By Allen Neece

“Nothing sorts out memories from ordinary moments. It is only later that they claim remembrance, when they show their scars.”

-Chris Marker, “La Jeete”

The scars run deep.

From my chair on this verandah above the town of Lamu, with the muezzin call to prayer reverberating below (I can hear it because I got my aids on) and a stiff seaside breeze at my back, a torrent of memories rewinds through my mind. For the past week, text messages from friends flitted into my cell phone daily until two days ago when it finally stopped vibrating. They were heartfelt missives of farewell. The remaining 58 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers in country were in Nairobi, completing closure of service paperwork and readying themselves for a sudden, unexpected return to America. Some of my friends succeeded in landing direct transfers to countries around the continent. To have spent five months in country acclimating to a new culture, learning Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language, only to up and quickly (and willingly) relocate to a new country speaks volumes about the dedication of these Volunteers. Those who didn’t receive transfers had no choice but to leave. At least the volunteers in the Central, Eastern, and Coastal provinces had time to pack and achieve a semblance of closure. For those of us from the Western, Nyanza, and Rift Valley provinces, our departures from Kenya were abrupt and forced. Kwaheri (goodbye) Kenya was all we could say as we went our separate ways. Most of these people I know I’ll never see again.

My site was in Kakamega and I was there when the shooting started. Actually, my site “mama” had told me that GSU troops were beating people in town. Since I had no food, I immediately headed in to see if I could grab some provisions before the situation became worse. Upon alighting from the matatu, I could see people milling about. Eventually chanting mobs began jogging slowly through the streets. Windows were shattered. Gunfire from the police and troops followed. The soundtrack of my mind played songs like “The Guns of Brixton” and “Wild In The Streets”. Although I was never in any danger, I was concerned about getting caught in the middle of some sort of fracas where I could wind up getting robbed. Nevertheless, it was quite unnerving to see soldiers brandishing automatic weapons careening through the shuttered streets in jeeps and lorries after rampaging mobs.

Unemployment is high in Kakamega, 7-8 hours northwest of Nairobi, a rural agricultural town that is the capitol of the Western province and one of the two traditional homes of the Luhya tribe. Nearly every able-bodied Luhya male in their 20s and 30s work as boda-bodas (bicyclists who ferry people). They’re lucky if they earn 10 bob a day, a mere pittance. They number in the hundreds and when combined with the Luo bodas in Kisumu, an hour to the south, they easily number in the thousands, an instantaneous street army for the opposition. Kisumu is Kenya’s third largest city and the heart of the opposition thus it saw more than of its share of election violence. According to the newspaper, over 70 per cent of Kenya’s population is under the age of 30. With agricultural land scarce, these men have little opportunity to put food on the table, much less provide for a family. With no jobs or hopes for a positive future and historical inequalities piling up by the decade, they have absolutely nothing to lose. I can’t help but think of Langston Hughes’ poem:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore–
And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Kenya’s raisins of politically instigated tribal violence have been exploded in the past, during the 1992 and 1997 elections which were mostly concentrated in upper Rift and on the coast, but nothing near the scale of the current violence. I can only hope that the ongoing Kofi Annan-brokered meditation talks will yield concrete results.

Thirteen of us from our ten-week training group had come together for Christmas/New Year’s Eve, spending several nights in the Kakamega Forest. The election took place on the 27th and due to travel restrictions, those who came from other provinces had to stay until the 30th. By then, the country was in flames and Peace Corps was frantically consolidating all Volunteers together in specific safe houses. We would eventually spend a number of days cooped up in the immediate vicinity of a two-bedroom house. For the first few nights, we sat outside and listened to the rattle of gunfire a few dozen yards away. Evenings were rent with orange flames from the torched houses, dukas, and churches. Barricades of burning tires punctuated the horizon here and there. Standing on a ridge above town, I watched with a churning stomach as howls of vengeance stalked the fields of Kakamega. The warm, gregarious Kenya I had greeted upon arrival in September was gone, immolated by the powers that be for want of hegemony and avarice. Twelve people would be shot dead by the police and GSU but that tally was from weeks ago. It’s undoubtedly increased since then.

On January 5th, the 13 of us were airlifted from Kakamega to Kisumu where we boarded charter flights to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (At the air strip in Kakamega, we encountered local Luhya who were flying into Nairobi, directly into the maelstrom then engulfing the city. When asked why, they said they were going to “defend the country” by voicing their dissent peacefully in the streets. I was deeply moved by this and only wish people in America had the same passion for defending the Constitution as these people did). Freed from the confines of our respective consolidation sites, approximately 35 of us Volunteers from the Western, Nyanza, and Rift Valley regions were ensconced at a Club Med hotel on the Indian Ocean (while another 35 from the same provinces were consolidated in Nyeri). It was surreal to go from murderous bedlam to the quiet serenity of the proverbial bath-water warm turquoise sea. We drank and caroused with nihilistic fury, it was the only avenue of release we had. Some of us had seen people die in Kisumu. As most of us were traveling away from our sites when we were first consolidated in Kenya, we only had a few changes of clothing. All our personal belongings were left behind. One of my friends only had a few days of clothing suitable for the tropics; she returned home to Minneapolis to minus 40 degree weather wearing the same clothes.

As we bronzed ourselves by day and imbibed by night, hundreds of people were being hacked to death in western Kenya. It was a helpless feeling to watch news clips of the violence on television and equally discomfiting to realize that we Volunteers had the luxury of leaving this nightmare. Kenyans couldn’t. We get to leave, they have to stay and watch their country unravel. After ten days of uncertainty under this brutal equatorial sun, Peace Corps ultimately decided that considering the overall instability of our affected provinces it would be best for us to terminate our service and return to the States.

For those of us who had already been in country over a year, this was difficult to accept. There would be no farewell to the friends, families, communities, towns that one had spent considerable time and energy getting to know. Romantic relationships between Volunteers and Kenyans were sundered. Closure was denied and a one-way ticket home to America was the only consolation prize. I can’t even imagine how my fellow Deaf Education teachers must have felt, the ones who had already been in country a year now. They never got to say good-bye to the kids they had taught and nurtured for months. I never even got to step inside my classroom as I was evacuated two days before I was to start teaching. I had spent months learning KSL. Who am I going to sign to now?

My last day as a Peace Corps volunteer was Saturday, January 19. The majority of us in Dar es Salaam flew home. Instead of accepting a plane ticket, I chose to cash out in lieu. After bidding adieu to good people whom I had been with continuously since September, I took the road as my bride. Cities that I’ve bedded lie strewn behind me: Dar es Salaam, Stone Town and Kendwa in Zanzibar, Nyali and Likoni and Tiwi in Mombassa, Kilifi, Malindi, and now, Lamu. A year ago, I was teaching high school in L.A., putting unruly students in headlocks, wrestling with the dichotomy between ASL and print English, and listening to lots of Sunn O)). I’m now broke, jobless, homeless, blowing the last of my money on alcohol, and rewinding these scars. I know not where the road takes me but for now wherever I place my head is what I’ll call home.

