Dear Friends,
Last Saturday at Woodley Park in Van Nuys we had our local Deaf
Awareness event. It was attended by approximately 500 people and we
have uploaded photos of this event to our newsletter's website. It was
a complete success! Everyone who had a booth there was invited to be
a part of a health fair on Oct 22 at another park close by. We have
plans to be a part of this new event.
"Crazy October" starts just this weekend. We call it crazy October
because of the high number of boothing activities planned. Were doing
many education and fundraising booths in many fairs and festivals with
some days we will be having several booths in different locations at
the same time. That is Crazy October!
Late October when all the the 'Crazy October' boothing activities are
over, we shall begin our move into the new office facilities on
Orange. Benefits of the move is going from a hybrid storage/business
center into a professional building that is very close to the Block at
Orange, cheaper access to T-1 internet, reception services, posh
waiting rooms and break rooms, location to support businesses like
audiologists, restaurants, and finally better location for community
members to find us.
We also made some small changes to the newsletter format as many of
our announcements were not getting the attention we expected.
If you're in the Southern California area, please consider going to
Tustin Tiller Days and visit our food stand between September 30 and
October 2 this coming weekend. We will be one of the 20 non-profit
food stands feeding approximately 55,000 people in an upscale area
park. For more information on this event, please visit
http://www.tustintillerdays.org/ and we hope to have your support
either as a volunteer or as a patron.
OCDAC Communications
-------------< INSIDE NEWS >
We are almost ready for our educational booth at 'Mata Expo'
(Mata.tv's version of Deaf Expo)
We badly need a volunteer coordinator who will help us keep in touch
with volunteers and to contact them and make sure they are given the
opportunities to participate in our activities. Our volunteer list has
grown dramatically during the fair. We really need help managing them.
We have decided to eliminate our Rose parade fundraiser and replace it
with an illumination booth at a bigger times square like New Year's
event at the Orange County Fairgrounds.
We also need committees for the Pirate's festival, Silverado Festival,
and Winter Festival fundraisers as well.
We have started on our Valentine's day dance event next February.
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Our new ASL class start September 28th! For more info and to download
a copy of
the registration form go to http://asl.deafadvocacy.org
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >
CMU DEAF AWARENESS WEEK OFFERS INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES
http://www.news.cmich.edu/news/index.asp?id=821
KPN trials mobile phone for deaf and hearing impaired people
http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=96955&nr=
Unique Poster for the Deaf
http://allafrica.com/stories/200509220674.html
Deaf Oscars Showcase Outstanding Talent
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0509/S00176.htm
Expert 'talks' deaf-mute man down from ledge
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=qw1127279161387B\
252
VSDB's future in Staunton could become clearer today
http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050921/NEWS01/509210306/1\
002
Teacher dismissed over alleged incident with 15-year-old girl
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny-brf--teacherarrest0920se\
p20,0,7774801.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
Headphones Linked to Hearing Loss
http://technicianonline.com/story.php?id=012213
City hosts world congress for the deaf
http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/metro/userobject1ai1471038.htm\
l
Deaf man's plea helps court avoid difficult process
http://www.observer-reporter.com/284284581547307.bsp
Deaf group targets abuse
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3042148
Student finds mission, beauty in sign language
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/12682036.htm
Court settlement opens school doors for Pa. disabled children
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05264/575118.stm
Disabled to appeal after judge refuses to block Medicaid cuts
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12696948.htm
FDC to Protect Rights of Disabled
http://allafrica.com/stories/200509200203.html
Central Indiana Businesses Asked to Hire Developmentally Disabled
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=15183
Parents of hearing-impaired children form lobby group
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050918T200000-0500_88682_OBS_PARENTS_\
OF_HEARING_IMPAIRED_CHILDREN_FORM_LOBBY_GROUP.asp
-------------< CALIFORNIA DEAFIE HAPPENINGS >
COME TO OUR MEETUPS!
The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group -
http://asl.meetup.com/37
/ - meets each 3rd Wednesdays of the
month.
The Orange County Deaf & Hearing Impaired Meetup Group -
http://deaf.meetup.com/
38/ - meets each 1st Saturdays of the month.
===============================
Julie Rems-Smario, CSUN/NCOD Alumni President, and Roberto Solorzano,
CSUN/NCOD Alumni Vice President, invite you to the exciting NCOD
Reunion on October 7-9th!!
NCOD Reunion October 7-9th! Share the news with your friends!
Deadline to pay is September 23rd!! Hurry!!!
Don't miss the fabulous event!!!!
ONLY $60 dollars per person for three days worth of FUN!
FREE CHILDCARE SERVICES for Saturday night
To purchase the tickets go to this link:
http://www.csun.onlinecommunity.com/cgi-any/activities.dll/show?sitename=CA
LSN&id=168&bid=&template=event_register.htm
The NCOD Committee is busy making plans for upcoming NCOD/CSUN Alumni
Reunion for October 7-9, 2005.
Be sure to block off this weekend and come prepared to reunite with
your former classmates, share stories of what has happened since your
departure from CSUN, and create ongoing memories.
Friday, October 7, 2005
We will kick off the weekend with a Wine and Cheese gathering at the
Woodland Hills Hilton Hotel beginning at 7 PM. Enjoy an evening of
renewal that will allow you to reconnect with friends and
acquaintances, and to meet alumni you have never known. The relaxing
environment of Hilton gives us the opportunity to unwind with hors
d'oeuvres and drinks.
Saturday, October 8, 2005
The Reunion Banquet will be held at the Woodland Hills Hilton Hotel at
6 PM. Entertainment from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and this
Millennium will be provided along with EMCEES for each era! A silent
auction will be available for spontaneous shopping with your dollars
going toward the Alumni Chapter for future events! Several
individuals will be honored ... you do NOT want to miss out on this!
CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED! YOUR BABYSITTING WORRIES ARE OVER!
Sunday, October 9, 2005
Bring the family to a Picnic/BBQ at the National Center on Deafness at
CSUN from 11 AM to 3 PM. Join us for campus tours (yes, the campus has
dramatically changed for many of you), children's activities (face
painting and a jumping house), and a casual, kick-back environment
before going home. There is no cost to attend the picnic, food and
beverages will be on sale at the event.
Parking is $4.00 per car in campus lots or free on the adjacent streets.
To attend, sign up on-line with a credit card on our secured server:
http://www.csun.onlinecommunity.com/cgi-any/activities.dll/show?sitename=CAL
SN&id=168&bid=&template=event_register.htm or contact Scott Selna to
pay by check at [email protected]
So, what are you waiting for???
Submit your reservation immediately!! Get FREE REMEMBRANCE BOOK!! If
you are not a CSUN/NCOD alumni Member, now is the time to become one.
