FSDB Students' Standardized Test Results Higher Than Rest of State

 After having late-night conversation with former deaf Florida resident about the state of Florida itself last week. She mentioned that former Governor Jeb Bush was totally shocked to learn about the standardized test results from Florida School for the Deaf (FSD) much higher as compared to the rest of Florida hearing students. Former Governor Bush told his staff aides and state legislators and educators how come the FSD students made highest standardized test scores than the fellow hearing students. 

 Many deaf Americans got the wrong idea about the Florida state law's mandatory requirement of every deaf students to be schooled at the Florida School for the Deaf in St. Augustine - northeast part of Florida.  

 The Florida educational system happened to be overhauled under former Governor Jeb Bush and another governor. It heavily provided parents of deaf youngsters with the assigned Individualized Education Program (IEP) advocates which gave parents necessary information to make best parental options and decisions for their deaf offspring. 

  In the end, the following result for the successful retention and education for deaf youngsters in the state of Florida. The Florida School for the Deaf  happen to have the largest student enrollment numbers like 700 deaf students nowaday.  

  The deaf schools of the deaf across America should be not closed due to state budgetary problems in any way. 

  FSDB is one of the fine example for the state government and board of education to invest in the necessity of deaf education, not shortchange any deaf youngsters with the foundation of sound education. Other states could do that! 

  Some misspending and illogical approaches at the FSDB campus with the 10-feet tall metal fence surrounded the entire school campus. The misplacement of security fence perimeter clashed with the Spanish-style villa buildings which the fence were too closed to every building. 

  Asked upon one hearing local - motel operator why the FSDB put up that kind of fence. Her reply - "Keep bad kids inside". What an ignorant lady with some ASL signing fluency!  The motel was just few feet away from the FSDB campus! 

  The reality was what happened with the last hearing superintendent, who overboard with the prison-like security fence perimeter in fear of child snatching and sexual molestation by total strangers. 

  That is a classic example of spending mispriorities within many schools of the deaf like the unnecessary installment of ten-foot tall security fence and other pointless purchases of audistic equipments for speech therapy and AVT therapy. 

  The WV School for the Deaf  (WVSD) spent multi-thousands and thousands on constant boys' dormitory rooms and lockers, but usually ignored girl dormitories in real needs of major renovation in the 1980s. Deaf boys at the WVSD kept damaged the dormitory renovations anyway. 

  WVSD also spent nearly spent the removal of both intermediate and advanced boys' Roman-style shower room and replaced it with every dormitory rooms with its own private bathroom. Kinda costly for the state to spend on the impractical facility development like private bathroom.  More work for the school custodians clean up every separate private bathrooms within assigned dormitory room. Whew! 

 One WVSD hearing teacher said "We have to prevent any possibility of homosexual acts among deaf male students".  *chuckles* Gentle reminder for the school better off spending on more educational materials and quality of education than preoccupied with the moral issues for deaf students as what I told very same hearing teacher, Ms. Maureen Wypsoal. She just gulped!

  The Roman-style boys' shower room was very educational experience of assessing the human body progress for deaf boys to appreciate the human anatomy and diversity. How educational! Many deaf boys enjoyed spending in the steamy atmosphere and had futile conversations on life itself. Nothing imply any kind of homosexual acts anyway. 

  Don't the WVSD use its own common sense about more possibilities of homosexual acts in private bathroom while nobody is around. 

  The state government and legislators need to re-examine what they are doing to deaf youngsters in their own state before closing any school for the deaf.  

  

ASLize yours,

Robert L. Mason 

Interesting Comment from Someone Else

Someone left very revealing comment about Jerry Ferris, so-called ASL interpreter on the Jackie Dickenson Modeling Agency tv show. Just read the enclosed comment below.

http://by113w.bay113.mail.live.com/mail/InboxLight.aspx?FolderID=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&InboxSortAscending=False&InboxSortBy=Date&n=1559512046#

I wonder if this comment is really from Martin Ritchie himself or someone deaf. I do not want to put Martin Ritchie in any awkward ways.

Let's BLACKLIST Jerry Ferris from working again as an ASL interpreter! He used many deaf people as a stepping stone to his own fame. We must stop this person from exploiting any of us, deaf people much further in the near future and beyond. What do you think of this one?