Kwaheri, Kenya.

As of Friday, February 8, for the first time since commencing operations almost forty-five years ago, the U.S. Peace Corps no longer has a presence in Kenya. A total of 144 Volunteers in all were removed. Although this suspension is temporary, full reactivation of operations will be contingent upon the political situation in Kenya.

Allen Neece is an asiyesikia in exile.

By Alok Doshi

With such extensive media coverage surrounding both Republican and Democratic primaries, one would assume that some of that craziness would rub off on DeafDC.com readers. Alas, it does seem quiet here with the exception of Swetha Amruthur’s column, “Obama & Change: The Non-Existent Platform“. Gallaudet protests are a thing of the past so have we returned to calmness or are there still issues that concern us especially with the upcoming primaries in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia?

Well you know what … I am going to try and raise a ruckus here.

Potomac Primary
Chesapeake Primary
Mid-Atlantic Primary
Crab Cake Primary

Whatever you want call it: Tuesday February 12th is a big day for the Metropolitan Washington area. Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia will allow its residents to vote in the Democratic primary to determine who our next Presidential nominee shall be.

Historically, the nominee of the Democratic Party is already a foregone conclusion by the time the primary begins here in MD and DC (I am not sure about VA). I voted for John Edwards in 2004 but I knew John Kerry was the nominee – the same is true for Al Gore in 2000 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1196.

For the first time in a long while, the importance of the primary is paramount here. We actually do not know who the nominee will be therefore our vote will weigh more. One million Democrats are expected to cast their ballots in Maryland on Tuesday. What percentage of that number correlate to deaf voters? DC? VA? Does our voice carry great weight just as other defined groups such as Hispanics, African-Americans, Women, working class Democrats, etc? While we may not number in millions as compared to others, I would like to think we as part of the Disability movement does carry such influence.

Disclosure: I am an Obama supporter. In response to Swetha Amruthur’s column, I posted comments that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have run substantive campaigns. My stance comes from preferring his style of governing, character, judgment, and integrity because I honestly believe both candidates’ policy proposals are similar with a great difference in foreign policy. However, the credit should go to John Edwards. He was the first to put forward proposals on Domestic policies (economy, healthcare). The other 2 candidates were forced to respond to him and adopt some of his policy features and in essence forcing the Democratic Party to adopt them as their platform. This is not an easy accomplishment and I applaud him.

However, I really want to understand why there are Hillary supporters and I would go further and ask why some people would still vote Republican despite the recent years. It’s a vexing question if we cannot share our thoughts. On that note, I am going to hold an impromptu/informal discussion Monday evening. I welcome supporters from both camps as well as Republicans to hear their thoughts.

Please feel free to post comments here expressing your opinions in response to this blog!

The discussion will be held at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Bethesda, MD at 8 pm either in the upstairs café or in the downstairs section. Click here for information for the bookstore.

Sharing thoughts is important but the most important thing for you to do is: VOTE!

Alok Doshi is simply mesmerized by the state of politics in 2008. A MBA graduate from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, Alok is also a RIT graduate. During his free time, Alok likes to perpetuate the deaf poker craze at the National Deaf Poker Tour.

By Hilary Franklin

In this golden age of visual media, where we all communicate with one another (silently) via instant messaging, e-mail, blogs and vlogs, videophone, paper and pencil, and yes, even TTYs sometimes,

Why, oh WHY does the emphasis still have to be on silence whenever the news media picks up on an issue that relates somehow to deafness?

Take the recent media storm surrounding the new Pepsi ad featuring a well-known deaf joke. Though it will not be shown live until the day of the Super Bowl, the ad can already be viewed online. The media has picked up on this with a great fervor, and to my dismay, the majority of news outlets (both television and newspaper) have chosen headlines that include some form of the word “silent.”

• Pepsi hopes silence is golden with Super Bowl ad - USATODAY.com
• Deaf PepsiCo workers to star in silent Super Bowl ad
• Pepsi’s New Super Bowl Commercial: Silence
• Pepsi ad to give Super Bowl viewers a moment of silence
• PepsiCo Super Bowl commercial breaks the cacophony with 60 seconds of total silence
• PepsiCo Super Bowl ad features silence

But the most ironic one of all?

• Silent Super Bowl ad will resonate with deaf

The juxtaposition of “silent” and “resonate” had me shaking my head.

I know I don’t like clichés, but this just seems so over the top. Of course, what else would they say? How about focusing on the use of ASL rather than the lack of sound?

By the way, I will grant that the lack of audio in this 60-second commercial will definitely have people going “wha…?!” But still.

What do YOU think?

Hilary Franklin is a politically incorrect writer. By day she masquerades as a technical writer in an educational research firm. She has come to the conclusion that everything she learned, she did indeed learn in kindergarten.

By Aaron Rose

This summer the AGBell Talk for a Lifetime Summer Conference took place in Arlington, Virginia (the same one where the AGBell protests took place). The focus was current research and applications in the field of neurodevelopment and its relationship to auditory processing and language development. Keynote speakers connected their work to spoken language, auditory brain development, and readiness to learn in infants as well as older children. The goal was to create strategies for “managing demanding caseloads“. As we all know, AGBell’s campaign “Hear from the Start: Talk for a Lifetime” implies that spoken language is the overall goal for deaf and hard of hearing children. Surprisingly, one of the founders of the Audio-Verbal Therapy (AVT) approach shared, in front of many auditory-verbal therapists, professionals, and parents, that visual input is just as important as auditory input in language development and literacy for deaf and hard of hearing children. Party-line AVT proponents chose to ignore these assertions while thanking the keynote speakers for validating the AVT approach.

A Summary of the Keynote Presentations

Dr. Anu Sharma, Ph.D. and CCC-A at University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Texas at Dallas, gave a presentation titled “Central auditory development and plasticity in infants and children with hearing aids and cochlear implants.” A significant finding in her research was that children implanted under ages 3-4 years had better speech perception and language skills compared to children implanted at a later age (6 years or older). She drove home the point that the earlier the implantation, the better off children are in regards to speech perception and language.

Dr. Janet Werker is the research director of the Infant Studies Centre in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, which focuses on speech and language processing. Her presentation, “Infant Speech Perception Sets the Stage for Language Acquisition,” focused on the way children’s perception of spoken language plays a role in the development of their home language. According to Dr. Werker, language has many properties such as speech sounds, rhythm, sound sequences, and syllable structure (all aspects of phonology). What sets apart languages lies in the difference in those properties. In order to retrieve and process words from print, it’s necessary to understand these properties and connect them to their meaning. Through previous research Dr. Werker found that infants also gain information from what she describes as speech-reading (reading lip movement and facial expressions) along with auditory input. Therefore, infants are just as sensitive to visual information as they are to the information contained within signed languages.