In doing so, you will receive a free Remembrance book of the Reunion
- similar to a yearbook with photos and alumni contact information to
carry on your friendships and networking opportunities. If you'd like
more information, please contact Lauren Kinast at
[email protected] the hotel where the Reunion takes place‹
Woodland Hills Hilton Hotel
6360 Canoga Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
For reservations contact Dave Dent at 818 596-4569 or [email protected]
It is $89.00/night without breakfast and $99.00/night with full hot
breakfast
Check in 3:00 PM
Check out 11:00 AM
California State University, Northridge/ National Center on Deafness
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330
===============================
Sign Language for Everyone!
A one-time event on the mainstage of the Pasadena Playhouse ~ State
Theatre of California
39 S. El Molino, Pasadena, California 91101
Saturday, September 24th, 2005 ~ 10 am-12 noon only $5 a person ~ just
show up! pay at the door!
This is a FUN class for all ages of hearing people to learn to Sign.
Presented by "The Sign Language Angels" Christie Jenkins and Anthony
Natale
Please point your browser to
http://www.signlanguagevideo.com/events.htm for more detailed
information and pictures.
===============================
SALK INSTITUTE NEEDS YOUR HELP!
We are looking for volunteers, age 45-85 years, to help us improve our
sign language ability assessment tools using our newest technology,
the videophone.
Participation is easy!
You get a Target or Starbucks card for 30 Minutes on Videophone!
Participation involves two tests. One is producing the ASL signs for a
set of pictured objects. Another is repeating sets of words. All of
this will be done on the videophone.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
*A Videophone through which we will conduct our two tests;
*A FAX number where we can fax you release forms and you return the signed
forms; or we can mail you the forms.
*Fluency in American Sign Language
WHO WE ARE:
At the Salk Institute in San Diego, we are a team of researchers
dedicated to understanding how stroke and other forms of brain damage
affect sign language use. Our researchers are Marla Hatrak, Bert
Pickell, and Dr. Ursula Bellugi.
HOW TO CONTACT US:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 am to 2 pm (Pacific Time)
VPHONE: 858-453-4100
TTY: 858-453-5470
FAX: 858-452-7052
EMAIL: [email protected]
PAGER: [email protected]
Or MAIL:
Marla Hatrak
The Salk Institute
Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience
10010 North Torrey Pines Road
LaJolla, CA 92037
===============================
School Community, Families, Other Schools, CSD Alumni, ASL Students,
Deaf Community members & the General Public,
The 145 years old school, California School for the Deaf relocated
from Berkeley to Fremont in 1980 and it has been 25 years!
CSD invites YOU
to join us all day or just the evening on Friday, November 11, 2005
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM - Open House Events
Registration at Administration Building
Scholastic Book Fair
Classroom Visitations
Student Organization Sales & Food Sales by FEAST and APTC
Deaf Services Faire in the Small Gym
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Afternoon Program and Student Skits in the Big Gym for the Public
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Teacher-Parent Conferences
Deaf Services Faire In the Small Gym
Social Hour for the Alumni
TICKETED EVENT
Early-bird tickets: $15 for each adult and $10 for each child for the
evening events.
At-door tickets: $20 each. Tickets for sale at the homecoming game,
online at www.csdf.k12.ca.us <http://www.csdf.k12.ca.us>, or send
payment to Outreach Davison, California School for the Deaf, 39350
Gallaudet Drive, Fremont, CA 94538
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Reception in the Cafeteria - catered hors d'oeuvre
6:00 PM
Evening Performance by Alumnus Rita Corey in the Big Gym
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Please visit our iGive store http://www.igive.com/ocdac
-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >
Free Gentex plug-in strobe smoke detectors available to the low income
deaf and hard of hearing from the National Association of Certified
Home Inspectors (NACHI) and you can apply for one through their
website http://www.safehousecampaign.com/
-------------< BULLETIN >
104 Arrested as ADAPT Occupies House and Senate Leadership Offices
Washington, D.C.---Fed up with being the targets of Congressional
Medicaid cuts, and being pitted against Katrina survivors for
essential services, 500 ADAPT activists occupied the offices of
Congressional leaders for 5 hours Monday, resulting in 104 arrests.
"Low income people with
disabilities are hemorrhaging as a result of the continual cuts to
Medicaid by the states and Congress," said Barb Toomer, ADAPT
Organizer from Utah. "The leaders of the House and Senate are
obviously in a position to stop the bleeding, so we came directly to
them. We feel these cuts very personally, and we wanted the Senators
and Representatives to feel it personally, too."
Entering the offices of Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-IA), Sen. Harry Reid ( D-NV), and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. J.
Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX),
ADAPT presented each with the following demands;
1. Support restoration of the proposed $10 billion Medicaid cuts.
2. No arbitrary caps on Medicaid, or block granting of Medicaid
funds.
3. Eliminate the institutional bias in Medicaid by supporting
MiCASSA
(S .401, H.R. 910 ) and Money Follows the Person (S. 528,
H.R. 3063)
4. Fund HUD housing vouchers for all people transitioning from
nursing
homes and other institutions to integrated community living.
5. Sponsor an initiative to address long term care services, durable
medical equipment, assistive technology, support services,
service
animals and community housing for Katrina evacuees with
disabilities.
The occupation of the offices in the Hart, Cannon, and Rayburn
buildings followed a morning press conference held next to FEMA
Headquarters, and attended by FEMA staff. ADAPT Organizers from
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama called into the press conference
from their home states to inform the crowd by speakerphone about the
state of affairs for Katrina survivors with disabilities in their
respective areas. They spoke of people with disabilities being the
last people evacuated, being actually turned away from shelters
because of their disabilities or because they had no attendants with
them, being separated from family, caregivers and necessary equipment
and service animals, and now languishing in nursing homes and other
institutions unconnected to the official resources being made
available to the majority of Katrina survivors.
"This really is a matter of our life and death," said Randy Alexander,
Tennessee ADAPT Organizer. "A few months ago, Tennessee Gov. Bredesen
drastically cut back TennCare, including home care services for people
who use ventilators. He openly admitted that he was forcing these
people into nursing homes. Just today we got word that we have
suffered the first death of a ventilator user, the first casualty of
Gov. Bredesen's heartless cuts. Unless Congress acts, the deaths will
continue."
ADAPT is in Washington through Thursday of this week to demand
legislation and policy from any corner of the federal government with
the power to assure that people with disabilities of all ages have
what they need to live lives of dignity and choice in their communities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds of
assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org
-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >
Let's educate employers the benefits of employing the deaf and disabled.
By recruiting and hiring deaf and disabled, companies will not only
help this underemployed demographic become an active part of today's
workforce, it will also benefit from several government incentives.
Among them are:
* Tax Deduction to Remove Architectural and Transportation Barriers to
People with Disabilities and Elderly Individuals (Title 26, Internal
Revenue Code, Section 190)
* Disabled Access Tax Credit (Title 26, Internal Revenue Code, section 44)
* Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (Title 26, Internal Revenue Code, section
51). Employers are eligible to receive a tax credit in the amount of
40 percent of the first $6,000 of first-year wages of a new employee
who has a disability. For an employer to qualify for the credit, a
worker must have been employed for at least 90 days or have completed
at least 120 hours of work for the employer.
