ASLforLife, NAD Could Not Do Everything ....

ASLforLife, you have a good intention about what to do about the current state (hearing) employee with the Missouri Department of Education overlook the Deaf Education program. 

 We need to understand that the NAD could not do everything on the state level whether the state employee is qualified to supervise the Deaf Education statewide program or not. 

  Another issue is the qualification of this hearing state employee whether she is really qualified and competent or not. 

   We could expose the contents of political cronyism and status quos employment hiring practices among unqualified and questionable individuals working at the state-level department concerned the statewide educational program. 

   What qualifications, skills and degree(s) this hearing state employee to be fit for supervising the Deaf Education program? What make the Missouri Department of Education to hire that so-called questionable individual after got fired from the Missouri School for the Deaf for whatever reason(s). 

  The deaf Missouri community could get together to challenge and question the Missouri Department of Education for hiring the hearing individual within questionable employment history, ex. MSD. 

  The deaf grassroots leadership like you and other deaf Missourians are best equipped to do the statewide protest. Hopefully, NAD could provide some kind of guidance, support and advice what to do with this issue. 

  Real glad to see you getting your own vlog! 

ASLize yours,

Robert L. Mason (RLM)

Let's Defile Rush Limbaugh from Rest of Us!

Robert Underhill of "Under the Hill" deaf blogger posted Mike McConnell's photo submitting of Rush Limbaugh, the turned-deaf conservative radio show host on his blog for the DeafRead blog sphere. Real grateful to Robert Underhill for sharing the photo of Rush Limbaugh with cochlear implant device use.

I finally took some time to check out the official site of Rush Limbaugh's radio show to see if Rush Limbaugh provide any accessible means from his website for the *hearing-impaired* web users in mockery manner. Guess what?

Rush Limbaugh only provide the audio files for the members-only. What about other deaf and hard of hearing members being denied to such access without able to understand what Rush babble on his radio show?
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_020909/content/01125109.guest.html

The Deaf America must get together to disassociate with Rush Limbaugh in fear of damaging the reputation of deaf people in general.

President Barack Obama is technically our first "deaf" president since he and his administration actively reached out to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) to be inclusive in the decision-making process what we, deaf people would benefit from the Obama-Biden administration. Obama frequently engage in physical touchings on people resemble much like culturally deaf people.

Rush Limbaugh publicly stated "I would like to see the Obama presidency failed" and urged many Republicans to be obstructionists, not the collective solvers of our many national problems.

How sad of any individuals like Rush Limbaugh urge the GOP people to sabotage the real national needs for long-term solutions to get our country back on feet!

Real embarrassment of someone deaf like Rush Limbaugh give such an image of our own deaf people in that manner! It's time for us, Deaf America to disown
Rush Limbaugh as a deaf person and send the strong message to the American society at large that we, deaf people are all together to build the healthy and stronger America in very long run.

Rush Limbaugh do not represent us, deaf Americans in any manner. Let's give Rush Limbaugh a real taste of Deaf America by calling and emailing the U.S. Congress and the Obama-Biden presidency to slash any Medicaid and government funding on cochlear implant surgery and hearing loss studies.

We really could not afford such things like cochlear implant surgery and continuous and fruitless hearing loss and restoration studies within this current economic climate.

Cochlear implantees and Alexander Graham Association of the Deaf (AGBad) could put the whole blame on Rush Limbaugh for the loss of government money on cochlear implant surgery and training and hearing loss/restoration studies.

Don't you agree? That is a time for the rough and tumble politics to teach Rush Limbaugh a big time! I really don't care about his politics, but find Rush real saddening about loving himself too much. What a human being!

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)

Guess What? National Museum of Language ...

Guess what? There is the National Museum of Language in College Park, MD, but but but .....

No mentionable of American Sign Language (ASL) or any kind of sign language! How sad!

Here is the link for you to check out and send out your grievance in tactful way. Thanks.

http://www.languagemuseum.org/ FREE ADMISSION!

ASlize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF

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)