First of all, I do not want to see anyone hurt, nor do I want anyone fired from their job. I was aghast when I heard about that.  I am glad to see the cooling off period and hope we can have a harmonious discourse without the bashing and negativity. Despite our different opinions, mutual respect must be practiced by all parties.

Some people feel because I revealed about the strong themes of Deafhood within the DBC, I am against DBC, wanting to destroy this organization. Actually, no. Speaking the truth doesn’t necessarily hurt the organization, but empowers the Deaf Community to know where the organization fully stands so better informed decisions can be made by Deaf people. This way, both the organization and the Deaf Community are further strengthened.

If people recollect, I’ve always praised the amazing success of the DBC conference, considering that DBC is less than one year old. Many Deaf people reasonate with DBC’s themes so as far as I am concerned, it’s on the right track. I never dispute that.

I want to stress this: If DBC wants to practice Bilingualism and Deafhood with its DBC participants comfortable with these themes, then they should go ahead. Some people may disagree, but we cannot please everybody. It’s impossible to meet the needs of all D/deaf people.  As far as I am concerned, DBC met successfully the needs of many Deaf people who were oppressed and harmed by the oralism system. It’s basically a group for oral survivors, too.  These people need to be heard and acknowledged by the world.  Where is any forum that these oral survivors can meet to share their painful experiences and reiterate the reasons for their strong support for ASL with deaf babies and children?  So far, there has been none, so this is sorely overdue. The current parents need to be aware of this dark legacy the ABGell and oral education system are too anxious to bury.  Believe me, this dark chapter should be exposed to the light, so the Deaf people can heal, hearing parents be fully informed, and hopefully the oral education system will be forced to be held accountable. This dark legacy cannot continue to be hidden.  Where is the justice for the oral education survivors?  Kudos to DBC for being there for the oral survivors!

Also if some Deaf people are against cochlear implants, AVT, and/or oralism,  they are certainly entitled to their beliefs. We have many people within the AGBell system who are against ASL and feel Deaf Community is ‘isolated from the rest of the society’. Yet we don’t see many people condemning these hearing people for these biases while many Deaf people are judged harshly for their opinions.  Are we seeing double standards here? I think so.

The deep division between the subgroups reflects the contrasting core values of deafness. For the oral deaf and users of c.i. people, being able to use spoken English is of utter importance, reflecting the value of the hearing society. For the Deaf Community, it’s totally the opposite as the deafness trait is the most cherished culture for the majority of Deaf people.  To these people, their cultural mores are valid.

Some little people, previously called dwarves though the old term now considered politically incorrect, proudly announce to the tall people that short trait is treasured as it’s not consider defective. They frown on medical treatments to artificially lengthening the stunted limbs, giving the little people a boost with their height. Their defiant stance is controversial, however they remain firm.

Again I do see double standards here. I do need to think more about this, but more tolerance from the mainstream society is apparently given to these little people for their refusal to accept medical pathologicalization of their short height. Less tolerance is shown to Deaf people proud to be deaf and their refusal to accept current medical treatments. They are criticized frequently, with people declaring this is the parents’ decisions which are to be respected. I happen to share that belief, but it doesn’t mean that I expect everybody to feel this way. Certainly I have a good number of friends who are completely against c.i. and they have the right to feel this way. Even though I do have many friends who wear cochlear implants, I have no problem accepting those friends who disapprove these devices, as long as they don’t reject people.  After all, we live in America where people are given the freedom of speech and individualism.

Amish people denounce the use of electricity and withdraw their children from school after 8th grade. Many of us find their culture too restrictive, but they are content with this lifestyle. Again their values are mostly tolerated by the mainstreamed society. They are allowed to maintain this lifestyle due to their strong religious beliefs, which they are afforded to by our Bill of Rights.  America is so diverse.

Women have the reproductive rights of their own bodies. Consequentially they have the right to undergo abortions to remove the live fetuses. However, this doesn’t stop the abortion foes from standing outside the abortion clinics with signs and banner, protesting the reproductive rights of these women afforded by the decision of the Supreme Court. Yet Deaf people are criticized for promoting ASL outside the AGBell conferences.  Double Standards?

In America, we have a great diversity of people and Deaf Community is no exception. However, more intolerance for the values of Deaf people, their language ASL, and their culture are exhibited while there are better acceptance for the other groups’ values.

Seeds for thoughts

The subject is closed

Since the top DBC leader, also the Deafhood leader, Ella Mae Lentz had accused me of assumption and confusion in the comment section of  a vlog, I have no choice but to come forward. These are the facts.

I was one of the founding core members of DBC. When it started, we had a very simple mission: baby signs for deaf babies. Later it was expanded to include deaf babies and deaf children by several members. Two Deafhood leaders began to push Deafhood on us. The majority wasn’t comfortable with that as they only wanted to focus on Bilingualism and nothing further. However, these leaders persisted, ignoring the moderates’ objections. As Anne Marie Baer said, there was no voting or due process, including an election of DBC leaders, though we wanted to set up a formal system, etc.  Finally two moderates, including me, resigned and four other moderates were pushed out summarily without notice afterwards.  Then I found out two other leaders, including a strong Deafhood proponent, were appointed one month prior to my resignation and none of us knew about this new development. We went ahead and set up our organization which addresses to deaf bilingualism only.  Some wanted to disclose to the public, but another former member and I asked them not to mention anything. We still want to see DBC succeed. Looking back, I wonder if that was a mistake keeping quiet as afterwards Dr Hocokan volunteered his hard labor for four months, believing in bilingualism only to find out the Deafhood agenda has been infiltrated into the organization.  What Dr Hocokan had described so far, run parallel to what we experienced. Very recently, Dianrez and Anne Marie acknowledged being booted out without any notice.

For me, as long as Deafhood is what Deaf people want in DBC, that’s fine with me. However, I’ll be honest and say that some moderates don’t feel good to see the DBC hijacked to serve two purposes instead of the original one, especially when they toiled hard to build the foundation and provide research information. They feel that if parents see Deafhood, they will not get the message about the value of ASL with Deaf children. It happens that I agree with them.  But two Deafhood leaders disagree and they are certainly entitled to their opinions.

Their definition of Deafhood is somewhat different than mine as I have come to terms with my own deafhood many years ago. All deaf people, whether they are ASL users, C.I. users, deaf oralists, hard of hearing, and cued speech users, etc are embraced. Whether the person views deafness as a medical pathology or a deafhood is irrelevant to me as I look at the whole person. The Deafhood concepts are fascinating - the audism, the audism behind the cochlear implants and oralism, and its impact on Deaf education and Deaf Community. All of these ideas are profound and thought-provoking.  In my opinion, the labeling of deaf groups is divisive and not encouraged. Personal attacks on deaf people by another deaf group due to cultural intolerance on either side are not condoned, either.

The longer the DBC leaders continued without disclosing their second agenda to the Deaf Community, the more puzzled I became.  At first I thought it was due to fear of rejection, but it doesn’t make sense because three DBC leaders are openly identified as Deafhood leaders. The Deafhood themes became more obvious in the blogs and vlogs over the period of time, including the DBC convention. Hence my encouragement for them to become more transparent. The importance of one being true to oneself and others is paramount, especially in the Deaf community where many feel too inhibited in expressing their real opinions openly.

I also saw how inspired and empowered Deaf people were when they attended the DBC Conference. In my personal belief, some Deaf people need empowerment and feel good about their deafness, both long overdue.  As you know, I am all for Deaf activism and empowerment as long as mutual respect and tolerance for the diversity of D/deaf people are practiced. This includes their rights to their beliefs, whether we agree with them or not.

At the conference, the majority of time was spent on Deaf Bilingualism, with excellent lecturers versed in this field.  However, Deafhood, audism, oralism, cochlear implants, and sharing of negative experiences were also covered. Many Deaf people resonated with the conference, so it was a very successful conference for Deaf participants. The targeted audience was, in my honest opinion, the Deaf Community, not the hearing parents of deaf babies and toddlers. As long as Deaf people are aware of that, this isn’t a problem.

Yet one thing remains unclear to me. The DBC carrying two different agendas, Deaf Bilingualism and Deafhood,  is increasingly becoming more apparent.  Why do the leaders feel reluctant to be more transparent with its members and the Deaf Community? Instead of being willing to discuss this with the concerned members of the Deaf Community, they attacked those who gave them constructive feedback, using intimidation tactics and utilizing some of theirs followers to speak up for them.  Repeatedly I get the feeling none of Deaf people can give honest and constructive feedback at all without being accused of trying to destroy DBC or practicing crab theory.  In my blog, I tend to cover many topics, with various point of views, popular or unpopular. Some readers disagree with me, but they are entitled to their opinions.  However, this also leads to some bashing on me in my own blog, but I don’t accuse them of practicing crab theory since it comes with the territory. The Deaf leaders should be able to handle constructive feedback professionally without restoring into negative and destructive attacks to denigrate concerned Deaf people.. This particular dynamic of intimidating people isn’t healthy for the Deaf Community.  Aidan Mack is correct. Healthy dialogue is a must for the Deaf Community.

So this brings back the question: Why are DBC leaders not being forthcoming with their Deafhood agenda?

A note: I would respectfully ask for no bashing.  I hope DBC will continue to be successful. All I am asking is the organization to show transparency, integrity, and tolerance for Deaf members.

