DEAF WATCH----February 20, 1997 (Part 1 of 2) Dear Friends, First of all I have been getting complaints that other subscribers email addresses have been showing up in the news broadcasts. I apologize for this. I am currently working on ways to solve this problem. Bear with me while I try to correct this. Secondly this is sent out early because the mail server is expected to be down for upgrades starting tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do this year and I want to tell our brothers and sisters in Connecticut we are standing behind them. I've written in Connecticut Democrat's homepage criticizing Rep. Paul Tymniak's stupid bill. Deaf programs in Connecticut Utah, and Georgia also being compromised. We must unite and fight at these 3 fronts. Finally I am pleased to let you know that Deaf Watch homepage has received a 2 star award on the Mental Health Network http://www.cmhc.com and its on their database. Visit the Deaf Watch page at least once a week. It changes quite a bit. ************************************************************* LEGISLATIVE ALERT!! Congress is making changes to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and this will have tremendous impact on Deaf and hard of hearing children. The time is NOW to write to your Congressional representative to let them know of the needed changes that will improve access to education for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Congressional staffers tell us it is extremely important they hear from residents in the areas they represent, and they have received very little indication of any community interest about the IDEA! For your convenience, you may use the sample letter below, and we encourage you to send letters using the State Association of the Deaf stationery if possible. We urge you to send letters to the members of the House and Senate Committees, as well as your own Senate and House representatives. Please send copies of your letters to NADHQ@juno.com for their records. The NAD also urges all presidents of your State Association of the Deaf, to circulate the sample letter to the members of your State Association of the Deaf, and to urge your members to write as soon as possible also. Because there are TWO changes that must be made in order to make the IDEA work for Deaf and hard of hearing children, the NAD urges you to inform your representative about the critical need to include these concepts in the IDEA: 1. The language and communication needs and direct communication opportunities for the Deaf or hard of hearing child with his or her peers and professional personnel, and direct instruction opportunities in the child's language and communication mode. 2. Any group that makes decisions about educational placements for a Deaf or hard of hearing child must consider non-biased and clear information about the continuum of alternative placement options for the child. Thank you very much for your time taken to write to the members of Congress, and for making a difference for current and future generations of deaf and hard of hearing children! If there are any questions, or need for assistance, please let Suzy Rosen (SuzyRosen@aol.com) know. Thanks! ***********************SAMPLE LETTER******************* [DATE] The Honorable [FULL NAME] U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable [FULL NAME] U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear [Representative/Senator] [LAST NAME]: [I am/We are] writing to indicate [my/our] support for your efforts to ensure the quality of education for individuals with disabilities by considering the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Improvement Act of 1997. [I/We], however, have grave concerns about the IDEA, and recommend two specific changes in order to make IDEA work for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. [EXPLAIN WHO YOU ARE/YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY: PARENT, INTERPRETER, STUDENT, EDUCATOR, FRIEND, ETC; YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH DEAF EDUCATION: USE FACTS FROM YOUR STATE] [I/We] urge you to include in the IDEA the following two changes: 1. Individualized Education Plans (IEP). In the case of a child who is deaf, or hard of hearing, the IEP Team is required to consider the factors such as language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communication with peers and professional personnel in the child's language and communication mode; academic level; and social, emotional and cultural needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the child's language and communication mode. 2. Educational Placements. Each local educational agency or State educational agency shall ensure that members of groups that make decisions about educational placements receive and consider clear and non-biased information on the continuum of alternative placement options when deciding on educational placements. State funding mechanisms, including use of state funds, be required to support the placement that is appropriate for the child, including placements in specialized schools and programs. Other issues of great concern to [me/us] include unrestricted funding for captioned media, availability of qualified and certified educational interpreters and personnel, and authorization of funds for deaf nonprofit cultural organizations and for technology, educational media, and materials. [I/We] hope you are able to include the changes in the IDEA legislation, because this will make a difference for deaf and hard of hearing children, as well as for other children with disabilities. Thank you very much for your efforts. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] cc: Suzy Rosen, Legal Counsel for Government Affairs National Association of the Deaf ****************END OF SAMPLE LETTER******************* Let's all do this! Try using Campaign.com's Page which is described later in this newsletter. ************************************************************* Deaf at the Frontlines..... National Association of the Deaf has filed a class action lawsuit against Walt Disney World in September 12, 1996. The lawsuit is the result of many complaints they have received from Deaf and hard of hearing about Disney. This all began when Emily Harrison and her parents, Rita, Ryan, and their son Ryan Barrett had visited Disney World in July 1996 and requested Disney to provide interpreter services for their rides, and attractions. Disney had refused to provide them with interpreters and the Harrison family had to provide the interpreters for Emily. They all are suing Disney for title III violations. The company had responded to the Harrison's lawsuit saying that they were not required under ADA to provide interpreters. and that it could result in an "undue burden" for Disney. The Disney company feared