DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- May 13, 1998 Greetings, Allow me to introduce you to an amendment that should be added to the bylaws of all deaf and disabilities organizations. Organizations like Greater Los Angeles Council on Deafness, Inc. (G.L.A.D.) and some others continue to double as billboards for a company that has not yet settled a class action lawsuit by the National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.) We also have a very strong weapon to use in the enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act but it has been ignored only to gather pocket lint. -----o----- 1) Non Discriminatory Policy "If any corporation, business, or organization is found to discriminate against any person(s) with disabilities and is being subjected to a class action lawsuit, then the corporation, business, or organization shall be boycotted until the corporation, business, or organization settles directly with the plaintiff(s) regardless of the results set forth by a court of law." -----o----- Using our economic weapon, we can unite and help enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This comming anniversary of the ADA we, as the disability community, will be given the opportunity to exercise our economic power. Deaf Watch will be testing dozens of businesses for accessibility on this day. I am also pleased that starting with this bulletin, I will be including letters from California candidates for public office. This weekend I will go to Magic Mountain with S.C.R.A.D. hopefully I meet you there. Richard Roehm ---- WHY ARE DEAF PEOPLE STAYING AWAY FROM WORKING GETTING AND STAYING SSI AND SSDI? 1) They are unable to find employment anywhere and many of these people HAVE TRIED for some time to obtain employment somewhere. OR they have become traumatized as result of unfavorable work conditions such as lack of reasonable accommodations, or suffered harassment under the guise of disciplinary actions. We need more sensitive employers who are seriously interested in hiring AND retaining Deaf people on a full time basis. 2) Many Deaf associations are not doing their work to help deaf people find employment or assist them in getting employers to accommodate their Deaf employees and this cause Deaf people to feel uncertain about their future and they resort to the U.S. welfare system. Some privately funded Deaf associations are told to "go very low on Deaf rights" in exchange for funding. We need to find and expose these "fronts" who do more harm than help. 3) The Dept of Fair Employment and Housing is doing a poor job at combating discrimination. This is due to lack of proper staffing and funding for this agency. They are now overwhelmed with complaints to investigate. The investigative qualities of these investigators have diminished thus making it difficult for them to obtain results favorable to Deaf complainants. We need to ask the federal government to increase funding and staffing for this agency. 4) There is not enough tax incentives to hire Deaf people and accommodate them. Many small business know the costs of accommodating Deaf or disabled employees will burden them and this discourages them from hiring Deaf or disabled people. Again we need write to the Congress and ask them to allow more incentives. These are just a few legitimate possibilities to why many Deaf people are getting and staying on SSI/SSDI programs. I feel the U.S. government needs to improve their programs that encourage employers to hire and accommodate Deaf people. All levels of the U.S government from the President, who signs the bills into laws, to the local judges ,who rule on cases involving Deaf employees, must get involved in getting Deaf people to work and steer them away from SSI/SSDI programs. Either they help us get jobs or they will have to support us for the rest of our lives. (This was taken from December 28, 1996 issue of the Deaf Watch Newsletter.) ---- CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE AL CHECCI'S CAMP SENDS WARM LETTER ON DISABILITY Friday, May 08, 1998 Dear Richard: Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in the campaign. We appreciate your concerns regarding disabled people. Al strongly supports the vigorous enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Independence, when possible, should be encouraged and facilitated for people with disabilities. Because this is a quality of life matter, Al believes that if it is possible for people with severe disabilities to remain in their homes, they should be given the support they need and they should not be forced into institutions by insurance providers. Furthermore, Al believes that Gov. Wilson's continual weakening of SSP benefits and IHSS has harmed the very people the program was designed to protect. Again, we thank you for contacting us and welcome your suggestions on this or any issue. If you have internet access, we hope you will visit our website at www.alchecchi.com. Best regards, John Howland Campaign Coordinator ( via "Snailmail" ) ---- MEET RICHARD ROEHM ONLINE ON JUNE 7, 1998 7PM EASTERN Here is your chance to meet the man behind the "Deaf@Activist.com" handle. The Irishman will be hosting this special meeting in their chatroom. I will make a small speech "Am I a Person?". As always, I look forward to meeting you online. 2 ways to get in: 1) Talkcity Server A) Use your IRC client and type "/server chat.talkcity.com" without quotes. B) Join the Irishman's chatroom by typing "/join #TheIrishmansChatroom" without quotes. For more information on IRC and resources, visit DeafWatch's own "Deaf 'Net Chat' Resources" page. (Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/deafnc.htm) 2) Irishman's website A) Point your browser to : http://www.irishman2.com/chatroom.htm ---- CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER CANDIDATE TOM CONDIT RESPONDS TO JANUARY INSURANCE STORY Dear Mr. Roehm, Thank you for sending your post about TDD and the Insurance Department to me. I hope I can find some opportunity to put someone on the griddle about this, although as you know it's hard to get people to focus on "minor" issues like accessibility. On a humorous note, how about sending the Department's responses to someone specializing in skewering bureaucratese. I read this to my wife, who is a schoolteacher, and she sang me a little grade school song: "Whenever we come to the end of a thought, we mark it off with a polkadot. The polkadot is called a per-i-od." Even for evasive replies, these set a new standard in incoherence. Yours very truly, Tom Condit tomcondit@igc.apc.org ( You may find my story on Quakenbush's Ignorance at this location Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/pr12798.txt ) ---- WORK ACCESSIBILITY NOTE : MAKING THE OFFICE COMPUTER INTO A TDD For the office computers already equipped with modems. These links below will download the TDD programs your boss can use to make the office computers into TDDs. Your boss can save money and be more friendly with you. Feel free to copy and distribute this information. And of course... pass it to your boss. Download ASCTDD11.ZIP ftp://129.71.81.10/AFD/ASCTDD11.ZIP Download ASCTDD13.ZIP http://tap.gallaudet.edu/tapfiles/asctdd13.zip Download TDD54.ZIP http://www.halcyon.com/pub/handicap/hearing/tdd54.zip Download TDD56.ZIP http://www.halcyon.com/pub/handicap/hearing/tdd56.zip Download FUTUR201.ZIP ftp://129.71.81.10/AFD/FUTUR201.ZIP Download FUTUR300.ZIP http://www.halcyon.com/pub/handicap/hearing/futur300.zip Find Futura 3.63 http://www.clark.net/pub/futura/ These TDD programs are either demonstration versions with time limits, shareware version, trial versions, and old freeware. They may or may not work on your system but they are worth the try. The Cheapest used TDD dealer is Communications Unlimited a Texas based Deaf owned business and certified as a Minority/ Womens/ Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE). Contact information: Communications Unlimited 11455 Bissonnet #806, Houston, Texas, 77099 (281) 879-7662 (TDD) (281) 879-4116 (FAX) info@communltd.com (Email) Http://www.communltd.com (Website) ---- CALIFORNIA TREASURER CANDIDATE TALK OF EXPERIENCE WITH DISABLED PEOPLE Dear Mr. Roehm: I received your communication for Marisa Palyvos-Story, candidate for the PFP nomination for Secretary of State. Ms. Palyvos-Story is running on a slate which includes Ophie Beltran for US Senator, Gary Kast for Attorney General, Regina Lark for Lt. Governor, David Delano Blanco (Write-in candidate) for Controller, Gary Ramos for Insurance Commissioner, and myself for State Treasurer. For Governor we back Gloria LaRiva although she is not formally part of our slate. Dave Blanco, who you can reach through his business's website, www.lifelinknet.com, has suffered from serious disabilities throughout much of his life. For several years he was in traction and later confined to a wheelchair throughout high school, because he suffers from Purtheas Disease or Asceptic Necrosis. Just in the past couple of years he had both hips replaced and can now function more or less "normally," whatever that means. Two years ago, our grouping within the Peace & Freedom Party attempted to place Harvey Jossem, who is blind, on the ballot for State Assembly in North Coast California. The Secretary of State refused to give him any accomodation under ADA regarding the gathering of signatures to qualify for the ballot so we sued, but a judge tied to the Democratic Party in Sacramento turned us down, while at the same time allowing a major party candidate on the ballot who had messed up his paperwork to get on the ballot. Some years back, the head of our Sonoma County Central Committee was a wheelchair bound head of a statewide organization of disabled students. As a private investigator myself, I have personally been involved in litigating a number of ADA cases and have supported people who have been personally involved in disabled activism. Several years ago, when So. Cal. ADEPT picketed the home of a judge who had made a horrible decision against a disabled person, I had supplied them with his address, pro bono. Please email me a brief statement about your newsletter that you would like posted on our website and when we update, we'll put it in, along with a hyperlink to the websites you noted in your email. Please act fast, because right now, 15,000,000 Californians are receiving the state ballot pamphlet with our website listed for four different candidates. Many thanks for your inquiry, Jan B. Tucker Candidate for State Treasurer Peace & Freedom Party JanBTucker@compuserve.com ( Editor's Note : Thanks for including the Deaf Community on your website ) ---- THE LAST MAN FOR CALIFORNIA SUPERINTENDANT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION WOULD BE MARK ISLER Dear Richard, I am sorry you have been treated like a second class citizen. I am also sorry about the discrimination you have suffered. In regard to your specific question I suspect you will not agree with my response. I believe government is already in our lives too much. I was against the ADA act because it gets too involved in the activities of private business. I am not against helping those in need of help but we as Americans must decide how much we want government involved in our lives and at what cost. You may think my position to be heartless, but I thought it more important to be honest than to try to win your vote. Thanks for your effort in what you believe in. Sincerely, Mark Isler Markisler@aol.com ---- CALIFORNIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE DESPISES DISCRIMINATION Richard, Good luck in your endeavors. I despise all discrimination and feel employers should go out of their way to hire and accomidate people with disabilities within reason...Blind pharmacists might have difficulities in the retail setting though. I have had deaf customers and have been able to communicate with them through signing, gestures and writing. Don't get discouraged and be creative. Mark Raus Republican Candidate for US Senate markraus@innercite.com ---- 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) ---- Our Letters Hi I just recently found your website Deaf Watch and think it is wonderful! Thought I would share some information about my company. Just started my new company with my hearing husband last year. It is called "Lonely Blue Coyote, Inc." We make webpages for writers, illustrators, business and schools. I am also online resource consultant. We're slowly growing and hopefully to hire some deaf workers. I was wondering about having my company advertised on your site. Feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Teresa Battisti-Cole President/Owner of Lonely Blue Coyote, Inc Email: TerBatCole@aol.com ============================================================== DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY Orange County, California Richard Roehm President Internet : Deaf@activist.com Deaf_Workers_OC@usa.net Website Nesmuth@bbs.hwsys.com Http://home.hwsys.com/users/roehm/dwoc.htm =============================================================== Circulation Information Direct Email subscribers : 21 Indirect Email Subscribers : 0 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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