moad spring 2012 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Spring 2012 (Volume 3 Issue 1)TRANSCRIPT
I am sure you have heard about the tentative DMH (Department of Mental Health)
Lawsuit Settlement. The good news is finally here! I am so very happy that I
wonder if this is a dream. We have dreamed, and prayed, worked so hard and
waited for so long. Now, MoAD and its attorneys fought and achieved a broad
settlement agreement with DMH. The hearing will be on May 7th at which time
the Judge will make a final decision regarding the approval of the settlement. You
can read the entire tentative settlement agreement on the Missouri Department of
Mental Health website (http://dmh.mo.gov/deafsvcs/index.htm)
The "Current Issues" is now updated on the MoAD website
(www.moadshowme.org). Please review these important issues and take action.
Use the link to contact your district Representative and Senator. They need to hear
from you!
Also, the Business Session Minutes of the Biennial Conference is now available
on our website. Click on "Business Session" from the tab of "Inside MoAD." I
hope you enjoy reading the minutes and learning what the MoAD Conference is
about. As always, we love your feedback.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) will have its 51th Biennial
Conference at the Louisville Regency Hyatt and the Kentucky International
Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky on July 3-7, 2012. The DeaFestival
Kentucky will be merged in partnership with NAD Conference on Saturday, July
7th. Hope to see you all there! Please contact the KCDHH (Kentucky Commission
on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) for all questions about DeaFestival Kentucky.
Wishing you joy and lots of fun in this beautiful Spring season!
Ella Eakins
President’s Notes By Ella Eakins
ShowShow--Me NewsletterMe Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 1Volume 3, Issue 1
Spring 2012Spring 2012
Inside this
issue:
Legislative
Updates
2
Miss Deaf
Missouri
Ambassador's
Updates
6
MoAD 43rd
Biennial
Conference
Flyer
8
Membership
Recruitment
9
Greater Ozarks
Chapter
10
Warsaw Deaf
Picnic
12
75th Annual
Marshall Deaf
Picnic
13
Alone we can do so
little; together we
can do so much.
- Helen Keller
2
Board of Directors
Ella Eakins
President
Tony Nitko
1st Vice President
Debra Galindo-Salazar
2nd Vice President
William Walker
Secretary
Jennifer Rivera
Treasurer
Sue Burdick
Representative
Greater Ozarks Chapter
Nina Wilson
Representative
Greater St. Louis Chapter
Meredith Hill
Representative
Jackson County
Chapter
Manuel Galindo-Salazar
Representative
State Fair Chapter
Thomas Green
Representative
Youth Programs
Karen Lister
State Director
Miss Deaf Missouri
Ambassador Program
Bob Crowell
Webmaster
Jennifer Rivera
Show-Me
Newsletter Editor
Current Issues Impacting Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Community
Missouri Association of the Deaf strives to monitor and educate its members on
current legislative issues in Missouri that may have significant impact of the
lives of deaf and hard of hearing people. To learn more about each legislative
action, please read below for the resolution and bills:
1) HCR 42: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children's Bill of Rights
2) HB 1704: Insurance Coverage for Newborn Hearing Aid Devices
3) HB 1361: Increase Broadband in Rural
4) HB 1219 and SB 572: Workplace and Employment Discrimination
Contact Your Legislators Today!
Legislators at the Capitol in Jefferson City would like to hear from you. They
want to know if they should vote in favor of the proposals listed above. MoAD
encourages you to step up, get involved and contact your Legislators (both
Senators and House of Representatives) and share how you feel about the
proposals. You need to show your support if you want to see this proposal pass
or not. To find out who are your Legislators, click here.
http://www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx
HCR 42: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children's Bill of
Rights
A resolution is being proposed in the House of Representatives that would
impact the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people. It is House Concurrent
Resolution #42 (HCR42), which is better known as Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Children’s Bill of Rights. What is a “resolution”? It is not a bill to change the
law, but serves to clarify a law or policy.
HCR42: the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Bill of Rights is important to
the deaf and hard of hearing community because it impacts the lives of children
with hearing loss. What’s in it? Here are some important parts of the Bill of
Rights:
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1) Deaf and hard of hearing children are entitled to a communications assessment and language acquisition
assistance throughout their education, beginning at the earliest possible age.
2) Parents of deaf and hard of hearing children must be fully informed of the full spectrum of educational
options and participate in their child’s educational planning.
3) Deaf and hard of hearing children are entitled to teachers, interpreters, and resource personnel who can
communicate effectively with them in their preferred mode of communication.
