Deaf/hh people, need an edge on getting a job?

For folks who live in the Kansas City, Missouri area:

Are you deaf or hard of hearing and need a better competitive edge on getting a job and retain it? A job that allows you to communicate in real time with 100% communication access with your hearing boss, supervisor, co-workers and even your clients or customers without the need of a 3rd party or sign language interpreter? Is there a job service that combines face to face communication technology for deaf and hard of hearing people? sComm, the maker of the UbiDuo whose CEO and co-founder is deaf, is proud to announce a new service called UbiJobs - workforce solutions for hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing job seekers.  If you live in the Kansas City metro area give UbiJobs a try, it could change your life for the better with a better competitive edge in a tight job market.

Deaf hiker makes final trek on Appalachian Trail

Julio Rodriguez finally made it at the end of the Appalachian Trail ending on Mt. Katadin in Maine. Check out his Facebook photo.  Be sure to check out his backpacking Facebook page, too. Congrats, Julio!

Hike to Crater View

A 7 mile roundtrip hike from the 4000 ft elevation to 5300 ft on the North flank of Mt. St. Helens. Weather was gorgeous with sunshine and clear skies. We had some light breeze to help us keep cool on the way up. The temperature by afternoon was around 75 degrees at Crater View.

                                                               Start of the trail head.

On the Northeast side of the flank

 

 

 

Spirit Lake to the North behind me as I make my way up to Crater View.

 

 

Willow Spring. Fresh, clean water from snowmelt that have percolated into the sandy, volcanic soils.

 

 

Lava Dome with glacier seen on the right side.

 

Big rock! Easy to lift.

 

Near trailhead after a long hike with Mt. Adams to the East.

Deaf man mocks a "deaf" beggar

A recent video came to my attention of a Deaf man mocking a beggar at Las Vegas seen here in a Facebook video. This beggar was holding up a sign saying "Deaf. Hungry." Plus another word below which could not be read due to the blurry video.

Ted, the Deaf man signing in the video, made an assumption that the beggar could not possibly be deaf but hearing simply because the beggar did not know sign language.

Now, there are two possibilities.

1) The beggar could be deaf or hard of hearing and does not know sign language.

2) Or the beggar is hearing and does not know sign language.

Ted assumed the beggar is hearing on the basis he did not respond to Ted's signing to him. And thereby concluded the beggar is lying about his medical condition and not deaf at all.  But the beggar could have been born with a hearing loss or is a late deafened person who is homeless.

There are many deaf people in the United States who do not know sign language.

The majority of people who are deaf and hard of hearing do not know sign language. According to a Johns Hopkins study, more than 48 million people in the United States are deaf or hard of hearing, or a fifth of all Americans. Of these, almost 99 percent lost their hearing or were raised orally–not using sign language–and rely on their residual hearing (aided by hearing aids or cochlear implants), speech reading, and the printed word for communication access. This group of people are greatly aided by text forms of access.

Just because you see a deaf person does not mean the person knows sign language. Bad assumption. Best way is to get the facts first. If indeed the beggar is hearing, then shame on him. If indeed the beggar is deaf/hh, then double shame on Ted.  Either way, it's a bit disgusting to watch.

UPDATE: Good friend of mine, Barry Sewell and his wife, Crystal, produced their own captioned video about the disturbing video they saw in Facebook.

Fiver returns...makes a comment about ASDB

"Fiver" returns again and left a comment in my previous blog "Untold history of DPN, it almost collapsed!" about the crisis at Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. Fiver appears to have the inside scoop of what's going on and what's being planned. "Fiver" commented before in my blogs such as "An Incorruptible ASDB?" in May of 2013 and an earlier one back in 2010 under "I am Fiver! speaks again..."  only this time Fiver left behind what appears to be legitimate tidbits about ASDB:

The PKZ and KG "Klans" are currently in the process of taking over the Arizona School for the Deaf/Blind through Nancy Amann and her minions. These "Klans" are not unlike Nazi organizations concerning their quest for power, wealth and perpetuation of a militant "Deaf" ideology. It is no coincidence that those close to the 1988 Gallaudet Rioters end up in influential positions and become extremely wealthy. This "Deaf" movement employs an evil hand and mind, shows no mercy or compassion not their own kind, showing no tolerance for any other view. In view of the parallels to organized crime and the seriousness of harms inflicted upon society, this group deserves scrutiny from the FBI as a criminal racketeering enterprise that has utilized insider information, extortion and intimidation to consolidate power and wealth.

Nancy Amann is Nancy Hlibok before she got married. She is a PKZ. She is also the sister of Greg Hlibok who is a Kappa Gamma brother. Last week the people at ASDB protested for the removal of Superintendent Robert Hill. And now from Fiver's account, if legitimate at all, the person says that some of the radicals are planning to take over the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. I'd say it's a tall order to try since Gov. Jan Brewers appointed new names to the ASDB Board of Directors earlier this year in May.

Each term for the eight gubernatorial appointments has expired; the ninth seat is filled by the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s designee. With Governor Brewer appointing five new members, the other three will continue to serve for the time being as holdover appointments.

New Board members include:
1) Dr. Kathy Jankowski: former Dean, Laurent Clerk National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University
2) Taralynn Petrites: Lead Faculty, American Sign Language and Interpreter Training, Pima Community College
3) Elaine Baldridge: former Director of Children’s Services, Foundation for Blind Children
4) Michael Gordon: Executive Director, Southern Arizona Association for the Visually Impaired
5) Dr. Mark Syms: Otologist, Arizona Ear Center

The three holdover appointments include Sherri Collins who represents the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Orlenda Roberts who acts as the Board’s school district employee who works with sensory-impaired pupils; and Michael Williams, who serves as a public member.

Fiver, convince me some more that there is a planned take-over of ASDB.

When hearing aids benefit deaf/hh children

While growing up at around age 6 or 7 years old I received my second hearing aid after having worn out my first one that I had since age 2 1/2 years old. It wasn’t the behind the ear hearing aid but a body aid. I’ve gotten a lot of good mileage out of my old hearing aids. Obviously so because without that hearing aid of mine I wouldn’t be here where I am today. Successful and thankful with what residual hearing I had left though not perfect. It has helped me with my ongoing ragtime piano playing ever since I was seven years old. I am proud of all of my past hearing aids I've worn because each one of them I have used it with great benefit. I even remembered how I enjoyed using my hearing aid when I was little because it gave me access to the world of sound, music and voice around me. It took awhile to realize that hearing is a precious thing and a gift even if I couldn't hear perfectly. It was perfect enough for me with the help from the hearing aid technology. I even have a drawing I did when I was around 5 or 6 years old showing me as a happy kid wearing the body hearing aid. There was a time or two when I didn't like wearing my hearing aid but that phase quickly passed once I realized how important my hearing aids were to me.

