OCDAC Newsletter June 28, 2005

Dear Friends,

We are all geared up and excited about our 3 week long deaf awareness
program at the Orange County Fair next week! We are fine tuning our
presentation items, the computers, the monitors, the freebie
giveaways. We have a good number of volunteers already lined up to
help us out and we have plenty more tickets for extra volunteers. We
had to overcome some major glitches to make this happen. After the
fireworks we will be in the office almost 24 hrs a day making the
final touches on our presentation materials.

After OC-Fair we will rest in August and then focus on our deaf
awareness booth at the Children Festival which is double the OC Fair
deaf awareness program all in a single day! This is going to be a
double challenge for everyone involved!

Celebrating Fourth of July is fun for people, not for service
animals. They can become frightened, injured, or lost during Fourth
of July holidays. Keep the service animals safe inside, away from
the noise. This is because their hearing is much more sensitive than
ours. Have a TV or radio on to drown out the fireworks noise. And
it's also important to check on the ID tags, current license tags,
with home phone number including area codes in case they become lost.

Have a safe Fourth of July!

OCDAC Communications

-------------< INSIDE NEWS >

Our Sign Language booklets have been developed. They are different
from last year's booklets. We learned from the OC-Fair meeting we
will have only 2 days to set our OC-Fair booth. We need a lot of
help during those 2 days. July 6 and 7! We've chosen a mascot for
OC-Fair booth this summer. It's the small Emmett Kelly Jr. "I Love
You" figurine! These figurines are no longer being produced and are
offered for $25 donations.

Virtual volunteerism is working for us! Our ocdacvolunteer list at
yahoogroups helps us create a pool of volunteers. If youre
interested in being an OCDAC volunteer, feel free to sign up on our
ocdacvolunteer list at yahoogroups.

Our Festival of Children education booth planning has already begun.
We need donations of bright colored paper to print our deaf awareness
materials on. This event is in September and was attended by 2
million people last year.

-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >

Implants help deaf students learn
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2825087

Device lets deaf say, 'Call me on my cell'
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20050625/BUSINESS05/506250333/1029/BUSINESS

Deaf and blind celebrate Helen Keller day
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=18&ObjectID=10333074

Tech failing to serve blind-deaf users
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000173048339/

Plane flown by deaf pilot crashes on Martha's Vineyard, three injured
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06242005/south_of/49277.htm

Workshop gives voice to conerns of the deaf
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/story.asp?id=13832

Deaf cook earning her stripes in Taj kitchen
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/living/f062505b.htm

Deaf man pleads guilty to drug charge; faces extradition
http://www.orovillemr.com/Stories/0,1413,157~26686~2934801,00.html

Agency For Disabled Won't Spend $50 Million Of Budget
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBJB6UREAE.html

Governor signs bill revamping program for disabled children
http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2005/06/26/news_state/0625050010.t
xt

RadioShack Settles With Wheelchair Users
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062201828.html

-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >

Killer Orange directory has included us in their Speech and Hearing
section.
http://www.killerorange.com/KillerRefs/Category/orgspeechhearing.htm

-------------< BULLETIN >

ATTENTION DEAF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MYSTERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE DISNEY
COMPANY.

We are looking for DEAF People and others who have problems with the
Disney Company:

--apply, and no call back?
--apply, but no interview because deaf/ interpreter issue?
--apply, interview, but no interpreter or captions?
--got job, but then no interpreter for staff meetings?
--you feel punished because after being hired youre excluded from
training's, staff meetings, or other staff events?

(1) NEED YOUR NAME AND (2) ADDRESS (3) and E-mail (4) explanation of
your problem with The Disney Company.

We work with Morse Mehrban who is a rising star in the field of
disability access litigation. Morse needs to know about this no later
than September 4, 2005. Please email [email protected] and
please use 'Disney Problems' in the subject line.

-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >

Judge: Amtrak Can Charge Disabled Extra

By PATRICK WALTERS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 22, 2005; 4:27 PM

PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge ruled that Amtrak can charge a group
of wheelchair users extra to ride in the same car together.

The wheelchair users, members of Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania,
travel to Washington regularly to lobby. They sued after Amtrak told
them that they could ride together on a Philadelphia-to-Washington
train but that some of them would have to pay $200 more than the
usual ticket price to cover the cost of removing seats.

The group sued, saying the policy violated the federal Americans With
Disabilities Act.

U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III said Friday that under federal
law, Amtrak must have one space to park a wheelchair and one space to
store an unoccupied chair per passenger coach. It can charge extra
for anything beyond that, Bartle ruled.

About three-quarters of those who were to go on the February trip are
on fixed incomes of about $600 a month, the group said. Executive
director Nancy Salandra said the charge on top of the $90 round-trip
ticket price was too much for them to bear.

"If you and your family and friends and sisters and brothers and
cousins, more than 20, wanted to travel to Washington, you would get
a discount as a group," said Stephen Gold, an attorney for the group.

Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said the policy of charging for
the removal of seats does not apply to just the disabled. If people
wanted to have party on a train and seats had to be removed, they
would be assessed the fee, too, she said.

-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >

Our new ASL class schedules have been released. Please consult the
deaf center's website for the ASL class schedules.

Please visit our iGive store http://www.igive.com/ocdac

Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds
of assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org

If you shop at Albertsons and have a community partners card, please
consider adding your card to our list of supporters. Our goal is
25,000 supporters who shop a Albertsons.

We recycle used cell phones, empty printer and toner cartridges. If
you have any of these to unload from your hands, please send or drop
them at our agency at 2960 Main Street, A100, Irvine, California 92614

-------------< DEAF QUOTES >

"As long as people talk slowly, I have no problems," Andrea Seltzer
of the Casbah Cafe at the Trump Taj Mahal

-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >

Defeating Deafness organization reaffirms benefits of cochlear
implants

Today there are more than 4,000 cochlear implant users in the UK and
it is widely recognised that these devices have the potential to
transform lives.

Improved technology means that more profoundly deaf people than ever
before could benefit from implants which work by stimulating the
auditory nerve, bypassing damaged sensory cells in the cochlea.

Unfortunately, in some parts of the UK, patients are being denied
access to this life changing technology because of insufficient
funding. While most children who are eligible for a cochlear implant
receive one, adults in many areas are missing out.

Following discussions with our advisers, we have issued a statement
affirming the benefits of implants which we hope will encourage
health authorities to make more funding available.

"Although Defeating Deafness recognises that cochlear implants are
not appropriate for everyone, and patients must undergo a rigorous
assessment process, we are concerned about the current situation,"
says Defeating Deafness Chief Executive, Vivienne Michael. "There is
clear evidence that the majority of people fitted with a cochlear
implant have better communication skills, take more pleasure from
family life and enjoy greater financial independence. With the aid of
an implant, profoundly deaf children are able to succeed in
mainstream schools."

Speaking recently on the subject, Defeating Deafness cochlear implant
adviser, Dr Huw Cooper said, "Cochlear implants are improving all the
time. It is important that we receive funding, not only to carry out
more research, but also to ensure that all those people who could
benefit from implants are able to do so. In reinforcing its position
on the benefits of cochlear implants, Defeating Deafness is sending
out a clear message about the importance of these life-enhancing
devices".

To view the position statement produced by Defeating Deafness, click
on the link below or contact the Information Service for a copy
(email: [email protected], tel: 0808 808 2222).

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >

2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a
Riverside, California mortgage company.

Many openings at fairground in Costa mesa for temp work in July.

All candidates interested in any of the job opportunities are
required to apply for our job placement services. Our intake form is
at Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/intake.htm

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES >

Become an owner of a _________.WS website for only $10 a month! All
_________.WS owners automatically become .WS website resellers and it
comes with an automatic selling program and all you have to do is
lead people to your .WS reseller website. The WS stands
for 'website'! Link has video of the program in American Sign
Language and is a excellent self-sufficiency opportunity for people
who want to be on the top of the .WS cyber real estate market.
Hearing people can participate as the reseller link also has a video
for them. Begin your journey toward self-sufficiency by sending a
blank email to [email protected] and it will auto-reply back to you
with information about this fantastic program. And you will get
another email message a few days later with the full explanation of
the program.

-------------< LETTERS >

From OCDAC Newsletter June 13, 2005 : "It's a shame that large deaf
sports organizations are forbidding the use of hearing aids and
cochlear implants at their competitions. They choose to be the old
british fighter plane as stated in NAD's Vice President Mark
Apodaca's video. And we say theyre actually sending the deaf
communities backwards when the rest of the society has advanced.
It's time to move the deaf communities forward, not backwards!"

From USADB :

Most of us in Deaf Sports Community disagree with this statement.
By not allowing the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants we are
leveling the playing field for ALL deaf people. Everyone is equal
in that no one using assistive devices has an advantage over those
who don't have that option. In that context, we're ahead of the
game, not behind!

Furthermore, we are abiding by the Deaflympics/CISS rules for fair
play.

Shirley Platt
Public Relations
USA Deaf Basketball

Editor's reply :

Dear Shirley Platt,

Thank you for responding to the assistive technhology in deaf
sports issue. I appreciate your taking the time to write to me in
this issue. It is important for me to hear from the Deaf community
as this debate continues.

I read your recent letter on assistive technhology in deaf
sports and believe that the newsletter correctly states my views. As
we both know, this is a complicated and difficult issue which affects
the Deaf community. I am open to suggestions as to how to improve
the OCDAC Newsletter's position on the assistive technhology in deaf
sports issue.

I fail to see how a hearing aid or a cochlear implant could
improve one's ability to shoot baskets, improve chances at winning
ping pong games, running faster, throwing farther, shooting a clay
pigeon, or improving any person's athletic performance on any
competition does not involve, in any way, the use of the ears.

What I see is that this CISS policy is not a 'level playing
field' policy but a policy that is based on an established hatred for
assistive devices that enables deaf people to function independently
and be more free from the so called big deaf industry need to cash in
on the special needs of the deaf community. Society is advancing
and is welcoming the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants. I'm
seeng that the the assistive devices are improving deaf people's
participation at the general society's offerings. This is all about
the evolution of the deaf society. As society evolves, the deaf can
too and no deaf organization should act as barriers to the
advancement of the deaf society.

I value your opinion and appreciate you actively contributing to
this discussion. As the Deaf community proceeds to debate on this
issue, I look forward to a thorough review of this issue. While I
want to promote all aspects of the Deaf community, I dont want to do
so at the expense of some parts.

Once again, thank you for your correspondence. I hope that you
will continue to share your thoughts and ideas with me. If I can be
of further assistance, please do not hesitate to email me.

With warmest personal regards.

Sincerely Yours,
Richard Roehm

-------------< EPILOG >

If you wish to contribute to this newsletter, feel free to send in
news, stories, and opinions relating to the disability community.
Your support for this effort to move the disability community forward
will be greatly appreciated. We will continue to aggressively
pursue justice, fairness, and equality for the disability community
as it has been doing since November 1996. We have chosen that
EDUCATION is the best way accomplish this objective.

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a community based organization
that puts people with disabilities first in their advocacy for equal
opportunities in safety, health, and productive living.

