2018-11-30

Life As A Deaf Child

The Atlantic Magazine selects this short documentary video of third graders learning about crayfish at the California School for the Deaf. The video reminds me of taking Literature and Film course, learning about different shots taken, that was in addition to Russian Literature to meet Gallaudet liberal-arts requirements. Deaf schools located in a city with a film industry or university film school nearby are often chosen by film students as locations and subject of their class projects. They need practice if they want to succeed in Hollywood. As for me, at least I learn something about crayfish, even though science not my strength. 

White Silence

White Silence is to the Deaf what white noise is to the hearing, both are aids get helps us sleep well through the nights without disruptions. White noise blocks out noises that awaken the hearing people, like dripping faucet, airplane flying overhead, sirens on the streets, and teenagers chatting all night, etc. White Silence, is the same, only that a soothing bed vibration blocks out the vibrations that disturbs our sleep. As for myself, I uses Silence Noise so I won't be awaken by my son playing the drum in the garage, a garbage truck banging the dumpster at my apartments, Deaf cultists knocking on my door and the trains passing through, etc.

USA Deaf Swim Team

USA Deaf is seeking swimmers to join its team in order to participate in the upcoming World Deaf Swimming Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. If interested,  details available at Braden Keith's post on his Swim Swam website.

SignVibe

There is a new apps "SignVibe" available that alert you of incoming calls, it can be uploaded to your smartphone as it's compatible with your VRS provider. SignVibe is similar to ringtone except that it vibrates while ASL music is playing on the monitor. 

2018-11-29

Birthright

There has been a debate over the 14Th Amendment, which stated that all people born in our country are automatically citizens, is it heir birthright, that's the question? Are illegal aliens taking advantages of our system, bearing children here, putting us on the spot of separating families, which morally we can't do. What is the intent of the Constitution, it restored the rights of former slaves after the Civil Wars, despite the existence of segregation. It doesn't applied to native Indians per Supreme Court decision that they are tribes of a sovereign nation with autonomy status within our frontier. It doesn't apply to children of foreign diplomats. It doesn't apply to cheap Chinese labor that laid the tracks of our railroads. It takes an act of Congress to change our attitudes then. We got ourselves into this mess, granting "blanket" amnesty. The only solution I could think of is to annex Mexico. What's your opinion on this matter? Our President threaten to sign an executive order to that effect, but I don't so, he knows he can't rewrite our Constitution, nor repeal any of its amendments. 

2018-11-28

Pep Talk

NFL Deaf football player, Derrick Coleman, from the Arizona Cardinals is taking a break, visiting a local Deaf school in Phoenix giving them a pep talk, answering their questions, being a good role model, someone to look up to, proving that the Deaf can succeed in anything if you put your mind to it. 

Pope and the Deaf Child

A Deaf child got on the same stage as the Pope attention, playing around at the Vatican, people laughing at his antics, bothering the Swiss guard, parents apologizing but the Pope was in good mood, letting him be free, telling his worshippers that "he may be mute but he can communicate.
.

Tennessee School for the Deaf

Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville got a new superintendent, Dr. Vicki Kirk was selected because she encourages every Deaf child to develop their potential, seeing to that they improves their reading skills to grade level, and expanding various services to meet our needs. The state just made that announcement, so Deaf Anthology haven't heard any reaction from the Deaf alumnus, TSD staff, and parents yet.

Cochlear Transplant

A shocking revelation in an article of a New England medical journal hitting coming out this week, a two year old Deaf child now recovery at home, after undergoing the world's first successful cochlear transplant. Timing was critical, a federal judge denied an injunction request from PETA activists, thus allowing the procedure. According to surgeons, the organ was transported overnight via helicopter after a newborn orangutan that died at the Bronx Zoo. The administration are aware of the controversial, pointing out that restoring survival instinct is the purpose of our research, not language acquisition.The Deaf child is now on a steady diet of bananas to prevent the rejection of the foreign organ. The only known side effects we observed is the unexpected appearance of pubescent hair at such an early age, as if it was evolution in reverse. As long as the Deaf child can walk upright and don't grunt, we wouldn't notice the differences.

TAG


Deaf TAG Ministries
"Take and Give"
Matthew 17:27
Deaf TAG Ministries is an organization, not affiliated with any local churches, that plans various monthly activities, an opportunity, regardless of our denominational background, to fellowship, to share God’s Word, while retaining our autonomy.

Supermoon

Jot it down, February 19th, the Supermoon will be so damn close to earth, so big and so bright you can see your shadow.

