Deaf pianist donates $2 million dollars to Fresno State

A deaf person who also plays the piano donates $2 milllion dollars to California State University, Fresno.

Retired architect, vineyard owner and piano player Robert Duncan Nicol, who has been deaf since birth, says he is living proof "that deaf people, indeed, can do many things." That includes being a generous benefactor. Nicol on Friday gave $2 million for The Silent Garden program in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies department at California State University, Fresno. The donation will help deaf and hearing-impaired children, their parents and teachers, as well as adults with hearing loss.

Deaf Gain? Blind Gain? One-Hand Gain?

There's a new term being used and that's "Deaf Gain." Jannelle Legg and Sophie Sok at Gallaudet University explained in an article about the term.

The term “Deaf-gain” was coined in 2005 by a British performing artist visiting Gallaudet. Deafened later in life, Aaron Williamson noted that with each interaction doctors repeated that familiar refrain “hearing loss.” This experience, familiar to most deaf people, compelled him to posit the question, why “hearing loss and not gaining deafness?” That question is an important one because it calls attention to a fundamental issue in Deaf studies. The culturally Deaf experience is not, as many believe, a dramatic loss of hearing. Instead, deafness grants an entrée into a language, a culture and a way of life that is not only unique, it is valuable.

I have no compunction in pointing this out in my blog about the term, which is fine and dandy if people feel the need to use this alternative but positive term, however, a person is still a person and he or she is just as important as the next one.

But let me put this into context about "Deaf Gain."

What about terms like "Blind Gain" as something that's (supposedly) positive for those experiencing vision loss or complete blindness? Or what about "Deaf-Blind Gain"? Or "One Hand Gain" for those who lost the functional use of their hand or through amputation?

I understand how some deaf people are trying to put a positive spin on their deafness and access to deaf culture but the medical fact cannot be escaped or hidden away. A person may have a condition either involving hearing loss, vision loss or a missing or malfunctioning extremity such as a missing hand or whatever else that's "missing" or not "functioning" properly. A person is still a person no matter what. Best to make life as positive as possible with what you have rather than not what you do not have. That's what makes a person whole.

However, there are those who have a condition or senses that are somewhat "functional" such as those with, for example, mild, moderate or severe hearing loss who use a hearing aid. Though not at the level of a hearing person but it's the next best thing to have. Same for those with varying amount of vision loss requiring thicker or stronger lenses to see better for those with 20/40, 20/50 or 20/60 vision, for example. A semi-functional hand though weakened in it's functionality. Or a person with limited hearing loss and vision loss but is able to use those senses with limited success with various aids or devices used.

Even with limited functionality, a person can still feel whole as long as he or she is treated with respect as a human being for who he or she is.

Let's take myself as an example. I have a moderate-severe hearing loss in my right ear while my left is no good with profound hearing loss. I'm not afraid to use the term "hearing loss" because that is what it is. A hearing loss. A medical fact. But with my right ear I use a hearing aid that can boost what hearing I have left. My hearing aid has allowed me to successfully use what limited sound I can get out of it to the point of using the phone with anyone, field radios, talking with strangers in the street, help modulate my voice, and so on with success. In fact, I'm thankful for the limited hearing that I have. Just as I'm thankful that I can still see even though I need to wear my reading glasses. As for my hearing aid, it gave me "Hearing Gain." Would that be a term I'd use? No. It wouldn't make sense. But that hearing aid has allowed me to access to the hearing world the culture of sound. Without it I would have never taken up piano at age 7 where I'm now a Ragtime pianist.

It's all about preference when it comes to describing how one positively sees him or herself as. Again, not about putting down "Deaf Gain" but I am questioning about the use of that same term for other loss of senses and re-frame it into a context of a person who, for example, lost her sight completely, would that be a "Blind Gain"? Or a person who lost an arm? "One Arm Gain"? Or lost the use of her legs unable to walk for the rest of her life? "No Legs Gain"?  Or a stroke affecting the mental capacity of a person, would that be "Mentally-challenged Gain"? It would just sound totally creepy if not pitiful.

