Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - End Of Year 2010 Issue

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - End Of Year 2010 Issue

Greetings Friends!

2010 has been a year filled with tough challenges and we've been able to deal
with them while providing optimal services for our clients and being on the
guard for our stakeholders. Our major achievement this year has been our
capacity building project. Another notable achievement is being able to keep in
touch with our stakeholders using a variety of independent mediums that are not
subjected to deaf politics. Our highlight of this year is Zany Zone which is
our website for deaf and disabled children. We've also made ourselves stronger
with a new highly diverse board. We've brought down the costs of providing
services and our facilities costs as well. We've diversified our fundraising
and you will see that in this newsletter.

2011 will bring us even more challenges in our capacity building and growth in
the field of changes.

We hope you all have a safe holiday and a joyous new year.

Richard Roehm, Chairman
On behalf of Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

===============================================

Our ebay store has been a great challenge. While we have had a goal of 1000
items to be listed, our customers have been busy keeping it below 900 which is
alright by us. We have been able to develop over a dozen new products. This
goes to say a lot about our organization and the stakeholders that support us.

Our ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/OCDAC-Adaptive-Equipment-and-More

Your support is always needed. Please visit the store and see our new items.

===============================================

Deaf ship designer wins DoD award

A deaf Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) engineer received the Department of
Defense's 2010 Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award Dec. 7 at an awards
ceremony in Bethesda, Md. Anthony Battisti received the award for his work in
improving Sailors' standard of living aboard ships.

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=57659

===============================================

Help us raise some funds with our tupperware fundraiser.

Our tupperware fundraiser http://shortlinks.deafadvocacy.org/tupperware

===============================================

Current Hearing Loss Statistics

*About 17 percent of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.

*Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.

*Risk of hearing loss increases with age: 18 percent of Americans ages 45 to 64,
30 percent of those 65 to 74, and 47 percent of people 75 or older have a
hearing impairment.

*About 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or
hard-of-hearing. Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to
parents who can hear.

*It's estimated that 15 percent of Americans ages 20 to 69 have high-frequency
hearing loss because of exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure
activities.

*Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.

*About 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United
States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.

*About 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States.
Only 10 percent to 15 percent of patients with sudden deafness know what caused
their loss.

*About 615,000 individuals in the United States have been diagnosed with
Ménière's disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness,
ringing in the ears, hearing loss and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the
ear. About 45,500 new cases are diagnosed each year.

*About 3 percent to 6 percent of all deaf children and perhaps another 3 percent
to 6 percent of hard-of-hearing children have Usher syndrome. In developed
countries such as the United States, about 4 babies in every 100,000 births have
Usher syndrome.

*Of those 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14
percent of women are affected by tinnitus, a condition in which ringing,
roaring, clicking or hissing sounds in the ear are constant.

http://www2.godanriver.com/lifestyles/2010/dec/19/tdflair06-some-with-hearing-lo\
ss-choose-cochlear-i-ar-718770/

===============================================

Our board president, Beth, has a holiday wish.

During this holiday season, I'm hoping my friends and family will join me to
raise $500 for OCDAC Deaf Blind Services. It's a great cause that... gives
people who are deaf blind the training and skills needed to be as independent as
possible.

I chose OCDAC Deaf Blind Services because... I have seen first hand the
wonderful results.

Beth's Holiday Wish http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/141093

===============================================

Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

If you need to communicate with the Security Officer, inform her/him of your
disability and the way in which you can communicate. TSA Security Officers are
trained to provide whatever assistance they can to persons with hearing
disabilities.

More information
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1380.shtm

===============================================

Paypal is one super online payment system we all come to know for now. However a
new company called Paybox is rising up using the same babysteps as paypal. They
need at least 3 million members before they can open up to the public and your
help is needed. We will get $10.00 for each new paybox signup. New signups
will be given $25.00 in startup funds. Now isn't that a win win situation for
you and our organization?

Paybox http://www.paybox.me/r/ocdac

===============================================

Gallaudet University's Identity Struggle Continues

After two protests which rocked Gallaudet University, positive changes are being
made but Gallaudet University still does not fully embrace Deaf culture and
respect American Sign Language.

In Gallaudet University's 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, the top five priorities for
research, development and outreach as outlined in Goal E, may include "hearing
enhancements" and "genetics".

Read more at
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=31628&pageid=16&pagename=Opi\
nion

===============================================

For over 37 years, Labels for Education® has supported organizations across the
country by providing more than $110 million in free educational merchandise.
This year, the Labels for Education program is getting even better with a new
look and focus on the Arts, Athletics and Academic enrichment programs that can
spark children's successes. Labels for Education is also adding new partnerships
and resources. With your help, the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center can make
this year the best ever! To meet our goals, we need to collect 1,000,000 points.

Campbells Labels For Education Program http://www.deafadvocacy.org/campbells

===============================================

Theater chain sued over lack of captioning

Deaf and hard-of-hearing moviegoers filed suit in Alameda County Tuesday against
Cinemark, the nation's third-largest theater chain, for refusing to install
closed-captioning equipment that would let them read the dialogue in films they
can't hear.

Read more at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/30/BAMJ1GJO6I.DTL

===============================================

**********************
**** 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 herein 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.

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 IN ITS ENTIRETY 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.

Our physical address is P.O. Box 4339, Santa Ana, California, 92702-4339 and
this email is in compliance with CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.

Beth Koenig's Holiday wish!

My Holiday Wish: Raise $500 for OCDAC Deaf Blind Services!
Hello, and thanks for checking out my Holiday Wish!

During this holiday season, I'm hoping my friends and family will join me to raise $500 for OCDAC Deaf Blind Services. It's a great cause that... gives people who are deaf blind the training and skills needed to be as independent as possible.

I chose OCDAC Deaf Blind Services because... I have seen first hand the wonderful results.

Please consider giving to my Holiday Wish, and together we can make the world a better place for the deaf and blind. If you can't afford to donate, I'd really appreciate if you'd share this page with your friends.

Thanks so much,

Beth Koenig

Another Great Way To Help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

You are receiving this email message because you signed up to the OCDAC
Newsletter. It means you want to know whats going on within the Orange County
Deaf Advocacy Center.

We found an easy way for you to help us out.

A fast way to help us out is to sign onto the paybox payment system. We get $10
for each signup.

Click on http://www.paybox.me/r/ocdac and sign up to receive $25 and then you
can ask others to join under you for $10 each.

This is not a scam. This the same way paypal was formed. People will say
paybox dollars are like Disney or Linden dollars. The value of paybox dollars
is close to the U.S. Dollars.

It costs you absolutely nothing to maintain your membership. There are daily
requirements still to keep your account active. But those are very easy and take
a little bit of your time.

You already make the time to come online. Why not spare a little bit of that
time at paybox to enrich yourself. Remember it costs you no money and just
requires a little bit of your time. This is not a MLM.

All the money thats raised from this paybox account will go to deaf services of
Orange County. This is our way to sustain ourselves than increasing the burden
on taxpayers. Many of you have seen the OCDAC booth at the orange county fair,
some of the money goes to the costs of that booth. Ever noticed why there's no
deaf lawsuits in Orange County? Thats because of us helping business become
accessible to them. We are saving businesses in Orange County millions of
dollars from lawsuits. We are doing the good deeds here and we ask you to help
us out and you can also make yourself a little bit of money.

Why don't you help us raise the money we need for our operational expenses, its
easy and costs you no money and it all begins with a click to
http://www.paybox.me/r/ocdac

Richard Roehm

eBay Alert - Double Donations Help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

This last minute eBay news just in...
eBay has doubled the donation that you'll earn for Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.

Normally, your shopping contributes 20% of the Seller's Fee, but right now, it's 40% of the Seller's Fee.
eBay has told us that they may stop this special offer at any time, so take advantage of it today.

Help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center even more when you shop eBay this holiday season via iGive.com
You must use the links in this e-mail or on our site to make this donation happen.

Shop eBay today to doubly help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.

