DeafMom

Not Only Deaf--Today I Was Mute
DeafMom Every now and then I feel sorry for myself. I had a meeting today up in Northbrook and I knew I couldn't make it up there. So after I dropped the oldest kiddo off at football camp, I headed to the nearest Panera Bread to set up the laptop and call into the meeting. After several attempts to connect to the WIFI, I finally settled back to make the call. The f...
Language Tech Wed, Jun 25 2008 hide this blog

Access Blocked--John Denver Videos
DeafMom Early this morning, while everyone was still sleeping, I sat down to browse through some John Denver videos on YouTube. I know just about every John Denver song by heart and can follow the lyrics because I've memorized them. I was excited to see a few songs that I haven't heard before and I was able to pull up the lyrics to follow along. I stumble...
Media Language Tech Sun, Jun 15 2008 hide this blog

Smoooooch--A Kiss Makes a Mom Become Deaf
DeafMom I was browsing through the pile of newspapers on my kitchen table and I came across a very unusual story about a mother who became deaf in one ear after a kiss from her daughter. Mind you, it wasn't an ordinary kiss. No siree, it was one of those big, sloppy smackaroos that only a kid can give, and it created enough suction to jar the tiny bones in the ear....
Media Fri, Jun 13 2008 hide this blog

Schuyler's Monster--A Father Shares His Parenting Journey
DeafMom Bilateral perislvian polymicropgyria. That's the diagnosis that Robert Rummel-Hudson and his wife, Julie, received after two years of trying to figure out why their three-year-old daughter couldn't talk. They learned that this rare, neurological disorder, caused by a malformation in the brain, was the reason why their daughter Schuyler (pronounced s...
Art and Storytelling Thu, Jun 12 2008 hide this blog

An Interpreter with ALS (No, Not ASL)
DeafMom This morning, I was browsing through my Google alerts and came across an article featuring Kim Maibaum, an interpreter who is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the famous baseball player who brought the disease into the public eye. My heart went out to Kim as I read her story. Kim ...
Language Sun, Jun 08 2008 hide this blog

Using a Videophone to Make Phone Calls
DeafMom Recently, my friend, Stephen Hopson came to visit from Ohio. Stephen runs Adversity University and is an inspirational speaker and life coach. He watched in amazement how I accessed a conference call using my videophone and called my mother-in-law with a regular phone and the videophone. Full disclosure here-- I work for Hands On, a company that has merged...
Tech Sun, May 25 2008 hide this blog

Beyond the Initial Cost--Closed Captioning Sends Out a...
DeafMom Down in Florida, there's a fight stirring up over whether or not to provide closed captioning for deaf and hard of hearing residents at The Villages, a huge retirement community with 70,000 residents. Louis Schwartz, a deaf resident, is asking the owners of The Villages to provide closed captioning on the TV programs they produce for the residents. No, says ...
Media Language Legal Tue, May 20 2008 hide this blog

Captioning on the Airlines--We'll Need a New Law
DeafMom It looks like I'll have to keep dreaming. I recently shared my experience in trying to get subtitled movies on a flight from Chicago to Hawaii. I called United Airlines again to get them to load a subtitled movie on the flight home. It's not going to happen. "I'm sorry, we don't show subtitled movies for the flight you are...
Media Tech Legal Fri, May 16 2008 hide this blog

Activism--When the Message Gets Lost
DeafMom Veralidaine posted an article for Blogging Against Disabilism Day featuring a video of a deaf woman being surrounded by police. In the video, the woman is using her voice, explaining that she's deaf. Veralidaine noted that when she posted the video on two different forums, the discussion turned to disbelief that someone couldn't possibly be dea...
Media Legal Culture Wed, May 14 2008 hide this blog

Dreaming of Accessible Airline Movies
DeafMom A month before our flight to Oahu, I called United Airlines to see if they had movies with subtitles. "Yes, the movies on longer flights are subtitled," I was told. So yesterday, we boarded the plane and I asked the crew person to make sure that the movie's subtitles were turned on. "I'll check into that," she said. ...
Tech Legal Mon, May 12 2008 hide this blog

Mainstreaming is a Place, Not a Success
DeafMom Although I'm late for "Blogging Against Disabilism" day, I wanted to touch on a subject that Terri Mauro blogged about recently: The Myth of the Magical Mainstream. Like Terri, I live in a district with a very strong inclusion program in the schools. For some kids, especially deaf and hard of hearing kids, inclusion can sometimes mean isolati...
Education Thu, May 08 2008 hide this blog

