DEAF WORKERS OF ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT -- DEAF WORKERS WEEKLY BULLETIN -- July 24, 1999 Greetings, With recent news of a major deaf organization in the southern California area having serious financial and leadership problems being spread like wildfire, I want to assure you that deaf advocacy is still strong at Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center which is in Santa Ana, California. We have placed a heavy emphasis on service and hundreds of people with hearing disabilities has been helped by us since we have opened last winter. Our staff of 21 volunteers have been an excellent resource to us and will continue to work with me to help people with hearing disabilities empower themselves and become independent, productive, and contributors to society. We are also proud of our board which consists entirely of persons with disabilities. We are happy to have people with varying forms of physical disabilities. Each member of our board has experienced some form of discrimination and we all share the common interest, zeal, and goals. Our board consisting of 4 persons with hearing disabilities and one with cerebral palsy is very strong. We hope other deaf and disability organizations follow our example. We have on our drawing board outreach plans that include committees established in Pacific Grove, Santa Maria, and El Cajon all inside the southern California area. We are now encouraged to establish an outreach committee in the city of Glendale. If you are interested in being a part of our Verdugo Hills outreach committee, feel free to contact us by sending us a letter of interest for consideration. We have been sticking to the 'common people' philosophy and will continue to do so and anyone without any college degrees are strongly encouraged to join us. We are proud of our 'people first' agenda and use our limited financial resources to lead the community toward the promised land of fairness, equality, and justice. We will soon be stepping up our fundraising efforts to meet the anticipated increase in demand for services. If you have the resources to spare, feel free to help us out and be assured that each penny you send us will be spent on helping people with hearing and other disabilities on an individualized basis. This week we will be meeting our union allies and see about using one of their available property holdings for our office. I am presently running this deaf center from the living room at my home! Problems with traffic and zoning regulations have placed many restrictions on the activities of our center at my home. We still serve our clients by going to their homes if possible. Once we get the new office, we will 'floor it' and crank this advocacy engine back up to high speed and provide a wide spectrum of services for people with hearing disabilities in the southern California area. We have a website online and the website itself is an excellent resource for anyone that needs information. Our website can be accessed at Http://www.deafadvocacy.com and you are strongly encouraged to visit our website and learn about us, our philosophy, services, and programs. We have major plans on the drawing board for this fall: 1) A monthly deaf swap meet 2) ADA seminars for people with hearing disabilities 3) ADA seminars for businesses 4) Orange County Deaf Education Center (independent living skills school) We have enjoyed serving the community and we look forward to serving a larger number people with hearing disabilities be they born with it or acquire it any time in their lives. Richard Roehm ---- DEALING WITH "POWERS THAT BE" IN A POSITIVE WAY With the major Deaf organization in southern California in hot water, there has never been a better time to become critical of this organization and the so called "Powers That Be" (PTB)'s that control it. Here is the "Rev. Rus' Ten Best Ways to Impress the "POWERS THAT BE (PTB)" at Hearings and Meetings, Or, Effective Sucking Up" by Rus Cooper-Dowda. This is an excellent guide on how to effectively scream these goliaths out of their socks. 1) DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Go before the right people at the right time with the right issue. This may sound silly. But, the PTB do not like to get great presentations on events and problems over which they have no control. 2) DRESS LIKE THE PTB THEMSELVES. The more odd they are going to think your message is, the more conservatively you should dress. Dressing conservatively and like them makes it harder for them to dismiss you outright. Don't give the PTB too many visual cues about where you stand before you speak. 3) READ THAT MORNING'S PAPERS: A LOCAL AND A NATIONAL ONE. If you do this, it could put you in the position of being the most up to date on events affecting the topic at hand. Remember, the PTB probably didn't read much news that morning because they were getting ready to hear speakers like you. In terms of which national paper to read: The New York Times carries documents and speeches in great detail. USA TODAY gives you great summaries. Both are good for those reasons. Indeed, if you can cite a story you read just that morning to make your point, do it. That is very impressive. 