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ReunifyGally

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Deaf Rights, ADA, in Peril? Or about to advance? A bit of...

ReunifyGally Will these changes threaten our rights as Deaf US citizens, or will they help protect them? Well, it's a mixed bag: some changes will actually help, but others will set us back decades. Either way, I urge people to be involved. Educate yourself by following the links provided below. Write your comments and submit them [...]
Legal Wed, Aug 06 2008

Read the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008 on the...

ReunifyGally No, none of the participating blog posts specifically focus on Deaf issues (sorry, ran out of time to write one), but several are still very much relevant for Deaf people who are fighting to protect their own human rights. From Australia ... from the USA ... from India ... from New Zealand ... from Fiji ... [...]
Sat, Mar 29 2008

Deaf Bloggers, Let’s Unite in Support of the CRPD!

ReunifyGally Calling all Writers for the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008! Are you good with words? Do you care about protecting the human rights of Deaf people or people with disabilities? Are you looking for a way to celebrate the first anniversary of the international disability rights treaty, called the Convention on the Rights of [...]
Culture Thu, Mar 20 2008

Media Event: Why the US Should Ratify International...

ReunifyGally The new international disability rights treaty, called the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), should matter to all Deaf people around the world. Why? Because countries that sign, ratify, then implement the CRPD will be legally binding themselves to pass a wide range of laws that protect the human rights [...]
Legal Culture Wed, Mar 05 2008

Help Improve Cell Phones for Deaf People! (And also for...

ReunifyGally Ever been frustrated that Sidekick does not have all the features you would like to have as a deaf person? (Or as a deaf-blind person, or a person with other disabilities?) Been frustrated that there aren't more companies with a “data-only” plan? Wish there were more phones out there with the features [...]
Tech Fri, Feb 22 2008

Help Advise! Discrimination Toward Hard of Hearing Student

ReunifyGally Someone recently left two comments elsewhere on this blog asking for help dealing with an alleged case of discrimination against himself as a hard of hearing student. A school he wanted to attend refused to provide him with an interpreter (I assume sign language interpreter though he doesn't say). Can anyone reading this [...]
Audism Culture Mon, Feb 11 2008

Finding Past Blog Posts on ADA Restoration Act

ReunifyGally In addition to writing the occasional blog post of my own about the ADA Restoration Act for the Deaf community, I also keep a running list of blog posts by other authors (both deaf and hearing) from around the web: [link] I've been doing this partly to help encourage more bloggers to write about the ADA Restoration [...]
Legal Culture Mon, Feb 11 2008

Unfair Precedent Ties Hands of Sympathetic Court: Why...

ReunifyGally Even some courts say that past court interpretations of the American with Disabilities Act are wrong and unfair to deaf people and people with disabilities. But even courts that are sympathetic to deaf and disability rights are saying they cannot judge ADA cases in a fair manner because past court interpretations “tie their hands.” [...]
Language Audism Legal Mon, Feb 11 2008

Presidential Candidates on Deaf and Disability Rights

ReunifyGally Where do the U.S. presidential candidates stand on deaf and disability rights, including on the ADA Restoration Act and the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)? One (deaf) blogger by the screen name Wilbrod the Gnome has done extensive research on precisely this topic. You can find relevant links, and an [...]
Culture Thu, Feb 07 2008

Following the ADA: Cheaper than Employers Think

ReunifyGally Many employers (and their lawyers) strongly oppose both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Restoration Act in part because they mistakenly assume that it is necessarily expensive to accommodate workers who are deaf or disabled. I recently learned some interesting and important statistics that can help refute these misconceptions: 20% of reasonable accomm...
Education Legal Wed, Feb 06 2008

Hertiage Foundation, Others, Oppose ADA Restoration Act

ReunifyGally Have you been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching the ADA Restoration Act work its way through congress? The Deaf community and others cannot afford complacency in this battle. Large organizations such as the Heritage Foundation have now come out strongly against the Restoration Act. And many bloggers have followed suit in [...]
Wed, Feb 06 2008

A Hearing Woman, but a Deaf Story: Why We Need the ADA...

ReunifyGally No, as far as I know, Charlotte Chenoweth is not Deaf. But don't let that mislead you into assuming that her story has nothing to do with the Deaf community. In her case, she is accusing her employer of denying her “reasonable accommodations” under the Americans with Disabilities Act on the basis of [...]
Language Thu, Jan 10 2008

Dogs, too, support the ADA Restoration Act!

ReunifyGally Support for the ADA Restoration Act is growing–among dogs! (See below for details!) But Deaf humans (and American humans with disabilities in general) are still needed to help advocate for the ADA Restoration Act. Follow the links to the latest posts from the ADA Restoration blog below to learn how you can [...]
Legal Culture Wed, Jan 09 2008

Finding Fully Sub-titled or Captioned DVDs

ReunifyGally Ever been frustrated to buy a DVD that claims to be captioned–but isn't? Ever been frustrated to buy a DVD in the hope that you can enjoy the special features, only to find YET AGAIN that only the main feature is captioned and nothing else? Or that only a few of the special [...]
Media Tech Sun, Jan 06 2008

Deaf, Disability Human Rights Advocacy in Canada

ReunifyGally Deaf people and people with disabilities in Price Edward Island, Canada, this blog post is for you. This blog post is also for you if you've ever been frustrated at how YOUR government (in any country) treats Deaf or disabled people and wanted to do something about it. Stephen Pate recently brought his blog to [...]
Language Audism Legal Culture Sat, Jan 05 2008

Why Everybody Loses Without the ADA Restoration Act

ReunifyGally The story of Laura Sorensen (see further below) helps to highlight why all of us lose when the courts fail to interpret the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as its authors originally intended–whether we're Deaf or hearing, have MS or not, or have disabilities or not. The story of her court case [...]
Legal Sat, Dec 29 2007

Free Vocabulary, Free Rice

ReunifyGally Some deaf people have great English skills while others struggle with it. Some deaf people might not care much if they never get beyond a certain basic level in their English skills–they just want to know enough to “get by.” But some deaf people do become very determined to “pull up” their English [...]
Higher Education Language Sat, Dec 08 2007

ADA Restoration Act blogging Round-Up Nov 21-26

ReunifyGally I somehow missed this one in my last round-up–it's worth following the link: Urge your senators to sign on to the ADA Restoration Act Now Nov 18 ‘07, the UnderRepresented urges readers to ask their senators to support the ADA Restoration Act and links to several websites where you can find more information. This [...]
Mon, Nov 26 2007

Another Sample Letter to Senators on ADA Restoration Act

ReunifyGally Have YOU written to YOUR senators to ask them to support the ADA Restoration Act? If you have been paying attention, then you know by now that the ADA Restoration Act is an important piece of legislation that is meant to repair the damage that courts have done to the Americans with Disabilities Act [...]
Legal Wed, Nov 21 2007

Senate Hearing on the ADA Restoration Act: Blogging...

ReunifyGally The Senate recently held a hearing on the ADA Restoration Act. Unfortunately, that hearing has not been made fully accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people (write letters to the organizers to complain!). For one thing, the broadcast has not been captioned. But Deaf and hard of hearing people, as well [...]
Legal Wed, Nov 21 2007

ADA Restoration Act Around the Web

ReunifyGally I've been too busy with other commitments to do more than maybe weekly posts for this blog. But fortunately, other bloggers have been taking up the slack in talking about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007. Here are some fresh, interesting posts for you to browse through. Tennessee on the Road for [...]
Tue, Nov 06 2007

I done tol you so says Andrea

ReunifyGally No, not me. (Though I “done tol' you so” too, many times.) ANOTHER Andrea, of the “Andrea's Buzzing About” blog, has written what is now her second blog post on the ADA Restoration Act. Andrea's post I done tol you so summarizes two court cases that help illustrate why we need the ADA Restoration [...]
Legal Tue, Oct 30 2007

Day in Washington ADA Restoration podcast

ReunifyGally Did you miss the Oct 8 Day in Washington podcast on the ADA Restoration Act? Deaf people can now read the transcript (or, if you're hearing, you can also listen to the audio recording). It's worth reading to learn the highlights what happened at the Oct 4 congressional hearing on the ADA Restoration [...]
Legal Tue, Oct 30 2007

Doing Good Work? Youre Fired!

ReunifyGally This is a story about a man who got fired because his disability did not interfere with his ability to perform the job for which he was hired. No, that word “not” is not a typo. The courts have persistently mangled the original intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to [...]
Sun, Oct 28 2007

Sample Letter to Senators on ADA Restoration Act S. 1881

ReunifyGally In the past couple of months, I've seen many different on-line tools that make it easier for you to contact your legistlators and ask them to support the ADA Restoration Act. But one clear, strong favorite continues to stand out for me: that's the one at UnderRepresented. It occurred to me recently that, although I've [...]
Media Legal Thu, Oct 25 2007

Blogging the ADA Restoration Act with Passion

ReunifyGally If you have been thinking about making a blog or an ASL vlog on the ADA Restoration Act, another blogger has written a post that might help serve as an inspiration for you: The ADA Restoration Act of 2007 Ian Johnson's Neurodiversity blog Oct 24 ‘07. Ian Johnson offers one of the more thoughtful, analytical, yet [...]
Legal Thu, Oct 25 2007

Contacting your Senators: Why to Avoid MS Societys Tool

ReunifyGally I have found yet another on-line tool you can use for contacting your senators regarding the ADA Restoration Act, this one sponsored by the MS Society. Unfortunately, this is one of the weaker tools that I have seen for the purpose. Most of the text is frozen, including the first two paragraphs and [...]
Legal Thu, Oct 25 2007

ADA Restoration Act blogs Oct 21-23 '07

ReunifyGally Here are the latest links from around the web on the ADA Restoration Act: Equal Protection Oct 23 '07, Mark, a guest blogger at BBC Ouch!, has some interesting comments about how society only understands disability if they are sufficiently "freakish" or visible. If one's disability is not visible then people won't believe it's ther...
Tue, Oct 23 2007

For Deaf Children Too: Helping Bring the CRPD to Young...

ReunifyGally Deaf rights are human rights. Children's rights are human rights too. But Deaf people of all ages, in all countries, have their rights violated every day. In some countries, deaf people still are not allowed to drive, or marry who they choose, or grow up with sign language. In some countries, children and young people–deaf or hearing–are not list...
Mon, Oct 22 2007

223 Congressional Reps to Restore the ADA!

ReunifyGally First, the good news for those of you rooting to see the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 passed: as of October 11, it seems that there are now 222 co-sponsors for HR 3195 (house version of the ADA Restoration Act) in addition to the original sponsor (Rep. Steny Hoyer). This brings us past the 218 majority needed to pass the ADA Restoration Act in the House. (Senate is a...
Legal Thu, Oct 11 2007

ADA Restoration Act Respects Deaf Culture

ReunifyGally This link is old — but it's worth checking out for anyone still seeking to understand why the Americans with Disabilities Act needs rescuing and how the Restoration Act is meant to help. No, it doesn't refer directly to Deaf/deaf/HOH people–but there is a certain parallel that I will explain further below. [link] This link leads to a brief ...
Legal Mon, Oct 08 2007

Contacting Your Legislators: Tool from United Spinal Assn

ReunifyGally If you have been guiltily thinking to yourself that you ought to get around to contacting your legislators to ask them to support the ADA Restoration Act, the United Spinal Association has made it easier for you–whether you're deaf, hearing, have spinal cord injury, some other disability, or no disability at all. Personally I still prefer the automated ema...
Legal Sat, Oct 06 2007

207 and Counting, says ADA Restoration Blog

ReunifyGally 207 and Counting! Oct 2 '07, the ADA Restoration blog announces that we now have 207 co-sponsors for HR 3195 (the House version of the ADA Restoration Act) in the House. We need 218 to reach a majority so we can pass the Restoration Act in the House. Then the Restoration Act must also pass the Senate. See if your congressional represenative is one of the co-spon...
Higher Education Language Education Tech Legal Tue, Oct 02 2007

Sen. John Warner (VA) Replies Re: ADA Restoration

ReunifyGally In the past few weeks, I have sent several emails to my congressional represenative and also to my two senators to ask them all to support the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 (HR 3195 in the House, S 1881 in the Senate). One of my senators has responded: October 2, 2007 Ms. Andrea Shettle XXXX [Address] XXXX Dear Ms. Shettle: Thank you for contacting me to sha...
Higher Education Language Education Tech Legal Tue, Oct 02 2007

Qualifed to Work = Disqualification from ADA Protection

ReunifyGally Some employers have an unfortunate tendency to assume that any worker with a disability, or any worker who is Deaf, deaf, or hard of hearing is automatically disqualified. They may think to themselves, "How can they possibly do this job? They're disabled! Disabled people can't contribute as fully as other employees! I'm running a business, not...
Audism Legal Sat, Sep 29 2007

ADA Restoration Act Hearing on Oct 4 '07

ReunifyGally I haven't been able to keep up with my ADA Restoration blogging for the past week because I was laid up with the flu. But two other blogs have written posts for you to check out: Hearing Scheduled in House Judiciary Committee at the ADA Restoration blog, Sept 28 '07. Announces a hearing at the House Judiciary Committee Thursday, October 4 '07, start...
Higher Education Language Audism Education Tech Legal Culture Sat, Sep 29 2007

Coming Out ... as Deaf!

ReunifyGally If you rely on Deaf Read to help you find interesting or humorous Deaf-related vlogs then you might have missed this one. Today, I discovered a funny 6-minute vlog skit, in BSL with English subtitles, about a man who comes out to his hearing mother ... as a Deaf man! It's funny because in the first 30 seconds it looks like he's about to come out as ...
Language Culture Sat, Sep 29 2007

Where is Todd's Day in Court?

ReunifyGally Imagine, for a moment, that you had been fired, and gives an excuse that you think is weak. You think maybe the real reason you were fired might be because your boss isn't comfortable working with a deaf person. Suppose for a moment that you have other evidence to support the idea that you might be a victim of discrimination on the basis of being deaf–in...
Legal Sun, Sep 23 2007

My Petition Comment Regarding Doug Bahl

ReunifyGally I haven't written anything about the Doug Bahl situation until now–in good part because I felt too helpless to respond. What could I say that hadn't already been said, either by other Deaf/deaf bloggers, or in the comments area at places like MishkaZena's? I'm still feeling at a loss. I feel angry and sad and afraid. And I feel these [...]
Media Audism Legal Thu, Sep 20 2007

Latest ADA Restoration Activity

ReunifyGally At least two bloggers lately have been in touch with their legislators urging them to co-sponsor the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 (HR 3195 for congressional represenatives; S 1881 for senators). If you've been looking for sample letters to help you figure out how to write YOUR legislators, then see what one blogger wrote to his Senator Bob Casey. Or if you [...]
Legal Wed, Sep 19 2007

Help for the ADA in Three Ways

ReunifyGally Three other bloggers have recently blogged on the ADA Restoration Act of 2007: Help for the ADA is on the Way, Sept 14 '07 at Paotie's Green Couch/Crumbling of Things. About how disability and deaf/hoh community has watched with distress as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 gradually lost its ability to protect the rights of Americans with [...]
Media Language Education Tech Legal Sat, Sep 15 2007

ADA Restoration Petition from Diabetic Assn

ReunifyGally I have found yet another petition supporting the ADA Restoration Act, this one by the American Diabetic Association. This petition only seems to contact your congressional represenative regarding the house version of the bill (HR 3195). It does not contact either of your senators for the senate version of the bill (S 1881). It also uses the same form letter for all [...]
Language Education Tech Legal Culture Thu, Sep 13 2007

196 co-sponsors! And other ADA Restoration News

ReunifyGally If you have been monitoring the ADA Restoration blog (which I highly recommend to anyone serious about staying on top of the latest news), then you know that we now have 196 co-sponsors for the House version of the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 (HR 3195). They have listed the 8 newest co-sponsors. The goal is to reach 218 co-sponsors in the House. So please do [...]
Media Language Education Tech Legal Thu, Sep 13 2007

Heart-Poundingly Important: ADA Restoration

ReunifyGally Kaaryn Sanon of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) has generously sent me the following transcript of a recent Disability nation (referenced in an earlier blog entry at ReunifyGally). Why the title "Heart-Poundingly Important"? Larry points out in the transcript below that often legislative issues seem so complicated and boring that many people [...]
Legal Thu, Sep 13 2007

Share Your Deaf Disaster Stories

ReunifyGally Have YOU been affected by a disaster or emergency situation? If so, YOUR story of how you were affected could help other Deaf people (and people with disabilities) in the United States benefit from better emergency planning in the future. I mentioned in this space yesterday, and am reminding again today: The US National Coalition on Disabilities is gathering [...]
Wed, Sep 12 2007

Deaf in Disaster or Emergency Situations

ReunifyGally What happens to Deaf people during disasters like the events of September 11, 2001, or during the Katrina hurricane? What happens to deaf and hard of hearing people, or people with disabilities generally? Unfortunately, we know that accommodations for people with disabilities generally tend to be very limited. How many wheelchair users died on Sept 11 because they [...]
Media Language Audism Tech Legal Wed, Sep 12 2007

Recent Blogs on the ADA Restoration Act

ReunifyGally For those of you who are keeping an eye on blog posts about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, there have been two new blog posts on that subject — just follow the links below. Or, if you want to see more, check out my more comprehensive listing of blog posts on the ADA Restoration Act. Sometimes I update that listing even when I don't have time to do an [...]
Media Language Audism Education Tech Legal Wed, Sep 12 2007

Advocacy Pays! A Tale of Advocacy with Mobile Phone Company

ReunifyGally When Deaf people run into rules and regulations and systems and services that just aren't designed for us — or for deaf or hard of hearing people, or people with disabilities in general–that can be immensely frustrating. And even more so when these barriers mean that we have to end up paying more for the same services that everyone else receives. [...]
Audism Tech Legal Sun, Sep 09 2007

Podcasts on the ADA Restoration Act of 2007

ReunifyGally Two podcasts produced by "Day in Washington" may be useful for learning more about the ADA Restoration Act. And, yes, it is available not only in audio file but also in transcript form. The Disability Policy Podcast focuses on a range of disability-related policy issues, usually discussing one narrow topic or news article in each 8 to 10 minute podcast [...]
Media Language Education Tech Legal Culture Sun, Sep 09 2007

188 House Co-Sponsors for ADA Restoration Act!

ReunifyGally According to the ADA Restoration Act blog, 7 more Congressional representatives become co-sponsors for the ADA Restoration Act. The ADA Restoration Act blog says they joined probably because many advocates were busy writing letters and making phone calls to their legislators during the August recess. This brings the total of co-sponsors up to 188. We need to get 20 [...]
Legal Thu, Sep 06 2007


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