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Approved-By:  Bill McGarry <wtm@SHELDEV.SHEL.ISC-BR.COM>
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Date:         Tue, 1 Sep 1992 11:16:02 EDT
Reply-To:     Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
From:         Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Subject:      Handicap Digest # 2906
X-To:         LHCAP <l-hcap@VM1.NODAK.EDU>

                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 2906

                         Tuesday, September 01, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                          Re: cellular phone rates
                                  Team usa
                            Need sports activity
                                   Hatred
                              Re: Deaf Culture
                        Re: BRS: INVASION OF PRIVACY
                               On Signing....
                                Attagirl!!!!
                          Attagirl!!!!          2/
                                Attagirl!!!!


                                ******


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------



Subject: Re: cellular phone rates
From: Bruce.Couper@p0.f401.n229.z1.fidonet.org (Bruce Couper)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:229/401.0 - The Connection HST!, Oshawa ON


 -=> Quoting Jean-Pierre Beland to Bruce Couper <=-

 JB> Cantel has a special rate for person with disabilities for their
 JB> cellular phone.  I heard about this last year.  If I remember
 JB> correctly there is no installation cost and a lower monthly rate.  I
 JB> don't have more information as I was not planning on purchasing a
 JB> cellular phone.  I have a dealer near me, so I can inquire there if
 JB> you or someone else needs more info.

Thanks for the info Jean-Pierre.  I could also inquire, I am sure.  I
did not know that there was a special rate.  I will call right now...
hold on....

OK, here's what I was told... There _are_ special rates for persons with
disabilities, the requirement being that the applicant be a member of
the Canadian Paraplegic Association.  Cantel will waive the installation
fee and provide an addition 30 minutes of free air time to the standard
30, making 60 minutes a month free.  Current rate is 50 cents/min for
next 90 minutes.  The monthly connect fee is $29.95.

I tried to be careful copying this down, but one should check with
Cantel to be sure before buying.

Still rather too expensive for me, Jean-Pierre.

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!229!401.0!Bruce.Couper
Internet: Bruce.Couper@p0.f401.n229.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Team usa
From: Sheila.Fava@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org (Sheila Fava)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3602/24 - ADAnet One (tm) Net, Pinson AL


[This is from the Abled Athlete Conference]

WHOO!  Ernie, it is messages like yours that make m'day...that give
-me- chills!  Team USA is certainly a reality for you and to
consciously -plan- for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics is a very good
idea.  That's what I did in nineteen eighty two:  Planned ahead for
the ninteen eighty-four Paralympics held in New York.  That was the
first year there were wheelchair athletes in the Los Angeles
Olympics.

EH -> something else to focus on

You say you have played vollyball and been in track and field.
-Good- start!  True, self-motovation and self-coaching are the pits
(I'm a self-coached swimmer.  There are no Adaptive/NON-Adaptive
Swim Coaches in Nevada.  Wretches!) but it -can- be done.  You
might also have connections with someone at the local Middle or
High School who would be able to coach you in the finer points of
holding a javelin, throwing a discus, road-racing and sprint-racing
correctly....playing wheelchair basketball, vollyball, soccer,
table and lawn tennis, bowling -safely-. Or Archery or Air
Guns...again:  Safely.  Sailing?  Perhaps that will be included at
the 1996 Paralympics.  What are -your- interests?

If you are familiar with Birmingham (Are you?), the Director and
Founder of ADAnet, a computer network, lives in Birmingham.  Bill
Freeman is an exceptional person and you would have a very valuable
contact through him.  He's not into sports but he's knowledgeable
in other fields.  He just now is awaiting the results of his Bar
Exam.

Do you belong to any sports' organizations?  In order to assess the
competitions I want to compete at, I have joined several national
sports organizations/international sports organizations for the
disABLED.  You would have to at least join the NWAA (National
Wheelchair Athletic Association).  Are you able to travel
independantly to, say, a town offering specific
coaching/competition of your choice?

