Take Action on Ridor and Martin Ritchie and Oxygen-TV!

According to Ridor's "Countdown to Resurrection" blog, the Oxygen TV's "Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency" hired an unqualified ASL interpreter for Martin Ritchie, the deaf reality TV
contestant,. The non-certified ASL interpreter was Jerry Ferris, CODA himself.

Jerry Ferris's pre-reality TV occupation was the art gallery director somewhere in Southern California. Ridor mentioned what a brown-nosed opporuntist, Jerry Ferris have been for years and leeched on anyone as a stepping stone all for himself. Ferris had been the TV producer for several tv programmings and actor and self-opporuntist lately.

Ridor's blog pointed out to the real concerns about Martin Ritchie being disservice by Jerry Ferris' questionable ASL interpreting on Oxygen-TV's "Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency" reality TV show of the Season Four since 2006 - www.janice/about.aspx Several deaf individuals from Barb DiGigi and Jared Evans also shared their concerns about Jerry Ferris and the issue of interpreter qualification and ethics on Ridor's blog.

Let's take a real action like writing out the letter of concerns and inquiry to the Oxygen TV network and National Association of the Deaf and other advocacy groups in advancement of deaf rights. Most important of all is to be more precise and specific and non-threatening with your concerns, disappointments and dissatisfaction to all the listed groups above about the unacceptable practices of hiring such an disqualified ASL interpreter for the reality TV programming and other entertainment features.

We could put the issue of unqualified ASL interpreters and the shortage of qualified ASL and transliteration interpreters in the United States on the map for this year's 2008 presidential election.

Here are the email address and mailing address for the Oxygen TV network -

TV Feedback -

O2.feedback@nbcnni.com

Mailing address -

Oxygen Media, LLC
75th 9th Ave
New York City, NY 10011

Email address -

www.oxygen.com/legal/contact.aspx

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)'s website address - http://www.nad.org/ and click on
"Take Action Center" heading for leaving messages to the NAD's Legal Advocacy unit.

We also ought to write a letter of objection and inquiry to our hometown newspapers, national magazines and entertainment industry periodicals about the issue of disqualified ASL interpreters for the world of entertainment, especially deaf contestants and participants. Let's spill over the black kettle of the DeafRead to the rest of the dominant society (hearing people).

We must kick our rear sides from time to time and do the deaf activism for real!

Please check out Ridor's "Countdown to Resurrection" blog for more additional information.

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog