DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- October 3, 1998 Greetings, October 23, 1998 will be the day that will change California politics forever when tens of thousands of voters with disabilities will gather all accross the state in the first ever state wide "Permanent Absentee Ballot Day"! October 23 is when voters with disabilities in California will cast a thunderous display of power to the political establishment. This day is the day when tens of thousands of voters like us will send our ballots in. Now you can participate in this civic duty not only on this comming October 23rd, but also on November 3rd when the general elections are held. You have until October 5 to run to the library, post office, union hall, or clicking on http://www.netvote98.mci.com/register.html to register to vote. Your VOTE is your VOICE. Dont pass this opportunity to speak up to your government. Richard Roehm ---- CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION FAULTS FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT OF ADA Civil Rights Commission Finds Federal Enforcement of the ADA Falls Short WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In twin reports released today, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights gives mixed grades to the Federal agencies responsible for enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and blames misleading and sometimes inaccurate news coverage for the public's negative perception of the Act. The two reports, "Helping Employers Comply with the ADA," and "Helping State and Local Governments Comply with the ADA," examine how well the two agencies are implementing and enforcing the ADA. Title I of the Act, which is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, while Title II, enforced by the Department of Justice, prohibits discrimination in State and local government services. The EEOC earned praise for processing an increasing number of discrimination complaints despite a stagnating budget. The agency was also commended for its training programs, organizational structure, and litigation activities. The report pointed out, however, that the EEOC had not developed policy documents on some of the most heavily disputed disability issues, such as reasonable accommodation and undue hardship. Because the ADA is a complex law, the report urges further efforts to inform employers and disabled people about their rights and responsibilities. The Department of Justice also received mixed grades for its efforts under Title II. Its technical assistance, outreach, and education programs have been extremely effective in reaching the disabled community, the report says. But its success in dealing with the ADA complaint workload has been partial, and it has failed to monitor ADA compliance of the seven other Federal agencies for which it has oversight responsibilities. Both reports urge Congress to appropriate more funds to enable the agencies to more effectively carry out their responsibilities. The reports also criticizes the influence of inaccurate media coverage of the ADA. They cite evidence that news reports of the ADA and related disability issues often leads to a "gross misunderstanding of the ADA," and "increased hostility to individuals with disabilities." As a result, the ADA is being viewed as a source of frivolous lawsuits and not as an important means of guaranteeing the rights of the disabled. The reports recommend that the EEOC and other Federal agencies charged with protecting the interests of individuals with disabilities mount a national public relations campaign and make a concerted effort to educate journalists and other media professionals about the ADA. The reports discuss the sensitive issue of how much it costs employers to comply with the ADA, which has been one of the most persistent criticisms of the Act. Costs should of course be kept to what is required, the Commission notes, but the benefits to the disabled and the public taxpayers to having the disabled at work and independent rather than dependent are enormous. A concrete study to measure costs and benefits could be undertaken by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The Commission makes clear, however, that the cost of compliance is not an appropriate argument for refusing to enforce the laws Congress has passed, including laws concerning the denial of civil rights and the remedying of discrimination. Single copies of the two reports may be obtained free from the Publications Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 624 Ninth Street, NW, Room 600, Washington, DC 20425. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan fact- finding agency. Its members are Chairperson Mary Frances Berry, Vice Chairperson Cruz Reynoso, and Commissioners Carl A. Anderson, Robert P. George, A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., Constance Horner, Yvonne Y. Lee, and Russell G. Redenbaugh. Ruby G. Moy is Staff Director. SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights ---- SUIT ACCUSES 7-11 STORES OF VIOLATING ADA MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A group representing the disabled sued 7-Eleven, claiming many stores lack access for individuals who use wheelchairs because of improper parking and access into the convenience stores, restrooms, and to lottery and ATM machines. The Association for Disabled Americans and several individually named plaintiffs, want the lawsuit, which accuses the convenience store chain of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, declared their THIRD federal class action,after Publix and Amoco. The lawsuit names twelve locations in four different counties, and requests the right to inspect the rest of the chain's stores. The group asks the community of disabled for identification of additional problem locations. Common violations include lack of hearing-aid compatible public telephones, inaccessible door handles, vacuums mounted out of reach, missing grab bars and raised commodes, mirrors mounted too high, drink dispensers above reach, no lowered section at check-out counters, ATM and restroom signs without Braille, doors at restrooms with excessive resistance, inadequate width and closing delay for individuals who use walkers or wheelchairs, and inadequate clearance beneath lavatories. Association for DisAbled Americans Inc. 6538 Collins Avenue #196 Miami Beach, FL 33141 Phone(305)864-7070 Fax(305)864-4140 Email ada2000@poboxes.com www.ada2000.org ---- MESSAGE FROM TIM LESLIE, STATE SENATOR, CANDIDATE FOR LT. GOVERNOR Dear Deaf Workers of Orange County, and President Richard Roehm, Thank you for the opportunity to share my vision for California with your supporters. Please feel free to include the following in your publication. Sincerely, Senator Tim Leslie Nominee for Lt. Governor The office of Lieutenant Governor has been known to be a quiet one in the past. People often see it as no more than a stepping stone to another, higher position. But I see things differently. I believe that the Lieutenant Governor's position can be much more than it has in recent years . I am convinced that with a strong vision and the will to carry it out, a Lieutenant Governor can do a lot of good for the people of California. I am excited about continuing some of the tasks that I've already begun. As an Assemblyman, Senator, and anti-drug abuse volunteer, I have been able to do a lot to make our government more accountable and more responsible. To help students learn, I co-authored the School Accountability Act, the Class Size Reduction Act and wrote legislation to build new school facilities. For safer schools, I wrote