...started for me this week. Having held the Illinois Teaching Certificate for almost a year and a half, applying in school districts and not hearing back from them, I finally got a break in the same school district as Nino and Chica's. Lesson learnt - knowing people in the system works as much here as anywhere else in the world! So even though the hiring right now has been as a paltry substitute teacher, its exciting nevertheless for a variety of reasons. Getting back into a profession very close to my heart even if its a baby step towards that; getting the opportunity of experiencing teaching, first hand, in a country other than my own; being able to step out after another long stint at home to name a few. And the good part is its working well with my schedule. Nino returns at 4:00 and I am able to return before that. Chica who still goes half day has been lucky to get a loving babysitter in a dear friend. And mornings just got better. Every morning Nino wakes up with the question if I got a call from some school to see if he would be able to don his 'responsible child cum caring older brother' hat today :) I had been counseling the kids since last week about all they would have to remember to do as I would have to leave, on some days, almost an hour and a quarter before they leave for school. Which is typically the time they are ready to go for the bathroom 'works' after having gulped down their milk. And A more often than not has office calls during that time, which essentially leaves the kids on their own to get ready, fold their clothes, make their beds, eat their breakfast, make sure everything that's supposed to be in the bags actually is (yeah we are last minuters) and biggest of all KEEP AN EYE ON THE CLOCK! And I am proud to say that on the very first day, I am a proud mom of kids who got ready 20 minutes before their scheduled time and were the first ones to reach the bus stop! Yeah, Chica wore pink and green socks with a black and white shirt and red leggings, but I am ready to overlook that because she did look amusingly cute nevertheless :)
So now notes from the first day of work. I spent my time laughing over this video with A last night and hoping my day went better than this ;)
I substituted for a Math/Science teacher in a middle school today. Some of the things that impressed me -
1. The day started with select News being broadcast for the students to watch throuhgout the school in the homeroom period. Such a great idea!
2. Outside every teacher's room, along with their name was a sign which stated "Mr/Mrs XYZ is reading . " (followed by the name of the book). How inspiring!
3. 6th graders were working on a presentation in groups of 4 on National Parks. The roles taken up by each group member were Geologist/Animal and Plant researcher/Historian/Tour Guide. They made slides according to their role and shared it on Google Docs with their group members which the Tour Guide then adjusted to, well guide the audience. Such a great project!
So that's the latest from my end. Tomorrow is another exciting day as I get to visit the young Kindergartners. My kids are more excited than I am about this one :)
5 Şubat 2013 Salı
Another new innings...
To contact us Click HERE
Video of Announcement of the Next Generation UbiDuo
To contact us Click HERE
If you missed the announcement you can still go and watch the recording of the announcement of the next generation UbiDuo by Jason Curry, CEO of sComm. And you can also watch the YouTube recording (Part 1, 2, 3, and 4) with captioning provided by a CART typist. Videos uploaded to YouTube were done a blogger, Mike McConnell, who attended the widely anticipated and celebrated event.
Stepping up to the plate for the 2014 Winter Olympics
To contact us Click HERE
It was a great honor to have met Michael Hubbs (see his website) for three days while he was at sComm, the maker of the next generation UbiDuo face to face communication device (engineered and made in the USA), to attend the launch party of the new, next generation UbiDuo. Michael Hubbs is a user of the UbiDuo face to face communication device (see video of him with the UbiDuo).
My title "Stepping up to the plate to the 2014 Winter Olympics" is about two things. First, Michael Hubbs who is a proven long track (and short track) speed skating athlete who is constantly stepping up to the plate on becoming a very competitive speed skater with his growing accomplishments over the last year and half. His accomplishments are notable if you followed his updates on Facebook. The goal of Hubbs' is to win a spot on the U.S. Olympics team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Soichi, Russia. This cannot be done without sweat, blood, sacrifice, and lots of money for training and traveling.
The other aspect of my title is that the deaf community and deaf owned and run companies will need to step up to the plate even more by sponsoring Michael Hubbs for his financial needs and support to continue with his training. If they are serious about wanting to see Michael Hubbs go to the 2014 Winter Olympics and for him to get the necessary training, then they need to step up and provide some financial support for Michael Hubbs. His own track records speak for itself as well as his honesty, heart and dedication on becoming the gold medal winner at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Financial support is even more crucial for the next 3 months when his goal is to raise $25,000 to help pay for a trip to South Korea and attend a 2 month long speed skating training camp known for its world class training camp. Getting there could make the difference on helping him win the spot on the U.S. Olympics Team.
It was a great honor to have met Michael Hubbs (see his website) for three days while he was at sComm, the maker of the next generation UbiDuo face to face communication device (engineered and made in the USA), to attend the launch party of the new, next generation UbiDuo. Michael Hubbs is a user of the UbiDuo face to face communication device (see video of him with the UbiDuo).My title "Stepping up to the plate to the 2014 Winter Olympics" is about two things. First, Michael Hubbs who is a proven long track (and short track) speed skating athlete who is constantly stepping up to the plate on becoming a very competitive speed skater with his growing accomplishments over the last year and half. His accomplishments are notable if you followed his updates on Facebook. The goal of Hubbs' is to win a spot on the U.S. Olympics team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Soichi, Russia. This cannot be done without sweat, blood, sacrifice, and lots of money for training and traveling.
The other aspect of my title is that the deaf community and deaf owned and run companies will need to step up to the plate even more by sponsoring Michael Hubbs for his financial needs and support to continue with his training. If they are serious about wanting to see Michael Hubbs go to the 2014 Winter Olympics and for him to get the necessary training, then they need to step up and provide some financial support for Michael Hubbs. His own track records speak for itself as well as his honesty, heart and dedication on becoming the gold medal winner at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Financial support is even more crucial for the next 3 months when his goal is to raise $25,000 to help pay for a trip to South Korea and attend a 2 month long speed skating training camp known for its world class training camp. Getting there could make the difference on helping him win the spot on the U.S. Olympics Team.
Deaf Girl's Mail without Postage Stamp Arrives at Grandma's house
To contact us Click HERE
I'm sure many of you recognize this little deaf girl who sent a letter in the mail to her grandmother but forgot to put a stamp on the envelope as well as the address to her grandmother's house.
The video below of Katrina Jensen isn't captioned. Complaints about lack of captioning should be sent to KPLR 11 news in St. Louis on their Closed Captioning page.
A letter sent by a little girl to her grandmother didn’t have any postage or even a name on the envelope. Yet it still got delivered to Utah thanks to the Postal Service.Valerie Welsch, with the U.S. Postal Service, says, “I think that somebody probably figured out it was a child writing and went ahead and let it go through from the goodness of their heart.”From St. Louis to Salt Lake City, with no name and no postage.Katrina Jensen, who wrote the letter, is happy the letter made it saying, “ I was surprised and I feel like something. So I feel like a rock star.”Katrina has hearing trouble, and her parents move her to St. Louis so she could attend the Central Institute For The Deaf. But that took her away from Grandma.Katrina "Kat" Jensen is the well known deaf girl in the deaf and hard of hearing blogosphere who wears a cochlear implant. Her mother writes about her daughter in her blog called, "Miss Kat's Deaf Journey."Utah television station, KSL, learned about the story and picked it up and interviewed "Miss Kat."
The video below of Katrina Jensen isn't captioned. Complaints about lack of captioning should be sent to KPLR 11 news in St. Louis on their Closed Captioning page.
NAD lacks technology coverage for deaf people
To contact us Click HERE
Interesting conversation I had with my wife and it made me think. So, I went over to NAD's website and looked over their technology page section "Making communication and information accessible." There it is. "Making communication accessible." NAD pride itself as the
NAD explains that
But on the NAD technology page there is no where to be found that discusses face to face communication devices. Using NAD's search feature I typed in "UbiDuo" and found no results. The same for "communication device" but it came up with one search result but it's not the same thing on what I'm discussing here.
Both culturally deaf and non-culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. It's not like no culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. They do. And, boy, do they ever use it. But that's beside the point here. The point is that NAD claim to represent and help deaf and hard of hearing people but do not even cover a very important communication accessible technology devices such as the UbiDuo. A simple communication concept that ensures leveling the playing field using the English language, for example. NAD does not have to tote the brand name but by the mere mentioning of a typed face to face communication device would be sufficient enough to let deaf (and hearing) people know that such communication devices exist out there. And that such an issue is a Civil Rights issue. Like the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division - Disability Rights Section page.
NAD needs to understand that text to text (typed) communication via a communication device is a Civil Rights issue under the ADA. Not covering it on their website, touted as the "...nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America," would be a sin.
NAD, do the right thing and help deaf people become more aware of other kinds of communication technologies that exist in the United States.