Below is a picture of my old body hearing aid inside a protective case . It’s a Zenith. Along with a Battery Membership card, and a special yellow button that has as special message.

It’s so well preserved though I am sure my old hearing aid can work if I put in the right kind of battery.

Pretty fascinating on how hearing aids (even cochlear implants) have helped so many people with hearing loss. Isn’t technology great? And perhaps someday hearing aids will become obsolete with the help of biotechnology that have the ability to restore sensorineural hearing loss. It's not a matter of if but when. That day is coming whether in my lifetime or not.

Untold history of DPN, it almost collapsed!

The 7 Ducks (name was given from their first meeting at a duck pin bowling alley) were behind the Deaf President Now rally movement that took place on March 1, 1988.  They were primarily responsible in selecting the "Gallaudet Four" leaders to lead the DPN protest. The 7 Ducks consisted of Gallaudet University alumni were:

- Dwight Benedict (Gallaudet's dean of student affairs),  
- Michael O'Donnell (professor in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture at George Washington University, Washington D.C.),
- Stephen Hlibok, (financial advisor for Merrill Lynch),
- Jeff Rosen (ZVRS general counsel),
-Fred Weiner, (Gallaudet's assistant vice president for administration),
- James Tucker (superintendent of Maryland School for the Deaf-Frederick),
- Paul Singleton (Purple Video Relay Services' director of government and strategic accounts).

What's interesting in this case is that all of them are bonafide Kappa Gamma brothers. No Kappa Sigma brothers. No Alpha Sigma Pi brothers.  No independents. Why is that? Once the DPN protest began the Seven Ducks dissolved and was replaced by the DPN Committee since the protest became a student-driven protest.

One little bit of interesting tidbit of unknown history was that DPN came close to collapsing very early in the protest.  

In the beginning prior to the DPN rally, which began on March 1, 1989 in support of electing a deaf president, the story goes that "Seven Ducks" asked many Gallaudet University students (including Tim Raurus and Greg Hlibok) if any of them would be willing to lead the DPN rally, a potentially sticky job. They all turned it down. The "Seven Ducks" finally approached Jerry Covell to see if he could do the job. Jerry agreed to take up the responsibility since he had nothing to lose.

The rally started with Jerry Covell standing on a large wooden box in front of a TV in the student cafeteria (wooden box was used by students to stand on so they can change the TV channels or use it to stand on to present short speeches or quick announcements). He was able to get the attention of students in the cafeteria with him waving his arms and explain to the students why they should support of the DPN rally.   From the 1994 book "The Deaf Way," Jerry Covell mused over his experience leading up to the DPN protest.

"When our former president, Dr. Lee, decided to resign his position to work for the company of one of the members of the Board of Trustees, we students had never really thought about having a deaf president. Though there was some talk among ourselves, we didn't seriously consider the possibility until December 1987 or January 1988. At that time, a group called "The Ducks" was formed. This was a group of seven or eight men, most from Gallaudet or formerly from  Gallaudet, who were all strong leaders in the deaf community. They decided that it was important, in fact key, to get the students involved in having a deaf president. So in January  they started planning for a rally the following March, March 1st. They asked students to participate, and I agreed.  

I can recall going to the cafeteria to talk to the students, saying that we must have a deaf president. The students said that a deaf person could not be president of the University because the president has to use the phone and deal with Congress. If Gallaudet were to survive, they said, we must have a hearing president: There was no way a deaf person could be president of Gallaudet if the University were to continue.  When I saw that I thought, "can't...." and I wondered. And of course I felt hurt because I thought a deaf person could do the job. So I continued to go to the cafeteria.  

By the way, the reason I went to the cafeteria was that it is the best place on campus to reach a large number of students. The academic buildings are too spread out. The cafeteria is the one place where I could talk to most of the student body. it's the place to share information and ideas. For weeks I talked, and there was a promotion stressing the importance of having a deaf president.  

The rally drew near. The Board of Trustees was considering six candidates for the position of president, three hearing and three deaf. We were ecstatic - three deaf people had made the final cut. So let's say there were ten hearing applicants and five deaf applicants, and the list was narrowed down to three deaf and three hearing finalists. It showed that deaf people could make it that far. It meant we could do more.  

The last week of February, the Board of Trustees announced that there were three finalists for the position, and surprisingly, two of them were deaf. So we all felt fairly sure that there would be a deaf president for the University. It would happen. We were all very sure that we couldn't lose.  

Then came March 1, the day of the rally. Everyone turned out, students, faculty, and staff. No one was in a teaching mood that day. All came to see what would be said. Speakers from all over the country stressed the importance of having a deaf president.  One presenter - I can't remember who it was - said, "This is Gallaudet, a school for deaf people, the only one in the world. Yet in the buildings here the public phones are not accessible to deaf people. You have to go to an office and plead to borrow one- and hope that it's not broken - and search around to find a TTY you can use.  That's outrageous! If we had a deaf president, he would make sure that all the phones in the buildings were accessible to deaf people." 

I'll always remember that day. We had high hopes. We felt positive we would win.  Then on Sunday, March 6th, the shock came. The Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Elisabeth Ann Zinser, a hearing person, had been selected as president of the University. The news came in the form of a press release that read, "Gallaudet University is proud to announce the appointment of the first woman president in the history of the University. 

Now I'll be honest with you. I've got nothing against women. I think highly of women. But Jesus! Why not a deaf president instead of a woman president?  We asked for a deaf president; we never asked for a woman. To make things worse, she was hearing. That was it! We really blew up. The crowd went wild and marched to the Mayflower Hotel, where the Board of Trustees was staying. As soon as we read that paper, we hit the streets.

The four student leaders in the DPN protest weren't the official leaders during the first march to the Mayflower Hotel. Just that Jerry Covell was the only recognized DPN rally leader of which he became the de factor leader in the DPN protest. The selection for official student leaders was done after the fact in order to pool crucial resources from a variety of people and organizations. The four DPN leaders were selected after the first march on March 6, the day of the announcement when Zinser was selected to be the president of Gallaudet University. The ad hoc protest group marched towards the Mayflower Hotel by marching illegally on the streets of Washington D.C. without a permit. In the photo below shows Jerry Covell leading the protest down the street (click on picture to enlarge it).  In the photo below Jerry Covell is in the middle of the front protest line with his horizontal stripped shirt and famous trademarked denim jacket.

