Dear Friends,
AAARRRRGGGH! One of our key websites was hacked less than a week ago,
but thats not even bad news to us at all. Read down further.
We are having a Bowl-A-Thon next Saturday February 18, 2006 at the
Westminster Lanes from 8 am to noon. We now have sponsors and bowlers
ready to make this a success story. We have some new sponsors and
plenty of room for more bowlers.
The State of California has stepped in to help Medicare beneficiaries
who also use Medi-Cal if they have problems at the pharmacy getting
their drug prescriptions filled. This emergency help has been extended
through March 17, 2006.
A letter from Felix Shlimovich's wife asks for help in locating her
husband is in the Community Bullhorn section of this newsletter. A
must read for those interested in knowing the true colors of an
international deaf organization.
Last week we probably have been given a novel jump start on our long
awaited plans to overhaul our website. A German deaf hacker hijacked
one of our key websites and filling it with obscenities in a lame
attempt to embarrass us. The web URL they hijacked was no longer
being published in our marketing and educational materials for over 18
months already therefore damage is minimal. However the site was in
need of major changes anyways. We have been longing to overhaul our
web resource to make it easier to navigate, easier to maintain, and
easier for the communities worldwide learn about our good deeds and to
support us. We've also been longing to experiment with a completely
web based deaf social service agency and this could be the time to do
it. This will compliment the free internet ready computer giveaway
program we already have. Once established, a web based social service
agency would translate into billions of dollars in taxpayer savings
and will enable our agency to provide social service products to
anyone on a global scale.
OCDAC Communications
[email protected]
-------------< INSIDE NEWS >
With our subscribership from the international communities increasing
at a steady pace, we wish to make this newsletter accessible to them
and the easiest way to accomplish this is by directing them to
http://www.babelfish.altavista.com/ and entering
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdacnewsletter/ in the website
translation box and the babelfish will help our international
subscribers become strong advocates for the deaf and disability
communities.
Macy's Community Shopping Day 2006, an in-store shopping event and
fundraiser for charities in the Orange County community, will be held
on May 12, 2006 at Macy's South Coast Plaza. We have 200 tickets to
sell. We need to sell at least 100 of the tickets at $10 each. And
we'll need at least 5 or more volunteers on hand as well. Besides a
good operation at Macy's Community Shopping Day would be as good as a
decent birthday gift to the editor from our communities. The money
will be used for operating expenses and the fee for our Orange County
fair fundraiser stand which is expected to be around $900 plus the
cost of insurance.
We have started on our giant Orange County Fair educational booth
planning for this upcoming summer. This year's theme is 'Flower
Power' and its a retro theme. We are waiting for the official invite.
Our OC Fair fundraiser merchandise stand is taking upon a nice shape
and color. We plan to subcontract 3 people to man the fundraiser
stand for us.
We have started a Campbell's product label collection campaign to help
us raise the means to get supplies for our office Start saving your
campbells product labels today and mail them to us on the first week
of each month. We have aproximately 1050 subscribers and if each one
of them accumulates and sends us 900-1000 labels a month, we'd be able
to get lots of new equipment for our office and internal and external
education programs! Lets get those labels coming, the program ends in
June.
Drastic Social Security rule changes for Title II Old Age, Survivors,
and Disability Insurance and SSI programs such as outlined in
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/200\
5/pdf/05-14845.pdf
renews our calls for self-reliance ideas for organizations who serve
the deaf and disabled and our very own idea, our California Disability
Gaming Initiative idea is an idea that works for Native Americans.
Why shouldn't it work for the Disability communities? The proposed
Social Security rules will limit appeals and create a new process that
is less about truth-seeking and more hostile to applicants.
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Take a look at our new magazine fundraiser and this is one of the ways
you can help us do the good work for the deaf and disabled communities.