* To encourage small businesses to comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, legislation was signed into law in 1990 that
provides a credit for 50 percent of eligible expenses related to
assistive technologies (up to $5,000 a year)
From the DeafWatch Newsletter archives.
-------------< DEAF QUOTES >
"I understand the desire to be around people like ourselves, and I
don't have a problem with that, but I don't think it's very wise. This
is a little bit of circling-the-wagons mentality, if you ask me. We
think there is a greater benefit for people to be part of the whole
world" Todd Houston, executive director of Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Washington on Laurent
South Dakota town for the deaf.
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Do you shop at Albertsons or Sav-on stores? You can get a free
community partners card at those stores and then add it to our list of
supporters. A percent of what you buy will go to helping our Deaf
youth program. If you already have a school or other program that you
are supporting, don't worry, you can add your card to support our
program too! There are two ways to add your card. You can email your
First and Last name with your phone number and community partners card
number to [email protected] or you can download and print our
Albertsons / Sav-on Community Partners signup forms at
http://www.deafadvocacy.org/AlbertsonsSignup.pdf and have your
friends, neighbors, associates, and relatives sign up as supporters
and then mail the form to the address on the
form. To reach our funding goal we need 25,000 supporters who shop at
Albertsons / Sav-on. And remember to use your community partners card
when you shop at Albertsons or Sav-on.
-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >
National Black Deaf Advocates Establishes Fund for Deaf / Hard of
Hearing and Sign Language Interpreter Hurricane Katrina Survivors
Like the rest of the nation, we the members of National Black Deaf
Advocates (NBDA) are expressing our sorrow and grief over the
devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the Alabama, Louisiana
and Mississippi Gulf coasts. NBDA in particular, has a personal
fondness for this region since we have many NBDA members and their
families living in the area.
In an effort to help ease the plight of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
victims of the storm, NBDA will be collecting and distributing funds
to aid in the Hurricane Relief efforts. These funds are specifically
earmarked for members of the deaf, hard of hearing, and Sign Language
interpreting community.
We are calling upon members of NBDA, the Deaf Community, and members
of our extended hearing communities to participate in this effort.
With your contributions you will have an opportunity to help the
recovery efforts of DEAF Community members in the Gulf. All donations
are tax deductible. NBDA is a properly documented 5013C Charity. One
hundred percent (100%) of the donations will go to victims of this
nation's most horrific national disaster.
Sheryl Emery and Reggie Redding will be heading the NBDA crisis
response team on behalf of NBDA and will work with other national
disability organizations to ensure needs of deaf community are not
over looked.
NBDA President Tom Samuels and Vice President Richard Mccowin
encourage you all to provide assistance at this time. Please give
generously.
Please make your check or money order to:
NBDA - Disaster Relief Funds
Attn: Gerald Miller
1105 Waterford Place
Herndon, VA 20170
Note: Please do not put Mr. Millers name on your donation. Use his
name only on envelope.
-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >
2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a Riverside,
California mortgage 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.org/intake.htm
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
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 FRIENDLY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES >
Begin your journey toward self-sufficiency by becoming a .WS domain
reseller! Become an owner of a _________.WS website for only $10 a
month! Includes hosting, email, and easy to use website design tools
to create a professional looking website. And all _________.WS owners
automatically become .WS website resellers and itcomes with an
automatic selling program. All you have to do is lead people to your
reseller website! The WS stands for 'website'! This is an excellent
self-sufficiency opportunity for people who want to be on the top of
the .WS cyber real estate market. Take a look at the ASL video at
http://www.deafadvocacy.org/cbep/website05.wmv and if you're
interested in this self-sufficiency program please go to
http://website.ws/ocdac for an easy sign
up. Or if you do not know American Sign Language, go straight to the
reseller page at http://website.ws/ocdac for a video of the program.
-------------< LETTERS >
We need your feedback on how we can improve this newsletter without
sacrificing it's designation as a medium to share advocacy information.
-------------< 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 in 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 to accomplish this objective.
The 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. Every day people 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 anyone 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.
To subscribe to this newsletter go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdacnewsletter/ or send a blank email
to [email protected]
Monday, September 26, 2005
Sunday, September 18, 2005
OCDAC Newsletter September 18, 2005
Dear Friends,
Last Thursday, we had educational booth at the Diversity Day Job Fair
in Fountain Valley. Our materials heavily focused on helping deaf
workers co-exist well with their hearing co-workers. Our booth showed
off the accommodation equipment deaf people use at the workplace and
distributed out information on reasonable acommodations at the work
place, and communicating with the deaf and hard of hearing. It was a
very posh event with fancy food and dessert booths. The event also
had a heavy 70's theme. Photos of this event have been uploaded to
our newsletter's website. The event had been declared a success and
we've been invited to next year's event as well. Kudos to everyone
who helped us make our participation in this event a complete success.
Also uploaded are photos of our educational booth at the San Marino
health fair we had one week after the Orange County Fair closed.
We've finished up preparing for the Deaf festival that's taking place
in Van Nuys this coming Saturday. We will have a lot of information
and resources in many different languages. Los Angeles is a very
diverse county and we will have our information available in diverse
languages.
To the new members, we welcome you to this newsletter list and we
appreciate your support and interest in serious advocacy material on
this and many more future issues that will help the deaf and
disability communities move forward to the promised land of fairness,
equality, and justice.
OCDAC Communications
-------------< INSIDE NEWS >
This Thursday and Friday our our bowling nights fundraisers at
Westminster lanes 6pm to 9pm. Our bowling fundraiser has just turned
for the better, the owner of Westminster lanes has liked our booth, he
has given us a blanket approval to have fundraising activities in his
bowling center any day, anytime, and for as long as we wish. We are
planning all day fundraisers at the Westminster lanes on October 8 and
15. We also have plans for fundraising in the afternoons of Sept
21-23, and 28-29.
We badly need a volunteer coordinator who will help us keep in touch
with volunteers and to contact them and make sure they are given the
opportunities to participate in our activities. Our volunteer list has
grown dramatically during the fair. We really need help managing them.
We have decided to eliminate our Rose parade fundraiser and replace it
with a bigger times square like event at the Orange County
Fairgrounds.
We also need committees for the Pirate's festival, Silverado Festival,
and Winter Festival fundraisers as well.
We have also started on our Deaf Expo (Mata.tv) planning for the event
in November in Long Beach.
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >
Finding confidence, friendship at a yearly retreat
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.
asp?category=6420&slug=Blind%20Deaf%20Retreat
Deaf volunteer leaves lasting impression each summer
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/bas
e/news-31/1126884120237330.xml&coll=5
S.D. deaf town moves closer to reality
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/ar
ticle_1048149.php/S.D._deaf_town_moves_closer_to_reality
New town for deaf rises up from prairie
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200
5/09/13_hetlandc_laurentsd/
Assist the hearing impaired - GTV urged
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=90255
Access program for the hearing impaired reaches 10-year milestone
http://austinweeklynews.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?S
ectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=318&TM=45971.18
New program will help identify hearing impaired drivers
http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/09/new_program_wil.html
Hair stylist listens to hearing impaired
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/article
s/0908ar-hairsalon03Z12.html
Landlord must accommodate a disabled tenant
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2
005/09/17/HOG6CENHH01.DTL
Moms helping disabled victims
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15228810
&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=33198&rfi=6
Champions Chelsea branded scrooges by disabled fans
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2005/
9/17/sports/12072935&sec=sports
-------------< CALIFORNIA DEAFIE HAPPENINGS >
Sign Language Play Group
Sunday - October 2, 2005 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek
N. San Carlos Drive at Ygnacio Valley Road
http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/parks/heatherpark.htm
This group is for families and children who use or are learning sign
language
For more information contact: Helisa Katz at The Center for the
Education of the Infant Deaf (510) 848-4800 x. 321 or email
[email protected]
-------------------------------
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SJCD) would like
to Announce a Fun Family Event for the Deaf Community!
Trunk or Treating - Deaf Community Family Night
Saturday, Oct. 29th
7pm-9pm
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf (SJCD)
25580 Campus Drive
Hayward, CA 94542
Cost: $10 per family
Families in the Deaf Community, Hearing ASL users, Students of Sign
Language Classes, or people interested in learning more about the Deaf
Community are welcome to this fun Halloween celebration and
fundraiser. Costumes are encouraged. All children will be invited to
'trunk or treat' the Halloween-decorated trunks of cars parked in our
parking lot. Party, games, treats and pictures will follow 'trunk or
treating' inside SJCD Hall. Fun
for all ages!
2) WE NEED YOU! We are especially looking for people who are
interested in parking in our parking lot and participating in the
Halloween-decorated car-trunk contest where the children will
³Trunk
or Treat.² (Great volunteer opportunity and exposure for ASL
students
learning more about the deaf community!)
**All decorated cars must pay the $10 entry fee per car and purchase
your own wrapped candy to pass out to the children. Costumes
encouraged. This is an important part of our fundraiser and makes you
a VIP! (Heartfelt thanks in advance!)
Please contact LaRonda Zupp at: [email protected] by Oct. 17th if you
plan to participate in the car trunk decorating so we can reserve your
space.
Free Parking will be available outside of SJCD's parking lot along
Highland Blvd. Only cars participating in the trunk decorating will be
allowed into SJCD's parking lot.
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf is a non-profit organization
dedicated to serving the social, educational, parenting,
communication, mental health and spiritual needs of individuals,
couples and families in Deaf Community throughout Alameda and Contra
Costa Counties. This special seasonal event provides children and
their families in the Deaf Community with a linguistically and
culturally accessible recreational activity, while
raising awareness and continued funding for our accessible support
services. Proceeds of this fundraiser go to the continuation of Parent
Education and Mental Health Services to prevent family violence and
build healthy families in the deaf community.
For more information, please contact:
LaRonda Zupp
Family Life Coordinator/Parent Educator
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
25580 Campus Drive, Hayward, CA 94542
510-881-2247 TTY, Ext. 104
510-881-2245 Voice Msg.
510-881-2248 Fax
[email protected]
-------------------------------
California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR) - Wednesday September
21 - Open House 9:00 am to 12:00 noon -
Contact: Laurie Pietro @ (951) 782-6500 for more information
-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >
Here are clippings from the Robert's confirmation hearings that took
place last Thursday with Senator Kennedy.
========================
KENNEDY: Now, let me ask you about those that are faced with
disabilities. Do you think the 50 million Americans that are faced
with disabilities in one form or another -- challenges, I like to say
-- do you think that we have the authority and the power to free this
country, free our nation from the forms of discrimination against
those who have a disability?
ROBERTS: I do, Senator. Now, there are issues that come up, as you
know, in several of the cases before the Supreme Court on the
particular applications of that, cases concerning the question of do
you have the authority under Section 5 or the Fourteenth Amendment to
abrogate state sovereign immunity if the claim of disability
discrimination concerns a state as a defendant. And as you know, in
the Garrett case, there was conclusion that the authority was not
there. Later, in the Lane case, under Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the conclusion was that sufficient record had been
established that there was the authority. So while, as a general
matter, there is the authority, in a particular case it may come up
against other provisions in the Constitution, in that case the
recognition of state sovereign immunity, and that presents an
issue that the courts have to address.
KENNEDY: You mentioned the Lane case. That was decided 5-4. We're
going to hear later today from Beverly Jones, who was a plaintiff in
that case. I've listened to her, I've met with her before. An
extraordinary woman, mother of two, trying to provide for her family,
court reporter. And it was either an issue or question whether she was
going to crawl up the flight of stairs to have access to the courtroom
and have someone bring up her wheelchair or whether she was
effectively going to be denied that opportunity to have access to a
courtroom in Tennessee.
KENNEDY: Four justices indicated in their dissent that this kind of
issue or question ought to be resolved by states effectively. Fifty
states ought to be making that judgment. I strongly believe that this
country, in its march toward progress, in dealing with the disability
-- with Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the
work that was done with IDEA over the long period of time -- that we
have come to the point where we as a country want to invite all of
those with forms of disability to be a part of the mainstream. But
that was a 5-4 decision. And I appreciate the fact that I gather from
your, at least answer, I
guess, in the Lane v. Tennessee that you're at least sympathetic to
the judgment that Justice O'Connor made in indicating that
accommodation for those with disabilities in that case was
appropriate.
ROBERTS: Well, it's certainly the precedent of the court in that area
and I have no quarrel with it. The issue, of course, is whether or not
Congress has the authority under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to
abrogate the states' sovereign immunity. It's not a policy judgment by
the court about leaving things to the states or federal government but
a legal determination of whether the state's sovereign immunity's been
abrogated. And the court determined in that case that Congress did
have that authority and that it could authorize the suit against the
state institution.
KENNEDY: Well, we're going to come back to, sort of, the, kind of,
legalist determinations that make and extraordinary difference in
terms of people's lives. We welcome guidance and invitation about
which particular provisions of the Constitution that we ought to
utilize in order to strike down these forms of discrimination.
-------------< BULLETIN >
For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2005
For Information Contact;
Bob Kafka 512-431-4085
Marsha Katz 406-544-9504
ADAPT to President, Congress: Don't Target Poor People with
Disabilities with Cuts, Caps
Washington, D.C. --- Reeling from massive planned cuts to the nation's
Medicaid program, ADAPT is going to the nation's capitol September
17-22 to tell Congress and the President, "Don't target poor people
with disabilities!" If enacted, the already planned cuts and proposed
legislation will force even more older and disabled Americans out of
their own homes and into nursing homes.
"I feel like I've got a target painted on my back," said Randy
Alexander, ADAPT Organizer in Tennessee, and one of the leaders of the
3 month old Citizens to Save TennCare protest at the Tennessee state
capitol. "We are getting hit by draconian cuts in our own state, and
by frightening cuts and legislation planned by the federal government.
And all this is happening at a time when our brothers and sisters with
and without disabilities in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama who
survived hurricane Katrina need a solid, comprehensive Medicaid
program more than ever."