Dr. Werker also touched on another research that included auditory and visual speech discrimination in babies and adults. She contrasted speech across different languages, soundless phonetic units in ASL and the lip movements that accompanied specific speech sounds. Werker said that native speakers of a certain language would be prone to discriminate that language better than non-native speakers (the same way natural lip-readers can pick up more of what a person says without hearing them). She claims that babies “prefer native language(s) from birth.” Werker also concluded that listening facilitates word learning through awareness of the structure of native languages, i.e the foundations. In processing language, children can use this ability to perceive these building blocks. By diagnosing the ability to comprehend the foundations of language, one could possibly estimate future language delay in children.

The third keynote presentation was given by Dr. Maria Mody, who works in the Developmental Language and Reading Research Laboratory at the Antinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging as the principal investigator. The lab carries out research regarding reading, language and attention disorders, with little or no focus on deaf and hard of hearing children. In her presentation “Neurobiological Correlates of the Language-Literacy Connection in Normal and Atypical Development,” she describes the connection between phonological processing abilities and reading skills. According to Dr. Mody, at the heart of reading disabilities is a lack of understanding in the phonological component of language. Phonological processing is the ability to break down words for speaking and listening and making the connection speech (or spoken language) to written language. She describes the relationship between language acquisition and reading development as being dependent on early exposure and full appreciation of the phonological characteristics of one’s language (phonemes being the simplest units of language without meaning, but not necessarily tied to sound).

Dr. Mody said that 10-15% of children have issues with reading despite typical intelligence, motivation, education, lack of neurological issues, and normal sensory perceptions. She describes a common predicament in hearing children, Developmental Dyslexia, as being caused by a breakdown in recognition of words, decoding, and spelling. Characteristics of Dyslexia include speech perception in demanding situations (i.e. noisy environments), phonological awareness, verbal memory, and lexical retrieval (pulling from your brain’s dictionary) (Author’s note: These symptoms can also be found in deaf and hard of hearing children who have issues with language and literacy). In her research, Dr. Mody examined the brain’s structure and its functions to determine which areas are important in reading and auditory discrimination. During her presentation, she discussed the results of two studies that focused on auditory discrimination of phonologically similar vs. dissimilar words (i.e bat/pat vs. rat/pat). One study focused on discrimination of isolated words while the other included sentence context (Authors note: A deaf person, whether through hearing aids, CIs, or lip reading, could have difficulty telling the difference between bat and pat if one didn’t make a reference to baseball or the mammal, hence the need to understand how context plays a role in hearing people with reading issues). Dr. Mody concluded her presentation by stressing the importance of early and appropriate intervention based on critical understanding of reading disorders as the key to successful remediation.

Seeds of Change

As expected, the contributions of American Sign Language (ASL) and Cued Speech to the reading abilities of deaf and hard of hearing people were not discussed at length, if at all. Given the nature of the conference organizers, Auditory-Verbal proponents used the findings to bolster arguments in favor of their approach. Yet, something else, unexpected, took place.

Pamela Beck, former president of the National Cued Speech Association, who attended the conference and wrote a report, published in the fall 2007 newsletter of the On Cue, found that the majority who attended the conference were not professionals, but parents who had many questions that were left unanswered. She explained that in discussion groups and panels, parents would often ask about bilingualism, multiple disabilities, and insufficient progress in older children, only to be ignored.

The most surprising turn of events at the conference came when Ellen A. Rhoades, an AVT leader, bilateral CI user, allegedly is “the world’s only totally deaf certified auditory verbal therapist”, and a member of the conference program committee said that AV therapists were wrong to “cover their mouths and insist on a unisensory approach,” citing research that indicated the need for a multi-sensory approach. This statement was a bold departure from current trends in AVT.

While a number of individuals stood outside the hotel protesting the AGBell organization, the true seeds for change had been planted inside the conference. These seeds could lead to a significant shift in the field of deaf education, especially pertaining to the need for visual input for deaf and hard of hearing children. ASL is a visual language in its own right and Cued Speech is an avenue towards visualizing spoken language at the phonemic level. Could both modes of communication be used as the standard dual approach to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children get the auditory and visual input they need to increase their chances for success in literacy and language? Only time will tell whether AGBell will change its practices, and incorporate ASL and Cued Speech in its methods.

Aaron Rose, a recent graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, just relocated to Oakbrook Terrace in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He is enjoying his time off before returning to school for studies in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Aaron spends his free time searching for places to surf on Lake Michigan, reading intellectual narratives, and putting together challenging puzzles. Aaron, a native cuer, is also eagerly improving his signing skills slowly, but surely.

By Sheri Farinha Mutti

Recent events in the Deaf world and beyond shocked the nation with news stories about blatant acts of racism such as the “Jena 6″ or “MSSD 7″ incidents, viewed as a hate crimes, with complications still unfolding. The response to such incidents sparked a dialogue amongst various members of the Deaf community showing mixed reactions of either horror or denial.

Up until a mere 40 years ago, deaf people of different skin colors or ancestries were not even allowed to join local Deaf clubs or national Deaf organizations. Since that time, we have been slow to neither truly tackle the dilemma or discuss just how to educate ourselves in order to prevent social injustices from occurring over and over again. All too often when we see the word “racism” we think it doesn’t apply to us, or when situations occur that are obvious acts of racism or a hate crime, there tends to be a great deal of denial.

Lorraine Flores also shares her thoughts on the issue in this vlog:

To take a stand and bring this issue to the forefront, with the acceptance that racism is still very much alive in our community, a collective wisdom of Deaf leaders got together to express their views and here’s what they had to say:

Hate crime toward both Caucasians and Persons of Color is systematic and individual Racism at its worst. It is a disturbing symptom in America that we still don’t always practice ‘mutual respect’. It is time to build an optimistic future where our unique differences and diverse backgrounds can truly strengthen us and lead to peaceful resolutions of our cultural conflicts. The ideal action then is to accept our responsibility of educating ourselves and our children on the appropriate steps to identify subtle and overt forms of Racism and Hate crime; and to empower and protect ourselves as self-advocates, preventing it from happening again, in our lives, and in our community.
-Karen (Tong-Bregman) Wilson, President, National Asian Deaf Congress

Racism must be everybody’s problem, not just Deaf people of color’s. Being too slow to respond lowers people’s self-esteem and damages our moral integrity. Racism = prejudice + power. It’s discrimination, exclusion, restriction, different treatment upon people of different ethnicity or skin color by another for group privilege, backed by power. We must address it on two levels — individual and systematic for it to be really effective.
-Kristi Merriweather

