DEAF WATCH----NOVEMBER 1998----PART TWO HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAF WATCH! Once again the following weekend, the Deaf community will gather in Ontario California for the annual pilgrimage to one of the best trade shows for people with hearing disabilities. Deaf Expo 1998 which is part of the Eye Festival Training Center a non profit organization sets the example of an entity that encourages people with hearing disabilities to become self sufficient. Eye Festival Training Center is commended along with their organizers for establishing these trade shows that helps people with hearing disabilities to explore business and introducing people with hearing disabilities to other facets of life, and enjoyment. Deaf Expo trade shows should be given the highest priority over other Deaf events in the region because they promote self sufficiency and help keep us united. The Editor ************************************************************* DEAF WATCH NEWSLETTER'S STAFF RE-INTRODUCED RICHARD ROEHM - Chief Editor Richard Roehm, Deaf Activist and Advocate is the founder, creator, visionary, of the Deaf Watch Newsletter and website. Through his support and advocacy, hundreds of people with various disabilities have fought for their rights. Richard has also created the Deaf Workers of Orange County Project which is designed to connect information and resources to Deaf people that do not have internet access. Richard has made numerous appearances at civil rights rallies and demonstrations. As a Deaf victim of discrimination, Mr. Roehm vows to help, advocate, support, defend, and teach the Deaf community worldwide all the way to his last breath. Mr. Roehm holds the position as chairman of Democrats North Orange County Disability Committee and is very active in the party. Mr. Roehm's latest pet project, the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is about to open it's doors to support the community shortly. WILLIAM CROSS - Assistant Editor William Cross, who has cerebral palsy, joined the Deaf Watch Newsletter staff on July 28, 1997. He has experienced the so called "double discrimination" dilemma in which he as a muslim and a cerebral palsy victim has encountered numerous discrimination problems at the workplace based on his race, religion, and disability. He pays a lot of attention to battling racial discrimination. He recently has voiced out against a condominium management for taking down signs written in Spanish that were placed in the laundry room. William's duties will be gathering disability resources and to gather news from the disability (non-deaf) community. He has assisted with testing automobile insurance companies by portraying as the 'hearing' consumer. DOROTHY BALESH - Legal Advisor Dorothy Balesh is our staff paralegal. She handles our legal affairs and offers legal consultations to people with disabilities. As a discrimination victim with a hearing disability, she knows how it feels to be toyed around at the work place once someone with a disability files complaints against their employers. We also have a number of other major contributors to the Newsletter and the website. We all have one main thing in common, we are discrimination victims and we know what it's like to be discriminated against and we all share the same goals to reduce discrimination on people with disabilities. ************************************************************* LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR ROB HURTT SAYS 'NO' TO DEAFS IN MILITARY September 4, 1998 Dear Mr. Roehm Thank you for your interesting letter on Georgia's National Guard Youth Challenge Academy. This summer marks the first inaugural year for California's participation in the Challenge Youth Academy. The program places a focus on at-risk youth between the ages of 16-18 who have no felonies, or a history of drug use. The program strives to chart a new path to success for these young teenagers by learning life skills within the influence of our country's military. Because this is the inaugural year for Challenge Academy, the California program is not the same level as Georgia. At this time California's program is not able to expand into working with the hearing disabled. They are working to make the Challenge Program a success and will wait to hear of the results from Georgia and Virginia experiments. Thank you for writing and please feel free to contact me again on any state state related issues of concern to you. Sincerely, Rob Hurtt State Senator ************************************************************* NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY COULD SAVE DEAF LIVES With the up-and-coming 21st century, we are always looking for new ways to protect our communities save lives, and prevent the loss of life. As a Paramedic and a person that tries to save lives on a daily basis, I'm always looking for products that may save lives before it's too late. I found a company that can do exactly that. I got myself involved with a company called DetectEar. This company is not your everyday company; this company specializes in alerting devices for the deaf and hearing impaired. The goal of DetectEar is to help assist in alerting people to many perils of Life Threatening events, such as Fire, Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, severe weather and Tornado warnings. It seems to me that with their products that currently have not only have they accomplish this, but also gone above and beyond. With the help in use of DetectEar's alpha vibrate receiving device and transmitters in their products, alerts will clearly identify exactly what the emergency or environmental sounds may be, in a timely resourceful manner as needed. Effective, reliable communications are vital to the reduction of injury and loss of life due to the perils of fire, natural disasters, and other threats. Loss of life and property can be largely mitigated or reduced with the help and assistance of early warning systems. Emerging communicating technology, not only for the people with disabilities, but for all represented individuals