Any problems, questions, or concerns? Contact us!

This e-newsletter is sent to people who have registered at iGive.com
to support member-listed worthy causes through online shopping.
Money raised through shopping may be tax-deductible for members.
Worthy causes listed at iGive.com have been listed by members for their own and other members' use.
A listing at iGive.com is not an endorsement of iGive.com by the cause,
nor an endorsement of the cause by iGive.com.
Please see our Member Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Newsletter © 2010 iGive.com Holdings, LLC
(800) 372-6095 | iGive.com Suite 351 19821 NW 2nd Ave Miami Gardens, FL 33169
Facebook and Twitter are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
To unsubscribe from this iGive.com Weekly Newsletter, please click here.

Your Help Is Needed To Win A Contest

Again we need to ask you for your help in viewing this video below and
clicking on the like icon below the YouTube video. We need as many YouTubelikes as possible to win this contest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZwbP3Xuz5w it is captioned for those who don't
understand sign language.

The prize is a $3,000 professionally designed trade show booth that can be
compacted into a suitcase-like container for easy transport.

Please show your support and visit the YouTube video and click the like button.

Richard

We Have Created A Zany Zone For Deaf And Disabled Kids!

Never before a website so rich and safe for deaf and disabled kids, that Orange
County Deaf Advocacy Center created a safe place for them.

After seeing that popular deaf oriented video blog websites promoting bullying
and carrying negative messages and outlook, the Orange County Deaf Advocacy
Center created one that carries a very positive message for deaf and disabled
kids.

The website is Http://www.zanyzone.us and you have a sneak preview with the
login "zany" and password "zone". You will see its a colorful website with
links to nifty websites for boys and girls.

The website officially launches on "Black Friday" which is midnight on the East
coast, United States. Followed immediately by a 24 hour open house where anyone
can enter the website and learn of the registration procedures and rules.

This is going to be a family oriented website and all postings and comments will
be moderated to ensure a safe, cheerful, and positive learning and socializing
environment for the deaf and disabled kids.

Lets go to Zany Zone!

Richard

Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - November 20, 2010

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization with the goal of helping disabled persons overcome the obstacles that present themselves in their everyday lives.

Richard Roehm, Dorothy Balesh, and William Cross founded this organization in 1998 in order to help those with hearing impairments. Since then, we have dedicated our efforts into improving the lives of deaf persons as well as others who have disabilities.

One of our most celebrated tools of our mission is educating, empowering, and leading people with disabilities toward self-sufficiency through proactive projects and educating the general public on how they can participate in helping people with disabilities reach their goals.

We serve mainly people with disabilities that are low-income, seeking to find and retain their jobs, move up the corporate ladder, that are homeless, that are elderly, and that have families and are trying to go from welfare to work. We started off with a deaf focus and added the other disabilities over time as we have acquired and developed the specific resources.

Recently we have modified our bylaws, and installed a new board of directors that is very diverse.

Our www.deafadvocacy.org website has undergone major changes and it more visibly appealing and easier to navigate than what we had before. Stop by our website.

Our eBay store has grown bigger. We have new shelving system that needs to be in place and is being hindered by our monstrous inventory of braille magazines. This is the reason why we have a 50% off sale on all braille magazines in our eBay store until the end of this month.
http://stores.ebay.com/OCDAC-Adaptive-Equipment-and-More/Braille-Magazines-/_i.h\
tml?_fsub=5006048&_sid=12597986&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

We have entered one of our video blogs in a contest. We would like for you to go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZwbP3Xuz5w and click on the like button below the video. Click on the CC button if you're not familiar with sign language.

We are raising money for our Rose Parade fundraising project. See this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xect6ERXyk and for this we have several ways you
can help us out;

1) Tupperware fundraiser http://shortlinks.deafadvocacy.org/tupperware
2) Flashing rose fundraiser http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=10653
3) Make a straight donation http://www.deafadvocacy.org/d

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is about promoting the recognition and
inclusion of the hearing impaired and other persons with disabilities into all
aspects of our society. Our main goals are to enable deaf and disabled people to
achieve their maximum potential through increased education, advocacy, and
participation in all aspects of the community.

Your assistance in helping us achieve our goals is appreciated.

Richard Roehm
Chairman

OCDAC Newsletter October 16, 2010

Greetings members,

Yes it's been a while since you got the last newsletter. We've been busy with
our outreach and clients.

We've completed our capacity building grant that enabled our agency to hire an
attorney to tune-up our non-profit paperwork and developed a number of policies
for our agency and a handbook for our volunteers. We have a new 7 member board
that is a diverse and inclusive composition of people that know how to look into
the future and be part of the deaf future.

We've entered one of our videos in a contest, please visit this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZwbP3Xuz5w and click on the like button. It is
captioned.

AB 2072 was vetoed by the governor but it doesn't stop us from pushing the idea
at this website http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=9451

Next week we will be heavy on outreach activities. We've been invited to
several events and we are ready for that.

I've been doing a lot of Facebook work and would like you to add me as a friend
so you will be up to par on our activities.
My Facebook identity is at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=593478122

Our eBay store remains above the 900 item mark we are having trouble getting
close to the 1,000 mark because people have started their holiday shopping at
our webstore. http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=ocdac

Our website looks very different as we upgraded it and it still has a lot of
work to do to bring it up to par. Http://www.deafadvocacy.org

In spite of the never ending negative rumormongering about me and our agency,
our client traffic has increased and that's a sign that people still need our
help and they chose us over the social service agencies in their areas. We are
still worthy of your support.

Richard Roehm
Chairman

AB 2072 is still alive and will remain on an eternal life

AB 2072 is still alive and will remain on an eternal life

The options and resource brochures offered on this page were inspired by AB 2072
http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=9451 resources have been developed for 4
counties already and more counties brochures will be developed once time becomes
available. Eventually all counties in California will have their specific
brochures and weve been asked by people in Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey
for development of these resources for their respective locations.

Over 8000 copies of the brochures have been downloaded as of today

AB 2072 is not dead. It is alive and getting bigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXRwy0Quflg

Richard Roehm
Modern Deaf Communication
Http://www.moderndeafcommunication.org

Special Bonus to Help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

It's been another hard year for many causes.  The approaching holiday season gives us a chance
to help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.  It requires your participation, but it's free and definitely easy.

iGive.com is going to attempt to donate $5,000 in just 24 hours to Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center and other causes.

For each person who joins iGive using the special link below and does just one qualified web search on our
site between now and noon. Thursday, September 30, 2010 (Chicago time), we'll
give Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center a dollar.

Share this e-mail now if you care to help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.

5,000 new members, $5,000.  No purchase necessary.

We hope that it'll turn into much more, as these new members shop and search during the holidays.

If these new members search more (or buy something at an iGive store) they'll earn even more
money for Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.  Right now, we're donating a $.01 per search and a
bonus $5 for that first purchase plus the usual percentage.

Here's where you come in.  The only way Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center will get new supporters and that free $1+
is if you invite them.  Send your friends, family, and colleagues the following link in an e-mail, tweet it, do a
Facebook posting, put up posters, shout from mountain tops (you know the drill) and let them know you think
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is pretty cool and deserves their support, especially since it's free!  You can even just forward
this e-mail.

This is the link:
       http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?m=401786

If they wish to shop and help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center this holiday, they can choose from eBay to Amazon, iTunes to Home Depot,
Staples, JC Penney, Expedia, and about 800 other great stores.

The details:
    - Offer active between now and 11:59 a.m., September 30, 2010 (Chicago time).
    - New members only (never have been an iGive member previously).  All the normal rules of membership, searching, and
       purchasing apply, our site has the details.
    - Once we've given away $5,000 in total, the offer ends.
    - The special link is important.  No link, no qualified web search, no $1.

That's it.  Don't forget to try our search yourself (http://isearch.igive.com).  You may need to login first.

Yours,

Robert N. Grosshandler
Founder

P.S. We've added a little something new.  If you want to track how you are doing, just visit http://www.iGive.com/html/referralsreport.cfm.