The URL is http://www.magfundraising.com/GroupPage.aspx?e=788159
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS PART 1/3 >
Deaf student beats government ruling
http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/10297
Local deaf woman shines on court
http://www.peoplesdefender.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=123\
040&TM=42398.47
City ready to lend more helping hands to deaf-mutes
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-02/15/content_520495.htm
Grandmother fights to keep school for deaf and blind from closing
http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-feb1406-isdb.29999ee8.html
-------------< CALIFORNIA DEAFIE HAPPENINGS >
COME TO OUR MEETUPS!
The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group -
http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - and the he Orange County Deaf & Hearing
Impaired Meetup Group http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ meets each 3rd
Fridays of the month.
===================================
The Orange County American Sign Language & Orange County Deaf &
Hearing Impaired December Meetup
When:
Friday, February, 7:00 PM
Where:
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
17595 Harvard Ave #B
Irvine, CA
(949) 660-1332
What:
Meet the 2 meetups!
Free Raffle Ticket to each participant, $1.00 for extra raffle tickets.
Prizes include, ASL Jewelry, Firestarters, and ASL pins
=================================
"Dysconscious Audism and Its Impact on the Deaf Community" Genie Gertz
Assistant Professor in the Department of Deaf Studies at California
State University, Northridge (CSUN).
Prior to earning a doctorate from UCLA in June 2003, Genie has earned
a B.A. degree and a M.A. degree from Gallaudet University and New York
University respectively. Born deaf, Genie came to America from St.
Petersburg, Russia at the age of eight years old. She is also
currently the Region IV NAD Board Member, and serves as a Coordinator
of the "Deaf Women Experts" group for World Federation of the Deaf.
Her area of interest focuses on exploring the social, cultural,
linguistic, and educational features that cause weaken Deaf
Individuals' development of Deaf consciousness and identity.
Lecture will be provided in American Sign Language (ASL)
Free Admission - First Come, First Serve (340 Available Seats)
Friday, February 24, 2006
7:00 pm
Little Theatre
California School for the Deaf
39350 Gallaudet Drive
Fremont, CA 94538
Sponsored by California School for the Deaf & Deaf Counseling &
Referral Agency
For more information, contact Cheryl L. Boyd at csdf-cde.ca.gov or
510-794-3707
=================================
The Deaf Services Center of the San Francisco Public Library in
association with the Deaf Vietnam Project presents
Special Exhibition by Deaf Artists
Deaf Art From Vietnam to America
March 1 - April 1, 2006
Deaf Services Center
Main Library, 1st Floor
Deaf Services Center hours:
Tues - Thur, 11:00am to 7:00pm
Fri - Sat, 12:00 - 6:00pm
(Closed on Sun & Mon)
For more question, check out:
http://www.sfpl.org/librarylocations/accessservices/deafservices.htm
TTY: 415-557-4433
Voice: 415-557-4434
Fax: 415-5574531
email: [email protected]
* Exhibition of artwork by the Deaf high school students from the Hy
Vong School in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The vibrant colors and
techniques lend an appealing presence to the eye. Scott Benson, a
deaf teacher at Leigh High School in San Jose, California, facilitated
this art show with Madame Ngoi, head mistress and found of the Hy Vong
1 School in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
We are located E-A-S-Y Acess to Civic Center BART Station.
Address: 100 Larkin Street (enter at Grove Street) SF, CA 94103
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Even though most of us working on computers only work on one, the
average American depends on more than 264 computers per day—from the
tiniest microprocessor to the largest mainframe! That is a lot of
people depending on a lot of computers! Think of how much money could
go to the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center if 264 supporters bought
one computer each at www.iGive.com/ocdac, where up to 26% of every
purchase is donated to the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center! At
www.iGive.com/ocdac, membership is free! So hurry up and visit the
Mall at www.iGive.com/ocdac, where you can shop at 600+ stores for all
your favorite electronics and computers from Dell, HP Shopping, Buy,
Computers4SURE, The Apple Store, SONY, and Gateway!
-------------< DEAF GRAPEVINE >
There is a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central
District of Illinois, Springfield Division by Mr. Gerald Covell
against 10 members of the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission. Those individuals are appointed by the Illinois Governor
to serve on the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission as
Commissioners.