Are there any organized Adaptive Team Sports in your area?  Are
there enough wheelchair rowdies you could round up for an impromptu
game of basketball?  Would the local Police Athletic League (PAL)
or some representative of The Athletic Conference (TAC) help you
with the athletics of your choice?  All these questions I must ask
because I do not live in New Jersey...I live in Nevada (Again:
Wretches!).

Here is some fodder for you.  Let me know how you fare in the
surgery department.  If you must go to Birmingham, you will know a
person there who is a phone-call away.  If there is anything I can
do, do not hesitate to ask.  Write back.....

                    ---Sheila

                    *** HOST(ess) disABLED Conference ***
===
 * QNet3 *  Pick's Place * v32/v32bis * HST/16800 * 2017650164 * 24 hrs *

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!3602!24!Sheila.Fava
Internet: Sheila.Fava@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Need sports activity
From: Sheila.Fava@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org (Sheila Fava)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3602/24 - ADAnet One (tm) Net, Pinson AL


[This is from the Abled Athlete Conference]

Your message has been noted, Ernie.  I could not find this original
mes- sage from you on other BBSes...perhaps the Megabyte Muncher
got'em.... Here is my reply:

Like Greg says:  If a w/c is the inevitable outcome, please accept
it...and  remember  there  -are-  w/c sports besides the ones that
Greg mentioned:  Archery, Airguns, Bowling,  Sprint  and  Distance
racing,  Sailing,  Canoeing,  Kayaking, Fishing, Skiing, Track and
Field.... and Swimming....the sport I chose.

    Here are some addresses for you:

    National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA)
    3595 E. Fountain Blvd. #L-1
    Colorado Springs, CO 80910
    Phone:  (719)574-1150
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    I have no idea if you are a Veteran.  In any case:

    Paralyzed Veterans of America
    Attention:  Sports Dept.
    75-20 Astoria Blvd.
    Queens, NY 11370-1178
    Phone:  (718)803-3782

    or

    New Jersey VARO
    Attention:  Sports Dept.
                (201)645-6068

    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Access To Recreation (Catalog)
    2509 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. #430
    Thousand Oaks, CA  91362
    (VERY good catalog!)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sports'N'Spokes  (Magazine)
    5201 N. 19th Ave. #111
    Phoenix, AZ  85015-9986
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Les Autres Sports Organization
    34518 Warren Road #264
    Westland, MI  48185
    Phone:  (313)425-8961
    (PARALYMPIC Organizing Committee)
        (Monthly Newsletter and Calendar)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    That's it for the moment.  Any questions?
    ===================================================================
                    ---Sheila

                    *** HOST(ess) ADA-Athlete Conference ***
===
 * QNet3 *  Pick's Place * v32/v32bis * HST/16800 * 2017650164 * 24 hrs *

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!3602!24!Sheila.Fava
Internet: Sheila.Fava@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Hatred
From: Bill.Freeman@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Freeman)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3602/24 - ADAnet One (tm) Net, Pinson AL


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Hello Roberto,

 Thanks for writing back to me. In your message, you said

-> I understand that Deaf people are tired of people not accepting the
-> fact they don't being deaf and don't want to be "fixed." It's kind of
-> like Sammy Davis Jr.'s "I Gotta Be Me." That's what a Deaf guy I know
-> told me. Seems a lot of folks can't stomach this.

Deaf people should not have to be "fixed" to be acceptable to
anyone. Period. If a person is happy being who they are as they
are, then I'd think they have a right to be let alone - to enjoy
themselves without interruptions from the rest of the world.

If a person isn't happy being who they are and as they are, they
should try to change themselves to make themselves happy. I have no
idea if cochlear implants do this or not, but it seems to me to be
the choice of the INDIVIDUAL - not any deaf activist group.

I think deaf people may have a good understanding of how it feels
to be isolated due to a disability. Deafness isn't something
immediately obvious like a mobility impairment. I'd guess a lot of
folks assume deaf people don't have a disability, until they find
out that they do.