Sweet Nothing in my Ear--The Controversy Begins
DeafMom The movie, Sweet Nothing in my Ear, hasn't even been shown yet. And on the web, the discussions have heated up about cochlear implants: Political Correctness on TV Sometimes Goes Too Far: Is It Really Better to Be Deaf? In his post, Michael Russnow shared his thoughts about the movie: I was at a Hallmark Hall of Fame reception the o...
Media Language Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Sun, Apr 20 2008 hide this blog

"Sweet Nothing in my Ear" Tackles Cochlear Implants
DeafMom On Sunday, April 20th, the Hallmark movie, "Sweet Nothing in my Ear," will feature Marlee Matlin, Phyllis Frelich and Jeff Daniels. The movie is based on a Broadway play. The movie tackles the controversy surrounding cochlear implants, similar to the movie Sound and Fury, which portrayed two families making different decisions about get...
Media Language Tech Culture Thu, Apr 17 2008 hide this blog

Diversity, Inc. Tackles Disability Issues
DeafMom Diversity, Inc. magazine is featuring two articles on disabilities issues on their website: Seven Things Never to Say to People with Disabilities and Karen Putz's Video Interview on Drive-Thru Access (captioned) A couple of weeks ago, I was in New York and did the video interview at Diversity, Inc. The interview follows...
Legal Mon, Apr 14 2008 hide this blog

Silcon Valley--Access on the Light Rail
DeafMom The hubby and I are in Silcon Valley, CA--the home of Yahoo, Google and other giants. Last night, we hopped on the Light Rail to head to Mountain View for dinner. I haven't been on a train in a while, but riding the trains in Chicago used to be a nightmare for me years ago, as there was no way to know which stop was mine unless I memorized the su...
Language Tech Sun, Apr 06 2008 hide this blog

A Conversation with my Deaf Son
DeafMom My oldest kid is off on spring break this week and my other two kids are still in school. We've had some great bonding time this week and some nice conversations about various things in life. One conversation that we had was about how people with normal hearing view people who are deaf or hard of hearing. I like to think that I'm raising some pretty confid...
Audism Education Tech Thu, Mar 27 2008 hide this blog

Read My Hips, Says Marlee Matlin
DeafMom "Read my hips!" said a sassy Marlee Matlin in a clip where the dancers were sending out messages to viewers. As I watched "Dancing with the Stars" each night, I couldn't help but be totally blown away by Marlee Matlin's dancing. The girl has talent! And I think the reason why she shines so well is because as sh...
Media Tue, Mar 25 2008 hide this blog

The Conversations I Miss
DeafMom I went out to New York this week for a couple of things, one was a video interview at Diversity, Inc. magazine. It was my first time to see a magazine company on the inside--how amazing it would be to work for a major magazine! Diversity, Inc. has a small studio where they film video interviews for their website. When I saw the tiny chairs,...
Sat, Mar 22 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Jurors? Absolutely!
DeafMom Back in 1993, I was summoned for jury duty for the first time. I requested a sign language interpreter and the county courthouse arranged to have one available. I was working at a local Center for Independent Living and took the time off to attend jury duty. It didn't last long. On the first day, I sat in the courtroom for two differen...
Media Legal Mon, Mar 17 2008 hide this blog

Another Bad Experience with Captioned Movies
DeafMom Last Saturday, my daughter and I headed out to the AMC Movie Theatres in Lombard, Illinois. The movie theatre is equipped with "Rear Window Captioning," a system that displays movie captions on a piece of Plexiglass mounted on a flexible pipe that is inserted into the cup holder. The system is an awkward one--it takes some jockeying to get the Pl...
Media Language Tech Legal Wed, Mar 12 2008 hide this blog

Rear Window Captioning vs Open Captioning
DeafMom Today, I'm heading out to a movie theatre to once again experience Rear Window Captioning. I'm not a fan of this system, but my daughter is begging me to see the movie, Juno along with her friend Lauren who is also deaf. I can't say no... Several years ago, when the kids were much younger, we went to see The Incredibles at a local ...
Media Tech Sun, Mar 09 2008 hide this blog

Steak 'n Shake Issue Featured in Diversity, Inc.
DeafMom Back in January, 2008, when I went through a drive thru at a local Steak 'n Shake, I was denied service because I couldn't use the speaker to place my order. I met with the executives from the corporation and we are currently trying to work out ways to make Steak 'n Shake accessible to deaf, hard of hearing and speech-challenged individuals via the ...
Media Legal Wed, Mar 05 2008 hide this blog

When a Daughter Learns to Advocate
DeafMom "Do you have any homework?" I asked my daughter over the weekend."No, I'm done with it," she replied. "Except for one thing that I have to do for English class.""How's that going?" I asked. Earlier in the school year, Lauren came home to tell me that the same teacher was frustrated wearing the FM system, whic...
Education Mon, Mar 03 2008 hide this blog

Unaccessible Video? Contact Project Read On!
DeafMom Most of the Super Bowl commercials aren't captioned, so I was thrilled to find out that Project Read On took the time to caption the popular Super Bowl commercials and posted them on their site. Imagine my disappointment to find out that the Etrade commercial with the cute, talking baby wasn't as amusing as it looked without captions. But wi...
Tech Wed, Feb 27 2008 hide this blog

Deaf American Gladiator Passes Away
DeafMom Some of you may remember the American Gladiator named "Siren," played by Shelley Beattie. She was a deaf body builder who had an amazing physique and was beautiful to boot. Shelley passed away on February 16, 2008. While there has been no official cause of death released and some suspect her body building practices may have ha...
Media Culture Tue, Feb 26 2008 hide this blog

A Deaf Academic Bowl Competition
DeafMom I am pooped! We just arrived home from Indianapolis. We were at the Indiana School for the Deaf for the Midwest Academic Bowl hosted by Gallaudet University. The Academic Bowl is a competition where students answer questions from various subjects and compete for points. There were seventeen teams from ten states. My oldest so...
Language Education Sat, Feb 23 2008 hide this blog

Blind Woman Sues Fast Food Restaurants
DeafMom Clearly, the fast food restaurants need some training on basic manners along with customer service. Over in New York, Alice Camarillo is suing McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendys and Burger King. Alice is legally blind and she requires assistance reading the menu to be able to place an order. She has encountered employees who have presented attitude...
Legal Culture Mon, Feb 11 2008 hide this blog

Perfect That Way--Song About a Deaf Niece
DeafMom Here's a song that I have playing on my computer: Perfect That Way by Julie Durden. Julie's niece is deaf and she wrote the song for her. Here are the lyrics: She was born a little less than perfect at least in that doctor's eyes He said that she'll be different much more than you ever re...
Fri, Feb 08 2008 hide this blog Moved from DeafRead Extra

Virtual Shakes at the Reader's Cafe!
DeafMom Here in Chicago, we've got snow swirling from the sky with several more inches expected tonight. It's the perfect night to park yourself at the Reader's Cafe at the Do It Myself Blog. Glenda Watson Hyatt, who is the Left Thumb Blogger here at Disaboom, is inviting me to answer some questions tonight. I'll be serving virtual milk...
Media Language Audism Tech Legal Culture Wed, Feb 06 2008 hide this blog

Pushed to the Point of Quitting
DeafMom I'm going to share the story of a deaf woman whom I'll call Jenna. Jenna began working for a foster care agency a few years ago. A few months into her job, the first of several communication difficulties began to surface. She was required to attend regular staff meetings, but the agency did not provide an interpreter despite repeated reques...
Language Audism Tech Mon, Feb 04 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Commercial Kicks up a Storm
DeafMom Pepsico released a commercial last week showing a spoof of a popular deaf joke that has been told among deaf people for generations. It's an amusing joke, one that has probably never occured in real life, because, well--it's a joke! The commercial shows two deaf guys going down a dark street. Both of them have forgotten the a...
Media Language Audism Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Sun, Feb 03 2008 hide this blog

Learning About Inclusion Solutions
DeafMom After my run-in with Steak 'n Shake and the manager's refusal to serve me a shake because I couldn't use the speaker, I started getting emails about Inclusion Solutions, a company that makes accessible drive thru products. The company's owner, Patrick Hughes, Jr. contacted me shortly after a friend told him about my experience at the Ste...
Tech Legal Wed, Jan 30 2008 hide this blog

The Milkshake Fiasco Around the 'Net
DeafMom Deny a woman a shake and look what happens: Emoms At Home: Standing up for a Friend and Fellow BloggerThe Consumerist: Steak 'n Shake Manager Denies ServiceJim's Blog: Steak 'n Shake Denies ServiceMy Wooden Spoon: Boycott Steak and ShakeA Cowboy's Wife: Boycott Steak and ShakeThe Marketing Eggspert: What Steak and Shake Will Do For Its Customers...
Mon, Jan 28 2008 hide this blog

Oh, So I Planned this Steak 'n Shake Thing?
DeafMom An anonymous commenter left a comment on Friday night on my blog filled with f-bombs and b-words. He or she wondered why I couldn't just go inside the (insert f-bomb) restaurant? Did I plan this? Am I doing this for money? How can one plan a denial of service at a drive thru window? When I pulled up to the Steak 'n Shake ...
Audism Legal Sat, Jan 26 2008 hide this blog

