DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- November 21, 1998 Greetings, The Deaf Expo last weekend in Ontario was a blast! The flavor of Deaf unity was bold again! The crowds were back! Deaf people from many parts of the USA and some parts of the globe came to Ontario for 3 days of chatting, hugging, laughing, partying, learning, and spending. All this was done in the spirit of community, unity, and peace. David Rosenbaum once again excelled in his leadership bringing the Deaf people from many places around the globe together in the spirit of community, unity, and peace. Unfortunately a narrowminded critic decided to email-plaster the Deaf community with inaccurate and possibly libellous information about last weekend's Deaf Expo event. These criticisms only come from ignorant people who want to exploit the Deaf community to advance their own personal agendas and special interest groups not relating to hearing loss. At this time of the year, as we reflect upon our own lives, lets stop and think about the other disabled around us who are less fortunate. Some of our disabled brothers and sisters cannot afford to feed their families. Some of them live in cars, in parks, or in alleys. For a few, its by choice, for most it's by chance. This shopping list below will be a good holiday gift to a family of 4. 3 cans meat (6.5 oz, tuna, pork, chicken, or beef) 3 cans vegetables (15 oz.) 3 cans fruit (16 oz) 3 cans soup (11 oz.) 3 boxes of macaroni and cheese 2 boxes of dry soup 2 boxes of hot cereal 2 lbs. dry beans 2 lbs rice 2 boxes powdered milk (2 qt.) 2 cans of evaporated milk 2 boxes crackers 1 jar peanut butter (18 oz.) Optional items: dish detergent, toothpaste, soap bars. Also add : Information on local food banks, food assistance programs, and local soup kitchens. So please, if you can afford it, grab some extra groceries for a disabled's family. An ideal holiday gift to a needy disabled's family would be groceries that lasts a few days. Contact your local deaf/disability association for information on connecting to a needy disabled's family. Richard Roehm ---- SUPREME COURT SAYS CBA DOES NOT OVERRIDE ADA PRINCIPLES Wright v. Universal Maritime Service Corp. The United States Supreme Court unanimously vacated and remanded the Fourth Circuit's holding that the general arbitration clause in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) requires Wright to use arbitration for an alleged violation of the American With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 104 Stat. 327, 42 USC s12101 et seq. The Supreme Court reasoned that in order to disallow an ADA claim, an arbitration clause in a CBA must clearly and unmistakably state that such claims are subject to arbitration. Wright, a longshoreman, was subject to a CBA and Longshore Senority Plan which contained a waiver of a federal judicial forum for statutory claims of discrimination. The Court held that the waiver was not clear and unmistakable because the Plan does not contain an antidiscrimination provision and it specifically limits its grievance procedure to disputes related to the agreement. ---- NATIONAL CENTER ON DEAFNESS NEEDS A NEW DIRECTOR California State University, Northridge, one of the largest of the 22 campuses of The California State University system, is located twenty-five miles northwest of central Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb with a multi-ethnic population of over one million people- The University enrolls approximately 27,700 students (20,000 FTEs) of which one-half are ethnic minorities, served by over 1,500 faculty, Eight Colleges offer baccalaureate degrees in 50 disciplines, master's degrees in 41 fields, and credentials in the field of education. The National Center on Deafness: The National Center on Deafness (NCOD) provides a comprehensive program of research, training and services to deaf and hard of hearing people. Approximately 250 deaf and hard of hearing students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees at the university each semester, The NCOD has a full-time staff of 38, a part-time support services staff of 200 notetakers, tutors, realtime captioners and interpreters, and an operating budget of nearly two million dollars. Additional funding, in the amount of one million dollars, is provided through a grant for technical assistance to postsecondary programs in the western United States. The NCOD also houses The Postsecondary Educational Programs Network (PEPNet) Resource Center, which is the largest library on deafness in the West. The Position of Director, National Center on Deafness: The Director of the National Center on Deafness reports to the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Operations and Personnel, and is responsible for planning, implementing, administering and coordinating all services within the NCOD. Formulates departmental policies and procedures and audits their implementation; prepares, administers and monitors the department budget; plans, organizes, manages, directs and coordinates the various functions of the department; provides leadership to the campus community on issues of education and service to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Provides leadership in obtaining external funding through the development of funding proposals and extensive networking with funding sources. Maintains close relations with appropriate State and Federal agencies, with other education and rehabilitation programs for deaf or hard of hearing people, and with the deaf community nationwide. Qualifications: Master's degree in education, psychology, business or related field from an accredited institution required, earned doctorate preferred. Equivalent to six years of responsible, related professional experience managing diverse and complex programs. Experience at the postsecondary level is preferred. Thorough knowledge of issues and trends in the field of deaf education, including some background in research on deafness; thorough knowledge of the administrative problems and solutions involved in operating a large, complex student services program. Ability to successfully serve multiple constituencies in the university environment; use sign language fluently; and to communicate effectively with hearing and deaf or hard of hearing people. Knowledge of fiscal, human resource and management principles and practices. Successful record in obtaining external funds preferred. Salary/Benefits: Salary is dependent upon qualifications. The University offers excellent fringe benefits. Effective Date of Appointment: As soon as possible. Applications: Candidates must submit a cover letter and a current resume including the names of three professional references and salary history for the last five years. Review of applications begins November 5, 1998, and continues until position is filled, Submit application to: Office of Human Resource Services California State University, Northridge 18111 Nordhoff Street, Administration Park 702 Northridge, CA 91330-8229 The University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age or disability. ---- 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/ ---- DRUG USE IS NOT A DISABILITY UNDER AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Wyland v. Boddie-Noell Enterprises (4th Cir 11/17/98) Wyland claimed his employer discharged him in violation of the ADA. The District Court granted summary judgment for the employer; the 4th Circuit affirmed. The employer required Wyland to take drug tests because he had a history of taking prescription drugs which interfered with his ability to safely drive a company car. When Wyland did not take a drug test within the required time period, the employer discharged him for insubordination. Although not in fact disabled, Wyland claimed the employer perceived him as an abuser of prescription drugs. This claim failed because Wyland failed to show that the employer regarded his impairment as a substantial limitation on a major life activity. The court rejected "driving" as a major life activity. As to the major life activity of work, the employer did not perceive Wyland as unable to perform a "broad class of jobs," as opposed to being unable to perform a particular position. ---- BISHIOP SEEKS INCLUSION FOR DISABLED By JULIA LIEBLICH AP Religion Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Archbishop Francis George was recovering from knee problems resulting from childhood polio when he saw Pope John Paul II in 1996. Unable to kneel before the seated pontiff, George was about to bow when the pope rose to greet him. "You're the man for whom the pope stands," a friend chided him. Now a cardinal and the archbishop of Chicago, George, who wears a leg brace, says he's the U.S. bishop with the most serious disability. And he's committed to making both church and society accessible to people with physical and emotional problems. It's the theme the National Conference of Catholic Bishops will address today at their convention when they vote on the statement, "Welcome and Justice for People With Disabilities," on the 20th anniversary of the bishops' first document on inclusion. The document says it is the responsibility of both pastors and laity to assure that "the doors to participation" are always open. Cost, it says, "must never be the exclusive consideration in creating welcome ... since provision of access to religious functions is a pastoral duty." The statement also calls on diocesan staff and parish committees to evangelize to people with disabilities. Both the church and society, George says, have made progress in making facilities accessible. But beliefs about physical and mental disabilities, he says, have been slower to change. "In terms of attitudes about what it means to be human," he says, "and associating humanity with the ability to do things, I think we've slipped back." Society, he says, tends to believe the best human beings are the strongest. "Disabled people tell us that's not true," he says. "They remind us that we do not have to function in order to do good. ... The mentally ill are the test case. Many mentally ill people will never function. If we keep insisting that if you can't function you're not human, those people are threatened." As a bishop, he says, he seeks out people with disabilities who are often ignored. "Sometimes dysfunctional people are invisible so I tend to look for them and to make them visible in their ... wheelchairs, with their crutches with their mental illness," he says. Mary Jane Owen, a blind, partially hearing, wheelchair user, knows what it feels like to be invisible, even among the Catholic bishops who expressed commitment to accessibility two decades ago. As head of the National Catholic Office for Persons With Disabilities, she attends the bishops' conference. "The first two years, I think the bishops tried to look over me," she says. "People tend not to see people in wheelchairs. We have to make it clear we've got to be included." George, who serves as episcopal moderator of the disabilities office, says the church still has a long way to go in making buildings accessible. Newer churches include ramps and elevators in their design plans. "The most inaccessible churches," he says "are in the poorest neighborhoods." Owen says that churches have to consider cost. "They can bankrupt themselves if they put in an expensive elevator," she says. "But you aren't going to bankrupt a congregation by putting church bulletins in large print. ... You're not going to bankrupt a parish to put in a light source in one area of the sanctuary for people with vision problems. We advocate that priorities be established and long term plans set up so maybe in five years you have the resources to put in an elevator." Accessibility, she says, shouldn't limited to wheelchair users. "It includes people with mental retardation, people with head injury, people who are blind, people who are deaf. A tremendous number of elders within every church cannot hear every word in the service. For a thousand or two thousand dollars we can get enhanced hearing systems for the parish." Too often, she says, religious leaders are unaware who lives in their parish. "Sometimes pastors tell me, `No one in my church is disabled.' I say, `Then they're somewhere else.' "We estimate that between 15 percent and 18 percent of (a church's membership) should be people with disabilities. If they're not there it means they have faced barriers. Number one it may mean there's no ramp, and number two it may mean they haven't been welcomed." ---- 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 ---------------------- Letters: I would like to know why almost everything on the internet, and practically everywhere else goes on about ASL as though it's the only sign language, and nobody / very few help you learn it. Personally, I come from Great Britain. I use BSL. I was born with a hearing loss, and what hearing I do have relies upon being in a near-silent room to understand the speech, not just the tones of the voice. If I go out publicly, the reliability of what I believe I am hearing is very poor. I am losing my hearing, and assuming it stays on the same decline I am likely to be severely / profoundly deaf in 5 - 10 years, and I will rely completely on Sign. I think that the internet gives the impression to newcomers to the deaf community that ASL is exclusive, and no other Sign Languages exist, or those that do are cheap imitations of ASL. I do not feel that ASL should be elevated to this status, and the other Signs belittled. This 'gripe' has grown since I wish to move to the States some time in the next few years to be with a girl I've met on the internet. She is profoundly deaf and lives in the States. I am making every effort to learn ASL before I arrive as obviously I wish to communicate with her when we meet. I have seen the Deaf World Web pages, and what used to be the fabulous Randy Stein Animated ASL site. I have very few words I can use to communicate in ASL. I still have to base the structure of my signs on the structure of BSL. Can anyone help me? I have had regular postings on the DWW, I have an appeal on my own site, and nobody seems to be able to offer any assistance. If anyone can help me, please E-mail me at DeafChat@hotmail.com. Many thanks... Steve ============================================================== 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 : 49 Indirect Email Subscribers : 33 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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