I have mild cerebral palsy, and I know that is the case for me. I
think I'm fairly normal (a bit fat, but hey!?) looking, and no one
would know I have a disability until I get up and walk. Sometimes I
think I'd almost rather have a wheelchair, but then I think about
how lucky I am to be able to get around as I do. Let me explain
what I mean:

People get to know you, and then find out about your disability,
and its like someone you've been dishonest with them. They feel
betrayed by their own senses, and embarrassed that they made plans
based on you without a disability.

Some people say that friends that are bothered by a disability
aren't really worth having as friends. My experience has been
different. Some of my friends are bothered by my disability, and
will say so in subtle ways. I let them know its Ok, and that it
bothers me too, in the same ways often, and we go on from there.
Kinda like friends that discover something that isn't perfect about
each other, but decide to continue being friends anyway, because
they like each other.

I just found the Deaf Mosaic story on Cochlear Implants curious -
because of the stark images the deaf activists were using. Geez,
I'd be scared to death if someone wanted to implant me with
something somehow similar to the Holocaust. I think that no one is
mandating that anyone be implanted with anything. Perhaps some
zealous doctors are strongly encouraging parents to implant their
children - but are they not grounding their opinion on good ground?
Maybe this is wrong, but the way to change it is not by calling
names and looking like fanatics - it is by developing educational
resources for parents faced with this decision. Give the parents
all the imformation available - and then let them decide, just as
you would on any other operation for a child.

I'm sorry I wrote so much to you, but I think the philosophy that
the Cochlear implant technology stirs up is not all that new, and
can be dealt with in a satisfactory way to everyone.

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!3602!24!Bill.Freeman
Internet: Bill.Freeman@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: Deaf Culture
From: Fran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/94 - Monroe Electronic M, Monroe NY


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Hi Jim,

FO>>With the exception perhaps of not learning the language of the new
FO>>country I don't think preserving traditions or mannerisms or other
FO>>cultural ties to one's former country or heritage is a negative
FO>>thing but rather a positive one.
 JB>   That's true.  Unless knowing the traditions and mannerisms us
 JB>   used as a means of excluding *outsiders*

But I don't think that's the case or intent with the people
involved with Deaf culture.

FO>>...the
FO>>differences should not be used to *exclude* others, however I
FO>>don't think that for the most part they are (in most ethnic
FO>>cultures)
 JB>   In most cultures, no.  But it IS a common complaint here on SF

Did you mean ST? (meaning this echo?) There's an awful lot of
emotional reaction and disagreement, but I still don't think that
the Deaf go out of their way to exlude others.  They just don't
want to be criticized for their beliefs.

FO>>And if you have had occasion to practice signing with deaf signers
FO>>than it appears they haven't excluded you.
 JB>   Absolutely not!  They have welcomed me, stumbling over my own
 JB>   hands, with grace and patience, laughing with me as I get
 JB>   confused with the signs, gently correcting me and genuinely
 JB>   enjoying the encounter.

See, I thought so... they may not actively recruit outsiders, but
as long as you are sincere, are most happy to include you (my
impression anyway).

 FO>>I remember a very nice Italian family who live around the block.
 FO>>They spoke perfect English but periodically still spoke Italian at
 FO>>home so the younger generation could pick it up (which they did).
 JB>   In my family, Italian was used between my mother and grandmother
 JB>  when they did not want us kids to know what they were talking
 JB>  about!

My family used pig-latin! <grin>  I think all families have some
way of trying to convey things around the kids.  We even had a dog
who could decode it when we'd spell the word O-U-T -- and still go
nuts! (which we we're trying to avoid) :-)

FO>>The similarities should be enjoyed but I think the differences add
FO>>variety and a rich texture to our American culture which as one
FO>>student from a local college here aptly put it-- should not be
FO>>viewed as a melting pot where everyone just gets blended into
FO>>sameness but a stir-fry where the original color and texture is
FO>>retained.  Anyway, that's how *I* like my diet. <grin>
 JB>   Stir-fry...that's absolutely beautiful!  I'm going to adopt that
 JB>   image.  Thanks, Fran.

I liked it too.  Not mine originally -- a black girl from Marist
College here ... trying to get Black culture events more on campus.