Perhaps the reason Greg Hlibok (brother of Nancy Hlibok Amman who is a Phi Kappa Zeta sorority sister who is also deeply involved in the latest power struggle at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind) and others who joined later as leaders of the protest because it was then deemed "safe" to step up seeing the large turn out and the near unanimous support from the deaf community as they rallied around the cause for a deaf president. Tim Raurus was a former SBG President at the time while Greg was the new SBG President for only a few weeks before the protest began. Bridgetta was considered by some people as the "token" female leader not knowing exactly why she was selected. I would surmise that Greg Hlibok or Tim Rarus didn't want to get in trouble with the Gallaudet University administration by getting their hands "dirty" and instead took a "wait-and-see" approach before risking their academic careers.  It was Jerry Covell who actually did the "dirty work" in the beginning to try and get the students' support for DPN rally leading up to that fateful day on March 6, 1988. He took tremendous academic risk for stepping up to become the first leader of the DPN rally. He prevailed. The rest is history.

The four student leaders of DPN appointed for the protest were Greg Hlibok (Kappa Gamma and chief of the Disability Rights Office at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C), Jim Rarus (Kappa Gamma and senior vice president of sales at ZVRS), Bridgetta Bourne (supervisor of career center and transition services at California School for the Deaf-Fremont), and Jerry Covell (Kappa Sigma  and coordinator of the Interpreter Preparation Program (American Sign Language) at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill).  Jerry Covell was a natural leader of the protest. He had a knack in getting people fired up and was able to get his ideas across using fiery and inspirational words.  The other two male leaders, Greg Hlibok and Tim Rarus, had their own strengths and weaknesses. Bridgetta Bourne was the fourth one installed to help round out the mostly male DPN leaders and put an inspirational female face on the DPN protest.  

Once the leaders were selected the story goes that in the first few days into the protest it almost came to a halt with Jerry Covell threatening to leave the "Gallaudet Four" in the face of some of the DPN Committee members. It was believed his threat to leave had to do with the motives and agenda of Kappa Gamma brothers that Jerry found unpalatable.

The DPN Committee was responsible for the operational functions of the protest such as security, public relations, morale, etc. and consisted of Gallaudet students, alumni, faculty and staff members. Each of the four DPN leaders chose their own group of DPN Committee members. Both Tim Raurus and Greg Hlibok are Kappa Gamma members with Bridgetta Bourne-Firl who is a Phi Kappa Zeta sorority sister (note: PKZ considers Kappa Gamma fraternity as their "brother" group and Kappa Gamma sees PKZ as their "sister" group who some say they share the same zealotry on power and control, or so they say, and Bridgetta even married to Leslie Trosky Firl who became the Grand Rajah of the Kappa Gamma for the 1987 - 1988 school year). Jerry chose a more diversified group of people in his group. It wasn't long until Jerry's people quickly realized how they were out-leveraged by other people who had their own motives. The potential meltdown of DPN came in the first few days of the protest stemming from fraternity brothers and sorority sisters who wore their own Greek shirts. An effort to increase the visibility and advertisement of their own fraternity and sorority to try and inspire students who may want to join their Greek organization. Jerry knew it was a publicity stunt. Kappa Gamma Greek shirts worn were designed to be used as subliminal messages to the press and community.  Kappa Gamma has an obsession about capturing leadership positions in various organization on Gallaudet campus.

It was the kind action and attitude that disappointed and dismayed Jerry Covell. He threatened to leave the group. Jerry flipped his two birds at the DPN Committee famously captured in a photo seen in Jack Gannon's book "THE WEEK THE WORLD HEARD GALLAUDET" which can be found on the top of page 55 in the book. Jerry was ready to walk out after flipping the birds at the DPN committee which probably occurred on the third day of the DPN protest at a time when there was a lot of media frenzy covering the DPN protest and people were getting national coverage. It must have been one heck of a serious conversation because everybody's face seen in the picture looked serious. This was in a roomful of Kappa Gamma brothers (click on picture to expand) who were a part of the DPN Committee. I'm sure some people will try and deny that the incident ever happened and the real reason why Jerry flipped them off.

Leaving the newly formed "Gallaudet Four" so early into the protest would have undoubtedly put the kibosh on the whole DPN protest and in danger of collapsing had Kappa Gamma brothers and Phi Kappa Zeta sisters insisted on wearing their Greek shirts during the protest period. The protest, as it was explained, was an opportunity for all of the deaf and hard of hearing people at Gallaudet University to come together as one "loud voice," and not about an opportunity to advertise their own fraternity or sorority. The DPN Committee relented and agreed to Covell's demand (or so the story is told). And the rest is history.

Jerry Covell at one time did not belong to any fraternity. He actually tried to join Kappa Gamma and was a Kappa Gamma pledge in his first week of probation. But that didn't last long since he walked out on them. It was said that he was disgusted with what he saw going on inside during the pledging process. He wasn't afraid of Kappa Gamma as you can see with him giving Kappa Gamma brothers who were a part of the DPN Committee the bird. The following year after trying to join Kappa Gamma, he joined Kappa Sigma. At the time of the protest in March of 1988 Covell was the Grand Procurator of Kappa Sigma and in the Fall of 1989 became the Grand Master. One of the big reason why he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity was because the fraternity never supported hazing from the very beginning. They believe in the simple honor and respect of their fellow human beings. From the 1990 Tower Clock Gallaudet University Yearbook, page 324, on Kappa Sigma:

The benefits they had to offer, frankly, were unequaled by any other organization I knew of and the concept of a warm, strong brotherhood that these men had shared caught my fancy.  Another valuable plus about them: they don't haze.   Their stand against hazing and the belief that pledging should be any enrichness and education of character rather than abuse and strict "training and re-education" of minds and bodies only served to further reinforce my initial hunch that this fraternity was the one for me.

It was an open secret when it came to which fraternity did the hazing and which did not. But notice the power structure at the time. The Seven Ducks were all Kappa Gamma brothers. Two of the four DPN leaders are Kappa Gamma brothers with the third being a Phi Kappa Zeta sorority sister. PKZ is considered to be the sister Greek organization of Kappa Gamma who share the same ideals as Kappa Gamma.

In the 1989 Gallaudet University yearbook (1988 - 1989 school year) Tim Rarus was like all other Kappa Gamma brothers holding no title other than being a Kappa Gamma brother. In the next following 1989 - 1990 school year after the DPN protest was over and the first deaf president was finally put in place Tim Rarus suddently became the Grand Rajah of Kappa Gamma. Tim never held previously the Kamoos, Tahdheed, Mukhtar, Abbah Tekoth or Abbah Ganesa Kappa Gamma title.  Though not to mean holding a certain title is a pre-requisite to become the Grand Rajah.