ASlize yours,

Robert L. Mason (RLM)

The Doctors.Com Afternoon TV Show and CIs

What is up with the latest spikes in media coverage of CIs? Is there any hopeful agenda for the Obama administration to be more sympathetic to the urges of cochlear implant surgery among deaf youngsters?

The latest media coverage of CIs found yesterday, 1/8/09 on the syndicated tv show - "The doctors.com", a medical reporting tv show about the CIs on deaf youngsters.

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/info_finder Please type cochlear implant on Search and will show you different 8 CI features from this show. The title of "Procedure ..." is the main feature of yesterday's tv show - http://thedoctorstv.com/main/procedure_list/47


The hunky male host of "The Doctors" seems skeptical and disapproved of the idea of cochlear implant surgery on deaf babies thru his facial expression and body language. The parents of deaf baby daughter heavily emphasized "That is not a cure for deafness".

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/LandrysMom

We are living in the period of economic instability right now. We do not need any government or private insurance spending on non-medical/health necessity like the mega-thousands cost of cochlear implant surgery on per child.


We ought to persuade "The Doctors" syndicated tv show to let the former cochlear implantees make their presence (show up) on TV to let the general public that there are real downsides to the cochlear implant surgery on non-consented deaf babies and youngsters.


It's time for the balanced news reporting on the issue of CIs before distressed and emotional parents of deaf babies and youngsters do the lifetime damage to their own offspring and children!


We must keep the watchful eye on the media coverage of cochlear implants on deaf babies and youngsters.


Unfortunately, there is no written transcript available from "The Doctors". Just the DVD on particular episode.


ASLize yours,

Robert L. Mason (RLM)

"Non-Objective and Self-Promote" Washington Post article on Bilateral CI

After reading today's Washington Post print edition, 1/6/08 on the special article submitted by Anne Dooley on the issue of bilateral cochlear implants (CIs). "At the Rim" deaf blogger also do the similar blog piece on very same newspaper article.

This Washington Post article is one of "self-promote and non-objective" journalism ever seen on the issue of CIs. Anne Dooley is not a trained journalist herself. She actually write and edit several psychic-related and spirituality books.

Here is an enclosure -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010501944.html?sub=AR


The Washington Post should not let Anne Dooley to do this special article or publish it in the first place. Any journalistic publication like the reputable Washington Post newspaper know better than letting someone writing out the self-promotion and non-objective piece without being objective or let someone do the investigative reporting by independent collaboration and inquires.

I once approached the Washington Post newspaper back in summer 2005 for writing the special coverage of the Deaf Way II Conference in exchange of paying my Deaf Way II conference registration package. The Washington Post coldly replied "We do not hire any freelance writers to do the specials, only the staff journalists!".

In the end, the Washington Post assigned someone hearing, who knew NOTHING about the enrichment and beauty of the Deaf Culture and Way of Life. The Post published only an article about the Deaf Way II Conference on the issue of noise level bothered hotel guests in the surrounding area and described how the real loud music vibrations shook the Washington Convention Center.


Anne Dooley is a classic audist herself which she assumed the best for her own deaf daughter to be refitted with single cochlear implant, then explored the idea for bilateral cochlear implant. She said "rather have her daughter the ability to hear" in despite of acquiring the American Sign Language (ASL) at Columbia School of the Deaf (MD).


Did Anne Dooley frankly ask her own deaf daughter what and how Ruthie really feel about having the cochlear implant? Nope!


Have Ruthie been previously consulted if she was for getting the cochlear implant surgery?


How the cochlear implant surgery for Ruthie being paid by?


Most important of all is the journalism ethics which they clearly forbade any "conflict of interest"
and "subtle advertising".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards

http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

This article is originally going to be published on 1/6/09, but put it on hold

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)

Questionable Links Between AGB and Smithasonian Institution

There are more questionable links between Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) and the Smithsonian Institution.

Alexander Graham Bell and James Henry, the director of the Smithsonian Institution and fellow scientist, had the close friendship. James Henry was the ONE, who told Alexander Graham Bell to "GET IT!.

