"Captions Capture the Votes" by Lauren Storck

Today's guest writer is Lauren Storck, founder of CCAC (Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning) and CaptionMatch . Lauren is the driving force behind captions for today's deaf and hard of hearing persons. Elections will soon be here, and because millions of us depend on captioned television and internet videos and news for information, we want to be sure we are included with equal access to language. Please share this information.

“Captions Capture the Votes”

WELCOME CANDIDATES AND VOTERS!

CAPTIONS CAPTURE VOTERS!

WE ask and encourage you to create campaigns for all elections that include quality captioning – for all media, and for live presentations by candidates.

CANDIDATES – do it soon and keep us informed please via email to CapturetheVotes@CCACaptioning.org – copy and paste the email address please — we’ll publish a list thanking all candidates who do this. Get your message out to voters with quality captioning – not only for millions with hearing loss and deafness, but also for so many others with language and other differences. Captions communicate!

VOTERS – begin contacting candidates in your region now. CCAC will soon have a great Flyer (Poster) for distribution, and also a “model” email for you to use or edit as you choose. Stay tuned! This depends on your energies – come on board! CCACaptioning.org - The Place To Be For Captioning Advocacy. Official non-profit membership organization. Email today to participate and share information, ideas, and discussions. Email to CaptiontheVotes@CCACaptioning.org (please copy, paste and add to your contacts).

The campaign here and also CaptionMatch.com invites communications from candidates, the press, and voters, to assist in finding a captioning provider to meet local needs and budgets. Check out the website and learn more. Refer others to it. CaptionMatch is not a captioning company and not selling any service. It is however a service from the non-profit, all volunteer CCAC, to extend raising awareness, education, advocacy, and the CCAC mission – inclusion of quality captioning universally. Info@captionmatch.com

READ and share information in the CCAC Blog and also on a dedicated Facebook page for the campaign where your voices and discussions are invited (not here on the CCAC webpages). https://www.facebook.com/pages/Captions-Capture-the-Votes/610967952314071?ref=hl

SEE RESOURCES listed below on this page – general and specific information for voters and candidates – send us best resources to add.

THERE will also be information and discussion on the public CCAC blog pages, http://ccacblog.wordpress.com/ that also invites guest blog posts.

AND if you are a member of the CCAC or join now, more discussion, ideas, and best of all, shared “actions” among members using the CCAC Members’ Forum online – we use a CCAC Google Group.

CAPTIONING advocacy for elections begin this month – March 2014 – together! There are many elections in 2014, for Congress – Senate and House – and in some states for Governors. These are the focus, though local positions (local legislatures) can be included also, up to your local teams. Your interest and energies invited from all States in the US – and other regions are, as always, welcome to join us, create local campaigns in collaborations with the CCAC for the same theme. 

AS this CCAC campaign develops, we invite State hearing loss and deafness groups, disability organizations, access, educational, and technology groups to collaborate. Send the CCAC your ideas and let’s talk soon. CCAC may have funds to assist in selected limited ways. We are all volunteers.

We are seeking State team leaders especially in 9 States – California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Illinois.

Florida Team Leader is identified -yes!  more info here soon. Other States? Email soon with your interest please.

RESOURCES

Looks like this site may get us to all Candidates by State – check it out, e.g. for California this year, see http://www.politics1.com/ca.htm

http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Congress_elections,_2014?gclid=CIGe1fKWrb0CFXGWtAoddFMA9A  – about the many elections across the USA in 2014

https://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/statbriefs/agebrief.html  – about older citizens, most in 9 states, open to read more

Here’s one with names of Congressional candidates – read down to find your state: http://www.fec.gov/data/CandidateSummary.do

With very best wishes to all reading, and thanks to Joyce, This blogpost encourages re-posting in newsletters and places that are appropriate by others. Thanks if you do! 

Lauren

Lauren E. Storck, founder and president of the CCAC, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit volunteer membership organization. Join us! http://CCACaptioning.org

PA House Bill 1608 - What it means for Deaf, HOH, Speech Impaired and Elderly in Pennsylvania

As many of you know, I am on the Telecommunications Advisory Board for Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. There are currently 3 vacant positions open for public members. Are you a relay user in PA? Let us know if you're interested in serving on this board. Your expenses will be covered if you travel into Harrisburg, PA to our meetings. We meet at the Public Utilities Commission several times a year.

At our most recent meeting, we had members from PUC come and discuss with us House Bill 1608 and what it is all about.

This bill has many items that affect the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Speech Impaired and the elderly, as well as anyone who is using analogue equipment.

It asks for the deregulation of telephone companies. This will affect EVERYONE because that means there will no longer be consumer protection, and everyone will be at the mercy of the phone companies.

Deregulation means there will no longer be dispensary programs for disabled people who need special communication equipment, such as tty, tdd and captioned phones. Many of our elderly and disabled people are not able to afford the equipment or services that will come with deregulation.

Though the phone companies say this will "level the field", what it really means is that a lesser quality company can come in and provide very little service to rural areas, and not have to answer to anyone for poor service.

Along with lesser quality service and companies, this opens the field to greater possibility of our disabled and senior populations to be prey to scams and scammers.

How did this bill get proposed? During Hurricane Sandy, many of the copper lines, (also known as access lines) became damaged. Verizon was affected because their lines took a hard hit in some areas. Because of this, they concluded that since fewer people use these access lines, they do not want to repair or replace these lines. If someone moves into a new area, and these cables are not available for their equipment, no new lines will be put in.

With deregulation, analogue equipment will eventually just quit working.

Analogue equipment are not only tty, tdd and older captioned phones, they are also medic alert devices for seniors who need assistance when "fall down and can't get up". These older devices use the copper access lines.

It is interesting to note that cell phones and new mobile devices are not actually phones. They are considered  "radio".

With deregulation, there will be no funding available for government groups to ensure consumer protection, or dispensaries of new compatible equipment for disabled, seniors and low income people who need accessible equipment to meet their communication needs.

I asked Shaun Parks of PUC, PA what we could do right now. He suggested we contact our PA representatives and voice our concerns regarding this bill. We as individuals, and we who belong to groups such as AARP and HLAA need to unite and express our concerns. This will affect everyone in the end, one way or another.

There is much more to House Bill 1608 than we realize.

I am currently waiting for information as to exactly who to contact, and when I have it, I will pass it along to you.

#AARP #HLAA #Communication #Accessibiltiy

"Keep ASL in Schools"

My friends and I were invited to take part in this video. Here are excellent reasons why we should keep ASL in school, and why more schools should have ASL classes. Please join us and support the campaign to "Keep ASL in School":



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYQ1tPF5a6U

Ninja Total Flex

Our friend Neil shared this amazing video. I've never seen anything like this before:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY3gXB9ukVM

Lancaster Sign Language Classes Begin April , 2014 - Register NOW

Kathy Kostrub is offering Sign Language Classes in Lancaster, PA beginning April. Fabulous Husband took one of her classes previously and LOVED it! Sign up NOW.

SPRING 2014 SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Beginner I American Sign Language, 8 weeks—Cost- $100.00 (DOES NOT include text cost: $20.14)

Tuesday EVENINGS, 6-8 PM, starting April 15th, Lancaster General Hospital OR
Wednesday EVENINGS, 6-8 PM, starting April 16rd, Location TBD

Prerequisites: None

Reference Text: Signing, How to Speak with Your Hands, by Elaine Costello

This is a beginner class in American Sign Language which will introduce the basics of communicating with the Deaf and
information about Deaf culture. The class will cover the first half of the vocabulary in the required textbook and will include
many extra activities to make the learning process enjoyable.

Beginner II American Sign Language, 8 weeks—Cost: $100.00 + book

Thursday EVENINGS, 6-8 PM, starting April 17th, Location TBD

Prerequisite: Completion of a previous formal class or other experience with ASL
This class is a continuation of Beginner I American Sign Language utilizing the Elaine Costello dictionary text, the Bravo
videos and/or other resources determined by the instructor.

Mail registration form and check made out to “DHHS” to
DHHS– Sign Language Classes
150 Farmington Lane, Lancaster PA 17601
If you have any questions please call Deaf Services at 397-4741.

An Irish Toast for St. Patrick's Day

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks

   May your heart be as light as a song

May each day bring you bright happy hours

   That stay with you all the year long

—An Irish Toast

Ted Talks Shawn Achor discusses "Before Happiness"

My gratitude goes out to my friend Thai for pointing me to this fascinating discussion with Shawn Achor on FaceBook this week. There are incredible exercises and statistics in this discussion worth pondering. I am particularly fond of the 10-5 exercise he took from the Ritz Carlton and applied the exercise in a hospital. Following Shawn's description of the change that came to the hospital months later, Chade-Meng Tan offers us a wonderful thought how we can bring happiness and postitivity to others we encounter without saying a word. We CAN create a different social script for the world. This is powerful in so many ways.

This is 60 minutes in length, and captioned for those who need them - just click on the CC button.

*** Shawn Achor saw this post and tweeted a link where we can find more information regarding the research: http://goodthinkinc.com/ Thank you, Shawn!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muce2TxDlMw#t=2143

After viewing this, I'd like to think I am a "rational optimist". I like his definition of the terms.

"You Brought the Sunshine" a D-PAN video

I love the story line of this video of how the boy grew up to be a choir director and the message of the song.

)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr8SZqKWctM

Nuns Share Reiki as They Seek to Minister Holistically

Hands on healing has been around for years. We were created to energetically help our healing, and the healing of others. When a child falls and hurts their knee, they cup their hand over it. When someone has a headache, they rub their forehead or temples.

We use our hands to reach out and comfort one another with a gentle touch, a hug, or a hand on a shoulder or another person's hand.

It makes sense to me that a gentle hands on system of healing has benefits everywhere, and especially in churches where compassion and love for one another is a major tenet of faith.

I love the following article about these lovely ladies- and I hope to see the movie about them.

Reiki by Nuns:

http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/for-sisters-recognition-can-only-come-from-above-b99112633z1-226627581.html

I love this quote from the article:

"He's not going to ask me how often did I go to Mass or if I prayed every day," she said. "He's going to ask me, 'What did you do for your brothers and sisters?' That's what you did for me."

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/religion/for-sisters-recognition-can-only-come-from-above-b99112633z1-226627581.html#ixzz2vQjkNYC2 
Follow us: @JournalSentinel on Twitter

Visual of what "OM" looks like

I've been reading a lot about how sounds and words affect us not only by what is heard, but the vibration which our bodies feel. From what I understand, we are affected even on a cellular, molecular level. After reading this and seeing this video, I am convinced there is so much more we've yet to learn. This video is not captioned, but I understand when "om" is sang at different pitches, the sand moves into interesting geometric positions. The visual near the end is stunning. I see no captions, but I'm pretty sure all they would be saying is "om" at different notes, pitches or frequencies. :-)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw13EAX3cZk
The video isn't captioned, but the visual is stunning, especially near the end.

If you're looking for someone to change your life...

"The Mom Song" - Captioned Version

My friend Laura posted this delightfully funny video on my Facebook timeline today. According to the person who posted it, these are all the things a mom says within a 24 hour period.  Enjoy!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e6EWpAHahk

Good advice to help someone changing their life

Just focus on their future and give positive encouragement.

ASL Interpreters at Upcoming PawsAbilities, Harrisburg, PA

Vikki Lagaza, the events coordinator for Susquehanna Service Dogs sent me this information about the upcoming PawsAbilities event March 8th and 9th, 2014. There will be ASL interpreters "on hand" BOTH days.

The VIP brunch on Sunday features the New York Times best selling author, Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan from 11am to 1pm at the Keystone Conference Center at the Farm Show on Sunday. Tickets for the brunch are $35.00 per person. "Until Tuesday", the story of a wounded warrior and the golden retriever who saved him written by Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan will be available for purchase.

Angela Lapioli posted a review of "Until Tuesday" for the Susquehanna Service Dogs Blog here: http://susquehannaservicedogs.blogspot.com/2014/02/until-tuesday-making-difference-in.html

Let all your ASL friends and family know about this exciting event!

Tickets

Your ticket is good for both days.

Purchase tickets online through March 4

$8 general admission

$4 children ages 4-12

Purchase 2-day tickets at the door

$10 general admission

$5 children ages 4-12

Be sure to check out the SSD blog for more information here: http://susquehannaservicedogs.blogspot.com/2014/02/join-fun-at-pawsabilities.html

Three Simple Rules in Life

I Never Leave Home Without My Hearing Aids

My hearing aids. I actually have a love/hate relationship with them for several reasons.

1. They make my ears sore and itchy no matter how clean they are. They are uncomfortable and annoying to wear. However that may be, they do help with ambient sounds and give me audio clues in many environments, but they aren't perfect.

2. Though they make things louder, they aren't necessarily clearer. I often have to have Fabulous Husband or my friends "help me hear". If someone is talking to me and I don't see them, I'm not aware. If I'm not aware, they may think I'm ignoring them and being rude. Though I lack many social skills, I certainly don't want to appear lacking more than I am.

It's difficult to explain when someone says, "We have headsets and loops that can help". Actually, no, they don't. They aren't loud enough, or clear enough. I have trouble distinguishing what I am hearing. I often find myself asking people around me, "What's that sound?" then try to describe what it is. Because hearing aids don't sound "natural" to me, that's sometimes difficult to do.This is why I have to see your face when you are speaking to me, or why I need captions at events and presentations. Though often I'm told I'm good at lipreading, that isn't always true. There are some people that are unreadable to me. Often, when I meet people, it takes me awhile to get familiar with their "speech patterns" to read them. Reading lips and body language is quite difficult. Try watching tv with the sound off for a couple of hours and you'll understand why after a day of lipreading, I spend the following day "sleeping it off". For a couple of decades now, I've been describing living with hearing loss is like playing Wheel of Fortune every day, all day long. Instead of guessing letters, I'm guessing at words that fit the content of the conversation.

I have to plan my appointments, lunch dates, etc. accordingly and make sure that I don't wear myself out too much in personal social interaction.This is why I've quit teaching Sign Language at the school. While I felt saddened to have had to do that, I am so glad I did. I like a slow, quiet, less-stress lifestyle. Add the fact that I just turned 55 years old this week, I think it's time I learned these things about myself and adjust my life accordingly. It feels really good now that I have.

3. During my last stint at college, I kept getting ill and I lost quite a bit of hearing. I was getting recurring ear infections and couldn't figure out why. My doctor finally figured it out. "How long are you wearing your hearing aids each day". He suggested I try not wearing them more than 5 or 6 hours a day. Guess what... No more ear infections! However, that put a crunch on attending classes and working a 9-5 job.

Apparently the apparatus that can help me hear was also the one causing me to lose my hearing when I wore them too long day after day, regardless how well I kept them clean. I don't wear my hearing aids when I'm at home unless I'm having an in depth conversation with Fabulous Husband.

About a year and a half ago, I tried to get new hearing aids through Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The first question they asked my audiologist who was calling on my behalf was, "How old is she?" Then, "Does she work?" Then, "When was the last time she worked?"

They said, "No."

It doesn't matter that I volunteered my time all these years, or that I'm a mom with a child and I need to hear when I go to his appointments and functions for school, etc. No. It only matters to them that I work a regular 9-5 job or be attending school to be eligible for hearing aids. I worry about the day these old hearing aids stop working... most people who see them tell me they belong in a museum.