The power structure of Kappa Gamma during the mid to late 1980s was a crucial period in gaining the necessary influence within the community of Gallaudet University and the Student Body Government whose elected top SBG officials were mostly Kappa Gamma brothers. All of which coincided with the DPN protest in March of 1988 and the eventual success that sealed their power base, influence and authority. That is until charges of hazing and racism within their organization leading to suspension of their organization multiple times in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the unfortunate Nazi-like salute in the 1989 group photo which shifted more of their influence and respect away from them.

What is interesting is to see the make-up of the Student Body Government during the 1980s and 1990s.  In the 1987/1988 SBG adminstration school year was led by Tim Rarus, president of SBG, and Hector Brual, vice president, who were Kappa Gamma brothers at the time. During the 1988/1989 SBG administration period they had Greg Hlibok, president, and Roger Kraft, vice-presiden, both were Kappa Gamma brothers at the time who just came off of the successful DPN protest several months earlier in March of 1988. For the 1989/1990 SBG Administration year Terry Wilding was the president while Roger Kraft became the vice-president, both were Kappa Gamma brothers at the time. Successive years with Kappa Gamma brothers holding top influential positions. The names and Greek organization can be verified in Gallaudet University's yearbooks.

Here's an example of the SBG make up during the 1987/1988 SBG administration year.

- Tim Rarus, President (Kappa Gamma)
- Hector Brual, Vice-president (Kappa Gamma)
- Debbie Trapani, Assistant to President (Phi Kappa Zeta)
- Heidi MacGlaughlin, Assistant to Vice-president
- U. Sung Chung, Special Assistant to President (Kappa Gamma)
- Stevie Gemmil, Secretary to Special Assistant
- Jolene Whaley, Administrative Secretary
- Craig Hanrahan,  Business Manager (Kappa Gamma)
- Paul Rutowski, Assistant Business Manager (Kappa Gamma)
- Jennifer Nasukiewicz, Special Assistant to Business Manager
- William Millios,  Director of Academic Affairs (Kappa Gamma)
- Ted Baldwin, Director of Athletic Affairs
- Jeff Bravin, Director of Public Relations (became a Kappa Gamma the following year post DPN)
- Liz Walker, Director of Student Relations
- Cayetano Adamo, Direct of Student Welfare
- Joe Hartung, Assistant Direct of Student Welfare (Kappa Gamma)
- Colleen Smith, Director of Housing Affairs
- Janet Etkie, Assistant of Housing Affairs
- Tade Cross, Director of Social & Cultural Affairs
- Missy Kaler, Assistant Director of Social & Cultural Affairs
- Ginger Smith, Assistant Director of Social & Cultural Affairs
- Debbie Burnaman, Director of Student Media
- Mary Chimelak, Assistant Director of Student Media
- Jennifer Cooper, Publicity Director
- Andrew Byrne, Proofreader
- Menchu Sanchez, Typist
- Christine Beckwith, Chief Justice (Phi Kappa Zeta)
- Terry Wilding, Student Congress Speaker (Kappa Gamma)
- Christine Ehrlich, Student Congress Vice-Speaker (Phi Kappa Zeta)
- Maureen Behrens, Student Congress Secretary
- Petra Horn, Parliamentarian
- Mario Hernadez, Sargeant-at-Arms
- Carl Schroeder, Advisor (Kappa Gamma )

As you can see in this example most of the males in the SBG were Kappa Gamma brothers holding top positions of influence and power. A pattern repeated throughout the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s. Much of these power and influence have gone beyond the confines of Gallaudet University into the field of education, technology, and social politics.  That's another story, another time.

Now you know the interesting and yet unknown part of DPN history and the important role Kappa Gamma played in. Not to mention Jerry Covell's courage in helping set the DPN path in the right direction.

When extremism goes after their own sign language interpreters

AFA and others have been demonizing interpreters hired by A.G. Bell while others have produced names and pictures of them. Never mind that Professional Interpreters are bound by a code of professional conduct to provide equal access, remain neutral, and keep confidential, no matter who the clients are. But for any sign language interpreters to show up at the July 18 - 20, 2013 A.G. Bell LSLS Symposium in Los Angeles was met, ironically, with outrage by extremist adherents. Damned if you do produce an interpreter, damned if you don't and not provide that all important communication access.  Interpreters who were hired at the A.G. Bell LSLS Symposium get called as "traitors" and other name bashing. Rick P. and few others on the Facebook discussion were the only few sane, common sense people on board contributing to the discussion.

Folks, as a CODA, a husband of a Deaf woman, an interpreter and a colleague of Mr. LoParo, I can tell you Bob is neither a traitor nor a supporter of AGB. He was there to provide communication access - period. Think about it. If he wasn't there, how would you know what they were really saying? If you depended on his work to know what was being said, then you know he wasn't the message, he was only the messenger. Don't shoot the messenger. Many of us interpret in situations we don't really like. Just because an interpreter takes a job it doesn't mean we support any particular side. In fact, if we did, we shouldn't take the job. I'm sure Bob knew that taking the job would be difficult. I'm also sure he felt that the Deaf people who were there to protest had a right to know what was being said and that's probably why he took the job.

Jen P. interjects:

I am stunned by this witch hunt. I hope you all realize what you are saying when you say you expect interpreters to serve only those with whom they agree. Be very careful what you wish for. We live and act in a political world. We interpret in a neutral one.

Rick P. continues on his with his explanation shedding a bit more light on the misplaced mock outrage.

The reality in this situation is that Mr. LoParo was not paid directly by AGBell. He worked for an interpreting agency that was providing interpreters at the request of the conference. It seems like interpreters are in a no-win situation with this. We see what has happened with Mr. LoParo in this posting. I'm curious what would have happened if no interpreters accepted the job. Would we then be accused of being audist and on AGBell's "side" because there was a lack of communication access? Would we then be accused of intentionally keeping the Deaf community "in the dark"? Personally, I encourage our communities to have a discussion about the situation. I would also warn that some people on this thread are getting close to the legal definition of slander. I would also warn that we are "dividing and conquering" ourselves which plays right into the hands of the oppressor.

And that has been the biggest problem among culturally deaf rabid adherents when it comes to their own "dividing and conquering" within their own culturally deaf community.

Deborah M. makes a salient point on communication access and knowing what's going on at the convention.

I'm just saying that there could be situations where having an interpreter there at AGBell could be good for the Deaf community.

Rather than to attack interpreters for accepting an interpreting job at AG Bell, use them for the benefit of learning and meeting people in the effort to learn from each other the people at the symposium. Rick Pope made an observation about the AFA who was there.

