Resources

Easy links to follow to find great information on vacations for the deaf:

Cape Rock Tours and Adventures. (2007). Deaf Tours. Retrived on Aug 11. 2007 from:
http://caperocktours.com/contact/contact.php
Hayden, Katrina. (2007). Sign language club to visit Disneyland. Retrived Aug. 11, 2007 from:
http://www.mickeynews.com/News/DisplayPressRelease.asp_Q_id_E_397Sign
Michaelson, Maria. (2004). Dealf Travels. Retreived on Aug. 11, 2007 from:
http://www.deaftravels.com/about.php
Passages Deaf Travel. (2005). Dead freedom cruize 2007. Retrieved on Aug. 11, 2007 from:
http://www.deaftravels.com/about.php read more

Do you still use the phone?

Many Deaf people cut their phone service down. Because the telephone and TTY are the old fashioned. The spiders are happy to build the webs around TTY since you stop using it. Deaf people who prefer to communicate using American Sign Language could soon be having their phone conversations relayed using webcams or videophones and an interpreter. Almost everyone has computer, sidekick, blackberry, Treo, etc. so they depend on them more than they use the regular telephone. It’s a great toy for all of us to keep in touch with anyone such as doctor, family, or just order the pizza. I disconnect my phone service last year because I rarely use it so I use my sidekick 3 and videophone more often. I don’t know what I should do with my old TTY and telephone. Any suggestion? What did you do with your old phone? read more

New Beginning 338

Perhaps Dr. Benton’s lies would not have been such an insult if he had not put his hands on the sides of my face, his nose inches from mine, and said in his most commanding and loud voice, because he too obviously believed dying meant deaf, “Listen to me, Vincent. You may have got wind of a rumour going round that you don't have much longer."

"I'm sorry for starting that off. Bad form." He paused, perhaps to see if I had any comment; I could think of nothing appropriate. "It does rather appear to be true, though," he continued, and as his grip on my throat tightened, I came to understand how he had acquired his reputation as an infallible prognostician.

It was fortunate, therefore, that one of the symptoms of my malaise was an excess of internal methane, a sudden release of which rendered the good doctor senseless before his vice-like grip got the better of me.
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Cumbria launches emergency text service

It always seems to me that the United Kingdom, one of the hotbeds of texting in Europe, is always behind when it comes to organisations such as the emergency services or government departments deploying text services.

A new text number is being launched in Cumbria to help deaf and speech impaired people get in touch with the emergency services.

The number to use is being distributed through the Cumbria Deaf Association.

Good news, good news. I’m sure this will be a very useful service. read more

Acupuncture has gone to the dogs

Blind and deaf for a few years, Pepper Luedeman has heart failure and can't get around very easily these days due to hip dysplasia and severe arthritis.

Acupuncture is one of the few ways to manage the old girl's pain, and every three weeks she gets more than 30 small needles inserted into her back, hips and legs.
And then she gets a couple liver treats.

Pepper has been taken to Sunrise for acupuncture for more than two years by her owners, who use another vet for the more traditional care of their two dogs and two cats. But they bring all of their pets to Sunrise for holistic treatments. read more

Stites: Disabled deserve respect

If an employee or colleague is deaf and uses an interpreter, speak directly to the employee or colleague.

Treat adults like adults, regardless of their disabilities.

It really comes down to showing people with disabilities the same respect you would any other customer, employee or colleague. read more

Politics Unmercifully Trespass Humanitarian Borders in Gaza

None of the same or lesser caliber figures is even thinking of heading for Gaza, but several prominent humanitarian spokesmen and women have at least voiced their warnings against the unfolding humanitarian disaster there, including the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, the acting director of World Bank activities in the Palestinian Authority territories, Faris Hadad-Zervos, who warned of a “severe humanitarian impact,” exacerbation of “the economic crisis,” and “risk of virtually irreversible collapse” of the “pillars of Gaza’s economy.” read more

Vodafone turns to eBay for handset supplies

Vodafone UK is hunting eBay for obsolete handsets that support its Textphone service for the deaf.

British telephone companies are required to provide services for deaf customers, who generally use a keyboard to type text messages. Text- and instant messaging have mitigated the need to an extent, but seeing every key typed is a better communication experience, according to the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf people).

Vodafone's service uses software provided by the RNID running on Nokia's Communicator 9210. The problem is that Nokia doesn't make the 9210 any more. And while rival networks use two-device solutions, Vodafone is forced to source Communicators from anywhere they can, including eBay, until it comes up with something better.
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Either/or proposition for deaf children

Government initiatives, particularly infant hearing screening programs, have resulted in earlier diagnosis of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The subsequent use of cochlear implants at younger ages has resulted in more age-appropriate speech and oral language outcomes.

Unfortunately for deaf children, the issue of spoken language versus American Sign Language (ASL) is presented as an either/or proposition: if you choose a cochlear implant and oral communication, ASL is no longer offered as an option and parents are led to believe that if they use sign language with their child, the cochlear implant will be less than effective. However, there is nothing in research literature to suggest that a child cannot use both spoken language and ASL. With time set aside for each language to be learned individually rather than simultaneously, a deaf child can successfully acquire both languages.

With good spoken language skills, a deaf child can more easily access the hearing world and with ASL proficiency, the child can have a healthy deaf identity and access the rich culture associated with ASL. read more