that having interpreters would radically change their attractions and be too expensive for them. Nancy J. Bloch, the executive director of NAD says "Disney's refusal to provide interpreters, captioning of their films at the park, and other aids to the enjoyment of Walt Disney's World affects innumerable deaf and hard of Hearing people. This historic class action lawsuit is designed to bring attention to the fact that Disney operating policies need to change so that deaf and hard of hearing children and adults can fully enjoy the same events and attractions at Disney World as their peers!" Disney recently had made an agreement with the Department of Justice. NAD noted Disney didn't bother to seek any input from the Deaf community in structuring the agreement. ************************************************************* California State University at Northridge is having DeaFestival 97 this year on March 1, 1997 with the theme "THE ME". The Deaf Studies department at CSUN is one of the sponsors and the admission is FREE to anyone. For more information, call TDD (818) 677-4973. Yes! this is the correct number. ************************************************************* Attention Californians! If you have any problems with the quality of the relay services in California and would like to file a complaint, please do it so by contacting: California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)* Mr. Wesley M. Franklin, Executive Director 505 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102 415.703.2782 Voice 415.703.1758 Fax *Denotes organization that oversees DDTP Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP)** Ms. Sharon Shafron, Customer Affairs Manager 1939 Harrison Street, Suite 520 Oakland, CA 94612 800.867.4323 TTY/Voice 510.287.2931 Fax Email: Sha@ix.netcom.com **Denotes a neutral third party program established by CPUC to monitor and oversee the CRS and equipment distribution programs in California. Please forward this announcement to everyone in California to fight for BETTER services from CRS... possibly for a new bid! A special report from Gallaudet University on 2-19-97 announced that FCC approved the use of a new code, 711, for quicker access to Telecommunications Relay Services. (Continued on next letter) ************************************************************* ************************************************************* DEAF WATCH February 20, 1997 (Part 2 of 2) (Continued) Connecticut Frontline......... Recently approximately 150-200 people demonstrated in Connecticut. They wanted Valerie Marino to resign and changes in the way the executive director of Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is selected. Said Jerry McCarthy, President of Connecticut Association of the Deaf. Representative Paul Tymniak (R) introduced Bill No. 5234 to ban Deaf people from serving in Connecticut juries. He was responding to lawyer's concerns for interpreters roles in the courtrooms. Lawyers were concerned that deaf jurors were not able to hear the voice tones of people in courtrooms and that the interpreters do not interpret what different people say in court differently. The CDHI under Valerie Marino knew about the bill for a little over a week and kept quiet. Jerry said "We were very lucky to catch this from a different commission on Deaf and hearing impaired. The Deaf community reacted to that proposal and got it killed... It is officially dead" ************************************************************* Contacting your Representative has just gotten easier. Campaign.com has the email addresses of representatives and senators with internet addresses in every state. You just go to http://campaign.com/speak_up.html. Speak Up was designed to help people send FCC related email to the representative and senators. YOU can just type in the subject and then when done you send it to anyone on the list or to all of them at the same time. This is a great tool for Deaf activists. I suggest you give the owners of that page a hand before you take advantage of their mass mailing system. ************************************************************* February is Black History month. Here is a small story of one black deaf man, Junius Wilson. This shows how harsh some black deaf people were treated in the past. Junius Wilson, a victim of social politics, was arrested and detained for false rape charges spent 71 yrs in a mental institution. It all began in 1925 when New Hanover county sheriffs deputies dragged him away from Castle Hayne at the age of 16. He was arrested for rape. Because he was Deaf and mute, a jury found him incompetent to stand trail. They declared him to be mentally ill and retarded. They castrated him and locked him away in a squalid institution. 50 years later the charges were dropped. He had not done the crime. As bad as that seems it gets worse. For the next 18 years no one freed him even though he was innocent. He is now too old to be turned loose. He has nothing, no one and no where to go. He is now being cared for by the state in a neat little home. Meanwhile, Ms. Hinn, Mr. Wilson's new guardian, has hired the Charlotte law firm Ferguson, Stein, Watt, Wallas, Adkins & Gresham, known for its work on civil rights issues. We shall never let this happen to black deaf people again. The national Black Deaf Advocates will be having their 15th annual conference on August 12 - 17, 1997 at Renaissance Washington D.C. Hotel, 999 9th Street, NW, Washington D.C. 20001. For more information, contact Jeanette Webster, 4814 Cooper Lane, Hyattsville, Maryland 20784. TDD phone number is (301) 322-4523. ************************************************************* Plea for help from an interpreter in Georgia. "..Also, in Georgia now we are facing crisis...our state government has targeted all services for Deaf to be cut from the budget... this has already affected two agencies and two others are slated to close in July...Help! We have a grassroots organization building visibility in the capitol and also educating others in community to grow numbers to show up and write letters to their representatives...feels like we are facing the possibility of going backwards in Georgia...Any suggestions or resources would be appreciated....." Anyone with useful information can send it to ADAPTGAZAN@aol.com On Tuesday February 18,1997 the deaf community in Georgia had a protest at the Georgia State Capitol. They had approximately 400 participants including a few politicians who spoke at the rally. ************************************************************* "Deaf People Can Do Anything Except Hear." I. King Jordan Deaf President of Gallaudet University ************************************************************* "The problem is not that the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen." Rev. Jesse L. Jackson (at Gallaudet) ************************************************************* Letters..... (8. Disney rules would stipulate that a mixed party of Deaf and ) ( hearing visitors must be split when an interpreter is provided.) ( This means a 6-year old Deaf child must be separated from the ) ( parents! ) I just wanted to add that in most Disney movies, the children are separated from parents. Especially from mothers. In fact, Disney only granted Bambi the ability to actually talk to his mother at the beginning of that film, then she was brutally hunted down. Just goes to show you that Disney does have some consistency in it's policy making procedures. Margot S-E L.A., CA (Talk about consistency!) *********************** (Sender asked to be anonymous) Why did you start Deaf Watch?? I didn't think there was much discrimination against the deaf? 3 reasons! They are: 1) I, myself, am a victim of discrimination and this medium is the best way I can channel my energies into productive activity than become negative and destructive. There is a saying that victims of crimes, torts, discrimination tend to become the VERY BEST advocates when they want to. And that s why I started this! 2) National Association for the Deaf agrees that discrimination against the deaf is widespread and presently on the rise at this very minute! 3) You probably don't hear very much of it due to several reasons. a) You or any of your Deaf friends have not yet experienced it. b) Deaf people around you might have experienced it but are too embarrassed or ashamed that it happened to them and stays quiet and tries to bury this. c) Deaf people around you may have experienced it and don't know how to get legal action or any information on how to respond properly. d) Finally on the legal side, they may have experienced it and have retained legal representation and has been told to remain silent to maximize the surprise element and to get a bigger settlement for non-publicity. I don't know which one may apply to you but these are the best possible reasons you didn't think there was much discrimination going on. Richard ************************** This isn't really news. It is a story, and it is my story. My reason for putting it here is that I'm afraid it is more common than we may think and, as you will see, "The System" only has made things worse. I'd like some input on how to correct some of these situations. I am Deaf since infancy, with excellent oral skills, and a mainstream education including a B.S. degree in accounting. I have really had a job over 23 years and not had a job over 5 years. I've always been among the first to be laid off for what ever reason. In April of 1992 I was divorced and lost yet another job at the same time. When my unemployment compensation ran out I applied for Social Security Disability benefits for myself and my three children. August 19th, 1994 Social Security determined that I was disabled as of March 21, 1992 and paid benefits retroactively to me and my children who are in the custody of their mother. Although I used a sign language interpreter in court, the court did not recognize that I am Deaf or disabled. Child support accrued during the entire time of my disability and unemployment. In March of 1995, the SSA began deducting 60% of my benefits and sending that money to the support enforcement agency. That provided for my ex-wife $460 per month for the children's benefits, plus $640 through the support enforcement agency. And that provided me with $350 per month to live on. I only receive credit with the support enforcement agency for the amounts that go through them. So, I don't receive credit for the $460 that comes directly from Social Security, or the $11,000 in retro-benefits, that were paid directly to the children. Faced with the impossible situation of living on $350 per month, I went back to work for a temporary agency. After completing the 9 month trial work period and the 3 month bonus period, I send a letter and a check back to Social Security asking them to stop my benefit payments to me and the the Support Enforcement agency. Seven months after that I lost that job due to lay-off. A month later I was hospitalized for depression and suicidal tendencies, and 9 months after I asked, SSA stopped sending my payments, but won't tell me if they have stopped paying the support enforcement agency. The job I had was LAN administrator at the manufacturing division of a Dayton company. Four months before I was laid off I interviewed for the LAN Administrator position at the corporate office of the same company. They had an identical system, only larger. My interview was with a relative of the company founder who was from India. I could not understand his English, and asked to be interviewed again by someone that could speak English better, or using a sign language interpreter. There was no response and 4 weeks later I was told that they hired someone else. I had acquired certification from Novell as a Network Administrator, and the person they hired was not a CNA. I filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and five months later was told (not yet officially) that there is no probable cause. I have to pay taxes on over $35,000 income last year while I only received about $10,00 and have almost no income now (the support enforcement agency is getting 60% of my unemployment benefits). I have spent $800 on attorneys to address the child support issues with no results. I have asked my US Congressman to look into it with no response. The BVR has not returned one of my phone calls in the last three months. Since I have had several good interviews for jobs that I was well qualified for, and not gotten any of them, I suspect that my former employer is retaliating against me for filing the complaint under the ADA. There must be some way to correct all this. Perhaps this posting will show a way. Gregory H. Lawrence ghlaw@erinet.com ------------------------------------------------------------- - DEAF WATCH - Circulation by EMAIL : 170 Subscribers - Chief Editor/Editor : Richard Roehm - Orange County, California - (714) 220-8187 24 hour beeper - Internet : Nesmuth@edenbbs.com - Visit Http://www.edenbbs.com/nesmuth/nesmuth.htm - DEAF WATCH Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/deaf.htm - Visit Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/nez.htm ------------------------------------------------------------- - SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - To be added to the mailing list, send "SUBSCRIBE" - To be deleted from the mailing list send "DELETE" - to this address NESMUTH@EDENBBS.COM ------------------------------------------------------------- - DEAF WATCH does not solicit funds from anyone nor it - sells the mailing lists to anyone. 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