The Deaf Edge

Deaf Not Allowed To Teach?
The Deaf Edge I recently received an email from a woman named Kelly Laatsch. A friend had referred her to me, asking that I support her in her civil rights issue. Her story is quite astounding, and so I am going to share ... Continue reading →
Thu, Jan 26 2012

An Open Letter to the Indiana Government
The Deaf Edge ASL Version Dear Indiana Legislators: As a Deaf Community activist, with a degree in Public Administration, I am writing to you to strongly state my opposition to House Bill 1367, and am asking you to oppose this as well. HB ... Continue reading →
Sun, Jan 22 2012
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The Matter of Credibility
The Deaf Edge There has been several comments on Amy Cohen Efron’s blog post here, that caught my attention, and I just had to laugh. Three commenters at this time of writing, complained that this was only a student project, thus, it essentially ... Continue reading →
Fri, Dec 16 2011

The Land Of … – A Poem
The Deaf Edge “Oh, won’t you come down the rosy path with me? Come see the land of the – Never mind, just come down with me And see the land … I promise, I promise You won’t regret it. Come down with ... Continue reading →
Sun, Oct 02 2011

Possible Changes For MSSD
The Deaf Edge On September 27, 2011, President Hurwitz released a memo to the Gallaudet community, regarding possible changes to the Gallaudet campus, including the including the Model Secondary School for the Deaf [MSSD], and today, it hit the Deaf Community at large. ... Continue reading →
Fri, Sep 30 2011

Deaf Civil Rights March Update
The Deaf Edge This update isn’t a good one. The National Park Service denied the permit for us to hold the Deaf Civil Rights March in May 2012, because of two reasons: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool area will be under construction during ... Continue reading →
Tue, Aug 02 2011

What If…?
The Deaf Edge Last week, a heat wave struck the upper Midwest, thus nearly everyone turned on the air-conditioning to stay cool. This caused a transformer to overload, plunging my neighborhood into darkness for several hours. This led me to ponder . . ... Continue reading →
Tue, Jul 26 2011

DeafDigest – A Spammer
The Deaf Edge Barry Strassler, the owner of DeafDigest, an email newsletter, is notorious for adding people to his email newsletter against their will. He has been doing this for years, and there are multitudes of people who have complained about his conduct. In fact, FakeDeafDigest on Twitter (likely a victim of the DeafDigest spam) mocks the email [...]
Thu, Jul 14 2011

Social Media A Must For Deaf
The Deaf Edge Yesterday afternoon, incredible events unfolded in my city, Grand Rapids, Michigan. A man went on an unprecedented murderous rampage, shooting and killing 7 people. After murdering these 7 individuals, he fled by car and at one point, had over 20 police cars and a helicopter pursuing him on the major highways. After his car was [...]
Fri, Jul 08 2011

Thank You, NAD!
The Deaf Edge With the National Association of the Deaf’s sponsorship, a permit application was sent to the National Parks in Washington, D.C.,  allowing the Deaf Community to hold a national Deaf Rights March, targeted for the spring  of 2012, at the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The permit has not been approved yet by [...]
Tue, Jul 05 2011

Is It Really About Parental Choices?
The Deaf Edge Naomi Horton, the executive director of Hear Indiana, in interviews with the media about the Indiana School of the Deaf protests said, “The discussion right now is about parent choices.” Supporters of Ms. Horton and the Hear Indiana organization has rallied around this position. Given how central the rights of parental choices are in education, [...]
Thu, Jun 23 2011

Death to Deafness: Part 2
The Deaf Edge (Continuation from Part 1) Today’s and the Future’s Realities on Educating the Deaf This now leads us into the matter of the accusations made against us Deaf Community members of being in denial about today’s and the future realities of Deaf Education. So, let’s look at some statistics regarding today’s reality in Deaf Education. It’s [...]
Fri, Jun 10 2011

Death to Deafness: Part 1
The Deaf Edge Today, if one asked the average hearing person how they would picture a deaf person, odds are they would either think of the elderly, Marlee Matlin, or a baby with cochlear implants. It is very likely that they would not picture a regular, everyday person who speaks American Sign Language [ASL]. And it is also [...]
Fri, Jun 10 2011

How To Fight Back
The Deaf Edge It goes without saying that there's been an incredible upsurge in the AVT folks' attempts to eliminate ASL from Deaf Education. The Indiana School of the Deaf recently had 3 HearIndiana members appointed to its board, which for obvious reasons, were met with dismay. One thing I have been noticing, and I am not alone [...]
Wed, Jun 01 2011

More Data On Numbers of MI Terps
The Deaf Edge So I did some number crunching, based on the numbers from DODHH's interpreter database found at: [link] and they were interesting. They differ from the RID's database, which bothers me somewhat. Either the both or one of the databases are not being updated quickly enough, or we're not getting accurate data on the numbers. Anyway, [...]
Tue, Mar 22 2011

Only 85 State-Certified Interpreters?!
The Deaf Edge Today, the Lansing State Journal published an article about the Lansing Community College's ITP crisis, which has been fortunately resolved. LCC will not be suspending or cutting the ITP. That's the good news. However, what is not good news is the numbers of BEI (state-certified) interpreters here in Michigan. First, before going on any further, [...]
Mon, Mar 21 2011

More Crises With The Deaf Community
The Deaf Edge Note: This blog is more than just a transcript for the vlog above. Last week, it was announced here in Michigan that the top Interpreter Training Program [ITP], located at the Lansing Community College [LCC], was being considered for suspension and reduced to an one year program. Not only is LCC the top ranked ITP [...]
Wed, Mar 02 2011

The Ends Do Not Justify The Means
The Deaf Edge This is a continuation of my previous blog post, The Resources of the Deaf Community. If you haven't read it yet, please do so first before going on any further. Rationale 4: The Ends Do Not Justify The Means. This is one of the most difficult concepts to understand, but it is one of the [...]
Sun, Feb 20 2011
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The Resources of the Deaf Community
The Deaf Edge Jaelstrom's vlog, “Leave AG Bell Alone!” sparked a discussion on Twitter, and one tweet from Marvin Miller asked Jaelstrom and I this question, “I still think NAD is mixed on what they should do. Why isn't standing up to AGB a part of the big picture strategy?” That's a very good question, and I'll try [...]
Fri, Feb 18 2011

CSI: A Step Forward For The Deaf Community
The Deaf Edge For those who haven't viewed the CSI episode “The Two Mrs. Grissoms”, don't read any further. There are a lot of spoilers in this blog post. Now, onwards to the episode itself. Overall, I thought it was an excellent episode. Could it have been better? Yes, definitely and we'll get to that part soon, but [...]
Fri, Feb 04 2011

One of Deaf Education’s Dirty Secrets…
The Deaf Edge One early summer day, a couple of decades ago, my parents and a couple of other parents went door to door campaigning for one of the school board candidates. During their door-to-door campaign, they stopped by one of the deaf education teachers' house. They rang the doorbell, and *Susan's spouse answered the door. In the [...]
Thu, Aug 26 2010

The MSU Situation
The Deaf Edge A lot of people have been asking me about the MSU Deaf Education situation in the past several months, and it hasn't been until now that I've been able to blog about it. The reason for that is because from May to July, I was busy interning at the National Association of the Deaf. The [...]
Wed, Aug 11 2010

Interview About MSU Deaf Education Program
The Deaf Edge My mother was interviewed by the media about MSU's decision to close the Deaf Education program and ASL courses and unfortunately, the media didn't air the interview.  However, IamMine's dad videotaped the interview in its entirety – thanks, Dale! By the way, my mother refused to do the interviews unless the media included [...]
Mon, Apr 19 2010

National Trend Of Eliminating ASL Classes?
The Deaf Edge I'm beginning to notice a possible and disturbing trend nationally – universities are cutting American Sign Language courses from their programs and departments. As many are already aware, Michigan State University has eliminated ASL courses and the Deaf Education program beginning next year. MSU has cited numerous reasons for the eliminations: Budget Cut...
Wed, Apr 14 2010

MSU’s Deaf Education Update!
The Deaf Edge Approximately 25 to 30 Deaf Community members and allies made a strong showing at the MSU board of trustees' meeting yesterday.  Numerous individuals brought signs and held them during the meeting, and the board of trustees definitely saw the signs.  Four spoke during the public comments, expressing their concerns about MSU's plans to eliminate the [...]
Sat, Feb 13 2010