in society, to include the poor, the isolated, and the vulnerable, is a must. DetectEar wants to be a part of this reliable communications, especially to those with hearing impairments. A preliminary study conducted by the National Council on Disability, of 136 individuals with disabilities, wanted is seen and evaluate costs and benefits as related to use of different kinds of technology related assistance. It was noted that a significant impact of assistive technology hit many aspects of the respondent's winds. Eighty percent of the elderly were able to reduce dependence on others; sixty-five percent of the working ages were able to reduce dependence on family, and so on. From 1976 to 1996, there been a total of 657 disasters in the U.S., which averaged thirty-four disasters each year. There were 1,150 tornadoes and 1996 resulting in twenty-six plus deaths. In 1998, already, there been ninety plus deaths from tornadoes alone. One major goal of DetectEar's Emergency Alerting System is to automatically assist in alerting people in upcoming severe weather events, especially those with hearing impairments or when asleep. Many new technological developments have raised the expectation that people with disabilities have come to expect, so they can function more independently in their homes and communities. With DetectEar's products, people can act on this expectation and gain more independence. One reason why DetectEar came up with developing the products such as the Smoke Detector and it's product line; is summed up in a statement made by Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. He commented about emergency preparedness; " We know that taking steps now to reduce the risks associated with emergencies and disasters can pay big dividends in long run; We not only protect lives we save time and money by a court reducing or even preventing damage." One of those risks should be reduced is warning or alerting individuals in a timely manner to possible emergencies and or disaster situations Riche Varner 185 Glen ST. APT. 2A Grayslake, IL 60030 (847)543-4325 http://www.detectear.com ************************************************************* NEZ'S CYBER MALL SUPPORTS THE DEAF COMMUNITY Nez's Cyber Mall is a fundraiser project that will help support the newly created Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. This mall has been designed with accessibility in mind. All commissions generated by sales activity within this mall will be used to support the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. Nez's Cyber Mall can be found at: Http://www.i-sphere.com/eyedeaf/deafmall.htm ************************************************************* LAUNCH OF GROUNDBREAKING JOB ACCESS INTERNET SYSTEM COINCIDES WITH NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH Washington, DC -- JOB access, a state-of-the-art program of Ability Awareness that unites employers with skilled persons with disabilities is being launched October 26 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. At 9:30 AM, Chet Cooper, founder of Ability Awareness, a non-profit organization created to promote understanding and positive awareness about our country's largest minority, will formally launch the JOB access website (www.jobaccess.org). A comprehensive study sponsored by the National Organization on Disability indicates that two-thirds of Americans with disabilities between the ages of 16 and 64 are not working. Cooper points out, "This is particularly unfortunate in this culture, where self-worth, identity, and value are largely defined by our employment status. 72% of currently unemployed people with disabilities want to work and, moreover, the work is out there." The purpose of JOB access is to reduce discrimination in the hiring process and to bring together qualified potential employers with disabilities with employers who are seeking to fill positions. A primary goal of JOB access is to provide a mechanism to support people with disabilities to enhance their professional lives by providing career opportunities that were previously unavailable to them. Cooper believes that JOB access is a proactive step toward changing the employment and self-worth status of millions of Americans, will help shrink the $200 billion deficit ant the low employment statistic this represents. Cooper adds, "This is a great opportunity to reach the President's goal, when establishing a task force on the employment of adults with disabilities -- to increase the employment rate of adults with disabilities to a rate equal to that of the general adult population." JOB Access is composed of a multimedia internet site where companies can record job descriptions and essential duties, and qualified persons with disabilities can search geographical and job categories, match their skills, post resumes online, establish links to gain corporate information, access resume samples and advice, and find out more information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. This press conference will mark the live formal debut of the JOB access website, will feature the additional debut of the first of many JOB access Public Service Announcement, featuring Max Gail, activist and actor best known for his role as Sgt. Wojo of the Emmy award-winning series Barney Miller. In addition to job listings, JOB access also offers companies the opportunity to place advertisements on the Web, establish company profile pages, and invest as charter or sponsor members of this cost-effective new, socially responsive service. Cooper adds, "This is a proactive strategy for companies to maximize pportunities created by the ADA, as well as engender good will with this constituency of 54 million strong." Cooper, one-time publisher of the National Lampoon, has been publisher of Ability Magazine, the nation's first "cross-over" publication, for over 8 years. For more information on job access, ABILITY Awareness, and ABILITY Magazine, contact Chet Cooper at 949.854.8700 by FAX at 949.548.5966 or via e-mail at ability@pacbell.net. ************************************************************* HEY