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Date:         Thu, 13 Aug 1992 01:32:16 EDT
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Subject:      Handicap Digest # 2867
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                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 2867

                          Thursday, August 13, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                             SHHH report 7 of 13
                             SHHH report 8 of 13
                             SHHH report 9 of 13
                            SHHH report 10 of 13
                            SHHH report 11 of 13
                            SHHH report 12 of 13
                            SHHH report 13 of 13


                                ******


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thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
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------



Subject: SHHH report 7 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 7 of the SHHH Convention---Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 27, 1992

Cedar Rapids, as part of celebrating Freedom Week, had a parade
downtown a couple blocks from the convention.  I saw a few
minutes of it and it even featured Uncle Sam walking on stilt
legs. There were lots of things going on in Cedar Rapids, among
them a 4-day barbecue being held across the street from the Five
Seasons Center.  A number of conventioners went over there for a
meal. I was told it was crowded and packed--no room to walk.  I
did not attend!

The weather so far was balmy and cool--sometimes I almost needed
a light jacket.  After all the talk about just how hot Iowa was
going to be, it actually turned out quite pleasant.  Denver, on
the other hand, had it hotter.

Workshops---

Stress Management and Relaxation Skills for Hard of Hearing People
by Julie Olson

According to program book: "One of the greatest stressors is
faulty communication.  By its very nature, hearing loss becomes a
gigantic stressor that creates and requires many changes in our
lives and in the lives of those around us.  Proper management of
the stress we experience is important to our health and wellness
as they relate to stress management and appropriate relaxation
skills."

The workshop was a little bit of a disappointment because I did
not learn much new.  Most of the techniques she showed I was
already doing.  There were some interesting parts, though. She
related writing a paper due the next morning on the computer and
printing it out.  The next morning, she was all set to go to
school except for a cup of coffee.  She put the paper on the
stove and left the kitchen.  She came back to find the paper
being burned on a hot burner---and she had only a half hour left
of time before leaving for the campus---and it took an hour to
get to the campus.  Great stress situation!!!! ARRGH!

She had humorous cartoons to illustrate her points...such as a
Viking wearing a helmet with the horns points attached to it
instead of the other way around and two Vikings saying one to the
other..."Don't bring attention to his hearing loss...he's
sensitive to it.''

A lady who sat next to me was named Mindel Stein Bobrow from
Maryland.  I asked her if she knew somebody named Kimberly Bobrow
and this is what she answered: "I was married to a Bobrow and
divorced in the 60s.  They all the Bobrows were related.  I
worked for 5 1/2 years for Meyer Bobrow, a cousin in the building
business."

Mrs. Bobrow was somewhat disappointed with the workshop and I
couldn't help but see that she rated all questions with a '5'
(poor).  Later, she was in another workshop I attended and I saw
out of the corner of my eye she rated that session with all '5's
too!

-------------

Just Do It!  The Art of Getting off Our Buts and If Onlys
by Nancy Mergenthal

"People with hearing loss often shortchange themselves
emotionally, intellectually, socially, and vocationally by
making excuses because of their hearing loss.  Learn the art of
motivating yourself to 'just do it' by identifying those negative
thoughts and learning how to change them to positive ones."

Some key points were:
     Patterns of thinking that keep us stuck:
          a.  Negaholism--"a syndrome in which people
unconsciously limit their own innate abilities, convince
themselves they can't have what they want, and sabotage their
wishes, desires, and dreams." (Cherie Carter-Scott)

          b.  Unrealistic Fantasies or Dreams--where we see so
many possibilities but we don't know where to start to achieve
them.

          c.  Excuses---making up excuses for not doing
something.

     To get unstuck:
     1.  look at ourselves, our abilities, our possibilities, our
potentialities and our goals realistically.
     2.  look at our hearts to see our unique calling and
purpose.
     3.  Mourn your loss (hearing)--to confront it and go on.
     4.  focus on what it is we want.  Identify our dream.
Identify the steps to achieve it.