The point is people would find it odd to think that losing one of your senses later in life would constitute as a "gain." I understand the whole point behind "Deaf Gain" but it's not a term that every person with a hearing loss would use.

Obnoxiousness rears its ugliness

Not only that but you have utter and total ignorance when you have a hearing person complain about deaf people who sign and the interpreters they use.

Whats with these cocky a** sign language people these days? It started with Mayor Bloomberg’s Sign Langauge [sic] Sensation Lydia Callis. Then we had that bro who looked like Don Flamenco signing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. And then just last night Feitelberg blogged that chick who looked like Morty Seinfeld signing at Menino’s blizzard press conference. All these f****** think they’re the belle of the ball! The star of the show! Well guess what you deaf a*******, it ain’t all about you! F*** you and the deaf horses you rode in on. Some people are trying to listen to Bloomberg to find out pertinent information after our city was decimated and nobody can take their eyes off the a****** who’s putting on a puppet show with her hands. I’m trying to time the National Anthem for the over/under and I’m losing count because this guy is doing his little deaf people dance the whole time. Does anybody in the city of Boston have any information on the impending blizzard of doom? Probably not because all they could focus on was the old broad up there signing like shes was a rockstar at some big old deaf concert.

Any emergency announcement on TV can be heard and not miss a thing regardless if there's an interpreter signing. An interpreter will not somehow magically block the spoken word for hearing people.

I have a message for the complainer since his/her world is crumbling because of some interpreter signing at an emergency announcement with a Mayor or whomever into a context that a hearing person would understand:





For those who missed John Maucere (the "Don Flamenco" guy) signing the National Anthem, here it is again.  Enjoy.

John Maucere as "Eddie Munster"?

Did TMZ go to far in making light of John Maucere's appearance while signing the national anthem at the Superbowl saying he looks like "Eddie Munster"?

Frankly, myself, I don't put too much stock into TMZ or their attempt to get laughs out of this one.

The funny thing is, the author of that "joke" is unknown for not putting his/her name on the TMZ site.  Funny, coward or wot? Not?

Just saying.

NAD lacks technology coverage for deaf people

Interesting conversation I had with my wife and it made me think. So, I went over to NAD's website and looked over their technology page section "Making communication and information accessible."  There it is. "Making communication accessible." NAD pride itself as the

"...nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America."

One major civil rights issue among deaf people is to have equal communication access with their hearing peers. How can NAD be an "informed consumer advocate" if they refuse to cover easy to use face to face communication devices such as the UbiDuo, the only device that use real time typing communication via a split screen? NAD covers only assistive listening technology, hearing aids, cochlear implants, Captioning for Access, Internet Access and Broadband, movie captioning, telephones and relay services, television and closed captioning, and Video Remote Interpreting.

NAD explains that

"....people who are deaf or hard of hearing were early and eager adopters of accessible text-based communication and information systems, such as pagers, e-mail, instant messaging, and the Internet, as well as early adopters of videophones."

There are thousands of early adopters of UbiDuo users who covet the real time nature  and ease of communication (there is no"typing a response" notification where you wait for a typed response) with hearing people who do not know sign language. These deaf people who are UbiDuo users are the bulwark on paving the way helping the hearing public on recognizing their need to have immediate communication access using a communication device that allow real time typed conversation on a standard sized keyboard using common, every day language such as English.

But on the NAD technology page there is no where to be found that discusses face to face communication devices. Using NAD's search feature I typed in "UbiDuo" and found no results.   The same for "communication device" but it came up with one search result but it's not the same thing on what I'm discussing here. 

Both culturally deaf and non-culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. It's not like no culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. They do. And, boy, do they ever use it. But that's beside the point here. The point is that NAD claim to represent and help deaf and hard of hearing people but do not even cover a very important communication accessible technology devices such as the UbiDuo. A simple communication concept that ensures leveling the playing field using the English language, for example. NAD does not have to tote the brand name but by the mere mentioning of a "typed face to face communication device" would be sufficient enough to let deaf (and hearing) people know those types of communication devices do exist out there.

