DeafDigest Blue - January 30, 2011 Blue Edition Barry Strassler, Editor http://www.deafdigest.com - updated every Monday America's Unique Deaf Stories; free subscription serving the Deaf Community since 1996; 15th year -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Last week's ASL Videos: http://deafdigest.com/videos/deafnetworknews/ http://deafdigest.com/videos/knownothingauthor/ This week's ASL Videos: http://deafdigest.com/videos/codawithdeaf/ http://deafdigest.com/videos/floridaservices/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- The Sonic Bomb Jr. has Landed at Harris Communications The Sonic Bomb's little brother has arrived! The Sonic Bomb Jr. Alarm Clock features a loud 102dB alarm and a 6V bed shaker. It is 3/4 the size of the Sonic Bomb but plenty powerful. At the low price of $34.95, the Sonic Bomb Jr. is a great clock at a great price. Find the Sonic Bomb Jr. (SA-SBJ525ss) only at Harris Communications For more information on the Sonic Bomb Jr., go to: http://bit.ly/HarrisComm_ddb013011 or email us at: mailto:info@harriscomm.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- * DeafDigest is an independent weekly national on-line newsletter emailed free to anyone interested in the deaf * On subscription matters, click on above web site and click on subscribe * DeafDigest is subsidized by paid ads and by paid announcements The employment ads are located in the rear of this newsletter * The DeafDigest thanks all advertisers for making it free for all * Only DeafDigest subscribers could subscribe to DeafDigest Sports -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- DeafDigest welcomes unique deafnews tips; do email: mailto:barry@deafdigest.com sources of unique deafnews are never revealed; always anonymous ... weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com/ (updated every Monday) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- "Express yourself" as part of Sorenson Communications second annual "Express Yourself" Video Contest! Sorenson is encouraging the creation of videos that contain sign language, are deaf-related or contain representations of deaf culture. There are three categories for entrants: * Youth (under 18 years of age) * General (18 years of age and older) * Employees of Sorenson Communications The winner of the Youth category will receive $1,000. Winners of the other two categories will receive $1,500 each. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2011. For more information, visit http://www.sorensonvrs.com/express -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Use Hamilton Web Relay® along with a locally-based, 10-digit Hamilton HomeTown Number[tm] to make and receive calls without the interruptions that come from using instant messaging programs! Don't have a HomeTown Number? Register today and share your number with friends and colleagues! Visit http://www.hamiltonrelay.com and click on the "Make & Receive Calls Now" icon to check it out. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Wireless IP-Relay for BlackBerry TM, go to: http://www.ip-relay.com/wireless_blackberry.html -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- (updated AT&T posting) New AT&T Instant Message Relay Register and obtain a 10-digit number to receive calls directly from your friends and family http://att.com/relay -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- The Z offers the best in videophone technology, providing equipment options to meet customers' individual needs and offering features not available through other VRS providers. Professional, nationally certified interpreters follow standards of service excellence above and beyond FCC requirements. Dedicated to a spirit of innovation and commitment to excellence, The Z continues to set the industry standard as the nation's premier VRS provider. Go to http://www.zvrs.com for more information on all of our products, services and features. Don't have a Z phone? You can still join The Z Life by calling 888.888.1116 to connect to ZVRS from any videophone! -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving defective medicines and medical devices. Our law firm is expanding its litigation against Advanced Bionics related to defective cochlear implants implanted in young children and adults. Some of the firm's clients have suffered multiple implant surgeries due to a defective implant being surgically removed and replaced with a second defective implant that later failed. If you or your child has been implanted with a defective cochlear implant, we encourage you to contact Weitz & Luxenberg - we have a Deaf attorney and VP available. To find out more, please click on: http://www.weitzlux.com/failed-cochlear-implants_1937570.html and follow instructions on the screen. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- The DeafDigest is divided into Blue and Gold sections, both ranked equal in contents, features and ads. This is the Blue section. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - What the best stories are saying about the deaf? A new buzzword, at least in United Kingdom is "sign language literacy" - Signs4Life, an aggressive British agency is pushing for acceptance and use of sign language everywhere in the nation. A deaf senior in a high school, wanting to go to college, basically has three options; go to Gallaudet; go to NTID/RIT; go to a hearing college. Yale University has two deaf students, and both have had their share of frustrations with "everything" - classroom discussions, struggles with interpreting services, limited social life, etc. They, however, stressed that if they had to start all over again, they would still attend Yale! - another hot news The Gallaudet University women's basketball, almost winless two seasons ago and so far unbeaten this season, was featured on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric this past Friday night. This is not the first time a Gallaudet athletic team was featured on a national news/talk program. Way back in 1985, the suddenly resurgent Gallaudet football team was featured on Good Morning America. - Very Hot News Newly minted NTID president Gerard Buckley has formed his own administrative team. There is a Hurwitz on the team, no, not Gallaudet's Hurwitz but another one - Bernard Hurwitz. Are they related? Well, Bernard's father is Alan. And there is an interesting parallel to their original careers. Alan was a former engineer before turning to college education for the deaf. Bernard was a former attorney before following his father's footsteps. In case you are wondering, yes Bernard is deaf. Who are the other members of the administrative team? Do click on: http://www.ntid.rit.edu/president/administration - Sunday January 23rd Renford Patch, not deaf, is an employee with the Veterans Administration in Phoenix. He reviews disability claims filed by veterans, of which he deals with hearing loss claims. He has come up with a hearing loss calculator that is said to be perfectly accurate. This calculator, written in software, converts audiological data to decibels to determine if the claims are legit. - Monday January 24th The 24 questions! This is what Department of Justice has asked of all of us, the deaf, re electronic stuff that we cannot access (money machines, non-visual alarms, captions turned off, etc, etc. After they analyze our comments, they are supposed to come up with mandates to make everything 100 percent accessible, including public address systems on subways that are broken down! - Tuesday January 25th The Super Bowl is taking place in Texas, where Texans love to do things big. This includes Jose Feliciano's party, where invitations has already been extended to 1,000 guests. Jose, a Coda, is a business man and author, has promised that part of the party proceeds will go to the deaf. - Wednesday January 26th Members of the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) Cymru in Wales, met with Wales' National Assembly to grill the legislators on their plans to help the nation's deaf people. They were asking for the same things we take for granted in USA - interpreters, captions, relay services, etc. .... (Thursday-Saturday Hot Deaf News will be in the Gold edition) ... Deaf Miscellaneous stuff: The Equal Rights Center, an organization whose mission is self explanatory, is waging a public relations campaign to make Americans aware of the rights and the needs of the disabled, the deaf included. This organization wants to share with the public these horror disabled and deaf tales. ..... National Writing Contest for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing High School Students Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students in 10th and 11th grade can enter the fifth annual RIT SpiRIT Writing Contest, and compete for prizes, including a summer camp scholarship. Winners will have their choice of a scholarship and travel expenses to the Explore Your Future program at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or a $500 cash prize. EYF is a six-day summer career exploration program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that gives them the opportunity to sample different careers as well as college life. Complete contest guidelines and entry information are available at http://www.rit.edu/NTID/WritingContest The deadline to enter is March 15, 2011, and an awards program will be held at RIT in the summer. For more information, contact mailto:WritingContest@ntid.rit.edu or call 585-475-7695 (voice/TTY.) ............................................................. ............................................................. For postings, announcements and employment ad rates, please email mailto:barry@deafdigest.com ... weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com (updated every Monday) ............................................................. ............................................................. 25% OFF SUPERPRINT 4425! It's a sweet deal during the month of February with 25% off the Superprint 4425 with E-Turbo! It features built-in, 24-character printer, direct connect to standard phone line and built-in ring flasher. To find out more call us at 1-800-233-9130 (V/TTY) or visit us at: http://www.weitbrecht.com/onsale.php?utm_source=dd To receive a copy of our WCI catalog, email mailto:sales@weitbrecht.com to request it. We're now on Facebook and Twitter! Come visit us! WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology ............................................................. ............................................................. CODAS THAT WORK WITH THE DEAF Many, many deaf families have hearing Codas. Not every Coda will know signs; not every Coda will find jobs in the deaf community (teacher of the deaf, social worker of the deaf, ASL interpreter, etc). And many Codas will stay away from the deaf. DeafDigest editor has noticed that if there is a deaf family of 4 or 5 hearing children, maybe just one of them will work for the deaf while others don't. This is a guess. - for ASL News version, please click on the arrow at: http://deafdigest.com/videos/codawithdeaf/ (for your convenience, video links are posted on top of each DeafDigest edition) .................................................... Deaf Women United & Deaf Women of Maine offers scholarships to attend the national conference in South Portland, Maine on June 29-July 3, 2011 for information and application, go to: http://deafdigest.com/dwuscholarships/ .................................................... SERVICES FOR THE DEAF IN FLORIDA Some states have good services for the deaf; other states have poor services for the deaf. Many deaf people live in Florida; they like Florida because weather is warm. Does Florida give good services for the deaf. One person said that several service agencies in Florida have no money and cannot give full services. This is sad. - for ASL News version, please click on the arrow at: http://deafdigest.com/videos/floridaservices/ (for your convenience, video links are posted on top of each DeafDigest edition) DEALING WITH OR CANNOT BE DEALING WITH DEAFNESS? Pew Research Center, a think tank, ran a survey, asking Americans if they have a disability that they cannot deal with. Approximately 25 percent said they cannot because of their disability. Deafness, though was not mentioned in one of these disabilities. Could we deal with our deafness? Deaf people have lived for thousands of years without ADA, interpreters, captions, etc. Many deaf people have had happy lives, whereas many others didn't - but the same goes for hearing people - happy hearing people and unhappy hearing people! THE POWER OF THE ATTITUDE We are always reading stories of high levels of deaf unemployment in overseas nations. Yet, we do read occasional stories of a number of deaf individuals being successfully placed in jobs. In India, the influence by the Agro Tech Foods in hiring their own deaf employees led to about half dozen other employers hiring deaf people, too. It all boils down to one thing - the Power of the Attitude. And this is great. SUPPORT OF SIGN LANGUAGE California Association of the Deaf issued a statement, which read like this: we consider it useless to compel the deaf to attempt the mastery of some thing which they cannot hear, see, feel, taste or smell; therefore be it resolved that we insist that the sign-language be forever made part of the educational process of the deaf Sounds familiar? Yes - but this resolution was made in year 1906! A DEAF GENIUS IN THE SOFTWARE FIELD Bryen M. Yunashko is considered to be a genius in the IT field. He specializes in open source software, that includes Linux. So well regarded he is among his peers that he was elected to the openSUSE Community Board. He has been a consultant, working with clients in China, Europe, India as well as in USA. What about it? Bryen is deaf-blind! .................................................... .................................................... Meet and chat with deaf singles and friends worldwide on the largest deaf network on the Internet....Deaf Match International ! Become a member and you can access all the great features of DMI ! * Find out why Deaf Match International has worked for over 10 years....since 2001 * Sign up and list your profile for FREE * Find the most Deaf and Hard of Hearing singles online - thousands of members ! Visit: http://www.DeafMatchInternational.com ....................................................................... ....................................................................... HEAR WORLD COMMUNICATIONS / UNITED TTY Releases New 2011 Catalog: "Assistive Devices for People with Hearing Loss" ! Discover the New Leader in Hearing Assistive Technology and get this FREE catalog ! Visit our NEW web site: http://www.HearWorldUSA.com HUGE Selection of New & Updated Products....FREE Shipping and LOWEST Prices Guaranteed * Alarm Clocks / Bed Vibrators / Vibrating Watches / Timers * Door, Telephone, Baby Cry, Fire & Security Alerting Systems * Amplified Telephones, Speakerphones & Answering Machines * ADA Compliant Kits & Signs * FM, Wide Area & Personal Listening Systems * TV Listening Systems & Caption Decoders * TTYs Devices/Software & Text / VCO Telephones * Telephone Amplifiers / Loud Ringers * Amplified Cell Phones & Accessories * Weather Alert and Paging Systems * Portable Voice-to-Text Systems & Software * Cell Phones, PDAs, Pagers Most orders shipped out within 24 hours....Toll-Free Customer Service/Order Line (1-866-889-4872) open until Midnight EST....7 Days a Week ** Express TTY Repair Service Available ** For more information....contact: United