2018-11-27

Mascot


I think the Gallaudet's own mascot, the Bison, ought to compete in the Celebrity Mascot Games held here in Orlando every summer. Mascots from various colleges and professional sports will be battling each other for the championship.
Here is their website so check it out, http://www.mascotgames.org/
I definitely will be there to support my Alma Mater, Gallaudet, go Bison!

Camp Aspen Crisis

IRS tax lien against Camp Aspen for the Deaf in Colorado was a major factor in its decision to shut down. Ryan Commerson hopes it will be temporarily so they can deal with various issues confronting them, such as state regulations, cabin rentals, parents non-payments, staff turnovers and forest fires, etc.
It's tough operating a high adventure camp that challenge generations of Deaf children. It'll take time to rethink its mission, resolve problems and return stronger than ever. Deaf Anthology, without doubts, is confidence that its leadership will take the camp to the next level, with a workable approach. There will be stumbling blocks along the way, and we will overcome them, it's now time that the Deaf community step in to help, and lining up corporations and foundations support its recovery to get back on the beaten trails.

2018-11-26

Deaf Migrants

A former Deaflympian from Honduras succeed jumping over the border fence with a pole vault is now hospitalized in Mexico with injuries suffered when he landed on barbed wires. The Deaf family was looking forward to a new life in America, seeking political asylum to escape from oppression at home. There are quite a few Deaf migrants joining the caravan, hoping to find menial jobs such as harvesting crops, dishwashing, and changing linens while learning a new trade, English skills, and saving toward a down payment on a new car, to obtain a mortgage, and setting aside a college fund so that their children can live the American dream.  

Ticket

A Deaf woman was arrested and jailed over an unpaid parking ticket, but now she is getting her revenge filing  a federal lawsuit against the city claiming that an interpreter wasn't provided on the spot, according to this article. She was then hospitalized for a few days while her dog at the pound. Will the court order the police to go through sensitivity training or the Deaf woman be referred to an independent living center to learn the importance of paying your parking tickets. Where is her common sense, will the jury fall for it.    

NYPD

 An unemployed  Deaf laborer and his family was moved to a Red Cross shelter after his home was burn down to the grounds. Two NYFD firefighters were injured carrying their children out to safety, suffering minor smoke inhalation. Police are on the scene investigating but sources indicated that the family was celebrating, inviting all their Deaf friends over for the mortgage burning ceremony after finally being paid off.  Unfortunately, the Deaf homeowners doesn't have any insurance whatsoever to cover the losses.

Rape

An article  out of India about a woman who recently divorced, was offer a job, then kidnapped and sold to a Deaf man who raped her for several days before being arrested by police that traced her cell phone leading them to the location.
Young girls are being taught to defend themselves, rapes are usually unreported, occurring every twenty minutes across India. There were a public outcry after a rape of a eleven years old Deaf girl last summer.  

Bikes

I am not a professional photographer but I do have an eye and took a snapshot of these bikes outside after a snowfall in New York City.

42

I am looking forward to a new movie,"42," the Jackie Robinson story, who broke the racial barrier to become the first black to play in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
I often vacation at "Dodgertown," the original spring training facility in Vero Beach, Florida. The last game I watch is when Tom Lasorda was the manager who sometimes selling wines.
Jackie lives in my hometown in Connecticut, got problems of his own, like any parents, dealing with their kids involved in drugs, his son was killed in an automobile accident.
Photo: Jackie Robinson playing with his son at Dodgertown,
Orlando Sentinel


2018-11-25

Flood


This is a PSA warning motorists not to attempt crossing flooded roadways but several Deaf drowned in their vehicles.

SunRail


SunRail is a new train that allows commuters from outlying suburbs to avoid traffic getting to and from work downtown Orlando much most people are complaining that's not enough as we want to enjoy nightlife, attend a Magic basketball game, theatres and plays, and perhaps a soccer game on weekends. It's not about work, we want to play too, not missing out any exciting events happening here in Florida. I'm somewhat disappointed that the state rejected federal funding for high-speed rails, and no wonder the Japanese and European tourists thinks that our infrastructures are inferior to theirs. They once discuss the possibility of a maglev train from the airport to the Disney theme parks and the Orange County Convention Center but all the bickering among us are preventing our city being the best in the nation in terms of public transportation. 

AGB & ASL

AGB: It's important to be able to listen even though you may not understand them.
       It's important to be able to talk even though they may not understand you.
  ASL: It's important the we be able to communicate in our own language and they'll
              want to learn about our Deaf culture and then respect our God given identity. 