Face to face communication concerns is a Civil Rights issue (See Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division - Disability Rights Section page).  NAD needs to understand that text to text (typed) communication via a communication device is a Civil Rights issue under the ADA. Not covering it on their website, touted as the "...nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America," would be a sin.

NAD, do the right thing and help deaf people become more aware of other kinds of communication technologies that exist in the United States.

Deaf Girl's Mail without Postage Stamp Arrives at Grandma's house

I'm sure many of you recognize this little deaf girl who sent a letter in the mail to her grandmother but forgot to put a stamp on the envelope as well as the address to her grandmother's house.

A letter sent by a little girl to her grandmother didn’t have any postage or even a name on the envelope. Yet it still got delivered to Utah thanks to the Postal Service. Valerie Welsch, with the U.S. Postal Service, says, “I think that somebody probably figured out it was a child writing and went ahead and let it go through from the goodness of their heart.” From St. Louis to Salt Lake City, with no name and no postage. Katrina Jensen, who wrote the letter, is happy the letter made it saying, “ I was surprised and I feel like something. So I feel like a rock star.” Katrina has hearing trouble, and her parents move her to St. Louis so she could attend the Central Institute For The Deaf. But that took her away from Grandma.

Katrina "Kat" Jensen is the well known deaf girl in the deaf and hard of hearing blogosphere who wears a cochlear implant. Her mother writes about her daughter in her blog called, "Miss Kat's Deaf Journey."Utah television station, KSL, learned about the story and picked it up and interviewed "Miss Kat."


The video below of Katrina Jensen isn't captioned. Complaints about lack of captioning should be sent to KPLR 11 news in St. Louis on their Closed Captioning page.

Video of Announcement of the Next Generation UbiDuo

If you missed the announcement you can still go and watch the recording of the announcement of the next generation UbiDuo by Jason Curry, CEO of sComm.  And you can also watch the YouTube recording (Part 1, 2, 3, and 4) with captioning provided by a CART typist. Videos uploaded to YouTube were done a blogger, Mike McConnell, who attended the widely anticipated and celebrated event.

Out with the Old, In with the New

The old sComm website is now in the history book. The newly revamped and totally reconfigured sComm website with new themes introduces the next generation UbiDuo, the world's most ubiquitous communication device. The next generation UbiDuo face to face communication device is now lighter, sleeker, with touch sensitive screens to navigate functions better and easier. The new UbiDuo automatically turns on for you the moment you open up the 2 in 1 communication device without the need to go through steps in turning it on like the older UbiDuo.  The UbiDuo makes it more enjoyable and easier to communicate face to face between deaf and hearing people. It is 100% one-on-one communication equality with zero bluffing, zero frustration and zero communiphobia.  And the best thing of all? The new generation UbiDuo is engineered and manufactured in the U.S.A. as exclaimed by the CEO of sComm to his audience.

Now, this is what I'm very, very passionate about. The UbiDuo 2 is engineered and manufactured in the USA! That is what I'm fired up about. It's important to my heart. I wanted the UbiDuo 2 to be made in the USA! It's time to give all of the manufacturing business back to America! That is what's important to all of us. 

Sneak preview pictures of sComm's launch party

Some preview pictures of the stage where the announcement will be made by Jason Curry, CEO of sComm, along with band, Cherry Bomb, is setting themselves up.

On Saturday, January 26, 2013 starting at 6:45 PM CST (7:45 ET, 5:45 MT, 4:45 PT) will be a LIVE STREAMING EVENT at sComm. Be sure to tune in according to your time zone.  sComm will be live streaming the unveiling of the answer that two men found in the trunk. For the exciting conclusion to the Project Black video series, please visit LIVE STREAMING sComm. Jason Curry, CEO of sComm, has an important announcement to make tonight.

If you've missed parts 1, 2 or 3 of the Project Black videos then please click on one of the three Project Black videos seen on the left side of this blog site.

UPDATE!  The streaming live TV will be delayed until 7:15 (CST) due to a large number of people attending as we get things squared away. 

LIVE STREAMING AT SCOMM TONIGHT!