4) Deaf and hard of hearing children are entitled to receive their education in a place that is best suited to their
needs. This means that when educators must consider each child's needs, such as individual, social,
emotional, and cultural needs, and also the child’s age, degree of hearing loss, academic level, mode of
communication, style of learning, and amount of family support.
5) Also, Deaf and hard of hearing adults should be involved in making these decisions about how best to
educate our deaf children.
There is more in HCR42. Please go online and type in the address or click the link below to read the full
resolution:
http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills121/biltxt/intro/HCR0042I.htm
UPDATE as of Tuesday, April 10, 2012: The House of Representatives voted to adopt this resolution!
HB 1704: Insurance Coverage for Newborn Hearing Aid Devices
MoAD recognizes the frustration of parents and deaf people being able to afford hearing aids. This bill will
require health insurance companies to provide coverage for the initial amplification devices deemed necessary
by a licensed physician or audiologist to treat a newborn who has been screened and assessed for a hearing im-
pairment. Initial amplification devices include, but are not limited to, hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive
listening devices, and hearing assistive technology systems and accessories. Please go online and type in the
address or click the link below to read:
http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills121/biltxt/intro/HB1704I.htm
HB 1361: Increase Broadband in Rural
MoAD is aware that many deaf people in rural areas are frustrated in obtaining high speed Internet in their
areas. They are denied the ability to have video relay service, hence hindering their ability to have access to
communication access. This bill will allow telecommunications companies or rural electrical cooperatives to
attach, maintain and operate their equipment on another’s pole in order to promote, encourage, and facilitate
the deployment of electrical smart grid technologies and broadband communications in rural areas. Please go
online and type in the address or click the link below to read:
http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills121/biltxt/commit/HB1361C.htm
4
HB 1219 and SB 572: Workplace and Employment Discrimination
MoAD has identified two bills - SB 572 in the Senate and HB 1219 in the House of Representatives - that
would have a major impact on the lives of the deaf and hard of hearing people in Missouri. MoAD summaries
these two bills below:
1) The bill will not eliminate the discovery process. Summary judgment does not happen until discovery is
complete. What the law does is requires the deaf person to find some PROOF of actual discrimination based
on deafness - a smoking gun - for example an admission by the employer that deafness was a factor. This
rarely happens. Without such "affirmative" proof, the judge will likely dismiss the case because the employer
can always put forward some self-serving "reason" why they discharged the deaf employee. (Related - See #4)
2) Damages awarded are limited to $50,000 for employers with between 5 and 100 employees, $100,000 for
employers with between 100 and 200 employees, $200,000 for employers with between 200 and 500
employees, or $300,000 for employers with more than 500 employees. First concern here is that this makes it
harder to find lawyers who are willing to take on discrimination cases. Lawyers typically take 1/3 of the award
- $16,500 (out of $50,000), $33,000 (out of $100,000) and so forth. Lawyers would not be interested. Second
concern here, knowing that there's a limited on the awards, companies would be more likely to be less con-
cerned about meeting ADA requirements, thus violating more labor laws.
3) Punitive damages shall not be awarded against the state of Missouri or political subdivisions in MHRA
cases except for in discriminatory housing practices cases. This means that we can not sue the state
government or tax-exempt organizations. The state government usually are the largest employers of disability
people.
4) The contributing factor is the burden of proof must show there are evidence that the act of discrimination
that may appear that the disability, or age, or heritage or gender may be one of several reasons for
discrimination. Motivating Factor is the burden of proof that must show that the disability, age, heritage, or
gender IS the reason for discrimination. Motivating factor is harder to prove. Example for motivating factor, if
you remember the ABC show "What would you do?" where the manager told the deaf applicant, "I won't hire
you because you are deaf" The contributing factor would be taking the application, and then throwing it away
without even thinking about offering the deaf person a chance for an interview.
5) The bill will limit us to only sue the company, we will not be able sue the individual who committed the act
of discrimination and the person will not be held responsible of discrimination if the company is found guilty
of discrimination.
UPDATE: Governor Nixon has vetoed both bills. However, the Senate and House of Representatives could
vote on these bills again to override the Governor’s veto. Keep an eye out on these bills. For more information
on these bills, please go online and type in these addresses or click on the links below.
HB 1219
http://www.house.mo.gov/billsummary.aspx?bill=HB1219&year=2012&code=R
SB572
http://www.senate.mo.gov/12info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=9244
Do Your Part as a Citizen of Missouri! Protect Your Quality of Life!