FO>>BTW: That's neat you're still learning sign... I have a feeling
FO>>that there IS a special use you will be called to put it to
FO>>someday. :-)
 JB>   It's often frustrating waiting on God's time.  Some day it will
 JB>  be clear and all of you will hear.

In the meantime it sounds like you're having fun in the process
and that might be in God's plan too! :-)

--Fran

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!272!94!Fran.O'gorman
Internet: Fran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: BRS: INVASION OF PRIVACY
From: Leti.Labell@f421.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Leti Labell)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/421 - Twilight Clone Mac, Rockville MD


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

I DO have a little more input on the monitoring of phone calls.  In
the case of operator assisted calls, ALL operators are monitored on
an occasional basis, to make sure they are giving the proper
service.  True, the types of calls that are being monitored are not
personal information like you would have on a relay call.  However,
there is a precedence for the monitoring of operators.

All operators are covered under strict confidentiality rules, and
at least at the company I work for (Bell Atlantic), operators would
be fired if they break that confidentiality.  It doesn't happen
often, but when it does, everyone knows about it (the firing, I
mean.)

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!421!Leti.Labell
Internet: Leti.Labell@f421.n109.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: On Signing....
From: Jim.Brown@f98.n374.z1.fidonet.org (Jim Brown)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:374/98 - The SCAM, Rockledge FL


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

HB>JB>I am learning to sign, and I don't know why.  I only know it is
HB>JB>important that I learn.  Perhaps some day God will tell me why.

HB>How about the mystery side of it?

Hughes,
Signing is not a "mystery" to me.  I do indeed have a limited sign
vocabulary, only a couple hundre words,  but it is not mysterious.
I guess I didn't make myself clear,  I am learning sign because
inside something is telling me it is important that I sign.  I do
not have a reason, a family member, or a co-worker or even just a
friend who is deaf.  I just know it's important to learn.

JB>"I have surpised myself on a couple of occasions because I was REALLY
JB>able to communicate in sign! I want to sign, not to set myself apart,

HB>The mystery comes out that he is SURPRISED that he can REALLY
communicate.

Again, I guess I did not make myself clear.  I have been learning sign
for almost a year now.  I am continuously frustrated because my  sign
vocabulary does not match my English vocabulary.  What I was trying to
say here was I am surprised that I have learned enough signs to actually
talk to someone.  It's not that I am surprised this is a language, it's
that I have learned enough of it to get someone to understand me.  I was
surprised, in exactally the same way, when I was able to get the people
of Paris to understand me with my minimal-no miniscule- knowledge of
French.  Do you see the difference?

You are right, Hughes, there is only one family of man with only one
Father.

With much appreciation,
Jim

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!374!98!Jim.Brown
Internet: Jim.Brown@f98.n374.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Attagirl!!!!
From: Ann.Stalnaker@f2120.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:124/2120 - Fingers Talk, Irving TX


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 HB> You know something Ann? I've known a few people (hearing people) that
 HB> took signing classes for one reason... because they REAlLY were
 HB> attracted by ONE thing only; the MYSTERY of it.  Nothing more than that!
 HB> ALL these people don't last very long in those classes because they come
 HB> to realize that indeed, they were attracted by mystery, nothing else.

I'm going to have to agree with you on this because I see it happen
all of the time.  I have taken sign language (found it a bit difficult
using ASL because I think in English since it is my first language
and thus want to use SEE - instructor didn't much like that!  :-))
and have had any folks tell me they are taking sign language
because it fascinates them, not because they want to communicate
with those who use it.

 HB> ....The ones that think that Deaf Culture is really *cool* or *keen* or
 HB> whatever, would change idea if tomorrow morning they became
 HB> completely deaf... There only love would turn back to the culture they
 HB> had.... and that they lost forever.... Those who have never heard in
 HB> their lives think that they really need a culture for themselves for the
 HB> simple reason that they don't even know about the only culture that
 HB> exists in the UNIVERSE..... the culture of the majority... the Culture
 HB> of the Living Human Being.  To put ourselves aside from this majority
 HB> means we simply do not accept it... And the reason for this is probably
 HB> because we cannot adopt to it....or maybe we don't feel like fighting
 HB> (or too weak to fight...) to be part of it......

