DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- October 10, 1998 Greetings, This has been a big week for me. It all began with my appointment as Chairman of Democrats North Orange County Disability Committee. Thank you.... thank you.... NOW lets get some serious work done. Lots of work ahead for us and NOW it is the time for you to help me out. I'm not going to talk the talk, I'm going to help you to address some of the problems we face in general. The committee believes through conversations with other disabled persons around the state that there may be universal administrative and operational problems with the state disability centers. These are the types of items that I would start addressing. From you, I will need evidence and statements from people that experienced weirdness and difficulties with disability centers if possible. I will need this information VERY SOON. Your assistance and support is very important if I am to make changes in the way these ineffective disability centers are run. I believe that my association with California Disability Committee will be a great help in our quest for improved conditions and services through the CDC lobbying power with the legislature. Richard Roehm ---- DEAF WORKERS POSITION ON CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURES PROPOSITION 1A : YES : End classroom crowding. PROPOSITION 1 : No position on tax transfers on property exchanges. PROPOSITION 2 : YES : Make the general fund repay the loans borrowed from DMV. PROPOSITION 3 : YES : We need to save the presidential primary act. PROPOSITION 4 : YES : Make animal trapping more humane. PROPOSITION 5 : YES : Help the indians remain self sufficient. PROPOSITION 6 : YES : Horses are for the stable not the table. PROPOSITION 7 : YES : Improve air quality with tax incentives. PROPOSITION 8 : NO : We dont need additional bureaucracy in the education system. PROPOSITION 9 : No position on this extremely confusing proposition. PROPOSITION 10 : YES : Improves education on smoking hazards. PROPOSITION 11 : YES : Keep schools in good repair. ---- BILL LOCKYER PLEDGES TO FULLY SUPPORT THE CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT UNIT Thank you for the opportunity to address you on matters of importance to the Deaf Community. I would like to briefly explain the importance of the Attorney General's race in the ongoing struggle for equal rights for people with disabilities, and specifically enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and California's Unruh Act. California has been the nationwide leader in establishing the rights of persons with disabilities. In 1968, we enacted legislation that required all buildings, structures, facilities and sidewalks to be accessible to and useable by persons with disabilities. To carry out this legislative mandate, the California Building Standards promulgated Title 24 building regulations requiring that all new and renovated facilities be accessible to persons with disabilities,. The Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Disabled Persons Act require that virtually all aspects of public life be accessible on an equal basis to persons with disabilities. Violations of the ADA are now a violation of our state civil rights. The laws are on the books, what is needed is the will to carry out the mandate of the people of California to enforce these laws. As chief enforcement officer for California, the Attorney General's Office has broad authority to enforce state and federal disabilities laws, including discrimination against persons with disabilities. The Department can accept complaints alleging discrimination and violations of the ADA or our state civil rights codes. Additionally, the Attorney General has the authority to intervene in any civil rights litigation that is of general public importance. This means that the Attorney General has the power to help shape decisions in ways that give genuine effect to the mandate of our statutes: full and equal rights for persons with disabilities. The formal opinions of the Attorney General's Office also provide important legal direction to state and local agencies in carrying out their responsibilities, and are accorded great weight by the courts when laws are interpreted. My opponent, Dave Stirling, has acted as Chief Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice for the eight years of Dan Lungren's administration. As day-to-day manager of the Department, Mr. Stirling set priorities for the office and had direct authority to decide which cases to pursue and which to ignore. Dave Stirling ignored or failed to take seriously any of the requests to litigate or assist in any Unruh or ADA cases. As a result, not one civil rights case has been litigated by the Attorney General's Office. Dave Stirling failed to approve involvement in even one appellate case litigating the rights of persons with disabilities. An important barometer of Mr. Stirling’s interest in civil rights is the lack of attorneys available to handle investigations or litigation. The Civil Rights Enforcement Unit, the section acting on behalf of the Attorney General in civil rights matters, has only three attorneys statewide, two line deputies, and one administrative deputy. With only two line deputies investigating access complaints and handling client work, the unit was short staffed to ensure that the section was no threat to the interests opposed to enforcement of access cases. Administratively, and by policy, Dave Stirling tied the hands of the attorneys who work in the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit and whose job it is to enforce these laws. They were told they could not use even the possibility of litigation to secure compliance. That policy was quickly understood and appreciated by the subjects of access investigations. Perhaps more detrimental to persons with disabilities was the Department's refusal to participate