Sites from other ex-core DBC members: 

Dr. Hokocan’s  DBC Facts: http://dbcfacts.blogspot.com/2008/07/dbc-facts.html

Anne Marie Baer’s DBC members - No Voting Power  http://www.annemariemetaasl.com/2008/07/10/dbc-members-no-voting-power/

Amy Cohen Efron’s  revelation of  her former founding core member role and acknowledgement of infiltration of Deafhood into DBC: http://blog.deafread.com/abcohende/2008/07/13/revelation-and-vision-of-the-future-signing-community/

Deaf Pundit, of Deaf Edge, also a former core DBC member, had confirmed the statements of Dr. Hokocan.  Dianrez acknowledged that she was pushed out without any notice.  MZ, AM, DP, and Dianrez still root for DBC.  MZ

P.S. Someone asked what Ella wrote. So here is it: . “And sadly, all those worse accusations about DBC by Mishka Zena, Amy Cohen, Dr Hocokon, Ben Vess, etc who werent even there at the conference… you didn’t bother to challenge them. Some of them were confusing, some were outrageous, and they were insulting to the 700+ people who paid their way and gave up a whole weekend to come and see for themselves and every one was inspired and UNITY was present and many wonderful stories (and yes heartbreaking ones too) came out of the Conference, all to be buried with the piles and piles of assumptions by those people and others. And you didn’t bother to check them out?? http://deaffilmblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/leaders-beware-of-assumptions.html”

My question: How can I be outrageous, confusing, and insulting when the materials I’ve documented came from their site, their vlogs, the DBC participants’ and other people’s testimonies that these did happen? Recently a Deaf guy, Northtrue,  praised DBC for teaching him to accept self-empowerment. culture, language, and destruction of Deaf culture by c.i. and oralism… comparing Deaf with the oppressed Indians. This is his message, not mine. http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/14223/  That’s fine. However this has nothing to do with bilingualism. This is the deafhood talk.  It’s same with Tar. He mention the concept of D.I.E., a term often used in deafhood discussions.

Why would a leader act this way to the concerned  Deaf constituents?  Why is this person so against us expressing our concerns and looking for truth? This is America, isn’t it? I acknowledge her rights to her beliefs. I don’t criticize her Deafhood.  I express my admiration for her dedication to Deafhood. All I ask is transparency and show conflicting messages directly from DBC.  This type of behavior is the intimidation factor that inhibits many Deaf people from speaking candidly. Is it healthy for the Deaf Community?  No, it’s not.  MZ

 An Addendum:

Here is an excellent vlog where a Deafhood scholar who studied under Paddy Ladd shares Ladd’s definition of deafhood.  Ladd’s version sharply differs from the American version interpreted by several Deafhood Leaders. Since the majority of people haven’t read the book, here is the link where Joseph explains the concept as defined by Ladd himself.  By the way, I know Joseph and he is credible. He did study in Britain.  MZ

Paddy Ladd’s Conception of Deafhood: http://blog.benvess.com/?p=148

The subject is closed

# 101. “THERE’S NO ANTI-RACIST TRAINING AT THE NAD CONFERENCE. THERE’S NO RACIST COMPONENT IN THE DBC. It’s a white deaf world.

Here’s a preposterous proposal circulating at the NAD conference:

Title: Deafhood training
Introduced by: Ralph Singleton
Seconded by: David Reynolds

Proposed motion: the NAD board and all headquarters staff shall receive the deafhood training. Additionally, all state associations shall be trained, and also host the deafhood trainings.

Rationale: Deafhood courses are now accepted at some universities and should be widely pushed by the NAD, too. The NAD should cherish the deafhood concept and promote it among its Board members, all state associations and headquarters staff. There are currently 40 trainers available to teach deafhood to all types of audiences around the nation.

Fiscal impact: Minimal, other than presentation costs.

Board comments: the Board supports this concept for the NAD; however, state associations and affiliates make their own decisions regarding training opportunities.

Comments:

As this proposal was circulated, Deaf people of color started to feel sick in the stomach. Is the DBC taking over NAD? The Deafhood movement seems to be led by a radical group of XXX-like white deaf people. Why is NAD allowing itself to give in to the CAD deafhood powerhouses? WHERE IS DIVERSITY????

Doesn’t anyone remember what Paddy Ladd originally wrote about deafhood?”   Terry Goffman

.

As I had no idea what was going on,  I contacted NAD  regarding this issue. I also requesed that they publish their business and motions on their website so NAD  members unable to attend the conference will be able to follow on the Internet.  They promptly responded to my suggestion to post the informatin at NAD conference on its site. (http://blogs.nad.org/NADConference/).  Kudos to NAD for their quick actions and efforts to be more transparent to the Deaf Community!! 

The NAD representative gave me a statement along with two links, one to NAD Diversity Statement and the other one for Diversity Training.  Any time someone has a concern, please contact NAD Executive President Nancy Bloch at Nancy.Bloch@Nad.Org   or Bobbie Beth Scroggins at BobbieBeth.Scoggins@NAD.Org.  MZ

.

