On Friday, Oct 8, 2010, 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act will be signed into LAW!!!

NAD Applauds Passage of 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

On Friday, October 8, President Barack Obama will sign the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 into law and deliver brief remarks on the impact of this law on individuals with disabilities. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) with Chief Executive Officer Nancy Bloch and Law and Advocacy Director Rosaline Crawford will be on hand to witness this historic event at the White House, which will be streamed on whitehouse.org/live.

The NAD applauds Congress for passage of this landmark legislation will improve access to communication, television, and the Internet for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened and deaf-blind.

“The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act is one of the most significant victories for our community since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed 20 years ago. It will enable 36 million deaf and hard of hearing people to participate in the Internet age by ensuring captioning of television programs on the Internet, a closed caption button on television remote controls, hearing aid compatibility for Internet telephones, and communications equipment for individuals who are deaf-blind, and more,” said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President. “While we fell short in some areas, such as requiring web TV episodes distributed only on the Internet to be captioned, this is a step in the right direction to make
the web accessible. For many of us, the quality of our lives depend on an accessible Internet and we appreciate Congress’ recognition of this essential civil right.”

The passage of this Act culminates a legislative process that has involved congressional hearings, intensive discussions with various companies and trade associations, and extensive advocacy by the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) of which the NAD is a co-founder, leader, and steering committee member. COAT, a coalition of more than 300 organizational affiliates, promotes full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet Protocol (IP) technologies. Other COAT co-founding organizations include the American Association of People with Disabilities, American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, and Communication Service for the Deaf.

The Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (S. 3304) will significantly increase accessibility for Americans with disabilities to the indispensable telecommunications technology tools of the 21st century by:

Making access to the Web possible through improved user interfaces for smart phones
Enabling Americans who are blind to enjoy TV more fully through audible descriptions of the on-screen action
Making TV program guides and selection menus accessible to people with vision loss
Providing Americans who are deaf the ability to watch new TV programs online with the captions included
Mandating that remote controls have a button or similar mechanism to easily access the closed captioning on broadcast and pay TV
Requiring that telephone equipment used to make calls over the Internet is compatible with hearing aids
For low-income Americans who are both deaf and blind, providing up to $10 million per year to purchase communications equipment to access the telephone system and the Internet so these individuals can more fully participate in society.
“This Act was achieved through bipartisan support.” said NAD President Scoggins. “The NAD looks forward to working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the rulemakings expected over the next several years to fulfill the requirements of the Act. With the continued support of our members we will ensure that the final regulations provide the access that deaf and hard of hearing people need.”

The NAD would like to recognize and thank a number of members who played a key role in moving the legislation forward. In the U.S. Senate, the bill was championed by Senator Pryor (D-AR), with the support of Senator Kerry (D-MA), Senator Rockefeller (D-WV), Senator Hutchison (R-TX), and Senator Ensign (R-NV).  In the U.S. House, it was authored and championed by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), with the support of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA). In addition, the NAD would like to recognize AT&T, Verizon, USTelecom, and Windstream who provided early and staunch support for the legislation. Furthermore, the NAD would like to thank the COAT steering
committee representatives -- including NAD Law and Advocacy Director Rosaline Crawford -- who provided amazing dedication and commitment in shepherding this legislation through Congress.

Courtesy of NAD

Verizon Awards $55,000 to Nonprofits That Use Technology to Help Individuals With Disabilities

Verizon Awards $55,000 to Nonprofits That Use Technology to Help Individuals With Disabilities

"Technology is the pipeline to opportunity, especially for people with disabilities.  That's why the Verizon Foundation, which is committed to improving access to information and services that address the needs of people with disabilities, is awarding $55,000 to five Massachusetts nonprofit agencies that are dedicated to improving accessibility."

5 Non-Profit Organizations that received grants are:

1. Lowell Association for the Blind
1.  Help the Visually-Impaired children to do radio shows
2. Children's Hospital Deaf and Hard of Hearing program
1. Develop a series of webcasts that cover a wide range of topics important to caregivers and parents of children with hearing loss.
3. Easter Seals Massachusetts
1.  Enable people with disabilities to participate in all aspects of their lives through the use of assistive technology
4. National Braille Press
1.  Develop a refreshable Braille PDA (personal digital assistant) that will give blind students of all ages access to e-mail, the Internet, text files and digital textbooks.
5. New England Homes for the Deaf
1. Train individuals, all of whom are over the age of 50, have minimal experience with computers and are not comfortable with technology. 

I think it's awesome for those organizations to focus on incorporating technology with our everyday lives. Technology has already changed some people's lives, but at same time there are still millions of people out there who still are not exposed to all the benefits technology can offer. We need to improve that. Right!?

For more details; 
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verizon-awards-55000-to-nonprofits-that-use-technology-to-help-individuals-with-disabilities-101378594.html

Hearing loss hits 1 in 5 U.S. teens

One in five American teenagers now suffers from some type of hearing loss, an increase of 31% since the mid '90s, new research shows.(USA Today).

How should we react to this? 

• Will some Deaf people say "Hoorah!" because it can eventually lead to more exposure to the Deaf awareness and Deaf culture? 
• Will some Deaf people say "aww" because of the simple fact, they are losing their hearing?
• Or Deaf people just don't care due to the paradox of inclusion vs exclusion?

Furthermore, another section caught my attention.

"Other studies show that even a small hearing loss can harm a child's school performance, language development and social interactions, Shargorodsky says."

Do you agree with this? (Or have we proven them wrong?)

For full details of the article; go to USA Today.

American Disability Act (ADA): How far have we really come?

Today marks the 20th anniversary of American Disability Act (ADA). I congratulate everyone for all their hard work. It's truly an accomplishment.

However, I do wonder how far have we really come? Have we made a lot of progress or is it still all talks?

How many times have we heard or see this?

"Your disability isn't significant enough." 

"A number of Supreme Court cases (have) greatly weakened the law. Many cases have focused on the degree of an individual's disability, rather than whether discrimination took place." Often times people are being told, 'your disability isn't significant enough,' even though they need accommodations to work." "We have many, many strides to make. It hasn't solved everything for us, not by a long shot. But it certainly has made a dent in equal access." (Link 1)

"Since the ADA was passed, studies have shown that the unemployment rate remains very high for people with disabilities compared with people without disabilities, according to Disability Rights Director John Herrion of the state Division of Human Rights." " (Link 2)

"The biggest challenges that the state continues to face are old attitudes and stigma" (Link 3)

Lastly, many people are saying that ADA itself is simply outdated. The definition for "reasonable accommodations" are no longer acceptable. We have newer technology that have a much significant impact upon people with disabilities. Yet, they are rejected because they weren't simply stated or included in the ADA 20 years ago. (I.E. TTY over Videophone for the majority of Deaf population). 

What do you think? 
 

Deaf lost a job offer because school won't provide interpreters.

My friend asked me to keep this as discreet as possible. In order to  respect his wishes I will keep his name and the name of the organization private. My friend is a Deaf young man who recently graduated from college. He was offered a job by a school district in Pennsylvania. However, he was told he would have to provide his own interpreter.

Now, isn't that a violation of American Disability Act (ADA)? 

If I remember correctly, it doesn't matter if it is a public or a private school, they are still required to provide reasonable accommodations.

However, there are actually a few ways that a school or a company can be excused from being obligated to provide an  interpreter.

1) The organization can prove that they cannot afford the interpreter.
2) The company has less than 10-15 employees.
3) The school has a religious affiliation. (i.e. John Doe Christian Academy in the North Pole).

I believe that if they don't meet any of the above qualifications and they still refuse to provide an interpreter, you may be able to contact US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

What are your thoughts? Anyone else have a similar problem?

Soon DeafBlinds will be able to drive independently!

A blind man said "has hope (is) that one day he might earn his driver's license -- something he never before imagined possible...." This is absolutely remarkable. I certainly did not foresee this happening anytime soon. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) challenged USA to build a vehicle for the Blind. They had certain requirements that must be met in order to be considered an acceptable solution. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) took it a step further and held several different contests with the goal to inspire the students to come up with an innovative solution. A nine-person team of students from Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory got it!

http://autos.aol.com/article/students-design-car-for-blind/?ncid=AOLCOMMauto

"Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory developed a driver-assist system that uses laser range finders, an instant voice-command interface and a host of other cutting-edge technologies to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake and accelerate. The new system was put to good use last year (2009) at a summer camp where 20 blind and low-vision teens were able to take the wheel of a retrofitted dune buggy and navigate a course completely on their own."