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center provides services for disabled
individuals and their families in our community who need help in
navigating the social services maze go without proper food, shelter,
and essential medical care every day due to a variety of factors
including low wages, job loss, injuries, illness, age, domestic
violence, or divorce. While all of us are susceptible to hard times,
disabled individuals are at the most risk. With the generous support
of people like you, we are able to help many of these families
and individuals not only to meet essential daily needs, but to work
toward a brighter future with programs in job training, education,
counseling, elderly assistance, and temporary housing.

Feel free to forward this email message to any one and any of your
personal mailing lists so we can get the important messages out far
and wide and encourage them to sign up for our weekly newsletter.

OCDAC Newsletter June 21, 2005

Dear Friends,

Great news! We're approaching the halfway point with our O.C. Fair
preparation. We need to focus on designing our free ASL books and
decoration materials from this point on. We will be having our live
cam at the fair booth again this year as we did last year. We need
plenty of volunteers to set up and staff our booth.

Our ASL meetup event went off to a good start with 9 people showing
up.

Sad news is that I am picking wind of the same anomalies still going
on with the California Association of the Deaf in which had caused ex-
president Russ Bye to get booted. It seems that Russ Bye had become
another scapegoat like Mark Apodaca. Seems there had been an open
season on seasoned deaf leaders in California. We just need to find
out who is behind all of this.

Our 'Santa Ana Shakedown' project has netted over 550 business inside
the city of Santa Ana, California that are not in compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act. The problem with the enforcement
part is that we can not play the role of an attorney general.
However, we have been communicating with these businesses and
offering them to take an ADA refresher course at our own classroom to
help these businesses become compliant.

OCDAC Communications

-------------< INSIDE NEWS >

Yikkes! We learned from the OC-Fair meeting we have only 2 days to
set our OC-Fair booth. We need a lot of help during those 2 days.
July 6 and 7! We've chosen a mascot for OC-Fair booth this summer.
It's the small Emmett Kelly Jr. "I Love You" figurine!

We have started on the 'Crazy October' planning in which we have
numerous educational and fundraising events packed into a single
month.

If you shop at Albertsons and have a community partners card, please
consider adding your card to our list of supporters. Our goal is
25,000 supporters who shop a Albertsons.

We recycle used cell phones, empty printer and toner cartridges. If
you have any of these to unload from your hands, please send or drop
them at our agency at 2960 Main Street, A100, Irvine, California 92614

-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >

Cricket-like sound detector gives hope for deaf
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2005/06/20/udeaf.xml

Crickets provide hearing aid in fight to help deaf
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=677912005

( Editor's Note : Does this mean that the cricket has finally slipped
into the ear of the deaf culture lion? )

Communication Breakdown Lands Deaf Driver In Jail
http://news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20050617/lo_WCVB/2780838

Tube and buses 'fail deaf people'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4101444.stm

Family Camp for Deaf Children
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/8471/

Monthly meal in Hoover brings deaf closer
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20050618/APN/506180744&cachetime=3&template=dateline

Denny's Sponsors the Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball Camp for the Hearing
Impaired
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050620/dcm052.html?.v=11

Riverside woman challenges town over disabilities act
http://www.greenwichtime.com/scn-gt-mobility1jun21,0,3950473.story?
coll=green-top-headlines

-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >

Http://Deafwebsites.ws is set to become a leading deaf portal to
guide people to deafness related websites.

-------------< BULLETIN >

ATTENTION DEAF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MYSTERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE DISNEY
COMPANY.

We are looking for DEAF People and others who have problems with the
Disney Company:

--apply, and no call back?
--apply, but no interview because deaf/ interpreter issue?
--apply, interview, but no interpreter or captions?
--got job, but then no interpreter for staff meetings?
--you feel punished because after being hired youre excluded from
training's, staff meetings, or other staff events?

(1) NEED YOUR NAME AND (2) ADDRESS (3) and E-mail (4) explanation of
your problem with The Disney Company.

We work with Morse Mehrban who is a rising star in the field of
disability access litigation. Morse needs to know about this no later
than September 4, 2005. Please email [email protected] and
please use 'Disney Problems' in the subject line.

-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >

Your accessible voting rights are in peril.

Strong opposition to accessible voting is coming from paper trail
supporters who oppose disability access based on their unproven
theories and paranoia. Some examples: In the 2004 election, nearly
half of all Californians were able to vote on accessible voting
machines; as of July 1, 2005, California state law prevents continued
use of these accessible voting machines. One Florida county has
removed accessible voting machines from polling places. Another just
cancelled a contract for the purchase of accessible voting machines.
Similar backlash efforts are underway in every state.
The Senate Rules Committee is holding a hearing on Help America Vote
Act (HAVA) implementation, accessible voting, and the paper trail.
Common Cause and the National Association of Counties are among the
groups demanding that HAVA be reopened and that this Januarys
deadline for one accessible voting machine in every polling place be
postponed. Other organizations, like Verified Voting, are demanding
that all accessible voting machines be banned and that voting be
conducted only with paper.

What does it mean? It means that the purchase of accessible voting
systems wouldnt be required. It means that youll have live with
inaccessible polling places. It means that a fundamental part of
political power the right to vote secretly and independently--will be
taken away from the nations largest minoritythe same minority that
isnt counted in the exit polls.

Your ability to vote without barriers is what you stand to lose if
you do not attend this Senate hearing. The hearing is on June 21,
from 10am-12pm, in Senate Russell Office Building, Room 301, titled
Voter Verification in the Federal Elections Process. The accessible
entrance to the building is at the corner of Delaware and
Constitution, on the Delaware Avenue side. Allow at least 30 minutes
to get to through security and to get to Room 301. I have requested
CART, a sign language interpreter, disks of the hearing testimony,
and seating accommodations for people who use wheelchairs. If you
need additional accommodations, contact Sue Wright with the Senate
Rules Committee at 202-224-2536.

