Posts published in April 2019

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 29, 2019

— a perfect mental health professional for deaf patients

Always difficult to attract ASL-fluent mental
health professionals (ASL-deaf and ASL-fluent
hearing). In residency at Unity Health in Searcy
(Arkansas) is Dr. Tracy Kaufman. She is a former
ASL interpreter before entering medical school.
And most important of all, mental health needs
of the deaf is her #1 priority.

— first big high tech company to hire full time interpreter

There are many deaf employees in these high tech
companies, especially in Seattle and Silicon
Valley. How many of them have full-time interpeters?
Zero, according to a newspaper story today that
Amazon has become the first big high tech
company with a full time interpreter. A
clarification – it seems that other high
tech companies (Microsoft, Facebook, etc)
hire on-call interpeters, but full time?
No.

— a Coda entertainer did it; would others do same?

Rosa Condo, who is a Coda entertainer, had all of her
shows captioned for the benefit of the deaf in
the audience. We have quite a few Coda entertainers,
fluent in ASL, that do not have their shows
captioned. They say they love the deaf, love
their deaf parents but still do not caption!

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/28/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 26, 2019

— the ADA industry

Because of ADA, there is a booming industry of
ADA-specialist attorneys. One such ADA attorney
gave this advice for businesses that need to be
deaf-friendly – captions, interpreters, easy-to-
point signs on the wall, need to hire staffers that
are willing to communicate with the deaf, pen and
pad easily available, and so on.

— deaf victims in Japan to get money

Japan, years ago, sterilized the deaf so that
they cannot have children. Japan just passed a
law that sterilized deaf will get money for that
reason. DeafDigest is talking about older deaf
people that are 80-90 years old.

— learning ASL or watching captions

For young hearing people, which is more interesting to
them – learning ASL or watching captions on TV?
According to a teacher, it is learning ASL.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/21/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 24-25, 2019

— written agreement to refuse an interpreter

A deaf woman lost her case when she signed
papers with a hospital to allow her hearing
sister to function as interpreter instead of
using a certified interpreter. The woman
said she was forced to sign papers but it
hurt her in the court case. Not sure why
she signed papers but it was a bad advice
the hospital gave her.

— Skype not allowed for the deaf

Deaf people are not allowed to use Skype
because it is against the law in one
nation – the United Arab Emirates.
Hearing people are also not allowed, but
it hurts the deaf more. Leaders are
trying to have the government lift
the Skype ban.

— problems with subtitles in foreign films

Deaf people depend on subtitles to watch
foreign films (the same goes for captions).
There was a big story about subtitle translators
fighting each other, not agreeing with each
other on words correctly or incorrectly subtitled.
It has gotten to be so bad that two organizations
are asking for better cooperation among professional
subtiters. Are there such problems among
captioners in USA? Don’t know.

note: There was no 4/24/19 edition. DeafDigest
was in the process of migrating from an old
server to a new server – to make reading a
better and faster experience for all of you.
Thank you for your patience.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/21/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 23, 2019

— probably a first, a hearing event cancelled

A planned event in Florida was cancelled. The
reason was lack of interpreters to accommodate
the deaf in the audience. Is it a first?
Normally hearing events continue as scheduled
despite interpreters not showing up or couldn’t
be booked!

— deaf character programmed into a video game

One of the video games (name was not mentioned in
the web story) involved a deaf animated character.
She was communicating in sign language with her
hearing friend, in which a hearing participant
caught while trying to make his way through
the video terrain.

— high number of deaf-owned businesses became low number

High-number of deaf-owend businesses becoming low
numbers? Yes. Years way back, many deaf schools had
strong vocational programs which trained the deaf to
become printers, shoemakers, upholsterers, tailors,
auto body repairmen, barbers, etc. Times have changed,
hence fewer deaf-owned businesses. Even Dummy Hoy
was a shoemaker, operating his own shop before he
decided to become a professional baseball player.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/21/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 22, 2019

— flight attendants do observe all passengers

In a web story it says that all flight attendants
observe all incoming passengers – to see which of
them may be trouble makers, which of them may
have had too much to drink, which are traveling
alone and which are disabled – and yes, which
are deaf! These attendants communicate with
each other via body language, facial expressions
and hand gestures. Does this help with deaf
passengers? Lets’ say if there are no incidents
with deaf passengers then things went well on
the flight!