5
Photo credit: William Walker
6
Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather that we’ve been having
lately! I would like to share what the Miss Deaf Missouri Ambassador Committee,
along with many wonderful volunteers, have been diligently working on for the
deaf and hard of hearing community in Missouri. As we continue to make plans in
the coming months, we hope our efforts will make it easier to locate and utilize
opportunities available for our deaf and hard of hearing youth. The upcoming
months promise to be eventful, so keep your eyes peeled for future updates that
will not disappoint. As always, please continue to support us as we encourage our
youth to become our leaders of tomorrow for MoAD one day.
As the Miss Deaf Missouri Ambassador, I’ve been working with several of our deaf and hard of hearing
community leaders on how I can become a stronger voice for our youth. Recently, I had the pleasure of mak-
ing an appearance at Deaf Inc’s 3rd Annual Deaf Winterfest in St. Louis on Sat., March 17th. I had a great
time catching up with old friends and meeting new people who are passionate about supporting our deaf
culture and increasing awareness about resources available to people with hearing loss, their families and
friends. When events like this occur, I am always inspired by how we are all able to come together as a
community and celebrate our deaf culture. This is something we can all take pride in.
Finally, I want to encourage you to attend the 51st Biennial NAD Conference! The conference this year runs
from July 3-7 in Louisville, Kentucky, in partnership with the DeaFestival Kentucky. The conference is
especially exciting for me, since Miss Deaf America Ambassador will be crowned on Friday, July 6! This
will mark the end of the Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program, so please come support me, your last
Miss Deaf Missouri Ambassador. You can find out more about my story and the Miss Deaf America
Ambassador program by visiting my website, missdeafmissouri.com, or liking my page on Facebook,
facebook.com/MissDeafMissouri.
Thank you, and see you in Louisville!
Enclosed are the donation
form and sponsorship letter.
Please help donate or
sponsor our Miss Deaf Missouri Ambassador for her trip to NAD Biennial
Conference this July!
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Chapters of Missouri Association of the Deaf, are
you all up for a statewide competition?
Do you want to win a FREE Appearance of Miss Deaf Missouri
Ambassador in your Town?
HOW????? It is real easy and simple…..
Plan a Fundraising dinner at your Chapter’s choice of restaurant. Pick a date.. Spread the word to your community. Gather friends for
dinner.. Eat and Chit Chat… Sounds Fun and Simple??
Percentage of your dinner will proceeds to Miss Deaf Missouri
Ambassador Program which will pay for her trip to Miss Deaf America
Ambassador Program in Louisville, KY this coming July.
Deadline: June 15th
Any questions, please contact MDMAP State Director, Karen Lister:
SFC ?????
JCC
GSLC GOC
8
43rd Biennial Conference
August 1-4, 2013 Mark your calendar!!
MoAD Conference will be held at: Crown Plaza St. Louis-Clayton
7750 Carondelet Avenue Clayton, MO 63105
August 1st (Thursday) Registration and Social night
at 5pm to 9pm
More information will be posted in
www.moadshowme.org.
If you have any questions,
please contact William Walker at
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Membership Recruitment
MoAD needs YOU to help recruit
more members to help expand our
organization!
Why is it so important to join
MoAD??
Key facts to let the potential
members know why it is so important
to join MoAD:
Help promote awareness of
issues that may impact the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing people’s lives
Help advocate for positive changes among the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing community in Missouri
We need your IDEAS to improve our organization especially for
our future generations (youth)
The more members we have in our organization, the better we
will be able to help meet Deaf and Hard of Hearing people’s needs
in Missouri.
The bigger MoAD gets, the stronger we get! Especially to show
our state government how serious we are about improving Deaf
and Hard of Hearing people’s lives here in Missouri.
Remember Missouri’s state motto? Show Me State! So show us
what you can do to help expand MoAD.
Please contact chairperson of
Membership Recruitment committee Debra Galindo-Salazar at
[email protected] to let her know that you are interested to help!
10
Front row (left to right): President Marcia Simpson and Vice President Tim Stewart
Back row (left to right): Treasurer Steve Murphy, Secretary Deadra Stewart, and Representative Sue Burdick
First official meeting for Greater Ozarks Chapter (GOC) was held on Saturday,
January at St. John "Chub" O Reilly Cancer Center in Springfield, Missouri.
Members elected new officers and chapter representative, which are in the
picture below. Congratulations GOC! President Marcia Simpson remarked that
Please check out their Facebook page “Greater Ozarks Chapter” at https://
www.facebook.com/pages/Greater-Ozarks-Chapter-of-
MoAD/308637709166193?ref=ts
President Marcia Simpson remarked how excited she is about this chapter, and
they are all looking forward to see this grow. Keep your eyes peeled on a possible picnic hosted by this
chapter in June.