 If you want to track how your cause is doing, please visit http://www.iGive.com//html/causestats.cfm .

Special Bonus to Help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

It's been another hard year for many causes. The approaching holiday season gives us a chance
to help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. It requires your participation, but it's free and definitely easy.

iGive.com is going to attempt to donate $5,000 in just 24 hours to Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center and other causes.

For each person who joins iGive using the special link below and does just one qualified web search on our
site between now and noon. Thursday, September 30, 2010 (Chicago time), we'll
give Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center a dollar.

Share this e-mail now if you care to help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center.

5,000 new members, $5,000. No purchase necessary.

We hope that it'll turn into much more, as these new members shop and search during the holidays.

If these new members search more (or buy something at an iGive store) they'll earn even more
money for Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. Right now, we're donating a $.01 per search and a
bonus $5 for that first purchase plus the usual percentage.

Here's where you come in. The only way Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center will get new supporters and that free $1+
is if you invite them. Send your friends, family, and colleagues the following link in an e-mail, tweet it, do a
Facebook posting, put up posters, shout from mountain tops (you know the drill) and let them know you think
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center is pretty cool and deserves their support, especially since it's free! You can even just forward
this e-mail.

This is the link:
http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?m=401786

If they wish to shop and help Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center this holiday, they can choose from eBay to Amazon, iTunes to Home Depot,
Staples, JC Penney, Expedia, and about 800 other great stores.

The details:
- Offer active between now and 11:59 a.m., September 30, 2010 (Chicago time).
- New members only (never have been an iGive member previously). All the normal rules of membership, searching, and
purchasing apply, our site has the details.
- Once we've given away $5,000 in total, the offer ends.
- The special link is important. No link, no qualified web search, no $1.

That's it. Don't forget to try our search yourself (http://isearch.igive.com). You may need to login first.

Yours,

Robert N. Grosshandler
Founder

P.S. We've added a little something new. If you want to track how you are doing, just visit http://www.iGive.com/html/referralsreport.cfm.

If you want to track how your cause is doing, please visit http://www.iGive.com//html/causestats.cfm .

Special Anouncement: Fresca’s Mexican Grill Fundraiser (requires copy of flyer)

Experience the Difference at Fresca's Mexican Grill and raise money for the
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
Print the flyer here! https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B29f-2gUOXwuYWE0MDM1NzctMzY3Mi00YjNjLTgzNzEtMWExMzhhMTM5Yzll&hl=en
Location: Fresca's Mexican Grill
1621 Edinger Avenue
Tustin, CA 92780-6534
Date: Friday September 3rd, 2010
Time: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Important
* Remember to bring the flyer to the event and give it to the cashier when buying food to receive credit for the fundraiser!
Fresca's Mexican Grill will donate 20% of your transaction (eat-in or take-out) before tax. We want to help you raise money and support your organization while having a good time and a great meal.

OCDAC Newsletter August 2010

Greetings Friends and associates of this email newsletter list.

Its been a while since I've made a post. That's because a few things have happened to my ability to make these posts.

My time at the fair has consumed my energy in many different ways. Plus we are also in the capacity building stage in which we're making many strong adjustments to our ability to communicate with the stakeholders, we are redefining our board, and we are making ourselves stronger.

We are no longer in the city of Irvine. We are running the agency out of the 3 homes we have for our consumers. Our mailing address is now;

ORANGE COUNTY DEAF ADVOCACY CENTER
P.O. Box 4339
Santa Ana, California, 92702-4339

We still do our outreach activities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEySl_-GHOs

AB 2072 continues to get passing marks in the legislature and is just one vote away from ending up on the governor's desk. The opposition which largely consists of state funded deaf social service agencies has failed miserably to sell to the legislature the reasons for keeping the deaf society in the dark years of dependency and isolation as members of a closed deaf society. We are winning the fight to lead the deaf society toward the promised land of fairness, equality, and justice.

We still collaborate with other organizations that make life better for people with disabilities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWembZcVa7E

One somber note is our former accountant, Ray Louis Mackeever, has passed away. He had been our bookkeeper and he had been a strong defender of the disabled and a member of many committees and commissions that existed to make life better for people with disabilities. He's made his mark and the mark will live on for all of us into the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ce_gIc0gV0

We celebrated the ADA anniversary at several locations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0GXqyAOJXk

Our ebay webstore is still growing strong. We are well over the 900 listing mark and we have a lot of items to add to the store that will bring it very close to the 1,000 mark. http://stores.ebay.com/id=12597986

We also have been developing and manufacturing new products for our webstore as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SDgWuAQY3w and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSQMKu8jvGc See the webstore at http://www.tinyurl.com/ocdac

We are working on a new simpler newsletter format that will get the messages straight to you while minimizing the advertisements. We will make it more appetizing for you to find our newsletter, like what we do, and support us for what we are doing.

We should resume our newsletters sometime in the middle of September.

Richard Roehm
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
Website http://www.deafadvocacy.org
Webstore http://http://stores.ebay.com/id=12597986
Webstore http://http://www.tinyurl.com/ocdac
Online Social http://www.eyefirevlogs.com

Ray Louis McKeever 1939-2010

One of our fellow associates passed away last month and we both accomplished a lot to make life better for people with disabilities in the Southland.

Here's a post on Ray's services as held on August 7, 2010. You will see a video on the link. It was attended by over 100 people.

http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=8795

Richard Roehm

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - July 12, 2010

THE TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act we have developed a new ADA access kit we sell to offices, hotels, hospitals, businesses that normally interact with deaf consumers.

The new "Simplicity ADA Access Kit" has among the e the TTY, Amplified telephone, and VIDEOPHONE! Yes Videophones will soon be everywhere that has ADA kits for the deaf and hard of hearing! 85% of businesses already have DSL connection required for the videophones.

See my video announcing this new ADA kit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmqR9F_vSQ and as soon as we get the deals to obtain a decent supply of videophones, we will offer the new ADA access kit at our ebay store.

Enforcement of the ADA will double real soon and I feel this be the calling sign to double up the prices of our ADA kits on July 26, 2010 the 20th anniversary date. Even the doubling of the prices still makes our ADA kits the cheapest kits available and it goes far beyond the cheap price comparing to $7,000 to $10,000 the going price for ADA settlements.

The OCDAC's beat goes on at the Orange County Fair starting this Friday!

Richard Roehm

Brought to you by the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
Http://www.deafadvocacy.org

*******************

DO YOUR SHOPPING AT OUR WEBSTORE.

We have lots of new items and our webstore count stands at over 860 items. We have fresh donations. We are creeping up tom the 900 item mark!

Lots of products for the deaf, and blind, and other disabilities. Remember your parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters, family members, co-workers who need adaptive equipment. Employers can shop here for equipment and accessories for their hearing impaired workers.

Buy Here, Buy Now, Pay Less with our ADA kits! This includes long term savings associated with ADA compliance. Prices of our ADA kits will double on July 26, 2010. Even the double pricing still makes our ADA kits the cheapest available.

Stop by http://stores.ebay.com/OCDAC-Adaptive-Equipment-and-More today to start your shopping.

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THE GRAPEVINES

Rule Extends Disability Protections to Passenger Ships and Boats

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced the first federal rule to specifically provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections to people with disabilities who travel on boats and ships. The action comes as the 20th anniversary of the ADA approaches on July 26.

The rule applies to two categories of vessels: vessels operated by public entities, such as public ferry systems, and vessels operated by private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, such as cruise ships.

The rule is meant ensure that vessel operators' policies do not discriminate against passengers with disabilities. Under the rule, vessel operators cannot charge extra for accessibility-related services to passengers, cannot require passengers to furnish their own attendants, and cannot deny access to passengers based on disability. Vessel operators will have to provide information to passengers about the accessibility of their facilities and services and make a knowledgeable person available to resolve accessibility concerns.