Father & Son

England: The father was attacked by thugs at the railroad station, left for dead but actually was in coma several days finding out he couldn't hear nor smell wasn't there at the hospital when his son was born, having complications. It was devastating when doctors told him that he shouldn't care for his children while alone at home as it's a safety issue being unable to hear or smell the fire setting off the smoke alarm go nor the cries of his baby, especially at nights, and know when diapers needs to be changed. A local audiologist became aware of his situation and donated the digital hearing aids, and life is back to normal.

Football II: Texas School for the Deaf

Deaf Anthology Sports got another football game highlights from the Texas School for the Deaf.
We hope we'll be able to get highlights video reports from other Deaf teams in the future. 

2018-11-24

Habitit Healers

The Sisters of St Francis of Assisi were recently featured in a PBS series, Outdoor Wisconsin, gardening on its 85'x108' plot on its grounds. They were able to obtained a $20,000 grant from the state after the area was declared a wetland. They were able to harvest 4,000 pounds of vegetables during the season. They look cool in their "Habitit Healers" blue t-shirts. The nuns always kept themselves busy pulling out weeds, planting seeds, and composting the garden. Our dorm sometimes take an hike in the seminary woods to escape the stresses of everyday life. Once our Deaf boys did a nature project printing leaves on blueprints. They are truly servants of the land. If any St. John's Alumnus want to volunteer their time on Thursday mornings helping out, just contact them at  hmertes@lakeosfs.org.

Mingi Mingi

An African music producer is trying to incorporate sign language in its videos having people interacting in the background, rather than the singer signing, nor having it being interpreted entirely. I know music is a tough business, but the best thing about it, is to experiment new approaches in reaching out to the Deaf, and seeking their feedback in improving their experiences. If we don't hear the lyrics, at least we can feel its vibrations.  

ASL Humanoid Robots


The Japanese are developing humanoid robots to replace our interpreters.

Ellen

The breadwinner of this Deaf family been laid off, blame it on the recession. Their savings been wiped out, living on SSI and food stamps, etc. I just can't figure it out how they could afford all these things; a trip to Australia, having nice furniture and appliances, and even a new car in the garage. They told me that they go to a taping of the "Ellen" TV show everyday, as DeGeneres is very generous, especially during the twelve days before Christmas, giving away stuffs every now and then. They shown me a new toaster the audience got yesterday and asked me to stay for waffles but I wasn't hungry, leaving feeling jealous.

2018-11-23

Georgetown

As a student at Gallaudet, it's impossible to visit all of the historic sights of our nation's capital within the four years time frame while on campus. Got another brochure in the mail, of a Tudor Place, a residence in Georgetown , that remains in the family for six generation, completed in 1816 with the $8,000 inheritance from George Washington to the granddaughter of his wife, Martha Washington. The architect, is the same one that won the design competition for the US Capitol. The Peters love parties, among the guests over the years are Robert E. Lee, Andrew Jackson, and Daniel Webster, I can't help but wonder if Gallaudet ever socialized with influential Washingtonians of his time, seeking generous support for the institution and the hiring of its Deaf graduates. May I also point out that Tudor Place has the second largest collection of George Washington's artifacts outside of Mt. Vernon, and is registered as a National Historic Landmark.
Information available at their website: http://tudorplace.org/

Trail of Tears

Our government round up the Cherokees and send them away on the "Trail of Tears," taking away their lands.
The Nazis round up the Jews and send them away to Auschwitz, taking away their possessions.
The Audists round up the Deaf and send them away to surgery, taking away their identity.


Conan

There is a Japanese detective character, Conan, and the real Conan O'Brien decides to travel to Japan to meet the mayor of the Conan town, sharing a thousand burgers with fans who came out. Check it out next Wednesday night on TBS. It's an incredible footage taken by the father whose son got his autograph. The comic character, Detective Conan, drawn below, cool isn't it!

I been to Japan a couple times, rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, visiting a Deaf school in Nagoya, Deaf giving me a tour at the Imperial Palace, anyway, Japan ought to be on your bucket list.

EMT

A local fireman, learning ASL, emphasizes to his EMT students the importance of informing the hospital enroute if they are treating a Deaf patient, so that the ER can contact an interpreter on call.

NYT: Silent Worship

The Cardinal, a former archbishop of Milwaukee diocese, wants to close down this Deaf Catholic Parish here in New York City, probably still paying off lawsuits against the Church. My niece and late brother's girlfriend from Brooklyn regularly attend worship service. We Deaf don't have a prayer, the Pope being tone-deaf to us all.  It's a myth that if the Deaf don't leave a tip, how do you expect them to drop their tithe in the collection basket during service. 

NYT: Between Sound and Silence

I'm beginning to wonder if AGB taken over the New York Times, spreading its propaganda, doing a disservice to my Deaf brother and hundreds of Deaf linotypists who work tirelessly to get "all the news that's fit to print," beating the deadline, rolling the press, and get it to the newsstands at the crack of dawn. I just came across a pro-CI NYT video, our Deaf culture being bombarded with misinformation on every mass media outlets out there such as films and television, newspapers, and now social media. If you got money, you got the power and with that, you can influences anybody. Are fair and balance reporting a thing of the past, they know that being stirred up in drama is what keeping them in business in this digital age. Check out this NYT pro-CI video promoting oralism. It appears audism dominates its editorial board, where is neutrality, fair and balance reporting, the lost art of journalism.  

Living Between Sound and Silence

Some prefers to live with sound while others prefers to live in silence, but there are some in the middle, enjoying both worlds.

NYT: "Listening Project"

Since it was mentioned in a pro CI opinion piece in the New York Times, so Deaf Anthology going to check out their "Listening Project" documentary but first here is the trailer.


 A clever ploy, using deaf adolescent, to think themselves as normal, trying to convince us that all is well with the latest technological propaganda. It ain't so, where is Michael Moore, or any Deaf film directors when we need them to produce our counter viewpoint, letting the world know that there is a Deaf Culture that exist and ASL is our primary language. However, we were not able to obtain the film embedded into this post, so check it out at your local independent theatre  and be open-minded when expressing your opinions on the controversial subject, and be ready to debate defending your position on this issue 

2018-11-22

NYT: CI Issue - Pro Opinion

Jane E. Brody recently wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times on the cochlear-implant controversial subject that relighted the debate between two camps of thoughts, those who support ASL and our Deaf culture and those who support oralism. We are concern of the misinformation spreading around like wildfires, putting the NYT reputation at stake, violating its neutrality being drawn into the dispute that divide us. Audists are known to use the mass media to get their biased viewpoints across. Deaf Anthology also taken note of it, giving coverage of both sides reprinting a follow-up response from a Deaf ASL teacher debunking her. Read both posts on the pros and cons of cochlear-implants right here on Deaf Anthology.

Jane Madell, a pediatric audiology consultant and speech-language pathologist in Brooklyn, N.Y., wants every parent with a child who is born hearing-impaired to know that it is now possible for nearly all children with severe hearing loss to learn to listen and speak as if their hearing were completely normal.
“Children identified with hearing loss at birth and fitted with technology in the first weeks of life blend in so well with everyone else that people don’t realize there are so many deaf children,” she told me.
With the appropriate hearing device and auditory training for children and their caregivers during the preschool years, even those born deaf “will have the ability to learn with their peers when they start school,” Dr. Madell said. “Eighty-five percent of such children are successfully mainstreamed. Parents need to know that listening and spoken language is a possibility for their children.”
Determined to get this message out to all who learn their children lack normal hearing, Dr. Madell and Irene Taylor Brodsky produced a documentary, “The Listening Project,” to demonstrate the enormous help available through modern hearing assists and auditory training.
Among the “stars” in the film, all of whom grew up deaf or severely hearing-impaired, are Dr. Elizabeth Bonagura, an obstetrician-gynecologist and surgeon; Jake Spinowitz, a musician; Joanna Lippert, a medical social worker, and Amy Pollick, a psychologist. All started out with hearing aids that helped them learn to speak and understand spoken language.
But now all have cochlear implants that, as Ms. Lippert put it, “really revolutionized my world” when, at age 11, she became the first preteen to get a cochlear implant at New York University Medical Center.
“Suddenly when I was playing soccer, I could hear what my teammates were saying,” Ms. Lippert, now 33, recalled. “My mother practically cried when I heard a cricket chirping in the house. I couldn’t talk on the phone before. Now in my job at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Manhattan, I’m on the phone all day long. The implant has been a wonderful gift.”
Ms. Pollick, 43 and deaf since birth, lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two young children, all with normal hearing. Her deaf parents, determined that she learn to speak, got her a hearing aid at 6 months along with years of auditory therapy. A graduate of New York’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School and Wesleyan University, Ms. Pollick was in graduate school researching primate vocalizations when she got a cochlear implant.
She told me, “The earlier you get the implant, the more successful it is because the more auditory input the brain gets at an early age, the better the auditory skills you will develop.”
Dr. Bonagura, 34, who lives in Alameda, Calif., didn’t get a cochlear implant until she was 22. She said it made medical school a lot easier and enabled her to work in obstetrics, a field that involves emergencies, loud operating rooms and the use of face masks that make lip reading impossible.
“No other field of medicine compares to the joy of delivering babies,” she said.
Mr. Spinowitz, a 27-year-old guitarist living in San Francisco, was born with profound hearing loss and used hearing aids until age 15 when suddenly they no longer worked because there was nothing to amplify — he had lost all residual hearing.
Once he got his implant, he said, “I began listening to music — all kinds of music — trying to make up for lost time.” He played in bands throughout high school and college and now works at YouTube helping music labels get their work represented.
“The implant made it easier to communicate in all kinds of situations. It made college and my job possible,” Mr. Spinowitz said. His message to the parents of children with profound hearing loss: “Sound makes the world a better place, so if you can have it, go for it.”
A cochlear implant bypasses the nonfunctioning hair cells of the auditory system and transmits sound directly to the auditory nerve so that the brain can process it. Implants can be inserted in babies before they can walk. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, children with profound hearing loss who receive implants before 18 months of age “develop language skills at a rate comparable to children with normal hearing.”
As Dr. Bonagura says in the documentary, “The ability now to put implants in babies is incredible. They grow up with sound; they grow up hearing everything. Sound is a gift — laughter, voices, nature. How can you take that away from anyone?”
Still, many deaf people resist the current technology and insist that children with profound hearing loss should learn only sign language. They reject the idea that deafness needs to be corrected. 
But, as Dr. Madell points out, only 0.1 percent of the population knows sign language, and 95 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents, who then have to spend a long time learning to sign, during a period when children are normally learning to speak.
“Deafness today is not what it was 20 years ago,” she said. “Technology is so much better that virtually every child with hearing loss will be able to hear with the right devices — hearing aids and cochlear implants.”
Every baby born in the United States is supposed to be screened at birth for hearing loss. One baby in 1,000 of those screened will turn out to have moderate, severe or profound hearing loss that, if not promptly and properly treated, can delay their ability to learn to speak and understand speech.
Today’s auditory technology makes it possible for these babies to be fitted with a device that enables them to hear and, with auditory training, develop language skills as good as those of their normal-hearing peers.
Without newborn screening, critical months for learning spoken language can be lost. Children with serious hearing loss who are not screened at birth or soon thereafter often do not get their hearing checked until many months later when parents realize that they don’t respond appropriately to sounds and speech, or even later when they don’t start to speak at the usual milestones.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has established what are known as 1-3-6 guidelines that state that every baby should be screened for hearing by 1 month of age, a diagnosis of hearing loss made by 3 months and entry into early intervention services by 6 months. Yet currently only 67 percent of babies with profound hearing loss receive appropriate intervention by 6 months of age.

NYT: CI Issue - Con Opinion

Sara Novic, an ASL teacher wrote in response to a previous New York Times opinion piece written by Jane Brody giving her biased viewpoint on the cochlear-implant controversial subject, describing how the technology change deaf people lives. Hold it right there, it isn't for everyone, as she overlook its negativity. Deaf Anthology reminds us that we'll always remind deaf while pretending to be hearing.  It's not a cure, just a temporary fix. I think NYT violates its neutrality, letting a professional in the health field influences our mindset, we'll rather hear from a deaf individuals that went had the procedure, describing their experiences. 

At the start of every semester, before we dive into the course’s syllabus, I stand before my university students and let them ask me anything. Some ask about my writing career, grill me on the meaning of my tattoos or request pictures of my dog. But at least a few students each year ask me why I don’t have a cochlear implant and whether I want to get one.
This answer is, for me, an easy one. “No,” I say. “I’m happy with how I am now.”


I explain that deafness offers me a unique perspective on the world, or joke that I like it quiet when I’m writing, but I always end with a fact: “It would be a big commitment — learning to use a cochlear implant takes a lot of work.”
In my teaching, depending on the class, I use a combination of American Sign Language with interpreters, my own voice and lip reading when appropriate. I also use hearing aids that give me basic sound information. My experience is far from exceptional. Most deaf people use multiple methods of communication and technological support to interact with the hearing world.
It’s no secret that a heated debate over cochlear implantation has evolved in recent years, one frequently reduced to an either-or battle between sign language and speech. The reality is much more nuanced, and the more we understand about it, the better.
It’s true that cochlear implants are often misrepresented as the miracle cure for deafness. (Some people in the deaf community raised this concern about a previous article in The Times by Jane Brody.) But not all deaf people are eligible for an implant; the devices work by bypassing defective cochleae and do not correct conductive hearing loss, replace dysfunctional auditory nerves nor aid with central auditory processing disorders.
Those who are good candidates still have a long road to success after the operation. A cochlear implant sends sound as electrical pulses to the auditory nerve; it does not come preloaded with language information. The user must spend years in vigorous auditory-verbal training to learn to decode the signals to understand sound and speech.
Because the implants are often depicted as quick fixes without mention of this process, the surrounding controversy is often framed as culture versus technology: Those who advocate American Sign Language (A.S.L.) are defenders of a language rendered irrelevant by scientific progress. And while cultural preservation is certainly a factor for deaf people, it is not the whole story.
Many medical professionals still present the decision to parents of deaf children as a strict binary — either A.S.L. or implant, not both — using outdated information about how this type of bilingualism hurts a child’s speech development. In reality, most deaf people use a combination of sign language and speech in everyday life, and few A.S.L. users are against assistive technology. The most popular model of A.S.L.-based deaf education is bimodal bilingualism, a methodology that uses A.S.L. as the primary language and neurolinguistics framework through which to learn subsequent ones, the same way most hearing people learn multiple languages.
Bimodal bilingualism is not a knee-jerk attempt to save sign language. It’s grounded in recent neurolinguistics research about the “critical period” of language development in the brain, from birth to 5 years old. When a child doesn’t gain language fluency during this period, language deprivation results, and one’s capacity for intellectual development is diminished substantially and permanently.
Children with a cochlear implant and no access to visual language may be unwittingly engaged in a race against the clock as they learn to interpret the electrical signals provided by the implant. Some children are successful in this pursuit, while others aren’t.
Low technological failure rates for implant hardware are often confused with the more complicated measure of success or failure of the devices in real-world contexts. Implant technology might be consistent in a vacuum, but the human use and response to it isn’t.
Advocates of oral-only education often dismiss arguments for bilingualism with the phrase “parental choice,” but when implants are publicized as cures, many parents make a choice with incomplete information and without ever having met a deaf person before. And those who choose to forgo the implant face pressure from medical professionals.
Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney, an assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the mother of a deaf preschooler, says her family’s experience has made it clear that the goal of implantation for many isn’t language access but rather to make the child “normal.”
“We are constantly asked why my A.S.L.-using preschooler, whose language development is more than a year ahead for his age, doesn’t have a C.I.,” she wrote in an email. “The focus isn’t on whether he’s educated, happy, and thriving — it’s on passing. Meanwhile, we know children with C. I.s who have language delays because of factors like age of hearing loss identification and quality of support.
Dr. Stack Whitney said that she and her husband are not against implants and that their son will weigh in on the decision when he is older.
Rachel Kolb, a doctoral candidate at Emory University who has been deaf since birth and got an implant at 20 years old, believes that the popular notion of cochlear-implant-assisted hearing as “automatic and normal” is detrimental to those who use the technology. “My friends and acquaintances genuinely did seem to think that my implant would make me almost hearing, or at least that it would make me not deaf,” she said. “But I still am deaf. Ironically, I’ve realized many more of the ways that I really am deaf since getting my cochlear implant.” (
Ms. Kolb says applying a one-size-fits-all understanding to the subjective natures of sound and hearing does a disservice to implant users. “Because of the existing misperception of what cochlear implant technology actually does, and the range of outcomes that actually exists for different deaf people,” she says, “I’ve had to do a lot of work to explain to others what I do hear, and also why I still need and benefit from accommodations. I think this is the dangerous underside of perpetuating an uncomplicated story of cochlear-implant-as-cure.”
A cochlear implant isn’t inherently bad, but it isn’t inherently good, either; it is a neutral piece of technology, a tool, like a hammer. Expecting an implant to cure deafness or magically generate speech is to await the moment the hammer will fly out of one’s hand and build a house on its own. The value of the tool lies only in the skill of its user, and for the cochlear implant user, that skill is learned with much effort. To suggest otherwise is to give a disingenuous prognosis to potential patients and their parents, and discounts the hard work successful C.I. users do to communicate in a way the hearing world deems acceptable.

World Federation of the Deaf (WFD)


On Black Friday, we spend our money getting the best deals when everything on sale and  then on Monday we surf the Internet to complete our shopping list. If you got and change leftover, consider giving it to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) on Tuesday, you may need that tax deduction anyway.
You can donate on Facebook, WFD appreciates your support to serve the Deaf around the world.

Sign of the Year



President Alain Berset of Switzerland humbly accepts the Sign of the Year award from the vibrant Deaf community.

Clock/ Fire Alarm Recall


Lifetone Technology HLAC151 Bedside Fire Alarm & Clock

 

Deaf Jobs: Toll Booth Collectors

Florida are now hiring toll booth collectors for its highways.
We Deaf snowbirds needs directions in ASL, too. 

Audism in America

Deaf football players across the nation are kneeling during the national anthem to protest against audism. State administrators are getting the message, "that our teachers must be fluent in ASL with basic understandings of our Deaf culture."

2018-11-20

National Deaf Children's Society

The new polls indicated that 94% of the British parents are concern about the support services their Deaf children are receiving at their schools. National Deaf Children's  Society already set up their goals and developed a strategy to achieve them. We still need improvements in some area, but our government funding may be on the chopping block. 

Deaf Girl Evolution

It takes a lot of guts to trying to improve Deaf education in your school district, going to a school board meeting to express your concerns, and being interviewed on the local Fox station, being a role model making a difference and showing the world what we Deaf are capable of, etc. Kaylee Lartidue is active, being involves in just about everything as a debate team, member, joining ROTC, and playing various sports that any parents would be proud of. You can keep up with her latest interests, following her on her YouTube account, Deaf Girl Evolution.

Balance

It's estimated that 30% of the Deaf population has balance problems that put them at high risk on injuring themselves from falls at home. I know that from my own personal experiences of fracturing four ribs, having to deal with pains, and it's a long progress toward recovery in rehab after hospitalization. Only one thing for sure is that I'm glad that I'm not a racehorse where my jockey have no choice but to shoot me between the eyes to put me out of misery. There is a simple test you can try at home, just crossed your arms and stand still for 30 seconds, then do it again with your eyes closed. You noticed the differences in how you feel, then maybe your primary care physician ought to check you out, and perhaps referred you to a program that specialized in preventing falls. We may not hear the sounds but our inner ears, the cochlear controls our balance. My only concerns about our Deaf children getting cochlear-implants nowadays will have a shorten lifespan from falls itself, not cancers nor heart diseases which are the leading causes of death in America. Your checkbook balance can be wiped out once you get the bill after losing your balance at home, falling in a bathtub where 70% of the accidents happens. Take precautions, make your home safe, keeping the hallways clear, leaving the nightlight on and regular exercises may do the trick.  Clutters is not only an eyesore but it's just not worth losing your mobility the rest of your life. I think that a balance test should be a regular part of your annual physical examination, do you agreed with me on that. I hope my testimony will prevent you from suffering the same fate.

PS4: Quiet Man

The Quiet Man. a new PS4 videogame just released a few days ago contains a deaf character, Dane, involved in drama, nothing new here. Anyway, it's interesting tp note it got negative reviews from critics, of course,  you don't expect these hearing to understand what's going on when there is no dialog to follow along with the absence of sounds, and don't even bother to click the CC icon, it ain't to do you any good. I want feedback from Deaf gamers out there.  

Power Plant

Tonight in our School of Government class, we visited the Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) new Crane Power Plant, it's cool wearing a safety helmet and watching the men at work in the control room. The City of Kissimmee provides us with ASL interpreters during our seven weeks program.

Public Works

Last night in my School of Government class with the City of Kissimmee (Florida), the Public Works Department been teaching me to drive a garbage truck using gears to pick up bins alongside the curbs, it takes some practice to get it right. We been discussing FEMA flood insurance, traffic control, various construction projects underway, hurricane preparedness, maintenance of highways, converting existing public facilities using a more energy efficient methods such as solar energy, LED lightings, etc. Just covering all the bases than we go outside to learn to use the various machinery.

Romania

Parents of Deaf children in Romania are complaining that Bucharest schools are asking them to describe the sounds of autumn leaves on its standardized tests. The opposition taking note that the government still is tone-deaf to Deaf concerns, and hasn't done enough to improve its education system, nor its attitudes toward our language and culture. The European Union criticized the Romanian treatment of its disabled, not only the Deaf, population, and has a lot of catching up to do to be of equal par with the rest us.

Bedtime Story

A British Deaf boy with cancer enjoying a BBC bedtime story in BSL. 