in appellate cases impacting disability issues. By removing the Attorney General's Office from its function as chief enforcement officer for the state, Dave Stirling failed in his duty to help shape the interpretation and direction of civil rights in California. Major issues concerning the ADA and our state civil rights acts have not been litigated and instead must be negotiated over and over again by private parties without legal direction and without the assistance of the largest public law firm in the state. The expertise and manpower available in the Attorney General 's Office has not been utilized on behalf of persons with disabilities. I pledge to you and to all Californians that as the next Attorney General, I will untie the hands of the deputies in the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit, give them the resources they need to do a good job, and allow them to use their professional judgement and discretion to accept complaints concerning disability issues and participate in developing access issues in appellate cases, where appropriate, to help shape appellate law to better protect people with disabilities. Again, thank you for your hard work on this matter of importance to so many Californians. Sincerely, Bill Lockyer Candidate for California Attorney General ---- THE STRAWMAN'S CORNER TO DEBUT AT DEAFWATCH NEWSLETTER Project Orange Neptune's director's article will become a regular part of this newsletter. "The Strawman's Corner" is one of the means by which to draw attention to the many aspects by which we d/Deaf encounter straw-man arguments on a daily basis in forms both subtle and complex. Now, whether it be at home, at school, the workplace, or wherever it is we happen to find ourselves, there will always be people whom will assume that because we are d/Deaf, we cannot speak for ourselves and therefore they must take it upon themselves to speak on or in our behalf. The hope is that by providing such discourse, readers will find the column enlightening enough to provide the essential feedback we will need in order to function at a high level of competency where issues of advocacy and referral is concerned. In this issue, The Strawman will present 15 separate and distinct styles of Distorted Thinking. 1) FILTERING: You take the negative details and magnify them while filtering out all positive aspects of a given situation. 2) POLARIZED THINKING: Things are black or white, good or bad. You have to be perfect or you're a failure. There is no middle ground. 3) OVERGENERALIZATION: You come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. If something bad happens once you expect it to happen over and over again. 4) MIND READING: Without their saying so, you know what people are feeling and why they act the way they do. In particular, you are able to divine how people are feeling toward(s) you. 5) CATASTROPHIZING: You expect disaster. You notice or hear about a problem and start "what if's:" What if tragedy strikes? What if it happens to you?" 6) PERSONALIZATION: Thinking that everything that people do or say is some kind of reaction to you. You also compare yourself to others, trying to determine who's smarter, better looking, etc. 7) CONTROL FALLACIES: If you feel externally controlled, you see yourself as helpless, a victim of fate. The fallacy of internal control has you responsible for the pain and happiness of everyone around you. 8) FALLACY OF FAIRNESS: You feel resentful because you think you know what's fair but other people won't agree with you. 9) BLAMING: You hold other people responsible for your pain, or take the other tack and blame yourself for every problem or reversal. 10) SHOULDS: You have a list of ironclad rules about how you and other people should act. People who break the rules anger you and you feel guilty if you yourself break the rules. 11) EMOTIONAL REASONING: You believe that what you must feel must be true-- automatically. If you feel stupid and boring, then you must be stupid and boring. 12) FALLACY OF CHANGE: You expect that other people will change to suit you if you just pressure or cajole them enough. You need to change people because your hopes for happiness (or instant gratification) seem to depend entirely on them. 13) GLOBAL LABELING: You generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgement. 14) BEING RIGHT: You are continually on trial to prove that your opinions and actions are correct. Being wrong is unthinkable and you will go to any length to demonstrate your rightness. 15) HEAVENS REWARD FALLACY: You expect all your sacrifice and self-denial to pay off, as if there were someone keeping score. You feel bitter when the reward doesn't come. These are but 15 of the most COMMON styles of Distorted Thinking. If we can avoid these problems by thinking things out in a more rational, tangible, and systematic manner, we can make our lives much more manageable and better able to cope with the everyday problems that we encounter as d/Deaf people. For more information and Strawman's musings, please visit the Project Orange Neptune website at Http://www.i-sphere.com/eyedeaf/pon.htm ---- PETE WILSON VETOES AB1100! YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED Please write letters to the your local newspaper editors regarding the injustice people with mental illness received when Wilson vetoed AB1100! Governor Wilson, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814 fax - (916) 445-4633 or call the governor at (916) 445-5106 Late Monday, September 28th, Governor Pete Wilson vetoed California's parity insurance bill for people with mental illness. Not only was this a stupid economic move as preventative treatment saves billions in later public costs such as criminalization and death, it was vicious inequity. Governor Wilson has turned out to be a discriminator who sells out for his political aspirations. Without the equity of private insurance for people