— refusing to sign up for Chicago Smart 911

Chicago had hoped that residents would sign up for
Smart 911 to allow emergency services people reach them
during emergencies. This meant revealing private
information (medications, health histories,
behavorial problems, mental issues, etc). Many of
them won’t sign up for reasons of privacy.
Smart 911 would allow dispatchers to find interpreters
for the deaf. Yet, many deaf people won’t sign up!

— a well known entertainer refuses interpreters

Tyler Perry is an actor, playwright, filmmaker and comedian.
Does he like the deaf? Or even more so, does he like
interpreters? At a recent event that he hosted, he would
not allow interpeters to come up on the stage to
interpret for the deaf. If this is his attitude, then
it is disappointing.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/21/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 19, 2019

— SSA to revise SSDI application steps

The Social Security Administration (SSA) may reconsider
the ways deaf applicants could get SSDI. SSA said the
application process is different from the past, and
that the wait will get longer for approval. Scary?
Yes!

— interpreter lottery

A lottery to get an interpreter?

Crazy? Well, in the rural areas of Scotland, the
shortage of interpreters is pretty much bad.
Those needing an interpreter must hope to have
their winning name pulled out of a hat in a
lottery! DeafDigest worries this situation may
get worse when Brexit is finalized.

— Court says ADA plus 504

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of New York appeals voted to “combine” ADA
with Section 504 if discrimination cases refer
to both regulations. It is said to be the first
time that discrimination cases could be combined
under these two regulations. The judges’ vote
was split, though.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/14/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 18, 2019

— pet peeve of a Washington, DC deaf resident

DeafDigest editor, a resident of Washington, DC,
has been often asked by acquaintances if he has
visited the Gallaudet Starbucks. For him, this
visit requires a drive (and finding a parking spot)
or a bus ride or a subway/trolley ride. There
are two Starbucks very close to the his home. Coffee
lovers would rather walk, and not drive just for
a quick morning coffee. Yes, Gallaudet Starbucks is
perfect for deaf tourists, but not for locals.

— Six Tucson assisted living facilities being sued

Many deaf retired people move to Arizona. DeafDigest
hopes they are aware that some assisted living facilities
discriminate against the deaf. For that reason,
six of these facilities in the Tucson area have been
sued because of discrimination. The agency filing
the lawsuit is the Southwest Fair Housing Council.
Sad to say, DeafDigest knows of some individuals that
sell their long time houses to make the move only
to face disappointment!

— struggling to understand high level interpreted meetings

A deaf professional was given an interpreter while attending
a staff meeting where budgets, high dollar amounts, and
other business and economic phrases were casually thrown in.
An example was – “land readjustment project” phrase that
the interpreter didn’t know how to interpret. A CART
system failed to help him. A combination interpeter/CART
system also failed. They are still struggling for a perfect
way for the deaf person to follow.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/14/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 17, 2019

— hearing actor defends playing a fake-deaf role

In a college publication, a hearing actor (obviously
a drama major) said that acting will always involve
pretending and there should not be a limit to the
make-believe. That hearing actor is wrong. Fake-deaf
actors usually sign ASL very badly and the deaf in the
audience would know it is fakery!

— an interesting venture for three deaf partners

Three deaf partners have come up with an interesting
venture. It is building a resort of small houses on a
25 acre forest plot in West Virginia, a long drive
from Washington, DC. They said wi-fi will be powerful
enough to penetrate the forest so that the renters
can stay connected to the world. This story was
published in a magazine.

— 4 rules for deaf-friendly web sites

A legal center outlined four rules to make web
sites deaf-friendly (and to avoid ADA lawsuits).
The web site must be easy to read and follow;
must be easy to use it; must be easy to
understand and follow the contents; must
be strong enough to withstand upgrades.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/14/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 16, 2019

— knew everything about the Old West and the cowboys

Joe De Yong, who passed away in 1975, was an expert
on stories and tales of the Old West, Native Americans
and the cowboy life. Film directors that needed advice
on producing Old West movies went to see him. He drew
many pictures and wrote many articles – all about the
Old West. De Yong was deaf, but it didn’t stop him
from being a worldwide authority on the life in the
Old West.