Interesting conversation I had with my wife and it made me think. So, I went over to NAD's website and looked over their technology page section "Making communication and information accessible." There it is. "Making communication accessible." NAD pride itself as the
"...nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America."One major civil rights issue among deaf people is to have equal communication access with their hearing peers. How can NAD be an "informed consumer advocate" if they refuse to cover easy to use face to face communication devices such as the UbiDuo, the only device that use real time typing communication via a split screen? NAD covers only assistive listening technology, hearing aids, cochlear implants, Captioning for Access, Internet Access and Broadband, movie captioning, telephones and relay services, television and closed captioning, and Video Remote Interpreting.
NAD explains that
"....people who are deaf or hard of hearing were early and eager adopters of accessible text-based communication and information systems, such as pagers, e-mail, instant messaging, and the Internet, as well as early adopters of videophones."There are thousands of early adopters of UbiDuo users who covet the real time nature and ease of communication (there is no"typing a response" notification where you wait for a typed response) with hearing people who do not know sign language. These deaf people who are UbiDuo users are the bulwark on paving the way helping the hearing public on recognizing their need to have immediate communication access using a communication device that allow real time typed conversation on a standard sized keyboard using common, every day language such as English.
But on the NAD technology page there is no where to be found that discusses face to face communication devices. Using NAD's search feature I typed in "UbiDuo" and found no results. The same for "communication device" but it came up with one search result but it's not the same thing on what I'm discussing here.
Both culturally deaf and non-culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. It's not like no culturally deaf people use the UbiDuo. They do. And, boy, do they ever use it. But that's beside the point here. The point is that NAD claim to represent and help deaf and hard of hearing people but do not even cover a very important communication accessible technology devices such as the UbiDuo. A simple communication concept that ensures leveling the playing field using the English language, for example. NAD does not have to tote the brand name but by the mere mentioning of a typed face to face communication device would be sufficient enough to let deaf (and hearing) people know that such communication devices exist out there. And that such an issue is a Civil Rights issue. Like the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division - Disability Rights Section page.
NAD needs to understand that text to text (typed) communication via a communication device is a Civil Rights issue under the ADA. Not covering it on their website, touted as the "...nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America," would be a sin.
NAD, do the right thing and help deaf people become more aware of other kinds of communication technologies that exist in the United States.
John Maucere as "Eddie Munster"?
To contact us Click HERE
Did TMZ go to far in making light of John Maucere's appearance while signing the national anthem at the Superbowl saying he looks like "Eddie Munster"?
Frankly, myself, I don't put too much stock into TMZ or their attempt to get laughs out of this one.
The funny thing is, the author of that "joke" is unknown for not putting his/her name on the TMZ site. Funny, coward or wot? Not?
Just saying.
Frankly, myself, I don't put too much stock into TMZ or their attempt to get laughs out of this one.
The funny thing is, the author of that "joke" is unknown for not putting his/her name on the TMZ site. Funny, coward or wot? Not?
Just saying.
3 Ocak 2013 Perşembe
Facebook Peer Pressure on "Unfriending"
To contact us Click HERE
This isn't new in the deaf community but I do have an opinion on this subject when it comes to "unfriending" any mutual friends in Facebook. First and foremost, it is none of my business to try and force people in my mutual friends list to "unfriend" certain people just because I don't like them. Threatening to expose my mutual friends or friends publicly by shaming them for friending certain people that I find unsavory, undesirable or not likeable for whatever reason in order to get them to "unfriend" is really not my business to do so. Doing so is a petty and immature thing to do. The people on my mutual friends or friends list are capable of making their own determination in their own time on whether to unfriend a person or not that I happen to not like. I have my own reason to unfriend certain people but that doesn't mean I hate them. Just that I have my reasons.
I consider it as a mob mentality when people in Facebook try and force others (peer pressure) on their mutual friends or friends list to "unfriend" certain people they do not like once they discover who they've friended with. And in the process threaten to unfriend them if they don't do as they say while they attempt to shame them in the process. First and foremost, if people do that to me then that means they do not respect me as a friend and in turn I would find them to be not credible friends in the first place for behaving like that. I don't what to be a part of a petty group who work on using peer pressure just because they have some insecurity issues they can't handle. Save that for pimply faced teenagers. But the incredible thing is that these are adults who have behaved in that manner.
Now, I have several mutual friends who are friends with undesirable people in Facebook that I don't like but I don't make it my mission to shame them into "unfriending" the people I don't like and threaten them that I'd unfriend them if they don't. Nor do I run to other people and create a buzz buzz about so and so who is friend with this really undesirable person in order for the group to create a peer pressure to try and get the person to "unfriend" this undesirable person. Really, it's none of my business to do that and it shouldn't be yours, either. In time in Facebook you will eventually get to see who your real friends are but once they cross the threshold of being petty to try and use peer pressure on you then you know what to do. For many in the deaf community peer pressure is what they do best and they use that to bludgeon people in order to get them to follow their petty agendas.