SBE’s *Amended* Resolution About MSU
The Deaf Edge The Michigan State Board of Education just released their AMENDED resolution about the MSU Deaf Education program. The new addition is at the bottom of the text.  Thank you, to the State Board of Education, especially John Austin, for doing this! —– State of Michigan State Board of Education Resolution Michigan State University Deaf Education Teacher Prepa...
Fri, Dec 11 2009

Thank You – But It’s OUR Cause
The Deaf Edge I would like to thank John Egbert for his blog post expressing support for my efforts to keep the Deaf Education program open at MSU. However, I wanted to emphasize that this is not my cause. This is our cause – the Deaf Community's cause.  Five thousand of you sent in emails and letters to [...]
Fri, Dec 11 2009

MI SBE Asks MSU To Reconsider
The Deaf Edge The Michigan State Board of Education [SBE] has made a resolution to ask Michigan State University to reconsider its decision to close the Deaf Education program in its memo dated December 1, 2009. The SBE's resolution will be on the MSU Board of Trustee's agenda this Friday. I am encouraging those who are attending, to emphasize [...]
Tue, Dec 08 2009

My MSU Rally Speech
The Deaf Edge Approximately 50 to 70 people showed up to today's rally at Michigan State University's Rally for Deaf Education. The weather was terrible – 25 degrees with a fierce wind, so most stayed home, unfortunately. However, there was a long list of speakers, and it lasted for approximately a hour and half, which is excellent, considering [...]
Fri, Dec 04 2009

MSU’s Rationale For Closing Deaf Ed Program
The Deaf Edge I am aware that DeafRead does not publish posts that have emails in it – but this is an extraordinary situation, and this is an email between two public officials, which can be FOIA'ed [Freedom of Information Act]. This is a public record, and illuminates MSU's TRUE rationale for closing the Deaf Education program. So [...]
Thu, Dec 03 2009

Closure of MSU’s Deaf Education Program
The Deaf Edge Michigan State University's Deaf Education program, the only one in the entire state that incorporates ASL and the bi-bi philosophy in their training of Deaf education teachers, is going to close fully in 2012.  The Deaf Education program's dean notified the co-chairs, (Dr. Harold Johnson and Dr. Claudia Pagliaro) that there will be a freeze [...]
Wed, Nov 11 2009

To Aidan Mack
The Deaf Edge ASL Version: English Version: I saw your Re: LABELS vlog, which was a response to my previous vlog, LABELS.  I thought it was great that you imitated me. Really, imitation is the sincerest flattery. I considered it a compliment, and I left a comment under your vlog on DeafVideo.TV, complimenting you on your vlog. Much to my surprise, [...]
Thu, Oct 22 2009

Dear You…
The Deaf Edge
Wed, Oct 21 2009
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The Audism Revolutions: Freedom
The Deaf Edge For those who haven't taken the red pill or seen the Matrix, please see my two previous posts here and here. “Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the [...]
Sun, Oct 18 2009

Seeing The Matrix: Audism
The Deaf Edge For those who haven't taken the red pill yet, please see my previous blog post in this blog series. Caution: this blog post is heavily technical, but I feel it's necessary to understand my following posts. The next blog posts will be in layman terms, I promise! Audism as defined by Dr. Tom Humphries is “the [...]
Tue, Oct 13 2009

Here’s The Red Pill: Deafhood
The Deaf Edge I offer you all the red pill, in order to explore Deafhood, Audism and Deaf Culture. This will be broken up in several blog posts – at the very most, 3 posts. This will, I hope, free you from the the self and other imposed constructs upon ourselves. In other words – beginning the journey [...]
Sat, Oct 10 2009

People of the Eye
The Deaf Edge It seems that my comment on the People of the Eye's blog was not published – so I'm posting my comment here on my blog. I don’t agree with what Barry Sewell is doing to CAD – but the fact that Deafhood’s image is tainted has to be addressed. Why is it in CAD’s bylaws? And let’s [...]
Wed, Oct 07 2009

To Ella Lentz – Our Discussion
The Deaf Edge [ASL Version] [English Version] For those who don't know, this v/blog post is prompted by my discussion with Ella Lentz under Aguabo's vlog found here. In this vlog, she videotaped a videophone conversation with another DVTV'er, Russell Errigo. He did not know the phone conversation was being taped. She also vlogged their AIM conversations. I left a...
Fri, Sep 11 2009