Angela Katsakis
Disability Vote Project Coordinator
202-457-0046 x25
202-457-0473 fax

-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >

Our new ASL class schedules have been released. Please consult the
deaf center's website for the ASL class schedules.

Please visit our iGive store http://www.igive.com/ocdac

Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds
of assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org

-------------< DEAF QUOTES >

"We joke about it," said Erin O'Neill. "I say 'you are going to make
me more deaf if you scream.' It's really funny. We were in a huddle
and I said 'I'm deaf so you have to be really loud.' They
said, 'that's OK, we have big mouths, don't worry.' They are very
funny."

-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >

PRESS RELEASE – June 14, 2005

From: www.deafsportlawsuit.com

POLAND AND SPAIN SUSPENDED FROM DEAF SPORTS IN EUROPE

By Rafael PINKHASOV PINCHAS, CISS/Deaflympics Ombudsman

New York, USA – The administration of the CISS/Deaflympics (
"CISS" )
was - and still is - unable to do what the leaders of the European
Deaf Sports Organization ( "EDSO" ) were able to do.

The EDSO has, by strictly observing and enforcing its
organization's
Regulations, suspended its two members – national sports
associations
of Poland and Spain – from taking part in any sports competitions
in
the region for failure to pay their respective membership dues.

According to a reliable source, Poland owes to the EDSO 5,938.00
Euros, while Spain – 2536.00 Euros.

At the current money exchange rate one Euro is roughly equal to $USA
1.21.

Because Poland did not pay its debt to the EDSO, last year its
men's
national basketball team was banned from participating at the
European championship held in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Unlike the EDSO, the leaders of the CISS have not apparently learned
anything yet in order to run its business in an appropriate, fair and
professional manner.

In the last five years, the CISS has committed a mountain of rule
violations in its legal system.

The CISS, for instance, by ignoring its own rules, has allowed a
number of deaf national sports associations, especially the USA Deaf
Sports Federation – the Number One Violator of the CISS system,
to
take part at the 2001, 2003 and 2005 Deaflympic Games. In addition,
certain representatives of the USA Deaf Sports Federation
were "elected" and/or "appointed" to various
high-level CISS
positions in the unconstitutional, nefarious and illegitimate manner.
For details, read

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update20.html

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update23.html

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update25.html

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update36.html

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update64.htm

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update67.htm

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update73.htm

Furthermore, the CISS has been engaged in the policies of
mismanagement, stagnation, bias, cronyism, favoritism and election
fraud.

The CISS has also as recently as this past January demonstrated its
non-cooperation with its affiliated member such as the EDSO.

As an act of non-cooperation and non-solidarity with the EDSO, the
still anarchically and incompetently managed CISS administration
allowed both delegations of Poland ( 32 athletes and officials ) and
Spain ( 6 athletes and officials ) to officially take part at the
recently-concluded 20th Deaflympic Summer Games held in Melbourne,
Australia.

The EDSO is one of the four most important regional affiliates to the
CISS.

Commented one high-ranking EDSO official,

"In 2004 the CISS had problem with the national sports
association of
Italy ( FISS vs. CSSI ). As a result, the Italians got suspended by
the CISS and the CISS, therefore, asked the EDSO to cancel the
European championship in Handball in Palermo, Italy.

The EDSO cooperated by agreeing to fulfill this request by the CISS.
Now, the EDSO is felt very offended by the CISS administration's
recent action because they permitted our EDSO's suspended members
–
Poland and Spain – to take part at the 2005 Games in Australia.
It is
unbelievable that Poland, for example, on the one side, found a
substantial amount of money to send its 32-member delegation to a far
away nation of Australia for the Games competitions, while, on the
other side, they found no money to pay off their outstanding debts to
the EDSO!"

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >

2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a
Riverside, California mortgage company.

Many openings at fairground in Costa mesa for temp work in July.

All candidates interested in any of the job opportunities are
required to apply for our job placement services. Our intake form is
at Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/intake.htm

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES >

Become an owner of a _________.WS website for only $10 a month! All
_________.WS owners automatically become .WS website resellers and it
comes with an automatic selling program and all you have to do is
lead people to your .WS reseller website. The WS stands
for 'website'! Link has video of the program in American Sign
Language and is a excellent self-sufficiency opportunity for people
who want to be on the top of the .WS cyber real estate market.
Hearing people can participate as the reseller link also has a video
for them. Begin your journey toward self-sufficiency by sending a
blank email to [email protected] and it will auto-reply back to you
with information about this fantastic program. And you will get
another email message a few days later with the full explanation of
the program.

-------------< EPILOG >

If you wish to contribute to this newsletter, feel free to send in
news, stories, and opinions relating to the disability community.
Your support for this effort to move the disability community forward
will be greatly appreciated. We will continue to aggressively
pursue justice, fairness, and equality for the disability community
as it has been doing since November 1996. We have chosen that
EDUCATION is the best way accomplish this objective.

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a community based organization
that puts people with disabilities first in their advocacy for equal
opportunities in safety, health, and productive living.

Feel free to forward this email message to any one and any of your
personal mailing lists so we can get the important messages out far
and wide and encourage them to sign up for our weekly newsletter.

OCDAC Newsletter June 13, 2005

Dear Friends,

Employment of the deaf people has always been hard chellenges for
community advocates. Communication barriers prevail the list of
reasons why the Deaf people cant find work. Employers have been
reluctant to hire interpreters because of their high fees. We have
seen members of organizations like Registry of Interpreters for the
Deaf become excessively aggressive in convincing that $60-$120 an
hour interpreters are better than a $10-$15 an hour interpreters.
They are getting very dirty these days and it's been a big turnoff to
society these days and that's why we're seeing a sharp rise in
complaints by deaf community members that employers are not hiring
interpreters for interviews, staff meetings, etc.