TTY Sales and Service / Hear World Communications TOLL FREE: 1-866-889-4872 (Voice or TTY) In MD, DC and VA --- Call: (301) 926-2365 (Voice or TTY) FAX: (301) 963-0785 VP: (866) 536-6781 E-Mail: info@hearworldusa.com or info@unitedtty.com Web: http://www.HearWorldUSA.com or http://www.UnitedTTY.com Live Online Support --- AIM: UnitedTTY or HearWorld ............................................................. ............................................................. WHAT DO INTERPRETERS HATE? being unable to persuade the sponsoring organization to reserve seats upfront for the deaf so that they could be closed to the interpreter if you have these "hate" or "horror" stories, please mailto:barry@deafdigest.com COMMENTS FROM A CART OPERATOR - continuing series "Who is in charge of making sure that the television programs I want to watch are closed captioned?" According to the FCC website, "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC's jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions." The FCC is the agency that would be responsible for enforcing the various disability rights laws that govern closed captioning. These would include the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the most recent 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. If you experience problems with lack of captioning or poor closed captioning, the organization that would be in charge of enforcing the law is the FCC. WE DO NOT HAVE A UNIVERSAL SIGN LANGUAGE We do not have a Universal Sign Language. We, in USA, speak English. The Britons also speak English. Yet we do not communicate that well with them in sign language. Even in Sofia, Bulgaria, deaf people in one neighborhood do not sign the same as other deaf people from other neighborhoods! This issue was raised in one web posting. ............................................................. ............................................................. weekly DeafDigest Blue & Gold editions also posted at: http://deafdigest.com updated every Monday ............................................................. ............................................................. HOTELS' ADA RULE OF THUMB Does the hotel conference room provide a platform for interpreters, auditory listening devices and CART equipment? If the hotel doesn't, it may not be in compliance with the ADA regulations. ............................................................. ............................................................. For postings, announcements and employment ad rates, please email mailto:barry@deafdigest.com for Special Notes, please go to the bottom of the Gold section ............................................................. ............................................................. Tour Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia & Hungary September 24 - October 12, 2011 info posted: http://www.deaftours.net Contact: Joy Carney mailto:joyfulcarney@comcast.net ............................................................. ............................................................. introducing a new book My Yesterdays In A Changing World of the Deaf by Mervin D. Garretson A lifestory of a totally deaf educator and advocate about growing up in an anti-sign world dominated by oralists and professional audists. Includes bits of deaf history, commentaries on ASL, deaf culture, presidents of Gallaudet University, and other notable people in the field. Available from Xlibris Marketing Service, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403, Toll-free phone 888-795-4274 Hardback $29.99 Paperback $19.99. ............................................................. ............................................................. - flash - latest announcement on Alaska Wilderness Vacation cruise "Alaska Wilderness Vacation" Cruise-tour May 27 - June 11, 2011 Great 8 days of land tour (May 27-June 4) plus 7 additional cruising days (June 4-11) for a full 15 days of explorations is already SOLD OUT except only for one more left for a non-smoking male to room with another male. After the land tour, we offer a separate 7 days cruise from near Anchorage, AK to Vancouver, BC which still has plentiful rooms left. For more details, go to http://www.DeafCruise.com/alaska and see our pre-land tour and post cruise tour for you to experience your extra pioneering spirit! Why go there with only a short plan? Go for as many days as you can until few years later which we will offer it again. It will not be biennial since we are now offering more world-wide tours each year, and for Alaska, it may be next 3 years or so, meaning take advantage now and give yourself a full shot with as many days as you can this time! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Hawaii's Independence Day Week" Cruise July 2-9, 2011 -- HISTORICALLY MOST POPULAR! -- 3rd Anniversary "Deaf Cruise Hawaii 2011." Escape now to visit 4-Islands, include seeing famous Pearl Harbor, Pineapple, Hawaii dancers, surf, and much more! You will love it! NCL made a special offer for 50% less deposit with only $125 per person instead of $250 to reserve. Pre and Post Cruise excursions available. For more detail, www.DeafCruise.com/hawaii. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Thanksgiving Family Week in the Caribbean" Cruise November 19-26, 2011 -- BEST COST-EFFECTIVE DEAL! -- Great for families and singles, get on a brand new ship, NCL EPIC, one of the largest freestyle cruise ever built. Incredible and true, your lowest room rate starts at $809 per person for this 7-days Eastern Caribbean trip! Another Bonus from NCL with 50% less deposit with only $125 per person instead of $250 to reserve. Check us out at www.DeafCruise.com/caribbean for more detail. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Deaf World Cruise 2013" July 14-27, 2013 (Tentative Date & Itinerary) -- WORLD'S ALL DEAF CRUISE! -- Prior Deaflympic (July 31-Aug 13) in Greece, we offer FABULOUS opportunity for "All Deaf Cruise" event in which we partner with Miss Deaf International! All girls will have various contests for all to see on board throughout the trip. One great low price, no extra cost for MDI! We start from Italy, ends at Greece with 5 countries in between. For more exciting one-time event's detail, check out www.DeafWorldCruise.com. New www.DeafWorldCruiseMDI.com will be added soon for all countries' key leaders, chaperones, and friends to sign up and support MDI and our cruise's event. ----------------------------------------------------------------- For any question, please contact mailto:sales@deafcruise.com or VP 866-922-3090 ............................................................. ............................................................. (updated posting) Deaf Remodeling Company serves only in Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. The choice of your home remodeling contractor is one of the most crucial choices you will ever make. If you choose the right contractor, your chances of being satisfied are 100%. All of our work carries one year warranty. We will be happy to explain the details in our conversation with you. We believe in making life more comfortable through quality remodels. Our remodeling service includes Kitchen, Attic, Basement, Bathroom, New Addition, Deck, Siding and many more. Do you need a home improvement loan? We have a network of lenders that will provide unsecured home improvement loans. Month to month payment loans, installation loans, and same as cash loans are available. Home Improvement Loan amounts can be as high as $75,000 and the applicant FICO can have a credit score as low as 580. Contact us for more information. Elijah Gold, deaf owner Surdus, LLC Remodeling Based in Washington, DC http://www.surdusremodeling.com 202-540-8750 VP Licensed, Insured, and Bonded VA# 134097 DC# 68004119 MHIC# 127587 ............................................................. ............................................................. Weitz & Luxenberg P.C., a leading plaintiffs' litigation law firm, is expanding litigation against Advanced Bionics related to defective cochlear implants. If you believe that you may have received an "Important Notification" letter from Advanced Bionics about your HiRes90k or Clarion II cochlear implant in either 2004 or 2006, we urge you to contact us to receive important legal information - even if you CI is working. Many of our clients' cochlear implants stopped working prematurely as described in the letter. We have a Deaf attorney and VP available. To find out more, please click here and follow instructions on the screen or go to: http://www.weitzlux.com/failed-cochlear-implants_1937570.html ............................................................. ............................................................. Hot DeafNews boring, but important! Researchers at University of Sheffield in England are saying that many of us became deaf because of a gene named miR-96. They are also saying deafness can be treated because of that discovery. ..... The Deaf and the Law: Comcast has reached agreement with the FCC to captions appear on all TV programs. Many deaf Comcast customers were complaining that they were not able to get captions. DeafDigest editor is a Comcast subscriber and in Washington, DC, the captions were no problem. But in Annapolis, in some deaf households, the Comcast captions were suppressed. ..... News of the Week - Looking Back 10 Years Ago: DeafDigest dedicates this edition to Pauline Register Hicks, Jacksonville, FL who passed away last week at the age of 82. She was a woman of many accomplishments, namely: * first deaf woman to work for the state civil service system * first deaf woman president of Florida Association of the Deaf * first deaf person to be appointed by the governor to serve on the board of trustees at the Florida School for the Deaf & Blind * helping the NASA in a study of inner ear and disorientation ..... News of the Week - Looking Back 5 Years Ago: Don Bester, despite his age at 49, is a professional boxer. But when he communicates with the deaf, he must take off his boxing gloves. Communication? Yes, he not only is an expert signer but is also a minister, overseeing seven churches for the deaf in the Chicago area. ..... Deaf Apocalypse of the Week: Without an interpreter, is there a point for a deaf person to attend a party that he has been invited to? Even with a TV set turned on to a football game, lavish food and drinks being set up. no hearing person comes to talk to you - let alone having patience to write notes back and forth? Just wondering! ... A Lipreading Problem: What did that person say? I was out to eat with a group of hearing women. I looked over at one woman and I thought she said "root beer muffins" I asked the woman next to me that was listening to her and I asked her if the other woman had said "root beer muffins??" No, "blueberry muffins" is what the woman had said if you have lipreading tales, please share these with mailto:barry@deafdigest.com .... DeafBook of the Week Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences Harry G Lang & Bonnie Meath-Lang Greenwood Press 1995 a biographical dictionary of eminent deaf scientists and artisans DeafDigest editor has many deaf-related book in his private home library. Some books are still in print; some books are out of print. Some books are old; some books are recent. Happy reading ! -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- * YOU COULD PLACE YOUR PAID EMPLOYMENT ADS IN THIS SECTION * on a per-subscriber basis, the DeafDigest ad rates are the best in the nation. * For more information, send E-mail to mailto:barry@deafdigest.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- position opening POSITION TITLE: Director The Scranton School Scranton, PA REPORTING TO: Chief Executive Officer - The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) LOCATION: Scranton, PA THE SCHOOL: Founded in 1880, the Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (The Scranton School) continues its tradition of excellence by providing quality educational services and a complete extracurricular program to deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through Grade 8 to the students and families of northeastern Pennsylvania. The Scranton School maintains an all inclusive communication/language environment with an emphasis on fluency in English and American Sign Language. At the Scranton School, it is strongly believed that education is a lifelong process and the school strives to be a total learning environment for deaf & hard-of-hearing children. The Scranton School is a program of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD). The (WPSD) is a non-profit school with high academic expectations. WPSD provides very high quality educational services and a complete extracurricular program to Deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through Grade 12. Serving over 320 students from more than 100 school districts and 30 counties, WPSD is the largest comprehensive center for deaf education in Pennsylvania. During the 2009-2010 school year, The Scranton School has leased the 10-acre state-owned Green Ridge campus. With legislation pending, the campus will be sold to Scranton-based Marywood University. Looking toward the future, The Scranton School has purchased the 100-acre former Lourdesmont School property in nearby Clark Summit, PA for $2.4 million. Classes for preschool through 8th grade and a high school for students in Applied Studies will continue at the Green Ridge campus for the 2010-2011 school year, while renovations to the former Lourdesmont School are completed. Renovations to the residence hall were completed at the end of August 2010 in time for residential students to live at the new campus and attend classes on the Green Ridge campus. All of The Scranton School operations will move to new campus in the fall of 2011. SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director of The Scranton School will report to the Chief Executive Officer of The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD). The ideal candidate will be a collegial individual who possesses a strong background with the following: at least five years experience as a high level administrator at a school, preferably a school for deaf children. He/she must have fluency with English and ASL. A Master's Degree in Educational Administration and Leadership is required. Other duties and responsibilities include: - Implement and monitor the budget of the School, recommending budget needs for the School to the Chief Executive Officer yearly. - Implement personnel policies and interview prospective staff along with Human Resources, making hiring recommendations to the CEO. - Assure that facilities are well maintained, recommending capital improvements to the CEO. - Serve as the School's liaison with Intermediate Units and School Districts. - Recruit and retain students. Involved heavily with marketing of the school and Public Relations. - Represent the School at various community functions, serving as the "face" of the school in the community. - Oversee the Principal, assuring that the educational program is meeting various student needs and that an appropriate array of support services is offered. - Oversee the Dean of Students, maintaining a safe and nurturing residential program and assuring that an array of co-curricular opportunities is offered. - Maintain a positive relationship with parents, providing parent education opportunities and maintaining a Parent/Staff Organization. - Offer educational opportunities to the community, assuring that ASL