It was at this session that Julia Rucker found me.  I was sitting
waiting for the session to begin when a young woman sat down next
to me talking about computers and modems.  It took me a moment to
collect myself and when I saw her name tag--then I knew.  She
asked me if we ever put a note on the community board trying to
get in touch with other Silentalkers (we hadn't).  She gave me
the voice phone number of the relatives she was staying with in
Iowa City.  This was the number I was trying to call via a relay
service.

---------------------------------

The State of the Art of Media Access
by Larry Goldberg and Katie Tryon

This session was about closed captioning and what new things are
being done.  They showed a clip from the Wizard of Oz with the
Munchkins and Judy Garland singing a song, and the captions
illustrating the songs were quite captivating. They made one of
the words blink on and off ('star') and made some words appear in
color for emphasis.  When Garland sang about the house beginning
to pitch, the word 'pitch' was tilted to the right in real
motion---e.g. printed in upright letters that then tilted right!
The captions even followed that action---if something was
falling, the caption fell with it. There were other interesting
effects on the captions besides these. You had to be there to see
it all.

One of the things discussed was about TV stations buying TV shows
that were originally captioned in prime time and then re-run them
without captions. The problem is that it costs more to rent shows
with the original captioning together.  The captioning and the TV
show aren't automatically together in a package.  We need to tell
the TV stations not to do that to 'save money' and also, it isn't
really ethically right to do it that way.

------------------------------

After the session was over, I put a note under the O'Keeffes' door
on the 3rd floor at the hotel about meeting Julia Rucker and then hurried
to my floor to get ready for the Amana Colonies tour at 4:00 p.m.

The Amana Colonies tour was interesting--stone, wood and brick
buildings for barns and other uses.  We passed by the Amana
factory that makes Amana appliances. We stopped by a few shops--a
winery shop where we sampled wines and a smokehouse where we
sampled smoked sausage and the ever present gift shop(!).  It
seemed like it was rush, rush, rush--we didn't tour the street in
Amana itself, but had dinner with German food served family style
at a restaurant named Ox Yoke Inn.

By the way, the Amana Colonies were founded by the Amana
Commune, a group of religious Germans who lived communally.  The
descendants no longer live that way, but they maintain the shops
and the restaurants that serve the food and other  products they
make.

After that, it was time to go back to Cedar Rapids through the
rolling farmlands made famous by the painters like Grant Wood
(who painted American Gothic).

Later that evening, the hotel phones weren't working so I made my
TDD phone call home using the pay phone in the lobby where I
ended up instructing three SHHH conventioners about my compact
TDD!

--------------------
To be Continued....

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.0!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: SHHH report 8 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 8 of the SHHH Convention---Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 28, 1992

This being Sunday, it was a quieter day with no sessions
beginning until 12:00 p.m. (most started at 2:00).

I spent the time browsing the exhibits and trying to make the
phone call to Iowa City via a relay with no success.  The TDD pay
phone is rather interesting and easy to use.   (A post was made
detailing this so won't repeat it here.)

Jack O'Keeffe was at the exhibits by himself, grilling the
exhibitors on their products--I should know!--I watched him from
a distance!  :-)

----------------------------

Workshops---

Hearing Impairment in North America
by Jerome Schein, Ph.D.

Program Book:
"Recently, information about the numbers and characteristics of
United States and Canadian citizens with hearing loss have been
made available.  Comparisons of the two countries have a number
of surprises:  some are similar and some dramtically different.
This seminar will present these contrasts, discuss their meaning
and emphasize their importance to service delivery.  Also to be
discussed, is the need for a continuous flow of current, detailed
information about the population with hearing loss."

Some interesting key points:

1.  Canada defines deafness differently than the U.S.  It asks
only two questions of people, and the questions make only the
severely and profoundly hearing-impaired 'deaf' while the mild
and moderately hearing-impaired don't get included.  The two
questions are:
     1.  Do you have trouble hearing normal conversation with 1
person?  If yes, are you totally unable to do this?
     2.  Do you have trouble hearing normal conversation with at
least 3 people?  If yes, are you totally unable to do this?

     The U.S. has seven questions (too many to note in my notes)
which are more detailed and penetrating. Canada's figures are
therefore lower.

2.  The percentage of deaf people vary by region--it cannot be
assumed that it's constant--it can vary due to several factors--
     a.  different definition of deafness (see no. 1)
     b.  different points in time
     c.  different geographical locations
     d.  different population bases--age, sex, race, etc.

3.  Deaf people don't tend to live to each other as neighbors.
They tend to spread out.

4.   Statistics can be manipulated to mean whatever you want!!!
Statistics are a foundation for resource allocation.  This is
very important to note!  For instance, 124 blind people are
rehabilitated for every 100 deaf people.  But there's a ratio of
26 blind to 100 deaf in the general population!

The statistics for number of hearing-impaired people in the U.S.
(22 to 28 million) is based on NO actual survey or study!  It's
based on guesswork.

We must do the statistics OURSELVES in order to insure proper
resource allocation for deaf/hearing-impaired people.

A bit of trivia--in Canada, hearing aids are FREE to children up
to age 18 and for those people age 65 and over.

-----------------------------------------

Job Mobility:  Strategies for Acquiring Promotablity Potential
by Virginia Anne Johnson, M. Ed. and Steven E. Boone, Ph.D.

Program description:
"Job mobility is key to acquiring a promotion.  Hard of hearing
people have express a need to learn skills for job retention and
advancement.  This workshop introduces 11 skills critical to the
process of acquiring promotability potential."

This was a rather heavy session with so much information that
can't be condensed to a few points.  I took copious notes on
their handout.

     However, 11 work performance attributes are critical for all
jobs:
     Amount of work performed
     Quality of work performed
     Attendance and punctuality
     Safety
     Teamwork
     Following detailed instructions
     Adapting to changes in the work setting
     Working without supervision
     Getting along with co-workers supervisor
     Getting along with supervisors
     Dealing with customers

Concentrating on improving and delivering on these areas will
increase your promotability.  Even if you can't do some things
like handling normal voice telephone conversations, presenting a
workable solution to the boss for this and other situations will
help you in the long run!!!!

-------------------------------

Julia Rucker was at this last session.  After the session, she
and I went to the O'Keeffe's room in the hotel so she could meet
the O'Keeffes where a group photo of all of us were taken.  Julia
and I couldn't stay long and the O'Keeffes were leaving anyway
soon to go out to dinner with a fellow SHHH couple from their
area.  Life gets interesting meeting people you 'meet' on an
echo....

(Note:  The O'Keeffes attended a hearing dog session where June
Lockhart (who is known for playing the boy's mother on the TV
series, Lassie, and as the mother of a family stranded on a moon
in a series, Lost in Space) was one of the presenters.  More
celebrities coming out of the woodwork...!!!!  And no, I didn't
attend this one!)  June Lockhart appeared on the news in Denver
shortly after I got back.  She was appearing at the NAD
convention, again in association with the Hearing Dogs.  My old
schoolmate from the 1960s appeared in the paper being presented
with her new hearing dog.

The Usher Ferry Picnic is reported next....

To be continued......

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.0!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: SHHH report 9 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 9 of the SHHH convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 28, 1992 (cont.)

Iowa Hawkeye Picnic at Usher's Ferry Pioneer Village...

" A collection of 25 restored buildings recreate a turn of the
century small Iowa town.  Buildings are furnished much as they
might have been when occupied by area residents.  The historic
Usher home, a train depot, a doctor's office and a working
blacksmith shop are among the highlights.  Usher's Ferry is
located in Seminole Valley Park in northeast Cedar Rapids.  SHHH
members will enjoy a special Heartland Picnic featuring
spectacular midwestern cuisine. hayrides and fun for all..."

There was a schoolhouse, a courthouse and town hall, a church, a
dentist's office, a lawyer's office and even a saloon complete
with bar.

When I headed toward the hotel with Julia, there were three tour
buses waiting.  When I got back, there was only one bus left,
full of people with the door closed, the motor running, looking
like it was ready to leave.  I thought I was going to
miss the picnic and so I banged on the door and it opened.  Just
then, George Khal, the chair of the convention, came running up
and told me that there were more buses coming--there were not
enough buses for everyone so some buses were coming back to pick
up the rest.  I felt a bit foolish!