Reading Ms. Jordan's account of the situation at the Omni hotel, it becomes clear that the AFA leader herself was using an interpreter for communication access that ensured her First Amendment rights. She clearly redirected people who were inappropriately trying to interpret.

"Ruthie made it clear that there were ASL certified and qualified interpreters at the rally and at no point should the security or police utilize AG Bell staff members as interpreters."

So, I have to wonder why an interpreter is catching hell from AFA supporters when the interpreter was requested by the AFA leadership. As for the comments about Mr. LoParo's "stone face", he was interpreting in a situation that could have or did involve law enforcement. If Mr. LoParo had greeted people with hugs and other behaviors that are common in the Deaf world, it could have given the impression that he was not impartial. This could have given the AGBers reason to remove him from the situation (I've seen it happen) thus negatively affecting communication access for the ASL-using protestors. Even by the AFA accounts on the website, Mr. LoParo behaved professionally and ensured the AFA leadership had meaningful access to their Constitutional rights. Why, then, is he being excoriated without any comment from the very consumers of his services?

Jen P. offered her perspective as an interpreter who attended a previous AG Bell conference.

I worked at the AGB Conference in Milwaukee in 2008, as an ASL interpreter and as an oral interpreter. I shall not discuss assignment specifics due to confidentiality. I am, however, compelled to say that AG Bell conferences are gathering places for a diverse assemblage of people, many of whom are deaf and, through no fault of their own, grew up deprived of access to a natural, visual language. Every last one of these individuals has the right to attend this or any other event, the right to discuss educational, social, linguistic and medical concerns with others who also face the same issues. They have the right to access language and information and the right to the interpreting or captioning services of their choosing. All of the attendees had an opportunity during the conference to either use or to see ASL interpreters at work. I am proud of the service I provided for these deaf individuals. I did not make the decision to work at this conference lightly or easily or without a lot of reflective and deliberate thought. Nobody has the right or authority to tell me which deaf people are (or ARE NOT) worthy of interpreting services, or in which contexts they may be served. The interpreters at these conferences are not conspirators with the enemy. They are not oralists or audists. They are performing the same professional, confidential and impartial services they provide to anyone else in the deaf/Deaf communities. You want to find out what happens if interpreters stop interpreting AG Bell conferences? It’s an interesting thought-experiment, but why stop there? Should VRS interpreters disconnect a call every time someone makes a comment in a phone conversation that is oppressive, hateful, rude, illegal, or distasteful? Do deaf people not have the human right to make their own mistakes, to deceive and be deceived, to have views that lie outside the mainstream? Should hearing interpreters decide who has the right to services based on a person’s religion, race, sexual orientation, political views, affiliations and memberships? Be careful of what you wish for. And please cease and desist with this intolerable and defamatory witch hunt. All of your energies are much better spent against your enemies than against your allies.

She further re-iterates the danger of blacklisting and choosing for the interpreters based on an ideological condition.

Patti, if one truly believes that the conference attendees have the right to equal access, it follows (for me) that as a professional, if I am qualified for the work and able to execute my duties with impartiality, then I need not recuse myself. I am not supporting an organization or an "ism". I am serving people. Actual people, not abstract stereotypes or cultural villains. The thinking on this thread has been very black and white. This setting is approved for interpreters, this setting is bad. This interpreter is good. This one is blacklisted. It is this kind of black and white thinking that rules the AG Bell roost. Signing is bad and talking is good. Activism can be polluted by extremism. I am not an AG Bell supporter. I support open communication between deaf and hearing people. I will not be intimidated by extremist thinking into believing that somebody else should do the work that I believe should be done and done well. It's not a great analogy, but some lawyers defend criminals because they believe in citizens rights to a fair defense. I believe in communication access. My conscience is clear.

The latest FB discussion is an interesting read on how extremism can get out of control. It's also an example of a slippery slope in action in the attempt to try and control interpreters on who they should or should not interpret for purely on ideological and selfish motives. And at the same time fall prey to their own paranoia. A move that would guarantee shooting oneself in the foot each and every time.

Video: Deaf Athletes doing the Nazi Salute at Summer Deaf Olympic Games

Here's a shocking video with picture stills (see below) of deaf athletes parading around on the White City Olympic stadia oval track doing the Nazi salute at the Summer Deaf Olympic Games or known as the International Games for the Deaf  at White City, London in 1935. Twelve countries and 221 deaf athletes participated in that event. One picture still from the video you can clearly see a deaf team from Great Britain doing the Nazi salute. Of course, the deaf German team was expected to do the Nazi salute while flying their Nazi Germany's Swastika flag. It's a grim look into the past seeing deaf non-German athletes "forced" to do the Nazi salute not knowing in a few years many of their deaf brethens in other countries and deaf Jews would be persecuted and/or exterminated during the horrors of WWII Holocaust by Nazi Germany.

Click here for video

How ironic on finding this video while the Deaflympic Games is taking place presently in Sofia, Bulgaria, too.

Click here for video

 

 

It's no fun seeing deaf people running around mimicking the Nazi-like salute whether intentional or not just like what the 35 brothers of Kappa Gamma of Gallaudet University did in a 1989 group photo shot.

It's quite shocking that in 1989 Kappa Gamma brothers did not have enough intelligence to not incorporate their Nazi-like salute into their fraternity claiming it to be a type of a "secret handshake." This is a salute which can only be construed, as anybody would, as nothing but a Nazi-salute. There is no excuse for what Kappa Gamma brothers did when you factor in the horror and history of the Holocaust in WWII. And by saying that let's take a closer look at the history of 1935 Deaf Olympics and what the Holocaust did on deaf Jews in Germany.

We need research taking a look at what was going on with the so-called Deaf Olympics. There were international games for the deaf in Stockholm throughout the 1920s but in particular in 1935, and then in 1939 after there was almost a boycott of the regular Olympics in 1936, yet deaf people throughout the world participated in the Olympics in Stockholm. And of course, the Germans sent a team. There were no Jews, there were no Jews on the team but there was a team that went to the games in Stockholm, and of course, as you can imagine, the Germans won the most medals.  

I apologize to the interpreters, that was a long aside.  