classes are regularly offered within the community and planning regular Deaf Cultural experiences. CERTIFICATES REQUIRED: - Certification or eligibility for certification in Educational Administration and/or Education of the Deaf - FBI Clearance - PA State Police Criminal Clearance (Act 34) - PA Child Abuse History Clearance SPECIALIZED TRAINING, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: - 5+ years experience as a high level administrator at a school - Master's Degree in Educational Administration or Leadership - Fluency in both ASL and English The Sign Language Proficiency Interview level (SLPI) for position is "Advanced". The minimum level accepted at hire is "Advanced". A valid driver's license is required. RELOCATION: Reasonable relocation is available. For further information, contact: Jay Knowles President Dragonswood Advisors, Inc Pittsburgh, PA 15222 mailto:Joseph.knowles@att.net Phone (412) 258-2073 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- position available Director of Human Resources New York School for the Deaf White Plains, NY REPORTS TO: Executive Director BASIC FUNCTION: T to manage and direct all Human Resource functions Position: Human Resources Director The Human Resources Director guides and manages the overall provision of Human Resources services, policies, and programs for the entire school. The major areas directed are: - recruiting and staffing; - employment and compliance to regulatory concerns; - employee orientation, development, and training; - policy development and documentation; - employee relations; - compensation and benefits administration; - employee safety, welfare, wellness and health; - employee services and counseling The Human Resources Director originates and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes quality, productivity, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce. The Human Resources Director coordinates implementation of services, policies, and programs through Human Resources staff; reports to the CEO and serves on the executive management team; and assists and advises administrators about Human Resources issues. Employees in this position are considered confidential. JOB DUTIES - Maintaining the utmost confidentiality in dealing with employee records and business information. - Using excellent customer service skills, establishes and maintains effective working relationships with other employees, parents, and all members of the general public. - Plans, organizes and directs the activities of the Human Resources Department, including recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, employee benefits, training, payroll, labor relations, affirmative action, and risk management. - Applies professional knowledge and personal judgment to a variety of technical personnel and managerial problems and issues. - Responsible for conducting wage surveys within labor markets to determine competitive wage rates. Analyzes wage and salary reports and data to determine competitive compensation plan. - Responsible for records of personnel transactions such as hires, promotions, transfers, performance reviews, and terminations. - Explains Human Resources policies, and activities; negotiates and resolves sensitive and controversial issues. - Keeps records of hired employee characteristics for governmental reporting purposes. - Represents management in negotiating collective bargaining agreements, mediation, and arbitration proceedings. - Drafts proposed contract language; assembles negotiated contracts. - Oversees employee benefit program, including the group health insurance and life insurance plans, flexible spending and dependent care programs, 403B plans, COBRA, HIPPA, and FMLA. - Analyzes existing benefit policies of organization and prevailing practices among similar organizations to establish competitive benefits programs. Plans modification of existing benefits programs. Recommends benefit plan changes to management. Notifies employees of changes in benefits programs. - Attends and participates in professional group meetings; stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of human resource management. NON-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: May sit on boards or committees to represent the School's interests. QUALIFICATIONS 1. Bachelor's degree in public, personnel or business administration, or related field, and/or five years experience in personnel administration including three years of progressively responsible supervisory experience. (Any equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.) 2. Considerable knowledge of modern policies and practices of public personnel administration; thorough knowledge of employee classification, compensation and benefits, recruitment, selection, and training. 3. Fluency in American Sign Language TO APPLY: - Contact the Human Resources Department at 914-949-7310 Extension 213 - Mail application (available at www.nysd.net), cover letter and resume to the New York School for the Deaf, 555 Knollwood Rd. White Plains, NY 10603 or email to arice@nysd.net - FAX cover letter and resume to 914-949-2331. All resumes will be treated confidentially New York School for the Deaf is an Equal Opportunity Employer -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- position opening Teacher, Classroom (Early Childhood Development) New York School for the Deaf White Plains, NY REPORTS TO: Principal MAJOR DUTIES: - Based upon the evaluations of pre-schoolers, develop plans and objectives for instruction. - Work closely with parents and children in the home-to-school transition. - Develop an I.E.P. for each child. - Design lesson plans and develop individualized instructional materials. - Develop communication skills with parents to foster a continuum of the use of skills from school to home. - Delegate duties to teacher assistant and oversee these duties - Work as a team with other Pre-K faculty and support services personnel. - Understanding of child development and best practices for application to the classroom. - Develop and maintain a communication book between home and school. - Work closely with the speech teachers for carry-over of skills and focus. - Maintain an open and flexible posture in order to adopt new ideas and make changes when needed. - Attend evening parent meetings. - Complete report cards and all other evaluative reports in a timely manner. - Maintain a plan book. - Attend professional workshops, conventions and conferences to keep abreast of new and developing ideas for improving the instruction of hearing impaired. - All other duties assigned by your supervisor. QUALIFICATIONS: - NYS certification in Early Childhood and Deaf Education required. - Fluency in ASL - Minimum of three years teaching experience preferred. - Knowledge and experience working with pre-school children preferred TO APPLY: - Contact the Human Resources Department at 914-949-7310 Extension 213 - Mail application (available at www.nysd.net), cover letter and resume to the New York School for the Deaf, 555 Knollwood Rd. White Plains, NY 10603 or email to arice@nysd.net - FAX cover letter and resume to 914-949-2331. All resumes will be treated confidentially New York School for the Deaf is an Equal Opportunity Employer -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY POSITIONS Washington, DC Positions contingent on funding Gallaudet University serves deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students from many different backgrounds and seeks to develop a workforce that reflects the diversity of its student body. Gallaudet is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and actively encourages deaf, hard of hearing, members of traditionally underrepresented groups, people with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply for open positions. TENURE-TRACK OR PRE-TENURE TRACK FACULTY POSITIONS To be considered for tenure at Gallaudet University, a candidate must possess a Ph.D./terminal degree in their field. Applicants without a terminal degree may be granted up to three years in a pre-tenure track position to work toward such terminal degree prior to being awarded a tenure-track position. The following departments are accepting applications for one or more faculty positions: - Department of ASL and Deaf Studies - Department of Education - Department of Hearing, Speech & Language Sciences - Department of Psychology For detailed job descriptions, specifications and information on application procedures, go to: http://gallaudet.edu/af/hrs_employment.xml -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- position opening Job Title/Rank: Instructional/Support Faculty Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester, NY PC#: 0211 IRC42856 and position opening Job Title/Rank: Instructional/Support Faculty Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester, NY PC#: 0375 IRC42875 for job descriptions and application procedures, click on: http://deafdigest.com/ntidaslfacultyjobs/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Open positions The Learning Center for the Deaf Framingham, MA Residential Counselor (Female Dorm) Classroom Teacher, Walden School Classroom Teacher Child Care Worker - Day and Residential Wraparound Family Partner (Part-Time) Overnight Residential Counselor (Female Dorm) Educational Audiologist For all of above positions, for descriptions & application procedures, go to: http://deafdigest.com/tlcjobs/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- - EXCITING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT GLAD !! - * EDD Program Manager - Location to be determined * Placement Coordinator - Pacoima * Community Interpreter - Los Angeles * Job Developer/Interpreter - Pacoima * Job Developer/Interpreter - Crenshaw * Job Developer/Interpreter - Santa Ana * Job Developer/Interpreter - Anaheim * Outreach Coordinator - Bakersfield * Program Assistant - Los Angeles To learn more about the above positions at GLAD, please go to our website: http://www.gladinc.org If interested for any of these positions then please submit resume and application to: Jeff Fetterman Human Resources Manager Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. 2222 Laverna Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90041 V/TDD: (323) 550-4207 Fax #: (323) 550-4204 E-mail: mailto:jfetterman@gladinc.org -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- other deaf-related jobs http://deafdigest.com/jobs/