— praises and expectations

The Mozzeria, the deaf-owned pizza restaurant
in the heart of San Francisco, has been
praised in a magazine article for hiring
the deaf. The magazine also said that
it could help lower the 70 percent
underemployment and employment rate
among the deaf. Is 70 percent underemployment
rate correct? Yes; many deaf people are
underemployed though being employed. Is 70
percent unemployment rate correct? Well,
DeafDigest editor tends to challenge
such stats!

— angry TV viewers and the weather forecast

TV viewers hate it when emergency weather
captioned streamings interrupt the program they
are watching. Most of these agnry people
do not realize the FCC rules require such
weather warning interruptions – no matter if
a Tiger Woods was on the verge of finally
winning a major golf championship in so
many years.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/14/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 15, 2019

— Rimac Automobiles hires a deaf engineer

Croatia only has one deaf engineer – Josip Ivankovi;
impressed with his grades and efforts, Rimac
Automobiles has hired him; his job is to work on
computers in cars. Rimac? It is considered to be
one of these European “super cars.” Is he the
only deaf automotive engineer in the world?
Do not know.

— wheelchair is automatic response in many airports

Few weeks ago, Nyle DiMarco, a very healthy,
and athletic looking deaf dancer/model
was offered a wheelchair at an airport.
Of course, he was insulted as much as all other
able-bodied deaf people would be. An advocate
said that many airport personnel, immediately
seeing a deaf passenger, would automatically
offer wheelchairs without even thinking
about it. The same goes for a waitress,
upon seeing a deaf diner, offering Braille
menus without even thinking about it!

— fake-deaf film almost got into lawsuit

Deaf films, or or even fake-deaf films,
getting into lawsuits? Not sure if it has
ever happened, but there was a lawsuit
threat with one fake-deaf film. “The Silence”
was accused of “copying” the “A Quiet Place”
film (both Netflixes, by the way). As a result,
angry “A Quiet Place” people talked of filing
a lawsuit against “The Silence” people.
Eventually tempers cooled; probably the Netflix
people interceded, not wanting one film group
to be suing another film group under its own
umbrella!

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/14/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 12, 2019

— The Silence (Netflix) could have been a film comedy

The Silence, mentioned in yesterday’s DeafDigest,
could have been a comedy in the Deaf Community
while being a horror film with the hearing people.
Sign Langauge is so bad among these actors, and
which prompted avid film watcher Nyle DiMarco
to make this comment. He is correct.

— a proposed bill that drive-ins will hate

There is a plan to propose a bill at the
Tennessee legislature next year. It is to require
all drive-in restaurants to install devices
to allow the deaf to communicate. Those pushing
the bill say the technology is only just $1,000
and has a life of 20 years. The catch is that
it is targeted at drive-ins that have 25 or
more employees. The fear is that drive-in
owners would cap the number of employees at
24 to avoid following the law, if it passes.

— no one wants to find (and pay for) an interpreter

A deaf person, accused of a crime, needed
an interpreter. The court said it is the job
of the Office of the Public Defender. The
Public Defender said it is the job of the
Superior Court. This issue is taking place
in the Northern Mariana Islands, which is
a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean.
Question – does ADA apply to the U.S.
commonwealth lands? Nothing about ADA
was mentioned in the newspaper story!

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/07/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 11, 2019

— deaf film vs deaf film

Which deaf film (both by Netflix is better –
The Silence or A Quiet Place. According to a
film magazine article by a film critic,
The Silence is much worse!

— the voice of a late-deafened actress

Do late-deafened people still keep their
hearing voice after becoming deaf?
Hearing people say the voice changes
and they would know it is a deaf-voice,
though very understandble, and not
a hearing-voice. A voice example would be
late-deafened actress Amanda McDonough
(Switched at Birth).

— deaf actress gives up a deaf role

When there is a casting call for a deaf
role, deaf actors and actresses would
fight for it. In the case of Jameela Jamil,
a deaf British actress, she gave up
an opportunity to play a deaf role.
She said:

They should find a brilliant deaf woman to
play that role, and not to be greedy
about it.

