DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- APRIL 3, 1999 Greetings, I applaud the work of Sgt. Steven Schrader of Ft. Stewart in Georgia for making the National Guard Challenge Program experiment for people with hearing disabilities a success. I also applaud the work of California Senator Diane Feinstein for working with Colonial Bruce Davis of the National Guard Bureau on clarifying the rules on admission to the Challenge program in San Luis Obispo, California. Now young Californians with hearing disabilities have another chance beyond high school years to earn a GED diploma as well as learning essential life skills in a military environment. The success of this expansion is based on community support. As we already know, spending on military programs have been very tight in the past few years and like the operation in Georgia, the California program will need donations of equipment such as signal notification system, TDD's, closed captioning decoders as well as volunteer interpreting services in order to make the California expansion a success. Of course, we will need some recruits and young people with hearing disabilities from the ages of 16-18 that have no history of drug use, under/un-employed, dropped out of high school, no problems with the law, must be in good physical condition and and pass a mandatory drug screening. If you know of anyone who may express interest in this opportunity, please have them contact me. SSI enrollees will not lose their SSI benefits while enrolled in this program. Releasing the news of my candidacy has brought in interesting reactions, some positive and some negative. Overall, I was applauded for making an attempt to better an organization. I know people are going to gripe over who my advisory and chairperson preferences will be, but I choose the ones who has the means and the experience to better the organization and it's position as an advocate. Incompetency and stagnation already visible within the organization must be eliminated if we are ever to move forward. Next week I will negotiate with several nursing homes in Orange County and Long Beach areas. I hope to make several of these homes more accessible to California senior citizens with hearing disabilities. Tonight, let's spring our clocks forward, this summer in Tahoe, let's spring the future of Californians with hearing disabilities forward! Richard Roehm ---- UNION SUMMER 1999 SEEKS PAID INTERNS Today's unions are making a difference on the issues you care about - discrimination, poverty, and injustice. Together in unions, working people from all walks of life are improving their lives and achieving real change. This summer, you can join them in the fight for economic and social justice. Spend four intense weeks alongside workers, students and other activists in organizing for workplace rights and fairness. Union Summer is seeking people who are committed to social and economic justice and who can work well in a diverse group. Applicants must be 18 or older. Interns are paid a stipend of $210/week(taxable). Housing and transportation on site is provided. There will be sites nationwide. Interns are responsible for getting themselves to and from the site. If you would like more information or would like to apply, either visit our web site at www.unionsmr.org, e-mail unionsmr@aol.com, or call 800-952-2550 (DC call 639-6220). ---- INTERPRETER SHORTAGE STILL A PROBLEM AT CSUN Frustration Is High for CSUN's Deaf Students University: School is renowned for its program, but a shortage of highly skilled sign language interpreters leaves the hearing-impaired struggling. By SOLOMON MOORE, Times Staff Writer NORTHRIDGE--Damian Brown whips his head left and right in a struggle to see what the other students are doing in his management information systems class at Cal State Northridge. Professor Glen Gray tells the class members to insert their computer disks and tries to make sure everyone is following along. "Any other access questions?" he asks. Brown, who is deaf, furiously scribbles a question on a piece of notebook paper, but Gray doesn't see him. "Well, let's mosey along then." And Brown falls farther and farther behind. Brown and dozens of other hearing-impaired Cal State Northridge students say a chronic shortage of sign language interpreters is impeding their academic progress, leaving them feeling frustrated, embarrassed and helpless as they attempt to master advanced subjects. "I have no interpreter for half my classes," said Stephanie Wiesner, another deaf student in the management information class. "I got service one day, but I still didn't understand because I was really behind on the lectures and notes." CSUN has the nation's second-largest deaf community among mainstream universities. More than 250 students are served by the university's renowned National Center on Deafness. The center "aggressively recruits deaf students and they have this great reputation that they can't live up to," said Cindy Bronson, a 24-year-old biology major from San Jose. "It's kind of an illusion. The full picture is not made known." University officials said they are being truthful when they describe their program as one of the best in the nation, but acknowledge the problems. All but 10 of the 100 interpreters employed at CSUN are part-time, many working fewer than 10 hours a week. Fewer than a quarter are certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and students and interpreters say many are ill-equipped for advanced signing. Shortage Affects Entire Nation Many of CSUN's most qualified interpreters say they are overworked, spending more than 40 hours a week signing--exposing themselves to fatigue and the risk of repetitive-stress injury. "Obviously, we have a great need, and some have agreed to take on more hours than normal," said Carolyn Preston, supervising interpreter at CSUN. "Bless their hearts for that. They really help us out. It's horrible." Administrators say a national shortage of qualified sign interpreters is to blame. "We have a dearth all over the country," said Herb Larson, the director of CSUN's deaf services center until he retired this month and was replaced by Merri C. Pearson, who allocated federal grants for deaf education before coming to CSUN. "There just aren't enough interpreter training programs," Pearson said. Deaf CSUN students staged a one-day rally in February to protest the shortages, prompting the administration to hold a series of meetings with students in recent weeks to address their concerns. Nationally, the shortage of qualified interpreters is so serious that in 1997, two of the largest organizations for deaf Americans jointly declared it to be a crisis in the deaf community. According to federal statistics, 22.5 million Americans are hearing-impaired, but only about 100 interpreter training programs exist in the country. Demand for sign language interpreters has been rising since Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1991, requiring employers, educators and courts to provide special services. The number of deaf Americans surged after a rubella outbreak in the late 1960s that left many children with damaged hearing. The lack of official standards has compounded the shortage, educators say, making well-trained interpreters especially scarce. "Most states have sketchy requirements for interpreters," said Ben Hall, vice president of the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. "A lot of good-hearted souls often cause more damage than good." Most states, California included, lack licensing programs for sign language interpreters. Deaf CSUN students said they are routinely assigned interpreters who are inexperienced, chronically late or not fluent in sign language. Brown has an interpreter in his finance class, but says she is not as proficient as she should be. "I can tell that a lot of words are omitted," he says. "If this was an English course she'd be qualified, but not for finance." Difficult Material an Even Tougher Case Dan Levitt, deaf services director at UCLA, provides interpreters for only about five to 10 students each semester, but said he faces similar staffing obstacles. "In the past five years we have provided services for five deaf students in law school and two med school students," Levitt said. "We've also had a good number of PhDs in various subject areas. The most unusual was theoretical particle physics. "Those areas were hard to cover because of the difficulty of the material and the fact that top-level interpreters are very, very scarce." It is a problem that even CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson acknowledged Friday, saying, "The university shares the students' concern about the lack of skilled interpreters locally and regionally, and will continue to provide alternative support services while helping to address the shortage." Students say they often receive poor grades, drop classes or fail because they can't get the services they need, causing many to graduate later than usual. Computer science major Nwokoma Sampson says he failed a class because he did not have a competent interpreter. "Essentially, all deaf science majors are self-taught," he said. "You have to double your efforts. You have to just read the texts over and over again and figure it out yourself." CSUN's part-time interpreters, who are paid between $10.84 and $29.93 an hour depending on skill level and experience, say they are underpaid. Many have recently left for more lucrative jobs with the Los Angeles County courts. In addition, several experienced interpreters said conditions at the school prevent them from doing their best work. Despite studies showing that interpreters fatigue after 30 minutes of signing, many work straight through three-hour classes. Also commonplace are part-time interpreters who sign for more than 35 hours a week. Interpreters are supposed to switch off during long classes to avoid mental and physical stress, but one who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it doesn't always work that way. "I swapped with the other interpreter, but the student's concentration was totally broken because she couldn't understand him," he said. "He kept having to repeat inaccurate or incomplete signs. Finally, the student just started watching the board and looking down at her paper. "I felt guilty, but I knew if I took up the slack I would be putting myself at risk." Even now, he said, his work often sets forearms aflame. Perhaps the best working model of a hearing institution that serves hearing-impaired students, experts said, is at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which has the country's largest such program. A Bigger Budget Wouldn't Hurt With 520 students, the institute employs more than 90 full-time interpreters who are paid an average annual salary of $26,000 with benefits. Ten part-time interpreters also work there. Institute Vice President Robert Davila said the interpreters rarely sign more than 20 hours a week and spend the remaining time on administrative tasks studying the academic subjects they must interpret. While expressing admiration for the New York program, CSUN officials pointed out that Rochester's annual $4.7-million budget for it far exceeds their own, which is about $1 million. Pearson, a former Department of Education official who oversaw $61 million in federal deaf education grants, said she hopes to increase funding for the National Center on Deafness. Students Frustrated by Lack of Services Such goals are of little comfort to Damian Brown. As his management class recently discussed artificial intelligence, Brown--locked in silent frustration--debated whether to leave early. "How do we learn?" Gray asked his students. "By asking questions," one responded. "Everybody got that? Can you answer that on the midterm? OK, let's move on." Brown walked out, not hearing the door as it slammed behind him. ---- GOVERNOR BUSH GOES AGAINST HIS DAD AND BASHES THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILTIES ACT! Governor Bush has put himself in the same political position as when Governor George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door. Segregation Now! Segregation Forever! Governor Bush does not believe that federal civil rights laws, like the ADA, should be binding on the sovereign state of Texas. This letter sent by the Texas Attorney General is in full accord with the public position of Governor Bush. It cannot be interpreted any way but as a call for the abolishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act though the Governor will say that he is in full support of the ADA. Only the parts he thinks should be OK. Governor Bush had 17 activists arrested protesting for our right to choose where we live and receive support services. Governor Bush has intimidated his Governor's Committee for People with Disabilities so that they cannot even comment on the Olmstead case. Compassionate Conservatism has shown its ugly side. Institutions and prison are the same only the uniforms are different. It keeps people away from community. Governor Bush's position: Institutionalization Now! Institutionalization Forever! VOTE 2000 on those who support the principles of the ADA. Texas ADAPT ---- LAWYER FOR DEAF PUSHING HOSPITALS TO PROVIDE INTERPRETERS By JENNIFER VAN DOREN Staff Writer The first time Clara Smit was in a courtroom, she was 13 years old and using sign language to translate the confusing legalities of a worker's compensation hearing for her deaf father. "Can you imagine? It was nerve-wracking; it was horrible!" said Smit, now an attorney with a bustling solo practice in East Brunswick. "But just think about how it felt to him." Smit also recalled how her father once took his son, then 7, to translate at a job interview. Growing up in Pequannock, she and her siblings frequently translated for their deaf parents at school, at the grocery store, for the insurance company, for doctors. It was those experiences that led Smit, who has normal hearing, to work as a sign-language interpreter in a public defender's office, then go to Seton Hall law school, and ultimately focus her practice on deaf-rights issues. Some 70 percent of her clients are deaf, and though she handles many routine cases, such as divorces and wills, she said most of her effort is funneled into the emerging field of deaf-rights law. "It's rewarding sometimes," Smit said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm hitting my head up against a brick wall. I wish that my father was alive to see what was happening, how things were changing. I think it really would have made him happy." Relying on federal anti-discrimination laws, Smit has filed 22 lawsuits against New Jersey hospitals over the past three years, claiming they failed to provide interpreters. Included are Passaic Beth Israel Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, and Newark Beth Israel Hospital. She's planning to file similar suits against six more hospitals. Trials in three of the pending cases -- in Passaic, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties -- are scheduled for the next few months. Three of the cases have been settled, including one in which Smit secured $700,000 from Jersey City Medical Center for four deaf clients, who complained about the lack of translators during their treatment. Ron Czajkowski, a spokesman for the 112-member New Jersey Hospital Association, said he finds it hard to believe any hospital would be derelict in its duty to communicate with patients. "They do their best to communicate with whoever comes through their doors, whether the person is deaf or speaks Portuguese," Czajkowski said. "Not to minimize this, but I guess this all boils down to whether they are doing enough, based on one lawyer's opinion." Smit is scheduled to argue her case against St. Joseph's today in state Superior Court in Paterson, at a hearing on a motion for summary judgment based on the hospital's claim that the case lacks sufficient merit to go to trial. In the lawsuit itself, the family of Leon Potoczak claims that over nine years, their father was admitted some 10 times to the Paterson facility -- twice for open-heart surgery. Despite frequent requests, family members say Potoczak was not given an interpreter and they were required to translate. If the case gets to a jury, Smit said, it will be the first time the issue is decided in the state and one of a few times nationwide. Though they say their father got excellent medical care, Potoczak's daughters remember terror-filled moments during his hospitalization when he didn't understand what was happening to him. Shirley Hall still shudders when she thinks of the time doctors were trying to place tubes down his nose and throat. With one hand, she was trying to comfort him. With the other, she said, she was trying frantically to explain what was happening. Priscilla Skyta said that several times her father scrawled a note, pleading for an interpreter. "I never really realized how much he trusted us to let him know what was going on," she said. "I don't think I really understood until he died how much we did -- or didn't do -- for him." The attorney for the hospital declined to comment, but according to court documents, St. Joseph's argues that medical records show no requests for an interpreter and that it was the family's wish to translate. The papers also say there is no need for the court to order policy changes because the hospital has "undertaken a comprehensive program to provide proper accommodation