legislation to keep drug and sex offenders out of the class room. I co-authored the Golden State Scholarship trust-- a savings program giving tax incentives to parents who save for college educations. To protect neighborhoods, I co-authored Three Strikes and the Hertzberg-Leslie Witness Protection Act which helps prosecute gang members. To protect tax dollars, I fought for welfare-to-work programs and stopped prison inmates from receiving welfare checks. To hold HMOs accountable, I authored legislation requiring medical professionals to review patient appeals rejected by HMOs. I plan to continue working towards these goals as Lieutenant Governor, but I am also excited about the new opportunities that will be available to me as the second highest constitutional officer in the state. As a UC Regent and CSU Trustee, I be able to do even more to guarantee that our higher education system is accessible to all qualified students, and that it will prepare them for the rigors of life and work in the 21st century. As a member of the State Lands Commission, I will be able to help protect our wonderful natural treasures, while providing for sensible use and enjoyment of our natural resources. As a member of the World Trade Commission, I will be able to continue working to ensure that California business and agriculture can compete worldwide, creating new jobs and opportunities for all Californians. California has come a long way in the last few years, but I believe that we can do even better. There are many important goals yet to be achieved. I look forwards to helping us reach them as your Lieutenant Governor. ---- 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/ ---- WEBBYNATION, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW & UPDATED DEAFNATION WEB SITE AT WWW.DEAFNATION.COM! Readers now can submit Map of Events information for FREE online! For Immediate Release Contact: Jed Barish, Chief Marketing Officer jed@webbynation.com WebbyNation, Inc., a parent company of DeafNationNewspaper and DeafNationNet operations, has announced that the DeafNation web site has been updated, and it will be updated on a daily basis with fresh news from all over the nation. The site, www.deafnation.com, is now a daily-updating news site with plenty of information on many of the products available including the new WyndTell 950 pagers which is available at DeafNationStore as well as many other products. Map of Events Online is a recent addition to DeafNation Online site which allows everyone to submit their event announcement for FREE of charge online. This makes easy for anyone to do so via their web browser. DeafNationSports is also online right now with frequently-updated sports news, statistics and schedules. Coming soon to the site would be archives of DeafNationNewspaper with a very innovative way to present the newspaper online, enabling readers to read articles online. Also Job Market made it's return to DeafNationNewspaper with it's online component. Check out the web site now! Don't wait! We welcome feedbacks, suggestions, and ideas! www.deafnation.com ---- MESSAGE FROM SENATOR BARBARA BOXER Senator Boxer strongly believes that programs that provide medical coverage, housing assistance, job training and income support play an essential role in enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. She supports continued federal funding for these services to allow people to fulfill their full potential and fully participate in our society. She also support the continued efforts of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division as well as the Attorneys General at the state level to ensure that the Americans With Disabilities Act is consistently implemented. As we near the November election, the distinctions between Senator Barbara Boxer and her opponent Matt Fong are very clear. Senator Boxer and Matt Fong greatly differ on a number of issues of importance to Californians including: Choice: Senator Boxer is an ardent supporter of a woman's right to choose; Matt Fong says Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided. Environment: Boxer wants tough health and safety standards for our air, water, and food; Fong wants to rollback national environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act. Guns: Boxer wants to take junk guns and copycat assault weapons off our streets; Fong thinks there should be no new restrictions on guns. Campaign Finance: Boxer is a cosponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill; Fong wants to lift all contribution limits. Budget Surplus: Boxer wants to use the budget surplus to first save Social Security; Fong wants to use it to build Star Wars. If you would like to learn more about Senator Boxer's campaign, please contact John Mosko in her Los Angeles office at 310/575-9880. ---- 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 ---- MESSAGE FROM BRIAN M. REES, CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA SENATOR Let me introduce a novel idea: Government should be based on that which works; not that which is politically expedient, or is bought and paid for by moneyed special interests. As well intentioned as political candidates may be, without meaningful campaign reform it is naive to think any elected official will not be influenced by those who financed his campaign. As a result, politicians are not respected, our electoral process is owned by big money, we have the lowest voter turnout of any democracy, and apathy routinely returns incumbents to office. But there is good news. Programs exist today which have been shown to improve educational outcomes, keep kids off drugs and safe in school, prevent crime, cut health care costs while improving quality and preserving choice, generate environmentally friendly renewable energy while producing new jobs, reduce recidivism; and save money at the same time, allowing for lower taxes. As a family physician, author, small business owner, colonel in the Army Reserve, and parent of two children in our public schools, I see needs that currently are not well addressed by the the two dominant political parties. Our tax code is a disaster; it cannot be salvaged and should not be retained. We should throw the whole thing out and replace it with a low flat tax. Only the Natural Law Party has the programs to lower responsibly the insatiable appetite of government for your money, without cutting essential services. You may be skeptical; go to www.natural-law.com and read our platform and judge for yourself. Campaign reform, tax reform (tax cuts), and innovative education for the 21st century, that’s where I will start if I go to Washington to represent you. Please help bring a new voice to the U.S. Senate. Let’s cut taxes, create new and better jobs and implement programs that work. Brian M. Rees ---- Current job list on the Jobs for Deaf page. Santa Ana, California (2-15-98) Carson City, Nevada (2-23-98) Framingham, Massachusetts (3-2-98) Nationwide USA (3-22-98) Santa Fe, New Mexico (4-9-98) ============================================================== DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY Orange County, California Richard Roehm President Internet : Deaf@activist.com Deaf_Workers_OC@usa.net Website Nesmuth@worldnet.att.net Http://www.i-sphere.com/eyedeaf/dwoc.htm =============================================================== Circulation Information Direct Email subscribers : 45 Indirect Email Subscribers : 39 Feel free to redistribute this newsletter in it's entirety and if you are planning to add a mailing list as a subscriber then let me know for my records. 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