4) SEND SOMEONE THEY HAVEN'T HEARD FROM BEFORE. If your organization has a group of potential speakers to choose from, include one that hasn't spoken before. Include a speaker most like the PTB themselves. If the PTB are all ole white guys, make at least one of your speakers an ole white guy, too. It is also good to include more than one generation. Ideally, with three speakers one would be elderly, one a teen and one from the middle between them. The PTB love to see generational range. 5) DO NOT PUBLICALLY PLAY HERE THE "MY DISABILITY IS MORE WORTHY OF HELP THAN THEIR DISABILITY" GAME. The PTB don't have to divide us if we have already done that for them. 6) DO NOT GO INTO DISABILITY INFIGHTING IN YOUR PRESENTATION. This is even worse than the "worthiness" spats. The PTB tend not to care about the political catfight you had with "that other group" back in 1987. They especially hate to hear about it years after the fact. Try ahead of time to mend enough fences so that the disability groups there present a united front. 7) BE WARY OF CRYING WHILE YOU SPEAK. Some people can be moved to weep and still talk logically. Others can't. Know the Cans and the Can'ts in your speakers group ahead of time. Some tears are sorrow. Some tears are frustration. Be prepared to help the frustrated crier get their message across. If you can weep and talk, that can be very effective with the media. However, there is so much dysfunctional personal history among us, that crying may call up the unexpected in people on both sides of the table. Be wary of eliciting emotions that will cause some of the PTB to shut you out before you finish. 8) "Out-Sane" the PTB. If exchanges get heated, "out-sane" the PTB who are losing it. Calmness in the face of baiting or anger from their side makes you look determined to follow through no matter what. 9) BRING A WRITTEN VERSION OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY But, don't read from it and do not pass it out before you finish speaking. Remember how much you want their undivided attention. Make your copies at least a day ahead of time to allow them to air out. This makes them more accessible to those with allergies or chemical sensitivities. Make large print copies on yellow paper to bring with you. Volunteer to do other alternative formats upon request and in a timely manner. Gladly producing alternative formats really helps the disabled community maintain solidarity. Make enough copies for everyone and then some. Remember, the copies you give the PTB will end up with their staff who are the real people most able to affect change in the name of their bosses. 10) WRITE THANK-YOU NOTES TO HELPFUL PTB. Do this within a week of the meeting or hearing. If this feels too "Miss Manners" for you, consider it just good political follow-up. ---- TAX CREDITS FOR EMPLOYERS FOR HIRING WELFARE TO WORK APPLICANTS Employers Can Receive Tax Credits of Up to $10,000 for Each Individual Hired Who is Eligible Under the Welfare to Work Program NORTH HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 1999--Employers can receive Federal Wage Tax incentives of up to $10,000 if they hire individuals eligible under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program, said Carri Richardson, Deaf Services Program job developer, at Goodwill's San Fernando Valley Business Advisory Council Workshop held this morning at the Mid Valley Public Library. Under the WOTC program, employers can receive a 40 percent tax credit on qualified first-year wages of up to $6,000 per individual. Under the umbrella of the WOTC, companies who hire individuals on the Welfare-to-Work program (WtW) receive 35 percent on first-year wages up to $10,000 and 50 percent on second-year wages up to $10,000. "The purpose of the WOTC program is to promote the hiring of individuals who qualify as a member of a target group and provide a tax credit to employers who hire these individuals," Richardson said. Under the tax-credit guidelines, there are nine groups, seven of which fall under the $6,000 maximum amount, one under the $10,000 maximum and another under a $3,000 maximum. They are as follows: 1. Recipients of AFDC (Welfare); 2. Veterans receiving Food Stamps; 3. Economically disadvantaged ex-felons hired no later than one year after conviction or release from prison; 4. High-risk youth ages 18-24 who reside in a Federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community; 5. Vocational Rehabilitation referrals; 6. Food Stamp recipients ages 18-24; 7. Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI); 8. Summer youth ages 16 and 17 who reside in a Federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community; and 9. Long-term recipients of AFDC who began working on or after Jan. 1, 1998. Tax credits for summer youth are based on first-year wages up to $3,000. Credits for all others, except WtW, are based on a 40 percent tax credit of retained 400 hours on qualified first-year wages up to $6,000, and 25 percent for retained hours of 399 to 120. "It is important to remember that these tax credits are applicable to each qualified individual hired. If a tax credit exceeds money owed for the current year, then it can be applied to taxes paid in the last three years," said Richardson. She pointed out that if the credit cannot be used in these past years, it can be carried forward up to 15 years or until the credit is used, whichever comes first. Richardson presented an example, where an employer who owed $10,000 in taxes would receive a $6,000 credit, and would then owe only $4,000. If the employer hired another worker, they would be