If it’s difficult to determine precise figures for the number of deaf people the Nazis sterilized, as Dr. Heberer indicated, it is impossible to know exactly how many deaf people were murdered in the T-4 program. As she mentioned some of the records of this operation were destroyed, but even if there were complete documentation, gleaning the number of deaf victims from the files would be a delicate operation. Deaf people were never officially designated as subjects in the Euthanasia Pro... project, yet we know from Friedlander and Biesold that deaf infants, children, and adults were murdered in the asylums. Some were surely misdiagnosed as schizophrenic, cognitively disabled, sometimes as a result of staff failure to properly communicate with deaf people in sign language or in appropriate written German, and sometimes as the tragic result of societal prejudice about the intelligence of anyone who is deaf. When we recall that a patient’s dossier from an asylum often received only a cursory glance from the doctor, who could sign a death warrant, it’s clear that the diagnoses were often meaningless. Perhaps only a painstaking examination of extant hospital and asylum files, records from schools for the deaf, and the state-run killing centers will elucidate the treatment of deaf people in the T-4 program. The fate of deaf Jews in Germany, in Nazi-occupied Europe, is a story of tragic discrimination and heroic survival. There were very few deaf Jewish survivors from Germany.

Regardless, the Holocaust is a known history that took place during WWII where 5 to 6 million people were murdered in extermination Nazi camps. What might be surprising with the group photo circulating the internet is that the current president of Gallaudet University is a deaf Jewish person with a strong Jewish heritage. In fact, president Hurwitz became the first deaf Jewish person to become president of Gallaudet University in its 145 year history. Also, in 1983 he was awarded as an honorary Kappa Gamma brother by Kappa Gamma. How will president Hurwitz and Kappa Gamma's own history of hazing where the Greek fraternity was suspended three times in 1980s and 1990s be able to rectify the Nazi salute photo to the American public? Can president Hurwitz explain away with a straight face to deaf Jewish people everywhere that the Kappa Gamma salute in the group photo is not a Nazi-style salute? But merely a type of a "secret handshake?" Will president Hurwitz continue to align himself with the Kappa Gamma fraternity as an honorary Kappa Gamma brother knowing their hazing past and their Nazi-like salute taken 1989 while continuing to attend Kappa Gamma's annual Grand March seen in this video here? 

How will Kappa Gamma and president Hurwitz of Gallaudet University rectify these problems that have come to light recently? Why would anyone want to join a fraternity who have refused to publicly apologize for their past behaviors and hazing practices on former pledges and who may still be suffering mentally and emotionally? Who will take the lead to rectify these past mistakes? President Hurwitz? The leaders of Kappa Gamma, current and past?

Keeping quiet is not the answer.

Who will have the balls and leadership to step forward and do the right thing?  Why continue to ignore the whole Nazi salute snafu as if nothing happened, president Hurwitz? I'm sure the Jewish Deaf community and the deaf community as a whole would like know. Why continue to ignore the past persecution and murder against deaf people by Nazi Germany? Why continue the association with Kappa Gamma if they are unwilling to publicly apologize for their past hazing transgressions against deaf pledges and their careless indifference about the Holocaust history by doing the Nazi salute while their official Kappa Gamma robes are the blue hooded garments with human skulls on them?

Simon J. Carmel’s lecture, “Silent No More: Testimonies of Deaf Holocaust Survivors” related the unheard stories of the persecuted deaf Jewish during World War II.

What would deaf Holocaust survivors say to you, president Hurwitz? Kappa Gamma? Will you honor the memories of deaf Holocaust survivors and those who never made it out alive in WWII?

President Hurwitz, it's time to be "silent no more" and help preserve the institution's integrity, the Deaf Jewish community relationship and make a stronger and more respectful fraternity organization. It's time to be on the victim's side of history and do the ultimate mea culpa in public.

They are waiting.

UPDATE: What I have should have done was put into a pre-Nazi historical context with the salute. Prior to 1942 the Nazi-like salute was actually done in the United States as part of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. This was called the Bellamy Salute, something that I discussed in an earlier blog in reference to the 1989 group photo.  "It was actually the official American salute (in the Pledge of Allegiance) and then it became the official Olympic salute before it became the gesture of German socialism (see the new book "Pledge of Allegiance + Swastika Secrets" by Ian Tinny explaining the work of the historian Dr. Rex Curry). The Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the Nazi salute and Nazi behavior. So, at the old olympic games there were more than just Germans doing the gesture. and the 1989 youngsters might have known more about the gestures roots in the USA and in the Olympics then those around them." Hat tip - Daniel Ruth. 

Yet, it is still a shocking vid seeing them doing a Nazi-like salute even though that salute was invented around 1892 but 7 years later in 1942 Congress out of act of embarrassment and preservation out of the fact that Nazi Germany stole the United States' salute changed their salute to hand over the heart whenever we do the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. 

Flipping a 620 lb tractor tire

Deaf man flips a 620lb tractor tire for fun. Who is this guy?

"Gallaudet Student Alleges Hitlerite Hazing"

Sticky: For those coming in here from ASL Dragon going by on what Carl commented about PKZ go here because I don't mention PKZ in this blog piece. But continue reading below about how KG did the Nazi salute with a picture as proof.  


The title of my blog comes from an article in Legal Times (June 6, 1994, Vol. XVII, No. 3, page 6) entitled "Gallaudet Student Alleges Hitlerite Hazing" discusses the "Fuhrer Furor" regarding a former student who alleged that Gallaudet University tolerated a supposedly neo-Nazi style fraternity environment promoted by Kappa Gamma. In the article, it has a group photo taken during 1989 the 35 Kappa Gamma brothers doing what it appears to be a Nazi-type salute.

The first impression can be a good or bad one. Doing a salute that looks exactly like a Nazi salute is first and foremost a really bad impression, especially in the age of the internet, for Kappa Gamma and Gallaudet University as a whole.

Say it ain't so with a straight face to the American public.

The current president of Gallaudet University is Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz. He became the tenth president of Gallaudet University on January 1, 2010. He also became the first Jewish person to head the institution in its 145-year history. He is also an honorary Kappa Gamma brother in 1983. And he has a big impact on the Kappa Gamma fraternity in his support of it.

President Hurwitz can be seen attending the 2011 Fall Kappa Gamma march in this video here.

The 1994 Legal Times article is a case dissection of Kevin Clark's lawsuit against Gallaudet University for the 1993 hazing claim against them that has caused him to suffer a "post-traumatic stress syndrome." The article also provided an incredible revelation of a defense response from the university's legal officer about the Kappa Gamma group photo doing what appears to be a Nazi-like salute. Michael Levy who was a partner at D.C.'s Freer and McGarry law firm said he was able to obtain,

a 1989 group photograph of the Kappa Gamma fraternity members engaging in what appears to be a Nazi-style salute. Although the picture is almost 5 years old, Levy says, it shows two of the defendants in the suit apparently saluting. Yet Kelly, the university's legal officer, says that Levy has misinterpreted the photo.  

What the picture shows, Kelly says, is a group of fraternity brothers holding their arms erect in "the equivalent of a secret handshake."  