This rule does not establish physical accessibility standards for new construction or alteration of vessels. The Access Board, an independent agency, is currently developing proposed accessibility guidelines that the Department would adopt in a subsequent rulemaking.

Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations will cover a third category of vessels not covered by DOT's rules those operated by private entities not primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, such as fishing charters and dinner cruise boats.

The new rule will become effective 120 days after it is published. There will be a 90-day comment period concerning three issues: whether vessel operators should be required to allow passengers with disabilities to bring emotional support animals on board, requirements operators must follow concerning the use of mobility aids, and the relationship of DOT and DOJ disability rules.

The rule is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2007-26829.

Brought to you by The Orange Deafie Blog
Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/blog/blog.html

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FACE TO FACE TIMES

Senate Holds Successful Hearing on Accessible Communications Technologies

On May 26, 2010, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology & the Internet held a successful hearing entitled “Innovation and Inclusion: The Americans with Disabilities Act at 20.� This hearing focused on the issues raised by the "Equal Access to Communications in the 21st Century Act" (S. 3304). The witness on Panel 1 was Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA). On Panel 2, there were four witnesses: Russell Harvard, Actor; Sgt. Brian Pearce (Ret.), U.S. Army; Thomas Wlodkowski, Accessibility Director, AOL Inc.; Bobbie Beth Scoggins, President of the National Association of the Deaf; and Walter McCormick, President and Chief Executive Officer, US Telecom Association (USTA).

Advocates noted the optimistic tone of Senator John Kerry's comments about the COAT-sponsored bills passing this year. He said "all the testimonies today are incredibly helpful" and that he "wants all the devices and services available to everyone." Senator Kerry chairs the subcommittee and co-sponsored introduction of S. 3304, a bill similar to the "21st Century Communications & Video Access Act" (HR 3101), introduced in the House. For the first time in any one present's memory, advocates noted how Senator Kerry held up the testimony of one witness for a few minutes when the live online captioning broke down and waited until it resumed before allowing the witness to continue. He also ensured that Sgt Brian Pearce, who also has Traumatic Brain Injury, was provided enough time to speak.

The first witness, Rep. Markey said that "industry exaggerates the costs and burdens of accessibility" and fails to note the benefits of accessibility to everyone. He used the example of captioning on TV, which allows people for whom English is a Second Language to understand TV, and that also "allows guys to multi-task in bars," a comment that generated much laughter in the hearing room. He added that people with disabilities wait too long for accessible technology. Markey said that the "wizardry of the wires is neither good nor bad but that we need to animate them with human values, especially as our population ages." He added that "H.R. 3101 brings existing disability laws up-to-date, making for accessible, affordable and usable technologies for people with disabilities."

Panel 2 witness Sgt. Pearce (Ret.Army), whose vision and hearing were injured in Iraq by a bomb explosion, said, "I just want to be able to do the things that anyone else would do" and wondered "if inaccessible technology contributes to current high unemployment, especially for vets like me going back to school." He reported that he "can't find video description on TV" and "TV interfaces should be accessible to those who lose vision and hearing." He noted also that he "can't hear storm warnings on TV." In response to a question from Sen. Mark Pryor he said he'd "been through several cell phones, none accessible." The second consumer witness, Russell Harvard, pleaded with the committee to "Please don't leave us behind as new digital technologies become available to the general public." He also made the point that "easy-to-use captioning controls are like volume controls for hearing people." AOL's Tom Wlodowski admitted to frustration when the Internet is inaccessible and on behalf of industry, said they want "flexibility is how accessibility is delivered". He made several points about the need for "interoperability" with assistive technologies (AT) and noted that "the cost of AT is prohibitive."

Bobbie Beth Scoggins of NAD signed her testimony, and said "S.3304 does a lot for people who are deaf, people who are blind, people who are deaf-blind," but she "wants advanced communications definition & undue burden standard as found in H.R. 3101." She opined that "industry designs for younger people," and asked for "the digital tools that allow for independence of people with disabilities." Walter McCormick, from USTA, conveyed his opinion that "most problems had been worked out with the legislation" and "it would not take much time to work out the rest." He said that "S. 3304 leaves the FCC to decide what companies make what products accessible [whereas] the HR 3101 definition is better." McCormick added that "the compliance standard in H.R.3101 is better than in S.3304 and that it corresponds to the standard included in the National Broadband Plan." In response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), McCormick said USTA "supports real time text and the aspirations of the consumers on panel" in regard to making 9-1-1 emergency centers more up-to-date.

Over 100 people attended the hearing, many being people from industry as well as a strong contingent of consumer representatives. Representatives were also present from two federal agencies, the US Access Board and the FCC.

Both S. 3304 and HR 3101 are bills that would enact the accessible technologies agenda of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT).

Brought to you by Modern Deaf Communication
http://www.moderndeafcommunication.org

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MAXED OUT ON YOUR CREDIT CARDS @ NEED CHEAPER AUTO INSURANCE?

Get yourself an OCDAC credit card through a special program at http://www.cardpartner.com/enduser.aspx?AEID=D0974

We get a $50 donation for each person who completes the signup, and uses the card.

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FREE AUTO INSURANCE QUOTES

This brokerage http://oc.insure2.us has people familiar with deaf motorists.

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THE FINGER BOWS

V.A. Is Easing Rules to Cover Stress Disorder

The government is preparing to issue new rules that will make it substantially easier for veterans who have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Story by Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times

The regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will take effect as early as Monday and cost as much as $5 billion over several years according to Congressional analysts, will essentially eliminate a requirement that veterans document specific events like bomb blasts, firefights or mortar attacks that might have caused P.T.S.D., an illness characterized by emotional numbness, irritability and flashbacks.

For decades, veterans have complained that finding such records was extremely time consuming and sometimes impossible. And in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans groups assert that the current rules discriminate against tens of thousands of service members (many of them women) who did not serve in combat roles but nevertheless suffered traumatic experiences.

Under the new rule, which applies to veterans of all wars, the department will grant compensation to those with P.T.S.D. if they can simply show that they served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say caused their conditions. They would not have to prove, for instance, that they came under fire, served in a front-line unit or saw a friend killed.

The new rule would also allow compensation for service members who had good reason to fear traumatic events, known as stressors, even if they did not actually experience them.

There are concerns that the change will open the door to a flood of fraudulent claims. But supporters of the rule say the veterans department will still review all claims and thus be able to weed out the baseless ones.

"This nation has a solemn obligation to the men and women who have honorably served this country and suffer from the emotional and often devastating hidden wounds of war," the secretary of veterans affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, said in a statement to The New York Times. "This final regulation goes a long way to ensure that veterans receive the benefits and services they need."

Though widely applauded by veterans' groups, the new rule is generating
criticism from some quarters because of its cost. Some mental health experts
also believe it will lead to economic dependency among younger veterans whose
conditions might be treatable.

Disability benefits include free physical and mental health care and monthly checks ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $2,000, depending on the severity of the condition.

"I can't imagine anyone more worthy of public largess than a veteran," said Dr. Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative policy group, who has written on P.T.S.D. "But as a clinician, it is destructive to give someone total and permanent disability when they are in fact capable of working, even if it is not at full capacity. A job is the most therapeutic thing there is."

But Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America, said most veterans applied for disability not for the monthly checks but because they wanted access to free health care.

"I know guys who are rated 100 percent disabled who keep coming back for treatment not because they are worried about losing their compensation, but because they want their life back," Mr. Weidman said.

Mr. Weidman and other veterans' advocates said they were disappointed by one provision of the new rule: It will require a final determination on a veteran's case to be made by a psychiatrist or psychologist who works for the veterans department.

The advocates assert that the rule will allow the department to sharply limit approvals. They argue that private physicians should be allowed to make those determinations as well.

But Tom Pamperin, associate deputy under secretary for policy and programs at the veterans department, said the agency wanted to ensure that standards were consistent for the assessments.