Racism isn’t born, it’s taught.
– Amy Cohen Efron

Prior to his murder shortly before the Wounded Knee Massacre, Chief Sitting Bull said, ‘I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in his sight. It is not necessary for Eagles to be Crows…’

It is sad that several centuries after Chief Sitting Bull’s quote, skin color and racial backgrounds continue to be the target of bigoted and racist acts. We should all respect, honor and celebrate our diversity and the diversity of others, yet remember that we are all part of the same Earth.
-Damara Paris, a Cherokee and Blackfoot descendant

Racism means owning up to the inner self’s repository of socialized attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, bigotry and hatred simple mindedly based on the physical attributes of another rather than his or her character, examining carefully what corrosive effects these values have caused, and then releasing them through constructive dialogue and action with your brothers and sisters from every corner of the community.
-Jeff Rosen

If I voice my opinion as a Deaf Latina woman, people don’t value my opinion because they haven’t walked in my shoes. They haven’t experienced my daily frustrations. People often don’t realize that some of us live with double (or more) oppression. For example, as a Deaf person, I am also oppressed by hearing people expecting me to meet their needs by talking and hearing. As a Latina person, I’m labeled with stereotypes. Within Deaf community, I feel my language is criticized because I grew up with hearing parents who did not sign. What I often experience is triple whammy.
-Lorraine Flores

Racism anywhere hurts EVERYBODY. Our opportunity to grow as healthy people is stunted.

Audism anywhere hurts EVERYBODY and stunts our growth as well. If we have failed in fighting audism, unfortunately we will also fail in fighting racism.
– Ella Mae Lentz

You know, if we do nothing, we are part of the problem. When people speak out against racism to resolve this issue, then we need to get behind that person and protect that person’s integrity by defending them against attacks by others. We, the deaf and hard of hearing community need to work together to banish hatred, and we need to understand that if one person whether it be a black, white, brown or yellow skinned person, performs a crime, we have to look at it in a broad sense and stop painting everyone with the same brush. Enough is enough; can’t we just learn to get along?
-Marcella M. Meyer

If we want to end Racism, we must first adjust our attitudes and ideas towards those of a different race than ourselves. It has been shown that these negative attitudes/opinions are not harmless, because when we think negatively of our fellow man it promotes prejudice. These prejudices not only are the basis for individual acts of discrimination, but they also allow people to rationalize and justify unfair and destructive personal, institutional and corporate practices.
-Deborah Broadus-Muskauski

There is systematic racism in our Deaf community. For instance, it is more far punitive if you are caught for pulling false fire alarm on Gallaudet campus than it is to commit acts of racism. Something is wrong with this picture. It takes a team of Deaf leaders of color and their allies to create systemic changes for zero tolerance for racism. A true ally will allow himself or herself to be vulnerable and truly embrace the cries of racism experienced by the Deaf people of color.
-Julie Rems-Smario

Domino effects are set into motion with racism. They cannot be contained or ignored. John Donne in ‘For whom the bell tolls’ frames the fact that no person is an isolated island and that every person is affected whenever the bell tolls. Thus any kind of ‘ism’ diminishes and defeats us all. It is neither possible nor acceptable to compartmentalize, explain away or bury racism. Doing so inevitably precipitates a chorus of bells, tolling for our humankind and community. Racism must be addressed and stemmed with knowledge and concerted actions.
-Dr. Roz Rosen

Discrimination in any shape or form is unacceptable. Even as we address racism and audism, we must also address the phenomenon of deaf persons discriminating against other deaf persons. The NAD has zero tolerance for all of this, and is now undergoing diversity training at the board level. This training is also being carried out at the regional level, which will then move on to the national level, including collaboration with key national organizations. We will not stop there. Dialogue that is honest and respectful is needed on all fronts, so that we can become more aware and learn from each other. Every one of us must also be mindful of our own biases and not inflict these on others. Only when we truly open our minds and hearts can we effectively move forward as a community — together.
-Bobbie Beth Scoggins, President, National Association of the Deaf

Racism — this is quite evident within the deaf community when we look at our schools, colleges, and organizations of deaf people. Who are the deciders? Who exercises power and control? Who’s in the ‘left behind’ and ‘powerless’ positions? Whose norms and ‘lens’ have overriding influence on how we talk about deaf people and our community? How we going to change our attitudes and behaviors and demolish those compartments and boxes that divide our community into ‘us’ and ‘them’? I suspect that change is going to be slow and difficult. Why? Because with power and control come privileges (such as white privilege). Those who have power and control are unlikely to willingly give up their privileges.
-Dr. Glenn Anderson

Racism is looking at people’s skin and making preconceived judgments about the person. It is hateful, hurtful and, most of all, disrespectful. Treat people with respect and judge them for their inner-self, not their skin color or their culture. Put value on the PERSON, rather than the color of their skin, what they look like or where they come from.
-Andy Lange

First of all, the act of racism is not tolerated. It is sad that racism is happening with the Deaf community because we of all people should understand what it is like to be discriminated against solely by our ‘being’. Racism is just as intolerable as audism is, whether it is oppression from outside group or sister against sister. If we want to stop racism within the Deaf community we have to stop audism so that the practice of racism is eliminated as well. I believe that audism and racism go hand-in-hand and it starts with the self.
–Diana Herron

In order to combat the insidious problems of racism in our community, each of us need to take the time to re-examine the things we take for granted. Even if we do not personally and overtly judge others based on their race, we should be aware of the tendency for race to color the ‘first impression’ and subsequent ‘judgment’ of others in our community.
–Ari Ogoke

What’s ironic is that the Deaf community as a minority has already experienced oppression and audism, you would think we would have already developed greater understanding to be more compassionate of those who are Deaf of color, but it is not happening. We need to re-design and monitor the curriculum in Deaf education to enhance more sensitivity and awareness of the diversity of Deaf America. We need to create safe spaces to share memories and explore identities and heritage — this can be very powerful through blogging and vlogging that will be proven highly effective in changing individuals lives.
-Barb Di Giovanni

In the end racism is really about self-hatred. I firmly believe that you cannot hate someone else for any reason — skin color, gender, sexual orientation, hearing ability or deafness, whatever — without hating yourself first. To hate someone in the first place requires a willingness to go to a level where you can continue to generate anger and hostility and resentment day in and day out. To do such a thing is a decision. Hate isn’t automatic. It’s something you learn. Hate doesn’t power itself. You give it power. So if you’re looking at somebody who is different from you (which is everybody when you get right down to it) and deciding to see only the things you detest, why should you expect that something else will happen the next time you look in the mirror?
–Chris Heuer

Racism and all other ‘isms’ imposed on the Deaf community by the majority society must be confronted and eradicated. We can start by having a meaningful dialogue through vlogs, conventions such as Deaf People of Color, and in-person discussions where everyone feels safe and where clear/direct communication is used.
-David Eberwein

Once we understand what Racism is, we can hopefully try harder to be more conscious of our actions and words that may hurt others whether you mean it or not. Recent events should serve as a wake up call to realize that the cycle of racist acts and social injustice continues to be perpetuated through deaf individuals young and old. This cycle can stop with all of us. Take action by saying “no” or “not acceptable” when we witness racist jokes or statements, or see one group exert power over another of a different heritage or race. The more people in our community who take action against this kind of behavior, the more prevalent our respect for one another shall be. You can help create a DEAF world without Racism. Click here to see “how to” tips from the YWCA “Eliminating Racism Empowering Women”.

