DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- May 15, 1999 Greetings, On April 1999, I announced I was running for the President of the California Association of the Deaf (CAD). I received much praise for bringing the active enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act into my agenda. However to my disappointment, my pleas and attempts to obtain basic information regarding CAD and the conference has been met with contempt. I am dismayed to actually witness CAD's non responsiveness to the membership as I've been told by the community through numerous email messages from Californians giving me their opinions of the CAD itself and my candidacy for the president of this organization. They all tell me that simply being the President of this organization will not put me in the position to do real work for the community. CAD is like a giant steel wheel that has many people pushing it and rolling in one direction for a long time and would nearly be impossible to alter or change the direction this wheel is going. There will be plenty of resistance any attempts to alter the course of this big wheel. They also bring me another interesting question to ponder, "Who's face shall be in front of a group that does nothing to help the community?" I certainly wouldn't want to be that face but if the people vote me to be the face in front of CAD that's great, if not, that is also fine. I always and will always cherish the voters. But unfortunately CAD only limits the voting to people who can afford a trip to the conference. Basically this means only retirees, the paternally spoiled, and the wealthy are given the main say who should lead them. What about the voices of the CAD members who are poor, underemployed, who are ill, who are on SSI and SSDI, and who are students? The disenfranchised majority have no say who shall lead them, they also have no say who shall bring them hope, and also have no say who shall lead them to the promised land of fairness, equality, and justice. The disenfranchised have no voice in CAD at all. Should I represent this organization? Should my face be in front of this organization that does very little to address the real issues our community faces? These are serious questions I have to consider. Again I will cherish the vote of the conference attendees be they elect me or someone else. All indicate it was time for a new advocacy system, if new blood in the current advocacy system is not possible. They no longer trust the old system that is supposed to protect us. It is time something is done to remedy the lack of advocacy and responsiveness by an established organization many people with hearing disabilities has placed their faith, trust, and hard earned money. They want a new battleship and I'm giving it to them. Therefore in addition to continuing my candidacy as CAD president, I hereby make the official announcement I will be establishing the Southern California Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SCADHH). We will be working to return the confidence, hope, and empowerment back to the community we will be representing. I'm not going to gamble the rights of people with hearing disabilities in Lake Tahoe at the conference this summer. There's even a strong possibility the conference will not be inside California at all. If that is the case, then what is a California organization doing holding a statewide conference outside the state. It seems that some priorities have been dislocated or at least out of order by the people who organized this conference. It's time to get their priorities straightened out. SCADHH will open it's doors to anyone with any levels of hearing loss. Our membership will include the Deaf born, the hard of hearing, and postlingually deafened. Our membership is also open to people who have had their hearing loss remedied through surgical procedures. SCADHH will comprise of people who have hearing disabilities, who will be facing hearing disabilities, and who have experienced hearing disabilities sometime in their lives. SCADHH will be a truly hardcore advocacy system that does real work for the membership. With Fortune Magazine telling everyone that unemployment rate of people with disabilities have gone up to 85%. Also found is that about 60% of Orange County residents with hearing disabilities are receiving SSI and SSDI. It is clear that the old advocacy system already in place is not working for us. It is time for a new advocacy system, new blood! SCADHH will be about real advocacy and real service to the membership complete with real representation of the membership including full voting-by-mail privileges. Membership will be invited to people with and without hearing disabilities throughout the state of California. The new SCADHH website is now being constructed at this location http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/SCADHH/ which pretty much already has plenty of information and resources people with hearing disabilities. SCADHH's agenda will include : 1) Aggressive enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 2) Promoting the employment of people with hearing disabilities. 3) Helping our young generation receive adequate education. 4) Aggressive legislative watchdog and lobbyist operations. 5) Aggressive consumer support agency watchdog operations. 6) Implementing an elaborate communications system to keep membership informed of news, policies, and activities. 7) Establishing alliances with heavy duty disability organizations. 8) Developing and implementing a new transliterator-interpreter grading program. 