Thursday, September 20, 2007

Please Mobilize Deaf Maine Community To Make Their Presence at All University of Maine on "International Sign Language Day"

Please mobilize the Deaf Maine Community to make their presence at all the University of Maine and their hometown for the celebration of "International Sign Language Day" or "ASL Now!" on Friday, September 28th, 2007. Urge Deaf Maine individuals to wear the black shirt in support of "ASL" and "Deaf Culture" in response to Michael Dabrieo's ignorant article on Deaf People's Refusal to Reason from the Maine Campus newspaper! Okay? We need to flex our political and social muscles within our Deaf Community to eradicate such ignorance about deaf people in general. If we do not respond at all. We will dearly pay the price for letting the hearing world to be absorbed with pathological view of deaf people on continuous basis.

You may email several deaf individuals affiliated with the Deaf Maine organizations -

James Brown, President of Bangor Deaf Club
President of Maine Association of the Deaf
brownjf@verizon.net

Lois Morin, Secretary of Maine Alumni Association of the Deaf
1gmorin@pivot.net

June Carrier, President of Maine Deaf Senior Citizens
20 Liza Harmon Drive, Apt. 10
Westbrook, ME 04092
#854-8836 TTY

Abby Bouchard, Secretary of Maine Recreation Association of the Deaf
4 Winding Way
Standing, ME 04084
#642-6718 (V)
#70.33.182.168 (D-Link/VP)
abbyheart2004@yahoo.com

Glenn Pelletier, President of Maine Deaf Biker
Richard Morlock, Vice President
Larissa Kothenbeutal. Secretary
mainedeafbiker@yahoo.com


WEAR BLACK SHIRT FOR CELEBRATING THE "INTERNATIONAL SIGN LANGUAGE DAY/ASL DAY" ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 28TH AT ALL UNIVERSITY OF MAINE CAMPUSES AND MAINE HOMETOWN.

Please urge all the officials of deaf Maine organizations to send in formal retribution to criticize Michael Dabrieo's Soapbox column in the Maine Campus student newspaper based on societal mysfonication.

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

What Will You Make Out of Hearing Campus Article Blasting Deaf People's Inability to Reason on CI issue?

Some of you probably did not see the recent Deaf Times enclosed article thru Phil Moos' Deaf L-News. CLICK HERE to read Michael Dabrieo's article.

What will you make out of Michael Dabrieo's illogical article about Deaf People's Refusal to Reason on Cochlear Implant Surgery on Deaf Youngsters? You need to know some facts about the influential Michael Dabrieo on University of Maine student body population and city of Bangor.

Michael Dabrieo, University of Maine senior student and journalism major, ever in the Honor College program, wrote the Soapbox article blasting Deaf People for their refusal to be reasonate with the cochlear implant surgery on deaf babies. See the attached link via article below.

The Maine Campus newspaper is affilated with other seven universities in the state of Maine from University of Maine, Bangor, Augusta, Farmington ,Fort Kent, Machias, Presque Isle and Univeristy of Southern Maine and Maine Law School. The Maine Campus newspaper have been regularly picked up by 50 college newspapers for article re-publications.

Dabrieo is the student Journalist of the Year 2007 receptient at the upcoming awards. Dabrieo is also a popular student newspaper columnist and athlete within the men's cross-country and track team. You may see his photo at http://goblackbears.cstv.com/sports/m-xc/mtt/dabrieo_michael00.html He will graduate in December 2007.

Please send in your online opinion to the Letter of Editor for the "Maine Campus" student newspaper at this email address -

eic@mainecampus.com

opinion@mainecampus.com

in civilized way with your logical agruments. We need to appear as pragmatic and self-sufficient individuals to defy the growing dismissal of our legitimate concerns for deaf babies and the existence of deaf people.

ASLize yours,

Robert L. Mason (RLM)

RLMDEAF blog



Saturday, September 1, 2007

Oliver Sacks, Author of "Seeing Voices", Join Columbia University Faculty

Dr. Oliver Sacks recently join the Columbia University Faculty as a first Columbia artist, a newly-created designated postiton. Sacks is a well-known clinical professor in neuroscience (ex. neurology) with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY for 42 years. One of his books inspired the "Awakenings" film with Robin Williams as Dr. Oliver Sacks and Robert DeNiro as a comatose patient, then awakened 28 years later.

Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote the "Seeing Voices" book in response to the Deaf President Now movement and acknowledged the signing community as a non-disability. He and Dr. Harlan Lane were several hearing professionals in addressing the complexities of community norms and societal expectations, etc. Sacks himself realized his own pathological views of deaf people for years thru the medical viewpoints.

Some people in the Gallaudet community during the late 80s, accused Dr. Oliver Sacks of being an opporuntist just write the Seeing Voices book for bucks. Dr. Oliver Sacks seems disappeared from the world of deaf so far after receiving the lukewarm responses from the deaf community itself.

