Representatives of Ukraine's Society of the Deaf visit the U.S. (09/08/02)

Representatives of Ukraine's Society of the Deaf visit the U.S.

by Michael Komanowsky

PHILADELPHIA - Three representatives of the Ukraine's Society of the Deaf (Ukrainske Tovarystvo Hlukhykh, or UTH) who recently visited the United States expressed great concern about the fact that 60 percent of their society's members are presently unemployed. They explained that their main reason for coming to the U.S. was to find a solution for that problem by finding new markets for the products that they already manufacture in their factories, by learning to manufacture other products, and/or by acquiring new, modern, competitive processing technology.

The firm of Macfadden and Associates Inc. (MAI) and the Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA) based in Philadelphia sponsored the trip to the United States for three members to enable them to attend Gallaudet University's Deafway II Conference in Washington July 8-12 and a trade show exhibiting products for the deaf. The owner of MIA is himself deaf and that MIA is recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a small disadvantaged business. The trip was organized by Andy Bilyk of Silver Springs, Md., who acted as a guide and is striving to satisfy the education and marketing needs of the UTH by providing it with access to the Internet, e-mail and computer productivity programs and, thereby, rendering its businesses more efficient and competitive.

UTH, which elects its leadership every five years, represents some 100,000 hearing-impaired individuals throughout Ukraine. It owns 41 factories in Ukraine employing 8,000 people, most of whom are deaf or hard of hearing. These factories produce a variety of goods in seven major product lines: furniture and other wood products; wearing apparel and knitted and textile haberdashery; plastic products; metal and wire products; printed products; measuring instruments; and small electrical devices.

Its delegation comprised the society's chairman, Yuri P. Maksimenko; Leonid I. Selezenko, director one of its Kyiv-based enterprises; and Volodymyr M. Honcharenko, director of its Cultural Center, who carried out his duties as the communicator very expertly by means of both lip reading and sign language.

The UTH Cultural Center houses a famous theater for the deaf named Raiduha that recently won first prize at an international contest in Spain. The theater has a wide repertoire and would gladly visit diaspora centers in the U.S. and Canada if invited and sponsored.

Representatives of both UTH and the Ukrainian Federation of America agreed that in order to be able to compete successfully on the world market, as well as domestically, UTH must be able to manufacture and sell products that are fashionable and cheaper, as well as of equal or superior quality to products made in developed countries. Consequently, UTH would profit immensely from transfer of technology that is readily accessible in the United States but not in Ukraine. Representatives of the Ukrainian Federation of America suggested that this can be accomplished by taking advantage of the many sources of information available in the U.S. and other Western countries, by consulting technical people who are employed in the same field; attending equipment shows that exhibit the newest pertinent equipment and processes; conducting searches in technical journals, equipment catalogues and patent literature; and most importantly, advancing contacts between UTH and representatives of the U.S. industry and businesses and, thereby, encouraging cooperation of mutual interest.

During the meeting, Mr. Maksimenko repeatedly stressed that UTH is an apolitical, non-governmental, social organization.

He also asked that knowledgeable diaspora persons come forward with their ideas for process improvements, process diversification, new marketing opportunities or other ideas that could help UTH businesses employ more of its members. His address is 74 Chervonoarmiyska St., Kyiv, Ukraine 03150; telephone, +38 (044) 246-71-77.

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