11
Upcoming Events, Meetings, and Conferences:
April 28, 2012
MoAD Town Hall Meeting / Board of Directors Meeting Where: SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence in Cape Girardeau, MO See flyer on page 5
May 5, 2012 28th Annual Warsaw Deaf Picnic Where: Warsaw, MO Hosted by: State Fair Chapter (see flyer on page 12)
June 9, 2012 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day Where: Six Flags in Eurkea, MO Hosted by: Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
July 3 - 7, 2012 51st Biennial National Association of the Deaf Conference Where: Hyatt Regency Louisville and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, KY Hosted by: National Association of the Deaf
July 14, 2012
75th Annual Marshall Deaf Picnic Where: Marshall, MO Hosted by: State Fair Chapter (see flyer on page 13)
July 14, 2012
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day Where: Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, MO Hosted by: Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
August 11, 2012 MoAD Board of Directors Meeting Where: Joplin Public Library in Joplin, MO See last page for address and time
September 15-16,
2012 (TENTATIVE) Deaf Awareness Weekend Where: Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO Hosted by: Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
October 12-14, 2012 19th Annual Missouri Interpreters Conference 2012 Where: Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO Hosted by: Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
October 13, 2012 Deaf Empowerment Symposium Where: Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO Hosted by: Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
12
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More Amazing Historical
Facts! Submitted by Sharlene
Haney
The Olympics were first recorded in 776
B.C., there was only one event — the
200-yard dash.
Chess originated in India, where it was
first played with four players. The
Persians, then Arabs, modified the fine
board game before passing the practice
down to Europe.
Chinese acrobatics were performed at
least as far back as the Han Dynasty,
around 200 B.C.
Central American Mayans developed
their own team sports similar to lacrosse,
football, and soccer.
Ancient Egypt had its own version of the
Olympics, featuring gymnastics, javelin,
running, swimming, and other events.
In 1457, the Scottish parliament
outlawed golf and football (soccer)
because they were dangerous time-
wasting nuisances that detracted from
more important pursuits--like archery.
Native American tribes had many
versions of, and names for, the modern
sport of lacrosse. The Cherokee called it
"Little Brother of War," because it was
good training for combat.
The modern marathon owes its name to
the story of an ancient Greek messenger
who ran nearly 26 miles from the
battlefield of Marathon to Athens, to
proclaim the Greek victory. The story is
almost certainly untrue, but the name
stuck.
Crossword Puzzle
ANSWERS:
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In light of April being “National Poetry Month”, we should
give recognition to this fine Deaf poet and journalist Laura
Redden Searing.
She was born on February 9, 1839 in Somerset County,
Maryland. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri when
she was a child. She lost her hearing at about 11 or 12 years
old due to spinal meningitis. After becoming deaf, Laura
attended and graduated from Missouri School for the Deaf in
1858.
Upon her graduation from Missouri School for the Deaf, she
did not enroll in college. Some certain colleges would
accept her considering her good literary skills and unmarried
status, but there were no colleges that accepted deaf women.
At that time, National Deaf-Mute College (now called
Gallaudet University) did not admit female students (not until
1881). So, instead of going to college, she returned to St. Louis where she took a job as an
editor for the St. Louis Presbyterian. Laura also wrote several poems and articles that appeared
in the St. Louis Republican under the pseudonym name Howard Glyndon. This is because
back then, women were not taken seriously as journalists.
Using her pseudonym name, she published a book of poems called “Idylls of Battle”. Laura
also composed the words to the song “Belle Missouri” which became the war song for the
state. Laura also wrote several articles for various publications such as New York Times and
New York Sun, and some magazines such as Harper. To give you an idea of what one of her
poems is like, below is an excerpt from Idylls of Battle:
IN TIME OF WAR
There are white faces in each sunny street,
And signs of trouble meet us everywhere;
The nation’s pulse hath an unsteady beat,
For scents of battle foul the summer air.
A thrill goes through the city’s busy life,
And then—as when a strong man stints
his breath -
A stillness comes; and each one in his place
Waits for the news of triumph, loss, and
death.
Deaf Poet and Journalist Laura Redden Searing
Laura Redden Searing
Missouri Association of the Deaf
c/o Jennifer Rivera
PO Box 218
Mexico, MO 65265
www.moadshowme.org
3rd Quarter Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Joplin Public Library 300 S. Main Street Joplin, MO 64801
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Everyone is welcome to attend!