eligible for another $6,000 credit. The excess credit would be applied to any taxes paid in the last three years and if there were none, it would be applied to future years until the credit was used up. "Many employers do not take advantage of the tax-credit program. At first glance, it seems complicated. Once an employer understands the system, it can be very beneficial in lowering the amount of taxes a company pays in relation to wages paid to an employee. It also provides an opportunity for these individuals to find employment and get off public assistance and onto company payrolls," she said. Richardson spoke at the final, in a series of three, educational workshop on hiring and working with people with disabilities, which was sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Southern California's Business Advisory Council. The council is an independent group of local business professionals who provide advice and guidance to Goodwill regarding employment issues impacting its employment, training and placement programs. Founded in 1919, Goodwill is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit agency, which is nearly 90 percent self-supporting through its retail stores and industrial services contracts with local businesses. Seventy-six cents of every donated dollar goes to fund Goodwill's education, training and job placement programs. Contact: Goodwill Industries of Southern California Richard Guiss, 323/223-1211, ext. 222 or Jeannine Banu, 818/908-5820 ---- OCBS HOSTS GRANTSMANSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM The Grantsmanship Center will conduct a comprehensive grant-writing training during the week of August 30 - September 3, 1999 at the Department of Education's Building on 1820 E. Sahara, Suite #208 in Las Vegas. The training will be conducted by the Grantsmanship Center, an internationally respected leader in providing such instruction. ASL interpreters will be provided for deaf and hard of hearing participants. Staff, volunteers and board members from non-profit organizations and others interested in learning the grant-seeking process are invited to attend the course. Staff members from human services, educational, cultural, youth, health and governmental organization in the Western USA are being invited to participate in the training. Novice and experienced grant seekers will learn all aspects of the grantsmanship process, from researching funding sources to proposal writing. The Grantsmanship Center is the world's oldest and largest fundraising training organization. Founded in 1972, the Center has trained more than 65,000 participants from non-profit and government agencies. A two-year-long evaluation of the Center found that an average of $177,000 per person in new grants and contracts was attributed to their training by a group of 892 training program graduates. The cost of this training is $595 for the first registrant with a $50 discount for additional registrants from the same agency. To insure personal attention, registration is limited to 23 participants. For more information, please contact the Grantsmanship Center at (800) 421-9512 or on the WWW at http://www.tgci.com ---- COMPLAINT SAYS AOL VIOLATED HIRING STATUTES BY RAY RIVERA THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE A Layton man has filed a complaint with the Utah Labor Commission,=20 saying American Online refused to hire him because he was deaf, violating state and federal anti-discrimination laws. at AOL's Ogden Call Center in September 1997, and again in October 1998.Davidson was hoping to be a telecommunications typewriter (TTY) operator, which allows deaf people to communicate by telephone. A TTY position was available the second time he applied, he said. But both times, he says, he was told by AOL human resource officer= that the company no longer hired deaf people. Davidson said he complained to Human Resource Manager Doug Terry was told the same thing. "He informed me I could apply, but would not be hired because of my disability," Davidson says in the complaint. "I explained to him that this was discrimination. He told me if I wanted to file a discrimination charge with the state, I could." AOL officials at company headquarters in Dulles, Va., would not discuss specifics of the case but called the allegations "ridiculous."We do not discriminate against any applicant based on any disability or any other protected characteristic," said AOL spokesperson Kim McCreery. William Purcell, communications director at the Ogden Call Center, said AOL currently employs five hearing-impaired workers in Ogden, one of whom was just promoted to the AOL's Virginia headquarters. But Davidson contends that AOL may have changed its policy regarding deaf people in February 1997. He said no deaf people have been hired since, and at least six have been turned down. He said those six will be witnesses in his case, which is pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.Purcell said no such policy exists, but could not immediately say when the last deaf person was hired. Purcell said the company promotes programs for people with disabilities. Next month the company is launching a program called BOOTS (Business Organization and Occupation Service Training) to train people with physical, emotional and financial disabilities to help them find jobs.The Ogden Call Center is one of five around the country providing technical