"V.A. and V.A.-contract clinicians go through a certification process," Mr. Pamperin said. "They are well familiar with military life and can make an assessment of whether the stressor is consistent with the veterans' duties and place of service."

The new rule comes at a time when members of Congress and the veterans department itself are moving to expand health benefits and disability compensation for a variety of disorders linked to deployment. The projected costs of those actions are generating some opposition, though probably not enough to block any of the proposals.

The largest proposal would make it easier for Vietnam veterans with ischemic heart disease, Parkinson's disease and hairy-cell leukemia to receive benefits.

The rule, proposed last fall by the veterans department, would presume those diseases were caused by exposure to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant, if a veteran could simply demonstrate that he had set foot in Vietnam during the war.

The rule, still under review, is projected to cost more than $42 billion over a decade.

Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia and a Vietnam veteran, has asked that Congress review the proposal before it takes effect. "I take a back seat to no one in my concern for our veterans," Mr. Webb said in a floor statement in May. "But I do think we need to have practical, proper procedures."

More than two million service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001, and by some estimates 20 percent or more of them will develop P.T.S.D.

More than 150,000 cases of P.T.S.D. have been diagnosed by the veterans health system among veterans of the two wars, while thousands more have received diagnoses from private doctors, said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, an advocacy group.

But Mr. Sullivan said records showed that the veterans department had approved P.T.S.D. disability claims for only 78,000 veterans. That suggests, he said, that many veterans with the disorder are having their compensation claims rejected by claims processors."Those statistics show a very serious problem in how V.A. handles P.T.S.D. claims," Mr. Sullivan said.

Representative John Hall, Democrat of New York and sponsor of legislation similar to the new rule, said his office had handled dozens of cases involving veterans who had trouble receiving disability compensation for P.T.S.D., including a Navy veteran from World War II who twice served on ships that sank in the Pacific.

"It doesn't matter whether you are an infantryman or a cook or a truck driver," Mr. Hall said. "Anyone is potentially at risk for post-traumatic stress."

Brought to you by ASL News http://www.aslnews.com

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Take a look and bookmark our new search page!Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/search.html . It's a good source of information you can use.

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THE SOUR ORCHIDS

"Forced Institutionalization of People With Disabilities Is Illegal" - DOJ and Federal Court Ruling.

The U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., ruled this week that Michele Haddad must be provided with services that will allow her to stay in her home. Haddad, who has a spinal-cord injury caused by a motorcycle accident with a drunk driver three years ago, was at risk of being forced into a nursing home because of changes in her caregiver situation. Although the 49-year-old woman has been on the waiting list for Medicaid community-based waiver services for two years and had alerted the state of her need, she was told that the requested services would only be available if she was admitted to a nursing home for 60 days.

In Haddad v. Arnold, the plaintiff argued that she would suffer irreparable harm if forced to enter a nursing home.

The court agreed, ordering the state to offer Haddad community-based services. The reason: Segregating people with disabilities is a form of discrimination, as found in Olmstead v. L.C. This landmark disability-rights decision determined that isolating people with disabilities in institutional settings deprives them of the opportunity to participate in their communities, interact with individuals who don't have disabilities and make daily choices. The ruling also acknowledged that unnecessary institutionalization stigmatizes people with disabilities.

The Olmstead decision, which marks its 11th anniversary this week, is not the first such case that the U.S Department of Justice has filed briefs. The DOJ is involved in several other cases in Illinois and New Jersey, as part of its mission to end discrimination against people with disabilities.

"In the Olmstead case, the court recognized that the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities stigmatizes those individuals as unworthy of participation in community life," stated Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez. "By supporting Ms. Haddad in this case, we seek to ensure that individuals with disabilities can receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate, where they can participate in their communities, interact with individuals who do not have disabilities and make their own day-to-day choices."

The Department of Justice's involvement in these cases reinforce the Obama administration's national efforts to protect the rights of all people.

"This work is a priority for the Civil Rights Division, and we are committed to aggressive enforcement of Olmstead so that we can build upon progress made over the last 11 years," said Perez earlier this week. "But our work is only one piece of a larger, administration-wide effort to make the promise of Olmstead a reality for individuals with disabilities nationwide. Real reform requires a holistic approach. As a lifelong public servant, I recognize that the most vexing problems a government faces are those that require unprecedented interagency collaboration and coordination. The unnecessary and illegal institutionalization of individuals with disabilities who would be better served, and better able to contribute to their communities, if they were provided services in integrated settings, is one of those problems."

Disability Advocates: Are there Michele Haddad's in your States?

Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Brought to you by the other Orange Deafie Blog at http://ocdac.wordpress.com/

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COME TO OUR MEETUPS!

The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group - http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - and the Orange County Deaf & Hearing Impaired Meetup Group http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ meets each 3rd Fridays of the month.

We are currently pondering a new locations for all of our meetup events because our competition appears to have hijacked the excitement, prestige, and normalcy of our cherished monthly gatherings.

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FROM THE BLOGSPHERE

Shane H. Feldman Is The Golden Train NAD Needs!

But they chose Howard A. Rosenblum. A poor example. Rosenblum's ties with Protection and Advocacy entities is the big red flag the NAD CEO Search Committee missed. Protection and Advocacy entities all have a poor record in defending the rights of people with disabilities. I seen this with my own eyes in the past 10 years already. This is going to be like a jet flying over the Atlantic Ocean and someone turns the engines off half way across the ocean. Howard A. Rosenblum is the type of person to do the same thing to NAD.

Shane H. Feldman is the golden train NAD needs to climb out of the fiscal mess and lead the deaf communities to the promised land.

They're already missing the golden train with Howard A. Rosenblum as CEO! What's the message coming out of this? "Train Go Sorry!"

Brought to you by the Hearing For Life Foundation Http://www.hear-for-life.org


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DO YOU HAVE TINNITUS? ARE YOUR EARS RINGING ALOUD BY ITSELF? DO YOU WANT THAT TO STOP?

Tinnitus affects people with or without hearing loss.

Tinnitus is the ringing sensation that occurs in the ears. Severe tinnitus can be painful and disable a person. Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center has two people serving in a patient advocacy council. Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center wants to help people retain their productivity by helping them manage tinnitus.

We are introducing a nutraceutical cocktail of Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, and Garlic to manage tinnitus (ringing) in the ears. New studies show that a combination of these three working together helps manage tinnitus. We have the research that suggest the cocktail helps manage tinnitus.

This cocktail doesn't create the flush reaction you get from using high dosage of Niacin taken to manage tinnitus.

Tinnitus management kit contains Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, Garlic, pill minders box, carrying case, and 2 sets of ear plugs.

Kit is assembled by people with disabilities.

If you care about your ears, please shop through our paypal link below now

Tinnitus 2 month management kit $79.99 - Free Shipping On All Orders!
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8502596

Refills each month $29.99 (Link will be mailed to you with your order)

The funds generated from this offering will be returned to the community in the form of assisted housing, education, advocacy, free equipment, outreach, and conference activities.

***These Statements have not been evaluated by the US FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. There is no guarantee this will help you manage tinnitus. This may work on some people and this may not work on some people too.

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FROM THE VLOGSPHERE (VIDEO BLOGGING)

Jdeaf.com returns to the videoblogspheres with a loud flatulence (farting sound). Sadly this cesspool of a website serves no one and does nothing but bash at the deaf pillars over picky to nothing. As of date of this publication, 132 people with appetites for communal slime have signed up to be members of this trashy website.

Brought to you by the Eye Fire Vlogs Http://eyefirevlogs.com

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Please donate to Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. We have a lot of work to do on behalf of people with hearing and speech impairments and we have a donation form ready for your use.

Donation form :
http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&\
partner=networkforgood&ein=33-0806007

Thank you very much for the time youve taken to read this newsletter and clicking on the donation link above.

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FROM THE NEWSLETTER READERS

Now OCDAC is helping deaf people get low cost auto insurance. Unlike many insurance networks, this one is very familiar with deaf people. Why dont you go to the site and fill out the information to get free insurance quotes http://oc.insure2.us/ today!

