The Bench & Bar magazine is published to provide members of the KBA with information that will increase their knowledge of the law, improve the practice of law, and assist in improving the quality of legal services for the citizenry.
Issue link: https://kentuckybenchandbar.epubxp.com/i/132126
BAR NEWS KENTUCKY LAWYER BRINGS KENTUCKY BAR FOUNDATION'S CREDIT ABUSE RESISTANCE EDUCATION (CARE) TO KENTUCKY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF By AMY CARMAN Long after Marsha Taylor had gone through the notes she had prepared for her first Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program (CARE) presentation, the questions from the students at the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) in Danville kept coming. "When can I get a credit card?" "What's the best way to get a student loan?" "What's involved in buying a car?" Acting as intermediaries in the exchange, trained interpreters connected questions on financial literacy to Taylor's common sense responses. "If there's something you want badly enough, get a job and save up for it," the Jackson County lawyer offered earnestly. "Pay cash as often as you can. Don't run up a credit card buying pizza and cokes or you'll be paying for that dinner long after it's gone." Taylor's CARE presentation was unique among the dozens being offered by volunteer attorneys across the Commonwealth this spring — it involved several different forms of communication in one classroom setting and is believed to be one of the first nationwide to be offered at a school for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. 56 "It took several interpreters to make this CARE program presentation possible and accessible to all of the students since some of them were Oral and signed English like me," she said. "Others were American Sign Language (ASL), some were Signing Exact English (SEE). Several different communication methods all came together smoothly thanks to the excellent interpreters on hand that day. I am especially thankful to interpreter Tina Savelyev who personally assisted me and who continues to be my greatest asset in the court room as well." Taylor said she learned about the CARE program through the Kentucky Bar Association's publications and was inspired to make the presentation to the KSD. "Children are my passion, which is why I ended up in family law," Taylor said. "Any opportunity I get to have a positive influence on the next generation, I jump at, whether it be through custody and adoption proceedings, special education advocacy, juvenile defense, or presentation of information that can make a difference in their futures." Taylor said the KSD was the first state-supported school of its kind in the United States and enjoyed "much popularity" in its early years. "Most Kentucky residents do not realize that Kentucky is blessed with such a large deaf population and that this under-acknowledged population is such a culturally rich one," she said. Like most residential schools for the deaf, Taylor said, enrollment at KSD has seen a decline since passage of the American Disabilities Act made mainstreaming students in public schools more accessible. "Too often, these schools are overlooked for things like CARE, simply because people forget they exist," she said. "KSD has many bright young students who will have a hard enough time getting the type of information CARE offers because they cannot pick it up in the traditional way most kids pick up this type of information and that's by simply overhearing people talk over the years. These are the students who would most benefit from such a presentation." Taylor said the CARE presentation helped the KSD students focus on the financial decisions they will be making in the near future. Offered primarily to high school seniors, the CARE program focuses on the legal consequences of credit abuse, while emphasizing the importance of sticking to a budget, saving money and paying bills on time. Sponsored by the Kentucky Bar Foundation, the program is in its sixth year in Kentucky and has grown to include volunteer attorneys in about 50 counties with an expected outreach to more than 20,000 students. Jackson County attorney Marsha Taylor offers a presentation on the Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program (CARE) as Kentucky School for the Deaf interpreter Russell Anderson conveys her remarks for students. B&B; • 05.13