Join us. Take a stand.

Sheri Farinha Mutti is the CEO of the NorCal Center on Deafness, Sacramento, California. She is a nationally recognized consumer advocate dedicated to improving the lives of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Sheri has been involved locally, statewide, and nationally on various issues for equal rights in telecommunications, education, and civil rights. She is married to Steven Mutti and they have two teenaged children.

Sheri would like to give a special thanks to Lorraine Flores from northern California for doing the Video Production.

By Sean Landry

Any and all accommodations that you ask for from any place of employment or public accommodations must be provided to you according to Americans with Disabilities Act, right?

Wrong!

Surprised and confused? Well, so was I when I went to the local kid’s gym (an unnamed franchise) several months ago to enroll my daughter in several sessions of play and music classes. When my wife called the gym’s enrollment center to make arrangements for our hearing daughter, she asked them if they would provide her (my wife) with an interpreter so that my wife could enjoy understanding the class. They emailed her back stating that they would not provide her with one but she was more than welcome to bring her own to class at her own expense and, to my utter shock, further stated that they have had many other deaf clients who have brought their own to these classes.

What?!?

Bring your own interpreter at your own expense?!? My first thought was: “What were these deaf clients thinking?!?” I have never ever heard of deaf folks paying for their own interpreters at public places such as kids gyms, movie theaters, stage theaters, and so on. I find it very hard to believe (and outrageous) that deaf folks bring their own interpreters as interpreting services are rather very expensive. I know that most interpreting agencies charge around $150-200 bucks an hour with a two hour minimum. Now, the class that my wife was trying to register our daughter for is only 45 minutes long. That would mean we deaf consumers would be OUT anywhere from $300 to $400 bucks just for a measly 45 minute class, which is unrealistic for most of us (except for the super rich deaf, which I surmise are few and far in the DC metro area.)

After much thought about this matter, I decided to speak with the owner of the business as well as the corporate offices on the west coast. The corporate office was unable to work with me on this because they said they only offer marketing support to the franchise but the Sr. Vice President said that she would talk to the owner and see what they could do for my wife. A few days later, I got a call back from the owner of the business. She said that she could not financially afford to hire interpreters because she was a “small business” owner and since the class costs much less than the cost of hiring an interpreter, she would not be making a profit, but lose money in the process. The owner said that, per ADA, they have other avenues of meeting the requirements for ADA. In lieu of having an interpreter, they would provide course materials (written / printed) for us to review before the class.

This wasn’t the ideal solution for us to this situation but it was a lot better than several other options that we had present before us: 1) Signing up for the class and then suing them in court, which we would have to shell out huge smackaroos to pay for the lawyer to represent us, or 2) filing a formal complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, OR as a last resort 3) accept the firm’s own offered solutions.

At this point, I didn’t want to deplete my bank account to hire an expensive lawyer. Furthermore, getting the Civil Rights Division of Department of Justice involved would require many years to pass before such a negotiation/settlement/resolution would ever take place, we opted to accept their offered solution of receiving printed/written materials to review before the class session took place. Ideally, we would have liked an interpreter instead. This was one of the most frustrating experiences I have gone through in a long time and I never had problems like this with any employer that had hired me. Those that I have worked for were so willing to provide it (my current employer provided me with separate internet connection so I could have the videophone installed and even provided a medium sized TV as well for the videophone). Perhaps the size of the company and the financial impact that they could absorb doing it has a lot to do with it? Hmmm…

After talking to Shane about this experience, he suggested that small businesses could take advantage of tax credits for providing disability-related accommodations. I told him that I’d look into it and offer a blog on that issue alone as well. I largely think that its because many smaller establishments and companies aren’t as well educated as the larger ones are.

More to follow on a later blog on disability related tax credits…

Meanwhile, does anyone want to share their thoughts on this issue and the choices that my family was faced with in this situation? Would you have done differently in this regard?

Born in Germany and raised in various US military bases worldwide, Sean Landry attended GMU in Virginia, worked in corporate finance in DC area for 13 yrs before attending Rochester’s RIT. With an MBA in hand, he headed to an even more northern and colder place, Burlington, Vermont. There, he did a year-long stint for IBM before calling “uncle” to the cold and moved back to DC area where he now works as an Account Financial Manager for a major management consulting firm. A happily married father of a year-old daughter, he often enjoys working on home renovation projects — the latest project was building an elaborate wall-to-wall library — and vacationing in Thailand every two years.

By Richard Brklacich

It annoys me to no tomorrow seeing a hearing parent preach to a profoundly deaf child, “With an education, you can be anything you want to be.” To demonstrate how so little hearing parents know, I picked 14 hearing friends and 14 deaf friends. I picked only the ones from high school classrooms, social settings not related to any event or my childhood in an effort to ensure a truly random selection. I have never worked with any one of them. One group has deaf people and one group has hearing people. Here’s what they do for a living:

First group: 1) bar owner, 2) business owner, 3) vice-president at a bank, 4) fire department paramedic, 5) lawyer, 6) lawyer, 7) music agent, 8) nurse, 9) plastics engineer, 10) recording studio owner and lead singer of a band, 11) sales clerk, 12) regional sales manager, 13) saleswoman, 14) UPS driver. All have completed college except 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14 (or 50% completed college). Two came from affluent families. All own or have owned their homes.

Second group: 1) actor, 2) business owner, 3) communications specialist, 4) IT specialist, 5) entertainment industry, 6) professor, 7) shipping clerk, 8) student, 9) teacher, 10) teacher, 11) teacher, 12) teacher, 13) teacher, 14) teacher. All have completed college except 4 and 7 (or 85% completed college). Three came from affluent families. All except three own or have owned their homes.

As you may have guessed, the second group features deaf people. Of worthy mention is that half of my deaf classmates now live at least 100 miles away from here while all but one of my seven hearing childhood friends still live within the 5-mile radius. And half of the deaf people on the list can speak and all were raised using sign language. I have sufficient reason to believe the deaf people in the list are well above average compared to the general deaf population.