Cameron Bland

Brought to you by Deaf Paradise Http://deafparadise.ning.com/

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**** DISCLAIMER ****
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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 herein 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.

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 IN ITS ENTIRETY 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.

Our physical address is 2960 Main Street suite #102, Irvine California 92614 and this email is in compliance with CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.

July 4th Message From Richard Roehm, CEO

Hi folks!

Happy 4th July!

I'm here in the Navajolands. We took a stop at Casa Grande, Arizona. I recognized one of the hotels, The Casa Inn, there as one of OCDAC's customers and went over to check on seeing if our ADA access kit is still being used there. I sold them an ADA access kit 3 years ago. The manager there was the one that ordered it. Tells me the ADA kit is a lifesaver to their business. Talks about a hard of hearing diabetic who used their TTY to get replacement insulin after her baggage was missing. The word of mouth from that diabetic brought in more business to them.

How's that for positive impact on our ADA Hotel access advocacy! That's it. I just want to share this great news with our subscribers. This is definitely the "POP" that makes 4th of July a very happy day!

Don't forget to share this email with your friends, associates, and relatives. We still have plenty of ADA kits for hotels, office, and boarding homes. Our prices are very competitive. Our webstore can be found through a link I can remember as http://www.tinyurl.com/ocdac and you will find great things that people are saying good things about.

Again have a great and safe July 4!

I will return later this week.

Richard Roehm
Volunteer CEO
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center

OCDAC Newsletter August 2010

Greetings Friends and associates of this email newsletter list.

Its been a while since I've made a post. That's because a few things have
happened to my ability to make these posts.

My time at the fair has consumed my energy in many different ways. Plus we are
also in the capacity building stage in which we're making many strong
adjustments to our ability to communicate with the stakeholders, we are
redefining our board, and we are making ourselves stronger.

We are no longer in the city of Irvine. We are running the agency out of the 3
homes we have for our consumers. Our mailing address is now;

ORANGE COUNTY DEAF ADVOCACY CENTER
P.O. Box 4339
Santa Ana, California, 92702-4339

We still do our outreach activities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEySl_-GHOs

AB 2072 continues to get passing marks in the legislature and is just one vote
away from ending up on the governor's desk. The opposition which largely
consists of state funded deaf social service agencies has failed miserably to
sell to the legislature the reasons for keeping the deaf society in the dark
years of dependency and isolation as members of a closed deaf society. We are
winning the fight to lead the deaf society toward the promised land of fairness,
equality, and justice.

We still collaborate with other organizations that make life better for people
with disabilities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWembZcVa7E

One somber note is our former accountant, Ray Louis Mackeever, has passed away.
He had been our bookkeeper and he had been a strong defender of the disabled and
a member of many committees and commissions that existed to make life better for
people with disabilities. He's made his mark and the mark will live on for all
of us into the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ce_gIc0gV0

We celebrated the ADA anniversary at several locations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0GXqyAOJXk

Our ebay webstore is still growing strong. We are well over the 900 listing
mark and we have a lot of items to add to the store that will bring it very
close to the 1,000 mark. http://stores.ebay.com/id=12597986

We also have been developing and manufacturing new products for our webstore as
well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SDgWuAQY3w and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSQMKu8jvGc See the webstore at
http://www.tinyurl.com/ocdac

We are working on a new simpler newsletter format that will get the messages
straight to you while minimizing the advertisements. We will make it more
appetizing for you to find our newsletter, like what we do, and support us for
what we are doing.

We should resume our newsletters sometime in the middle of September.

Richard Roehm
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
Website http://www.deafadvocacy.org
Webstore http://http://stores.ebay.com/id=12597986
Webstore http://http://www.tinyurl.com/ocdac
Online Social http://www.eyefirevlogs.com

Ray Louis McKeever 1939-2010

One of our fellow associates passed away last month and we both accomplished a
lot to make life better for people with disabilities in the Southland.

Here's a post on Ray's services as held on August 7, 2010. You will see a video
on the link. It was attended by over 100 people.

http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=8795

Richard Roehm

The Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center Newsletter - July 12, 2010

THE TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act we
have developed a new ADA access kit we sell to offices, hotels, hospitals,
businesses that normally interact with deaf consumers.

The new "Simplicity ADA Access Kit" has among the e the TTY, Amplified
telephone, and VIDEOPHONE! Yes Videophones will soon be everywhere that has ADA
kits for the deaf and hard of hearing! 85% of businesses already have DSL
connection required for the videophones.

See my video announcing this new ADA kit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmqR9F_vSQ and as soon as we get the deals to
obtain a decent supply of videophones, we will offer the new ADA access kit at
our ebay store.

Enforcement of the ADA will double real soon and I feel this be the calling sign
to double up the prices of our ADA kits on July 26, 2010 the 20th anniversary
date. Even the doubling of the prices still makes our ADA kits the cheapest
kits available and it goes far beyond the cheap price comparing to $7,000 to
$10,000 the going price for ADA settlements.

The OCDAC's beat goes on at the Orange County Fair starting this Friday!

Richard Roehm

Brought to you by the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
Http://www.deafadvocacy.org

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DO YOUR SHOPPING AT OUR WEBSTORE.

We have lots of new items and our webstore count stands at over 860 items. We
have fresh donations. We are creeping up tom the 900 item mark!

Lots of products for the deaf, and blind, and other disabilities. Remember your
parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters, family members, co-workers who need
adaptive equipment. Employers can shop here for equipment and accessories for
their hearing impaired workers.

Buy Here, Buy Now, Pay Less with our ADA kits! This includes long term savings
associated with ADA compliance. Prices of our ADA kits will double on July 26,
2010. Even the double pricing still makes our ADA kits the cheapest available.

Stop by http://stores.ebay.com/OCDAC-Adaptive-Equipment-and-More today to start
your shopping.

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THE GRAPEVINES

Rule Extends Disability Protections to Passenger Ships and Boats

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced the first federal rule to
specifically provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections to people
with disabilities who travel on boats and ships. The action comes as the 20th
anniversary of the ADA approaches on July 26.

The rule applies to two categories of vessels: vessels operated by public
entities, such as public ferry systems, and vessels operated by private entities
primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, such as cruise ships.

The rule is meant ensure that vessel operators' policies do not discriminate
against passengers with disabilities. Under the rule, vessel operators cannot
charge extra for accessibility-related services to passengers, cannot require
passengers to furnish their own attendants, and cannot deny access to passengers
based on disability. Vessel operators will have to provide information to
passengers about the accessibility of their facilities and services and make a
knowledgeable person available to resolve accessibility concerns.

This rule does not establish physical accessibility standards for new
construction or alteration of vessels. The Access Board, an independent agency,
is currently developing proposed accessibility guidelines that the Department
would adopt in a subsequent rulemaking.

Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations will cover a third category of vessels
not covered by DOT's rules â€" those operated by private entities not primarily
engaged in the business of transporting people, such as fishing charters and
dinner cruise boats.

The new rule will become effective 120 days after it is published. There will be
a 90-day comment period concerning three issues: whether vessel operators should
be required to allow passengers with disabilities to bring emotional support
animals on board, requirements operators must follow concerning the use of
mobility aids, and the relationship of DOT and DOJ disability rules.

The rule is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket
DOT-OST-2007-26829.

Brought to you by The Orange Deafie Blog
Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/blog/blog.html

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FACE TO FACE TIMES

Senate Holds Successful Hearing on Accessible Communications Technologies

On May 26, 2010, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology &
the Internet held a successful hearing entitled “Innovation and Inclusion: The
Americans with Disabilities Act at 20.” This hearing focused on the issues
raised by the "Equal Access to Communications in the 21st Century Act" (S.
3304). The witness on Panel 1 was Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA). On Panel 2, there
were four witnesses: Russell Harvard, Actor; Sgt. Brian Pearce (Ret.), U.S.
Army; Thomas Wlodkowski, Accessibility Director, AOL Inc.; Bobbie Beth Scoggins,
President of the National Association of the Deaf; and Walter McCormick,
President and Chief Executive Officer, US Telecom Association (USTA).

