RAISING AWARENESS VALLEY FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS DEAFNESS ISSUES, SERVICES.

Byline: Rick Coca Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - People got to learn about sign-language classes, examine the technological advances to aid deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and see the Laker Girls at DEAFestival 2005.

Several thousand people visited Woodley Park for Saturday's event, sponsored by Councilman Tony Cardenas with help from the California State University, Northridge, deaf studies department, the city's disability and recreation and parks departments, and other sponsors.

``We learned a lot about the programs, like the classes they are offering to learn how to sign,'' said Vanessa Figueroa, who was at Woodley Park with her husband, Hugo, and 8-year-old son, Brandon.

Brandon is enrolled in the deaf studies program at Washington Elementary School in Burbank.

DEAFestival, an annual event, actually began in 1990, but last year the councilman's office got involved. The fair expanded this year. Nearly 900,000 people in Los Angeles County are hearing-impaired, organizers said.

The fair included a demonstration of the Video Relay Service, which allows deaf and hard-of-hearing people to make phone calls by signing via television, personal computer, or Webcam to an interpreter, who interprets their messages for a hearing party.

Bertha Velasquez, Cardenas' executive secretary, was instrumental in getting the councilman involved with the fair. Velasquez's teenage daughter, Stephanie, attends the California School for the Deaf in Riverside.

When Velasquez discovered that Stephanie was hard of hearing at age 1, she had to quit work in order to have time to find services for her daughter.

Velasquez's daughter attended Multnomah Elementary School in El Sereno, one of many Los Angeles Unified schools that offer a deaf studies program.

But Velasquez enrolled her at the Riverside school to avoid teasing and peer pressure she heard deaf and hard-of-hearing students experience in many middle schools with predominately hearing children.

``Kids would get into fights,'' Velasquez said. ``They get teased.''

Velasquez is happy with the Riverside school. Her daughter, now 16, plays volleyball for her school, which on Saturday had a game against its archrival, California School for the Deaf, Fremont.

Rick Coca, [phone]

rick.coca(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- 2) Above, Sherrie Martinez, left, Theresa Sharp, and Rod Renusch sign a conversation at Deafestival 2005 at Woodley Park, where they got to enjoy entertainers, recreational activities and information booths on Saturday. At right, Councilmen Dennis Zine and Tom LaBonge give Councilman Tony Cardenas a push on the rock wall as he attempts to go for a climb at the second annual event, held in Van Nuys to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer