DeafMom

IL Budget Cuts Hurt Those Who Need It Most

2009-06-16T13:42:00Z

A friend of mine called me yesterday with some scary news--she wasn't sure if she was going to still have her social services job this summer. The Illinois government is planning huge budget cuts that will affect nearly every social service job that receives state funds. Some centers fear that if the budget cuts take hold as planned, they will face closure.

My friend has a salary that is a pittance for the hours that she puts in and the value that she brings to her job. Working in a non-profit environment is always an exercise in breath-holding-- the budget dance gets played out every year. Fundraising is a constant thing. Doing the maximum with the minimum is a way of life. This isn't the first time that Illinois has done the budget cut dance, but there's a real fear that the music really is going to end.

Illinois is nearly two billion in the hole.

That's right. Two billion dollars short of the budgeted amount.

Protests are being organized today, letters, calls, faxes and emails are being sent out. Surely there has to be some pork in the budget that could be cut out? Why are we cutting out social services jobs that pay so little to begin with? Why can't we cut the fat from the top somewhere? After all, my hubby took a week off without pay to save some jobs where he works. Why can't we do the same with the top heavy people in Illinois?

Heck,, have them all take a month off spread out over the year-- I bet that alone could make a dent. Those making over $100,000 a year can well afford a pay cut. Those making $28,000 a year can't.

Disney Makes Strides Toward Accessibility for Deaf Customers

2009-06-07T13:50:00Z

Back when my kids were younger, we took them to Disney twice. I was so disappointed in their lack of captions for their movies and TV displays. We haven't been back at Disney for years, but I recently received this announcement forwarded from Dana Craig who works at the LIFE CIL in Pontiac, Illinois:

AUDIO DESCRIPTION NOW AVAILABLE AT DISNEY!

Disney engineers have taken recent advances in wireless technology one step further, creating a first-of-a-kind, handheld assistive device to bring the magic of Disney theme parks to guests with visual and hearing disabilities.

Disney’s Handheld Device combines multiple functions – assistive listening, handheld captioning, and closed captioning activation – into one small, easy-to-use platform. The assistive listening system provides amplified audio, while handheld captioning enables guests to read captions while enjoying specific theme park attractions. Closed captioning is also activated by the handheld device in pre-show areas where TV displays narrate the upcoming experience.

The device also provides audio description for guests who are blind or with low vision. This service provides narrated information about key visual elements in attractions such as actions, settings and scene changes and works seamlessly with the existing show audio.

The device is offered at no additional cost at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort theme parks. For more information, visit the Walt Disney World Web site at

www.Disneyworld.com <http://www.disneyworld.com/> or contact Walt Disney World Information at (407) 824-4321 (voice) or (407) 827-5141 (TTY).

The handheld captioning I'm not crazy about, but I like the idea of being able to activate the closed-captioning feature when in the area of TVs. In the case of watching shows like "It's a Bug's Life," the open captions on the screen are always the best way to go. I can't imagine peering down into a hand-held device while trying to watch a screen.

I wonder if my teenagers would want to see Mickey Mouse again?

Deaf Family in Chicago on ABC News

2009-05-22T10:04:00Z

I woke up on Sunday morning and tuned into Karen Meyer's ABC broadcast on a deaf family who faced the choice of whether or not to pursue cochlear implants for their deaf children. Michael and Jill Stark are deaf, and when their son Jeffrey was born, he was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. The Starks wrestled with the decision whether or not to proceed with a cochlear implant. They researched their decision, carefully weighing the pros and cons and decided to move forward with the surgery. Their daughter Melissa will soon obtain her implant as well as Jill. Their story is now being filmed as a documentary that will be released later this year.

The interview can be viewed here: Documentary Profiles Family's Tough Choice

Documentary website: Louder Than Words

Synopsis from the film website:

The feature documentary film Louder Than Words will explore the riveting real life drama of a deaf Chicago area family, as they live their daily lives in the hearing world. It is the story of how the controversial procedure has created opportunity for some deaf individuals but has also drawn the resentment of much of the deaf community.
The film will follow the Stark family as they visit highly specialized doctors and alter their lives and those of their children in order to complete the procedure. The film will be given unfettered access to this unique world and the medical process of the cochlear implant.
Michael and Jill Stark, born deaf and highly successful professionals in the hearing world, have already implanted their eldest son Jeffery and now look to do the same for their newborn daughter Melissa. They will also struggle internally and with their deaf peers as they debate whether or not to undergo the procedure themselves.

Marlee Matlin Publishes a "Tell All" Book

2009-04-24T20:19:00Z

Last year, Marlee Matlin, dazzled audiences with her ability to dance to music on Dancing With The Stars. This year, she's flying from city to city to promote her autobiography, I'll Scream Later. The L-Word star stopped in Oak Brook, Illinois last week to sign books at the local Borders. Approximately 250 fans stood in line to get their books signed and pictures taken.

(Photo above: Marlee Matlin, Karen Putz, Steven Putz, Lauren Putz)

The hubby and I brought our three kids with us that night and we were in the second group for the book signing. I brought my Z-340 videophone with me so that Tim Rarus (VP of Sales) and Sean Belanger (CEO of CSDVRS) could connect with Marlee for a few minutes. I have met Marlee a few times over the years and my husband stood up in a wedding where she was one of the bridesmaids. I've always had great admiration for Marlee-- she has matured into a multi-faceted actress who has proven herself time and time again with a variety of acting roles. She will be getting her own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on May 6th.

I started reading the book on the way home that night and didn't put it down until a few hours later. From her early beginning as Dorothy on stage to her recent stint with Dancing with the Stars, Marlee chronicles her life story, dropping name after famous name everywhere in the book. It's hard not to be impressed by the many famous people she's encountered, until you realize that the majority of stars take the same path: they start out as a niave unknown and then Hollywood channels them into recognized names. Marlee is undoubtly the most famous deaf actress that tinsel-town has ever had.

As I closed the book on the last chapter, I spotted a quote by Marlee-- something that I hope my own deaf and hard of hearing children come to recognize someday:

My life is rich, I am blessed and I am grateful. That I am Deaf is just a footnote. It is part of who I am, but far from all of who I am.

A Trip to Ruby Falls

2009-04-08T03:22:00Z

The kids were off for spring break last week so we took a road trip to South Carolina and stayed at a Marriott condo on the beach. My sister works for Marriott and with her friends/family discount, we were able to snag a two bedroom condo for a rock bottom price.

On the way back home, we kept seeing signs advertising "Ruby Falls" along the highway. We learned that it was a cave under Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennesee. On impulse, we decided to stop there and explore the cave.

Of course, there was no time to arrange for an interpreter, but the guide supplied us with a transcript. Once we arrived at the beginning of the cave, we realized that we couldn't read the transcript. The font was too small and there wasn't enough light in the cave to read it. I was the only one in my family who read through the transcript so I had an idea of the history of the cave and the man who pioneered it.

During the first stop on the tour, we saw a movie on two TV screens. I was really disappointed to find that there were no captions. My hard-of-hearing daughter did her best to try and interpret the movie so we were able to catch some of the history of the cave.

It was a long, narrow walk, but once we arrived at Ruby Falls, the sight was amazing. From a dome-like cavern, a thundering waterfall poured from the top into a pool below. The waterfall was rigged with lights that displayed the water in different hues.

Unfortunately, the cave is not accessible for wheelchairs due to the rugged paths and narrow openings. This had me wondering if there were guides who could team up with a person with a disability and use some kind of chair for this kind of terrain? Does anyone know?

I plan to contact the staff at Ruby Falls this week and follow up on my request for captioning on the cave movie. I'm curious to see if there are solutions to make caves accessible for visitors. If you have any info to share, I'll pass it along to the staff there for future visitors.

Plate Juggling, With Some of them Crashing on the Floor

2009-03-14T12:10:00Z

After I started a new job in January, life became truly crazy. I've always been one to spin several plates at once, but lately, those plates have come crashing down. I've probably reached the point where I can't keep plates spinning effectively anymore.

Earlier in the week I forgot that I had set three appointments at the dentist for myself and two of the kids. I had reminded myself the night before. It wasn't until I slipped into bed that night that I remembered.

Yesterday, my daughter needed a pie for her PI Eating contest at school. "I'll bring it around eleven," I told her. The contest was at two.

At 2:15, I glanced at my phone and saw a text from my daughter. "Umm, Mom, did you forget to bring in my pie? We are starting in 15-20 minutes."

She sent the text at 1:45.

There went another plate crashing to the floor.

Fortunately, the school had two extra pies and she was able to compete in the contest. When she arrived home, she wasn't mad at me. (Whew). She had some other great news: She won the PI contest--not the pie eating one, but the PI recitation contest. She was able to memorize and recite 109 numbers of PI on stage in front of her peers. She won a ribbon and the honor of having her name etched in a plaque that will forever be on the halls of her middle school.

But that guilt of forgetting my daughter's pie-- ouch. Mommy guilt.

I think I'll have some pie to console myself.

From Brightly Colored Earmolds to Inconspicious Ones

2009-03-03T03:44:00Z

"I want the plain, clear earmolds," my youngest son announced at a recent visit to the audiologist. The audiologist tried suggesting a different mix of colors to replace the red-white-and-blue earmolds that were being replaced.

"Aw, are you sure you don't want to try a new color combination?" I coaxed.

He wasn't convinced.

The clear earmolds, he insisted.

The audiologist squirted the pink material into his ear to get an impression of his ear canal. "How about pink earmolds?" I joked.

The kid rolled his eyes.

My oldest kiddo went through the same thing around the same age, ditching his blue and white school colors for a plain, blended-with-the-ear model. My middle child still sports a set of pink and black swirled earmolds. Last year, the two of us went for the sparkled set-- hers with pink sparkles and mine with blue. I still have the blue sparkling earmolds perched in my ears.

"The colored stuff is kid stuff," my oldest informed me.

Apparently wearing blue sparkling earmolds is akin to a 43-year-old wearing a mini-skirt.

Tacky, tacky.

Well, Tina Turner still looks good in a mini-skirt. And I look good in blue sparkles.

So there.

Let's Make Hearing Aid History in Illinois

2009-02-16T15:31:00Z

Senator Ira Silverstein has introduced Illinois Senate Bill 68 in Illinois to require insurance companies to provide hearing aid coverage, up to $2,500 per ear. This bill is unique because it does not have an age restriction attached to it. This bill will provide coverage for people of all ages in Illinois.

Isn't it about time?

Many people are often surprised to find out that insurance companies do not routinely cover hearing aids. Families with newly identified babies can get hearing aid coverage via state programs but once their kids age out of a program or families earn too much, then they enter the "no hearing aid coverage" zone.

It costs $250 every time a hearing aid needs to be fixed and with a family of five wearing ten hearing aids, something is usually breaking down. My husband has a hearing aid with a "t-coil" switch that stopped working long ago. I have a hearing aid with a missing battery door. I simply tape the battery door gap with tape when I play volleyball. A few weeks ago, a plastic part snapped off of my other hearing aid, rendering it useless-- unless I pay the $250 to get the 10 year old hearing aid fixed. Right now, I'm wearing my son's old hearing aid, and my husband is wearing the other, thanks to the programming that our audiologist did to make the hearing aids work for us.

The other day, I talked with a friend who had bilateral cochlear implant surgery. She was fortunate to have complete insurance coverage, for the bill was over $200,000. I couldn't help but think of all my friends who wear hearing aids--if only we could have a law that would mandate similar coverage for hearing aids.

WE CAN.

All it takes is a collaborative effort to get this law passed in Illinois:

Illinois Senate Bill 68.

If there ever was a moment where your input was needed, it is now. Write a letter, send an email, use your videophone, text relay, TTY, cell phone-- whatever it takes to contact your Senator or Representative and tell them that you want hearing aids to be covered by insurance.

Passing this law will open the opportunity for other states and even a federal law providing insurance coverage for hearing aids.

All it takes is a few minutes of your time. That's it, a few minutes to make a change that will last a lifetime.

I would like to applaud Mr. Silverstein for taking the steps to make history.

The High Unemployment Rate

2009-02-09T06:08:00Z

Every day, the news seems to get worse every time I open up the business section of the local newspaper. Thousands of people are getting laid off each day. Back in December, my neighbor was laid off from his job as an electrical engineer. Just the week before, we were talking and he mentioned that he thought he was pretty safe and wasn't worried about layoffs. A week later, he was filing for unemployment.

The story repeats again and again among my friends. Many who are still employed are anxious, because they don't know if the ax will fall on them next. My husband went through a few weeks of anxiety when the announcement of job cuts came out at his work.

It's a troublesome time, especially for my friends who are deaf or hard of hearing, because some of them were underemployed to begin with. The under-employment rate for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing has been quoted to be as high as 90% according to Lawrence Siegel, who did a study based in California. Under-employed is different from unemployed-- it means that a person is doing a job that they are over-qualified for.

In some cases for deaf and hard of hearing persons looking for a job, it comes down to the attitude of those doing the hiring as well as the attitude of the person seeking employment. It takes an employer who is willing to see the ability rather than the disability-- and we need more employers out there who can do that before we can see those statistics change for the better.

In Illinois, when Lt. Governor Pat Quinn was about to take over as governor, he was recently quoted as saying:

If you're able-bodied and breathing, we want you working.

Ouch.

I sure hope this was merely a quick-retorted oversight and that Quinn will find ways to include people with disabilities in his new plan to increase the number of jobs within Illinois.

Check out the Big Noise blog:

The Other, Other Employement Rate

The Z-phones for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users

2009-01-29T06:52:00Z

The phone was my enemy when I was growing up. Even with my earliest memories of using the phone, I don't remember ever being able to use it with any success. I could hear sounds, but nothing make sense. The phone was a nightmare for me in high school. I can remember waiting for my father to arrive home and then asking him to make a few phone calls for me. He tried having me "practice" on the phone many times. It was always so puzzling to him that I could follow whole conversations face-to-face, but when it came to phone calls, I couldn't understand a thing.

I had several close friends who would make phone calls to the guys I dated in high school. Most of them didn't mind, but it sure wasn't any fun relaying my thoughts through a close friend and then waiting anxiously to see what was being said on the other end.

In college, I was introduced to the TTY, a machine similar to a small typewriter that displayed text. I could call another TTY user directly or call a hearing person via a relay service. The relay service was slow and cumbersome. It was not unusual for an operator to type, "sounds frustrated," when describing the person on the other end of the relay services.

Along came the Captel, and I thought I was in heaven. With the Captel, I could talk directly to the other party and have their responses typed back to me. While I could hear the other person talking on the phone, it was frustrating to sit by and wait for the words to catch up after the person stopped talking. Some days the lag time was minimal, on other days it was so great that people would sometimes hang up on me.

Just recently, I took a position as a Sales Manager for CSDVRS, a videophone company that has the next-generation in videophones. The first time I laid my eyes on the Z-340, Z0150 and the Z-100 videophones, I knew I wanted to work for the company. The Z-Family of videophones has a VCO (voice carry over, using your own voice to talk directly to the other party) program built into each one, which makes my phone calls amazingly easy. With one push of a button, I can be connected directly to the other party and have a conversation. I can choose to use my voice or sign my entire conversations. The interpreters are excellent and the lag time is amazingly minimal. The first time that I called my cousin in Missouri, she couldn't believe we could carry a conversation over the phone with such ease.

For years, I feared the phone and was frustrated with the access. How ironic is it that today, I spend nearly all day on the videophone chatting away!

Deaf Reporter Continues to Share Stories

2009-01-18T17:42:00Z

Every Sunday and Thursday, Karen Meyer shares stories centered around people with disabilities on ABC News in Chicago. She delivers her news segments using both sign and voice and the segments are open-captioned as well.

When Karen first began as a reporter, her first broadcast was met with a small shower of opposition from some commenters on local radio shows. Karen's speech has a "deaf" accent to it and some commenters felt that she had no place on the air without perfect speech. I was working at a Center for Independent Living at that time and a co-worker summarized some of the comments that were made. The comments bugged the heck out of me because it was about time that the general population recognized that there were people with disabilities out there and we certainly had stories to share. How ironic that a radio show would broadcast a commentary about a deaf person who couldn't even access the radio shows in the first place.

Incensed, I sat down and immediately wrote a letter to Joe Ahern, the general manager at the time, encouraging ABC News to continue to be the leader by having a reporter with a disability and the spotlight on disability issues. He promptly wrote me back and explained that the news station was standing behind Karen and had no intention of letting her go despite the comments from the radio show.

This was back in 1991, and Karen is still at the helm each week, reporting 104 stories per year. Each week on the website, current stories can be viewed:

ABC News with Karen Meyer

Over at CBS News, Jim Mullen also does similar reporting:

CBS News with Jim Mullen

How about in your city? Are there other TV news reporters with disabilities out there? Share in the comment section.

Here's to an Accessible 2009!

2009-01-05T06:03:00Z

Over the weekend, I sat at the kitchen table with my extended family and my cousins, marveling at how quickly the years go by.

"Remember that song, '1999?'" I said. "I remember partying to that song in college, and that was in 1984. 1999 seemed so far away."

And here it is, 2009. I'd give anything to keep the wisdom I have today paired with the body I had in 1984.

Looking ahead this year, I'm hoping for some accessible changes:

Videos and audio content on the web--captioned.
Every single commercial on TV--captioned.
Every single DVD, especially the non-fiction ones--captioned.
Every movie in every theatre at any time--captioned.
Curb cuts, ramps, accessible housing
Personal Care Assistants and the funding for them
Accessible transportation for all
Under- and un- employment numbers for people with disabilities-- DOWN
Accessible web for persons who are blind or have low vision
A fund for those who need money for accessible services or products

Oh heck, let me make this simple: access for all.

And about those attitudes that produce barriers-- may 2009 be the year where the rotten attitudes go in the garbage and the accessible attitudes prevail.

I Don't Get Twitter, Says My Niece

2008-12-28T04:39:00Z

"I don't get Twitter," my niece said to me over Christmas. "I signed up for an account and I'm following you, but I don't get it."

My sister-in-law wondered if Twitter "was really worth the time spent on it."

So there I was at Christmastime, explaining to my relatives why I spend time on Twitter.

I joined Twitter about nine months ago and I too, didn't "get it" at first. The 140-character conversations seemed like endless chatter that often didn't make any sense. I would log on the web version and try to follow the bits and pieces that showed up in my timeline. I quickly learned to follow a few friends and watch what they did, who they responded to and who they followed.

I slowly began sending out my own tweets and sharing links. Before I knew it, I had a community and even certain people that I chatted with on a regular basis. I discovered that Twitter was like a virtual watercooler for me--something that I didn't have access to on a face-to-face basis. Twitter was a neat, accessible, conversation machine that I could fully participate in.

"Don't try to follow it all," was the advice I learned time and time again. To me, Twitter is like a huge party. When I arrive, I feel out the conversations and move around from group to group. I join in the ones that interest me and offer conversations of my own.

A couple of months ago, I was looking for new songs to download and I turned to Twitter. Before long, I had a list of new love songs to try out and my post ended up on Google for "Twitter + love songs." It was fun to see the songs that people selected:

Twitter Love Songs

I've learned to use Twitter Search, Summize and TweetDeck to manage the tweets and find the topics that I'm interested in following as well as new people to follow. Darren Rowse from Problogger now has another website featuring Twitter Tips. From his site, I learned about Twellowhood, a site that let's you find people who Twitter from cities and states in the U.S. and Canada. Over at Liz Strauss's blog, she gives out some tips on how to get noticed on Twitter.

The folks from Disaboom are on Twitter as well as a few other Disaboom members too. Using the search tools, I've been able to find and connect with other people with disabilities over on Twitter. I'm @DeafMom over at Twitter.

If you're on Twitter and interested in sharing your tweets, leave your Twitter name/link in the comments below.

Happy Twittering!

People with Disabilities in Commercials are Frowned Upon

2008-12-24T02:00:00Z

I'm shaking my head over this one.

While humming through Twitter this evening, I started to notice a couple of tweets with the following link:

Helping the Deaf and Blind Buy From Us

"Are we supposed now to spend more with retailers who show empathy for the deaf and blind?" Tom Steinert-Threlkeld wondered. "Christmas certainly is a time for charity and good will toward fellow man and woman. But now it’s getting mixed into commercial messages that are supposed to make you feel better about buying from one corporation than another."

In his blog post, Tom pointed to two commercials, one from Best Buy showing an installer helping a legally blind person with his brand new TV and showing him how to use the remote by counting buttons. The other commercial was the Kay Jewelry commercial that I previously wrote about.

Whoa, empathy? Charity?

But wait, let's take a hop over to TallJim.com where he explains more about the Best Buy commercial and why it riles him up:

The Best Buy Commercial

At first, the question is centered around the reason why Best Buy is sending out a guy to install a TV. If there are sighted people in the house, why don't they install the TV, TallJim wonders. Then TallJim gives Best Buy a whip lashing:

"This just baffles me that they are trying to sell products by using this example. I know that legally blind does not mean completely blind. They are just very vague about it and really try to posture themselves as humanitarians when their job is to install home theaters. It is a shame when shallow commercialism is hidden behind what would otherwise be honorable endeavors."

At this point, I want to chime in. To me, this commercial shows that Best Buy is showing that they have installers who work with their customers with disabilities so that they get the best experience possible out of their products.

But TallJim wasn't quite finished when he asked:

"Did anyone think of just getting a radio for the guy?

Are they selling surround sound stereos to deaf people?"

After the initial post, TallJim added a new one:

The Best Buy Commercial Addendum

Best Buy gets tied to the whipping post even more:

So, the thing to be taken from that commercial is not that they sold a TV to a blind man. I am sure that is something that has happened and will continue to happen all over this country. It is Best Buy’s exploitation of the installation as a feat of excellence. As if their extra time teaching the man to use his remotes makes them the better choice for you when you buy a TV. Sell your wares, make your profit, but don’t expect me to believe you when your commercials portray you as saints.

Well, guess what, TallJim-- yes, when a company takes extra time to accommodate people with disabilities with their products, you can betcha that I'm going to take extra notice of this company and send my dollars their way.

The hubby and I are in the process of finishing our basement and one of the things on our list is...surround sound via home theatre speakers.

I'll be buying mine at Best Buy.

Thank You, Dish Network

2008-12-21T15:57:00Z

Over at the Do It Myself Blog, Glenda Watson Hyatt is spotlighting businesses that strive for access for people with disabilities. Today, I'm extending my thanks to Dish Network:

A few days ago, I was wrestling with the closed-captioning on my TV. In my household, our eyes aren't getting any younger and the captioning on the LG TV was very tiny compared to our other TVs. My mom was visiting and we ended up pushing a chair closer to the TV so she could read the captions.

A phone call with the LG company pointed the finger at Dish Network. An online conversation with Dish Network pointed the finger at LG:

Dealing with Closed Captioning Features

During my conversation with Dish Network, they mentioned that if I upgraded to a HD receiver, I would be able to access the small, medium and large font settings through their services. I discovered I would have to pay $149 for the upgraded receiver and $10 per month for HD service.

Just to be able to access the captions in a larger font.

I asked to speak to a manger and explained the situation. I just wanted to be able to access the captioning features via my TV, the TV that I paid a lotta money for. The captions were being delivered by Dish Network and I couldn't access the TVs font changing features. Would Dish Network kindly provide the upgrade at no extra charge?

No, they said. They could give me half off the price of the upgraded receiver and I would still have to pay the $10 for the HD to be able to change the font size of the captioning.

I sighed.

Dish Network said they would send a technician out to evaluate the situation and see if they could access the captioning in some way. No charge for that, they said.

The technician showed up and I explained the situation. He made a phone call to the office and shared some good news: Dish Network would install the new HD receiver and waive the monthly charges.

We are now able to change the font size, but to my disappointment, it was only slightly better. Even the "large" sized font isn't as large as our captioning on the older TVs. But I'm grateful for Dish Network and their willingness to try and work out the access issue.

Thank you, Dish Network!