 HB> There will always be one, and ONE ONLY culture for me... and if it was
 HB> so for EVERYBODY, then the world would be much better off...

I can't comment on missing hearing because I've never had enough
to be able to distingush between the sounds.  Even though I was
born deaf, I was not exposed to the Deaf Culture until 10 years
ago and was very much appalled by what I felt could have been
different.  I've met many, many who were a part of the Deaf
Culture who could not comprehend simple English language and
even wrote in ASL.  I also came in contact with quite a few
who could lip read very well and loved being around me so they
could practice their speech and speechreading skills since I
didn't sign.  We always had a great time and it was such
a warm feeling to know I could help them.  I've also come
in contact with deaf children who attended Deaf schools
and would speak their first word - but were ignored simply
because there wasn't any follow-up or speech therapists
available to work with them.

The world definitely would be a much better place if all
of us worked together.  There have been times when those
who are a part of the Deaf Culture have made life a bit
difficult for the rest of us who want to help ourselves.

I've never felt I didn't belong anywhere - I never felt
I needed to belong to one group or the other.  While I
do enjoy meeting others with hearing impairments and sharing
my experiences of life being deaf, I don't dwell on the fact
that I am deaf.  I make the best of what I do have and seem
to fit in anywhere.  I call this accepting the fact I have
a hearing impairment and go on my merry way enjoying what
is out in the BIG world.

However, I can understand how difficult it must be for one
who becomes deafened in later life and how hard that
adjustment can be even though I've never had that adjustment
to make.  I've found that being around people really does
help.  The secret is to get involved, perhaps in things
one didn't do in the past when they had hearing.  We may
not be able to hear music (perhaps some of it) and other
sounds, there is still a lot around for us to enjoy.

Whether one is deaf/Deaf/HoH, the best thing to do is not
let yourself dwell on the fact you have a hearing impairment,
don't be a deaf person first, be an individual who just
happens to be deaf/Deaf/HoH.

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!124!2120!Ann.Stalnaker
Internet: Ann.Stalnaker@f2120.n124.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Attagirl!!!!          2/
From: Ann.Stalnaker@f2120.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:124/2120 - Fingers Talk, Irving TX


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 RR> There's nothing wrong with this for yourself. Some just don't care that
 RR> much for it. I like being Hispanic. I wouldn't want to be anything else.
 RR> Some people prefer being Deaf too.

Something is really wrong if people prefer being deaf/Deaf/HoH.
Most people who have a hearing loss would rather not have it but
if there is something that can improve their life tremendously,
why not take the gamble?  Why not be the best you can be?

Your message sounds like someone who has chosen to refrain from
posting on this conference but I'm very doubtful this someone
is not R*E*A*D*I*N*G and is perhaps giving a few some tips.
To me, that is really low!

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!124!2120!Ann.Stalnaker
Internet: Ann.Stalnaker@f2120.n124.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Attagirl!!!!
From: Hugues.Blanchet@f136.n167.z1.fidonet.org (Hugues Blanchet)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:167/136 - Ab.'s Place, Montreal PQ


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

Hello Rex,

RF>        Personally I was/am interested in learning the sign in order to be
RF>able to COMMUNICATE with others.

Don't worry, I believe you now.  What I was saying is that I've
personnally met people that took sign classes and never went too far...
because the mystery of it (for them), wasn't soo much of a mystery after
a couple of months and they got very quickly tired of it.

They thought it was so "cool" but it took quite a toll after only a
couple of classes...

Like I said, the *mystery* of it is the only fact that they see people
(deaf) talking to each other using signs and they are thinking "they are
speaking to each other in english and we can't even understand them".
That's where all the *mystery* is for them. Nothing else!!!

Hugues

 * SLMR 2.1a * JUPETTE: Fille du jupon et de la jupe......
--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!167!136!Hugues.Blanchet
Internet: Hugues.Blanchet@f136.n167.z1.fidonet.org




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                                ******

                  End of Issue # 2906 of the Handicap Digest

                                ******
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