Dr. Oliver Sacks will receive the multimillion dollars in grants for continuting his studies on neurology area at the Columbia University.

You could see Dr. Oliver Sacks's "Seeing Voices" book at the http://www.amazon.com/ and type "Seeing Voices" on the search engine for reading the book reviews and criticisms.

For the NY Times (NYT) article on Dr. Oliver Sacks to be Admitted to the Columbia University faculty -

http://www.nytimes.au/2007/09/11/books/01sack.html?themc=th

or http:www.nytimes and register for an online access and type oliver sacks on the NY Times search. The NYT article is on Saturday, September 1st, 2007

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

In Response to Mish's Corner - More Religious People Use the Federal Law to Refuse ......

In response to the Mish's Corner vlog presentation - "Interpreter Woes - Refusal Due To Religion Beliefs".

More and more religious zealots exploit the existing federal law - "Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993" as an excuse to refuse to proceed with any workplace or personal task.

Several recent cases involved the male doctor at the emergency room (ER) refused to accompany the simple request from the female rape victim for the "after-morning pills" to prevent any unwanted pregancy. The doctor simply ignored the endless pleas from that rape victim. At last, the doctor finally responded "Sorry, I could not give you the "after-morning pill" which is against my religious belief".

Same thing happened with the pharmacist refused to serve the female client for the birth control prescription. The pharmacist stated "That is against my religious belief".

The passage of "Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993" federal law was in response to the controvestial topic on the use of peyeote by the Native Americans. The law enforcement officers arrested the particular tribe for using peyeote (hallicutated drug), etc.

The U.S. Supreme Court declared the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, Public Law 103-141, November 16,1993, 103rd Congress, H.R. #130 to be unconstitutional in a 6 to 3 decision in June 25,1997 in the case of City of Boerne, Texas v. Flores.

States across the United States ought to address the issue of educational interpreters what they could do or not.

More info on the Religious Freedom Restortation Act of 1993 Act -

http://www.religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/RFRA 1993.hmtl

Excellent vlog presentation, Mish! I would respond much earlier but the computer system error prevent me from doing it yesterday. I hope that my blog posting is very helpful for you to comphrend why terps and other people usually find some kind of excuses for not going ahead with their given duties.

More employers are putting in sticky situations.

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

Monday, August 27, 2007

HELPFUL TIPS FOR USE OF VRS

What do you think of this video message from the VRS industry regarding the do's and don'ts of helpful tips on the use of VRS?

http://www.aslclips.com/aug2007/tip_vrs01.html

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

Friday, August 10, 2007

"SHAPING AN ACCESSIBLE WORLD", THEME OF UPCOMING DEAF CONFERENCE

Public policy experts, deaf and hard of hearing advocates of accessible electronic communications and users of wireless and mobile communications will gather at the 17th Biennal TDI International Conference in San Mateo, CA this August 23-25, 2007.

Forty years since the foundation of the Telecommunication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing International (TDI), this organization have been involved in the advocacy for accessible electronic communications on the behalf of deaf customers from the clunky teletype machines to slim and light PDAs.

Numerous issues facing deaf users of modern communication devices and entertainment appliances from the videophones (VP) in public places to capacity of captionings within high definition television (HDTV). The captionings of online webcasts will be also addressed.

The following workshops and lectures will be covering the topics of "Mobile ASL", "Wireless Captioning System","Status of Equipment Distribution Programs", "Making Captioned Radio a Reality" and "Using Video Interpreters Battle Interpreter Shortages".

For more info regarding the 2007 TDI Conference - click http://www.tdi-online.org/

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason
RLMDEAF blog

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

HISTORIC "ELVIS 1968 COMEBACK TV SPECIAL" TO BE CAPTIONED ON TVLAND CHANNEL NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT


Many deaf people finally could view the historic broadcast of Elvis Presley's "1968 Comeback" TV special with CAPTIONS on the TVLAND cable channel for very first time.

Elvis Presley, King of Rock 'n Roll, appeared in black leather outfits which shocked many Americans in 1968. His fan used to his clean and squeaky image

There are the DVDs issued Elvis's "1968 Comeback" TV special, but no captions.

I am no "Elvis" fan myself, but repeatedly mesmerized by my deaf friends about the 30th Anniversary of Elvis's Death this year. One of my deaf friend is surely excited about viewing the 1968 comeback of Elvis Presley from his career doldrums with captions.

Any of you, deaf people have personal experience like meeting the "King" in the past or heard about other deaf people embraced Elvis Presley somewhere.

THANKS to the TVLAND people for making "Elvis's 1968 Comeback" TV special possible to be broadcasted in captions for the die-hard and curious Elvis deaf fans. I will watch this special for my deaf friends!

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