On Saturday, January 26, 2013 starting at 6:45 PM CST (7:45 ET, 5:45 MT, 4:45 PT) will be a LIVE STREAMING EVENT at sComm. Be sure to tune in according to your time zone.  sComm will be live streaming the unveiling of the answer that two men found in the trunk. For the exciting conclusion to the Project Black video series, please visit LIVE STREAMING sComm. Jason Curry, CEO of sComm, has an important announcement to make tonight.

If you've missed parts 1-3 of the Project Black videos then please click on one of the three Project Black videos seen on the left side of this blog site.

Check out this video of a pre-launch party and get a glimpse on who will be attending today's launch party.




I will be live blogging this event. So, watch for more pictures and videos!

UPDATE!  The streaming live TV will be delayed until 7:15 (CST) due to a large number of people attending as we get things squared away.

Can you spot the difference? Win $15 gift card

Can you find 8 things that are different in these two pictures? The first person to answer all 8 correctly will win a $15.00 Gift Card to Outback Steakhouse. Go to sComm Facebook page to see the two different pictures. Can you spot the differences?

The winner will be announced today after 5pm CST.

Domestic Violence Against Men (and Women)

It's an ugly thing for both sexes who are the victims of such undeserving action whether one is deaf or hearing. It's just not the females who are victims but the males, too, believe it or not. There are organizations that help support victims of DV for one or both sexes such as Domestic Violence Against Men in Colorado, for example, National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the many organizations on stopping violence against women.

In the Domestic Violence Against Men in Colorado it has an interesting article about the problems of dialing 911, not that you shouldn't, but there are some unforeseen potential actions that could result in dialing 911 with unknown consequences with a warning, "descent into hell often begins by dialing 911." An eye opening read from the point of view with males being the victim.

Regardless, it's ugly for both sides, and often times children are on the short end of the stick watching it all unfold before them and the police barging in to investigate after a 911 call. Work it out if you can. Or leave for awhile to cool off. Find some outside help first. Think twice, three times before picking up that phone and dialing 911, through a video phone or by texting 911 calls.  Emotions are hard to deal with and that sometimes rational or common sense thinking can go out the window. 

Switched at Birth petition controversy re-visited

Last year in March I covered a petition that was against the show "Switched at Birth" simply because some of the cast of characters weren't "Deaf enough." That is not enough deaf people (as opposed to hard of hearing) who are native signers. The petition provided insight to the amount of shallowness and cruelty considering the fact that the show's main cast of characters have more culturally deaf characters who are native signers and more hearing characters who pick up sign language for the benefit of their deaf sibling, deaf child or deaf friend (such as the hearing character, Bay, who was dating Emmet) than there are hearing characters who do not know sign language. The show is actually a great example of what diversity is like among the main cast of characters who are culturally deaf, hard of hearing, hearing, signers and non-signers. You can thank Marlee Matlin for that.

She also pointed out that until recently, deaf characters were generally a guest role written in to just a handful of episodes at best. She credits Marlee Matlin, who plays a mother of Daphne's friend, making a difference, saying, "[She] really did an incredible job of paving the way for deaf actors." 

But she noted that "Switched at Birth" has taken the progress one step further. "You get four characters with hearing loss, and different ranges of hearing loss, and it really accurately represents the culture, the issues within the culture, and the way people feel about the culture."

You have three main characters who commonly appear on the show who are culturally deaf and they are Emmet (Sean Berdy), Travis (Ryan Lane), and Melody (Marlee Matlin).  The other deaf/hh (main) character is Daphne (Katie LeClerc) whose grew up speaking and listening as a hard of hearing person that wears a hearing aid and knows sign language. Whenever deaf characters speak to each other the audio is edited to remove all background noise except for ambient noise. This allow viewers to focus on the visual emotions and physical nature of sign language while at the same time provide a perspective of what it is like to be deaf and not hear sound around them.

Rob Nielson, a  Deaf ASL teacher in Texas, was the original author of a petition (with a paltry 100 signatures) against the show reasoning that the show isn't suitable to be shown on the ABC Family channel tv show because

"the main Deaf character isn't even Deaf and a so-called "family channel" is resorting to scenes of drug use, sexual innuendos, and in a recent episode, gratuitous teen sex."

