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Not the best title, but it is late and I'm tired.  I just have to blog about this - it is an innovative, different approach to the problem of doctors not providing interpreters! Briefly: a center for independent living, tired of frequent complaints from deaf people about medical facilities and service providers not providing interpreters, sometimes with serious consequences, is sending doctors a pledge to provide interpreters. If the doctors refuse to sign, they get sued.

Different Approach to No Interpreters originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 22:17:02.

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Today the Federal Register published the advance notice of proposed rulemaking, "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Movie Captioning and Video Description." This notice, which solicits comments up until January 24, 2011, asks 26 questions related to movie theater captioning. A sample question from the notice:

Question 8. Should the Department adopt a requirement that movie theater owners and operators exhibit captioned and video described movies beginning on the day of their release? If not, why not (e.g., could such a requirement impose additional burdens and if so, what are they)? Should a different requirement be imposed on small business owners? If so, why? What should that requirement be?

To read the notice and get instructions on how to submit comments, go to http://tinyurl.com/33bnsyd. Go ahead and submit your comments to the Department of Justice - this is the deaf and hard of hearing community's chance to influence a future rule on movie theater captioning!

Update: Federal Register Posts Movie Captioning Notice originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 20:46:51.

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Tomorrow the Department of Justice will publish four advance notices of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register to solicit comments. The one that has perhaps the most potential impact for the American deaf community is the one on Movie Captioning and Video Description.  According to this notice, the DOJ is "considering whether to propose revising the title III regulations to require movie theater owners and operators to show movies with closed captions and video description in their theaters at least fifty percent of the time."

Interestingly, the notice also says the DOJ wants to hear comments on whether movie theaters should be encouraged to - not required - to show open captioned films.  Perhaps the DOJ is aware that many in the deaf community prefer open captions at the movies?

Advocates for movie theater captioning should be aware that the movie theater industry is already fighting the idea of mandatory movie theater captioning on the grounds that digital cinema is supposed to solve the problem.  However the DOJ gets it - it is not fair to make  the deaf and hard of hearing community wait  for "something better" because there is always something better in the pipeline.  What about now?

There will also be a public hearing. That could create the interesting scenario of for example,  deaf and hard of hearing advocates versus representatives from the National Association of Theater Owners.

Mandatory Captioning in Movie Theaters Coming? originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 10:28:21.

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What stage of life were you at in 1990, when the Americans with Disabilities Act became reality? How did it change your life as a deaf person? Over the years I have seen, as an About.com guide, how the ADA has protected - and sometimes, failed to protect - the rights of deaf and hard of hearing people.

On Monday, there will be a lot of media attention and celebration as the ADA marks 20 years of existence. What will the future bring? Probably continued efforts to make violators aware of the law, as violations do continue on a daily basis. If there was more awareness, I would not be blogging as often as I do, about employment discrimination for example.

The ADA at 20 - Reflections and Thoughts for Future originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 21:28:44.

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Another hospital has agreed to make itself more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing. This time, it is a hospital in New Hampshire. The hospital agreed to pay a few thousand dollars to a deaf patient who claimed the hospital tried to get his partner to act as an interpreter.  More importantly, the hospital agreed to improve its communication services for deaf and hard of hearing patients. Another victory.  One hospital at a time, hospitals across the nation are getting the message they must be accessible for deaf and hard of hearing patients.

Unfortunately, the article has some pretty nasty comments on it.

Yet Another Deaf Medical Victory originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 20:57:13.

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Researchers have found that  poorer children do get cochlear implants, but they also have more problems following surgery. Plus, poorer children miss more follow-up appointments. Not surprising, since it can be difficult for low income people to get to doctor's appointments.

Poorer Kids Get Implants, But Have More Problems originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 20:12:06.

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On my way home today I saw on Twitter the news the deaf and hard of hearing community has been waiting for, for only over a hundred years: Today the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf apologized and rejected the Milan 1880 resolutions. The Deaf World As Eye See It blog has all the juicy details!

Update again:   According to another source (Brian Riley) tonight, the Vancouver ICED did NOT overturn the Milan 1880 resolutions. According to a member of an organizing committee, he says that today's ICED is not a formal committee, and does not pass resolutions or vote on anything. A statement was made saying that they regret the resolutions from Milan 1880. In addition, a letter is being developed that will be posted on the ICED website.

Update: Milan 1880 No Longer in Effect Due to Apology? originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 20:28:37.

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A mother who saw her well educated son with a hearing loss be unable to get a job, wrote to a local newspaper. In her letter, she described how her son has had multiple job interviews, but not one offer. The country? Malaysia.

Mother Worried About Son's Job Prospects originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 21:21:52.

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Way back in 1880, deaf education suffered a major blow when the International Congress on  Education of the Deaf voted to ban sign language from deaf education.  As we know, sign language survived, and even thrived. Then in an article about the use of cell phones to help  mainstreamed deaf children in Africa,  I spotted this paragraph:

This summer in Vancouver, the 21st International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) will convene from Sunday to Thursday with the hope of abolishing a resolution from the 1880 ICED that removed sign language from educational programs.

Say what? It is 2010, and the ICED still has not overturned the Milan 1880 edict? I had to read the article twice because I was in disbelief.  Can anyone verify for me that the Milan 1880 edict has been in effect all these years ?

Milan 1880 Still in Effect? originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 21:25:52.

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Right now all eyes are on the case of a deaf inmate in Texas, who may or may not be guilty of sexually assaulting a child. Among other facts in the case, the inmate was questioned for 18 hours, about half of which was without an interpreter.  Stressed and under pressure, he confessed to the crime, while simultaneously denying he had done it.  Plus, there is no physical evidence tying him to the crime, and a fingerprint belonging to another criminal was found. Efforts are under way to free him.

Was Justice Denied Deaf Inmate? originally appeared on About.com Deafness on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 21:01:29.

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