It is unfortunate the deaf cannot hack it in the corporate world despite their qualifications and can only thrive in non-competitive positions within the public sector (i.e., teaching) or jobs within entities that cater primarily to the deaf such as CSD, Hawk Relay, HOVRS, or Sorenson. After all, it makes sense for these entities to hire somebody their clientèle can relate to. That, in return, opened doors for many deaf professionals holding college degrees who otherwise would not have fared well in their hometowns. However, the downside is that they had to move thousands of miles away from their childhood friends, families, and memories. And I do not think the weather in South Dakota is that great to boot, but did the deaf professionals have a choice?

Of the hearing group, only one works in the public sector as a paramedic while more than half of the deaf work in the public sector. There are 3.8 million teachers in the United States with a population of 300 million. That makes it 1 out of 80, but that doesn’t stop me from bumping into deaf teachers at social gatherings and I can name at least 17 deaf teachers off of my head, having known them all before they were teachers!

The lack of justification in obtaining a degree that would inevitably render itself worthless was the very reason why I dropped out of school. It all started when I was a 16-year-old beaming with optimism exploring different avenues for my future. An older man asked me point-blank, “So you really think you’re going to get a cushy job as a deaf person?” I shrugged, oblivious to reality, “I can speak, and I am going to college.”

It turned out he was able to speak and he spoke with excellent English, signing at the same time, “There are phone calls, there are meetings with lots of people, there are foreigners with thick accents, and you got to do all of that. So much for my Master’s, it was a sham.” He found all my buttons with such startling accuracy and my carefully stacked house of cards collapsed. On my 17th birthday, I dropped out of school, to my mother’s chagrin.

By the time I was 24-year-old, my ability to type 120 words per minute got me a job as a word processor at a local engineering firm. My strategy was to start from the bottom, prove myself, learn new things along the way, mold the job to my specifications, and climb up from there. Nowadays, I do a lot of things, brochures, graphics, proposals, technical editing, desktop publishing, video editing, working with outside printers, creating animated presentations, photoshopping, among many other things. My salary grew and I was able to afford an ocean view home in an affluent area and travel extensively around the world, Japan, Australia, England, and so forth. I am now a slightly-wiser 37-year-old who looks back not regretting it a bit.

Are deaf people truly discriminated against when it comes to seeking jobs? What if there was an excellent engineer who spoke only Tagalog with a $60,000 salary and employing a full-time interpreter was $120,000 a year? It would make economic sense to require that the Tagalog-speaker learn spoken English, a feat deaf engineers cannot perform. As fate would have it, more people in America speak Tagalog than sign ASL. In fact, more people speak Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Portuguese than sign ASL. There is no truth to the notion ASL is the third most widely used language in the United States when there are only 500,000 ASL signers in America. Why, ASL is not even in the top ten.

Given the scarcity of the ASL, it is no wonder deaf people are subconsciously drawn to each other. Making matters worse, the FCC started the massive exodus of community interpreters by offering Video Relay Service (VRS) providers $17.044 per minute ($177,256 per month for one interpreter working 40 hours a week). If a single interpreter can net a VRS provider $2 million per year, think of how much twenty interpreters can generate! Realizing a potential cash cow, the VRS providers in turn offered interpreters generous six-figure salaries. Recently, the FCC cut its rate to $6.644 a minute (or $69,100 a month), prompting shrill cries from VRS providers, and I cannot for the life of me understand why. It was disgusting to say the least when VRS providers resorted to strong-arm tactics by reducing hours and telling misguided people to protest against the rate reduction with the FCC. I am in favor of further reductions to alleviate the acute shortage of qualified interpreters in schools!

The playing field will never be leveled despite the numerous technological advancements. Face it, for every one the deaf get, the hearing gets ten. The relay service through Sidekicks is nifty but I still need 20 seconds to type, “I am stuck in traffic right now, I should be coming in 15 minutes after eight. Go ahead with the meeting.” Saying it out loud takes five seconds. I have a friend always yammering on the phone, “Yeah, at the recording studio… fine, I will talk to Mike… good, I have it right here… sure, lunch is great… two, perfect, see you…” I envy him! It’s much better than typing in all that and then the caller has to speak slowly. I have had friends admit they dreaded my relay calls and they even taught me how to use text messaging on my cellular phone. Soon, there will be a cellular phone equipped with VRS and I can’t wait!

I would like to stress that I am simply speaking up for the rest of deaf population, not myself. It would not be fair for me to take things for granted and I want others to understand that. I understand some are content working for the government or as a teacher, and some even have the passion to be a teacher, but I have also come across teachers who readily admitted to me that teaching was the only avenue to success.

Granted, a very small minority have gone through college and got an ideal job within commuting distance. An unacceptably small minority, that is. In the meantime, how do we overcome the huge obstacle without being resigned to governmental positions? Are deaf people truly discriminated against? When does it fall under the “discrimination” category? How can we level the playing field without expecting too much from them? When is it “too much” for them to accommodate us? So many questions remain unanswered and will remain so for many years to come.

Born and raised in California, Richard Brklacich has traveled extensively around the world, ranging from Europe to Asia to Australia, yet proudly calls Dana Point his home. Others consider him an oddity for he has never read a single book in his entire life since he prefers playing poker, but that doesn’t render him incapable of enjoying a roundtable discussion, covering a wide range of subjects with his friends over a dry martini.

By Teresa Blankmeyer Burke

I know what you’re thinking. You’re asking yourself why is there a blog about cell phone usage on a website focused on deaf people? Or perhaps you are thinking about what the rules for polite cell phone usage could be for hard of hearing people — don’t shout too loudly? Turn down your volume when people start to glare at you? Notify your callers that you have the volume turned up so loudly that everyone within 30 feet can hear your not-so-private conversation?

Although these are issues for discussion, I’m more interested in the minefield of cell phone etiquette that hard of hearing people navigate when they are in deaf spaces, that is, places where there are many deaf people — places where social mores of the signing deaf community predominate and trump hearing world norms. For the moment, I’ll define hard of hearing people as those who opt to use their hearing, such as it is (I know this definition is oversimplified, but stay with me for a few paragraphs before you start to quibble with me on this…).

I’ll out myself: I can use a phone in certain circumstances with certain people.

I can’t use it with everyone, or in any given circumstance. I use various strategies for different kinds of calls and different people, and in some situations you’ll never see me using a phone of any sort, but I do use a cell phone on occasion — especially with my family. Since I spend a good chunk of my life in a predominantly signing deaf space, I try to be sensitive to this.

To make matters more complicated, although I grew up hard of hearing in a mainstreamed hearing environment, two moments in my life stand out in stark relief: meeting signing deaf people for the first time, and (in a different context) meeting other hard of hearing people who had grown up hard of hearing and had been mainstreamed. I was a young adult when this happened: meeting my peeps was a defining life moment I rank right up there with the birth of my children!

