FAQs
Can I get a tax-deductible receipt for my donation?
Yes. WBFG is a ministry of Angels of Love, Inc., which is a non-profit in the US, so as long as you make the donations out to Angels of Love, Inc. we can send you a tax-deductible receipt for your donation. You can also receive a tax-deductible receipt by donating through the PayPal link on the website.
Where are you located?
Our ministries are currently located in the city of Ensenada, in Baja California, Mexico.
Do you have a P.O. Box?
Yes. We receive all our mail at our US post office box for security reasons:
Angels of Love, Inc.
P.O. Box 406
Tecate, CA 91980
How many ministries are under Angels of Love, Inc.?
WBFG is a DBA of Angels of Love, Inc. However, we do have different areas of ministry that we manage: Our Deaf men's housing ministry: Casa Josué. Our Deaf women's housing ministry: Casa Maravillas. Our interpreting services, scholarship fund, and our food distribution are the current active ministries we manage.
What are your needs?
Each project has specific needs. You can partner with us financially by sending a donation through check or online, you can send or bring us foods and goods, or we can make a special trip to CA to pick up any donated items (canned goods, school supplies, housing supplies, or clothes). Look up our current needs under each project.
Do you have a newsletter or send out updates?
Yes! We send out a physical seasonal newsletter about every three months with a return envelope for any donations. We can send you a physical a seasonal newsletter through the mail if you provide us with a mailing address. If you subscribe to our website, we will send you the newsletter through email and periodic updates about what we are doing alongside the Deaf community in Ensenada, Mexico.
Do you teach or use braille?
No, Braille is for people who are blind or have a visual disability.
Braille is also not a language but a system of codification of the countries own spoken language.
Why don't you focus on teaching the Deaf to speak, use hearing aides or get cochlear implants?
Most if not all the Deaf community that we work with have their own sign language and culture that should be respected, and by saying that they should be "fixed" to be like a hearing person is audist. Getting a cochlear implant or learning through speech therapy are very personal decisions that each Deaf person are free to take. We believe it is wrong to force those decisions on Deaf people.
What is audism?
"The notion that one is superior based on one's ability to hear or to behave in the manner of one who hears." -Tom Humphries
Audism is a set of beliefs that include: hearing people are superior to Deaf people; Deaf people should be pitied for having futile and miserable lives; Deaf people should become like hearing people as far as possible; and shunning of sign languages (Tom Harrington).
It is important to recognize in ourselves if we hold any audist views consciously or unconsciously as hearing people.
Is sign language universal?
No, because of the diversity of cultures in different countries, each country developed their own sign language. Even countries with same spoken languages will have different sign languages. This is a result of the different cultural contexts where sign languages develop. To question or demand that there should be one universal sign language is to also demand that everyone in the world speak only one language.
Are spoken languages more developed than sign languages?
No, just as any spoken language, sign language has its own grammar, syntax, and morphology. For example, Mexican Sign Language and Spanish, which are both used in Mexico, are grammatically very different in their sentence structure. Sign language is as complex as any spoken language and equal to any spoken language. Languages come from our brain, not our mouths, so no matter if the language is expressed by our tongue or through our hands, they both originate from the language centers of our brain.
Are American Sign Language (ASL) and Mexican Sign Language (LSM) similar?
No. However, just like with English and Spanish there are some signs that are similar and mean the same, and there may be other similar signs but have a completely different meaning. For example, the ASL sign for gay means boy in LSM.
What is wrong with the use of these terms “deaf-mute,” “deaf and dumb,” or “hearing-impaired”?
"Deaf and hard of hearing people have the right to choose what they wish to be called, either as a group or on an individual basis. Overwhelmingly, deaf and hard of hearing people prefer to be called “deaf” or “hard of hearing.” Nearly all organizations of the deaf use the term “deaf and hard of hearing [...]”
-National Association of the Deaf
*The following information is from the NAD website. Click the link above for the original source.
Deaf and Dumb — A relic from the medieval English era, this is the granddaddy of all negative labels pinned on deaf and hard of hearing people. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, pronounced us “deaf and dumb,” because he felt that deaf people were incapable of being taught, of learning, and of reasoned thinking. To his way of thinking, if a person could not use his/her voice in the same way as hearing people, then there was no way that this person could develop cognitive abilities. (Source: Deaf Heritage, by Jack Gannon, 1980)
In later years, “dumb” came to mean “silent.” This definition still persists, because that is how people see deaf people. The term is offensive to deaf and hard of hearing people for a number of reasons. One, deaf and hard of hearing people are by no means “silent” at all. They use sign language, lip-reading, vocalizations, and so on to communicate. Communication is not reserved for hearing people alone, and using one’s voice is not the only way to communicate. Two, “dumb” also has a second meaning: stupid. Deaf and hard of hearing people have encountered plenty of people who subscribe to the philosophy that if you cannot use your voice well, you don’t have much else “upstairs,” and have nothing going for you. Obviously, this is incorrect, ill-informed, and false. Deaf and hard of hearing people have repeatedly proved that they have much to contribute to the society at large.
Deaf-Mute – Another offensive term from the 18th-19th century, “mute” also means silent and without voice. This label is technically inaccurate, since deaf and hard of hearing people
generally have functioning vocal chords. The challenge lies with the fact that to successfully modulate your voice, you generally need to be able to hear your own voice. Again, because deaf and hard of hearing people use various methods of communication other than or in addition to using their voices, they are not truly mute. True communication occurs when one’s message is understood by others, and they can respond in kind.
Hearing-impaired – This term is no longer accepted by most in the community but was at one time preferred, largely because it was viewed as politically correct. To declare oneself or another person as deaf or blind, for example, was considered somewhat bold, rude, or impolite. At that time, it was thought better to use the word “impaired” along with “visually,” “hearing,” “mobility,” and so on. “Hearing-impaired” was a well-meaning term that is not accepted or used by many deaf and hard of hearing people.
For many people, the words “deaf” and “hard of hearing” are not negative. Instead, the term “hearing-impaired” is viewed as negative. The term focuses on what people can’t do. It establishes the standard as “hearing” and anything different as “impaired,” or substandard, hindered, or damaged. It implies that something is not as it should be and ought to be fixed if possible. To be fair, this is probably not what people intended to convey by the term “hearing impaired.”
Every individual is unique, but there is one thing we all have in common: we all want to be treated with respect. To the best of our own unique abilities, we have families, friends, communities, and lives that are just as fulfilling as anyone else. We may be different, but we are not less.
What’s in a name? Plenty! Words and labels can have a profound effect on people. Show your respect for people by refusing to use outdated or offensive terms. When in doubt, ask the individual how they identify themselves.
-NAD
facts
- Over 5% of the world's population – or 466 million people – has disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people – or one in every ten people – will have disabling hearing loss. -WHO
- Only 2% of the 32 million Deaf children in the world receive education in sign language.
- There are approximately 2 million deaf people in Mexico. 300-500 thousand communicate in LSM (Spanish for Mexican Sign Language).
- 0.02% of Deaf Mexicans make it to higher education.
- There are only 42 nationally certified interpreters for the Deaf in Mexico.
- 2% of the Deaf population world wide consider themselves Christian. Less than 2% are actual practicing Christians. The Deaf are considered and unreached people group.