Bell admitted that he did not have the necessary knowledge of making the working model of telephone before filing the patent claim. AGB told his father-in-law (Hubbard)'s own patent attorney, Anthony Pollok that he doesn't have the equipment needed to continue his experiments, nor the ability to create a working model of his ideas.

The U.S. Patent Office examiner, Zenas Fisk Wiber, later stated in a sworn affidavit that he was an alcoholic. who had much in debt to AGB's lawyer, Marcellus Bailey with whom he fought in the American Civil War. Wiber claimed that he showed Gray's patent to Bailey before AGB's official patent claim filing.

Bell admitted that he learned some of technical details from letter correspondences with Gray before filing the patent. He usually took great pains for locking up his notebooks and lab equipments was widely known at that time. AGB also submitted the diagram of workable telephone suspiciously similar to that in Gray's patent in his patent claim.

AGB's politically and socially powerful connected father-in-law, Mr. Hubbard and other financial investors were pretty much behind AGB's patent claims to reap financially from Gray's patent of workable telephone.

Alexander Graham Bell did not file any counter suit action against Gray for libel suits. Why??

The U.S. Attorney General suddenly dropped the lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell for "fraud and misrepresentation" based on no merits. Political pressures from AGB's father-in-law, Hubbard??

Anthony Meucci claimed to have the first working model of telephone in Italy in 1834. The U.S. House of Representatives done the official investigation whether Meucci really invented the working telephone. They reached the 2002 conclusion that Meucci did invent the telephone first before everyone.

AGB instructed his patent attorney (Hubbard's) to file the patent claim only in the U.S. after they got words from Britain's patent office turning down AGB's patent filing. According to Britain's own policy of issuing patent claims based on discoveries, not previously patented elsewhere.

Queen Victoria of Englad lent credibility and universal acceptance to AGB's claims of telephone invention after had a private audience with Alexander Graham Bell. Much connections between AGB and the Smithsonian Institution was the British subject, James Smithsonian, the founder of the present Smithsonian Institution within Queen Victoria's approval, British himself. AGB also was a British subject due to his Wales native status.

Pretty competition for the national pride between the Victorian England and Italy was much evident, Queen Victoria somewhat ended the ongoing disputes whether Alexander Graham Bell really invented the workable telephone. The scientific circles within Victorian England was pretty clannish and protective and supportive of Alexander Graham Bell's quest for claim on the invention of telephone in name of national pride and superiority.

More reasons for us, deaf people to demand that the Smithsonian Institution to do the permanent exhibition on the horrors of Alexander Graham Bell's legacy toward deaf people as a counteroffensive balance to the American History Museum's wrong impression of Alexander Graham Bell as a lifelong advocate of the deaf and inventor of telephone.

The American History National Museum done such permanent and special exhibits like the repressive Jim Crow segregation and the unfortunate interment of Japanese American citizens in the past.

Moreover, Alexander Graham Bell's own wordings, lifetime beliefs and actions created the systematic discrimination and human sufferings from his own word - "a defective variety of the human race" led to many U.S. states and Nazi Germany's eugenics laws.

Alexander Graham Bell must be widely discredited as a lifelong advocate of the deaf and inventor of telephone within the Smithsonian Institution's correction of museum display of AGB.

The Smithsonian Institution recently had the extreme pains of removing the stuffed blue whale from the Natural History Museum due to the erroneous display of anatomically position of whale for more than 50 years. It finally replace the correct anatomically positioned whale last spring 2008.

Let's do the vigorous campaign to request that the Smithsonian Institution to make the real corrections on Alexander Graham Bell, then provide the major exhibition display of the rich cultural and linguistic and social history of Deaf America and its other deaf citizenry around the world.

ASlize yours,
Robert L. Mason

AHN Museum Gave Me a Heart Attack About AGB and Edison

On the day of Happy New Year 2009, the real opportunity of seeing the renovated and repackaged National American History Museum under the Smithsonian Institution operation after its grand re-opening day on November 21, 2008. This same museum underwent the recent $85 million dollars renovation from the public and private funding.