I don't want to have to take a loan out for THOUSANDS of dollars for the kind of technology that will actually help me, only to have them last a few years and then break down.

4. The pressure around my ears when I wear both the hearing aids and glasses hurt after
a while and I can't wait to get home and take everything off and be comfortable. I don't know how people can wear both hearing aids and glasses everyday, all day long. Sometimes the sides of my head hurt so much, I can't lay comfortably on my side to sleep. The first thing I do when I come home is take my "eyes" and "ears" off my face and head and breathe a big sigh of relief.

Those are just a few reasons why I don't like my hearing aids, but...  I never leave home without them.

The Tide Could Be Turning for Deaf Education - Guest Post by Mark Drolsbaugh

Mark Drolsbaugh kindly accepted my offer to guest post on the blog today. I am honored to share this space with someone who is making a huge difference for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children caught in the outdated politics of today's education system.

The Tide Could Be Turning for Deaf Education

By Mark Drolsbaugh

During  a powerful stage performance of Tribes in Philadelphia, I was completely caught off guard. There were plenty of deaf issues in the play and I was prepared for most of them.  I was curious to see if the cast could convey the struggles deaf people and their families have to deal with, and they did—they absolutely nailed it.

But what I hadn’t expected was a family dynamic that would tug at my heartstrings: Deaf brother and hearing brother. I don’t want to spoil the play for those who haven’t seen it yet so I’m not going to divulge any details. At the same time, I’m going to man up: The deaf brother/hearing brother storyline hit me hard, and for obvious reasons.

My oldest son Darren, age 15, is deaf. His younger hearing brother, Brandon, is 12. The two of them are tight. I mean, really, really, tight. They play basketball in the driveway and baseball in the backyard. They’re especially talented at baseball—both of them are on travel teams—and share a strong passion for the game. They also share a sick sense of humor and thoroughly enjoy watching Impractical Jokers every Thursday night. They do all of that stuff together and more.

 At least they used to.

The sad reality is that deaf education is a mess. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its warped interpretation of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) has totally decimated the education system for deaf and hard of hearing children. Darren was initially mainstreamed and did well academically, but he couldn’t bear the isolation and many frustrations that come with being The Only One.

Long story short: I got Darren out of the mainstream and into a deaf school. He reports that he’s very happy now. He says he finally enjoys education in a stress-free environment where he can talk to anyone, anytime. Good for him, but that school—the one that best matches his needs—is three hours away. I had to break up my deaf son and his hearing brother. No more basketball in the driveway or baseball in the backyard.

And this is why Tribes had me wiping my eyes after they featured a deaf brother/hearing brother storyline of their own. I had come to terms with sending my kid away—which was hard enough for me—but Tribes had touched a nerve that reminded me how hard it was for Brandon, too. I couldn’t sleep all night.

LRE has affected two generations of my family—first me, and then Darren. Then you add the impact on Brandon, and while we’re at it, add my hearing daughter Lacey (age 9). She absolutely adores Darren. Then there’s my wife Melanie who wants to visit her first-born kid every weekend. This isn’t easy.  And… we’re just one family. How many others are going through this? It shouldn’t be this way. 

Over the years I’d seen a lot of crazy things going on in the mainstream and it motivated me to write a book titled Madness in the Mainstream. For a short while before it was published, I wondered if I was the only guy bringing up concerns about LRE. Fortunately, I’m not. It turns out that I have some very inspiring company and there’s hope after all.

*Link to purchase this book is at the bottom of this post

Soon after Madness in the Mainstream was released, my family took a vacation in Los Angeles. We were thrilled to find out that our trip coincided with the premiere of No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie. We didn’t know it at first, but we were in for a pleasant surprise: No Ordinary Hero addresses important issues related to mainstreaming and deaf education.

