Berke Outspoken

Where is a Sense of Decency??
Berke Outspoken It is the middle of the night and I am so shocked at what I see, that I just have to blog this before going to bed. I checked Deafread.com, and saw that at the top, as of 1:00 am, was a submitted link by DR Hocokan. That link was to a transcript on the DBC Facts website, of an actual AIM meeting by the DBC core group.My objection is not to what was said in that meetin...
Tech Legal Sat, Jul 12 2008 hide this blog

Wanted: Strong, Neutral Parent Organization
Berke Outspoken I am getting tired of all this DBC/AGBell/NAD conflict. I suspect others are bored and frustrated by it too, if the growing number of posts in the deaf blogosphere calling for openness to all communication and learning methods is any indication. Is there any parent organization out there that supports all communication methods?American Society for Deaf Children? Their...
Culture Wed, Jul 09 2008 hide this blog

Compromise on Vlog Captions
Berke Outspoken I have heard your responses. Ok, if it is too much to expect captions on a signed vlog, and too much to expect a transcript, I will gladly settle for a summary. Even just a summary is helpful when I do not understand the signing. Does the deafvillage policy include summaries in addition to captions and transcripts?
Language Tech Culture Thu, Jun 19 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Village's Captioning Requirement
Berke Outspoken I like it.It acknowledges what I have repeatedly said for a long time... that there are many deaf and hearing people who do not understand sign language vlogs.It is silly to insist on an ASL translation of a spoken (or cued) captioned vlog because anyone who knows ASL should also know how to read English! Captions make a vlog accessible to everyone regardless of their...
Media Language Tech Sun, Jun 15 2008 hide this blog

Does Gallaudet Need a Buffer Zone?
Berke Outspoken Today's Washington Examiner (and Post and others) are reporting about a police effort to control crime in Trinidad, the neighborhood bordering Gallaudet. The maps being published show Gallaudet University as being next to Trinidad. When I looked at the map on page 5 of today's Examiner (link to web version), I saw that one of the murders had taken place practically ne...
Media Higher Education Thu, Jun 05 2008 hide this blog

Update to "How to Stop Spread of Fourth Grade Myth"
Berke Outspoken This is the language in the article that concerned me:"Most deaf adults read at no better than a fourth-grade level, he said, and it is directly related to the education they have received. Without early detection of an impairment and early education, deaf children are doomed to fall way behind."Note that it says MOST when it is supposed to be a median. That term "med...
Language Audism Education Mon, Jun 02 2008 hide this blog

How to Stop Spread of Fourth Grade Myth
Berke Outspoken Over the weekend I blogged a news article at About.com that had the usual mention of the average fourth grade reading level for deaf students. Every time a newspaper, magazine. or television program mentions that, it hurts the deaf community. Not only that we get told about parents "determined" that their child will not be "like that," automatically setting the stage ...
Media Language Audism Education Mon, Jun 02 2008 hide this blog

Giving in to ASL-Only Demands Is Not The Answer
Berke Outspoken Just found out about the coming of Deafside. I do not think this is a good idea. It smacks of giving in to the ASL-only demands of certain readers of Deafread.Isn't it enough that Deafread has added a "customize" feature? What about subscribing to preferred blogs via a RSS reader? Firefox has a built-in RSS reader.Furthermore, it further divides the deaf community whi...
Culture Fri, Apr 25 2008 hide this blog

And the Deaf Community Shall Survive...
Berke Outspoken If all the current chatter in the deaf blogosphere is any indication, I believe we have reached a new turning point in the deaf community. Cochlear implants have gone from something that we knew little about and were strongly opposed to, to something regarded as a tool akin to a hearing aid, and more widely accepted and even chosen by culturally deaf people for themse...
Tech Culture Sat, Mar 22 2008 hide this blog

Deaf IVF Embryos, Natural Deaf Babies, and Choices
Berke Outspoken Been reading up on the controversy in the United Kingdom over the proposed bill (as a bill, it is not yet law) to forbid the implantation of deaf embryos when doing IVF. The subject brings up questions, and also stirs mixed feelings. If we say that IVF is a substitute for natural child procreation, then we could say that yes, people who want a deaf baby should have th...
Language Audism Tech Legal Culture Fri, Mar 14 2008 hide this blog

Would You Demand This Teacher Be Fired?
Berke Outspoken With the economy the way it is now, this is no time to lose a job. However, what I just read in the Morganton News Herald (hat tip to MishkaZena as usual) about the NCSD situation is quite upsetting to me as a parent:"Tasha Houpe, from Statesville, has a son in 10th grade at NCSD. She said the school has changed a lot since he started there when he was 2 years old.Sh...
Higher Education Language Audism Education Wed, Feb 27 2008 hide this blog

Every Parent of a Deaf Child's Worst Nightmare
Berke Outspoken Last week, a deaf 13 year old girl who could not communicate with her bus driver was seriously endangered by the bus driver, who was a substitute and did not know sign language. Not only that, the bus assistant who could communicate with her, was not available. As reported by Tampabays10.com, the worst could have happened because this youngster, Heather Catalano, was...
Media Education Legal Thu, Feb 21 2008 hide this blog

A Spoonful of Sugar...
Berke Outspoken As I write this, I am at home recovering from yesterday's cochlear implant surgery. When I think about my reasons for deciding to get a cochlear implant, one major reason is a A Spoonful of Sugar.Long ago, when I was a child, one of my biggest pleasures was to lie on the floor, with the words to songs in front of me. Listening carefully with the headphones, I could fo...
Tech Sat, Feb 09 2008 hide this blog

Break Out the Popcorn. It is NAD vs. AGBell.
Berke Outspoken On my way home today, I got word that the NAD had sent a "scathing" letter to AGBell in regard to their deplorable letter to Pepsi. And to think it all started with a television commercial....The NAD letter is professionally written with carefully chosen words, but when you look at specific language you can tell the depth of anger that the writer(s) felt. For example:...
Media Thu, Feb 07 2008 hide this blog

Don't Use the Sign for Gun Under Any Circumstances
Berke Outspoken Or you might be arrested like Benjamin Finley, an 18 year old student at the Iowa School for the Deaf. Finley used sign language to threaten staff members with being shot (Des Moines Register). He was arrested and charged with "intimidation with a dangerous weapon." (Apparently his signing hands were considered a dangerous weapon. One of the commenters asked if merely...
Language Education Thu, Jan 31 2008 hide this blog

More Potential Tragedies to Come?
Berke Outspoken Last night I was checking out Project Readon, which provides free captioning services to videos submitted by people. I picked the video, "Preventing Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants," from the FDA to sample so I could get an idea of the quality of the captioning. The FDA made this video because two implanted children who had not been properly vaccinated ...
Media Tech Wed, Jan 30 2008 hide this blog

Returning Adopted Children? Happens More Often Than You...
Berke Outspoken Every week, something else is "hot" in the deaf blogosphere. Looks like this week, it is that adopted deaf girl being returned by her adoptive parents.DeafMom3MishkaZenaThe Deaf Edge(So far)As bad as this is, it doesn't happen only to deaf children! It can happen to perfectly normal hearing children too. A couple of months ago, there was a big storm in the blogosphere...
Audism Legal Culture Mon, Jan 28 2008 hide this blog

Possible Solution to Denied Milkshakes?
Berke Outspoken Karen's milkshake problem (being denied a milkshake at a drive-in) has me wondering about a possible solution that came to mind today.One problem with a push-button solution or another technological solution is that it would still deny deaf people the ability to interact with the fast food service providers. How about a solution using technology we already have? Our s...
Tech Culture Fri, Jan 25 2008 hide this blog

How Are Schools for the Deaf Doing? Let's Find Out.
Berke Outspoken This week, I was ready to scream after reading yet again in a blog comment about that average "fourth grade" reading level statistic for deaf high school graduates. That statistic is based on research done years ago. So how are kids at schools for the deaf doing today? I decided to do some research to satisfy my curiosity.Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any schoo...
Education Fri, Jan 18 2008 hide this blog

A Health Warning for the Deaf Gay Community
Berke Outspoken This afternoon during lunch, I passed an important New York Times health news story about a drug resistant MRSA strain spreading in the gay communities of San Francisco and Boston to a fellow blogger, the Deaf Sherlock. His reaction? He screamed at me on the IM. Big capital letters, and for good reason.Don't let the title of the New York Times article, "New Bacteria S...
Media Wed, Jan 16 2008 hide this blog

Rhode Island School for the Deaf: Family is Not Enough
Berke Outspoken Watch what is happening in the tiny state of Rhode Island, at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. A new director, Lori Dunsmore, says she is trying to "align the school’s curriculum with state standards and grade-level expectations, providing an academic structure the school has lacked." At the same time, the vice president of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf T...
Media Education Legal Mon, Jan 14 2008 hide this blog

An Early Implantee At Gallaudet
Berke Outspoken Today I remembered an article I did for the Buff and Blue many years ago, between Fall 1985 and Fall 1986. The title was "What's That? A Cochlear Implant!" It was an interview with a Gallaudet student named I think Alan, who had a cochlear implant and was one of the very few students with implants at that time. I am unable to summarize the article because I do not hav...
Higher Education Language Tech Sun, Jan 13 2008 hide this blog

Homeless Camp Near Gallaudet - Does Gallaudet Have Any...
Berke Outspoken I first noticed the headline "Gallaudet's Other Tent City" while I was at work but didn't have time to read it. Then, the Deaf Sherlock blogged about it. Now I had to read it - and I'm glad I did. Homeless people living that close to Gallaudet? That close to the conference center (according to Sherlock)? That close to a public school?Call me unsympathetic and cold- h...
Media Higher Education Sat, Jan 12 2008 hide this blog

Would I Be Part of the Deaf Community Today If..
Berke Outspoken If I had gone to a hearing college instead long ago? I believe that the fact I had attended deaf colleges played a major role in my becoming part of the deaf community. Instead of being Jamie, the deaf student who struggled to keep up and fit in, in a deaf college I could be Jamie, just another deaf student.As Elizabeth launches her exploration of the second cochlear ...
Language Education Tech Culture Fri, Jan 11 2008 hide this blog

Jobs Easier for Deaf in DC? And Deaf in a Recession
Berke Outspoken I just watched Seek Geo's latest (thankfully captioned) vlog, "Why Do You Need an Interpreter?" and it made me think of a couple of questions. First, why was such an intelligent deaf man with good English skills applying for a job in a warehouse?Perhaps I am naive. I work in Washington, DC, an area where most of the deaf people I know are highly educated professionals...
Audism Legal Thu, Jan 10 2008 hide this blog

Freddie Mac Posts Uncaptioned Video on YouTube
Berke Outspoken Freddie Mac has posted a video on YouTube, to help people avoid fraud when they find themselves facing possible foreclosure. I checked it out, and this video is not captioned. Is it required to be? No. Title IV of the ADA requires that any Public Service Announcements that get any funding from the Federal government be captioned. However, Freddie Mac is not a governm...
Media Language Education Tech Sun, Dec 16 2007 hide this blog

Deaf, Tasers, and Police: Damned If You Do, Damned if You...
Berke Outspoken I understand the anger about the use of the taser on a naked, helpless deaf man (Donnell Williams) who just got out of the bathtub and did not hear the police's commands. At the same time, I can understand why it happened. The police were trying to handle a dangerous situation according to police protocol for handling a report of a shooting. I examined all the news ar...
Language Tech Culture Thu, Dec 06 2007 hide this blog

Donations Influence Deaf Schools
Berke Outspoken Last night at the Northern Virginia Association of the Deaf Christmas party I met a couple with a deaf child. Their child used sign language. We got to chatting, and I learned that the child attended the River School in northwest Washington, DC. The River School is a private school for deaf and hard of hearing children. I asked the parents, "but isn't the River School...
Education Sun, Dec 02 2007 hide this blog

Ridor - the Most Disrespectful Deaf Blogger
Berke Outspoken After a long day of hard work, I was on the way home when Ridor messaged me on my sidekick. He was upset about what I had previously posted, about the deaf CI kid at Walmart being treated disrespectfully. This is what Ridor said:"It is their right to do that -- people like you disgust me for trying to lecture deaf people on how to behave while you refrain from lectur...
Language Audism Tech Culture Wed, Nov 14 2007 hide this blog

Social Ostracization of a CI Toddler at Walmart
Berke Outspoken Before going to bed, I was winding down the night by checking to see what was new on my favorite CI Kid blogs. I saw this, and just had to blog it even though it is my bedtime. Noah's mom was in Walmart with her implanted toddler (who loves to use sign language) and when they encountered some deaf people, the deaf adults were friendly until -- they saw the boy's CI. T...
Language Tech Tue, Nov 13 2007 hide this blog

Benefits of the Dual Approach
Berke Outspoken I really enjoyed and appreciated this article from the Sacramento Bee: He Lives in Two Worlds. The article is a follow-up to the implantation of a deaf toddler boy. Today he is 9 years old, and relies on both sign language and speech. His parents, who originally wanted him to be only oral, now understand the importance of sign language for their son. Key quote: "Aft...
Language Education Mon, Nov 12 2007 hide this blog

Glimpse of Deafness in the Comics
Berke Outspoken As longtime readers of this blog know, I enjoy reading comics. Now and then I stumble across something deaf-related in the comics. Here are two of the latest that I stumbled across..and neither one is politically correct. One is simply old, and the other one not so old but still politically incorrect. It still manages to make me laugh though!First up: A public service...
Art and Storytelling Tue, Oct 30 2007 hide this blog

Re: Return of Jordan, Fernandes, Kimmel
Berke Outspoken This may set a record for my shortest post yet. If Jordan, Fernandes, and Kimmel want to return and teach...let them. Let them teach...QUIETLY. No need to bother with petitions. Why? Short answer is below. Jordan+ Fernandes+ Kimmel_____________= The Three Has-BeensNo need to say anything more. The simple equation above says it all.
Higher Education Audism Sun, Oct 28 2007 hide this blog

Next Time, Gallaudet University
Berke Outspoken I hate to say it, but learning that the death of Kellie Pagano was due to pneumococcal meningitis came as a bit of a relief. Why was it a relief? It was a relief because Gallaudet University finally came out and told exactly what it was that killed her.When I first learned about her death, the only official information that I had about what might have killed her came ...
Higher Education Sat, Oct 27 2007 hide this blog

The New Deaf World: Effect on Interpreting?
Berke Outspoken What is the future demand for interpreting and video relay services going to look like? Will it stay the same, increase, or decline? Some parents of implanted kids are saying that their children can hear so well they don't even need to look at faces. Often, the media articles about implanted kids say that they are able to attend school without interpreters. Articles ...
Language Tech Sat, Oct 13 2007 hide this blog

That Hate Crime at MSSD
Berke Outspoken Few news stories make me gasp. The one about the hate crime at MSSD did. Coming so soon after Jena 6, this one is making headlines across the nation.But the crime itself is not the only thing that made me gasp. It was the fact that one of the seven students who did it was black too! Why would a deaf black student participate in a hate crime against a fellow black stud...
Media Education Legal Wed, Oct 03 2007 hide this blog

Brief Response to NAD Advocacy Blog
Berke Outspoken This is a quick, brief response to the NAD post in their advocacy blog about their work in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs. The point at which parents must be told about the availability of ASL as a positive option in addition to the cochlear implant, is at the point of identification after birth. At last count, I have 21 CI Kid blogs in my collecti...
Language Audism Education Tech Legal Mon, Oct 01 2007 hide this blog

Scram? No Way. We Need Voices of Reason.
Berke Outspoken Ridor attacked me on his blog and here is my response as follows:Ridor:"Now let´s focus on Jamie Berke, she cried a massive river last summer when the Deaf Bilingual Coalition staged a peaceful demonstration at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia."Me:>>>Let's get one thing straight. This was NOT a "peaceful demonstration." Peaceful yes, demonstra...
Language Audism Education Culture Sun, Sep 23 2007 hide this blog

Chicago Tribune Gets It All Wrong
Berke Outspoken Today's article in the Chicago Tribune, "Lending ears to learners," gets it all wrong. I take issue with specific statements in the article:"He has no deaf friends." Taken in the content of the article, a hearing reader would get the impression, that not having any deaf friends is something to be proud of. It is important for deaf kids' social development to associate [...]
Language Audism Education Tech Fri, Sep 21 2007 hide this blog

Future of Deafness?
Berke Outspoken I have been reading (and enjoying) several CI Kid blogs. I am reading them to get a feel for what it is like for kids growing up today with cochlear implants. How is it different from the way it was for the older deaf generation, and how is it the same?The more I read, the more I see that an implant is like the hearing aids of yesterday, only better as the kids seem [...]
Education Tech Fri, Sep 14 2007 hide this blog

Will More Schools for the Deaf Become "Dumping Grounds?"
Berke Outspoken According to this newswire, California School for the Deaf has agreed to set up a day class for deaf students with additional needs. California is a bellweather for the rest of the nation, traditionally. Does the settlement of this lawsuit by a family with a deaf autistic child, mean that more schools for the deaf will have to set up classes for deaf students with [...]
Education Wed, Sep 12 2007 hide this blog

Hearing Aids Not Good Enough for Deaf Babies
Berke Outspoken When I was born, I was profoundly deaf. That was not known until I was a year and a half, and got my first hearing aids. According to my mother, I showed immediate response to the hearing aids, acting as if I wanted them in my ears. Today, my parents probably would have waited only a few months, then gotten me a cochlear implant.Just today, I read about a baby that [...]
Audism Tech Tue, Sep 04 2007 hide this blog

Will Canada Get a Deaf College?
Berke Outspoken Canada might get a deaf college of its own - unless the popularity of cochlear implants makes it unfeasible. That is the gist of this article in the Toronto Star, "School Plan for the deaf sparks outcry: Milton proposal reignites debate over sign language versus ear implants." (TheStar.com, August 9, 2007).A few notable quotes from the article:"Yet some wonder who [...]
Language Audism Education Culture Thu, Aug 09 2007 hide this blog

We Need the Baby Signers
Berke Outspoken Last night, I had a thought: Could a tactic used in the past help in the battle to get more bilingualism for deaf babies? What is this tactic? It is the tactic of targeting a certain community and getting it to support the deaf community. This is done because experience has shown me that the deaf community usually does not get what it wants without the support of [...]
Media Language Audism Education Tue, Aug 07 2007 hide this blog

AG Bell not AGBAD
Berke Outspoken Patti and others have pointed out to me that AGBAD is the acronym for AG Bell. It is not. An organizational acronym is an organizational acronym only if it is used by the organization to refer to itself. A search of the AG Bell website failed to turn up any instances of AG Bell referring to itself as AGBAD.Not only that, I am not the first blogger to notice the [...]
Language Culture Tue, Jul 31 2007 hide this blog

Response to Patti Raswant and Others
Berke Outspoken I accept Patti's challenge. Here is my response to Patti and the commenters on her blog.It is Not AG Bell. It is the Parents.First, I would like to respond to everyone who is saying "AG Bell forbids deaf babies to have sign language." It is not AG Bell that is forbidding deaf babies to have sign language. What's that? You disagree with that statement? I'll be happy [...]
Language Audism Mon, Jul 30 2007 hide this blog

DBC Should Not Protest in Milwaukee
Berke Outspoken Elizabeth (Mishkazena) said in a comment on another blog:"Jamie, it was in Arlington VA and yes, we did check about the permit for a peaceful assembly. No permit is needed. We have already discussed with the hotel management well in advance and they were fine with it. The police was also briefed. Several hours after the start of the assembly, the hotel manager had a [...]
Language Audism Education Sun, Jul 29 2007 hide this blog

Coalition to Promote ASL Literacy
Berke Outspoken No such organization exists yet! I am writing to propose the creation of one. Here is a proposed charter for the Coalition to Promote ASL Literacy.The Coalition for ASL Literacy will not:Engage in protests without advance permission and clear rules agreed on ahead of time.Attack any individuals or organizations.The Coalition for ASL Literacy will:Monitor the media [...]
Language Sat, Jul 28 2007 hide this blog

Dos and Donts for AgBell Protestors
Berke Outspoken Looks like the committed ones are determined to go ahead with the protest (Yes, it is a protest. Just look at the language used by other bloggers), so at this point all I can do is offer a suggested list of Dos and Donts.Do: Set up a laptop or several laptops, all playing Amy Cohen's vlog "The Greatest Irony" over and over. If you could get someone to produce a [...]
Media Language Audism Education Culture Fri, Jul 27 2007 hide this blog

Leave AG Bell Alone
Berke Outspoken Protesting at the AG Bell conference next week? NOT a good idea. I am concerned the protestors will only wind up embarrassing themselves. There are better ways to call attention to the issues than having a public protest against AG Bell.Where on the AG Bell website does it say "no sign language?" I can't find it! All I can find is language that says they promote the [...]
Media Audism Education Thu, Jul 19 2007 hide this blog