9) Establishing interest committees within the organization. Membership Information : Http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/SCADHH/scadhhj.html This is a new battleship to join my fleet of advocacy projects. This is the new ship I was referring to when I made the announcement last January of a new addition to the Deaf Watch fleet. Richard Roehm ---- ANNE FISHER'S COLUMN IN FORTUNE MAGAZINE REVEALS STUNNING FACTS "Just Because I Can't Walk, Doesn't Mean I Can't Think": Jobs for the Disabled Dear Readers: In the April 30 issue of the magazine, I answered a reader named Dave who at age 33 was forced to "retire" because of a severe spinal injury. He wanted to know whether there is any market for smart, talented people who have been disabled, and I confess I had no idea--so I looked into it a bit. What I found amazed me. And that column got a huge response from magazine readers--including many who shared Dave's predicament, one way or another. "Legs and brains are not necessarily connected," wrote someone named Sam. "Just because I can't walk, doesn't mean I can't think. I wish somebody would give me a chance to prove it." Well, Sam, somebody may. A few statistics: Of the 40 million Americans with some sort of disability, only about 15% were born with it. According to reliable estimates, one in six of us will be disabled (temporarily or permanently) at some time in our lives, often after gaining considerable work experience. Among people with disabilities, the unemployment rate is a stunning 85%--in part because executive-search firms fear the disabled will be just too hard to place. But here's one idea: Get in touch with an employment agency called Diversity Services. Started three years ago by a long-time human-resources executive named Jeff Klare (who got the idea while watching his HIV-positive sister struggle to keep her job), the firm has offices in New York City, Chicago, and Dallas, with plans to open Atlanta and San Francisco branches by the end of May. So far, Diversity Services has found work for about 4,000 disabled people nationwide, with dozens of companies, including Chase Manhattan, Philip Morris, and Time Warner (the parent of FORTUNE's publisher). Many of the positions start out as temporary, but these often turn into permanent jobs, in areas ranging from "clerical work to computer programming to middle management to creative people like art directors--in short, whatever our client companies need, and wherever in the country they need it," says Klare. He notes that Diversity Services, which won an Arthur Andersen Enterprise Award for best business practices in 1997, is "a win-win deal. Employers having trouble finding qualified job candidates, with overall unemployment so low, often find that the disabled represent an enormous untapped pool of talent." For more information about Diversity Services, go to www.diversity-services.com. To send a resume, fax (212) 685-9358. Now, I do know you folks well enough to know that, as soon as the word "disability" crops up, someone is going to want to open a debate about the recent Supreme Court hugger-mugger on what defines a disability, and who is therefore covered by federal law (or, as the lawyers put it, who is or is not a member of a "protected class." Other "protected classes" include women, people of color, and so-called whistle-blowers). The question lately before the Court has been whether it is "discrimination" to deny a job that requires keen eyesight to someone who, um, doesn't see too well. (Do you want to be on that 747, 32,000 feet over the Atlantic, whose pilot can't find his contact lens? Does his lawyer want to be there?) These can be complex questions, but one thing is certain: There is far too much talent going to waste. What do you think about it? Annie Fisher ---- PRESIDENTAL CONTENDER AL GORE APPOINTS DISABLED MAN TO CHAIR CAMPAIGN Justice For All jfa@jfanow.org Gore Appoints Tony Coelho to Chair Gore 2000 Campaign! Dr. Fred Fay, Chair of Justice For All Applauds the Gore Campaign for Enlisting Tony Coelho as Chairman of Gore '2000. Dr. Fred Fay today announced glowing support to the Gore team for their recent recruitment of Tony Coelho to serve as Chairman of Gore '2000. "The appointment of Tony Coelho to lead the Al Gore for President is a historical milestone for Americans with disabilities. Tony Coelho led the effort to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. He has since served as Chair of the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities." Tony Coelho, as a self-disclosed person with a disability, has not let his epilepsy limit his service to America. Most recently he has Co-chaired the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, with Becky Ogle, past Justice For All Chair, as his Executive Director. Dr. Fay adds, "I have helped lead the disability community's efforts in Democratic Presidential bids starting with the 1976 campaign of Jimmy Carter. In 1996, I chaired Americans with Disabilities for Clinton/Gore and chaired the Disability Advisory Committee for the Democratic National Committee. Thus it is with some experience that I hail the wise appointment by Al Gore of Tony Coelho to lead his bid for the Presidency." In 1996 the Clinton/Gore campaign made it easy for voters with disabilities to vote for them over any other candidate. By running the most accessible campaign in history and by carrying out the most disability-friendly policies of any Administration in history, we won the disability vote by a three to one margin. The disability vote landslide of 1992 was topped by an even greater landslide in 1996. By winning our vote by a 69% to 23% margin, the Clinton/Gore campaign set a high standard. "I expect that the Gore/2000 campaign, with our friend Tony Coelho as chair, will make history again, electing Al Gore as our next President," said Dr. Fay. Dr. Fred Fay Chair, Justice For All jfa@jfanow.org http://www.jfanow.org ---- A CLASH OF TECHNOLOGY BRANDON ROOT CAN HEAR ONLY WITH AN IMPLANTED DEVICE THAT USES A RADIO TRANSMITTER. THE TURNPIKE COMMISSION NEEDS A RADIO TOWER FOR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION. BRANDON'S PARENTS WORRY THAT THE TOWER WILL AFFECT THE BOY'S HEARING DEVICE, AND THAT'S A CHANCE THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE. by ELLIOT GROSSMAN, The Morning Call Two-year-old Brandon Root can do something most profoundly deaf people cannot do: He can hear. Using a miracle of modern science, Brandon hears with a cochlear implant, a sophisticated electronic device implanted in his head. It receives sounds from a microphone and radio transmitter worn behind one of his ears and a speech processor carried in a pouch on his back. But his parents are worried that his nearly normal hearing ability could be threatened. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission plans to erect a digital two-way radio tower about 1,000 feet from their Upper Milford Township home. In a clash of technology, the Roots are concerned that radio transmissions from the antenna tower could interfere with their son's cochlear implant. The manufacturer of the hearing device has warned users about possible interference with radio, television and cellular phone transmitters. So his parents, Ricky and Kristina Root of South Mountain Drive, have filed two lawsuits aimed at stopping erection of the tower. One suit is pending in Lehigh County Court, the other in U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania. The lawsuits might be the first in the United States attempting to block construction of an antenna tower because of possible interference with a cochlear implant. The Roots say they are determined to stop the tower. "We would go to great lengths to resolve this," Ricky Root said. "We're willing to spend thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars in legal fees. "I'm all for modern technology ... as long as you don't step on other people's toes in the process." Around the world, thousands of people have received cochlear implants since the mid-1980s when they first became available. More recently, the use of digital communication networks, such as the one planned by the Turnpike, and the erection of towers for them has increased dramatically. Though the user's manual for Brandon's device includes a warning about possible interference, the Cochlear Corp., which made the device, knows of no documented cases of interference. Cochlear Corp. of Australia, the largest maker of cochlear implants, has sold about 24,000 implants. Christopher van den Honert, the corporation's research director, said the potential for interference depends on the surroundings near the tower, including the location of nearby buildings and the strength and radio frequency of the transmissions. But the Roots said they cannot wait to find out if interference actually occurs: Their son's speech development depends on him hearing well now. "It may be difficult for us to prove there's an interference problem," Ricky Root said. "But unless somebody can prove there isn't, we'll still be on edge about it." The Roots are especially concerned that their son is not old enough to tell them if a problem develops. "He's not going to be able to tell us if this thing is buzzing," Kristina Root said. "He doesn't know if it's something he's supposed to be hearing." Interference could include humming, static or other background noise, according to the Cochlear Corp. Brandon, who has reddish hair and blue eyes, received his first hearing aid at 4 months. It didn't help much. He couldn't hear much below 120 decibels, about the noise level of a jet engine. Then last July, when he was 18 months old, surgeons at New York University Medical Center implanted the cochlear device. For the first time, he heard the telephone ringing, the dryer buzzing and the clock chiming on the fireplace mantel. He also began dancing to his toys playing children's songs, including "Old MacDonald Had A Farm." And in February, he heard his step-sister, Jessica, talking enthusiastically about her Valentine's Day candy, even though she was in a different room. When she mentioned lollipops, Brandon rushed from the living room into the kitchen, hoping to share in Jessica's windfall. "He hears everything now," his mother said. "It's incredible." But when the Roots heard about the tower proposal, some of their hope and excitement about Brandon's hearing turned to frustration and disappointment. Before Brandon received the cochlear implant, the Roots joined neighbors protesting an earlier tower plan on South Mountain, one proposed by Omnipoint Communications Enterprises. Neighbors, including the Roots, feared the tower would be a safety hazard if it collapsed and would harm the neighborhood's appearance. Omnipoint withdrew its plans after the opposition. Then, the Turnpike made its proposal. The Turnpike asked the township Zoning Hearing Board for approval to remove its 120-foot tower on South Mountain and build a 200-foot replacement tower. In addition to the Turnpike, other state agencies and Omnipoint wanted to use the Turnpike tower. But Omnipoint later withdrew its application. The new Turnpike tower was approved by zoners in 1997. But neighbors Brian and Susan Kennedy appealed to Lehigh County Court. Judge Lawrence Brenner ruled that neighbors were not properly notified of the hearing, and a new hearing was ordered. At the new hearing in January, a half-dozen neighbors complained about the proposal for safety and aesthetic reasons. But when Ricky Root wanted to present evidence about possible interference with his son's cochlear implant, zoning board officials ruled they could not allow such testimony. "Without a doubt, I was shut down big time," Ricky Root said. Zoning board officials cited