Thumpaflash

Captions For The Deaf, or More Money For The Rich?
Thumpaflash Folks:As you all know, I've been fighting for more captioned movie access in Kentucky now for over a year. Along the way, I've pointed out the varying ways in which Hollywood has attempted to dip their hands further into the American public's till by lobbying for greater tax incentives. Well, a recently released statement by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear...
Media Language Tech Legal Fri, Jun 12 2009

When is Mobile CapTel coming to the Blackberry?
Thumpaflash Folks:I am sure many of you are much more up to date than I on the advent of many captioning technologies. One I am particularly interested in, is the mobile CapTel by Hamilton Relay. Alas, this is currently only available on a couple of phones, none of which is the Blackberry...I currently have a Blackberry Curve, and am actually very happy with it and do...
Tech Sun, Jun 07 2009

Helping the Deaf/HOH and other disabled in times of...
Thumpaflash Folks:I'm sure many of my readers can empathize with the lack of good communication during times of natural disaster, whether they are deaf or hearing. One of the biggest concerns for the deaf and hard of hearing is the lack of good, captioned weather information, accessible information on where to seek shelter, and so forth. Kentucky recently had a bill, ...
Media Language Tech Legal Culture Mon, May 11 2009

Captioned Movie Success in Richmond, Kentucky!!!
Thumpaflash Folks:It is altogether too little that I get to post news of success, or read about news of success, in regards to our struggle to obtain captioned movies in Kentucky or elsewhere. Well, I have some good news! Thanks to the hard work of a bunch of advocates in Richmond, Ky. (home to Eastern Kentucky University, my good ol' alma mater!), the local Cinemark ...
Media Tech Thu, Apr 23 2009

Town Halls discuss Deaf Education and many more issues!
Thumpaflash Whew! Folks, it is an exciting time to be in Kentucky, with the recent series of Town HAll meetings aimed at focusing on deaf issues here, with the KCDHH traveling around to 4 sites in Kentucky in an effort to learn about the deaf and hard of hearing communitiy's concerns, suggestions, and so forth.We just had our town hall for the Eastern portion of Kentucky th...
Education Legal Culture Thu, Mar 26 2009

Captioned Movie Bill In Kentucky is DOA
Thumpaflash That's right folks...We've lost this round in Kentucky. There are simply not enough days left in the legislative session to get this bill passed. In a perfect environment, with a lot of support and a companion bill in the opposite house, a bill can get passed in 4 days here, but it was just not to be this time. That's okay, I will be back in 2010 goi...
Media Language Legal Wed, Mar 11 2009

Last Week to get Captioned movies bill passed....
Thumpaflash Hey all, the legislative session for 2009 is winding down in Kentucky this week....That means this is the last chance to get the bills requiring movie theaters with 5 or more screens in one location to offer accessibility to captioned movies. If you are a Kentucky resident, that means this is your last chance to write or call your state senator or state represen...
Tech Legal Mon, Mar 09 2009

At Least Someone Is Listening....
Thumpaflash Folks:Just taking a minute here to give credit where it is due...Over the weekend, I emailed EVERY member of the 2 committees that the Captioned Movies bill is assigned to, asking each of them to please at least consider bringing the bill up for discussion in committee so that it doesn't die on the table. To date, ONE person has responded, Rep. Kelly Flood (D) o...
Tech Legal Tue, Mar 03 2009

Do Tax Incentives to the Film Industry Rob the Schools for...
Thumpaflash Folks, I gotta give credit to those fine writers over at the Bluegrass Policy Blog for calling my attention to this article below that shows what a bad idea it is to offer film studios tax incentives. At least now I don't feel like a lonely voice railing against the darkness. Plain and simple, until the film industry can caption more of it's offerings, the...
Media Education Legal Sun, Mar 01 2009

Quick Summary of Bills Affecting the Deaf and Hard of...
Thumpaflash Folks:As the days begin to wind down on this odd-year, 30 day session of the Kentucky State Legislature, I've decided to post on here, a couple of quick summaries of some bills affecting the deaf and hard of hearing residents of this state. Any notes from me about these bills will be italicized and in RED. Contact your representative, let them know "I...
Legal Sun, Mar 01 2009

Rhode Island Jumping on the Captioned Movie Bandwagon
Thumpaflash Folks:Just a quick update....The State of Rhode Island has jumped onto the bandwagon to try and require captioned movies in their theaters. In a bill introduced before the legislature on February 25, 2009, they are seeking to require all movie theaters with 5 or more screens to provide captioned movies for the deaf and hard of hearing and Descriptive Audio narra...
Tech Legal Fri, Feb 27 2009

Is Deaf Movie Access Less Important to Kentucky than...
Thumpaflash Hello all:There is an "economic development bill" that has been posted in committee in the Kentucky State House of Representatives that has language buried in it that would, in effect, create a Kentucky giveaway to movie production companies in the form of refundable state income tax credits. In effect, since these are refundable, they would basically ...
Media Language Art and Storytelling Culture Wed, Feb 11 2009

Do the Hearing Really Mind Captions?
Thumpaflash Not if you believe the results of this independent survey conducted on behalf of CaptionsON. I found this information on their website and am pasting it here for all to see:In February 2008, a non-compensated online survey was conducted by Decision Analyst, Inc., on behalf CaptionsON. The purpose of the research was to ascertain current attitudes toward, a...
Tech Wed, Jan 28 2009

Digital Cinema and Captions For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Thumpaflash Hello all:My attention was called to an article written for the Digital Cinema Report, by Michael Karagosian. After reviewing the article, I have to say first of all, that I DO appreciate the efforts being made by a portion of the industry to try and increase the capability to show captioned movies anytime, anywhere, basically. Having said that, however, I...
Tech Legal Wed, Jan 28 2009

Will Brain Cells Help the Deaf Hear Again?
Thumpaflash Interesting article about medical research currently being done to perhaps help those who want it, to have the damaged tiny hair cells in their ears regrown again using similar hair cells found in the brain of mice. Not for me at all, I'm happy as I am, content in my ways, but still, this is out there and being worked on by people in the scientific community. [l...
Tech Tue, Jan 27 2009

Open Captions or RWC?
Thumpaflash Hello all:Jamie Berke has a wonderful posting out on About.com ( [link] whether or not RWC (Rear Window Captioning) is a failure. As I've stated before, the one time I used it was somewhat inconvenient (trying to find the right angle, etc.), but overall, I was fine with it, PERSONALLY. I've also stated that I prefer Open Captions, but have seen people who...
Tech Legal Tue, Jan 20 2009

Supporters of Captions in Movie Theaters
Thumpaflash Hey all:In case you missed it on an earlier blog posting of mine, I now have a FaceBook page, and a group page I created just to try and help spread the word about trying to get captions in movie theaters in Kentucky. You can visit the page at this link: [link] you have a FaceBook account, feel free to join and leave comments about what having access to caption...
Media Language Tech Legal Sun, Jan 11 2009

The Costs of an RWC....
Thumpaflash While doing research, I found an interesting bulletin from a federal agaency back in June of 2003 that discusses the requirements of the ADA as it pertains to captions. One interesting piece of information caught my eye about the RWC. Keep in mind, I'm not advocating the RWC feature over Open Captions, I'm simply posting this interesting information s...
Media Tech Legal Thu, Jan 08 2009

BUSTED!
Thumpaflash Hello all....Just a quick update, the representatives of the motion picture industry are meeting with the pre-filer of the House companion bill tomorrow to voice their concerns/issues regarding the captioned movie legislation here in Kentucky....This week is an organizational week for both houses, as they will swear in new members and elect leaders, make committee ass...
Media Tech Legal Tue, Jan 06 2009

Kentucky Deaf Less Important than Hairdressers and History?
Thumpaflash All:The Commonwealth of Kentucky has finally begun to pull back the "Iron Curtain" on state spending of our tax dollars, making it far easier to see who is spending how much, and on what. And I've got to tell you, with just a few minutes worth of research, I can now begin to see why they wanted to keep it "un" transparent for lo these many ye...
Education Legal Culture Mon, Jan 05 2009

Deaf Apathy....
Thumpaflash Apathy is defined as "a lack of emotion or an indifference to things in general", and it is certainly rearing it's ugly head somewhat in the deaf community. One thing I have noticed that is a sad commentary about the qualities that define and perpetuate the stereotypes about the deaf community, is that posts on DeafRead that garner more visits or comme...
Media Language Tech Culture Thu, Jan 01 2009

Kentucky moving forward on Deaf issues.....
Thumpaflash Folks, I'm proud to say that, through the efforts of a great number of people (including those fantastic workers at the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), Kentucky is beginning to make good strides forward on issues pertaining to the deaf and hard of hearing.You all, if you read my blog, are aware of the bill that has been pre-filed to req...
Media Language Tech Legal Culture Sat, Dec 20 2008

A little Deaf Christmas Humor
Thumpaflash Sometimes you just gotta laugh, people...Enjoy the irony of this, and thanks to Marianne for sharing this with me via email. Eddie
Language Art and Storytelling Culture Wed, Dec 17 2008

Update on Captioned Movies bill
Thumpaflash Hello all:Just a quick update on this bill here in Kentucky, it has been assigned to the Interim Joint Committee on the Judiciary. The bill is referred to as BR69, sponsored by State Senator Ray s. Jones. I am enclosing here for you to review, if you live in Kentucky, a list of the legislators assigned to this Interim Committee. See if your legislato...
Media Tech Legal Mon, Sep 29 2008

Another Proposed Kentucky Law affecting the disabled...
Thumpaflash Folks (particularly you Kentucky residents), there is another pre-filed bill for consideration before the 2009 Legislative session that begins in January that will impact not only the deaf and hard of hearing, but those with other disabilities as well. The proposed bill and it's language can be found here: [link] you may ask, what does it matter to...
Education Tech Legal Culture Mon, Sep 15 2008

9-11-01 We Will Never Forget
Thumpaflash On 9-11-01, where were you? What were you doing? What were you thinking?On that fateful morning, I remember well where I was...I was at home on a day off from work, sitting on the couch in my living room and watching the "Today" show. My baby son had just woken up, and he was hungry, so I fixed him a bottle and settled in on the couch...
Language Tech Wed, Sep 10 2008

Captioned Movies in Kentucky-A Success Story in the Making?
Thumpaflash Readers:Just a quick update to my fight to get captioned movies in theaters in the state of Kentucky. As you may recall from previous postings here on my blog, I contacted my representatives regarding the lack of access to captioned movies in Kentucky after I attempted several times to contact the local theater owners to get them to work with me on th...
Fri, Aug 22 2008

Do The Deaf Deserve Reparations?
Thumpaflash Well, we do if you believe this blogger, who posted this comment on Dr. Don G.'s blog "AGB's at it again":How about class action lawsuit by the ex-oralists for their undue suffering growing up without sign language?Please, give me a break! No, we don't deserve reparations, and that is exactly what an attempted class action suit of this nature would amount ...
Audism Culture Fri, Aug 01 2008

Negativism and Hate are at it again.....
Thumpaflash Here we go again....Ridor can not help himself, he must always be negative towards law enforcement...In his most recent posting, he slams police from coast to coast, hurling accusations without true facts to back them up, and supporting only one statement of his with a highly prejudicial YouTube video. He also chooses to make a statement that makes my blood boil...
Higher Education Culture Thu, Jul 31 2008

Captioned Movie access Op-Ed and other issues
Thumpaflash Hey all, back from my little break....Go some news to share, after attempting to contact the owner of the theater, and still no response, I submitted an Op-Ed piece to my local newspaper for publication, to call public attention to the numbers of deaf and hard of hearing in Kentucky, and my attempts to get captioned movies into our local theater. I just received...
Media Language Audism Culture Wed, Jul 23 2008

Alleged Deaf Man Shot by Police
Thumpaflash Lexington police are releasing more details about an officer-involved shooting.44-year-old Warren Douglas Rayburn is still at UK hospital after being shot several times, early Monday morning.At a press conference on Wednesday morning, police talked about the chain of events that led to the shooting.Police say they were called to a home on Arbor Station Road for ...
Audism Culture Wed, Jul 16 2008

Update on Captioned Movie Access
Thumpaflash All:I last posted a week ago today, regarding my decision to contact my State Representative and my State Senator regarding the possibility of state level legislation being drafted to require captioned movies be shown in theaters housing 5 more more screens in the state of Kentucky (see my post "Deaf Access to Movies Now"). I drafted my proposal and sent it via ...
Media Language Tech Legal Sun, Jul 13 2008

Deaf Access to Movies Now (D.A.M.N.)
Thumpaflash As part of my ongoing crusade to bring captioned movies to Eastern Kentucky, and the state in general, I have contacted my two legislators that represent my area on the state level.At issue, is the fact that, while the ADA mentions captioned movies in general, there is also a provision that theaters can not be FORCED to show captioned movies as a required accomodation...
Language Culture Sun, Jul 06 2008

Captioned Movies- Access Denied
Thumpaflash Hello all, it's been a while since I last blogged, been out and about with work and family duties. One thing I have been working on, is captioned movie access in my little corner of the world (Eastern Kentucky)Our local movie theater is part of a small chain owned by a family. It consists of 3 theaters in 3 different communities thoughout Eastern and...
Media Tech Sat, Jul 05 2008