There are times when I definitely prefer the signing deaf community, just as there are times when I prefer hanging out with hard of hearing people or even (gasp!) the hearing world. I have just as many (if not more) deaf and/or hard of hearing friends than I do hearing, and I certainly do not think that hearing or hard of hearing people are superior to deaf people (or vice versa, for whatever that is worth). I do think that people who read both Harper’s and Scientific American are superior to those who don’t, but that’s another matter…

All this is to say that I try very hard to be open-minded and culturally sensitive wherever I am, but especially in signing deaf environments, mostly because I know what it feels like to be left out of whatever communication is going on. I’ve been there way too many times in my life, and I’m not about to perpetuate any kind of behavior that closes people out of the communication loop if I can help it.

Recently I had yet another conversation with a hearing person about the appropriate protocols for using a cell phone in a predominantly signing deaf environment. Now, I’ve seen the gamut of responses from hearing people - everything from “I’m hearing and I’m gonna use a cell phone whenever I want!” to “I’m hearing, but I respect deaf people so much that I would never use a cell phone around them.” And there are the actions in between – picking up a call, but leaving the group to carry on a conversation in private, that fall under the purview of everyday cell phone etiquette for polite hearing folks.

But what about hard of hearing people who use cell phones? What should we do when the cell phone issue comes up? I’ve seen responses no different from what hearing people do — some will use a cell phone no matter what, others will opt never to use a cell phone in a situation where there are signing deaf people. There’s another, more interesting response though that I see from time to time. This is the response of denial; the response of hiding: the response of stigma and shame. I’m talking about the hard of hearing person who has a cell phone, but who doesn’t cop to using it. The person who covers up and dissembles when he is caught using a phone, for fear that this behavior will seem disrespectful or even as a betrayal to the signing deaf community. Is the very act of using a cell phone (or any phone at all, for that matter) an act of community betrayal? A rejection of community solidarity? Perhaps it is. Or maybe not. What do you think?

I’ve cobbled together three rules that I follow in signing deaf environments based on intuition, but I have no idea how this matches up to what other people think and do. Here’s what I do:

1. I don’t take calls in public when I’m in a signing deaf environment unless they could possibly be emergency calls regarding family members.
2. If the phone vibrates (I never hear it ring) and it is not an emergency, I let it roll over to voice mail – which tells people to send me an e-mail or text me.
3. I use my cell phone when I am alone in a predominantly deaf space – in my home, my office or my car.

These seem straightforward, at least to me. Here are a few situations that are less clear and similar to those I’ve seen come up in more than a few discussions:

Example 1
Person is in a predominantly deaf space (such as a school for the deaf) and is alone in a parking lot, talking on a cell phone. Deaf people can see the person talking on the cell phone, but are far enough away that if they were hearing, they would not be able to understand the conversation, but close enough so that if it were two deaf people signing to each other, the conversation would be understandable.

Example 2
Person is walking around a track at a school for the deaf talking into a cell phone; it is night, but the track is reasonably well lit. Other people, deaf and hearing, are running and walking around the track, passing the cell phone user on occasion.

In both these cases – the person using the cell phone is alone, but within conversational range given Deaf norms of line of sight/distance. Does this matter? I suppose I’m wondering about a few things here – first, what are the general rules of etiquette for cell phone usage in a signing deaf environment; and second, are the rules different for hard of hearing people than they are for hearing people? I’m certainly no expert here – what do you think?

In my day job, I’m a philosopher. I spend most of my time thinking about ethics and values. Ethics is not etiquette, to be sure, but sometimes the purported bright line between them blurs. I think this is such a case. What I think I’m honing in on here is the bigger question of what are the core values of the signing deaf community? Of the Deaf Community? But that’s another blog…

Teresa Blankmeyer Burke was inclined at a young age towards endless questioning, she opted to put this to good use and become a philosopher. After learning that philosophers can come to bad ends when they are not sanctioned by authority (witness Socrates), Teresa decided to acquire the stamp of philosophical legitimacy by pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at the University of New Mexico. She is currently writing a dissertation on bioethics and the deaf community, focusing on the ethics of genetic technology. As does any tenure-seeking philosopher, Teresa has prepared back-up career plans in case her day job as an instructor of philosophy at Gallaudet University doesn’t pan out. Her other employable skills include adobe mud plastering, copyediting, and making quesadillas with nontraditional ingredients.

Although Teresa Blankmeyer Burke has many institutional and other affiliations, the contents of this blog represent Teresa’s personal views only, and not associated with any of her professional affiliations.

By Catharine McNally

Whether you are a DC metro resident, tourist, or a passerby, you are in for a treat this fall. A plethora of activities at Washington DC museums await you, your family, and friends. Believe it or not, you can do many for a relatively low-cost, if not free as it is in most cases. Here’s a brief overview of a few happenings in the DC metro region this week and in October. Hopefully you’ll venture out to these places and find some inspiration; perhaps our paths will cross and well find ourselves in intellectual discourse.

Thursday, September 27, 2007 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, VSA arts is presenting a one-act play, “Izzy Icarus Fell Off the World.” This talented 15-year old playwright provides this brief synopsis:

The play is about Dove, an aspiring young photographer who is bored with small town life and turns her attention and camera to “Izzy Icarus”, a local boy who has autism. Dove is convinced that Izzy can fly despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.

The tickets are available online ($15 dollars), and it will be presented at 7:30 in the Family Theater. What better way to view a play than attend an open-captioned play with an ASL interpreter in one of the world’s most acclaimed performance centers? Hearing about other perspectives is of great interest to me, especially when it concerns matters relating to disabilities, and I think this play might provide us with a glimpse. Perhaps, it will provide insight on a disability other than deafness.

October 1, 2007, the National Gallery of Art: J.M.W. Turner, West Building, Main Floor (closing January 6, 2008) is an exhibition featuring the most extensive and comprehensive survey on J.M.W. Turner’s work ever exhibited in the United States. I’m especially excited about seeing the work of one of my favorite painters. I consider Turner the first impressionist painter because he abstracts his brushstrokes and eliminates precise detail, unlike the picturesque paintings from English Romantic artists like John Constable. He brings the late 19th century Industrial Revolution to light by mastering the use of light (no pun intended) and dynamic brushstrokes. Turner’s paintings are full of symbolic, historical, and cultural references; I encourage you to visit and see if you can come up with your own analysis.

Current Exhibition, Edward Hopper at the National Gallery of Art through January 21, 2008. I visited the Hopper exhibit this past weekend and was impressed with the selection of artwork, particularly as the visitors are given a good foundational understanding of Hopper’s work (prints and watercolors) in the rooms preceding the section featuring more recognizable oil-paintings toward the end like Nighthawks (1937). His artwork is very introspective as he tries to capture the scenery separate from the rising drama of modernity. It is as if the action of the picture stands still as society moves forward like a distant memory. Certainly, that is my view and there are others equally as insightful—those that I hope to be expressed on DeafDC.com. The beauty of viewing art is that, many interpretations are and can be applicable. It is essentially like a puzzle, which makes it all the more fun! Both exhibits are free of charge.