From NAD representative:

The NAD has a Diversity statement which can be found in its January board meeting minutes at http://www.nad.org/boardminutes.  In addition, the NAD board received diverity training during most board meetings during the past year and a half, including at NAD regional conferences, the recent NAD Leadership Training Conference (www.nad.org/NLTC) this past spring, and at the 2008 Biennial NAD Conference. This demonstrates the NAD’s commitment to diversity training.

.

From NAD site:

DIVERSITY TRAINING

Burwell will provide training at the NAD Leadership Training Conference in Austin and at the board meeting in Rochester, and finally facilate at least one panel at the national conference. The NAD remains committed to diversity as a priority, with follow up strategies to be determined by the new board after the conference. 

.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT
National Association of the Deaf

Approved January 2008 by the                                                                     
NAD Board of Directors

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) embraces diversity and inclusiveness as core values in achieving its mission. It is the philosophy of the NAD that diversity encompasses a wide range of human abilities and perspectives*. The NAD is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive environment where differences of opinions, beliefs, and values are sought, listened to, respected, and valued. Through inclusiveness, the NAD is committed to expanded membership, participation, and leadership that reflect the diversity of the American deaf community. The NAD also pledges to enhance its policies and practices so that these adhere to the highest standards of diversity and inclusiveness, and to work closely with its state and organizational affiliated to further this commitment (* including but not limited to language, culture, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, and socioeconomic status) 

P.S. It just occurred to me that some people may think this as my personal criticism of NAD. Please do not interpret it this way. Personally I think NAD is being very progressive, making many changes for the better, especially in the last several years.  In fact, I’m planning to become a member of NAD. MZ

“The two groups will bring their competing agendas to Milwaukee in separate national conferences this week: one that views cochlear implants and auditory-based therapies as a way to give children access to the wider world; and the other that sees them as unnecessary and an affront to who deaf people are as individuals.”
 
“”We’re concerned about the audism behind the implants - this belief that hearing is more advantageous than being deaf. It’s the same as racism,” she said.”
 
“You’re only learning how to speak, to regurgitate the words, and only a small percentage of deaf people are successful at that,”

Since people claim that these quotes were taken out of context, this post reveals more data documenting that these topics were also covered during the DBC convention. These data come from the DBC website, DBC media release, and the websites of DBC participants.

My intention is not to imply these statements invalid nor that the DBC representative committed an error. I strongly believe that everybody is entitled to their beliefs, whether we agree with them or not. 

In today’s society, transparency benefits the organization more than not.  The Deaf Community and the hearing audience will know better where DBC stands. The amount of confusion many face regarding DBC’s stance due its conflicting messages will be reduced. Once everything is put on the table, the full transparency will be best for DBC in the long run.

Since these themes are already explored repeatedly in the DBC site, DBC conference, and blogs/vlogs covering DBC conference,  a revision of the DBC’s mission statement to include audism, audism behind the cochlear implants and oralism, and deafhood is encouraged, making DBC more transparent. The viewers can pursue articles on these thought-provoking and complicated concepts in detail on its site. The public, including hearing parents, aren’t familiar with the word audism and the profound impact it has on the deaf education system and American Sign Language. Some Deaf people consider the medical pathology of deafness a form of audism with excessive emphasis on speech and auditory skills at the expense of language, academics, and emotional/ psychological development of the Deaf babies and children. 

Deafhood is an internal journey Deaf people process and incorporate deafness along with their identity in a full acceptance. Deafhood also encourages embracement of the deaf trait and promotes Deaf empowerment.

Deaf people who attended DBC came out, highly inspired and empowered.  The DBC leaders should be proud of their incredible accomplishment with the successful conference within the Deaf Community. The implementation of changes in mission statement will help improve DBC’s clarity with the Deaf Community and the public.

P.S. I understand this topic is a sensitive topic. However, I must request that the commenters address to the topic.  We need a constructive dialogue and not attacking each other. MZ

DATA PRESENTED: 

GEARING UP:
 
the rise and fall of the Oralist Movement
 
left thousands of destroyed lives in its wake
 
force them to try to communicate by vocalizing sounds they cannot hear, in a medium in which they have no real access 
 

FRIDAY EVENING OPENING CEREMONY:
 
AG Bell must go!
 
(Referring to AG Bell) “….This is the end.
 
Oralism is wrong.
 
 
BLUE RIBBON CEREMONY:
 
Oppression, cochlear implant, more deaf children getting c.i.,
 
oralism, teen isolation due to mainstreaming,
 
rejection, Hitler, involuntary sterilization, ban on
 
deaf marriage, genetic engineering, isolation by
 
hearing families unfamiliar with sign language,
 
deaf identity/hearing identity, deaf unity. 
 