My Blog Series & *gasp* CIs!
The Deaf Edge For those who were reading my blog series, “Mom's Gone Fighting The Deaf Wars” – I still get almost daily hits on that series ... I've decided to turn these posts private.  The reason being is that I plan onto publishing this story someday. An extended version, since I've left out a lot that happened.  [...]
Thu, Aug 13 2009

Complaint Filed Against Sorenson
The Deaf Edge Three Video Relay Services [VRS] companies – Purple Communications, SnapVRS and CSDVRS has filed a complaint with the Federal Communicatons Commission [FCC], against Sorenson Communications, Inc. They are requesting that the FCC order Sorenson to halt their alleged non-compliance with the 10 digit number mandate, and degradation of service quality.  In their leg...
Fri, Jun 19 2009

A Letter To Me
The Deaf Edge My parents just gave me my childhood documents for me to decide whether I wanted to keep them or not.  The majority of the files were educational in nature, but a solid percentage of the files were legal documents.  As many of my regular blog readers know, as a child I was involved with a [...]
Tue, Jun 16 2009

Open Letter To ALL Deaf Organizations
The Deaf Edge Two recent incidents in the media has prompted me to write this open letter to all Deaf organizations. The first incident in the media was the “House Divided” episode on the television show, House MD. In that episode, the show turned into a science fiction instead of being the usual medical drama. A boy was [...]
Tue, May 05 2009
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Public Relations War on DVTV
The Deaf Edge The ongoing saga on DeafVideo.TV is a convoluted tale, beginning with AFA's inception in early March, prompting Barry Sewell to accuse AFA of being an extension of DBC, which has been denied by both organizations. This led to CherylfromMA and InsaneMisha, two prominent vloggers/commenters and strong supporters of Barry, to gradually over time, question his motiv...
Fri, May 01 2009
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The Power of Twitter
The Deaf Edge The online store, Amazon.com is now embroiled in an intense controversy due to its labeling GLBT books as adult, effectively censoring these books. This tactic apparently began back in Feburary, and it wasn't until this weekend, when Twitter bloggers took up the cause with the tag of #amazonfail, that Amazon.com declared it was a glitch [...]
Mon, Apr 13 2009
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Voice Recognition For VRS?
The Deaf Edge It's widely agreed in the national Deaf Community, not just in Michigan's, that there is a major dearth of interpreters who can voice accurately and smoothly. This issue is now spilling over to the VRS industry and one likely reason for this is because of the industry's draining the pool of community/free-lance interpreters, who are [...]
Tue, Apr 07 2009
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Another Deaf Scam
The Deaf Edge There is apparently another scam targeting the Deaf Community.  If you get this email (see below), be aware that this is a SCAM! Never, ever give out your password to anyone.  If a complete stranger asks you for your password to anything, that is a very strong indicator that it is a scam. And with the [...]
Tue, Mar 10 2009

Deaf Applause
The Deaf Edge [ASL Version] [English Version] I wake up this morning to find this post on DeafRead by Jack Barr, discussing the origins of the Deaf applause... where you wave your hands in the air instead of clapping. At first, I was laughing at what Jack was saying, because I recognized his story as a slightly different version of a [...]
Sun, Feb 22 2009

Hearing Men & Their Fetishes
The Deaf Edge I was surfing the Fail Blog today, and I came across this priceless picture. Quite fitting, considering today's “holiday”... Gotta love hearing men with fetishes, eh?
Sat, Feb 14 2009

We Are Deaf: One & Many
The Deaf Edge Ask not what the Deaf Community can do for you; Ask what you can do for your Deaf Community. At age 16, I became a founding youth board member of a local deaf services agency. In 2002, I organized a protest rally against the government taking a deaf mother to court for refusing to agree to implant [...]
Fri, Jan 23 2009

A Cyberspace Riot on DeafVideo.TV
The Deaf Edge As I type this blog post, right now DeafVideo.tv [DVTV] is embroiled in a historic cyberspace protest/riot, which was prompted by Aidan Mack's now infamous vlog where she discussed domestic violence, then accused Jerome Cain, a fellow vlogger and an ex of hers, of domestic violence. Jerome Cain denied the accusation and accused Aidan Mack of [...]
Sat, Jan 10 2009