Federal Communications Commission reaffirmed the timetable for the
development and sale of digital wireless telephones that are
compatible with hearing aids. The Commission originally adopted rules
in 2003 to make digital wireless telephones compatible with hearing
aids and cochlear implants.

It's a shame that large deaf sports organizations are forbidding the
use of hearing aids and cochlear implants at their competitions.
They choose to be the old british fighter plane as stated in NAD's
Vice President Mark Apodaca's video. And we say theyre actually
sending the deaf communities backwards when the rest of the society
has advanced. It's time to move the deaf communities forward, not
backwards!

Our Meetup membership is growing and we have found a coffee cafe for
our ASL meetup that's taking place this Wednesday night and we're
looking to have our DHH meetup at Boomers both in Irvine on 2nd
Saturdays each month.

OCDAC Communications

-------------< INSIDE NEWS >

Yikkes! We learned from the OC-Fair meeting we will have only 2 days
to set our OC-Fair booth. We will need a lot of help during those 2
days. July 6 and 7! Our own Margie Garetz was hired as the
interpreter for this meeting. We've chosen a mascot for OC-Fair
booth this summer. It's the small Emmett Kelly Jr. "I Love You"
figurine!

Our next executive board meeting takes place this friday on June
17.

If you shop at Albertsons and have a community partners card, please
consider adding your card to our list of supporters. Our goal is
25,000 supporters who shop a Albertsons.

We recycle used cell phones, empty printer and toner cartridges. If
you have any of these to unload from your hands, please send or drop
them at our agency at 2960 Main Street, A100, Irvine, California 92614

Our next garage sale fundraiser is set on June 18 & 19 and 25 & 26
2005 8am - 8pm on 9363 Bennett Avenue, Fontana, California 92355.
Just the corner house accross the street from the last garage sale in
Fontana. Directions are to get on the 10 freeway going east past the
15 freeway getting off on Sierra. Go North about a mile until you
see a market store with a golden arch atop it's sign and turn left on
Fontlee. Go all the way to the end and the sale is on the corner of
where Fontlee and Bennett. If that's too far a drive, dont worry we
will be posting a number of select items on our yahoo auctions site
in the very near future so you can get the chance to by a garage sale
item from us.

-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >

Family of deaf worker wins discrimination claim
http://society.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,7838,1503719,00.html

Mobiles ring at school for the deaf
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Technology/Mobiles-ring-at-school-for-the-
deaf/2005/06/09/1118123949262.html?oneclick=true

UK Embassy Funds Computing Centre For Deaf People
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=347434

Jury finds deaf-mute underpaid
http://www.borderlandnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20050611/NEWS/506110326/1001

Captioned Films Offered For The First Time In East Texas
http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=3460258

Licensing hearing impaired falls on deaf ears of authorities
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun62005/state185817200565.as
p

Millions of elderly, disabled are eligible for drug benefits
http://www.detnews.com/2005/health/0506/11/A07-202729.htm

Deaf man accused of theft, fraud in Owego
http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20050611/localnews/215760
3.html

'Hearing buddies' aid deaf toddler
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_2799224?rss

Deaf student driven to succeed
http://springfield.news-leader.com/news/today/20050612-
Deafstudentdriv.html

Police officers sign on
http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/tm_objectid=1562
4259&method=full&siteid=50142&headline=police-officers-sign-on-
name_page.html

-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >

Http://www.deafsportlawsuit.com website will soon have translators
built into it to make it accessible in over 30 languages.

-------------< BULLETIN >

ATTENTION DEAF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MYSTERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE DISNEY
COMPANY.

We are looking for DEAF People and others who have problems with the
Disney Company:

--apply, and no call back?
--apply, but no interview because deaf/ interpreter issue?
--apply, interview, but no interpreter or captions?
--got job, but then no interpreter for staff meetings?
--you feel punished because after being hired youre excluded from
training's, staff meetings, or other staff events?

(1) NEED YOUR NAME AND (2) ADDRESS (3) and E-mail (4) explanation of
your problem with The Disney Company.

We work with Morse Mehrban who is a rising star in the field of
disability access litigation. Morse needs to know about this no later
than September 4, 2005. Please email [email protected] and
please use 'Disney Problems' in the subject line.

-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >

The following eight (8) establishments were denied the petition for
exemption from the closed captioning requirements of Section 79.1 of
the Federal Communications Commission's rules in Memorandum Opinion &
Orders (MO&O):

- Coastal Sportsman;
- Crosstalk TV Ministry;
- Northeast Great Outdoors;
- Adventure Bound Outdoors;
- Complete Video Productions;
- Lincoln Wood Baptist Church;
- Survivors of Assault Recovery; and
- Jim Hanley's Northeast Outdoors, Inc.

These MO&Os can be seen in their entirety on the Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau's website at
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/headlines.html.

-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >

Our new ASL class schedules have been released. Please consult the
deaf center's website for the ASL class schedules.

Please visit our iGive store http://www.igive.com/ocdac

Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds
of assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org

-------------< DEAF QUOTES >

"I thought it would be nice to help people who don't know how to
talk," Garland, 19, said during a break at the school, St. Joseph
Institute for the Deaf in Chesterfield.