No Ordinary Hero benefitted my hearing kids as much (if not more) than my deaf kid. Lacey actually pulled aside the star of the film, John Maucere, and told him “I’m sad that my brother has to move to a deaf school. But after seeing your movie, I understand.” Maucere smiled and responded by giving her his SuperDeafy pin.

A few weeks later, I was invited to do a presentation hosted by Swarthmore College and the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre. While preparing for this presentation, I came across new research that validated everything I’ve said all along. This research proves without a doubt that it’s time to do away with the antiquated practice of isolating deaf kids in the mainstream. In fact, deaf kids with cochlear implants—who are often separated from signing deaf kids out of fear that sign language will ruin their speech—can actually benefit significantly from exposure to sign language.  This includes improvement in their ability to acquire language and speech. So there’s no logic at all to the practice of separating them and the other deaf kids. None whatsoever.

I bring this up because Darren was a victim of this warped mentality when he was mainstreamed. We learned after the fact that there was another deaf student in the school he attended, and they were intentionally kept apart because apparently the other kid’s IEP stipulated that there should be no exposure to sign language. Darren’s ASL interpreter was even told not to make eye contact with other deaf student. By the way, this student didn’t even have cochlear implants so they couldn’t use the ASL-affects-progress-with-CIs excuse—they just didn’t want him in close proximity to anyone who signs.

Can you believe this stuff still goes on today?

Speaking of the aforementioned research, you can find more of it in an exciting new book titled Turning the Tide: Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren by Dr. Gina Oliva and Dr. Linda Lytle. There are excellent case studies and research findings presented in there that clearly show it’s time to overhaul the interpretation of LRE.

I felt bummed out when I started writing this article. See how the mood is shifting now? We’re not alone in this anymore. Love the title of that new book because the tide is definitely turning.

As for LRE, there is something you can do about it now. The Conference for Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) has an inspiring Child First Campaign which is proposing a new bill, the Alice Cogswell Act. If passed, this bill will go a long way towards changing how the educational needs of deaf and hard of hearing children are met. At long last, LRE would be interpreted in a more deaf-friendly way. This is huge. To support the Alice Cogswell Act go to the CEASD website and sign their petition at:  http://www.ceasd.org/child-first/alice-cogswell

  

The battle has just begun and we still have a long way to go. But there’s no doubt that the tide is finally turning in our favor. Let’s make the most of it. 

*To purchase your copy of Madness in the Mainstream visit this link: http://handwavepublications.com/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4

"You've got your whole life ahead of you..."

Love and Other Valentine's Day Signs

 

Rachel Coleman of Signing Time shares a few lovingly sweet signs with us.



Here are a few signs from Signing Savvy.

The "Third Eye Kiss"

Birthday Card

My Fabulous Husband had this birthday card set out for me with a delicious box of chocolate this morning. I love the sentiment of the words. 

Falling on Deaf Ears - "Madness in the Mainstream"

I want to thank Carrie Hill, @CarrieHillPR for sending me a tweet that directed me to this 9 minute CAPTIONED and SIGNED video of Mark Drolsbaugh, author of "Madness in the Mainstream". His book focuses on key issues in maintsreaming and deaf education. Read more here:

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-service/376345

And watch the video here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIAS80VF0dk

You can find a list of other books by Mark Drolsbaugh at Handwave Publications

"My Beautiful Woman"

Holly of Om Pregnancy and Parenting Center shared this beautiful 7 minute short film on Facebook today. It touches the heart in a beautiful way. I was admonished for not giving a warning for "tissue alert". consider yourself warned. :-)
CAPTIONED



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdeZNawppk

March HLAA, Lancaster Chapter Meeting Announced

ALL are welcomed to our meetings.
We have captions available for our Deaf and deafened attendees.
When: March 18
Time: 10:00 am
Place: Village of the Brethren, Fellowship Hall, downstairs


I'll be there, and I hope to see you there, as well!

HLAAChptMtgMarch 18 PA 2014 (1)

"Give Your Best, Anyway"