Also, I noticed the leaders and some bloggers againist Dr. Fernanades are Deaf Families with ASL environment like…

Joey Baer
Bridget Firl
Tom Holcomb
Dr. Lewis
MJ
Hilbok
Jeff Rosen and
Many others… No wonder they want hard to find a way to get her to be removed and placed someone who are from Deaf Family with ASL Environment. Oh boy!They are member of FSSA, oh no wonder!! They are all BIASED.

Nobody likes hearing this, but it’s true because I went through it myself. I came in to Gally as a non-signer, and went through the New Signer Program. It was the worst program I ever experienced in my life. They were more focused on Discovery classes than they were with teaching us ASL, and to be perfectly blunt, we mostly taught ourselves as best as we could that summer sign language because our instructors were so bad. Still, I tried to have faith and went on to the fall semester with another round of ASL classes. I ended up withdrawing because the teachers were only wanting to put us into a circle and we’re just supposed to sign among ourselves. Keep in mind this is my experience, and I have never heard to date ANYONE praising the ASL classes on campus yet. In fact, the hearing folks at other universities teach ASL so much better than Gally ever did. So if ya’ll really want to make improvements with folks knowing ASL, look no further than ASL dept.

That being said, I went through a horrible freshmen year with folks not being patient with me, or just calling me names, harrassing me, or just plain ignoring me in class when I tried to speak and sign too. I very rarely turn off my voice, and since I practiced long and hard as a child to use it, I’m not about to shut it off for nobody. However, I do sign while I speak. It’s just what comes naturally for me.

I firmly believe that people should use every resource that they can because the more they know, the more successful they will be in this world. After all, how often are you going to run into another deaf co-worker? There are also going to be times when having an interpreter is just really inconvienent. People want to talk about how hard it is for deaf folks out in the job force, and to be honest, we are our own worst enemy at times. The hearing world is not going to conform to fit us, not now or ever.

Last but not least, it would really help if the education in deaf schools were brought up to par. At least then folks would have a much better chance in the job force, and wouldn’t be so limited in their basic understanding of English and Math. And yes, deaf folks CAN learn English, whether they speak it or not. No excuse for not being fluent in it.

As for a realistic dialogue, I want the FSSA to come up with concrete facts to support their position, so that they have a leg to stand on when they discuss this with not only JK but also the BoT members. I want JK to sit down and be honest, instead of evasive and ducking out. I want her to come up with facts on her side that would either support or detract from her position. I want the BoT to explain why they picked her over others, how the last 3 were picked, and how much King Jordan influenced them. And finally, once you get all that out of the way, I want all faculty members to get together to discuss all of the reasons why they voted a no-confidence against JK, and the problems that they’ve had to deal with over the years. It’s not really that big of a task, just common sense. But in D.C. land, nothing is ever what it seems.

you and all the other deaf protesters keep on making deaf people look like GW Bush… clueless about anything or how respond with a point and tact

1) lack of public appearances to deal specifically with protest issues? The only appearances she’s made is one on May 2nd with Dr. Jordan, during which she basically said she wasn’t stepping down but she would try to be more social. The others are the daily fora in which she answered questions with platitudes and vague, abstract answers and eventually cut short because she didn’t like criticism or being asked the same questions because she wasn’t providing satisfactory answers. If her response to criticism is to shut down and leave, then that in itself says more about the kind of dialogue she’s willing to have as president/provost.

2) BoT members repeatedly visited Tent City and conversed with protesters. Dr. Fernandes never once visited. The only time (that we know of) she was seen in public was to try to get protesters to open up the 6th street garage on the day of the FSSA-imposed lockdown. Otherwise, she has never come out of hiding to talk with people (other than media) about protest issues.

3) In fact, she refused to meet with the FSSA board.

4) Since her selection, she has not addressed the campus-wide community at all related to tension about her own selection. Such a message might indicate hope for the future and for unity, but no, there’s been nothing. The only non-graduation message that she’s sent out was the day of the bomb scare, in which she said the BoT meeting would be closed due to “extenuating circumstances” and they’d e-mail results next week. No explanation, no reassurance, nothing. Even a message assuring the campus that they still had the freedom of speech or encouraging dialogue toward constructive ends would have been nice. But no, people on campus are still scared to say anything (for or against or neutrally), especially those without job security. There’s just been no proactivity on her part.

Regardless of viewpoint, people on campus are looking to Dr. Fernandes to either resign or DO SOMETHING to repair the tear in the community. Obviously, she’s not willing to do the former. But as president-select, she certainly could and should do the latter.

Here’s a question for you, out of sheer curiosity — what would you consider “real dialogue” on both Dr. Fernandes and protesters’ parts?

But here’s the dirty little secret — if you file a lawsuit, you will find it MUCH harder to get a job in the same area. Sure, you can keep on suing, but it’s both expensive, and you would not be able to find a job that you will enjoy and love to work in, with friendly co-workers.

It’s like breaking the picket line during the union’s strikes — break it, and you will not get a job in the industry again.