DEAF RV'ERS. THIS SMALL NEW MEXICO RV SITE CATERS TO DEAF RV'ERS Enjoy the great outdoors and support the Deaf Community! A special rate of $18.50 per night is a great deal! For each night, $6.00 will be donated to the new Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center in Santa Ana, California. Visit and bookmark the website at http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/8449/ ************************************************************* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Burnett (717) 238-0172 V (717) 238-8663 FAX October 26, 1998 After Nov. 1: 703-418-6800 DISABLED DEMAND A CHOICE Over two million Americans live in nursing homes and other institutions. Not because they are disabled, but because of a federal policy that gives them no choice. More than 600 (50 from Georgia) activists with disabilities will gather in Washington D.C. from November 1st-4th. They are members of ADAPT, a national disability rights network, and they want to see the Medicaid program offer people with disabilities REAL choice. They want to be able to live in their own homes. " I am finally free !" Leonard Roscoe of Tucker, Georgia was institutionalized 24 years using taxpayers money. Now Roscoe does DJ work and lives on his own! MICASA would end this waste of lives and tax payers money. " Being Disabled was the best thing that ever happened to me," claims Bart Floyd- a Macon ADAPT member..." because I am a better person because I get our people out of nursing homes and other institutions and make sure we have real choices!!". Despite the fact that the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates long term care be provided in the "most integrated setting," 80 percent of all Medicaid long-term care dollars goes to institutional care while only 20 percent supports people living in their own homes. States that have aggressively sought waivers have found that supporting people in their own homes saves money. Oregon has de-institutionalized more than half their disabled citizens since 1982 when a budget crisis forced bureaucrats to look for ways to save state government from bankruptcy. Officials there found they could serve three people in their own homes for every one person in a nursing home. Ann Koci, Medicaid Director for Kansas, testified before Congress earlier this year that her state's home and community-based programs saved Kansas $24.5 million in 1996. Making the " most integrated setting" mandate a reality is what the gathering in D.C. is all about. The action is part of ADAPT's Campaign for REAL Choice. More than 500 organizations support MiCASA --the Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act--, ADAPT's bill in Congress introduced by U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., in June 1997. The bill garnered 76 bipartisian co-sponsors (including Civil Rights leader John Lewis) in the 105th Congress, and a Congressional Hearing on the bill was held in March. It will be reintroduced early in the next session. "This is beyond an issue of human dignity, it's about publicly traded corporations exploiting disabled people," said Stephanie Thomas of Texas ADAPT. "Enough excuses--no more pilot projects. We will no longer tolerate segregation." FOR MORE INFORMATION on American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), please visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/. FOR DIRECT INQUIRES regarding this press release, please use the contact information at the beginning of this message or e-mail us at adaptpr@adapt.org. ************************************************************* CONTACT: J. Loy Estes, Director WRAD Int'l TRAVEL SIG P.O. Box 893, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067 TTY/FAX (530) 926-4969 E-Mail: loy@snowcrest.net www.wrad.org/travel FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE HAWAIIAN SUNSET TOUR '99 WRAD International Travel SIG is pleased to announce a new 1999 tour program. Experience "Hawaiian Sunset" a 10-day tour departing Los Angeles or San Francisco on October 5 returning the 14, with reasonable connections from your outbound city available upon request. For as little as $198 per day (Only $1,985 inclusive based on a double!) enjoy the awesome beauty and tranquillity of the Hawaiian Islands! A professional sign language interpreter will accompany the group. The tour will visit three of the main islands: Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. Starting in Oahu for three days, we will stay in Waikiki within walking distance of the beach and enjoy a bus tour of many of the historical sites such as the USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantations, Waimea Valley and other interesting sites, with time allotted for swimming and sun in the beautiful waters of Waikiki. On our visit to Kauai for three days, we will travel up the Wailua River to visit the fern grotto where many movie stars and famous people have been married or renewed their vows. We will have a day of rest for a picnic at the beach or shopping and third day will be spent visiting the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii" at Waimea. On to Maui where we will stay for three days in the old fishing village of Lahaina, just a few blocks from the beach and walking distance to fun night life such as Planet Hollywood. Our days will be fun-filled with time for exploring and relaxing, perhaps sitting on the beach at sunset to watch a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Our exciting tours will include morning from the giant slopes of Haleakala with leisurely hiking for those brave at heart. You can also enjoy an all day trip to Hana with an optional 52 mile motorcoach ride showing you along the way some of the most beautiful vegetation and water falls found any place in the world! So come join us to experience the mystery, tradition and legends of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands! A $300 deposit assures you a space... If minimum of 24 people booked, WRAD members only would receive $100 discount. Call now... limited space ... Tour