Not good.
This whole mob mentality thing is just like mad gossiping run amok. We just don't know who is telling the truth or the whole story. People who are friends with certain people in Facebook that you don't like may not know the whole story. Maybe they don't care because it amounts to gossiping and they have no need for it. Maybe they don't want to get involved. Or maybe they just don't know the person they've friended with to make any certain determination to "unfriend" him or her for the time being. There are two sides to every story and people have the capability to make their own determination in their own time without the need of petty peer pressure telling them that they better "unfriend" the person or I will "unfriend" you! Or something to that effect.
Sad, really.
Respect is a two way street. Being a part of a mob mentality and using peer pressure to "force" others to change their friends status is not about showing respect. Respect is about recognizing a person's capability of making their own determination on when to "unfriend" a person in Facebook without the need of using peer pressure, shaming, or threats of "unfriending" him or her. It becomes a sad state of affairs when I see those things happen in the deaf community. It makes it a more uglier world out there.
If you are a victim of peer pressure or fear losing a friend because of your friending certain people in Facebook that he or she doesn't like then that "friend" of yours is no friend at all if she or he behaves like that. That's probably a signal for you to step back and see who your real friends are in the Facebook world.
This isn't new in the deaf community but I do have an opinion on this subject when it comes to "unfriending" any mutual friends in Facebook. First and foremost, it is none of my business to try and force people in my mutual friends list to "unfriend" certain people just because I don't like them. Threatening to expose my mutual friends or friends publicly by shaming them for friending certain people that I find unsavory, undesirable or not likeable for whatever reason in order to get them to "unfriend" is really not my business to do so. Doing so is a petty and immature thing to do. The people on my mutual friends or friends list are capable of making their own determination in their own time on whether to unfriend a person or not that I happen to not like. I have my own reason to unfriend certain people but that doesn't mean I hate them. Just that I have my reasons.
I consider it as a mob mentality when people in Facebook try and force others (peer pressure) on their mutual friends or friends list to "unfriend" certain people they do not like once they discover who they've friended with. And in the process threaten to unfriend them if they don't do as they say while they attempt to shame them in the process. First and foremost, if people do that to me then that means they do not respect me as a friend and in turn I would find them to be not credible friends in the first place for behaving like that. I don't what to be a part of a petty group who work on using peer pressure just because they have some insecurity issues they can't handle. Save that for pimply faced teenagers. But the incredible thing is that these are adults who have behaved in that manner.
Now, I have several mutual friends who are friends with undesirable people in Facebook that I don't like but I don't make it my mission to shame them into "unfriending" the people I don't like and threaten them that I'd unfriend them if they don't. Nor do I run to other people and create a buzz buzz about so and so who is friend with this really undesirable person in order for the group to create a peer pressure to try and get the person to "unfriend" this undesirable person. Really, it's none of my business to do that and it shouldn't be yours, either. In time in Facebook you will eventually get to see who your real friends are but once they cross the threshold of being petty to try and use peer pressure on you then you know what to do. For many in the deaf community peer pressure is what they do best and they use that to bludgeon people in order to get them to follow their petty agendas.
Not good.
This whole mob mentality thing is just like mad gossiping run amok. We just don't know who is telling the truth or the whole story. People who are friends with certain people in Facebook that you don't like may not know the whole story. Maybe they don't care because it amounts to gossiping and they have no need for it. Maybe they don't want to get involved. Or maybe they just don't know the person they've friended with to make any certain determination to "unfriend" him or her for the time being. There are two sides to every story and people have the capability to make their own determination in their own time without the need of petty peer pressure telling them that they better "unfriend" the person or I will "unfriend" you! Or something to that effect.
Sad, really.
Respect is a two way street. Being a part of a mob mentality and using peer pressure to "force" others to change their friends status is not about showing respect. Respect is about recognizing a person's capability of making their own determination on when to "unfriend" a person in Facebook without the need of using peer pressure, shaming, or threats of "unfriending" him or her. It becomes a sad state of affairs when I see those things happen in the deaf community. It makes it a more uglier world out there.
If you are a victim of peer pressure or fear losing a friend because of your friending certain people in Facebook that he or she doesn't like then that "friend" of yours is no friend at all if she or he behaves like that. That's probably a signal for you to step back and see who your real friends are in the Facebook world.
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)