Advocates noted the optimistic tone of Senator John Kerry's comments about the
COAT-sponsored bills passing this year. He said "all the testimonies today are
incredibly helpful" and that he "wants all the devices and services available to
everyone.” Senator Kerry chairs the subcommittee and co-sponsored introduction
of S. 3304, a bill similar to the “21st Century Communications & Video Access
Act” (HR 3101), introduced in the House. For the first time in any one
present’s memory, advocates noted how Senator Kerry held up the testimony of
one witness for a few minutes when the live online captioning broke down and
waited until it resumed before allowing the witness to continue. He also ensured
that Sgt Brian Pearce, who also has Traumatic Brain Injury, was provided enough
time to speak.

The first witness, Rep. Markey said that "industry exaggerates the costs and
burdens of accessibility" and fails to note the benefits of accessibility to
everyone. He used the example of captioning on TV, which allows people for whom
English is a Second Language to understand TV, and that also "allows guys to
multi-task in bars," a comment that generated much laughter in the hearing room.
He added that people with disabilities wait too long for accessible technology.
Markey said that the "wizardry of the wires is neither good nor bad but that we
need to animate them with human values, especially as our population ages." He
added that "H.R. 3101 brings existing disability laws up-to-date, making for
accessible, affordable and usable technologies for people with disabilities."

Panel 2 witness Sgt. Pearce (Ret.Army), whose vision and hearing were injured in
Iraq by a bomb explosion, said, "I just want to be able to do the things that
anyone else would do" and wondered "if inaccessible technology contributes to
current high unemployment, especially for vets like me going back to school."
He reported that he "can't find video description on TV" and "TV interfaces
should be accessible to those who lose vision and hearing." He noted also that
he "can't hear storm warnings on TV." In response to a question from Sen. Mark
Pryor he said he'd "been through several cell phones, none accessible." The
second consumer witness, Russell Harvard, pleaded with the committee to "Please
don't leave us behind as new digital technologies become available to the
general public." He also made the point that "easy-to-use captioning controls
are like volume controls for hearing people." AOL's Tom Wlodowski admitted to
frustration when the Internet is inaccessible and on behalf of industry, said
they want "flexibility is how accessibility is delivered". He made several
points about the need for "interoperability" with assistive technologies (AT)
and noted that "the cost of AT is prohibitive."

Bobbie Beth Scoggins of NAD signed her testimony, and said "S.3304 does a lot
for people who are deaf, people who are blind, people who are deaf-blind," but
she "wants advanced communications definition & undue burden standard as found
in H.R. 3101." She opined that "industry designs for younger people," and asked
for "the digital tools that allow for independence of people with disabilities."
Walter McCormick, from USTA, conveyed his opinion that "most problems had been
worked out with the legislation" and "it would not take much time to work out
the rest." He said that "S. 3304 leaves the FCC to decide what companies make
what products accessible [whereas] the HR 3101 definition is better." McCormick
added that "the compliance standard in H.R.3101 is better than in S.3304 and
that it corresponds to the standard included in the National Broadband Plan."
In response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), McCormick said USTA
"supports real time text and the aspirations of the consumers on panel" in
regard to making 9-1-1 emergency centers more up-to-date.

Over 100 people attended the hearing, many being people from industry as well as
a strong contingent of consumer representatives. Representatives were also
present from two federal agencies, the US Access Board and the FCC.

Both S. 3304 and HR 3101 are bills that would enact the accessible technologies
agenda of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT).

Brought to you by Modern Deaf Communication
http://www.moderndeafcommunication.org

*******************

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Get yourself an OCDAC credit card through a special program at
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We get a $50 donation for each person who completes the signup, and uses the
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=========

FREE AUTO INSURANCE QUOTES

This brokerage http://oc.insure2.us has people familiar with deaf motorists.

*******************

THE FINGER BOWS

V.A. Is Easing Rules to Cover Stress Disorder

The government is preparing to issue new rules that will make it substantially
easier for veterans who have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder
to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands
of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Story by Jeremy M.
Lange for The New York Times

The regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will take effect
as early as Monday and cost as much as $5 billion over several years according
to Congressional analysts, will essentially eliminate a requirement that
veterans document specific events like bomb blasts, firefights or mortar attacks
that might have caused P.T.S.D., an illness characterized by emotional numbness,
irritability and flashbacks.

For decades, veterans have complained that finding such records was extremely
time consuming and sometimes impossible. And in the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, veterans groups assert that the current rules discriminate against tens of
thousands of service members â€" many of them women â€" who did not serve in
combat roles but nevertheless suffered traumatic experiences.

Under the new rule, which applies to veterans of all wars, the department will
grant compensation to those with P.T.S.D. if they can simply show that they
served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say
caused their conditions. They would not have to prove, for instance, that they
came under fire, served in a front-line unit or saw a friend killed.

The new rule would also allow compensation for service members who had good
reason to fear traumatic events, known as stressors, even if they did not
actually experience them.

There are concerns that the change will open the door to a flood of fraudulent
claims. But supporters of the rule say the veterans department will still review
all claims and thus be able to weed out the baseless ones.

“This nation has a solemn obligation to the men and women who have honorably
served this country and suffer from the emotional and often devastating hidden
wounds of war,” the secretary of veterans affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, said in a
statement to The New York Times. “This final regulation goes a long way to
ensure that veterans receive the benefits and services they need.”

Though widely applauded by veterans’ groups, the new rule is generating
criticism from some quarters because of its cost. Some mental health experts
also believe it will lead to economic dependency among younger veterans whose
conditions might be treatable.

Disability benefits include free physical and mental health care and monthly
checks ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $2,000, depending on the
severity of the condition.

“I can’t imagine anyone more worthy of public largess than a veteran,”
said Dr. Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and fellow at the American Enterprise
Institute, a conservative policy group, who has written on P.T.S.D. “But as a
clinician, it is destructive to give someone total and permanent disability when
they are in fact capable of working, even if it is not at full capacity. A job
is the most therapeutic thing there is.”

But Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs at
Vietnam Veterans of America, said most veterans applied for disability not for
the monthly checks but because they wanted access to free health care.

“I know guys who are rated 100 percent disabled who keep coming back for
treatment not because they are worried about losing their compensation, but
because they want their life back,” Mr. Weidman said.

Mr. Weidman and other veterans’ advocates said they were disappointed by one
provision of the new rule: It will require a final determination on a
veteran’s case to be made by a psychiatrist or psychologist who works for the
veterans department.

The advocates assert that the rule will allow the department to sharply limit
approvals. They argue that private physicians should be allowed to make those
determinations as well.

But Tom Pamperin, associate deputy under secretary for policy and programs at
the veterans department, said the agency wanted to ensure that standards were
consistent for the assessments.

“V.A. and V.A.-contract clinicians go through a certification process,” Mr.
Pamperin said. “They are well familiar with military life and can make an
assessment of whether the stressor is consistent with the veterans’ duties and
place of service.”

The new rule comes at a time when members of Congress and the veterans
department itself are moving to expand health benefits and disability
compensation for a variety of disorders linked to deployment. The projected
costs of those actions are generating some opposition, though probably not
enough to block any of the proposals.

The largest proposal would make it easier for Vietnam veterans with ischemic
heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and hairy-cell leukemia to receive
benefits.

The rule, proposed last fall by the veterans department, would presume those
diseases were caused by exposure to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant, if a
veteran could simply demonstrate that he had set foot in Vietnam during the war.

The rule, still under review, is projected to cost more than $42 billion over a
decade.

Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia and a Vietnam veteran, has asked that
Congress review the proposal before it takes effect. “I take a back seat to no
one in my concern for our veterans,” Mr. Webb said in a floor statement in
May. “But I do think we need to have practical, proper procedures.”