-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >

From: www.deafsportlawsuit.com

ANOTHER TRANSLATION FROM GERMAN DEAF ONLINE NEWS MAGAZINE

By Rafael Pinkhasov Pinchas, CISS/Deaflympics Ombudsman

New York, USA - Upon request of many persons, here is a computerized
translation from German into English of another relevant
CISS/Deaflympics-related story published in the popular deaf online
news magazine LBMAGAZIN from Germany ( www.lbmagazin.de ):

Pinchas: USA Team Must Be Disqualified!

The American athletes taking part at the 2005 Deaflympics proves
illegal ! ...said Rafael Pinchas, former CISS-Kongressmitglied.

Since the USA Deaf Sports Federation owes the CISS another quantity
money and has not paid the penalties so far, all American athletes
had to actually be disqualified. So it stipulates the rulebook of the
CISS.

Up to now the USA were never excluded by the Deaflympics however.

Do the Americans be treated approximately preferentially?

Because with other teams, the CISS knew no mercy: four years before
would have had to almost hand over Russia on the basis of tardier
fines all medals. The penalty was paid off in the last minute, and
the medals were rescued.

Bad luck had Kazakhstan: the complete team was disqualified in Rome
at the 2001 Games and from CISS-Präsidentin Ammons again home-
skillful.

And why do the Americans neither be asked to do the same or get
disqualified?

Eye about eye, tooth about tooth - that means Pinchas anyway.
Therefore the stubborn would-be revolutionary started a
Unterschriftenaktion (underwriting nation).

In Melbourne, he went down well with athletes and he even won the
votes of the swimmer Terence Parkin ( South Africa, 12-time gold-
medalist ) and Badminton player Rajeev Bagga ( India, five times
Deaflympics participant-every time gold-medalist )! Also, other
successful Deaflympics athletes put down his/her/their signature
under Pinchas' protest-letter.

( www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update65.htm )

A disqualification of USA team would mean: both Basketball teams of
the ladies and men lose their gold-medals to Sweden ( for women )
as well as to Slovenia ( for men ) and in Cycling Germany as a
country inherits its 7th gold medal won at the 2005 Games. Also that
silver - and bronze-medals are distributed again.

Indeed that would mean: all American medalists that have trained for
4 years long roughly and will lose all their already earned medals,
maybe, must pay for indirectly for the USA Deaf Sports Federation ...
it would better be to ban all US officials and athletes in the next 3
Deaflympics.

to be continued...

( IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE USA TEAM AT THE 20TH DEAFLYMPIC
GAMES "WON" A TOTAL OF JUST 32 MEDALS, INCLUDING 8 GOLD, WHICH WAS
THE WORST EVER TOTAL MEDAL RESULT PERFOMANCE BY THE TEAM AT THE GAMES
IN 44 YEARS, I.E., SINCE 1961! IN ADDITION, ACCORDING TO MR. WILLIAM
SCHYMAN, THE FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE USADSF BUDGET COMMITTEE, CERTAIN
USADSF OFFICIALS, WITHOUT PRIOR CONSENT AND PERMISSION OF THE USADSF
HOUSE OF DELEGATES, RAIDED THE USADSF INVESTMENT FUND AND GRABBED OUT
$150,000.00 FROM THE $200,000.00 REMAINING TO PAY UNAUTHORIZED
EXPENSES OF SOME OF USADSF OFFICIALS' TRIP TO THE 20TH DEAFLYMPIC
GAMES IN AUSTRALIA. For details, read

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update55.htm
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update64.htm
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update71.htm

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >

2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a
Riverside, California mortgage company.

1 driver needed for an Anaheim, California delivery service company.

Many openings at fairground in Costa mesa for temp work in July.

All candidates interested in any of the job opportunities are
required to apply for our job placement services. Our intake form is
at Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/intake.htm

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES >

Become an owner of a _________.WS website for only $10 a month! All
_________.WS owners automatically become .WS website resellers and it
comes with an automatic reselling program and all you have to do is
lead people to your .WS reseller website. The WS stands
for 'website'! There's even a video of the program in American Sign
Language by Joseph Gambrell and is a excellent self-sufficiency
opportunity for people who want to be on the top of the .WS cyber
real estate market. Hearing people can participate as the reseller
link also has a video for them. Begin your journey toward self-
sufficiency by sending a blank email to [email protected] and it will
auto-reply back to you with information about this fantastic
program. And you will get another email message a few days later
with the full explanation of the program.

-------------< EPILOG >

If you wish to contribute to this newsletter, feel free to send in
news, stories, and opinions relating to the disability community.
Your support for this effort to move the disability community forward
will be greatly appreciated. We will continue to aggressively
pursue justice, fairness, and equality for the disability community
as it has been doing since November 1996. We have chosen that
EDUCATION is the best way accomplish this objective.

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a community based organization
that puts people with disabilities first in their advocacy for equal
opportunities in safety, health, and productive living.

Feel free to forward this email message to any one and any of your
personal mailing lists so we can get the important messages out far
and wide and encourage them to sign up for our weekly newsletter.

OCDAC Newsletter June 7, 2005

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday, the Tustin street fair and chili cookoff even was a
complete success. Not only was it a complete success, it was a double
success as we more than doubled the take this time from last year's
take!

Now our focus will be developing the gigantic deaf awareness booth
for the OC-Fair this summer. The exhibitor meeting at the
fairgrounds this Thursday will be our kickoff date for the
preparation operation. We have plenty of room for volunteers.

Recent research has shown that deaf people has become too deeply
interested in Video Relay Services (VRS) and mobile communicators
such as the Sidekick, that nothing else matters to them. Could this
be a foreshock to a major shakeup on deaf rights?

Action is needed by June 13 on the following proposed rulemaking
changes on hearing impairment determination for entitlement programs
such as SSI and others. Look at
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.g
po.gov/2005/05-7355.htm for more information.

OCDAC Communications

-------------< INSIDE NEWS >

We have taken over The Orange County Deaf & Hearing Impaired Meetup
Group and The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group.
Please check on http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ and
http://asl.meetup.com/37/ for meeting information.

If we're to be able to order pumpkins for a pumpkin patch this coming
October, we need a place next to a high traffic road, city permits,
property owner's written approvals all in our hands by June 16 which
is the deadline to order the pumpkins for the 3 week pumpkin patch
operation. Does anyone have a site in Orange County for our pumpkin
patch this year? If not, we can try again for next year.

Our next executive board meeting takes place on June 17. The agenda
sheet will be posted on the front of our website in the next few days.

If you shop at Albertsons and have a community partners card, please
consider adding your card to our list of supporters. Our goal is
25,000 supporters who shop a Albertsons.

We recycle used cell phones, empty printer and toner cartridges. If
you have any of these to unload from your hands, please send or drop
them at our agency at 2960 Main Street, A100, Irvine, California 92614

Our next garage sale fundraiser is tentatively set on June 18 & 19
and 25 & 26 2005 8am - 8pm on 9363 Bennett Avenue, Fontana,
California 92355. Just the corner house accross the street from the
last garage sale in Fontana. Directions are to get on the 10 freeway
going east past the 15 freeway getting off on Sierra. Go North about
a mile until you see a market store with a golden arch atop it's sign
and turn left on Fontlee. Go all the way to the end and the sale is
on the corner of where Fontlee and Bennett. If that's too far a
drive, dont worry we will be posting a number of select items on our
yahoo auctions site in the very near future so you can get the chance
to by a garage sale item from us.

-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >

Mexico extradites deaf men accused of exploiting fellow Mexicans in
New York
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--
captiveworkers0531may31,0,2220407.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Deaf can text 999 calls
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643824

(Senator) Decker leads effort to save deaf office
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/289717222630880.shtml

Court orders language training for deaf accused
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/50603_13.html

Deaf man rescued from fire despite misunderstanding
http://www.herald-mail.com/?
module=displaystory&story_id=114050&format=html

Man accused of punching deaf teen
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?
id=1&display=rednews/2005/06/02/build/state/90-punching.inc

Emergency text service for deaf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4605173.stm

OnStar improves accessibility for deaf, hard of hearing, speech
impaired
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/050602/onstar_helps_disabled.html?.v=1

Kareena To Play Deaf & Dumb In Priyadarshan´s Movie
http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=060205105419

Genetic testing for kids' hearing loss
http://www.wndu.com/news/mommo/062005/mommo_42595.php

New city tours speak to the deaf
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?
siteSect=108&sid=5832203&cKey=1117802152000

Helping Hearing-impaired Children In Tulsa
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=84272

-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >

Sorenson Media, Inc. (Sorenson VRS) has been accused by Hands On
Video Relay Service (HOVRS) of stealing their business plans in a $10
million lawsuit. Copies of legal papers can be downloaded from
http://www.deafadvocacy.com/deafwatch/cn030927151.pdf

-------------< BULLETIN >

ATTENTION DEAF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MYSTERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE DISNEY
COMPANY.

We are looking for DEAF People and others who have problems with the
Disney Company:

--apply, and no call back?
--apply, but no interview because deaf/ interpreter issue?
--apply, interview, but no interpreter or captions?
--got job, but then no interpreter for staff meetings?
--you feel punished because after being hired youre excluded from
training's, staff meetings, or other staff events?

(1) NEED YOUR NAME AND (2) ADDRESS (3) and E-mail (4) explanation of
your problem with The Disney Company.

We work with Morse Mehrban who is a rising star in the field of
disability access litigation. Morse needs to know about this no later
than September 4, 2005. Please email [email protected] and
please use 'Disney Problems' in the subject line.

-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >

National Council on Disability's letter to Michael O. Leavitt the
Secretary of Health and Human Services

May 27, 2005

The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Leavitt:

Your office recently announced the establishment of a Medicaid
Advisory Commission to help identify necessary reforms to modernize
the Medicaid program so it can provide high-quality health care to
its beneficiaries in a sustainable way.

As you may know, the National Council on Disability (NCD) is an
independent federal agency making recommendations to Congress and
thePresident of the United States on issues affecting people with
disabilities. We greatly appreciate the fact that your office
recognizes the significant impact Medicaid reforms will have on
people with disabilities as was noted in your announcement indicating
the need for representation from people with disabilities on this
Commission. NCD is available to help identify people with
disabilities with the needed expertise or experience.

Further, your announcement identifies long-term care as a key issue
to be addressed. We strongly agree with this assessment and want to
inform you of an impending NCD study on the federal role in long-term
services and supports that we will release in the coming months. This
research focuses on the following areas: (1) current level(s) and type
(s) of involvement by the Federal Government in a range of long-term
services and supports systems and financing; (2) current and
projected future needs for long-term services and supports among
people with disabilities and the elderly; (3) gaps in long-term
services and supports; (4) key features of future long-term supports
financing and systems reforms; (5) locales that have incorporated
indicators of cohesive and comprehensive reform into their policy and
service systems; (6) major challenges and barriers that locales face
in moving toward cohesive and comprehensive long-term services and
supports financing and systems reform; and (7) promising policy
levers and policy changes. We will keep you abreast of the progress
of this study and its applicability to the Medicaid issues the
commission will be addressing.

Your announcement indicated that one area the Commission will address
is how Medicaid coverage may be expanded in a fiscally responsible
manner. More and more Americans will need long-term services and
supports in the coming years, and NCD hopes to provide useful
research and information to assist persons with disabilities in
making choices regarding long-term services and supports in their
homes and communities. One focus of the above referenced NCD study is
to examine key features of future long-term services financing and
systems reform.