When George W. Bush assumed the Presidency in 2001, one of his first
acts was to issue his New Freedom Initiative, focused on removing the
barriers that keep people with disabilities and older Americans from
full
participation in their communities, and from fully accessing all
government services and programs. Despite this presidential directive,
Congress has yet to pass legislation, including Money Follows the
Person
(S 528; HR 3063) and MiCASSA (S 401; HR 901), that would remove the
Medicaid institutional bias and give people choice to receive long
term services in the community.
"People with disabilities need long term services and supports, as
will many of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina who have lost their
homes, and life as they knew it. Now is not the time for Congress to
pit the needs of the survivors against the ongoing needs of poor
people with disabilities," said Bob Liston, ADAPT Organizer from
Montana who has over 20 family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"Congress shouldn't be trying to
put bandaids on our dysfunctional support system, but should be
enacting legislation like Money Follows the Person to provide needed
reform that will improve our community support infrastructure for
everyone."
Currently, nursing homes in a number of states don't provide care for
people who use ventilators. If individual states don't provide
community-based care for those ventilator users, they are shipped off
to nursing homes in other states. Such is the case for over 15
ventilator users from West Virginia who have been sent away from their
families and communities to nursing homes in Ohio. Tennessee is
similarly poised to send ventilator users to nursing homes in other
states as Gov. Bredesen has cut from the budget the services that kept
them living in their own homes. Legislation like Money Follows the
Person and MiCASSA would remedy this situation by allowing people to
stay in or return to their own homes
Another mounting national crisis is the profound lack of affordable,
accessible housing across the country. Such housing is critical for
people wanting to move out of, or avoid, nursing homes and other
institutions. In
the wake of Hurricane Katrina there is an exponentially increased
demand for affordable housing to accommodate survivors with and
without disabilities who are now homeless. "There aren't enough
resources to meet the current demand," said Beto Berrera, ADAPT
organizer and housing specialist from Chicago. "And with the
drastically increased need caused by Katrina, people with disabilities
will likely be pushed off the housing
waiting lists by survivors of the hurricane. This should not be a
Sophie's choice. In a country that can send people to the moon, there
should be enough for everyone."
###
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at
http://www.adapt.org/
-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >
Disability Advocates Delighted with Efforts to Ensure Access in House
Staff Discussion Draft on Broadband Reform
Washington, DC - September 15, 2005-- The nations major disability
organizations are delighted with efforts of House legislators to
address the needs of people with disabilities in todays public release
of a Discussion Draft of federal broadband reform legislation by staff
of the Energy & Commerce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.
The House committee staff unveiled the draft at noon on Thursday.
Noting that it is not an officially introduced bill, the staff seeks
comment from telecommunications, cable, satellite, and other industry
representatives as well as from representatives of consumers of
communications services by September 27.
Disability groups reacted within hours. Speaking on behalf of the
National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the nations oldest and largest
self-advocacy organization of deaf and hard of hearing Americans, NAD
governmental affairs consultant Frank Bowe said: The NAD is simply
ecstatic at the staff draft. The House staff listened to us and
heard us! Bowe is a professor at Hofstra University, on Long Island.
Added Karen Peltz Strauss, Esq., telecommunications attorney
advocating on behalf of several disability constituencies: The
proposed disability language is truly the product of bipartisan
efforts. Congressmen Upton, Barton, Dingell, Markey, and Pickering
are to be commended for their excellent efforts to safeguard
disability access to the IP technologies of the future. These
legislators understand how important it is not to leave behind people
with disabilities as the rest of the nation surges ahead in their use
and enjoyment of these innovative and exciting technologies. Strauss
is a former senior staff member of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC).
Bowe and Strauss pointed to language proposed in section 404 in the
staff draft entitled Access by Persons with Disabilities. The
section calls for broadband, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), and
other IP-based communications equipment manufacturers and service
providers to make sure that their products and services are accessible
to and usable by persons with disabilities. Companies making products
or offering services do not have to provide access if they can prove
that doing so would cause their business an undue burden. In the
event an undue burden is claimed, manufacturers and providers still
must find alternative ways to make products and services compatible
with adaptive equipment and software that is specifically designed for
use by people with disabilities.
The advocates also hailed section 208 of the staff draft. Entitled
Provision of Relay Service, this section calls for VoIP service
providers to offer relay services for individuals with hearing,
speech, or other communication-related disabilities. Current relay
provisions, contained in Section 225 of theCommunications Act of 1934,
do not require VoIP service providers to do so. Relay services enable
individuals who cannot speak or hear to engage in text, voice or video
communication with other individuals through a third party called a
communications assistant (CA). Various types of relay services
facilitate communication in text, voice, sign language, and captions.
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) President and
CEO Andrew Imparato said: AAPD continues to be an active participant
in the ongoing efforts of Americans with disabilities to achieve
parity in todays communications environment. Working with the
American Foundation for the Blind, TDI, and other organizations, such
as the NAD, we will monitor developments as Congress moves from this
initial staff discussion draft toward actual legislation.
American Association of People with Disabilities
1629 K Street NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20006
202-457-0046
www.aapd.com
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >
COME TO OUR MEETUPS! The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup
Group - http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - meets each 3rd Wednesdays of the
month. The Orange County Deaf & Hearing Impaired Meetup Group -
http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ - meets each 1st Saturdays of the month.
Our new ASL class start in the Sept 28, and the slots are really being
filled now as there is a limit of 8 students per class for better
quality of education and sign language training. Our ASL instructor
has many years experience as a tutor in a community college.
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. You can now
download and print our Albertsons Community Partners signup forms at
Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/AlbertsonsSignup.pdf and have your
friends, neighbors, associates, and relatives sign up as supporters
and then mail it to the address on the form. Our goal is 25,000
supporters who shop at Albertsons. And when you shop at Albertsons,
please dont forget to use the community partners card.
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 >
"I became president in a very public way" I. King Jordan, first deaf
president of Gallaudet University.
-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >
Dear WFD President and Board Members:
I am William Ollen, from Canada.
In the past 2 years I had the unique opportunity to witness the two
major deaf international events - the WFD Congress held in Montreal,
Canada, in July, 2003, and Deaflympic Summer Games held in Melbourne,
Australia, in January 2005.
I write to each of you now because I feel very unhappy, suspicious and
uneasy about the alleged voting fraud initiated by certain leaders in
the CISS/Deaflympics organization at the recent 39th CISS Congress in
Australia.
For complete details, please look up at
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update72.htm
It is quite unbelievably and shocking that nearly 151 votes were
missing during the election procedure for various CISS Executive
Committee positions in Melbourne and that Russia's big deaf man,
Mr.Valery Rukhledev, even did not win any seat position there.
It was obvious that there was too much American influence, bias and
presence at that 39th CISS Congress.
Imagine the three deaf Americans - Mr. Jerald Jordan, Mr. Ed Ingham
and Ms.Tiffany Granfors - were directly involved with the elections,
while the other deaf American - Ms. Donalda Ammons - was running for
the top position of the CISS.
Was it called a free, democratic, impartial and fair election, was
not it?
Can the CISS people justify the CISS Motto "EQUAL THROUGH SPORTS"?
I write this Letter to the WFD because all the deaf people view the
WFD as the so-called "U.N. organization for the deaf people."
Therefore, I feel the WFD should do something to protect the just and
equal rights of every deaf citizen, including in the area of sports,
all over the world.
Recently, one deaf sports official of the Republic of South Africa,
for example, proposed to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate
the alleged voting fraud at the CISS Congress.
This is a good idea.
But I do personally think that a special and extraordinary CISS
Congress should be convened in which new elections should be conducted
and in which all the deaf American leaders and representatives should
stay on the sidelines if an American person runs for an elective
position.
Do you agree with my input and suggestion?
I know that at the end of this month your entire Board will convene
in Helsinki, Finland, for the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the
Finnish Deaf Association. And there I do urge your Board to do
something with the alleged election fraud, that is, what kind of an
action will your Board suggest to take upon against those who
defrauded the deaf world at that CISS Congress election procedure in
Australia?
May I receive your reply soon.
William Ollen,
Strong Supporter of Deaf People All Over the World
-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >
2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a Riverside,
California mortgage 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
-------------< 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 >
Hi, I updated the website. Look at the bottom of the new story,
telling you what happened in June, 2005 when I visited my mother's
lawyer, Attorney Larry Taylor for the first time after 11 years of
silence. He is the one who broke the law and betrayed my mother and me
by becoming my brother's lawyer before mother was buried and refused
to do what my mother wanted accordingly to her Will for 11 years.
Remember, Attorney Taylor has been doing my mother's Will, revising
and updating her Wills for over 30 years.
I promise I kept the story short and it will not take all your time.
Have a great day, W.
Attorney Larry Taylor and Deaf Wanda Garner Gaddis
http://hometown.aol.com/wandadaxx1/myhomepage/profile.html
-------------< 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.
Last Thursday, we had educational booth at the Diversity Day Job Fair
in Fountain Valley. Our materials heavily focused on helping deaf
workers co-exist well with their hearing co-workers. Our booth showed
off the accommodation equipment deaf people use at the workplace and
distributed out information on reasonable acommodations at the work
place, and communicating with the deaf and hard of hearing. It was a
very posh event with fancy food and dessert booths. The event also
had a heavy 70's theme. Photos of this event have been uploaded to
our newsletter's website. The event had been declared a success and
we've been invited to next year's event as well. Kudos to everyone
who helped us make our participation in this event a complete success.
Also uploaded are photos of our educational booth at the San Marino
health fair we had one week after the Orange County Fair closed.
We've finished up preparing for the Deaf festival that's taking place
in Van Nuys this coming Saturday. We will have a lot of information
and resources in many different languages. Los Angeles is a very
diverse county and we will have our information available in diverse
languages.
To the new members, we welcome you to this newsletter list and we
appreciate your support and interest in serious advocacy material on
this and many more future issues that will help the deaf and
disability communities move forward to the promised land of fairness,
equality, and justice.
OCDAC Communications
-------------< INSIDE NEWS >
This Thursday and Friday our our bowling nights fundraisers at
Westminster lanes 6pm to 9pm. Our bowling fundraiser has just turned
for the better, the owner of Westminster lanes has liked our booth, he
has given us a blanket approval to have fundraising activities in his
bowling center any day, anytime, and for as long as we wish. We are
planning all day fundraisers at the Westminster lanes on October 8 and
15. We also have plans for fundraising in the afternoons of Sept
21-23, and 28-29.
We badly need a volunteer coordinator who will help us keep in touch
with volunteers and to contact them and make sure they are given the
opportunities to participate in our activities. Our volunteer list has
grown dramatically during the fair. We really need help managing them.
We have decided to eliminate our Rose parade fundraiser and replace it
with a bigger times square like event at the Orange County
Fairgrounds.
We also need committees for the Pirate's festival, Silverado Festival,
and Winter Festival fundraisers as well.
We have also started on our Deaf Expo (Mata.tv) planning for the event
in November in Long Beach.
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS >
Finding confidence, friendship at a yearly retreat
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.
asp?category=6420&slug=Blind%20Deaf%20Retreat
Deaf volunteer leaves lasting impression each summer
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/bas
e/news-31/1126884120237330.xml&coll=5
S.D. deaf town moves closer to reality
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/ar
ticle_1048149.php/S.D._deaf_town_moves_closer_to_reality
New town for deaf rises up from prairie
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200
5/09/13_hetlandc_laurentsd/
Assist the hearing impaired - GTV urged
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=90255
Access program for the hearing impaired reaches 10-year milestone
http://austinweeklynews.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?S
ectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=318&TM=45971.18
New program will help identify hearing impaired drivers
http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/09/new_program_wil.html
Hair stylist listens to hearing impaired
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/article
s/0908ar-hairsalon03Z12.html
Landlord must accommodate a disabled tenant
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2
005/09/17/HOG6CENHH01.DTL
Moms helping disabled victims
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15228810
&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=33198&rfi=6
Champions Chelsea branded scrooges by disabled fans
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2005/
9/17/sports/12072935&sec=sports
-------------< CALIFORNIA DEAFIE HAPPENINGS >
Sign Language Play Group
Sunday - October 2, 2005 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek
N. San Carlos Drive at Ygnacio Valley Road
http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/parks/heatherpark.htm
This group is for families and children who use or are learning sign
language
For more information contact: Helisa Katz at The Center for the
Education of the Infant Deaf (510) 848-4800 x. 321 or email
[email protected]
-------------------------------
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SJCD) would like
to Announce a Fun Family Event for the Deaf Community!
Trunk or Treating - Deaf Community Family Night
Saturday, Oct. 29th
7pm-9pm
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf (SJCD)
25580 Campus Drive
Hayward, CA 94542
Cost: $10 per family
Families in the Deaf Community, Hearing ASL users, Students of Sign
Language Classes, or people interested in learning more about the Deaf
Community are welcome to this fun Halloween celebration and
fundraiser. Costumes are encouraged. All children will be invited to
'trunk or treat' the Halloween-decorated trunks of cars parked in our
parking lot. Party, games, treats and pictures will follow 'trunk or
treating' inside SJCD Hall. Fun
for all ages!
2) WE NEED YOU! We are especially looking for people who are
interested in parking in our parking lot and participating in the
Halloween-decorated car-trunk contest where the children will
³Trunk
or Treat.² (Great volunteer opportunity and exposure for ASL
students
learning more about the deaf community!)
**All decorated cars must pay the $10 entry fee per car and purchase
your own wrapped candy to pass out to the children. Costumes
encouraged. This is an important part of our fundraiser and makes you
a VIP! (Heartfelt thanks in advance!)
Please contact LaRonda Zupp at: [email protected] by Oct. 17th if you
plan to participate in the car trunk decorating so we can reserve your
space.