The federal lawsuit (case # 05-3207) alleges a wrongful termination
and defamation of character. The suit requests that the Federal Court
to issue:
A judgment against ten individuals who were in violation of the
provisions of 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 and 1988;
An injunction against ten individuals to refrain from engaging in any
actions against Mr. Covell;
An injunction to reinstate Mr. Covell to the position he held prior
being terminated;
An award to Mr. Covell damages to compensate for any economic losses
suffered by the conducts of 10 individuals; and
An award to Mr. Covell from 10 individuals for the costs and expenses
incurred by Mr. Covell along with attorney fees for filing a lawsuit;
An award to Mr. Covell from 10 individuals for compensatory and
exemplary damages as permitted by law.
The individuals named in the lawsuit are:
Harmon P. Menkis, Chairperson
Todd Hlaveck, Vice-Chairperson
Ralph Sesco
Darrell Washington
Jamie Gallo-Weinstein
Leon Devriendt
Ron Sipek
Lori McKenzie
Jenny Singleton
Amy Blough
(From an anonymous source in Wisconsin)
-------------< BULLETIN >
DEAF DOCUMENTARY SERIES SEEKS "DEAF STORIES"
KINGMAN, AZ, January 25, 2006 – SPOKEN SILENCE FILMS & PRODUCTIONS
announces that a "documentary series" is currently in its
developmental stages. This project is considered to be the most
comprehensive documentary about the DEAF that will be done in our
times. It will showcase the following topics:
o An historical look at deafness
o Causes and treatment of deafness and its social impacts on deaf
people and society
o Deaf culture, language, schools, and controversies
o Deaf achievements in the arts, science, sports, and entertainment
The developmental team is currently accepting "deaf stories" from
individuals and organizations to be considered worthy of inclusion in
this documentary. Please email your story or stories to:
[email protected].
-------- IMPORTANT ------
Stories and/or ideas should be in WORD FORMAT, and must include:
o Name
o Address
o Telephone number (V/TTY-TDD)
o Email address
Stories and/or ideas that will be considered for the project will be
contacted only via email. Anonymous materials or submissions without the
above information will be not accepted.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
SPOKEN SILENCE
[email protected]
-------------< ANNOUNCEMENT >
Please visit our bookstore that has related books and different kinds
of assistive living devices at http://store.deafadvocacy.org
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS PART 2/3 >
Deaf, hearing students take advantage of technology
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/02/07/news/illiana/4e00f5150f043fcd8625710d008\
2d428.txt
National Deaf Leadership Hold Consultative Meeting
http://allafrica.com/stories/200602140371.html
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf headed to Kingsway site
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/k12/article/0,2673,MCA_22898_4464844,00.html
Review of phone relay service for the deaf
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00148.htm
-------------< ADVOCACY NEWS >
Summary of the Emergency Preparedness and Response for Individuals
with Disabilities Act
Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Curt Weldon (R-PA)
This legislation offers a comprehensive approach to ensuring that the
needs of people with disabilities are met before, during and after a
national disaster. Through ongoing education about special needs
populations and the implementation of responsible policies, we can
lessen the scope of future disasters and decrease the loss of life in
a tragedy.
The bill would establish a Disability Coordinator within the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Disability Coordinator
would be appointed by the Secretary after consultation with
organizations representing individuals with disabilities, and report
directly to the Secretary. The Disability Coordinator will be
responsible for providing guidance and coordination in emergency
planning and relief efforts, including:
- Educating DHS, other federal agencies, and state and local
governmental authorities about the needs of individuals with
disabilities in emergency planning and relief;
- Coordinating and disseminating best practices and model evacuation
plans;
- Developing curriculum and training materials for governmental
officials and first responders on the needs of individuals with
disabilities;
- Develop a plan for the temporary loan or replacement of medical
equipment such as wheelchairs in the case of a disaster;
- Ensuring the accessibility of information about evacuation and
disaster relief on telephone hotlines, websites and broadcasts;
- Coordinating accessible transportation options.