While waiting for the buses, I talked to many conventioners who
all raved about the Denver convention.  I had to be honest and
said that I didn't get involved with SHHH on a local level until
after the convention was over so I had no part in it.  They all
said the Colorado members did a great job, Ann Pruitt in
particular.

This happened all through the convention...once people saw my
name badge with the location, Denver, CO, on it, they would talk
about the convention, the tours and all the activities.
Everything they said about it was positive.

They said having everyone booked in the same hotel made it more
friendlier with more camaraderie. They loved the tours that were
put together, for instance, the double decker bus to Boulder.
One said the view of the mountains from the hotel room set the
atmosphere for the convention--excitement, interesting locale,
etc.

One lady told me that her old college roomate was living in
Denver so she had the pleasure of see her old friend at the same
time.  One person told me she got sick during the convention (!!)
and had to spend some time in the hospital.  Another person said
the high altitude took a little while to get used to.

A couple from New York State (I think), consisting of a retired
Presbyterian minister and his wife, told me about their tour to
the Field of Dreams, a tour that I had cancelled.  They said the
field used in the movie was everything it was cracked up to
be---just like the movie, with the cornfields in the background.

Now for the village--

It was quiet and peaceful in the village in the early evening
sun.  Seeing all the old furniture and the things in the kitchens
made one think about the times back then--no air conditioning, no
conveniences, no quick dinners---just a lot of work.  Many of the
houses had bedrooms in the attics and they were uncomfortable
warm--just try to sleep there on such a hot summer evening!  Not
to mention tending a very hot stove!

Some of the SHHH staff members toured the village together, even
trying on some fashionable ladies hats in one of the homes.  I
took a photo of them chatting among themselves wearing those hats
on the porch of the house!  Some of them were staffers on the
SHHH Journal.

The dentist's chair looked 'painful'.  It made one think about
teeth problems they had then!   The chair itself looked too much
like an electrocution chair, complete with straps.

The church had a huge pulpit Bible on the podium.  A bug was
squashed between two of the pages.  It was quite informative to
see what was printed in an 1876 edition.  It had all kinds of
study helps in the front and in the back of it and was printed on
heavy paper, complete with 'woodcut-style' pictures.

The school house came complete with a 'dunce' hat and stool in
the corner!

There were other things too numerous to mention.

The picnic was served in a tent with a large gazebo nearby.  A
long line formed to get their plates full of barbecued beef,
fried chicken, corn on the cob, fruit salad, etc.  I spent my
time touring the village and then waited in line near the end
when most of the people had been served.

I sat at a picnic table talking to a young woman, Joyce Scott,
who I later found out was a presenter for one of the sessions, "I
Don't Believe My Hearing Aids!  Using Humor to Cope with Hearing
Loss."  I had trouble understanding people this evening (probably
due to being quite tired) and the discussion at the table was no
exception.

Rocky Stone and his family sat at the next picnic table.  Some of
his grandchildren were with him.

Thus wound up Sunday.

To be Continued.....
--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.0!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: SHHH report 10 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 10 of the SHHH convention---Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 29, 1992

There was a General Session II  at 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. but I
did not attend this.  One conventioner told the hotel to call her
at 7:00 a.m. so she could attend it but they instead called her
at 7:30 making her rush to get ready.  Maybe someone else who
attended the session could tell us about it.

The workshops:

2 + 2 = 3: Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids
by Joan P. Black and John Black

Program description:
"Understanding the puzzle of hearing loss.  This program is
designed to speak to you about the mysteries of hearing loss from
the perspective a person with hearing loss.  Learn about the
history of hearing loss and what that means in regard to your
hearing loss.  Understand how to read an audiogram and more."

Before the session, the presenters put a copy of Beethoven's
statement on the overhead viewer that he wrote regarding his
hearing loss.  It was among his papers after his death and was
thought-provoking.  He said that his progressive hearing loss was
making him isolated and dread the company of other people he used
to enjoy.  It probably affected his music in that he put so much
more of himself into it than he might have, giving the world a
body of irreplacebly moving and beautiful music.

The session was divided into three parts:

1.  Understand the past.
     They listed many famous people who contributed so much to
our society who would be labelled 'hard of hearing' by our
standards.
     Among them:  Beethoven, Thomas Edison, John Gregg (invented
Gregg's shorthand), Juliette Low, founder of Girl Scouts of
America, and so on.

     They showed advertisements implying the 'stigma' of
deafness.

2.  Remedy the present.

     Try to use hearing aids and assistive devices and understand
the advantages and disadvantages--what they can do and can't do.

3.  Upgrade for the future.

     The ADA was discussed.

---------------------------------

Get that Job:  Tips for Successful Job Interviewing
by Steven B. Boone and Virginia Anne Johnson

Another heavy session.

Julia Rucker attended this one, too.  Dr. Boone asked if there
were any questions before the session was to start and Julia
raised her hand and said, "Are you related to Daniel Boone?"  He
answered, "Anyone could be," or something to that effect.  (To be
frank, I was wondering the same thing!)

Program description:
"Learn how to interview for a job with confidence.  This seminar
will demonstrate successful "Tips for the Hard of Hearing Job
Interviewee," and discuss the ADA laws affecting the way you
interview.  Participants will be encouraged to conduct a
self-assessment of their interview skills and practice ways to
improve their interview behavior."

The Notes of the Proceedings has a very good description of the
content of this session.  I took copious notes on my handout but
again too much information to condense.

Briefly, one thing in general you should not do is to identify
yourself on the resume as hearing-impaired.  Wait until you come
to the interview to tell them that because that's when you will
'SELL YOURSELF.'

They identified several components of the job interview:

     1.  meet and greet the receptionist
     2.  meet and greet the interviewer
     3.  answer questions about yourself and your background
     4.  take your opportunity to ask questions about the job and
the company
     5.  close the interview

The stress is to turn a negative thing into a positive thing.
For instance, you can't use the telephone normally, but you can
use the phone using a TDD and a relay service with other people.

How you say things affect a lot.  They listed non-verbal sending
skills and verbal sending skills.

-------------------------------

Next:  The Heartland Farewell Banquet.

To be continued.....

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.0!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: SHHH report 11 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 11 of the SHHH convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 29, 1992 cont.

Heartland Farewell Banquet:

This event marked the official end of the Convention.

A funny incident happened on the way to the banquet.  An older
lady and I walked out of the hotel entrance to pass by a group of
people all dressed up (as we were, too).  One of the young men
saw our name badges with the logo SHHH on them and then put his
finger to his lips and said 'Shhhhh!' The lady turned to me and
asked, "What was that all about?"

When the doors opened, many of the tables near the front had
reserved markers on them, which Jack O'Keeffe felt was too many.
Since this was the first SHHH banquet I've attended I had nothing
to compare it with, not even the Denver banquet. I sat with Ret
and Jack O'Keeffe at a table farther to one side.

Most of the people at our table came from South Dakota, some from
Sioux Falls.  I told some of them I had been there.  The lady
next to me was hearing-impaired and also had a hearing-impaired
son.  She said that she thought the hearing impairment made her
son achieve better academically than he would have otherwise, to
which I agreed, saying it was true in my case, too.

The chairman, George Khal, said that approximately 830 people
attended the Iowa convention with about 72 exhibits total in the
exhibit hall. He said that he saw many sights in Iowa that he
didn't know much about--the Amana colonies, etc. even though he's
lived here for years.  (That seems to be true of everyone--I've
not been to places here in Colorado yet even though I've lived
here 20 years.)

Slides of the next convention in San Diego were shown--they
expect around 2,000 people to attend the 1993 SHHH convention
there.  Very interesting--it looks like it has a lot to
offer--but what's so special about San Diego that they're
projecting 2,000 people?

The banquet fare was Heartland food--a big slab of roast beef,
baked potato, vegetables--simple, hearty country food.