Besides, Kelly says, several of the fraternity brothers are Jewish, and some are African and Asian-Americans. "It doesn't make sense that these students would be idolizing Adolf Hitler," Kelly says.  

Tessier, the Kappa Gamma member, echoes that sentiment, calling the notion that blacks and Jews would join a neo-Nazi fraternity "ridiculous."

Below is a color group photo but have chosen to cover their faces but not their shirts this time. Their shirts clearly show the Greek letters Kappa Gamma.

The galling claim by Mr. Kelly was that the salute is the equivalent of their "secret handshake" just goes beyond credulity. Why on earth have that kind of salute within a fraternity circle? Something that is instantly recognizable by everybody as nothing more than a Nazi salute using the right arm outstretched, above the shoulder with palm open and flat while facing down just like a Nazi soldier would do using the exact same right arm?

If it's like a "secret handshake" and it's not really an issue then I suppose the Kappa Gamma fraternity as a whole, the 1989 fraternity brothers in the photo, Gallaudet University and president Hurwitz wouldn't be embarrassed about it and would without a second thought allow the photo to be publicly displayed in full? Can president Hurwitz accept Mr. Kelly's claim with a straight face while trying to explain to the American public that it's not a Nazi-style salute but the equivalency of some "super-secret handshake" type of thing? Can you even buy that without shaking your head? Would the American public ever buy that? It's not about the fact that Kappa Gamma doesn't idolize Hitler or that it's not a neo-Nazi type fraternity, that makes sense.  The fraternity is clearly not like that. The problem is how the public sees the photo. Would they see the 35 salutes with arms outstretched and not the fraternity brothers' skin color or their last names based on their Jewish, European, African, or Asian-American descent? Would that salute instantly remind people of the horrors of the Holocaust created by the Nazi and Stalinist parties (which one was worst?)? A time during WWII where millions of innocent people from babies, young children, teens, adults, the elderly, and those with various disabilities, even deaf people, were brutally killed in the planned machinery of mass genocide aimed at Jewish and Polish people, and many others. It was all about race supremacy and maintaining the nth generation bloodline of the "purest of the pure."

Perception and having the first impression is everything.

Another revelation in the Legal Times article was the allegation that,

former student alleges he was blindfolded and forced to endure three hours of  taunts, nazi sloganeering, and wild spatial disorientation in a "confined and overheated" portion of a basement in a university building.   Because he is deaf, Clark says in the complaint, being blindfolded meant being deprived of his crucial remaining sensory ability.  That deprivation, he says, combined with the excruciatingly loud screaming from the fraternity members, contributed to his trauma. Levy says that while his client could not actually hear the loud screams, the noises created vibrations distressing to him.

Nazi sloganeering? Exactly what went on in the Kappa Gamma's? Did they force pledges to do the Nazi-like salute to their brother superiors whenever they were around? Did they say "Heil XXXXX" to one of their higher-ranked brothers while saluting him? Was it a requirement to salute to each other or to higher ranking brothers? What did or did not happen in the stuffy Kappa Gamma basement of hell back in those days? Did the Kappa Gamma brothers continue to experience hazing (probably on a much lower scale and intensity) soon after becoming a brother, too? What's more important is whether that sort of nonsense is occurring today despite Kappa Gamma's strong anti-hazing support.

As for blood-curdling screams they were supposedly heard by a hearing student staying in Krug Hall while attending Gallaudet University to major in Sign Language Interpreting. A claim that lends credence to the allegation of "excruciatingly loud screaming" that went on in the basement of the Kappa Gamma fraternity organization. 

In the face of these new revelations of old, how will president Hurwitz, who is of a strong Jewish heritage, and Kappa Gamma's own history of hazing be able to rectify the group picture Nazi-like salute to the American public? Can president Hurwitz explain that with a straight face to the Jewish people everywhere that the salute in the picture is not a Nazi-style salute? Just a type of a "secret handshake." No harm. No foul. Right? Will president Hurwitz continue to align himself with the Kappa Gamma fraternity as an honorary brother knowing their past?  How will Kappa Gamma rectify their past hazing practices on former pledges and those who didn't make it may still be suffering deserve an apology from them? Who will take the lead? President Hurwitz? The leaders of Kappa Gamma, current and past? Who will have the balls and leadership quality to step forward and do the right thing?

Hazing supposedly ended in 1993 the year when Gallaudet University suspended Kappa Gamma for four years for violating the university's strict anti-hazing policy which began in 1909. Although they were suspended in 1990 for hazing violations and again in 1992 due to accusation by a black pledge of racism, supposedly so if that was really indeed the case. Would performing racist acts to a black pledge be considered a form of hazing?  By pre-emptively suspending the fraternity in 1993 Gallaudet University essentially admitted that hazing did in fact take place in 1993, again, before the lawsuit was ever to begin in court.

Perhaps the best chance for a plaintiff, Fioravanti says, is to prove that the university assumed a duty toward its students by attempting to regulate hazing and then did so negligently. In Clark's case, he alleges that the university knew of the fraternity's hazing and had previously barred the group from campus.

The suit was settled out of court before it ever began which scuttled the chance to explain the pledge's horrors he had to endure. Otherwise had the lawsuit gone through the court process more revelations may have been revealed as part of the whole discovery process legally required of Kappa Gamma and the university to divulge for the plaintiff to have. Suspending Kappa Gamma for hazing before the court proceeding had even started was an interesting way of admitting or acknowledging on what took place. It was better for them to settle out of court than not, and maintain the secrecy in an institution run by many Kappa Gamma brothers in high ranking administrative and staff positions. Kevin Clark did the right thing by taking Kappa Gamma to court. He was a courageous man for doing so and helped open the eyes of the public and gave an extra voice to all of the pledges in all fraternities who were afraid to stand up for themselves.

It's time to clean the gutters of the past and make a better and more respectful Kappa Gamma fraternity and Gallaudet University. Sweeping it under the rug will not help. Do something that will inspire and encourage the public and the deaf community.

UPDATE: Video of deaf athletes doing the "Nazi salute".

No Communication Barrier

How is that possible? How is it possible to have 100% no communication barrier between a deaf guy and hearing people and be able to communicate in real time just like signing or talking using voice? How is it possible to have 100% communication without signing or talking? Without writing using pen and paper? Without an interpreter 24/7 following you like an unwanted 3rd shadow? Take a look at this picture and figure out how it is possible and you tell me. How can a deaf guy translate his hiking experiences and other stories as a deaf person to a bunch of hearing person using this piece of amazing communication technology?

If you want to follow Julio on his hiking quest on the Appalachian Trail click on the picture icon on the left column of this blog.