The bill also amends the Stafford Disaster Relief Act, the law that
authorizes specific federal assistance in times of an emergency in the
following ways:
- Authorizes additional financial assistance in reconstruction efforts
for homeowners who incorporate enhanced accessibility standards;
- Requires that 30% of temporary housing units provided by the federal
government be accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities;
- Requires that personnel carrying out federal disaster assistance
functions to exert maximum effort to ensure that individuals with
disabilities who were living independently before evacuating their
homes are offered housing options with similar independence.
Finally, the bill requires the GAO to do a national study of emergency
shelters. While such shelters are covered under Titles II and III of
the ADA, it is unclear how many of them are accessible to, and usable
by, individuals with disabilities.
-------------< DEAF QUOTES >
"I have a classmate from Henan Province, and the first time I
communicated with him, I came across many gestures that I didn't
understand," said Gu Baisong, a 21-year-old deaf student at Beijing
Union University.
-------------< 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 >
PRESS RELEASE - February 15, 2006
From: www.deafsportlawsuit.com
( Note: to translate this material in your language, please visit
www.babelfish.altavista.com )
KIDNAPPING AND POSSIBLE MURDER OF MY DEAF HUSBAND IN RUSSIA
LETTER-APPEAL BY WIFE OF FELIX SHLIMOVICH TO DEAF COMMUNITY
By Rafael Pinkhasov Pinchas, CISS Ombudsman
New York, USA - A Letter-Appeal by Irina Shlimovich - was received by
this Ombudsman, in which she writes the following:
"I am a deaf spouse of Felix Shlimovich who has been a missing person
since December 11, 2005.
I do sincerely hope and pray that you, a concerned and caring citizen,
will read this very painful message of mine and do something in
finding the truth as to what actually happened to my beloved husband.
Since the day of Felix's disappearance, our family members - Samuel
Shlimovich ( Felix's aging and ailing father ), Anatoliy Shlimovich (
Felix's deaf brother ) and I have tirelessly and sleeplessly been
working day and night to locate Felix or his body.
Please see a separate e-mail message which shows an advertisement
published in the popular Russian daily newspaper - MOSCOW KOMSOMOLETS
- on Saturday, February 4, 2006. On that newspaper advertisement my
family appealed to the Russian public for help in locating Felix's
whereabouts and in which a monetary reward incentive was set up for
this purpose.
So far, there is no positive result.
However, my family received the following leads related to Felix's
disappearance:
1) that the persons who were involved in planning to kidnap ( and,
possibly, murder ) of Felix were the three deaf members of the
Nikolai Klimov family: Nikolai himself, his son - Slava Klimov, his
son-in-law - Yakov Frenkel, as well as their close female friend from
the USA - Donalda Ammons,
2) that the idea, influence and order to harm Felix came directly from
Washington, D.C., that is, from the two Gallaudet University employees
- Slava Klimov and Donalda Ammons, and
3) that Nikolai Klimov, as a result, decided to launch and finance the
horrific operation to eliminate Felix from his life's existence by
hiring the service of deaf hit persons in Moscow.
Previously, we were aware of the facts that twice - on February 27,
2003 in Sweden and on January 3, 2005 in Australia, respectively - at
the influence and orders of Donalda Ammons - the local police and
security agents were attempting to arrest Felix in these respective
places because Felix accused Donalda Ammons in allegedly stealing his
property - the original of his produced videofilm of the 37th CISS
Congress and 2001 Deaflympic Summer Games.
For such an alleged theft and by being unable to retrieve his own
property from either Donalda Ammons or the Klimovs - father and son,
Felix filed the two separate lawsuits against these persons in
Washington, D.C., and Moscow.
We were also aware of the two following facts that during Felix's
visit to the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., on
March 17, 2004, Felix was verbally abused and physically attacked by
Slava Klimov there ( an accident report was filed with the Gallaudet
University police department on that day ). In addition, on January
12, 2005, during the Deaflympic Summer Games, at the premises of the
Melbourne Sports and Athletic Complex in Melbourne, Australia, Jerald
Jordan, the senior advisor to Donalda Ammons in the CISS, secretly met
with Felix and there Jerald Jordan vainly persuaded Felix to drop his
lawsuit cases against Ammons and her accomplices.