Free Parking will be available outside of SJCD's parking lot along
Highland Blvd. Only cars participating in the trunk decorating will be
allowed into SJCD's parking lot.
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf is a non-profit organization
dedicated to serving the social, educational, parenting,
communication, mental health and spiritual needs of individuals,
couples and families in Deaf Community throughout Alameda and Contra
Costa Counties. This special seasonal event provides children and
their families in the Deaf Community with a linguistically and
culturally accessible recreational activity, while
raising awareness and continued funding for our accessible support
services. Proceeds of this fundraiser go to the continuation of Parent
Education and Mental Health Services to prevent family violence and
build healthy families in the deaf community.
For more information, please contact:
LaRonda Zupp
Family Life Coordinator/Parent Educator
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
25580 Campus Drive, Hayward, CA 94542
510-881-2247 TTY, Ext. 104
510-881-2245 Voice Msg.
510-881-2248 Fax
[email protected]
-------------------------------
California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR) - Wednesday September
21 - Open House 9:00 am to 12:00 noon -
Contact: Laurie Pietro @ (951) 782-6500 for more information
-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >
Here are clippings from the Robert's confirmation hearings that took
place last Thursday with Senator Kennedy.
========================
KENNEDY: Now, let me ask you about those that are faced with
disabilities. Do you think the 50 million Americans that are faced
with disabilities in one form or another -- challenges, I like to say
-- do you think that we have the authority and the power to free this
country, free our nation from the forms of discrimination against
those who have a disability?
ROBERTS: I do, Senator. Now, there are issues that come up, as you
know, in several of the cases before the Supreme Court on the
particular applications of that, cases concerning the question of do
you have the authority under Section 5 or the Fourteenth Amendment to
abrogate state sovereign immunity if the claim of disability
discrimination concerns a state as a defendant. And as you know, in
the Garrett case, there was conclusion that the authority was not
there. Later, in the Lane case, under Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the conclusion was that sufficient record had been
established that there was the authority. So while, as a general
matter, there is the authority, in a particular case it may come up
against other provisions in the Constitution, in that case the
recognition of state sovereign immunity, and that presents an
issue that the courts have to address.
KENNEDY: You mentioned the Lane case. That was decided 5-4. We're
going to hear later today from Beverly Jones, who was a plaintiff in
that case. I've listened to her, I've met with her before. An
extraordinary woman, mother of two, trying to provide for her family,
court reporter. And it was either an issue or question whether she was
going to crawl up the flight of stairs to have access to the courtroom
and have someone bring up her wheelchair or whether she was
effectively going to be denied that opportunity to have access to a
courtroom in Tennessee.
KENNEDY: Four justices indicated in their dissent that this kind of
issue or question ought to be resolved by states effectively. Fifty
states ought to be making that judgment. I strongly believe that this
country, in its march toward progress, in dealing with the disability
-- with Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the
work that was done with IDEA over the long period of time -- that we
have come to the point where we as a country want to invite all of
those with forms of disability to be a part of the mainstream. But
that was a 5-4 decision. And I appreciate the fact that I gather from
your, at least answer, I
guess, in the Lane v. Tennessee that you're at least sympathetic to
the judgment that Justice O'Connor made in indicating that
accommodation for those with disabilities in that case was
appropriate.
ROBERTS: Well, it's certainly the precedent of the court in that area
and I have no quarrel with it. The issue, of course, is whether or not
Congress has the authority under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to
abrogate the states' sovereign immunity. It's not a policy judgment by
the court about leaving things to the states or federal government but
a legal determination of whether the state's sovereign immunity's been
abrogated. And the court determined in that case that Congress did
have that authority and that it could authorize the suit against the
state institution.
KENNEDY: Well, we're going to come back to, sort of, the, kind of,
legalist determinations that make and extraordinary difference in
terms of people's lives. We welcome guidance and invitation about
which particular provisions of the Constitution that we ought to
utilize in order to strike down these forms of discrimination.
-------------< BULLETIN >
For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2005
For Information Contact;
Bob Kafka 512-431-4085
Marsha Katz 406-544-9504
ADAPT to President, Congress: Don't Target Poor People with
Disabilities with Cuts, Caps
Washington, D.C. --- Reeling from massive planned cuts to the nation's
Medicaid program, ADAPT is going to the nation's capitol September
17-22 to tell Congress and the President, "Don't target poor people
with disabilities!" If enacted, the already planned cuts and proposed
legislation will force even more older and disabled Americans out of
their own homes and into nursing homes.
"I feel like I've got a target painted on my back," said Randy
Alexander, ADAPT Organizer in Tennessee, and one of the leaders of the
3 month old Citizens to Save TennCare protest at the Tennessee state
capitol. "We are getting hit by draconian cuts in our own state, and
by frightening cuts and legislation planned by the federal government.
And all this is happening at a time when our brothers and sisters with
and without disabilities in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama who
survived hurricane Katrina need a solid, comprehensive Medicaid
program more than ever."
When George W. Bush assumed the Presidency in 2001, one of his first
acts was to issue his New Freedom Initiative, focused on removing the
barriers that keep people with disabilities and older Americans from
full
participation in their communities, and from fully accessing all
government services and programs. Despite this presidential directive,
Congress has yet to pass legislation, including Money Follows the
Person
(S 528; HR 3063) and MiCASSA (S 401; HR 901), that would remove the
Medicaid institutional bias and give people choice to receive long
term services in the community.
"People with disabilities need long term services and supports, as
will many of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina who have lost their
homes, and life as they knew it. Now is not the time for Congress to
pit the needs of the survivors against the ongoing needs of poor
people with disabilities," said Bob Liston, ADAPT Organizer from
Montana who has over 20 family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"Congress shouldn't be trying to
put bandaids on our dysfunctional support system, but should be
enacting legislation like Money Follows the Person to provide needed
reform that will improve our community support infrastructure for
everyone."
Currently, nursing homes in a number of states don't provide care for
people who use ventilators. If individual states don't provide
community-based care for those ventilator users, they are shipped off
to nursing homes in other states. Such is the case for over 15
ventilator users from West Virginia who have been sent away from their
families and communities to nursing homes in Ohio. Tennessee is
similarly poised to send ventilator users to nursing homes in other
states as Gov. Bredesen has cut from the budget the services that kept
them living in their own homes. Legislation like Money Follows the
Person and MiCASSA would remedy this situation by allowing people to
stay in or return to their own homes
Another mounting national crisis is the profound lack of affordable,
accessible housing across the country. Such housing is critical for
people wanting to move out of, or avoid, nursing homes and other
institutions. In
the wake of Hurricane Katrina there is an exponentially increased
demand for affordable housing to accommodate survivors with and
without disabilities who are now homeless. "There aren't enough
resources to meet the current demand," said Beto Berrera, ADAPT
organizer and housing specialist from Chicago. "And with the
drastically increased need caused by Katrina, people with disabilities
will likely be pushed off the housing
waiting lists by survivors of the hurricane. This should not be a
Sophie's choice. In a country that can send people to the moon, there
should be enough for everyone."