If you want to know more about the UbiDuo communication technology visit sComm, owned and operated by a deaf CEO and co-founder.

Captioned Video: Deaf Man's Passion for the Piano

Here's a hard of hearing/deaf pianist from Singapore who was born with a hearing loss in both ears was able to teach himself to play the piano. Check out the video and turn on the caption button. Caption works fine.

Greek Fraternity Doing the Nazi Salute

Here's a group photo of 35 Greek fraternity brothers doing the Nazi salute. Other people have tried to explain away their salute as doing the "Bellamy salute" which was a popular Pledge of Allegiance salute to the U.S.flag  prior to WWII.  It was Hitler, hence the German National Socialists Party, who made the salute popular and recognized around the world. This forced the United States in 1942 to change their embarrassing salute with a hand over the heart instead for their Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.  It was over 40 years since WWII when that group photo was taken with the 35 fraternity brothers doing the Nazi salute at a fraternity retreat. It'd be disingenuous to say that they were doing the Bellamy salute when that salute has ceased since 1942 for obvious reasons.

This photo of the 35 fraternity brothers belonging to a recognized university doing the obvious Nazi salute is so serious and egregious, not to mention totally stupid and embarrassing, I made the decision to cover up their faces and shirts with their Greek letters....for now.

But why did they do the Nazi salute in the first place? Was it peer pressure done as a lark? Was it a secret salute much akin to a secret handshake used to greet each other while safely in the confines of their fraternity building and elsewhere away from prying or curious eyes? Did fraternity brothers ever forced pledges to do the Nazi salute during Rush Week as part of the whole hazing routine? Why even bother taking a group picture doing the Nazi salute when a picture like that would become the most incriminating kind once it got out to the public? Why even bother doing a group photo with that Nazi pose in the first place?

That's the most mind-boggling and most stupid thing of them all.

Matt Hamill vs Thiago Silva

Matt Hamill (11 - 4)  is planned to fight Thiago Silva (15 - 3, 2 NC) on October 9, 2013 in Brazil.  A recent poll favors Thiago Silva to win over Matt Hamill by roughly a 75% favorability rating.  Who will win? Watch and find out.

The Death of Deaf Echo......

No rhyme, no reason on the somewhat "sudden" disappearance of Deaf Echo which ceased operations sometime earlier this year after. It was an editorial website similar to DeafDC which began in 2005 and has been defunct since 2010 hosted several culturally deaf writers for their many deaf-related articles. Just like Deaf Echo you can still see DeafDC in the archive section in the Wayback Machine. Deaf Echo began in 2007 but slowly and quietly, if not without a whimper, abandoned the editorial writing scene earlier this year after years of providing editorial articles written by culturally deaf people for culturally deaf people. No farwell fanfare. No long goodbyes. No explanations on why it decided to cease operations. Maybe it was best to not say anything and let it die a natural death on its own accord. Eventually all good things come to an end with the opportunity to seek better things in life.

Adios Deaf Echo. The reverberation has now stopped.

Video: Julio on the Appalachian Trail and UbiDuo

Here is our UbiDuo user, Julio Rodriguez, Appalachian Trail backpacking star who went into the Sundog store in Kent, CT to buy some new boots. In this video he explains how he is amazed how much freedom he is able to have with the hearing clerk with the UbiDuo. He shows how flawless it was for him and the clerk to cover so much ground in their conversation on the UbiDuo. In his words he stated he doesn't have to explain he is deaf anymore and can just simply say hi and flip the UbiDuo open and snap up a conversation. He repeats over and over how the UbiDuo is making his life much easier and most importantly making his Appalachian trail venture an exciting one!

Karl White speaks

Karl White who is the Professor of Psychology at Utah State University and the founding Director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) discussed recently with an ASL interpreter in the YouTube comment section of his TEDx video (currently over 10,000 views) regarding parental informed decision, deaf children, ASL, and cochlear implant:


KW: As noted in my TED talk, when CI users remove the CI, they are still deaf. I agree that sign language can be a useful "back-up" language in such situations and I agree that children need access to as much language as possible. It is very important though that parents be able to choose how they want to communicate with their child. The job of professionals is to fairly & completely inform and then support parents in their choice. We should never impose our beliefs on parents.

For newly identified deaf babies, well-informed parent choice is the primary goal. Parents should be educated about all options and then be given excellent programs no matter what they choose. It is not appropriate to say all deaf children should learn ASL any more that it is appropriate to say all deaf children should have cochlear implants — those decisions should be made by the parents after they have been fairly and completely informed about options, pros/cons, risks/benefits, etc.

ASL Terp: Hi! I agree we should not impose our beliefs. There needs to be a balanced, full disclosure approach that shows research on the bell-curve? of CI users. Some do not benefit, some remove over time, some do benefit and some thrive. In addition there needs to be a positive encouragement by professionals for consistent visual language access which is not detrimental to development...and is actually beneficial for bi-lingual, bi-cultural personhood of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing/DeafBlind individual.

How about this...include in your talk an interview with a family who did approach with sign language from onset of deafness/hearing loss, who did implant, the implant was not successful (for whatever reason) and the family expresses gratitude for having fully met their child's needs by providing consistent access to language both auditory and visual. This would demonstrate the value of always have an underlying visual language accessible regardless of the success or lack of success of the CI.

I bring this up because I've seen families who do not do any signing with their kids...get the CI...spend several years trying to educate (up to age 6-7?) the CI is not successful, language is not developing and the parents express shock, grief and guilt that their child has such a delay that was in a sense imposed. Why have families go through that?  I think professionals have a responsibility to ensure all kids are successful to the extent possible with fully disclosed current information.

KW: I agree completely that professionals have a responsibility to fully and fairly inform parents and to work to help children achieve their full potential. There are certainly cases where hearing technology is not successful, just as there are cases where ASL is not successfully used by the family. We need to continue to improve the way we inform and support families as they decide how they want to raise their children.

ASL Terp: I think this is the crux of the controversy around your presentation. What is the basis for saying it is not appropriate for all deaf children to learn ASL? It is readily available to learn, does not harm the child, provides access to visual language, supports interactions with other human beings, provides increased intellectual stimulation. Learning ASL is a win-win. Win for child: 24/7 full access to communication. Win for intellectual and educational bilingualism + CI option.

KW: Sorry, I didn't phrase that well. I don't have a problem with any deaf child learning ASL - IF that is what the parents of that child choose. The key is informed parent choice. Some parents do not choose ASL and they shouldn't be forced to have the child learn ASL. Just like parents who don't want their child to wear a hearing aid or a cochlear implant should not be forced to have their child wear one. Any deaf child whose parents want him/her to learn ASL should be given support to learn ASL.