Deaf interpreter and advocate Rian Gayle has worked tirelessly to increase accessibility at Black Lives Matter protests in Salem and across the state. The interpreter is a Deaf and Black interpreter and has attended numerous Black Lives Matter protests in both Salem and Portland over the past two months. He often interprets and presents and many of the events as well.
Gayle is working to increase the number of Salem rallies in which ASL interpreters are present. His goal is to make sure that every Black Lives Matter event is interpreted. His work primarily focuses on centering Black, Indigenous and People of Color [BIPOC] Deaf interpreters.
Gayle recently partnered with the Oregon Registry of Interpreters in an effort to raise money to pay BIPOC interpreters working at Black Lives Matter rallies. He has been outspoken about the importance of supporting their work, especially because much of it is pro bono.
When Gayle is not presenting or interpreting, he serves as the Assistant Director of Access and Inclusion at Western Oregon University. Gayle is also a commissioner on the Oregon Disabilities Commission under the Oregon Department of Human Services. He was born and raised in Jamaica and now lives in Oregon with his family.
Gayle has dedicated time to getting more involved in the Black Lives Matter movement recently. On top of interpreting at many protests, he has been presenting his own ideas.
“My main message is that ableism is also a factor of racism. We can’t tackle racism without tackling ableism. Black Disabled Lives Matter as well and it’s impossible to achieve equity without looking at it as well.” Gayle said.
On a larger scale, Gayle hopes that the Black Lives Matter movement will dismantle systemic racism and bring recognition to all the contributions BIPOC people have made to Oregon and the country. He also hopes the movement will result in an improved policing system in Oregon, including better training for officers on how to interact with disabled people.
For the Deaf community, he wants to see more inclusion for disabled people everywhere, in all spaces. He also hopes to see the work of Deaf, BIPOC people highlighted and recognized.
Gayle faces the struggles that are inherent in being part of the Black community, as well as the ones that come from being part of the Deaf community.
Gayle says that he experiences racism often, as people discriminate against him based on how he looks. He added that people “get intimidated just by the color of [his] skin and act in an oppressive way.”
Gayle says that he faces another level of discrimination as a Deaf man. He faces both ableism and audism, discrimation against people with disabilities and people who are deaf or hard of hearing, respectively.
Much of this stems from a lack of accessible information, whether in person, online or on social media. There are many barriers that Deaf people face when interacting with information. There is often an insufficient amount of resources assisting the Deaf community. Many events and videos lack captions and sign language interpreters.
Gayle believes that making in-person events and things online accessible is not enough. Eventually, he hopes to achieve not only proper representation of the Deaf community at events, but representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Color within the Deaf community.
“Thinking off the top of my head, around 98% of the interpreters in Salem are non-BIPOC and that’s a problem as more and more events that are created for BIPOC people are popping up and proper representation is necessary,” Gayle said on the necessity of having BIPOC interpreters.
However, Gayle does not stop there. He believes that not only uplifting BIPOC interpreters, but also Deaf interpreters is important.
“Having a Deaf BIPOC Interpreter also ensures that we are letting those who are closer to the issue of racism and audism to get the platform to convey the message clearer to those who need to hear it the most,” Gayle said.
Gayle experiences unique disadvantages as both a Deaf and Black man. He faces both racism and ableism on a daily basis, making existing difficulties with prejudice, that much harder. Disabled and BIPOC individuals are at an even higher risk of harm when interacting with police, so he believes they are a necessary part of the conversation.
“I think Disability Rights is important to be included as statistics will show that more than 50 percent of Black people killed by the police have a disability. Most of the 50 percent have a mental health disability and others have different levels of sensory disability,” Gayle said.
Accessibility is lacking for all kinds of people. Not only physical disabilities, but also for people with sensory and mental health disabilities. Gayle believes accessibility is important to keep in mind when planning or hosting big events so the greatest number of people are able to participate and feel involved. Gayle hopes organizers for protests and any other events keep accessibility in mind while planning.
“Think about providing not just sign language interpreters but Spanish interpreters as well, make sure there are wheelchair accessible restrooms close by, ramps, and also enough space for people with anxiety to participate. If you are planning food, think about dietary restrictions as well,” Gayle said.
People with disabilities are often looked over in large group settings so Gayle believes it is important to keep in mind that all kinds of people want to attend these events and should be included.
Rian Gayle interprets at various Black Lives Matter events in Salem. Photos by Eddy Binford-Ross