Never Deny a Woman a Shake
DeafMom I hope the manager at the Bolingbrook Steak 'n Shake learned something: Never stand between a PMSing woman and her shake. On January 23rd at 4 p.m., I drove up to the Steak 'n Shake. I used the drive thru as I always do--I pull up to the window and the first thing I do is inform the employee that I didn't order at the speaker because I...
Audism Legal Fri, Jan 25 2008 hide this blog

Steak & Shake--I Just Wanted a Dang Shake!
DeafMom Every now and then, I encounter some resistance when I bypass a restaurant's drive through speaker and go right up to the window. But what happened today at a local Steak and Shake restaurant is beyond belief. All I wanted was two shakes, a vanilla one for me and a chocolate one for my youngest son. I pulled up to the drive-thru window a...
Language Audism Tech Culture Thu, Jan 24 2008 hide this blog

A Deaf Drummer? Why Sure!
DeafMom When Stephanie Ellison isn't at work at the local REI store in Houston, she's hard at work practicing her drumming technique. This deaf gal loves playing the drums and listening to both classic and hard rock. I "found" Stephanie on the web while doing a search for deaf and hard of hearing musicians for another website. So I just h...
Art and Storytelling Education Culture Wed, Jan 16 2008 hide this blog

Looking Back on 2007
DeafMom Glenda, the Left Thumb Blogger, is encouraging Disaboomers to look back on 2007 and share some accomplishments. The idea comes from a book that Glenda is reading called "Life Makeovers." Glenda lists 17 impressive accomplishments, which is spurring me to set greater goals this year so that I can look back in 2009 with something to write.&...
Language Culture Wed, Jan 09 2008 hide this blog

Using a Videophone to Make Calls
DeafMom The first time that I called my Dad using i711.com relay through my computer, he nearly fell over. I used a wireless phone to chat directly with him while watching the interpreter sign on the computer. The interpreter kept up so well, that there was very little lag time between when my Dad spoke and my response back to him via voice. We had g...
Tech Mon, Jan 07 2008 hide this blog

A Finger for a Thumb--Learning ASL with a new Thumb
DeafMom The halls leading to the children's classrooms of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood are adorned with the artwork of youngsters. Tiny paper hands, the colorful outlines traced in crayon and cut with scissors, bear the carefully scrawled names of the children who created them. The hands speak to you. Dr. Nancy Benham, coordinator...
Language Culture Fri, Jan 04 2008 hide this blog

Jamie Berke, About.com Guide
DeafMom For ten years, Jamie Berke has been producing articles on deaf and hard of hearing topics for About.com. Her chance to become a Guide almost didnt happen. It was winter, 1997not long after I graduated from Gallaudet University, Jamie recalled the process of becoming an About.com Guide. I received an email that I thought was a junk email ...
Culture Sat, Dec 29 2007 hide this blog

My Future Deaf and Hard of Hearing Grandchildren--You Want...
DeafMom Veralidaine here on Disaboom sent me a link to her blog, Stir This, where she discusses an issue that's causing an uproar in England: Designer Deaf Children. There's currently a bill that is passing through the House of Lords that will effectively take away a parent's right to implant an embryo that has been screened and found to be carrying genes ...
Media Audism Legal Culture Wed, Dec 26 2007 hide this blog

The Genetic Puzzle
DeafMom Sometimes it is good to know. And sometimes it is not. There are five generations of hearing loss in my family. I say "hearing loss" because none of us were born deaf or hard of hearing. Every member was born with hearing in the normal range. Every one of us experienced a "loss" when it came to losing hearing....
Tue, Dec 18 2007 hide this blog

Katherine Gable--Deaf Graphic Artist
DeafMom Katherine Gable loved to draw as a kid. Her grandfather and her aunt were artists and she wanted to become an artist. But Katherine's father had other plans for her--he wanted her to follow his footsteps and go into engineering. "The art gene skipped a generation," Katherine chuckles. Katherine was in her high school's Environment...
Art and Storytelling Culture Wed, Dec 12 2007 hide this blog

Two Powerful IEP Guides
DeafMom I'm often asked questions about Individual Education Plans and how to advocate for students with disabilities to get their needs met at school. There are two books that I especially find helpful: From Emotions to Advocacy by Pete and Pam Wright. The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Education Child by Lawrence Siegel. &...
Language Audism Education Tue, Dec 11 2007 hide this blog