Soon enough, there wouldn't be any excuse for Blinds and DeafBlinds to not be able to navigate to anywhere in the world. How sweet is that?

Phone that can read your lips!

"Researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a method for mobile phones to convert silent mouth movements into speech. The technology is based on the principle of electromyography, that is the acquisition and recording of electrical potentials generated by muscle activity. This muscle activity is measured in the face and converted into speech." (http://www.cellular-news.com/story/42211.php)

You literally put the phone against your cheek and it will interpret your facial muscles.

Here are some mof the advantages that  I can think of right away;

1. Deaf people will no longer look silly on the phone. "Hello!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
2. Also Deaf people can talk now without having to worry about making "funny" noises in front of people.
3. Anyone will be able to tell their passwords, PINS, "I love you" on the phone anywhere and anytime.

At the  same time, a question arises, How many Deaf people know how to talk or at least move their mouth to form the words correctly? Beside, Deaf people still can not hear anythingon the phone.

Is this really going to help Deaf people or not? 

DeafBlind can see with their tongue???

That's right. That is what I said!

It is possible to see with your tongue! Bizarre huh?

I'll admit that when I first read this, I was extremely suspicious. I thought it had to be a hoax or something. But then as I continue reading, it started making sense. I even went online to verify the data. Shockingly enough, it is true.

--------------------------

Here's the story in laymen terms.

The world is pretty much divided into insulators (rubber, plastics, etc) and conductors (metals, water, muscles, etc).

We are made of mostly water. Our muscles, fat, and bones are made of mostly water as well. Therefore, that means we are a very good conductor.

With that being said, your tongue is actually a muscle. Well, many muscles to be accurate. These muscles help you to swallow, chew, talk, etc. Your tongue is hooked up to the brain with many different nerves. (refer to Figure 1).

Every time you take a bite, the taste buds on your tongue will send out an electrical signal through the nerves to your brain and your brain will tell you if it's delicious or bad tasting.
--------------------------------
So our brilliant scientists thought, "Why can't we do that with a device that will control the current flow of electricity and put it on the top of their tongue?"

Well, that's what they have done. It is called BrainPort.

You literally put the sunglasses on, put the white device on the top of your tongue, and turn it on with the remote control. Boom! Like magic, you can see!

This is currently a protoype and not for sale anywhere in the world. However, if you would like to particpate in this project, you may contact Dr. Amy Nau @ University of Pittsburgh, Dr. William Seiple of Lighthouse International in New York, or Dr. Aimee Arnoldussen @ Wicab, Inc in Wisconsin.

Now here's the million dollar question.

Is it really "seeing" ???? 

YouTube will offer CC on your videos now!!!

This just came in!

Google Inc.'s YouTube said it will offer automatically generated captions for its entire video catalog, a boon for deaf users and those who want to watch videos in other languages.

At a press conference at YouTube's San Bruno, Calif., headquarters, Google software engineer Ken Harrenstein demonstrated the feature and went through the reasons Google invested in the product—from expanding accessibility to crossing language barriers to improving search.

YouTube watchers can see available captions by clicking on a button in the lower-right-hand part of the video player. They can also select to see captions in a different language from the language of the video. Mr. Harrenstein, who is deaf and gave his presentation in sign language, said he has been working on the product for the past five years.

YouTube has been pushing captions for a while, in part because the company hopes it will make it easier for its search engine to identify particular moments within a video. In 2008, it began allowing content owners to upload their own captions. Last year, Google turned on automatic captioning for videos uploaded by a small number of partners, like the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University.

Now, YouTube is rolling them out across the catalog of millions of videos, starting with English-language videos, as long as they have clear audio. The move was cheered by several students from the California School for the Deaf, who were in attendance.

Google research scientist Mike Cohen said the captioning technology blends Google's speech-recognition and translation algorithms. "I don't know about anything tried at this type of scale before," he said.

Mr. Cohen said the technology is constantly improving, getting better at canceling out noise conditions and factoring accents.

He said it relies on the same technology components as Google's other speech-recognition products, like Google Voice's automatic voice-mail transcription and its voice-based search service. But he noted that the algorithms have to be tweaked to account for the differences in audio spoken into a phone versus an audio track.

The technology isn't perfect. Mr. Harrenstein pulled up captions for a video of Google executive Vic Gundotra at a Google developer conference last year.

While talking about giving each developer in attendance an Android phone, Mr. Gundotra said the phones contained a SIM card, which provides service for the phone. The technology picked it up as "salmon."

Mr. Harrenstein said, aside from the captions for millions of videos already running, Google will have the rest of the library done soon.

YouTube viewers will be able to select to see captions automatically, although some companies that upload large amounts of content to YouTube will get to choose whether they want captions available.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704187204575101852850074026.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth

Test Your Knowledge of Deaf Culture Around the World!

How much do you know about deaf people and sign languages in other countries? Here are a few questions to spark your curiosity. Test your knowledge and let us know how you do. Have fun! (See answers below).

1) What is the only country in the world to have sign language specific law?
a. USA
b. Japan
c. New Zealand
d. England
e. Mexico

2) In how many countries are deaf people not allowed to drive?
a. less than 10
b. 10 - 25
c. 25 - 50
d. more than 50

3) How many countries legally recognize sign language?
a. less than 10
b. 10 - 25
c. 25 - 50
d. more than 50

4) Deaf people can vote in all of these countries except ________?
a. Thailand
b. Australia
c. Saudi Arabia
d. Kenya

5) How many hours of interpreting per year per deaf person does the Bulgarian government pay for?
a. 0
b. 10
c. 100
d. 500

Source for all questions/answers based on a survey of 93 countries from The World Federation of the Deaf: Deaf People and Human Rights Report, January 2009. Click here to view a .pdf of the full report: http://www.wfdeaf.org/pdf/Deaf%20People%20and%20Human%20Rights%20Report%20-%2023%20Feb%2009%20Version.pdf

ANSWERS: 1) c. New Zealand; 2) c. 31; 3) c. 44; 4) c. Saudi Arabia; 5) b. 10

(Courtesy of http://discoveringdeafworlds.org)

21st Century Deaf Beethoven

Looks like I spoke too soon again!

 "He's being hailed as a modern-day Beethoven - a performer and composer of exquisite classical music and an accomplished conductor, too."

(courtesy of Mail Online)

A native of South Wales in United Kingdom (England), Lloyd Coleman,  is taking the world of classical music by storm. His gift was discovered when he was only 5 years old. "He had perfectly drawn five stave lines, and then added notes to make his very first musical composition." He always carried paper in his pocket and continued to scribble whatever appeared in his head.

Currently a member of the National Youth Orchestra, he was offered a coveted place to study music at Oxford University. He is only 17 years old. "It comes as no surprise to learn that this extraordinary young man, blessed with a steely determination, has fulfilled his childhood dream by playing in the Royal Albert Hall. His mother says proudly, 'Lloyd now has a new ambition  -  to return there and conduct an orchestra during the Proms.' She pauses and adds, 'Knowing Lloyd, it is a case of when  -  not if  -  he will make it happen.'"

One more thing. He is not only Deaf, but he's also Blind!

So again, let me ask you, does music truly touch everyone's heart regardless?

Goodbye to Flashing Fire Alarm, Hello to Wasabi Fire Alarm!!!!!

Well, I did not expect this........ This is truly a bizarre idea... So bizarre that it might work!

Imagine this.... You're sleeping peacefully in your bed and dreaming about World Peace. Suddenly, the fire alarm goes off and everyone in the building evacuates.... except you. Why is that? Because you are Deaf. you didn't hear the fire alarm. Additionally, the fire alarm wasn't hooked up to your vibrating bed or perhaps, the flashing light wasn't bright enough to wake you up. Great! Here comes tons of medical bills, therapy, and lawsuits. Tsk! Tsk!

That doesn't sound a very pleasant situation to be in. Unfortunately, that's something many Deaf people have experienced at least once in their lifetime. I, too, did experience it when I was a student in college. Ouch!

