Join us on Thursday, March 31st at 12 p.m. (ET) to discuss how language, culture, and literacy contribute to an inclusive workplace culture.

Effective communication strategies are vital to productive workplace lives because a mixture of diverse cultures with varying language fluency may lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding, and discrimination.

When working to create an inclusive and respectful workplace, it’s important to think about details such as the native language of your coworkers, the culture related to their native geographic area, and their own literacy capabilities.

Join LUNA Language Services and the EEOC for this panel discussion and listening session focused on exploring language, culture, and literacy when it comes to building an inclusive workplace environment.

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Learning objectives: 

• Gain best practices in communication and talent development for community members who are Deaf or hard of hearing, immigrants, or who have literacy challenges.
• Learn about Deaf culture and understand some nuances between American Sign Language and English.
• Learn about major groups within our robust immigrant population and how language and culture may play a role in clear communication.
• Understand literacy gaps within working adults and learn how to identify opportunities to better communicate with and support your team members with improving their literacy skills.

🎥 We will be recording the session and sending a link to the recording out to all registered participants.

🤟 An ASL interpreter will be provided.

Speaker Information:

Brien Shoemaker, Outreach Education Coordinator, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Brien Shoemaker is the Outreach Education Coordinator for the Indianapolis District of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Brien has been with the EEOC since 2001 and has served as an investigator and a supervisor. As an investigator Brien earned the Commission’s CORE award for outstanding contributions to the EEOC during his work as the lead investigator in a multi-agency class case involving hiring discrimination. Brien has presented outreach programs on the EEOC laws and regulations, and has given Respectful Workplace training to private companies and advocacy groups.

Christina Arrom, Director of Programs and Operations, Immigrant Welcome Center

Christina Arrom serves as the Immigrant Welcome Center’s Director of Programs and Operations. In her current role with IWC, she leads program design and evaluation, as well as provides internal and external organizational capacity building and support around our immigrant population. She herself is a first generation Cuban-American lawyer that uses her skills and expertise to serve her community.

Christina Binhack, Vice President of Program, Indy Reads

The Indy Reads Program Team is led by Vice President of Program, Christina Binhack, who manages all program staff and oversees all curriculum and classroom activities. She also coordinates partnerships with other agencies, seeking out and developing new opportunities for our students and new referral sources for our organization. Newly reopened in November 2021, Binhack also oversees the new bookstore location programming in Fountain Square. Binhack holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs/Nonprofit Management and has been with Indy Reads for 4 years.

Rebecca Buchan, Director of ASL Services and Education, LUNA Language Services

Rebecca Buchan has dedicated almost two decades to the field of American Sign Language interpreting. After becoming nationally certified and working in various interpreting venues, she has gone on to become an interpreting mentor, educator, and national presenter. Rebecca spends time serving on several professional non-profit boards including the state of Indiana’s Board of Interpreting Standards (BIS), the Indiana Chapter of Interpreters for the Deaf (ICRID), where she currently serves as Past President, and the combined ICRID and Indiana Association of the Deaf Task Force. She holds the highest national certification for ASL interpreters and recently completed her Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication.

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