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.
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