support to AOL customers. It employs about 900 people. ---- DEAF OWNED NU-CAPES DEBUTS! Grand opening of Nu-Capes, a deaf owned and operated company in Philadelphia, PA. If you are either owner, handler, or trainer of special dogs then you'll be thrilled to know this company exists. Sounds interesting? You are invited to visit my website: http://www.nucapes.com/nucapes/ or you may type: www.nucapes.com on your browser. We at Nu-Capes thank you for taking a few moment to visit our business site on the web. We sincerely hope you'll recommend us to someone you know. Nu-Capes REFLECTIVE IDENTIFICATION CAPES FOR WORKING DOGS ---- ORANGE COUNTY DEAF ADVOCACY CENTER TO HAVE SWAPMEET SALE ON 8-7-99 Due to the good turnout and sales activity on July 21, 1999 swapmeet event, Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is having another sale at the local SSSS W W A PPPP MM MM EEEEE EEEEE TTTTT S W W A A P P M M M M E E T SSS W W W A A PPPP M M M EEE EEE T S W W AAAAA P M M E E T SSSS W W A A P M M EEEEE EEEEE T LOCATION : Golden West College Parking lot spaces Q-5 and Q-6 near Edinger street in Huntington Beach, California. DATE : August 7, 1999 TIME : 8 AM - 3 PM ITEMS : Vigil candles, t-shirts, hearing aid batteries, books, and donated items. SUPPORT OUR DEAF CENTER IF YOU CAN COME TO THE SWAPMEET OR VISIT THE DEAF CENTER'S WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.DEAFADVOCACY.COM/PRODUCT.HTM If you can donate items to us for the swapmeet sale, please do it before 6pm friday August 6, 1999. We plan on selling the non OCDAC items very cheap so we'll need LOTS, LOTS, AND LOTS OF STUFF! We need a truck to help bring in the items to the swapmeet. Our space will be double the size as last time. Our thanks go to David Koonce and Cher Houston for their great help in making the July 21 swapmeet sale run smoothly and bringing in much needed cash for our advocacy operations! COME ON OVER AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Richard Roehm OCDAC Http://www.deafadvocacy.com ---- 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 ---- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies POSITIONS AVAILABLE: ASL AND THE BRAIN The Salk Institute has an immediate opening for additional Deaf or Hearing researchers in the Laboratory for Cognitive Neurosciences. Researchers to join a team of scientists investigating how the brain processes sign language. This program involves a) locating and testing deaf life long signers who have had a stroke or other brain trauma to either the left or the right hemisphere, as well as b) experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a converging tool to understand the neural basis of sign language. Strong candidates will be from experimental psychology, neuropsychology, or related fields. Applicants will work with a team whose primary focus is on the neural underpinnings of language, spatial and motor systems. Applicants must have the capacity for interdisciplinary research and growth. Salary dependent on background, education, and research experience. Research Assistant: Job Requirements Preferred: B.A. or M.A. in any of above or related fields. Applicant will take part in the recruitment and testing of individuals for either a) or b) above, analyze data, and participate in many aspects of the research. Native signing essential. Postdoctoral Fellow: Job Requirements Preferred: PhD. in cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, neuropsychology or related fields Applicant can be deaf or hearing, native or near native signing essential. Experience in research strongly preferred; experience with brain imaging helpful. Leadership qualities and publications preferred. Applicant will take part in and supervise testing, data analysis and interpretation, engage in manuscript preparation, and coordination as well as design of studies. Please send letter of interest, resume, and three letters of recommendation to: E-mail: lthomas@salk.edu put "job opening" in subject line. Or write to: ASL Job Opening, Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037. EOE. For information on the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, visit our website: http://bvox.salk.edu. ---- NCD TO COMMEMORATE ADA ANNIVERSARY WITH NEWS RELEASE National Council on Disability To Release Recommendations on Disability and Cultural Diversity on Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary WASHINGTON—The National Council on Disability (NCD) will release the executive summary from its report, Lift Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve a Diverse Nation, at a White House forum on disability and cultural diversity that will also celebrate the ninth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Monday, July 26, 1999. The forum, convened by the White House and NCD with support from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), will focus on how to improve outcomes in education, employment, and civil rights enforcement for people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. NCD chairperson Marca Bristo commended the senior White House and Administration officials and members of Congress who, by making time to participate in Monday’s forum, have recognized the importance of addressing the ongoing barriers faced by people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. According to Bristo, “We are delighted to be working with LCCR and its chairperson Dr. Dorothy I. Height. We look forward to using this report and Monday’s forum to begin a dialogue with the broader civil rights and disability communities to elevate the voices of minorities with disabilities and thereby make the policy landscape more inclusive and responsive to the needs of this important population.” The full report, which will be released later this year, follows up on a groundbreaking 1993 NCD report entitled Meeting the Unique Needs of Minorities with Disabilities. Bristo added, “Many of the findings reported in 1993 remain true six years later. Notwithstanding federal efforts to improve service delivery to minorities and other underserved groups, grassroots consumers have told NCD that little has changed that has resulted in tangible improvements in their day-to-day lives.” “For a large segment of the population, particularly those from diverse racial, cultural, and ethnic communities, a shameful wall of exclusion continues to hinder their ability to participate fully in all aspects of American society. As we mark the ninth anniversary of the signing of ADA, the declaration of equality made in 1990 remains hollow for many people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds as they continue to struggle against the persistent barriers to poverty, inequality, and dual discrimination.” NCD’s report contains a number of recommendations for the President and Congress, including a proposed multi-agency initiative to provide ongoing, intensive “know-your-rights” seminars in diverse communities throughout the country that would cover a range of disability civil rights laws and disability assistance programs. NCD is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President and Congress on public policy affecting people with disabilities. It is currently coordinating a multi-year study on the implementation and enforcement of ADA and other civil rights laws. For more information, contact Mark S. Quigley at 202-272- 2004. For copies of the executive summary, visit NCD’s award- winning Web site (http:/www.ncd.gov/publications/publications.html). Mark S. Quigley Public Affairs Specialist National Council on Disability 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20004 202-272-2004 Voice 202-272-2074 TTY 202-272-2022 Fax mquigley@ncd.gov http://www.ncd.gov ---------------------- I writing this letter in hopes that you can help me. I have exhausted all other avenues and you are my last hope. I am desperately trying to find the words to your National Anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" in American Sign Language. I work in an elementary school with deaf children and we have been asked to sign our National Anthem (O' Canada) as well as yours at the Toronto Blue Jays game at Skydome this September. Therefore, I am asking for the words to your National Anthem not in English but in A.S.L. I realize there is no written format for A.S.L. but the following is an example of our National Anthem written in English and then in A.S.L. I hope this will help. In English / In A.S.L. O'Canada / Honour Canada Our home and native land / Home long ago land True patriot love / True love (hands over heart) In all our son's command / You people united etc....... Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! gigs@sprint.ca -------------- The program which let your parents and community deaf club watch the old 16mm movie films in their homes didn't die, it just got a major technology-infusion! Reborn today the Captioned Media Program, we are a "lending library" program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and administered by the NAD (National Association of the Deaf.). We provide videos which are "open-captioned," meaning they will display the English text with any TV/VCR; no special decoder-device is necessary. These materials are freely lent to deaf or hard of hearing Americans, their parents, families, teachers, counselors, or others whose use of our collection would benefit a deaf or hard of hearing person. Our captioned videos may be kept up to one week and returned; we pay the postage both ways. Our collection has around 4,000 digests in it, touching a wide variety of topics, and is useful for people of all ages and reading levels. We have Hollywood classics, how-to's, computer tutorials, and MANY more topics. You need not search the video rental stores for captions on videos again! (Did I mention we're FREE?) If you have access to the Internet, you may open an account at our web site; we will immediately send you a catalog, labeled with the new account number we have assigned for your use. You may also search the catalog online (www.cfv.org ) and/or print free information there. If the Internet is not available to you, just call or send us your mailing address so we can send an application and a brochure to you. If you're looking for a special request, let us help you find it! We look forward to registering you as a client. Thanks! Captioned Media Program (formerly: The Captioned Films/Videos Program) National Association of the Deaf 1447 E. Main Street Spartanburg SC 29302 EMAIL: info@cfv.org URL (web site:) www.cfv.org Toll-free numbers: (800) 237-6213 - Voice (800) 237-6819 - TTY (800) 538-5636 - FAX ============================================================== 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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