Stepping Up To The Plate
Thumpaflash Below is an article I published on Mark Drolsbaugh's website, Deaf Culture Online. It describes the watershed event in my life when I learned to first begin finding my deaf identity and understanding it. Until this point, I had been merrily rolling along in life oblivious to deaf culture and fixed on "fitting in" to the hearing world's perceptio...
Higher Education Audism Education Tech Sat, Jun 21 2008

McDonald's Secret Sauce Mystery Solved?
Thumpaflash As I scrolled through the blogs on DeafRead in an attempt to catch up on issues since I had been traveling the past couple of days, I came across this blog by Jamie Berke (you can read it here: [link] reason I wanted to comment on this particular blog is because of several comments posted by some readers in the comments section suggesting pros and cons of why ...
Audism Tech Legal Fri, Jun 20 2008

A Deaf Dog Gone Awry
Thumpaflash While scrolling through the news this morning, I stumbled across this story: [link] guess now, we can only wait and see how long it takes before some group out there complains that the poor deaf dog is being treated unfairly and that the Oakland player is an audist... ;-)I'm assuming he probably bought the dog with the intent of it not only b...
Language Sun, Jun 15 2008

Of Interpreters and Thieves
Thumpaflash Recently, my attention was called to the unfortunate events surrounding an interpreter coordinator in Virginia. As I was scrolling through the various blogs related to this incident, I came across this blog entry by "The Deaf Sherlock": [link] is a situation where I agree with ALMOST everything in this post. One thing I do not agree with is t...
Higher Education Language Culture Sat, Jun 14 2008

DeafVP.com Directory
Thumpaflash Hello all...Things are going great here in Kentucky, learning by leaps and bounds as I play around with my new VP-200. One of the things that I was informed of today by the installer, that I had not been made aware of before, was a really nice on-line directory for users of the Videophones.The directory can be located at www.deafVP.com, and you can simply c...
Tech Sat, Jun 14 2008

Gonna join the 21st Century!
Thumpaflash I just received word today, that I will be receiving my Sorenson VP 200 this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting in on this technology, after using a TDD all these years. Some of you may wonder, "What the heck? Where's he been all this time?" and that would be a good question. I've resisted using VRS for quite some time now, mainly because ...
Tech Wed, Jun 11 2008

Are CI Users the "Majority" among deaf children now?
Thumpaflash In meandering through various blogs today, I was particularly struck by one comment made by Jamie Berke. In her blog "Berke Outspoken", dated June 2, 2008 and titled "Update to how to stop the spread of Fourth Grade myth", she stated: "Don't forget we now have the majority of deaf students receiving cochlear implants - that may have boosted the achievement level...
Language Education Tech Tue, Jun 03 2008

Law Enforcement and the Deaf - A Primer
Thumpaflash Let me preface this post by acknowledging I am the son of a cop. I am trying not to let my obvious bias show here, but I am also a deaf individual. This is simply a guide, based on common sense and a lifetime's experience dealing with law enforcement from both perspectives.I have been perusing through several blogs off and on today, including some ol...
Media Legal Sun, Jun 01 2008

Thumpa Attitude
Thumpaflash As I picked up today's newspaper, I was greeted with a bold headline "Kid does it all on one leg". Intrigued, I settled in to read the amazing story of one Adam Bender, in Lexington, Ky.A seemingly normal 8 year old boy, full of life and a love of sports, he plays baseball, football and soccer.On ONE leg. No prosthesis, no wheelchair. ONE LEG......
Media Art and Storytelling Sun, Jun 01 2008

What's in a work ethic?
Thumpaflash Reading my good buddy Surduspub's blog about his advisees who just graduated from college raised a troubling question in my mind....namely, where is the work ethic in today's youth?William Safire, speechwriter during the LBJ years, first coined this wonderful alliteration that is often wrongly attributed to LBJ himself: "the nattering nabobs of negativism have formed ...
Audism Legal Fri, May 30 2008

Dis and data...Deaf issues on my mind
Thumpaflash As I was scrolling through the deaf blogosphere, many different things are jumping out at me....Deaf pride, reverse deaf discrimination, etc. etc..... So here's a few thoughts of mine.1) The Matt Hamill situation: People, people, PEOPLE!!!!! Can we all take a deep breath here and slow down for a minute? My goodness, you would have thought Matt had started ...
Culture Fri, May 30 2008

Lighting A Candle in the Deaf Darkness
Thumpaflash As of late, a big issue that has arisen, has been the outcry against Matt Hamill's choice of using a hearing actor to portray himself in a movie about his life story. The great hue and cry that has since ensued by those in the deaf culture who feel that this choice A) stole an acting job from another deaf actor (potentially), B) marks Matt and all ot...
Media Audism Culture Fri, May 30 2008