Yet in the petition it was made more abundantly clear it was more about the main character (Daphne) wasn't "Deaf enough" for Rob and his students.

ABC Family first dropped the ball by hiring an actress who is not Deaf. Katie Leclerc is an actress that only recently started losing some of her hearing due to Meniere's Disease. The only reason she knew any ASL before the show was because she took it in high school and that was because, In her own words, "I was very bad at Spanish." Leclerc has to take voice lessons in order to "sound Deaf" on the show. Leclerc portrays herself as an ambassador of the Deaf community - "I feel comfortable in the deaf world I feel comfortable in the hearing world," Leclerc said. "I'm glad I can cross over." - There is no crossing over. She is a hearing person that is playing the part of a Deaf character. She is not a part of the Deaf world. Thus, some of the things about her character are not things that are normal for a Deaf person who grew up in the Deaf world - such as her ability to lipread flawlessly, her constant sim-com (talking and signing at the same time), and her signing being jerky and awkward at times. There are many talented and beautiful culturally Deaf actresses that ABC Family could have hired.

The part about that Katie LeClerc is a hearing person is absolutely false.

Katie Leclerc is hard of hearing in real life
Playing a deaf girl comes more naturally to Leclerc than it would to most actors because she has first hand knowledge of what it's like to live with hearing loss. At the age of 20 the actress was diagnosed with Ménière's disease. She explained the affliction, "[It's] a problem with fluid retention in the inner ear. You get fluctuating hearing loss, attacks of vertigo, ringing in the ear, and pressure in the ear. So it is a very sporadic disorder. The attacks come and go as they please with no rhyme or reason."

And although the condition sometimes makes it difficult for Leclerc to work, she never loses sight of the important role hearing loss has had for her as an actress. "Without the Ménière's disease, I would not be able to play the role of Daphne. In the deaf community, in order to play a role of someone with a hearing loss… you have to have hearing loss. So without this Ménière's disease, I wouldn't be able to have this dream come true, this role of a lifetime, this incredible opportunity."

She found out she has Meniere's Disease at 20 years old that explained her losing her hearing which gets progressively worse as she gets older. Katie LeClerc made clear that she is in fact a hard of hearing person, and not a hearing person that Rob is claiming.  She made no claims of being an "ambassador of the Deaf community," either.  That was Rob Nielson's doing by turning it into a something else to suit his own agenda (of insecurity).

According to Don Grushkin and other culturally deaf people they would agree that Katie LeClerc is a Deaf person (go here and here to see why) with "Deaf" to mean an all-inclusive word. But according to Rob Nielson he is basically saying that Katie LeClerc's character, Daphne, is not "Deaf enough" solely on the basis that the character does not behave like some culturally deaf, native signer as clarified in Rob's petition.

She is a hearing person that is playing the part of a Deaf character. She is not a part of the Deaf world. Thus, some of the things about her character are not things that are normal for a Deaf person who grew up in the Deaf world - such as her ability to lipread flawlessly, her constant sim-com (talking and signing at the same time), and her signing being jerky and awkward at times. There are many talented and beautiful culturally Deaf actresses that ABC Family could have hired.

Which is it, Rob? Accept a deaf/hh character (or for that matter in real life a deaf/hh person) for who he/she is or get nit-picky because the character doesn't sign flawlessly or smoothly enough for you? On the show you have three characters who sign "flawlessly" that fits Rob's ideal world and you have one hard of hearing character who does her best at signing to communicate yet her signing does not fit Rob's level of signing proficiency because, ya know, she's all jerky and stuff.

Again, Katie LeClerc is most definitely NOT a hearing person but hard of hearing.

Maybe it's time Rob, the "Deaf ASL teacher of Texas," the fair and "open-minded one," should publicly apologize for saying that Katie LeClerc is not a deaf/hh person and that her character is not "Deaf enough" because she's not like Marlee Matlin who can sign "flawlessly"?

This is deaf identity politics at its worse. That kind of ugly discrimination need to stop.

Chance to win $10 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card

Check out sComm's Facebook page and see if you can give out the right answer to their question about communiphobia. The winner with the best answer will be revealed on January 25, 2013 at 10 A.M CST and the winner will receive a $10 Outback Steakhouse gift card. Yum. One of my favorite restaurant! Love those ribs!

Don't miss out on the contest! Click on the "Like" button on sComm's Facebook page to receive future contest announcements.

Well known deaf mystery person to show up

If you want to find out who this well known and liked deaf person who will show up at sComm this Saturday night (see count down clock on left) then be sure to check out sComm's website or Facebook revealing the mystery announcement.  Who is this person? Come and watch, and find out.

Deaf lifeguard be qualified under the ADA?

Check out this recent news of a 22 year old deaf man who rely on sign language to communicate was found disqualified to be a lifeguard at a swimming pool even though he successfully completed lifeguard training. He does wear a cochlear implant that helps him detect noises, although having one does not help him pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming from. After he was rejected he sued the county claiming he was qualified under the ADA because he could do the essential elements as long a he gets reasonable accommodation.  The county disagreed with that assessment saying hearing is an essential element of the job.

However,

A lower court sided with the county. But on appeal, the case was reversed and sent to a jury trial. The appeals court said that whether a job function is “essential” under the ADA is typically a fact-based question for a jury to decide. Several experts for Keith had testified that the ability to hear is not essential to the successful performance of lifeguard duties because swimmers in distress use hand motions to signal for help.

Plus, as Keith's experts noted, the world record-holder for most lives saved by a lifeguard is by Leroy Columbo—a deaf man.

Something to think about. What do you think? 

Countdown Clock

Noticed the countdown clock on the left side? It's a reminder to keep an eye on this blog for some major announcements at sComm.  The surprise will be revealed live this Saturday. Also, be sure to go to sComm's Facebook and click on the "Like" button if you want participate on the chance to win some prizes, like a Starbucks gift card, by getting their daily contest announcements.

Winner announced in mystery photo contest

Congrats to Pamela Siebert Maelzer who gave the closest and best answer. The mystery photo below had many people guessing.

And what was the answer to the mystery photo?

The mystery photo is a part of a barn door in the newly remodeled lobby of the sComm headquarters in Raytown, Missouri. The barn doors lead you to the next door space with 5,000 sq feet of additional space for the expansion of sComm. Those barn doors came from somewhere out in the country at some salvage yard. The doors are believed to be over 100 years old. A carpenter was hired to rebuild the barn doors and customize it for the sComm lobby. sComm is focused on doing things in a creative way as we do with face-to-face communication.

Pamela wins a $10 Starbucks gift card.

If you want the chance to participate in more games for more prizes go to sComm Facebook page and click on the "Like" button so you can get the latest contest announcement.

5 Lucky Winners get Starbucks gift cards

Today we have five lucky winners who won a $5.00 Gift Card to Starbucks courtesy of sComm.

1. Mikey Graziano
2. Stacey McIntosh-Storme
3. Dee Gol
4. Jie Yu
5. Dawn Michelle Muth-Rodriquez.

If you want to participate for more chances to win prizes you have to go to the sComm Facebook page and click on the "Like" button first so that you will be notified of any future announcements to try your luck on winning some more prizes.

There is another chance to win a $10 Gift Card to Starbucks. Go and visit the sComm Facebook page and try and guess what the mystery photo is. The winner and answer will be revealed Wednesday, January 23rd after 1pm, Central Time.

When famous people use the UbiDuo

Don't think well known or famous hearing people use the UbiDuo, the face to face communication device, to talk with other deaf people? Think again. How about Benard Pollard, the Baltimore Ravens (2013 AFC champion) talking with Jason Curry (CEO and co-founder of sComm the maker of the UbiDuo) for over an hour? Check out this priceless picture.

Just two guys having a good time talking with each using the UbiDuo.  Not feeling like a 3rd person with an interpreter in tow, the UbiDuo can give a deaf person a real sense of empowerment and control. No waiting for conversations to change hands, taking turns like using a pen and paper that's good only for limited conversation. Using the UbiDuo there is no misunderstanding or missed words when you have face to face real time typing conversation going on. 



Hat tip: Greg Gunderson