The surprise was the personal appearance of I. King Jordan, the
president of Gallaudet University, to accept the Walter Ridder
award.  We were told that he was scheduled to appear at the NAD
convention at 9:00 a.m. to give a speech the next morning in
Denver and he stopped in Cedar Rapids for the night to pick up
the award on his way there.  He gave his acceptance speech in
both voice and sign at the same time, saying that he wanted to
correct one thing---it wasn't him alone, the individual, who is
helping the cause of deaf people everywhere---he has the support
of his wife and numerous people behind him, without which he
wouldn't be able to do all that he wanted to do.

I saw I. King Jordan and his wife after the banquet up close when
they posed for the SHHH photographer.   His manner and quiet yet
forceful personality was impressive.

David Danner was the main speaker.  A retired senior vice
president of Griffith Laboratories in Illinois, he related his
experiences with hearing loss.  He got his hearing aids in the
early 1980s and told the story of one board meeting in Europe
where things were getting tense between individuals.  He stood up
and said that they had to stop; his battery was going dead.
There was absolute silence while the whole board room watched him
change his battery in his hearing aid.  By the time he was
finished, the tension was defused enough that discussion could
continue normally.

After the banquet, I walked by the the door where the Ozzy
Osbourne concert was being held.  A guard opened the door to show
some SHHH people and the music (noise?) was deafening!  One could
feel it pounding his/her body. A huge screen of the rocker was
visible with the rocker dancing to the beat. What irony....those
young people might be future SHHH members years down the road!

(The Ozzy Osbourne tour arrived Sunday with 4 tour buses parked
in front of the Five Seasons Hotel.  The buses had air-brushed
designs on the sides, with one of them saying, 'Ghost Rider in
the Sky.'  The entrance to one of the buses had a curtain with
skull and crossbones against a black background.)

Thus ended the convention.

To be continued.....

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.0!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: SHHH report 12 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 12 of the SHHH convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

June 30, 1992

Now that the convention was over, most everyone was leaving,
including Jack and Ret O'Keeffe.  They beckoned me over to have
breakfast with them and a friend of theirs at McDonald's when I
came into to get a quick breakfast. They were driving back in
their car home in Pennsylvania.

After that was the Kalona Amish tour at 9:00 a.m. About 2,000
Amish people live in the Kalona area.  Among the different groups
of Amish people are the Beachy Amish, which allow automobiles,
electricity, photography and the like but no TV, stereos, VCRs
and the like.  The Old Order Amish use horse and buggy
transportation and ascrew electricity, photography and the like,
but use battery power where necessary.

The Amish send their children to the one-room schoolhouses
instead of to the public schools, one of which we saw in the
countryside.

We saw the Old Order Amish driving by the side of the highway in
their buggys.  I saw a young man and woman in Amish dress walking
down the street in Kalona; they had parked their horse and buggy
in one of the parking spaces in front of a store.   We had a
wonderful Amish dinner at a Beachy Amish woman's house out in the
country.  The woman's name was Mrs. Ropp.

On our way to the dinner, our tour bus went by a farm house which
at that very moment, a young Amish woman and her baby came out
and she waved at us.

The dinner was very much like the ones my German grandmother used
to make---mashed potatoes, roast chicken, apple pie, etc.  Guess
there isn't much difference between the two cultures in some
ways--just good down-home farm cooking from visits to Minnesota
and my grandparents.

The tables were set in the living room, the hallway to the front
door, and the dining room. The whole house was full of tables! I
sat at the table leading to the front door so I had a view
outside of the country road.  It was peaceful and quiet out
there.  The Amish hostess wore a traditional Amish style dress
except it was white.  Her helpers wore light yellow and other
colors.

Her house was just like any other modern house except it had no
TV.  There were photographs hanging on the walls and bookshelves,
including a high school graduation photo of a granddaughter in
traditional Amish dress.  Even though stereos and VCRs are
supposed to be disallowed, we saw what looked like speakers in
the living room.  Evidence of the Amish religion clearly showed
on the walls and on the bookshelves (plaques, books, Bibles,
etc.), not much different from the many farm homes seen in my
personal experience in Minnesota.