This comment is rather unusual.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/07/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 10, 2019

— police arresting a deaf person six times without an interpreter

It is quite shocking that the sheriff’s office of
Jacksonville, Florida arrested a deaf person six
times without an interepreter. The fed up deaf
person filed a lawsuit. As a result, the department
has been trained on how to deal with the deaf.

— offering deaf person a job and taking it away

Rabbits love carrots and do not like it when
these are offered and then taken away. Same thing
with a deaf woman being offered a job to work in
a hospital cafeteria. She waited two months
for instructions to report to her new job
only to get a letter saying she was a risk.
She was considered a risk – “unable” to tell
patients on costs of cafeteria meals and to
“warn” them of temperature of drinks.
This story made the front pages of newspapers
in Great Britain. Fortunately for her
she found another job with a catering company.

— trapped and forced to smile and nod

There was a discussion on the internet about
hearing people assuming all deaf people are
lipreaders and assume that when they nod
and smile they “understand” everything.
No deaf person likes to be trapped into
a corner, with no way to get out of a
“unlipreadable” ordeal.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/07/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 9, 2019

— deaf play smarter than hearing

DeafDigest mentioned that one of the best Overwatch
players in the world is deaf, considered to be amazing
since one must hear to play well. Another deaf gamer
said it is a matter of playing smarter than hearing,
many of whom only depend on sounds and do not plan
game strategy ahead of time.

— after hiring the deaf, the business goes double

Rebeckah Reichert, who is deaf, is a hairstylist with
a salon in Peru, Indiana. She always wanted to be a
hairstylist but no one would hire her. The owner
of a hairstyling salon in Peru went ahead and hired
her and helped set up videos to help hearing
women select the hairtstyling they wanted. As a
result the business doubled, and it has helped that
many deaf women go to her to have their hair fixed.

— the hearing financial adviser and the deaf client

Should the deaf seek deaf financial advisors, yet as
long as they are qualified and are certified? Yes. But
there is not enough of them around. A hearing financial
advisor recently counseled a deaf couple, and there
was a lot of nervousness on both sides. The advisor
thought of ways to clearly communicate with the
deaf couple – and felt that using the blank Word
app on the computer was the best; they could key
in back and forth. When it all ended, the deaf woman
told the advisor that they saw five different advisors
in the past and that he was the best!

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/07/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 8, 2019

— more to ASL than just fingerspelling

Fingerspelling was never consdeered to be ASL.
A newspaper story desscribed ASL as ability
to use both hands, to use facial expressions
and to use body language, and to use face
movements – all at the same time.

— a deaf participant in an impossible sport

Maxim76 is deaf (real name is not known) and
he has been ranked as one of the top players
in Overwatch. Not sure if it is a sport or not
but it has become more popular. Impossible
sport for deaf? One has to hear voice chats,
one has to listen for sound clues, one has
to hear for warnings, etc. Impossible?
To Maxim76, it is not impossible.

— deaf waiter with his tricks

A deaf waiter who has no speech and lipreading
skills has his bag of tricks. He comes to the
tables with coded cards of different colors.
The diners point out to these cards, indicating
their meal choices including ketchup or no
ketchup, doneness of the meat, spices or no
spices, etc. These diners leave the table
happy and they tip him accordingly.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

04/07/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

— photoshopping upsets TV audience

EastEnders is #1 TV sitcom in Great Britain.
Actor Max Bowden played the role of Ben Mitchell,
wearing a hearing aid in these series. Suddenly
no more hearing aid. The national audience was
upset, wondering why the hearing aid disappeared.
It never did disappear. It was photoshopped to make
it hidden.

— Deaf safety at airports

A web article was titled – Safety First at Seaports and
Airports, stressing that flashing alarm systems need to be
used at all airports. There are a number of deaf people
working at airports – and if there were no flashing alarm
systems they would not be alerted to dangers around them.

— railroads and subways still not fully accessible

A deaf person was riding the subway, reading a book
and not aware of what was going on. The PA alerted
the passengers to get off immediately. The deaf
person did not know about it. The subway doors closed
and the train moved ahead towards emergency rail
tracks with the deaf person still inside it.
Fortunately a subway worker saw the deaf person
and ordered the subway engineer to back track
(in reverse) so that the deaf person could get off.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

03/31/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 4, 2019

— advice for restaurant general managers

There was a story today that was titled:

D.C. Restaurants Could Do More to Welcome Diners With Disabilities

Well, for the deaf diners, yes, they could always point to the
menu for their preferences. This is only one part of the
solution. The other parts are “daily specials” that waiters
don’t like to write it out. All the restaurants could do is
to print out these specials and attach these to the menu.
Some restaurants do, some don’t. Plus another thing –
questions such as “do you want your meat to be well done
or not?” are often not asked of deaf diners.