Well, no more worries!!! A Japanese company has developed a fire alarm that alerts people with impaired hearing by emitting the strong smell of wasabi. That's right! You heard me. WASABI!

"We tested many different scents, but we found that the chemical components of wasabi make if difficult for people not to wake up when it is released," said Chigusa Shimokawa of Seems, a Tokyo company that is distributing the Wasabi Odour fire alarm. "We tried peppermint, lavender and many others, but none of them worked like wasabi being sprayed into a room." 

Seemsis planning to open a global sales campaign soon. So watch out for Wasabi!

The only 2 questions I have are:

1. What about those Deaf people who cannot smell? Will it still be effective?
2. How do we clean it up afterwards? 

For more details: go here. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/7128477/Wasabi-fire-alarm-alerts-deaf-in-Japan.html

Hate Crime and the Deaf

This is actually quite fascinating!

Carl Schroeder is an American Sign Language Studies professor at Western Oregon University. He's also the president of the Oregon Association of the Deaf (OAD). He gave a lecture in Portland about "Hate Crime and the Deaf." 

"Key to understanding Schroeder’s mission is a rejection of audism—a term he defines as “the belief that the ability to hear and speak is better than being Deaf”—and the belief that ASL is in any way less of a language than spoken languages."

Carl Schroeder 

To read more about it;

• Article:
•  http://www.disabilityrightsoregon.org/hate-crime-and-the-deaf-understanding-american-sign-language-wars
• Carl Schroeder 's Website
• http://hatedeaf.com + His dvd will be coming out soon.

Are we still trying to fix disabilities???

For the last one or two years, I have been hearing more and more about a new kind of discrimination called, "Genetic Discrimination."

What is Genetic Discrimination?
According to Genome.gov, "Genetic discrimination occurs if people are treated unfairly because of differences in their DNA that increase their chances of getting a certain disease. For example, a health insurer might refuse to give coverage to a woman who has a DNA difference that raises her odds of getting breast cancer. Employers also could use DNA information to decide whether to hire or fire workers."

What's the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)?
Gina is a new federal law that protects Americans from being treated unfairly by health insurers and employers on the basis of their DNA. **However, it does not cover life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance. That means health insurers.**

PARADOX

Here's something to think about... Now we are protected from virtually all kinds of discrimination. In other words, no one can treat us unfairly based on who we are, what we do, where we do things, when we do things, or how we do things.

Yet, everyday, doctors and scientists are trying to find ways to fix or cure something whether it is a disease or a disability. Eventually, we'll be able to create our own babies through computers. Every baby will be perfect!Will there be anything left to discriminate in the future???

Which is more important? Fight against DISCRIMINATION or Fix Disabilities / Cure Diseases

Disabled, and Seeking Acceptance in Fashion

I read this article and it made me wonder........ What are your opinions on this one?

The article was telling about a new show in England (Great Britain) called "Britain’s Missing Top Model."

"Britain’s Missing Top Model,” a reality show that begins on Tuesday on BBC America that pits disabled women against one another to compete for a photo spread in the U.K. edition of Marie Claire magazine."

The winner gets a photo spread in the Marie Claire magazine.

It happens one of the contestant, Sophie who is paralyzed all the down from the hip, is complaining about another contestant, Kellie. The reason she is complaining is because Kellie is Deaf and relies on British Sign Language to communicate.

Sophie commented, “5he chance to meet a designer who is willing to put a disabled girl in his show is such an opportunity, but I want someone to choose a girl with a really obvious, really visual, really kind of blatant disability,” Sophie says after Kellie wins an audition. “So that it makes a change. And choosing someone like Kellie is not really the same — it’s the same as just picking a girl that speaks French.”

Mhmmm, who is right in this situation? While Deafness is a considered a medical disability, but is it a valid disability in the fashion world?

According to the United Nations (UN);

• Disability: Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

• Handicap: A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual.

Mhmm, that's a toughie! 

Here's an interesting thought. 

The name of the show is "Britain's Missing Top Model." If we are to take the title literally, then the show would be open to those who are missing a physical limb such as an arm, hand, fingers, nose, and etc. 

I suppose before we can argue, we'll need to ask the producers to provide a copy of their criteria and their mission statement (their goal for this show). 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/arts/television/01model.html?_r=2