with mental illness, he is assuring another generation of chronicity and the ensuing side effect of continuing social disorder. Mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, are physical conditins of the brain, first cousins to Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinsons. It responds to medical treatment as well as heart conditions or diabetes. Because of the newest medical treatment available for mental illness we have in our midst today people who are doctors, lawyers and teachers..maybe even politicians. Its the young people who will be hurt...the ones who could be saved if only they had the newest medicine. People with mental illness are no more dangerous than the general public when they receive medical treatment. Without treatment, symptoms can lead to behavioral- byproducts such as violence, suicide and criminalization. On the same day that Governor Wilson vetoed all attempts at controlling guns in California calling instead for more stringent criminal penalties, he assured his favored government employees--the prison guards--with continuing employment. When will Wilson learn that waiting for danger is too late. Carla Jacobs (Editor's note) There are many good Deaf people languishing in mental institutions and prison after being misdiagnosed as mentally ill. ---- HARKIN PRAISES RALLY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a principal Senate co-sponsor of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA") Amendments of 1997, praised Realize the Promise – A Day to End Special Segregation, a rally for equal opportunity for children with disabilities to be held on Sunday, October 11. "Twenty-three ago, when President Ford signed IDEA, we committed our country to ending the days of exclusion, segregation, and denial of educational opportunity for children with disabilities," Harkin said. "We have made great progress, but I’m glad the Mighty Alliance for Independence Now ("MAIN") and others will be on the Ellipse Sunday, reminding us that we still have much to do to fulfill our commitment." When society accommodates children with disabilities to allow them to reach their full potential, we all benefit," Harkin said. "Today, where IDEA is implemented fully, more children with disabilities are succeeding in school, going to college, working and leading independent, productive, satisfying lives." "But IDEA is not implemented fully everywhere. We must continue to work toward a day when all children’s accomplishments are determined by their abilities, not limited by their disabilities," Harkin said. "On that day, we truly will have achieved equal opportunity for all." ---- OCTOBER IS DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH! Ferguson Publishing would like to honor this month by offering its highly acclaimed directory, Resources for People with Disabilities, for ONLY $49.95 to all WAPD members and friends. THAT'S $40.00 OFF OF THE RETAIL PRICE! You can choose the 2-volume hardcover books OR The CD-ROM What better way to honor this month than to offer this tremendous resource at a price that all can afford. Take advantage of this offer to get a wonderful resource that has been recommended by Disability Resources Monthly, WAPD, The National MS Society, and Booklist! This offer lasts ONLY until the end of October. To order or learn more about this SUPER resource go to the WAPD "Guestbook" at: and click on the Ferguson Banner or Call Ferguson toll-free at 800-306-9941 Be Sure To Mention The WAPD October Special Offer!! ---- 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) Wanted: Campaign Staffers Dean Florez, Assembly candidate in the 30th AD, is looking for a campaign staffer. Dean has recently overtaken incumbent Robert Prenter in the polls. This race could be the major upset of this election cycle. The 30th AD goes from Bakersfield almost to Fresno, covering all of the small towns. The campaign is looking for a dedicated, intelligent individual to willing to work for free room and board and the chance to make history. Contact: Larkin Tackett, Florez for Assembly, 805-746-7855 ====== Also, Phil Stokes in the 24th AD is looking for a campaign field coordinator. The 24th AD ranges from South San Jose through Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and Cupertino, and is currently held by Republican Jim Cunneen. This is a district with Democratic-leaning registration that needs a bright GOTV type who can help shake Dems out to the polls. E-mail Phil at philstokes4assembly@tyga.com or call 408-866-2036. ---------------------- Hello, my name is Craig Brokaw and I am doing a report for my communications class on nearing impairment and ways hearing impaired people communicate. While I am not hearing impaired, I do know hearing impaired people and have had an interest in taking a sign language class. I came across this web-site while browsing through the computers at my school and so far this seems to be the most developed site with the most news available. I was wondering if you could send me information on how I could attain any information about ways hearing impaired people communicate, such as the type of telephone they use, and any other useful information or other possible references, books, or web sites I could look to for more information on the subject. I thank you for any help you could provide. Thank you, Craig Brokaw PiggyPark@aol.com ============================================================== 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 : 46 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. Thank you. =============================================================== Deaf Workers of Orange County will continue to aggressively pursue justice, fairness, and equality for the Deaf Community. =============================================================== Education is the best gift that lasts a lifetime! 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