###
FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at
http://www.adapt.org/
-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >
Disability Advocates Delighted with Efforts to Ensure Access in House
Staff Discussion Draft on Broadband Reform
Washington, DC - September 15, 2005-- The nations major disability
organizations are delighted with efforts of House legislators to
address the needs of people with disabilities in todays public release
of a Discussion Draft of federal broadband reform legislation by staff
of the Energy & Commerce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.
The House committee staff unveiled the draft at noon on Thursday.
Noting that it is not an officially introduced bill, the staff seeks
comment from telecommunications, cable, satellite, and other industry
representatives as well as from representatives of consumers of
communications services by September 27.
Disability groups reacted within hours. Speaking on behalf of the
National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the nations oldest and largest
self-advocacy organization of deaf and hard of hearing Americans, NAD
governmental affairs consultant Frank Bowe said: The NAD is simply
ecstatic at the staff draft. The House staff listened to us and
heard us! Bowe is a professor at Hofstra University, on Long Island.
Added Karen Peltz Strauss, Esq., telecommunications attorney
advocating on behalf of several disability constituencies: The
proposed disability language is truly the product of bipartisan
efforts. Congressmen Upton, Barton, Dingell, Markey, and Pickering
are to be commended for their excellent efforts to safeguard
disability access to the IP technologies of the future. These
legislators understand how important it is not to leave behind people
with disabilities as the rest of the nation surges ahead in their use
and enjoyment of these innovative and exciting technologies. Strauss
is a former senior staff member of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC).
Bowe and Strauss pointed to language proposed in section 404 in the
staff draft entitled Access by Persons with Disabilities. The
section calls for broadband, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), and
other IP-based communications equipment manufacturers and service
providers to make sure that their products and services are accessible
to and usable by persons with disabilities. Companies making products
or offering services do not have to provide access if they can prove
that doing so would cause their business an undue burden. In the
event an undue burden is claimed, manufacturers and providers still
must find alternative ways to make products and services compatible
with adaptive equipment and software that is specifically designed for
use by people with disabilities.
The advocates also hailed section 208 of the staff draft. Entitled
Provision of Relay Service, this section calls for VoIP service
providers to offer relay services for individuals with hearing,
speech, or other communication-related disabilities. Current relay
provisions, contained in Section 225 of theCommunications Act of 1934,
do not require VoIP service providers to do so. Relay services enable
individuals who cannot speak or hear to engage in text, voice or video
communication with other individuals through a third party called a
communications assistant (CA). Various types of relay services
facilitate communication in text, voice, sign language, and captions.
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) President and
CEO Andrew Imparato said: AAPD continues to be an active participant
in the ongoing efforts of Americans with disabilities to achieve
parity in todays communications environment. Working with the
American Foundation for the Blind, TDI, and other organizations, such
as the NAD, we will monitor developments as Congress moves from this
initial staff discussion draft toward actual legislation.
American Association of People with Disabilities
1629 K Street NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20006
202-457-0046
www.aapd.com
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENTS >
COME TO OUR MEETUPS! The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup
Group - http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - meets each 3rd Wednesdays of the
month. The Orange County Deaf & Hearing Impaired Meetup Group -
http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ - meets each 1st Saturdays of the month.
Our new ASL class start in the Sept 28, and the slots are really being
filled now as there is a limit of 8 students per class for better
quality of education and sign language training. Our ASL instructor
has many years experience as a tutor in a community college.
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. You can now
download and print our Albertsons Community Partners signup forms at
Http://www.deafadvocacy.com/AlbertsonsSignup.pdf and have your
friends, neighbors, associates, and relatives sign up as supporters
and then mail it to the address on the form. Our goal is 25,000
supporters who shop at Albertsons. And when you shop at Albertsons,
please dont forget to use the community partners card.
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 >
"I became president in a very public way" I. King Jordan, first deaf
president of Gallaudet University.
-------------< COMMUNITY BULLHORN >
Dear WFD President and Board Members:
I am William Ollen, from Canada.
In the past 2 years I had the unique opportunity to witness the two
major deaf international events - the WFD Congress held in Montreal,
Canada, in July, 2003, and Deaflympic Summer Games held in Melbourne,
Australia, in January 2005.
I write to each of you now because I feel very unhappy, suspicious and
uneasy about the alleged voting fraud initiated by certain leaders in
the CISS/Deaflympics organization at the recent 39th CISS Congress in
Australia.
For complete details, please look up at
www.deafsportlawsuit.com/update72.htm
It is quite unbelievably and shocking that nearly 151 votes were
missing during the election procedure for various CISS Executive
Committee positions in Melbourne and that Russia's big deaf man,
Mr.Valery Rukhledev, even did not win any seat position there.
It was obvious that there was too much American influence, bias and
presence at that 39th CISS Congress.
Imagine the three deaf Americans - Mr. Jerald Jordan, Mr. Ed Ingham
and Ms.Tiffany Granfors - were directly involved with the elections,
while the other deaf American - Ms. Donalda Ammons - was running for
the top position of the CISS.
Was it called a free, democratic, impartial and fair election, was
not it?
Can the CISS people justify the CISS Motto "EQUAL THROUGH SPORTS"?
I write this Letter to the WFD because all the deaf people view the
WFD as the so-called "U.N. organization for the deaf people."
Therefore, I feel the WFD should do something to protect the just and
equal rights of every deaf citizen, including in the area of sports,
all over the world.
Recently, one deaf sports official of the Republic of South Africa,
for example, proposed to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate
the alleged voting fraud at the CISS Congress.
This is a good idea.
But I do personally think that a special and extraordinary CISS
Congress should be convened in which new elections should be conducted
and in which all the deaf American leaders and representatives should
stay on the sidelines if an American person runs for an elective
position.
Do you agree with my input and suggestion?
I know that at the end of this month your entire Board will convene
in Helsinki, Finland, for the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the
Finnish Deaf Association. And there I do urge your Board to do
something with the alleged election fraud, that is, what kind of an
action will your Board suggest to take upon against those who
defrauded the deaf world at that CISS Congress election procedure in
Australia?
May I receive your reply soon.
William Ollen,
Strong Supporter of Deaf People All Over the World
-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >
2 deaf or hard of hearing mortgage consultants needed for a Riverside,
California mortgage 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
-------------< 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 >
Hi, I updated the website. Look at the bottom of the new story,
telling you what happened in June, 2005 when I visited my mother's
lawyer, Attorney Larry Taylor for the first time after 11 years of
silence. He is the one who broke the law and betrayed my mother and me
by becoming my brother's lawyer before mother was buried and refused
to do what my mother wanted accordingly to her Will for 11 years.
Remember, Attorney Taylor has been doing my mother's Will, revising
and updating her Wills for over 30 years.
I promise I kept the story short and it will not take all your time.
Have a great day, W.
Attorney Larry Taylor and Deaf Wanda Garner Gaddis
http://hometown.aol.com/wandadaxx1/myhomepage/profile.html
-------------< 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.
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