Friday, October 5, 2007: 8 p.m. to midnight is the Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden After Hours fall event, a perfect outing for your friends who may be visiting DC on the long-weekend (Columbus Day is on the following Monday). For a $10 advance purchase ($12 at the door), you will have the opportunity to see the current exhibition, Morris Louis Now, featuring the famous modern artist who was an influential player in the Color Field movement and listen to live bands (Fools and Horses and DJ Yum Yum will play 80s and 90s hits). Sip on your cocktail from the cash bar and create your own Outsider Art masterpiece tote with techniques comparable to modern artist Morris Louis (while supplies last). Hishhorn Curator Valerie Fletcher will lead an Insomniac Tour of the Morris Louis exhibit at 10 p.m. If you don’t wish to go on the tour, you can set your own pace and view the gallery and hang out with your friends, and meet new people. You can always visit the Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden during the regular hours for free since it is part of the Smithsonian.

Closing October 14, 2007: Frida Kahlo: Public Image, Private Life. A Selection of Photographs and Letters at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA). As a celebration of Kahlo’s 100th birthday, this exhibition includes a glimpse of her private life by making public ten of Kahlo’s unpublished personal letters to family and friends. As if that weren’t private enough, this exhibit also includes 12 exclusive photographs of Kahlo’s private bathroom at the Casa Azul. This is particularly notable because contents in this bathroom brought to light the relationship between Frida’s artistic image and the difficulties endured in her personal life. The National Museum of Women in the Art includes its most valuable asset, Kahlo’s Self-portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky in this insightful exhibit.

I also would like to mention, that WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution also opened at the NMWA on September 21 and will close December 16, 2007. I have to yet visit, but will be interested in exploring the “formation, development, and impact of feminism in post-war contemporary art from 1965 to 1980.” For those of you interested in women and the arts, I encourage you to do a double take and view both exhibits in the next three weeks if you haven’t already done so. Adult admission: $10 dollars, Students $8.00, and Visitors over 60: $8.00; Youth 18 and under, Free.

Part of the fun of these exhibits is finding them yourself—it’s your turn to let me and DeafDC.com know about other exhibits worth seeing. If your grandmother came to town this weekend, where would you take her to show off this wonderful, cultural city?

Catharine McNally hails from North Carolina where she graduated from Wake Forest University with a concentration in art history. She finds it impossible to be bored with all the activities that Washington, D.C. has to offer. Catharine enjoys volunteering, working on art projects, and preparing dinner parties for family and friends. Last but not least, she loves visiting museums.

By Anthony Mowl

This morning it was easy to jump out of bed and hustle along to work. It’s a Monday, believe it or not, the cursed day that normally fills me with dread from the moment my alarm clock flashes in the morning. Not this morning, though. Something special was in the air, as if it were a holiday. It doesn’t have the same tingle as Christmas, but more like Easter.

The NFL officially began over the weekend. While some may say it’s the time of the year that strains relationships, I say differently. For those of you out there who dislike football, the NFL season is not simply sitting on a sofa with beer and wings. Football may mean different things to many people, but the thing I love most about NFL season is the rigid routine. I function best within a structured schedule and I usually have a hard time maintaining it. Not so during the football season. I am much more productive and happier overall. A normal calendar week begins on Sunday, and a typical work week starts on Monday. During football season, my week starts on Wednesday.

Wednesday:
This is the day I come to terms with how my team, the Indianapolis Colts, measures up against the rest of the NFL, because the latest power rankings are released. The power rankings rank 32 NFL teams by their strength, and are more reflective than league standings, because writers take outside factors into consideration. Power rankings can measure who would perform better in a head to head matchup rather than looking solely at wins and losses. I compare power rankings across several websites, and occasionally post comments and ask questions, but none of my questions have ever been answered by a sportswriter who probably receives hundreds a day. I try again each week though.

Thursday:
Thursday is a relatively calm day. The sports books release their final lines for the weekend, and comment on the Sunday matchups. Player projections are released, which I use to set my fantasy football lineups. I also read up on the latest articles so I have more ammo for trash talk at the water cooler.

Friday:
I celebrate Friday as well as anyone else, but not before I finish a little business though. I make my picks for my football suicide pool entries, which requires me to pick one team each week that I think will win. One mistake and I am eliminated. I also monitor the injury reports and read more matchup reports for the weekend games.

Saturday:
I am sidetracked with college football, and use this to clear my mind before the big day. I am a passionate NFL fan, but unfortunately I don’t share the same passion for the college sport. I make my final fantasy football roster settings before settling in for the day. I love when the college football season ends, then the NFL has Saturday games.

Sunday:
The climax of the week. I dislike professional baseball and basketball regular seasons because they play so many games (162 and 82). Losing a game in baseball or basketball can be meaningless. The NFL plays just 16 games, so every loss has a tremendous impact on playoff hopes and seedings. It’s a good thing players have just one game a week because the sport has a leave-it-all-on-the-field mind-set. Thankfully the NFL spreads out games out so I can keep my schedule full. In addition to the 1 pm games, I watch the 4:15 and 8:30 games as well. For those of you who say I do nothing all day, I ask you to consider God’s original purpose in creating Sundays.

Monday:
The denouement…but not the end. In the morning I read the opinions that come out after the full slate of games. I hate to read about one of my fantasy players’ poor performances, but I have to take the bad with the good. Monday Night Football makes the first day of the workweek much more cheerful when I know there’s a great matchup.

Tuesday:
This is a day of closure before moving on to the next opponent. Divisional standings are updated, and my favorite columnists usually release lengthy columns covering the entire week’s events.

When I go to sleep, I dream of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in front of 100,000 screaming fans at the Super Bowl. But when I wake up, I snap back to reality. Peyton Manning will have it in his hands when the Colts win the Super Bowl again, and that’s just fine with me.

Side note:
Jamaal Anderson, the son of former Gallaudet Board of Trustees Chair Glenn Anderson, started his first NFL game yesterday against the Minnesota Vikings. Anderson signed a five-year $31 million contract with the Falcons with $15.31 million in guarantees, and $5 million performance escalators based on sack totals. In his first game, he posted no sacks, but managed two tackles (1 solo, 1 assisted). Rookie Adrian Peterson must have been too fast for Anderson and his teammates, the Vikings ran all over the Vick-less Falcons 24-3.

Although Anthony Mowl currently resides in Rockville, Maryland, he hails from Fishers, Indiana and is a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan. An avid lover of scuba and sky diving, Anthony is currently saving up $200,000 necessary to become a space tourist.