The EMANICATION of the Deaf-World from Audio-centric to Visual-centric Values:

the cultural aspect becomes connected to the language in one’s own consciousness.
 
high proficiency in Deaf culture.
 
Language proficiency and culture proficiency 
 

STATE CHAPTER MEETING
 
Deafhood: five minutes long (pictures post below the article)
 

SUNDAY RALLY & MARCH!:
 
Let the Deaf children sign and be D-E-A-F and proud!
  

DBC PRESS RELEASE:AG Bell, Tear Down This Wall! Let All Deaf Children Sign!
The Deaf Bilingual Coalition Conference Inspiring and Empowering for All:
 
an opportunity for Deaf survivors of AG Bell’s Oralist philosophy to heal from growing up orally and not learning American Sign Language until later in life
 
Bell, in addition to his promotion of Oralism, served as the honorary president of the Second International Congress of Eugenics  

Deaf people and their families who suffered and survived the harmful effects of Oralism 

. 

DEAFHOOD pictures at DBC:

Deaf Bilingual Coalition Website: http://www.dbcusa.org/

Deafhood picture at 2.15 : http://www.xanga.com/Frank_Sandra/664464538/dbc-conference-slide-show.html

DBC Interview: AG Bell and deaf coalition conferences differ on cochlear implants  http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=766249

DBC’s Mission Statement: DBC stands by its mission and continues to promote a clear vision that we support ALL Deaf infants and children to have access to ASL from birth and to be fluent in ASL and English (bilingual). DBC is not against speech and listening training as long as it is partnered with ASL.  DBC’s goal is to educate those who impact the lives of Deaf infants and children and find common ground to end the long-time friction between groups who have different philosophies on communication approaches.
http://www.dbcusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=12

 The subject is closed.

This contradicts with the mission statement at DBC website, promoting ASL while not opposing speech and listening training, as long as they are partnered with ASL.

I would like to make a recommendation that the DBC leaders work together on making the goals of DBC more consistent to the public and the media.

Clarification:  There seems to be a misunderstanding. This’s not a criticism of the DBC’s statements given during the interview. Everybody is entitled to their beliefs and these opinions are valid, whether we agree with them or not.. All I am asking for is consistency.

I want to emphasize again that DBC did an incredibly wonderful job. Rarely can an organization start from zero to a national conference with hundreds of participants less than one year!  Congratulations again!!  MZ

Warning: Posting a commenter’s last name is not permitted here. MZ

 P.S. I would like to assure everybody that their identities will be kept in confidence. I don’t give out ISPs to  the public. MZ

The subject is closed.

AGB is a non-profit organization to which parents turn for ‘unbiased’ information and advice. How can it be unbiased if it’s sponsored by commercial corporations invested in making millions of dollars and so far hasn’t shown reliable data for its products?  I find it disquieting that AGB is so closely affiliated with commercial businesses with vested interests.

Whenever we read research papers, we try to find the source of the funding and whether the researchers have ties to commercial businesses. If there are conflicts of interests, then the data is tainted. More and more medical doctors and scientists are required to release information that may be construed as evidence of conflict of interest.

There is a growing trend towards avoiding research published by scientists with clear conflict of interests.

Are the parents, audiologists, and oral educators aware of the partnerships that AGB has with cochlear implant corporations? Where is the transparency?

FROM AGBELL’S SITE:

Corporate Partnership Program 

——————————————————————————–
 
AG Bell corporate partners are contributing significant funding to the Hear from the Start Talk for a Lifetime campaign. Their generosity enables AG Bell to raise awareness that children with hearing loss can learn to listen and talk and ensure that every child with a hearing loss has access to highly qualified professionals trained to support and facilitate audition and spoken language communication.

Founding Partners

	Advanced Bionics Corporation More . . .
	Cochlear Americas More . . .
Premiere Partner	Oticon Foundation More…Oticon Focus on People Awards Nominees

For more information about the AG Bell corporate partnership program, contact Marie Johnson, Development Officer at development@agbell.org. 

http://www.agbell.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?p=Circle_Alliance_Partners 

. 

Advanced Bionics Corporation Renews Circle Alliance Partnership with AG Bell with a contribution of $100,000.  Initiatives to Promote Spoken Language Communication for Children and Adults with Hearing Loss   http://www.agbell.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?p=Advanced_Bionics_Renews_Partnership 

Cochlear Americas Renews AG Bell Circle Alliance Partnership Initiatives to Promote Spoken Language Communication for Children and Adults with Hearing Loss http://www.cochlearamericas.com/News/1749.asp

.

