontiac-GMC has actively supported the deaf community through various programs for the past seven years, and continues its commitment with the 2001 ASL tour scheduled for auto shows through December 2001. The auto shows with scheduled deaf school and/or community visits include: Auto Show Dates City/State 01/26/01-02/04/01 Houston, Texas 01/31/01-02/04/01 St. Louis, Missouri 01/31/01-02/04/01 Grand Rapids, Mich 02/01/01-02/04/01 Portland, Ore. 02/02/01-02/11/01 Philadelphia, Penn. 02/07/01-02/18/01 Chicago, Illinois 02/09/01-02/18/01 Pittsburgh, Penn. 02/14/01-02/18/01 San Diego, Calif. 02/23/01-03/04/01 Milwaukee, Minn. 02/27/01-03/04/01 Rochester, New York 03/02/01-03/11/01 Cleveland, Ohio 03/03/01-03/11/01 Minneapolis, Minn. 03/06/01-03/11/01 Atlanta, Georgia 03/07/01-03/11/01 Denver, Colo. 03/09/01-03/18/01 Columbus, Ohio 03/15/01-03/18/01 Greenville, S.C. 03/20/01-03/25/01 Dallas, Texas* 03/29/01-03/31/01 New Orleans, La. 04/13/01-04/22/01 New York, New York The tour made stops in January 2001 in Detroit and Los Angeles as well. Other auto shows/cities to be visited in Fall 2001 include Boston, Dallas*, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando (FL), Phoenix (AZ), San Antonio (TX), San Francisco, Tampa (FL), and Washington D.C. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, senior citizens and community groups interested in participating in the program can email CarShowsforDeaf@aol.com for more information. * Dallas will be visited twice by Pontiac-GMC’s deaf community outreach program tour. In March, they visit the auto show, and in the Fall 2001 it stops at the Texas State Fair. |
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