When I came into the "Walls of Inventors" exhibition on that day. I was totally shocked to see how the Smithsonian Institution's "National American History" somewhat painted Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) as a savior of the deaf people and inaccurately pointed out him as an inventor of the telephone.
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/iap/inventors_bel.html

This online posting doesn't contain the same information from what I personally seen the exhibition display about the so-called great inventor, Alexander Graham Bell (AGB).

Don't the Smithsonian Institution's American History National Museum recall the 2002 fact-findings of the U.S. House of Representatives that the Italian sausage maker and innovator, Merucculi to be the real inventor of the telephone, not Alexander Graham Bell (AGB)?

Why the American History National Museum still post the historical inaccuracies of Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) at her exhibition display? Worst of all, the American History National Museum glorified Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) for his contribution to the deaf community without any rebuttals or opposing viewpoints from the Deaf America and deaf citizenry around the world about AGB's eugenics and deceitful practices most of his life.

How interesting about the American History National Museum mentioned several times about Alexander Graham Bell's love for doing the experimental stuff (experiment)! Bell definitely experimented on deaf people in name of scientific arrogance.

Don't the American History National Museum ought to do the permanent exhibition of what Alexander Graham Bell and other cultural and linguistic imperialists really done to us, deaf people over more than a century as part of balanced factual reporting and education for the American public?

"Thru Deaf Eyes" temporary exhibition had been gone from the "Arts and Industries" Museum after its ongoing renovation. It ought to be belonged to the American History National Museum to expand on the reflection of social and cultural and linguistic history of Deaf Americans as part of permanent exhibition to rebut with the museum's current portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell (AGB).

We, Deaf America would love to remind the American public, especially museum goers what and who Alexander Graham Bell really was all about as a master thief, impostor, eugenicist, propagandist and divider.
Alexander Graham Bell's so-called inventions have been on the exhibition displays around the museum. Look at that -
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=107
http://hnn.us/articles/802.html

The American public ought to know that Alexander Graham Bell directly responsible for such unnecessary death of U.S. President James Garfield with his so-called invention - earliest cat scan to pinpoint the location of assassination bullet. The attending physicians were horrified what Alexander Graham Bell caused President Garfield much physical pains and delayed medical necessity with his untested invention.
Alexander Graham Bell ought to be branded as a real murderer of President Garfield after the known assassin. He caused the attending doctors from doing their jobs as waltzed in with his untested invention - earliest version of cat scan equipment.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/3d1d.html

The Smithsonian Institution DO make factual errors over years. The recent incident involved the fifth-grader boy noticed the scientific labeling error - http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/02/5th_grader_finds_mistake_at_smithsonian/

Another example of the Smithsonian Institution's continuous slap on the face of deaf people with Thomas Edison's museum exhibition displays. The American History National Museum never bother to acknowledge the historical fact of Thomas Alva Edison as a deaf person. The American public deserve to know the rich contributions of deaf people like Thomas Edison to the ways of life and human advancement. Don't we?
This online posting from the Smithsonian Institution's American History National Museum did mention Thomas Edison being a deaf person and proud to be deaf as a true blessing, but, but, but no reference to Edison as a deaf person on the museum exhibit display.
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/000_story_02.asp

What we ought to do? We ought to send a letter of e-petitions to the American History National Museum's Office of External Affairs, Curational Affairs and Department of Museum History how and why the museum keep peddling the myths and historical inaccuracies of Alexander Graham Bell as an inventor of the telephone to the museum goers.

We ought to demand that the American History National Museum to do the special and permanent exhibition of Deaf Americans along with other prominent cultural and historical figures in our American History moments beside "Thru Deaf Eyes" temporary exhibition.

The renovated American History National Museum is beyond the real horrors of dismantling and downplaying the fine displays of historical items collections and historical data. The museum somewhat do the upside part of renovation is much and more brighter environment unlike the past darkened museum.
The past American History National Museum exhibition displays were much worthwhile and appealing more than the renovated museum' present displays.

That is the time for the American public to learn about the real Alexander Graham Bell!
Great opportunity for the deaf students of the pre-K to 12's to do the school projects how to demand and change for the real social and cultural and linguistic justices to correct the historical inaccuracy of any museum exhibition displays. Here comes the greater social activism in the Age of Obama!

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)