An article about the ethical concerns about commercial financing influencing the organization’s advice:   In a speech on Thursday in the Senate (transcript is available some ways down this page), Mr. Grassley worried that the payments could bias the researchers™ findings and advice, as multiple, independent studies have confirmed often happens.  From Chronicle of Higher Education (August 6, 20o7)     http://chronicle.com/news/index.php?id=2806

DISCLAIMER: I want to stress that I have nothing against either oracy or cochlear implants, as long as parents are fully informed of all the pros and cons of each communication method.  However, I disapprove AGBell’s long-standing practice of demonizing ASL and culturally Deaf People unfairly. As of now, the majority of parents are still not fully informed of all the options presented in a non-prejudical manner. The parents deserve better.  MZ

“Inside Gallaudet
Two new trustees join the board
 
Two new members of the Board of Trustees who were approved for appointment by the trustees at their May meeting but who were not named pending their acceptance have agreed to serve on the board. The new members are James Lee Sorenson, a nationally recognized business leader and entrepreneur, and Tiffany Williams-Granfors, a noted leader in international sports programs for deaf people and a Gallaudet alumna (’89). Their terms are effective immediately.
 
Sorenson brings many attributes to his position as a trustee. He currently serves as chairman of Sorenson Development, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. He is credited for helping develop technologies such as digital compression software, mass-market videophones, video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing people, electronic medical pain pumps, and environmental testing that have become industry standards. Sorenson’s other leadership responsibilities include The Sorenson Group, which owns and is developing over 60,000 acres of industrial, commercial, residential, and retail real estate, and Sorenson Capital, which has raised approximately $650 million to invest in small- to mid-size U.S. companies. He is also a major philanthropist, donating his time, expertise, and money to a wide range of civic and educational efforts. ” http://news.gallaudet.edu/?ID=13472

These children were then taught to use coded English sign language (SEE, SEE II, Total Communication, Simultaneous Communication), all artificial languages which hampered their linguistic comprehension even more. By the time they were exposed to a real language, ASL, their chances to develop a strong base of  linguistic competency were long gone and they struggled with written English as a second language. Some of them even struggled with ASL.  Those demanding ASL users to translate their vlogs to English, then transcribe them in closed captioning or subtitling present an unfair and undue hardship.

For the people using spoken English, they only need to transcribe into written English. No translation is involved. English is their strongest asset.  It’s not same for the majority of ASL vloggers. To be asked to do double duty using a language they aren’t strong in is very unfair, considering that the written blogs are not fully accessible to them. MZ

 Wait! Blogs Aren’t Fully Accessible, Either

Watching the fray about the captioning of ASL vlogs, I can understand where Carl Schroeder is coming from. Yes, captioning would benefit Deaf Blind Community, Deaf people, including foreign Deaf, who don’t understand ASL, and hearing people. Personally I don’t think it’s fair to accuse vloggers of not being inclusive due to their refusal to subtitle for several reasons.

The ASL vloggers are being asked to do two jobs, not just captioning, but also translating from one language to another language, which involves intensive work than just transcribing alone. It gets more complicated if English is their second language. Writing English may not come easy for some ASL vloggers and they become self-conscious, having been the recipient of harsh criticism in the past. Preoccupation with the translation from ASL to English can stifle their creativity in expressing themselves. Being asked to translate and transcribe may constitute undue hardship for ASL vloggers.

Yet, on the other hand, I see nobody accusing the bloggers of being exclusive.  Because many Deaf people are more comfortable in their first language, they prefer ASL than written English.  As a second language, written English may not be fully accessible for all ASL readers.  This preference for ASL is especially noted at DeafRead where vlogs consistently receive more hits than blogs. So why aren’t the bloggers inclusive by providing ASL versions?

By the way, I’ve been approached by many Deaf people about making my blogs accessible to other Deaf people, especially the grassroot Deaf people. I nodded affirmatively. Unfortunately it is too difficult with my health limitations, much to my deep regret. Ironically, if I could, I rather do vlogging than blogging as ASL comes very naturally for me nowadays, being more expressive and rich than written English.  I did ask for volunteers, but didn’t get any. I am still amenable to work with a volunteer.

For the some people accusing ASL vloggers for being exclusive when their own blogs aren’t inclusive, it may be called as hypocrisy.

We need to come up with workable solutions.. without judging others

Mishka Zena » Blog Archive » Wait!. Blogs Aren’t Fully Accessible, Either!

P.S. I am being repetitive with the commentary published this morning because I feel some statements need to be repeated… to ensure that the writers of the blogs really comprehend the issues. To make a mandatory requirement that all vlogs be totally accessible while waiving the same expectations with the blogs defeat the purpose of true diversity.