Again, thank you for recognizing the importance of Medicaid reform to
people with disabilities and the need for inclusion of people with
disabilities on this panel. For additional information, please feel
free to contact me at (202) 272-2004 or NCD's Director of Policy,
Jeff Rosen, at (202) 272-2124 (voice), (202) 272-2279 (TTY) or
[email protected] .

Sincerely,

Lex Frieden
Chairperson
National Council on Disability

-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >

Please visit our iGive store http://www.igive.com/ocdac

Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds
of assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org

-------------< DEAF QUOTES >

"Mainstream magazines do not print offensive terms for other minority
groups. By publishing this derogatory letter and intentional
humiliation of deaf and hard of hearing individuals, People magazine
has become a tool for bigotry, and that is not acceptable!" Andy
Lange, President of National Association of the Deaf

-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >

Press Release - June 4, 2005

2005 CISS CONGRESS ELECTION "COMEDY" - VIEW POINT FROM EUROPE

By Rafael Pinkhasov Pinchas, CISS/Deaflympics Ombudsman

New York, USA - A reputable deaf online news magazine LBMAGAZIN from
Germany has recently published its reaction and opinion story to this
website's April 20, 2005 material titled 2005 CISS/DEAFLYMPICS
CONGRESS ELECTION VOTING FRAUD. 151 ( ! ) VOTES MISSING!

www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update72.htm

www.lbmagazin.de

Please read the English translation of the LBMAGAZIN story below
(note: translation was made with the help of a computer ).

Deaflympics: Pinchas Accuses Committee of Election Deceit

Again the sport-shoe of Rafael pinches Pinchas.

Again it is about irregularities in the CISS system. This time the ex-
CISS Chairman of the Awards Commission from Uzbekistan even accuses
the Deaflympics Committee of election deceit!

What has put the good man into stick out?

Re-elections took place at the start of January of this year in
Melbourne. The Deaflympics Committee needed a new president, a vice
as well as three new board members.

The course of the election: with the congress, more than hundred
delegates were present from 60 countries. Each country got 2 votes.
120 votes were handed over altogether with each election-round
therefore. Five rounds were delivered - for each free job one.

The new president was chosen in the first round. Here, the then
interim president Donalda Ammons from the USA won the election and
finally became a president.

Since single rival candidate - Rukhledev - had lost Ammons in this
election, he applied for the position of the vice-president. His
competitor David Lanesman from Israel won the second election-round
with 23 points margin.

Despite the two relapses, Rukhledev tried again - it was finally
still free 3 positions as member in the executive committee. Again,
elections took place. Result: The positions were received by the
Swiss Fosshaug, the Chinese Yang and the Turk Özdemir. Rukhledev
went
out empty and was not accepted consequently into the Deaflympics
Committee.

However Rafael Pinchas doubts at the legitimacy of the process. A few
months later added up all votes the pristine board member from all
rounds and must determine, that altogether 151 (from 600) votes was
missing.
Did these votes miss anybody? A quarter of all possible votes after
all!

For whom were these missing votes certain?

Maybe for Rukhledev?

It could be, that exactly these missing votes could have enabled
Rukhledev to win in one of the two last rounds. ( in the third round
Özdemir was the single candidate...)

The election made itself CISS congress delegates suspicious. Became
here so - like also with the recent scandal-surrounded presidency-
elections in the USA - observers put. Indeed they were independently
as with the George Bush vs. John Kerry. At CISS Congress, Tiffany
Granfors, Ammons bosom-friend, commuted and zigzaged from table to
table and looked over the shoulder of the congress delegate.

The best thing about this CISS Congress comedy is that many delegates-
voters spoke little English or knew no English at all. Since all
records were only written in English language and there were no
translators on the spot, most understood only railway station.
Herbert Grill, a CISS Congress delegate and president of the Austrian
Deaf Sports Federation ( he is also Vice President of the European
Deaf Sport Organization ), said over the situation: altogether 78
proposals were put, and partial, one didn't become free the feeling,
that many delegates did not understand at all what it was all about
there.

Besides Pinchas, congress delegates were of the opinion that the two
election-commissioners were all other than impartial. One of the two
was Jerald Jordan, ex-president of the CISS. He had massively fought
for the re-election of Donalda Ammons and in considerable mass the
competitor Valerie Rukhledev was incapable much delegate
discriminates and makes unsure, such an observer.

Why all congress delegates sat quietly and religiously at the
congress at their table places then? Why did not anyone speak out nor
fists fly? A small revolution is there now and it is healthy, the big
movie actor Sean Connery said in the film '"Hunt on Red October" that
he had deserted to the Amises. Maybe, all congress delegates have not
understood the end of the film or simply they all got confused...

-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >

2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a
Riverside, California mortgage company.

5 drivers needed for an Anaheim, California delivery service company.

2 laborers needed for an Anaheim, California marble processing
company.

All candidates interested in any of the job opportunities are
required to apply for our job placement services. Our intake form is
at Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/intake.htm

-------------< EPILOG >

If you wish to contribute to this newsletter, feel free to send in
news, stories, and opinions relating to the disability community.
Your support for this effort to move the disability community forward
will be greatly appreciated. We will continue to aggressively
pursue justice, fairness, and equality for the disability community
as it has been doing since November 1996. We have chosen that
EDUCATION is the best way accomplish this objective.

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a community based organization
that puts people with disabilities first in their advocacy for equal
opportunities in safety, health, and productive living.

Feel free to forward this email message to any one and any of your
personal mailing lists so we can get the important messages out far
and wide and encourage them to sign up for our weekly newsletter.