Versa Effect

Let's taka  break and enjoy a night out at the movie, "Versa Effect," coming soon to your neighborhood. 

2018-11-19

Deaf Jobs: USFS

USFS will be starting to hire hundreds of Deaf after the President decision to revived the FDR era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) after a brief tour of the devastation left behind wildfires that swept California. 
The new campaign is to get the Deaf off welfare rolls to become productive citizens of our society, taking away jobs from the migrants, to make our nation great again. 
The Deaf will undergo training before being assigned to the forest raking leaves, the Finnish way.
It'll be great living in the great outdoors, being of service to our country.

Medicare Fraud

A Washington, DC area HMO doctor has been arrested for committing fraud by frequently billing Medicare, sometimes twice,  for performing unnecessary procedures on Deaf patients, most recently a vasectomy on a 95 years old male,  complaining his sex life have diminished afterward. The judge will consider an request to seek restitutions for the costs of Viagra pills. Naturally his Deaf wife will suffers depression for not having a climax since and thinking of leaving him. The Deaf male doesn't understand why he needs a vasectomy when his wife hasn't been impregnated in half a century. "I can't go out to watch the Washington Wizards play  because my balls hurt!"

Customs

An old man just arrived, after an overnight flight, into Paris. An impatient French customs officer asked him where his passport and if he ever been to France before. The old man still searching his American passport replied that he been here once before. The French customs officer, disrespectable,  reprimanded him not having his passport ready. The old man, a WWII veteran, then pointed out that he didn't need one on D-Day.

2018-11-18

Deaf Pre-School

"She went from someone who couldn't hear anything to someone who couldn't stop talking."
                     A parent of a Pre-School Deaf child in an oral program in Winter Park, Florida.
Deaf Anthology Commentary:
I opposed state funding of these programs while our public schools are being neglected. 

CBS: Mozzeria

San Francisco's Deaf owned restaurant, Mozzeria, was featured this morning 
on CBS, I'm looking forward to their franchise here in Orlando soon.

San Francisco has some of the best restaurants anywhere – and one of the most unique. Mozzeria, ranked among the top pizza places in the city, is also one of the first to be entirely owned and operated by people who are deaf.
Melody and Russell Stein opened the place in 2011, and it's been a foodie favorite from the start.
Their 900-degree wood-fired oven is the best they could find, and so is every ingredient, from sauce to sausage, to cheese, some of which comes from Italy. "We also make it in-house," said Melody, signing.
"And if that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will," added Russell.
And for the customers who show up there night after night, food is only part of the experience. Unlike other restaurants, noise isn't an issue, and neither is communication; pointing at the menu works just fine.
And you can even phone in a take-out order. A glowing green light on the wall signals an incoming call. An operator picks it up, and translates your order in sign language via closed-circuit TV.
But this is about a lot more than serving hungry customers.
Correspondent Tracy Smith asked Melody, "How important is it to you to have an all-deaf staff?"
"Oh, it's very important," she replied. "If a hearing person, say, doesn't work out here, they can find a job tomorrow, no problem, while all the deaf people here have to look for years and still can't find a job. That's when I decided I would have an entirely deaf team, even if they have no work experience."
Melody comes from a restaurant-owning family from Hong Kong, and she met Russell at Gallaudet University. Mozzeria is their first restaurant.
But now they're looking to franchise, with a little financial help from the non-profit Communication Service for the Deaf. It's a good investment, says CSD's Brandi Rarus.
Smith asked her, "What does this place mean to the deaf community?"
"It means a lot," Rarus replied. "People often think that deaf people don't have much to offer, or are less valuable, or less worthy in some ways. And when you come to this place, you see that's not true. It's such a great model for success."
And what a success. Critics, like the San Francisco Chronicle's food editor Paolo Lucchesi, have been kind. "The pizza's great. Neapolitan-style pizza is really hard to get correct. It's so simple, and the simplest things are often the hardest things to do well.
"You can feel the love in the food," said Lucchesi. "And it's just simple, delicious food, the kind of food that you just want on a Wednesday night. And that's kind of, really, what the best restaurants are."
And customers say they feel the love, too.
"It's not just the pizza; I feel I get more out of coming here than just the pizza," said one man. "I think there's just something about the experience that is really meaningful and connecting."
And now, Mozzeria might be coming to you, on a mission to give everyone a piece of the pie.
 Smith asked, "What does that do to your heart?"
"It's still hard to believe, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world," Russell replied.