the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. According to board solicitor John Stover, the law forbids local officials from considering adverse health consequences when considering tower proposals. But the Roots and their lawyer, Karl Romberger of South Whitehall Township, believe the zoning board improperly interpreted the federal law. Possible interference from the tower would be a nuisance, they claim, not an adverse health problem. In what the board called a compromise, the zoning board approved the tower but for only 180 feet. In the resulting lawsuits, the Roots seek court orders requiring the zoning board to hold another hearing to consider the interference issue. The county suit also gives the court the option to block anyone, including the Turnpike Commission, from using digital communications equipment within a mile of the Root home. In addition to claiming that the Telecommunications Act was wrongly interpreted, the federal suit claims the zoning board violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to accommodate Brandon's disability. Richard Dean, who was chairman of the zoning board, said he sympathizes with the family's concerns but stands by the board's decision. "There's no evidence to indicate it's anything more than speculation," Dean said, regarding the possible interference. "You have a not-in-my-backyard situation here," said Dean, an owner of radio stations and WFMZ-TV Channel 69. William Capone, a spokesman for the Turnpike, declined comment. "We typically don't comment on matters that are in litigation," he said. In another Lehigh County Court lawsuit, the Kennedys also are challenging the latest zoning board approval. They claim the zoning board violated the Pennsylvania open meetings law by deliberating in private, violated other procedural requirements and reached a decision without supporting evidence. Rosemarie Drous, a therapist who worked with Brandon at the Helen Beebe Speech and Hearing Center in Fort Washington, said a home is a critical place for language development, especially in a child's first three years of life. "I ask that Brandon and his family be given more weight in this decision than the phone tower," she wrote in a memo given to township officials. "Of the two, the second seems easier to relocate and at no human cost." Hank Grant, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Oklahoma, said he knows of no independent studies on the possible interaction between digital cell phone or radio transmitters and cochlear implants. Grant, an expert in wireless communications devices possibly interfering with medical devices, said he is studying the issue and hopes to be finished within six months. In the past, when interference has been found between cell phones and electronic medical devices, solutions have been found, he said. For instance, cell phones interfered with less than 5 percent of pacemakers. Electronic devices called capacitors were installed in the pacemakers to filter out the interference. He said that if interference is found with the cochlear implants, an electronic solution probably can be found. "In the past, that's what happened," he said. "We feel that's what will happen in the future." Meanwhile, if the Roots lose their battle, they are prepared to move out of what they call their dream house, a four-bedroom rustic-looking house on more than 2 wooded acres. "If the tower went up and he couldn't hear, we'd have to leave and we would," Kristina Root said. But Romberger said the Roots shouldn't have to solve the problem that way. "No matter where you move, at some point a cell phone company may come in and say this is the ideal place for a cell phone tower," he said. ---- FREEWAY CALL BOXES IN THE LOS ANGELES TO BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO DISABLED Call Boxes Require Modification - (LOS ANGELES) -- As part of a settlement, Los Angeles County will be required to make eleven-and-a-half-Million- dollars worth of modifications to freeway call boxes in order to make them accessible to the disabled. The Western Law Center For Disability Rights says the plaintiffs in a lawsuit claimed the boxes are inaccessible to wheelchair-bound people. The deaf and speech-impaired cannot speak into the phone or listen to voice instructions. Under terms of the settlement, the county must complete the required changes within the next four-years. NJ-L News ---- PRESIDENTAL CONTENDER BILL BRADLY TO CAMPAIGN IN CALIFORNIA Bill Bradley announced that he will kick off his California campaign by spending ten consecutive days in the state in mid-June. The campaign swing, which will bring Bradley to communities throughout California, will build on Bradley's efforts to connect with voters in small groups and call attention to local leaders who are addressing tough community problems. The trip will also include several speeches, fundraising events, and political outreach. Additional details about the trip, including exact dates, towns and cities to be visited, and details about events that will be open to the public, will be made available shortly. Details will be delivered to Bradley California supporters through this e-mail list. "This is the beginning of a determined effort in California," said Campaign Manager Gina Glantz. "Our goal is reintroduce retail politics at the presidential level to the largest state in the Union and deliver a message that California is vital to this campaign." Bradley has held several successful fundraising events in California since he announced his candidacy, and recently delivered a speech on race relations to Town Hall Los Angeles. Bradley also lived in California from 1997-98, serving as the Payne Distinguished Professor at Stanford University's Institute of International Studies. "Many of the issues Bradley emphasized in the Senate - urban policy, trade, the environment, political reform, and race relations - are particularly important to California," said Glantz. "We will campaign very aggressively in the state and look forward to talking with Californians about the future of the country." For more news of the Bradley campaign, visit http://www.billbradley.com. ---- POST-GAZETTE ARTICLE HAS POINTERS ON DISABILITY LANGUAGE A clip from Http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/19990511patti1.asp brings some interesting observations on disability terminology. <-> For all society's claims to embrace diversity, disability remains oddly taboo. Maybe people don't like to be reminded that disability happens in all social circles. This hush-hush attitude saddens me, yet I'm guilty of promoting it by fending off attention to my disability because I don't want to make others uncomfortable. To those who spend time with me, my handicap is not such a big deal. Talking about it is optional, but our relationships don't revolve around it. I like that. A friend who overlooked my disability for years made a comical reference to it as we chatted one day. "You know, your thing'," he said. Others fumbled for the right words. Did I like to be called physically challenged? Differently abled? Did it matter? Fashionable language might be a way to break the ice with someone who appears to be different, but political correctness doesn't seem to be a fair measure of one's sensitivity to disability. The term handicapped, for instance, sends chills through advocates for those with disabilities, partly because it derives from gruesome images of beggars holding upside-down caps in their hands. But handicapped is just a word to me. My boyfriend, an old-fashioned yet nonjudgmental sort of guy, uses it. Semantics are hardly grounds for a quarrel with him. Before I first spoke with my boyfriend, who is not disabled, a mutual friend told him about my speech impediment. He asked me out anyway. He drives 30 minutes to see me and doesn't complain when it takes me twice as long to prepare a "quick" meal for us. Early in our relationship, we agreed that he would not be my errand boy, yet he offers help generously. Even better, he lets me decide when I want it. I've heard Dad use the "h" word since he took me to get a library card. When the clerk at the desk saw that I didn't print my name with the ease of most 5-year-olds, my dad said I had a handicap and asked if he could do it for me. To handicap means "to put at a disadvantage," according to Webster's New American Dictionary. By that broad definition, "handicapped" is not just about disability. The word could apply to anyone struggling with a host of human conditions: broken families, addiction, natural disaster. <-> ---- 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 ANNOUNCEMENT Director of Constituent Services U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer is seeking applicants for the position of Director of Constituent Services in her San Francisco office. Job Description: The Director of Constituent Services is responsible for responding to all constituent requests for assistance with federal agencies. This includes problem identification, contacts with federal agencies, follow-up letters and case resolution. Staff in the Senator's San Francisco office handle all such requests received from throughout the State of California. Requests are received in writing, by telephone or through e-mail. In performing the responsibilities of the job, the Director supervises and is assisted by a staff of six caseworkers. The position reports directly to the Senator's Chief of Staff. Experience and Qualifications: Excellent communication skills and writing skills are necessary. Knowledge of federal, state and local agencies is required. Applicants must also have substantial experience in working with government agencies such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service to solve problems for people. Applicants must be exceptionally well organized and able to work well with other staffers. Supervisory experience is highly desirable. Contact information: Send or fax letter of interest and resume by May 6 to: John Hess, Office of US Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111. Fax number is (415) 956-6701 ---------------------- Letters from readers: Hello Richard, I would like to give you some suggestions to have deaf workers be hired to work in the hospitals, doctors offices, any medical settings, nursing homes and any public schools, since there are deaf or hearing impaired or hard of hearing patients, clients, and students in those public places for effective communications - if there are shortages of interpreters, maybe try to have health benefits , retirement benefits, etc on hand for them at the work places or wherever they interpret or if agencies can offer those benefits, then more people will be motivated to become interperters for effective communications- There are lack of qualified interpreters so hope something can be done as it is lonesome to be in a nursing home with all hearing patients, clients, workers - if the deaf people can visit nursing homes to check if there are deaf patients, clients and even deaf workers - then it would be nice to take some time to visit for an hr every few days to comfort those who are deaf elderly senior citizens and join them during meal times or activities to encourage them to eat well or whatever activities they can do as social time.. Hope the problems can be solved- thanks for sharing the weekly bulletin, please continue to send them to us. Sincerely, Jackie and James Stover ============================================================== 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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