Our tour guide told us our hostess had lost her husband 'two
weeks ago' and yet she went ahead with plans to put on a dinner
for us!  She was very gracious and answered all our questions.

There was more to the tour but won't mention any more here.

That evening, I talked to a conventioner from Nantucket,
Massachusetts, at McDonald's about the convention itself and
other things.  He said that he was the only one of his siblings
hearing impaired and that he was the 'black sheep', being
different from everyone else.  He liked some things and didn't
like some things about the convention and SHHH in general.

To be continued....

--
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Subject: SHHH report 13 of 13
From: Karen.Keil@p0.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/809.0 - Fantasy Mountain, Golden CO


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Part 13 of the SHHH convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

July 1, 1992

This report will be brief to be followed with some miscellaneous
information and observations.

That morning I toured the Art Museum and saw the artwork of
Marvin Cone and Grant Wood, both natives of the region.  You may
remember Grant Wood as the painter of the painting, AMERICAN
GOTHIC, which showed a farmer holding a pitchfork and his wife
standing next to him in front of a farmhouse.  This painting has
been spoofed and re-interpreted over the years.  Wood painted
other paintings; some were of the rolling Iowa farmlands and
portraits of people. The museum really caught the feeling of the
area.  (No, AMERICAN GOTHIC was not there!)

Now it was time to head home via the airport.  The cab driver
asked me where I was from and he said that he has driven people
from all over the world.

Two other conventioners also arrived at my gate, thinking they
were the last ones to leave Cedar Rapids. The plane took off and
this time I had my assigned window seat.  I did not see much of
the land below as we shortly flew over a thick cloud cover that
seldom broke.  The plane was buffeted as it descended through the
cover for some minutes before finally landing in Denver.  I was
home---very tired and accompanied by stuffed luggage labeled
'heavy'!---but what a week it was!

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

The SHHH bookstore had copies of the book,

     Legal Rights:  The Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
People, 1992 4th ed.  $19.95.

     It quickly sold out.  It's published by the National Center
for Law and Deafness, a public service of Gallaudet University,
Washington, D. C., USA.    The contents cover among other things,
health care and social services, employment, telephone service,
the legal system, television, the ADA, etc..  It does not seem to
cover privacy areas at first glance.  You can obtain it at SHHH.

     Linda Day, the singer at the reception, had copies of her
tape, INNOCENT FACES, featuring ten songs, including  MAKE YOUR
DREAMS COME TRUE.  She was donating $2.00 off the price of each
tape sold to SHHH.  There was a photocopied newspaper article
about her on the table by the tapes, but I didn't know if there
was originally a stack with only one left or not, but I didn't
take one.  By the time I came back, the article was gone.

     Other items include video tapes, such as:
     HERE'S TO THE ADA $35.00/$40.00
     A GOOD INVESTMENT:  MEETING THE NEEDS OF YOUR HARD OF
HEARING EMPLOYEES $20.00
     COMPUTER ASSISTED NOTETAKING--'NOW YOU SEE IT: VISUAL
TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE'
$15.00

     Some books from one of the sessions included CARPAL TUNNEL
SYNDROME: PREVENTION AND TREATMENT by Kate Montgomery.

     Copies of various articles on various subjects were sold,
too, along with some convention T-shirts.

--------------------

The signalling device to signal the phone ringing and the door
knocking was not of much real use.  It was too sensitive, making
the lamp blink a lot if I ever as so much as rattle a section of
the newspaper or a paper bag.  Finally, by the end of the
Convention, the device was disabled--enough was enough!

The phone had a red light that lit up all the time, even in the
dead of the night.  It was such a disturbance, keeping me awake
at night that finally I propped a pillow up to block the view of
it.  So there!

When I told some people that I was going to Iowa, they thought
that I was going to visit relatives.  No, I said, I was going to
a SHHH convention!  Most people thought there was nothing
exciting in Iowa to see.  That's not true!  I want to go back
sometime, visiting the Amana Colonies some more and other parts
of the state.  Every state has something to offer, even the
seemingly 'bland' ones.

Would I want to go to the convention again if I knew then what I
know now?  Yes, you bet.

                     -----end of SHHH report----

--
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