P.P.S I forgot to add one thing. I did an ASL vlog and tried to translate it.  The translation was extremely time-consuming as it was incredibly difficult to transmit the same message fully in written English without losing some during the translation.  ASL is so rich and trying to convey that richness of ASL into written English doesn’t do the ASL the justice. After a while, I realized I just cannot do the job.  Translating an ASL vlog into written English alone requires about five or six times the work of writing a blog.  And we are not even discussing the captioning. MZ

Christopher Robert Lambert, 39, pleaded guilty to the 2004 kidnapping and murder of Tallie Antolin on Tuesday. Charged with first-degree murder, Lambert pleaded guilty to murder for a lesser charge, according to the Burke County Clerk of Court’s office.  Man pleads guilty to kidnapping, murder - The Morganton News Herald

A Personal Letter From Tallie’s Family:

This was written be Steve Barden (Tallie’s Mother’s Husband) so Carol wouldn’t have to do it.

We walked in to the Courtroom 1, Superior Count in Morganton NC just before 2pm on May 27, 2008. We met briefly with the assistant DA and his assistant. Then we sat behind the jury box. Shortly after that the bailiffs brought in Chris Lambert. He was no longer the charismatic young man of a few years back. He has aged at least fifteen years. He has a potbelly and a receding hairline. He looks very old! The defense attorneys or his parents had supplied him with a nice shirt and a tie. He just sat there looking at the courtroom door. Just before the court session started Chris’s parents walked in and sat behind him. Chris had an interpreter that seemed very good and professional.

The District Attorneys and the Defense Attorneys spent about a half-hour confirming the details of the plea bargain that was agreed to the day before. After that, the Judge spent a fair amount of time confirming that Chris agreed to the plea with full knowledge and understanding. He indicated that he did.

Then the Assistant District Attorney started his summary of the state’s case. The highlights follow.

Chris called the police on a Saturday afternoon. Using the relay phone he indicated that he had killed someone. When the first officers arrived they smelled a strong odor coming from Tallie’s apartment. Chris opened the door and put his hands out in front of himself for the officers to put handcuffs on.

The first officers did a quick search of the apartment. They found a body on the back deck. It was wrapped in blankets with plastic trash bags over the upper torso. It was Tallie. The police sealed the crime scene and called the crime scene investigators.

Chris has bruises around his neck and cuts on his hands and legs. He claimed they were defensive wounds from Tallie attacking him. The DA said Chris tried to use a common telephone cord to try to hang himself. The cord broke and he fell and knocked over a lamp and broke the lamp bulb. That broken bulb is how he got the cuts on his hands and legs. There was a broken kitchen knife in the bathroom. There were indications that Chris also cut his hand when the knife broke.

The police found a note inside the apartment from a local drug dealer warning Chris to pay the $180.00 he owed. There is an ATM tape that shows Chris withdrawing $180.00 from Tallie’s account. Chris had claimed to investigators that both he and Tallie used drugs. The police interviewed the drug dealer that sold crack to Chris. The dealer stated that he didn’t know Tallie, never sold drugs to Tallie, didn’t even know who Tallie was.
Investigators found an email on Tallie’s Computer sent after her death from Chris that basically said “I’ve done something terrible and will be probably get a lethal injection”.

She was stabbed 27 times. Most of the stab wounds were on the front. The fatal wounds are believed to be from the neck and chest wounds. There were defensive wounds on Tallie’s hands. As the DA indicated, both Tallie and Chris were deaf. The ONLY way she could communicate with Chris was to be facing him. There are only a couple of wounds to the back of her head and neck. The DA thinks she finally tried to turn and run for a bedroom to put a door between herself and Chris. She didn’t make it.

There was confusion about the stab wounds. The body was so decomposed that the ME could not determine if some of the wounds were actually from the knife going all the way through the body and were just exit type wounds.

There were more details presented pointing to Chris’s guilt, which I won’t go into here. None of these details was disputed by the Defense. We are sure that if this had gone to trial, they would have been presented and it would had been heart wrenching for Tallie’s mother!

Carol gave her victim’s statement. The people behind me (unrelated to this court session) were even crying. Chris was nodding in agreement. (Please see her statement at the bottom of this document.)

Then the Defense Attorneys spoke mainly of mitigating circumstances regarding Chris. They basically conceded and admitted that Chris murdered Tallie. They found expert doctors that stated that Chris wasn’t in control of himself because of his crack addiction and diabetes. They indicated that because Chris’s blood sugar was very low on the Saturday of his arrest that this contributed to his killing Tallie the prior Tuesday night. They also produced a ten-page report documenting all the attempts to help Chris kick his drug habit. They also said that a lot of money was spent trying to get Chris off drug over the years.

The plea bargain consists of two parts: Chris plead guilty of murder in the second degree. For this he was sentenced to about 213 months in prison. Chris also plead guilty to kidnapping (By preventing Tallie from escaping) and was sentenced to about 100 months in prison. Both terms to be served one after the other. Chris is going to spend most of the next 28-30 years in a North Carolina prison.

