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?

1,100 Deaf jobs are saved (Purple) FCC Update

Latest update concerning the status of Purple and its debt. 

Main Points:

• Purple Communications, a provider of telecommunications relayservices, acknowledged its debt to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Owes $18,459,064
• FCC will continue reimbursing Purple for legitimate relayservices provided by Purple month by month.
• Purple has 180 days to come up with a plan to pay back their debt to the  FCC in a timely manner. 
• No further penalties
• 1,100 Deaf jobs are secured. 

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296758A1.pdf

List of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Stores online

Children & Teaching Resources

buyASL

https://www.buyasl.com/catalog/

(No Description provided.) Looks like it focus on resources upon how to teach and learn ASL along few pagers, alarm clocks, and gifts.

Novelty

ASL Sign of Love

http://www.cafepress.com/signsoflove

“The ASL Sign Language Stuff Store where you will find products with unique ASL graphics on them.”

Little ASL Shop

http://www.printfection.com/LittleASLShop

“We sell ASL themed T shirts & gifts for adults & kids in the deaf community. Artist designed.”

Interpreters

ASL Terp Store

http://www.cafepress.com/aslterp

“A store for American Sign Language Interpreters.”

Books & DVDs & VHS

OhSoEZ Deaf and Sign Language Store

http://astore.amazon.com/ohsoez-20

Offers hundreds of books, DVDs, and VHS upon American Sign Language and Deaf Culture

General Merchandise (Walmart-like)

Harris Communications

http://www.harriscomm.com/

“Find over 2,000 products for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, people interested in sign language, Deaf Culture, hearing loss and more.”

Hearmore

http://www.hearmore.com/store/default.asp

“Hearmore, is your one source for aids and appliances for assistive living. We offer unparalleled selection and affordable prices of products for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Our dedicated staff will provide you with service that is fast and reliable. Browse our site to view the variety of products we have for the deaf community. Our goal is to is to bring you the best products available in alarm clocks, amplified telephones and vibrating watches plus low vision products, medical products, mobility products and household products.”

Emphasis on Independent Living such as products for those with Lack of Mobility, Vision, or / and Hearing

Maxi-Aids

http://www.maxiaids.com/store/default.asp

“Maxi-Aids has been an established special-needs provider for over two decades. In that time, we have evolved into the world’s leading provider of adaptive products, products for independent living and products designed to enhance your lifestyle simply by making your every-day tasks easier.”

Are there any more I have missed? 

Modern "Deaf Joke" Economic Lesson

(This is a joke. It's not intended to offend anyone.)

 It's a slow day in a little East Texas town. The sun is beating down, and the streets are deserted.  Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.....

On this particular day Peter Cook, an ASL Poet from back east, is driving through town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.

As soon as Peter Cook walks upstairs, the owner, Bernard Bragg, grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the beautician, Laurent Clerc.

Laurent Clerc takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the law firm of Alexander Bell, Marlee Matlin, and Robert Weibrecht (BMW).

Bell, Matlin, Weibrecht (BMW) take the $100 and head off to the bank of DeafRead to pay their bill off to Helen Keller.

Helen Keller takes the $100 and runs to pay her gambling debt to the booker, Dummy Hoy, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer his “services” on credit.

Dummy Hoy rushes to the hotel and pays off his room bill to Bernard Bragg.

Bernard Bragg then places the $100 back on the counter so Peter Cook will not suspect anything.

At that moment Peter Cook comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.

No one produced anything.. No one earned anything.  

However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.

A sure-fire way to fix our economy

Due to the recession in our current economy, many articles are emerging about how to restore our economy. How do we become the best economy in the world once again? Many economists, politicians, historians, and others offer a wide range of solutions. Interestingly enough, while I do enjoy reading these articles with different solutions, there is a common ground that keep appearing among all of these articles....

Innovation

Yep, Simple as that. "Ultimately, innovation is what allows an economy to grow quickly and create new jobs as old ones obsolesce and disappear. Typically, one salutary side effect of recessions is that they eventually spur booms in innovation. Some laid-off employees become entrepreneurs, working on ideas that have been ignored by corporate bureaucracies, while sclerotic firms in declining industries fail, making way for nimbler enterprises." (source). I'll give you few easy examples:

• Whitcomb Judson and his zipper
• Henri Nestlé and his Nestle Company which is the world's largest food and beverage company.
• Henry Ford and his cars
• James Marsters and his TTY / TDD
• Pierre Omidyar and his Ebay.com

it can be a simple innovation such as a zipper to something complicating like the Internet. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, start being creative and imagine!!!!!! Soon and sure enough, you can change the world, create jobs, become a millionaire or even a billionaire. There's no limits to our imagination and innovation. What's stopping you????? Go for it! :)