for all deaf patients" in the time since the suit was filed. Advocates for the deaf say it is not appropriate for hearing children to translate in medical settings. Sarah Geer, an attorney with the law center at the National Association of the Deaf, said problems like those cited by the Potoczaks often come from misunderstandings about communication. Many people mistakenly believe all deaf people can read lips, she said. Or people think anyone with sign-language ability can translate effectively. "Family members are emotionally involved in the health of their loved one," Geer said. "They are not trained as interpreters, even if they can communicate in sign language." Smit said there are dozens of issues people don't consider when family members are required to translate: Should a family member be the one to reveal that a person has terminal cancer? What happens to care when children decide to shield their parents from bad news? What role do family squabbles and feuds play in hindering effective communication? Smit's lawsuits against hospitals rely on a 25-year-old federal law that bans discrimination by institutions receiving federal funding. The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, broadened and strengthened that responsibility, she said. Joan and John Keegan, a Middlesex County couple who retained Smit, have suits pending against Rahway Hospital and St. James and St. Michael's hospitals in Newark. Both of the Keegans were treated in 1998 for heart problems, and Joan, 58, had open-heart surgery. She said that after one request for an interpreter, she was told it cost too much. "Well, deaf do need them," Keegan said, speaking through a phone relay system called TDD -- Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. "I need to know what's going on with my problems. My [hearing] son can't tell me everything the doctors say, so I prefer that the interpreter be there." ---- DEAF MAN HELD IN JAIL FOR 33 DAYS W/O ACCESS TO TDD AND INTERPRETER CHICAGO, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Equip for Equality (EFE), Inc., the Illinois-designated protection and advocacy system for people with physical and mental disabilities, filed suit March 25 in U.S. District Court against Cook County Circuit Court, the Cook County Sheriff's Department and Cook County Sheriff Michael F. Sheahan under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The action is on behalf of William Reid, 50, who is a Chicago resident and profoundly deaf. He was arrested for an outstanding traffic offense, brought before the court and detained for 33 days in Cook County Jail without benefit of an interpreter or access to a TTY, a text telephone system for people who are deaf and hearing impaired. "Unquestionably, Mr. Reid was deprived of his civil and Constitutional rights while in custody," said Zena Naiditch, EFE president and CEO. "It is imperative that judicial and law enforcement entities in this state be held accountable for these unlawful and inhumane acts. As a result of this lawsuit, we hope that these systems will implement policies that will accommodate people with disabilities, affording them equal access to justice." Reid, who uses sign language as his primary form of communication, was arrested by the Chicago Police for an outstanding traffic offense on March 28, 1997, at O'Hare International Airport. He was homeless at the time and picked up with other homeless people. After communicating to the arresting officer that he was deaf, he was handcuffed, locked in a police van and transported to Cook County Circuit Court. He was neither offered nor provided an interpreter. He spent several hours in jail waiting for arraignment and at no time was informed of his rights to a telephone call, legal counsel or any bail required for his release. When he was arraigned later that morning with 13-15 other arrestees, his repeated requests for an interpreter were denied. Subsequently, a bailiff handed him a piece of paper stating that "you are free, there is no room in the jail." Reid was then taken to Cook County Jail for what he believed was processing for his release pending a hearing scheduled the following month. At that time, he was asked for an address and telephone number where he could be reached. He provided the name of his sister, a resident of Mt. Prospect, Ill., who also is deaf and cannot use a standard telephone, which Reid explained in writing to the deputy when he was unable to complete the call. Reid was then incarcerated and remained in jail for 33 days. No further attempts were made to reach his sister and he was not granted access to a TTY or provided with an interpreter. No explanation was provided as to why he had not been released. On April 30, 1997, the Cook County State's Attorney declined to prosecute Reid for the traffic violation and he was released that day. EFE is seeking judgment for damages against all named defendants as the result of discriminatory conduct, as well as injunctive relief including the creation and implementation of written policies regarding the provision of auxiliary aids and services for people with disabilities to afford them equal access to justice. Equip for Equality, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of people with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois by offering self-advocacy assistance, public policy advocacy, legal services and educational programs. It is designated by the Governor as the state's legal protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities pursuant to federal law that mandates such a system in each state and territory. CONTACT: Barry C. Taylor, Esq., Legal Services Director, 312-341-0022, or 800-537-2632, Stephanie Ettelson, Public Information Director, 847-433-4535, both of Equip for Equality, Inc. ---- 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 ----------------------JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS----------------- ANNOUNCING POSITION VACANCIES FOR TEACHERS AT THE KENDALL DEMONSTRATION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (KDES) & THE MODEL SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF (MSSD) For Fall, 1999 - Parent-Infant/Preschool (KDES) - Elementary School (KDES) - Physical Education (KDES) - English (MSSD) - Science (MSSD) Responsibilities for All Positions ================================== Major responsibilities include working within a teaching team to plan and present learning activities to meet individual student needs and goals, assessing and reporting student progress. Develops thematic instructional activities and materials. Supports Pre-College national mission through participation in identified projects related to priority areas of literacy, family education, and transition. General Requirements for KDES Positions ======================================= 1. Master’s degree in early childhood education, elementary education, education of the deaf, or a related field. (Note: Physical Education position requires a degree in physical education, or significant coursework or experience teaching physical education.) 2. Experience and/or coursework in areas appropriate to age level. 3. CED certification or eligibility for CED certification. 4. Knowledge and experience in team teaching; integrated thematic instruction strategies; and teaching multi-age, multi-level groups of students. 5. Sign language skills required. General Requirements for MSSD Positions ======================================= 1. Master’s degree in content area, or in education, education of the deaf, or a related field with graduate or undergraduate emphasis in content area or teaching experience in content area. 2. Knowledge and experience in using integrated thematic instruction strategies; interdisciplinary teaming strategies; and teaching multi-age, multi-level groups of students. 3. Sign language skills required. For All Positions ================= Starting Date: Fall, 1999 (190-day appointment beginning in late August and ending in mid-June) Salary: Commensurate with education and experience. To Apply: Send cover letter and resume with college transcripts and three current letters of recommendation to: Ms. Judy Berglund, Special Assistant to the Vice President Pre-College National Mission Programs, Gallaudet University 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002 We are an equal opportunity employer/educational institution. Candidate selected will be required to undergo a suitability background check. ----------------------- POSITION VACANCY Boys Town National Research Hospital (BTNRH) is searching for a Parent-Infant Specialist to work with children who are Deaf and hard of hearing and their families. The position isw a twelve month, full time position with excellent benefits. Salary is dependent on credentials and experience. BTNRH operates two family-centered early intervention programs: The Diagnostic Early Intervention Project (designed for newly identified children) and a Parent-Infant Program. A team approach is implemented in both programs. The early intervention program includes home-bound services, parent support groups, a toddler group program, a family lending library and extensive family sign training (for appropriate families). A masters degree and fluency in manual communication is required for this position. We are particularly interested in candidates with specific training and experience in parent/infant interventio and family-centered practices. Interested applicants should send a vita to: Mary Pat Moeller Director, Center for Childhood Deafness Boys Town National Research Hospital 555 N. 30th St. Omaha, NE 68131 moeller@boystown.org -------------------- Job Announcement Educator (Core Team) General Responsibilities: Educators on the core team are responsible for educational programming offered by SIGNSTAGE each production season. The areas of programming include Department of Education grants, Ohio Arts Council residencies, workshops, and other training activities that are offered to elementary, high school, colleges, and universities. Educators on the core team are responsible for carrying out activities designed by and under the supervision of the Project Coordinator. Each core team educator will have teaching abilities in conjunction with her/his theatre background. Qualifications: B.A. degree in Theatre and Education preferred. A background in deaf studies, deaf education or other related fields is desired. Equivalent life experience will be considered. At least 1 year of actual work experience in theatre and in the area of teaching students of various age groups. Skills: The successful candidate for this position has: · Achieved some level of fluency in American Sign Language · Demonstrated interpersonal capabilities · Prior teaching experience · Demonstrated successful leadership skills · Organizational skills Educators on the core team must be willing to travel, have computer skills, be self-motivated, flexible, can and will work with children. This will be a seasonal position (approximately 9 months) to be filled by Aug. 21, 1999. Salary will be in the $16,000-18,000 range based on applicant’s work experience. The position includes health benefits. Housing not provided. Please send resumes to the attention of Rebecca Spencer, Project Coordinator at the address/fax number listed below. Questions also may be directed to e-mail: education@signstage.org ============================================================== 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 =============================================================== 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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