We are basically satisfied with this sentence. While nothing will ever bring back Tallie, this sentence gets Chris out of our lives. He is going away for a long time. Hopefully he will disappear into the North Carolina Prison System and never hurt anyone else again. This is two hours the NO mother should ever have to go through.
 

This is Carol’s Victim Statement:

Tallie Antolin is my daughter.

I can’t believe it has taken 4 long years to get to this day. The reasonable part of me understands why it has taken so long. The mother in me wants to scream at everyone, “why has it taken over 4 years for justice to be served”.

The sentence handed down to Chris today I am told is reasonable and just. Over 4 years ago Tallie was sentence to death. For what! She had not committed a crime. Because of this sentence she will never be able to reach her goals or achieve her dreams.

4 years ago, this past mothers day I was sentenced to life. The rest of my life with out my daughter. Life without seeing her smiling face and dancing laughing eyes. No more holidays to share with her or special moments. No more daily e-mails or instant msg. from her, that always ending with smile I love you.

The rest of Tallie’s family was also sentenced to life. A life without Tallie being a part of our family to grow and share.

Over the last 4 years, everyone involved has been very helpful to me. They have listened to my concerns and answered my questions. They have been able to tell me how Tallie died and when Tallie died. But no one has been able to answer the question of why Tallie died.

Chris, Tallie was the only person that you could always go to and she was always there for you. Tallie always took you in and tried to help you. Over the years, Chris I have seen you take and take from Tallie, until you finally took her life.

Chris, why did you do it? Why did Tallie have to die?

Commentary: I interrupted my blogging hiatus to report this latest development as I’ve covered this story several times.  Tallie’s mother and friends were gracious enough to correspond with me over the years.  Not only were they open with me, they also permitted this story to be used as an educational piece on domestic violence in this blog. I felt their pain and I am glad this difficult saga with the judicial system had ended.  Tallie finally got her justice.  MZ

The more I ponder this, the more questions I have.
 
Does this mean Hamill sees himself as being more of a hearing person than a Deaf person because he grew up orally, not knowing sign language until he went to college?
 
Can a hearing person really understand what it’s like to be deaf?  Hard of hearing?
 
Does Hamill feel a Deaf person too lowly to portray him?  Or is it more of a concern whether the Deaf actor is too culturally Deaf to understand the upbringing of an oral deaf person?
 
Is Hamill deaf or hard of hearing?
 
Why doesn’t he request a hard of hearing or deaf actor with an oral background?
 
Is the quality of the voicing an issue?
 
I have no answer to these questions.

Apparently Hamill appreciates the scriptwriter’s two years investment in studying Hamill, ASL, and Deaf culture for the upcoming movie.  In his blog, he has stated that he feels a Deaf person studying him for two months will not capture who he really is.
 
As I grew up an oral deaf person, I functioned like a hearing person. However I instinctively knew hearing people have no idea what it was like to be an oral deaf person. No Deaf person growing up in Deaf schools and Deaf families can share the same understanding, either. Only an oral deaf person who later learned sign language can identify with my experiences.
 
The hiring of a hearing actor in a leading deaf role may give Hollywood a clear-cut message it’s suitable to use hearing people for deaf roles. This may hurt the Deaf Community in the long run, though the deaf defenders of Hamill’s decision deny this possibility.

Whether Hamill realizes it or not, he is a role model for the young D/deaf children.  How do they feel seeing a hearing person playing the role of Hamill, a deaf man?  What kind of messages will they be receiving… perhaps that Hamill doesn’t see a d/Deaf person worthy of his leading role?  As Hamill and his defenders apparently feel hiring Deaf people for other roles should be sufficient, this shouldn’t be a problem.  The Deaf Community disagrees.

Whatever objections Deaf Community has, the deaf people disregards. Deaf Community feels a Deaf actor will give authenticity to the Hamill character. However the deaf people points out Marlee Matlin, a heterosexual, acting as a lesbian, with no objection from the gay community.  

However, unlike gay community, a large segment of Deaf Community, including Gallaudet and NTID/RIT does , object to a hearing actor playing a deaf man. That’s the problem.

Deaf Community feels it’s a clear cut case of audism while deaf people thinks it’s reverse audism.

Had Hamill picked a signing and oral deaf or hard of hearing person for the leading role, would the whole community support him?  I think there would be better acceptance of his decision.

His decision to hire a hearing actor has resulted in a sharp division within the D/d community, which is very unfortunate, in my opinion.  Most of the deaf people with oral background or who are hard of hearing support Hamil’s decision while the majority of Deaf Community oppose it.  More infighting and nasty bashing arise between the members of this community. 

Clarification:  Even though majority of the deaf defenders of Hamill’s decision are oral/hoh, some are culturally Deaf.  Not all the opponents are culturally Deaf, though the majority is. MZ

 Please no personal bashing. Address to the subject.

Warning:  Non-productive comments will be deleted.