will sell out!!! To book your reservation or for further information, please contact Richard at HOLIDAY TRAVEL, at 319 N. Mt. Shasta Blvd., P.O. Box 219, Mount Shasta, CA 96067 or voice call toll free 1-800-822-5528 CA/CO/OR/NV only; or 530-926-3491, FAX at 530-926-3494. Reach him through your statewide relay service. E-mail : loy@snowcrest.net Visit our website: www.wrad.org/travel ************************************************************* DEAFADVOCACY.COM DOMAIN ACQUIRED FOR ORANGE COUNTY DEAF ADVOCACY CENTER The domain name was acquired for the new Santa Ana based Deaf center. The name itself will reflect the true purpose of the center. We are presently seeking donated webspace for the site and several mirrors. We will soon make website a very strong resource center. ************************************************************* Letters from readers. Dear Sir, First of all I would like to say that from the looks of your web page I am very happy for such a service. It appears that you are truly hoping to empower the hearing impaired community. I must caution you however, if you want the tight community of people who do not hear to trust you, you must change your description of them to something more politically correct. Many prefer the term hearing impaired to the term "disability". Furthermore---many prefer to be called Deaf. And that is capital D deaf. There is a lot of Deaf Pride out there and I'm afraid that by the wording of your internet site you will turn many members of the Deaf community off. I am hearing imaired myself and the last thing I want to do is be a hearing person. After years of learning good speech and lipreading I have decided to finally just be as I am--and that is Deaf. Not ignorant or incapable of communication with the hearing world, but Deaf. Many many young Deaf people out there will not come for your services because they will feel that by your terminology you have labeled them handicapped and limited. When that is the situation, there is superiority and pity. Nothing that I care for a hearing person to feel for me. I would never give up my world of ASL for the world of spoken English. Again, it seemed to me that you are truly interested in empowering the Deaf people. Please, come to us as people and not people who lack something the hearing have. Many of us have as full of lives as the hearing or more--- in the visual world. Thank you for your time. Feel free to respond. :) :) Sincerely, Elizabeth Griffen (Editor's Response) "Hearing impaired" is a very crude and salty way of calling a person with a hearing disability. It's like using the "N" word to refer to a black person. "Hearing disability" is a politically corect term. There are people like you that are still resistant to the new terms. Even the ADA uses the 'hearing disability' terminology. I understand your convictions for trying to redefine the terminology back to the old ways. You have to realize the 'past' is past. People like you rather stick to the old ways. The old ways are over. They only belong in the minds of people resistant to changes. We had a meet of the minds last Saturday in Los Angeles and we all agreed that "hearing disability" is the appropriate term to use as they supported this in the past meets. Other than your recent email, I havent seen any opposition to "hearing disability" in any meeting of the scholars or anywhere else. You are the very first person ever to bring this up. I been on this for over 2 and a half years already and if the common deaf people really objected to this new terminology, I would have heard about them a long time ago. Richard Roehm Deaf@activist.com --------------------------- Hello, My name is Errol and I was helping a friend of mine learn sign language and I was impressed how easy and fun it is. I was so fascinated I began teaching my friends and now my interest is really great. But unfortunately I don't have anyone to speak to in sign language. I don't have time or money to take courses. I am a student at Baruch college and am unemployed. I was wondering how could I find a job, something I can do while going to school, working with the deaf or hearing impaired. I am an accountant with accounting skills but I would prefer a job that could be as fun and exiting as one where sign language skills would be necessary. Sincerely, Errol Valent1n@aol.com ------------------ hello- My name is Donna Angelotti and I am student at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. I am doing a lesson plan on Teaching the deaf music (I would like to) or teach Kindergarteners sign language of a simple song, I am thinking of animals. Any suggestions????? I need materials to teach this. I CANNOT find any materials to help me get started. I would love to get my hands on some videos that taught sign language to a song. Could you help me????? I love this Deaf Watch is very informative. This is very interesting to me because I would like to teach the deaf someday. My address: D682407A@edinboro.edu Thank you! Donna Angelotti ------------------------------------------------------------- - DEAF WATCH - Federal ID Number : 33-0765412 - Circulation by direct EMAIL : 354 Subscribers - Circulation by indirect EMAIL : 9555 Subscribers - Chief Editor/Editor : Richard Roehm - Orange County, California - Internet : Deaf@activist.com - Nesmuth@worldnet.att.net - ICQ #: 7389913 | Handle: SilentKnight - DEAF WATCH Http://www.deafwatch.com - Http://www.i-sphere.com/eyedeaf/deaf.htm - Visit Http://www.i-sphere.com/eyedeaf/nez.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- - Education is the best gift that lasts a lifetime! - Help someone subscribe to The Deaf Watch Newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------- - SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - To be added to the mailing list, send "SUBSCRIBE" - To be deleted from the mailing list send "DELETE" - to this address DEAF@ACTIVIST.COM - - Mailing lists are not sold/given to anyone. ------------------------------------------------------------- - Need to stay on the net? 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