— big question for deaf that seek jobs

Deaf people that seek jobs are aware of ADA and
the need for interpeters. One big issue remains –

are they qualified for the jobs that they seek?

If they are qualified, great. Many unqualified
job seekers (no matter deaf or hearing) apply
for jobs that they are not qualified for, hoping
they would “grow” into their jobs, picking up
experience and knowledge. Unqualified employees
cause so much grief for themselves, for their
employers and for their fellow employees!

— deaf lipreaders or hearing lipreaders

There was a story today of a movie “The Tango
of the Widower” filmed in 1967 but never
finished nor shown in public. There was no
money in the budget to put in sound. The
old film, collecting dust, was discovered
recently. The production company, re-working
the film, hired lipreaders to try to put in
correct voice dialogue. Did the company
hire deaf lipraders or hearing lipreaders?
ADA? The movie was filmed in Chile.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

03/31/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 3, 2019

— budget cuts were hidden

DeafDigest mentioned twice that the White House wanted to
cut the budgets of Gallaudet and NTID. It was realized that
these budget cuts were hidden inside the thick budget
printouts. One had to be a financial detective to catch
these budget cuts. DeafDigest understands that both
institutions, their friends and their supporters plan
to wage a full scale battle against the White House
budget people.

— to hire an interpreter or to teach ASL or to write notes

What is the best way – to hire an interpreter or to teach ASL
to employees or to write notes? In a newspaper interview
an employer had three choices – and he chose to have his
employees learn sign language to deal with deaf customers.
Just hope the ASL is good because bad ASL will turn off
deaf customers.

— a bullied deaf employee and a big decision

A deaf employee was bullied at her hearing workplace.
She had to make a big decision – to keep her mouth
shut and to remain employed or to file a protest with
her employer. It is a decision no deaf employee
wants to make. A third decision is to quit the job
and to find a deaf-friendly workplace. These
three decisions are never easy to make.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

03/31/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 2, 2019

— Five hours of flight with no movie subtitles

Nyle DiMarco sent out an angry tweet. He tweeted:

My 5hr flight had no subtitles

The guilty airline is United.

— 30 percent of hearing people think deaf can do the job

According to a survey, 30 percent of hearing people
think deaf people can do the job either equal to or
better than hearing employees. DeafDigest declares
that a high percentage of the deaf employees are better
workers than hearing employees.

— Facebook accused of deaf discrimination

Facebook discrimination? Facebook was accused of
accepting postings from realtors, that said apartments
are not welcoming of deaf tenants. Facebook has
denied allowing discriminatiory statements. HUD
is looking into these issues.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

03/31/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/

DeafDigest Mid-Week edition – April 1, 2019

— state representative made an interesting comment

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (Massachusetts)
said, in a town hall type meeting:

we cannot get the services for the hearing impaired

She was referring to lack of funds for all types
of services, including those for the deaf (as well
as with others)

— Australia accused of discriminating against the deaf

Does Australia, one of the world’s most advanced
nations with a high standard of living, discriminate
against deaf immigrants? A hearing family with a
deaf son wanted to apply for permanent residency
(same as our Green Card). Australia said no for
one reason – the son is deaf. Australian activists
are now fighting the government to allow the
family to stay.

— a Netflix movie about the deaf

“Missing Boy” is a new film, released by Netflix.
It is about hearing child being kidnapped. It
was reported to the police, which couldn’t do
anything about it. The angry mother, herself an
attorney, decides to pursue the case – and
when she finally rescues her own child, she
discovers he has become deaf. The son, that
couldn’t master good sign language, somehow
mentions the name of the kidnapper. She
then searches for the kidnapper and catches
him and brings him to “revenge” justice.

Deaf jobs – latest update
http://deafdigest.com/category/jobs/

03/31/19 Blue and Gold editions & sub options at:
http://deafdigest.com/newsletters/