The recent court case held in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 2006,
in which Felix as a plaintiff was absent and in which both defendants
Slava Klimov andf Donalda Ammons appeared, is now being dismissed
because of Felix's non-showing up at the court's premises on that day.
It is quite unbelievably, outrageous and appalling that a
still-sitting-in-the-office President of the International Olympic
Committee of the Deaf ( CISS ) - Donalda Ammons - is being directly
and indirectly implicated in this criminal act: the kidnapping and
possible murder of Felix.
I am now appealing to you to take appropriate action, including using
your influence in pressuring Donalda Ammons and her Russian
collaborators - Nikolai and Slava Klimov and Yakov Frenkel - to tell
the truth and provide accurate information as to what factually
happened with Felix's mysterious disappearance on the night of
December 11, 2005.
Our fax number in Moscow is 614-11-61.
Please help us.
With Tears in Eyes,
Irina,
Deaf Spouse of Felix"
-------------< OUTSIDE NEWS PART 3/3 >
Opposition party proposes free SMS for deaf
http://english.mti.hu/default.asp?menu=1&theme=2&cat=25&newsid=215196
Enhancing parent-deaf child link
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/12/enhancing_parent_deaf_child\
_link/
Deaf person seeks peers
http://www.chicoer.com/letters/ci_3500646
-------------< DEAF FRIENDLY JOB OPPORTUNITIES >
1) Temporary warehousing, hospitality, landscaping, construction,
light manufacturing, retail, wholesale, facilities and sanitation
through various employers.
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 have partnered with NetFlix to help community members enjoy movies
in the safety of their homes and our subscribers are given a free 2
week trial membership to NetFlix. If you haven't tried NetFlix yet,
you should log into Http://www.fundraising.com/movies and be sure to
enter our group code # 521684 and enjoy your 2 free weeks of
membership and if you decide to continue the membership after the free
trial, you will help us get $10 for each new membership. Most movies
offered by NetFlix have subtitling and or closed captioning in them.
-------------< 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 it comes 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.
===============================
Begin your journey toward self-sufficiency by becoming a Discovery
Toys consultant! Discovery Toys focuses on learning through play,
with products specifically designed to maximize learning moments, has
proven to be a success as the company has now witnessed an entire
generation grow up with Discovery Toys. Many parents and their adult
children credit DISCOVERY TOYS® products with helping them to develop
core skills and self-esteem, which contributed to their later life
accomplishments and success as adults. Beth Koenig is your Discovery
Toys consultant. Her Discovery Toys website is at
Http://www.discoverthetoys.net and this is a great business
opportunity for people disabilities. Discovery Toys is one of our
supported activities through our Community Business Enterprise Program.
-------------< LETTERS >
National ADA Symposium & EXPO - April 10-12, 2006 - America's
Center--St. Louis, MO
The Network of ADA & IT Centers is now taking on-line registrations
for the National ADA Symposium & EXPO. Conference details, session
schedules and session descriptions are available at
http://www.adasymposium.org. Registration fees may be paid on-line
via credit card
===============================
I have a 5 year old grandson who lives in another city. I would like
to have a tutor to help me learn ASL or Signed English. I live near
Hollywood. Can you recommend someone? I have already taken the
community college course at LACC but want/need something more. Thanks
for any help you may be able to provide.
"Muirjo"
-------------< 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.
DISCLAIMER: The OCDAC Newsletter is designed to share information of
interest to people with disabilities, their friends, associates, and
relatives and promote advocacy in the disability community.
Information circulated does not necessarily express the views of The
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. The OCDAC Newsletter is
non-partisan. OCDAC Newsletter does not sell advertising space.
To subscribe to this newsletter go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdacnewsletter/ or send a blank email
to [email protected]
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