More than two million service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since
2001, and by some estimates 20 percent or more of them will develop P.T.S.D.

More than 150,000 cases of P.T.S.D. have been diagnosed by the veterans health
system among veterans of the two wars, while thousands more have received
diagnoses from private doctors, said Paul Sullivan, executive director of
Veterans for Common Sense, an advocacy group.

But Mr. Sullivan said records showed that the veterans department had approved
P.T.S.D. disability claims for only 78,000 veterans. That suggests, he said,
that many veterans with the disorder are having their compensation claims
rejected by claims processors. “Those statistics show a very serious problem
in how V.A. handles P.T.S.D. claims,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Representative John Hall, Democrat of New York and sponsor of legislation
similar to the new rule, said his office had handled dozens of cases involving
veterans who had trouble receiving disability compensation for P.T.S.D.,
including a Navy veteran from World War II who twice served on ships that sank
in the Pacific.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are an infantryman or a cook or a truck
driver,” Mr. Hall said. “Anyone is potentially at risk for post-traumatic
stress.”

Brought to you by ASL News http://www.aslnews.com

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Take a look and bookmark our new search page!
Http://www.deafadvocacy.org/search.html . It's a good source of information you
can use.

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THE SOUR ORCHIDS

"Forced Institutionalization of People With Disabilities Is Illegal" - DOJ and
Federal Court Ruling.

The U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., ruled this week that Michele
Haddad must be provided with services that will allow her to stay in her home.
Haddad, who has a spinal-cord injury caused by a motorcycle accident with a
drunk driver three years ago, was at risk of being forced into a nursing home
because of changes in her caregiver situation. Although the 49-year-old woman
has been on the waiting list for Medicaid community-based waiver services for
two years and had alerted the state of her need, she was told that the requested
services would only be available if she was admitted to a nursing home for 60
days.

In Haddad v. Arnold, the plaintiff argued that she would suffer irreparable harm
if forced to enter a nursing home.

The court agreed, ordering the state to offer Haddad community-based services.
The reason: Segregating people with disabilities is a form of discrimination, as
found in Olmstead v. L.C. This landmark disability-rights decision determined
that isolating people with disabilities in institutional settings deprives them
of the opportunity to participate in their communities, interact with
individuals who don't have disabilities and make daily choices. The ruling also
acknowledged that unnecessary institutionalization stigmatizes people with
disabilities.

The Olmstead decision, which marks its 11th anniversary this week, is not the
first such case that the U.S Department of Justice has filed briefs. The DOJ is
involved in several other cases in Illinois and New Jersey, as part of its
mission to end discrimination against people with disabilities.

"In the Olmstead case, the court recognized that the unnecessary segregation of
individuals with disabilities stigmatizes those individuals as unworthy of
participation in community life," stated Assistant Attorney General for the
Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez. "By supporting Ms. Haddad in this case,
we seek to ensure that individuals with disabilities can receive services in the
most integrated setting appropriate, where they can participate in their
communities, interact with individuals who do not have disabilities and make
their own day-to-day choices."

The Department of Justice's involvement in these cases reinforce the Obama
administration's national efforts to protect the rights of all people.

"This work is a priority for the Civil Rights Division, and we are committed to
aggressive enforcement of Olmstead so that we can build upon progress made over
the last 11 years," said Perez earlier this week. "But our work is only one
piece of a larger, administration-wide effort to make the promise of Olmstead a
reality for individuals with disabilities nationwide. Real reform requires a
holistic approach. As a lifelong public servant, I recognize that the most
vexing problems a government faces are those that require unprecedented
interagency collaboration and coordination. The unnecessary and illegal
institutionalization of individuals with disabilities who would be better
served, and better able to contribute to their communities, if they were
provided services in integrated settings, is one of those problems."

Disability Advocates: Are there Michele Haddad's in your States?

Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Brought to you by the other Orange Deafie Blog at http://ocdac.wordpress.com/

*******************

COME TO OUR MEETUPS!

The Orange County American Sign Language Meetup Group -
http://asl.meetup.com/37/ - and the Orange County Deaf & Hearing
Impaired Meetup Group http://deaf.meetup.com/38/ meets each 3rd Fridays of the
month.

We are currently pondering a new locations for all of our meetup events because
our competition appears to have hijacked the excitement, prestige, and normalcy
of our cherished monthly gatherings.

*******************

FROM THE BLOGSPHERE

Shane H. Feldman Is The Golden Train NAD Needs!

But they chose Howard A. Rosenblum. A poor example. Rosenblum's ties with
Protection and Advocacy entities is the big red flag the NAD CEO Search
Committee missed. Protection and Advocacy entities all have a poor record in
defending the rights of people with disabilities. I seen this with my own eyes
in the past 10 years already. This is going to be like a jet flying over the
Atlantic Ocean and someone turns the engines off half way across the ocean.
Howard A. Rosenblum is the type of person to do the same thing to NAD.

Shane H. Feldman is the golden train NAD needs to climb out of the fiscal mess
and lead the deaf communities to the promised land.

They're already missing the golden train with Howard A. Rosenblum as CEO!
What's the message coming out of this? "Train Go Sorry!"

Brought to you by the Hearing For Life Foundation Http://www.hear-for-life.org


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DO YOU HAVE TINNITUS? ARE YOUR EARS RINGING ALOUD BY ITSELF? DO YOU WANT THAT
TO STOP?

Tinnitus affects people with or without hearing loss.

Tinnitus is the ringing sensation that occurs in the ears. Severe tinnitus can
be painful and disable a person. Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center has two
people serving in a patient advocacy council. Orange County Deaf Advocacy
Center wants to help people retain their productivity by helping them manage
tinnitus.

We are introducing a nutraceutical cocktail of Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, and Garlic
to manage tinnitus (ringing) in the ears. New studies show that a combination
of these three working together helps manage tinnitus. We have the research
that suggest the cocktail helps manage tinnitus.

This cocktail doesn't create the flush reaction you get from using high dosage
of Niacin taken to manage tinnitus.

Tinnitus management kit contains Ginkgo Biloba, Zinc, Garlic, pill minders box,
carrying case, and 2 sets of ear plugs.

Kit is assembled by people with disabilities.

If you care about your ears, please shop through our paypal link below now

Tinnitus 2 month management kit $79.99 - Free Shipping On All Orders!
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8502596

Refills each month $29.99 (Link will be mailed to you with your order)

The funds generated from this offering will be returned to the community in the
form of assisted housing, education, advocacy, free equipment, outreach, and
conference activities.

***These Statements have not been evaluated by the US FDA. This product is not
intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. There is no guarantee this
will help you manage tinnitus. This may work on some people and this may not
work on some people too.

*******************

FROM THE VLOGSPHERE (VIDEO BLOGGING)

Jdeaf.com returns to the videoblogspheres with a loud flatulence (farting
sound). Sadly this cesspool of a website serves no one and does nothing but
bash at the deaf pillars over picky to nothing. As of date of this publication,
132 people with appetites for communal slime have signed up to be members of
this trashy website.

Brought to you by the Eye Fire Vlogs Http://eyefirevlogs.com

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Please donate to Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center. We have a lot of work to
do on behalf of people with hearing and speech impairments and we have a
donation form ready for your use.

Donation form :
http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&\
partner=networkforgood&ein=33-0806007

Thank you very much for the time youve taken to read this newsletter and
clicking on the donation link above.

*******************

FROM THE NEWSLETTER READERS

Now OCDAC is helping deaf people get low cost auto insurance. Unlike many
insurance networks, this one is very familiar with deaf people. Why dont you go
to the site and fill out the information to get free insurance quotes
http://oc.insure2.us/ today!

Cameron Bland

Brought to you by Deaf Paradise Http://deafparadise.ning.com/

**********************
**** 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 herein 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.

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 IN ITS ENTIRETY 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.

Our physical address is 2960 Main Street suite #102, Irvine California 92614 and
this email is in compliance with CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.