[NFB-DB] Fwd: Now Hiring - Please Share

Wed Mar 16 00:59:40 UTC 2022

Wow Tracie, it sounds like you have a great family. It is nice to see
others out there with CI's, there is only one other blind person in my
state who has one and he doesn't come to meetings any more. I wish I had
gotten my CI earlier, but I'm glad I got it now. I think my success is due
in part because I grew up with speech and speaking through my "good" left
ear. Even that ear is not great. Good luck to you all.

On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 8:45 PM Tracie Inman via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Rod & Scott:
>  I'm okay with that. We can respectfully agree to disagree, and we can
> identify how we choose.  Rod, I would love to read your paper.  BTW, I was
> born Blind (to a mom who is also DeafBlind). I have a daughter who is
> DeafBlind and another daughter who is Blind.  The youngest of my 3
> daughters is Visually Impaired, so Blindness is a part of our family. I
> have two Cochlear Implants as does my daughter.
>   I was raised in the Blind Department of the Florida School for the Deaf
> & the Blind. Thus, I have been a member of the Blind Community all my life.
> Unfortunately, due to my hearing loss I never fit in with my hearing Blind
> peers. I began to learn ASL when I was 8, and by the time I was in middle
> school I was using ASL interpreters. It wasn't until 2007 when I
> received my second CI that I was reintroduced to the English language. If
> you know Joe, he'll tell you the story of when we first met in 2004 I
> couldn't communicate with home without an interpreter. The new technology
> opened new doors, and opportunities for employment & education, for me.
>   In 2019 I began to learn PT. Due to deteriorating vision I once again
> found a sense of freedom from isolation and empowered independence. It is a
> joy to have the access to knowledge of my surroundings and what is going on
> around me. Earlier this month Florida DeafBlind Association held its
> first-ever PT - Style State meeting free from access barriers.  What a
> blessing that was for us! Amazing!
>   If you are interested in reading the newsletter I co-write with another
> wonderful DeafBlind Lady, Theresa Wells, please feel free to read and
> share.  There are lots of great stories from the Sunshine State.  We just
> released our Spring issue. Enjoy!
> http://fldeafblind.org/newsletter.html
>
> Kind Regards,
> Tracie
>
> On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 6:51 PM Scott Davert via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Rod.
>> Would it be possible for you to share the paper? I'd be very curious
>> to read it now in 2022. To give a little context, I was 7 when you
>> wrote that paper, and doubt I have matured at all since then. Smiles.
>> I think in the same way that Rod writes deaf-blind, everyone is free
>> to use whatever form of the word they wish to identify. I think Rod is
>> saying that it's ok to write and identify yourself however you wish. I
>> don't read too much into a label, really, which is my choice and I
>> absolutely respect that people have other ideas on this than I do.  I
>> tink agreeing to disagree is the best thing, but also to try to
>> support people with their own choice in how they are identifying.
>>
>> Just my thoughts,
>> Scott
>>
>> On 3/15/22, Rod and Ele Macdonald via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> > Tracie,
>> >
>> > Thank you, you did a fine job of expressing your identity.
>> >
>> > I apologize if use of the term "baggage" was offensive to you. I meant
>> it as
>> > a figure of speech, a metaphor.
>> >
>> > I suggest that while you "became" deaf-blind when you were very young,
>> you
>> > nonetheless came from a background - possibly blindness, possibly
>> deafness,
>> > possibly sighted-hearing - that you brought forward to your identity as
>> a
>> > DeafBlind person.
>> >
>> > In the 1989 paper I referred to, I said that, left to themselves,
>> deaf-blind
>> > people might develop their own language. I do not claim to have
>> "predicted"
>> > PT, but a consumer-developed language was part of that vision of
>> deaf-blind
>> > culture.
>> >
>> > But ... you are asking me to change how I spell the name of my identity
>> to
>> > agree with yours? That is not embracing our unity of diversity is it?
>> > Because the hyphen is what I have lived with since becoming blind at age
>> > three, becoming hard of hearing at age 10, and profoundly deaf by the
>> time I
>> > was 30 - and I am now almost 81.
>> >
>> > I live in Hawaii, where the hyphen is used both in regulations and by
>> the
>> > deaf-blind community - I am acting President of the Hawaii Association
>> of
>> > the Deaf-Blind. PT is not used in Hawaii.
>> >
>> > I agree with almost everything you wrote, but - and this is a big "but"
>> -
>> > why do I have to change? Why can't our identity embrace three spellings
>> of a
>> > word ("Deafblind" is still used in places) if we can also embrace
>> multiple
>> > languages and multiple methods of communication?
>> >
>> > Rod
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: Tracie Inman via NFB-DB  <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>> > To:  nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>> > CC: tracielinman at gmail.com
>> > Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 10:43 am
>> > Subject: Re: [NFB-DB] Fwd: Now Hiring - Please Share
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hello:
>> >>  Please remove the hyphen between the words "Deaf" and "Blind". We no
>> >> longer use it. We are DeafBlind. A couple of thoughts on your
>> statements
>> >> come to mind. First, I am a bit offended by your statement of "bringing
>> >> baggage from my former life" when I became DeafBlind. For me, I was
>> much
>> >> too young to remember life before becoming DeafBlind, so how could I
>> have
>> >> "baggage"? One does not carry "baggage" into a disability. Maybe that
>> is
>> >> your perception, but it is not mine.
>> >>   PT (ProTactile) is itself now a language of the DeafBlind. It is a
>> >> language unique to the DeafBlind. None of the concepts of PT are
>> >> "borrowed" from either the ASL or the English languages. It is a
>> language
>> >> of tactile communication providing visual and auditory information to
>> the
>> >> DeafBlind.
>> >>   That said, we have not two, not three, but four languages. TASL
>> (Tactile
>> >> ASL) must also be counted.
>> >>   The DeafBlind world is a "melting pot" of culture, language, and
>> >> lifestyles unique only to our community. Joe Naulty once explained it
>> this
>> >> way: (We love you Joe and your unique perceptions are so awesome!) "The
>> >> DeafBlind community is like a pretzel: there are many parts in the
>> whole
>> >> pretzel"
>> >>   The challenge we face is full inclusion and integration in our
>> >> communities.  We have so many barriers to overcome.  We are, in so many
>> >> ways, a "forgotten" minority.  We face so many isolations and
>> obstacles.
>> >> Yet, when we come together we are joyful. We can "touch" each other in
>> a
>> >> positive way to communicate directly with one another in a language
>> that
>> >> is ours.
>> >>   I believe with all my heart that our community is special. We are
>> >> unique. We have a lot to give back to society. We show people, and the
>> >> world around us, that we, too, can live the life we want - with joy,
>> love,
>> >> and peace - together through touch, through total communication, and
>> >> through peer support.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Kind regards,
>> >> Tracie
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 4:03 PM Rod and Ele Macdonald via NFB-DB
>> >> <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hello Scott,
>> >>
>> >> The situation is not likely to improve much until someone who actually
>> >> wants "the job" challenges the discriminatory practice.
>> >>
>> >> The underlying issue is that blind people regard themselves to be part
>> of
>> >> a community, while Deaf people regard themselves to be part of a
>> culture.
>> >> There is a big difference. When a blind person or a Deaf person
>> "becomes"
>> >> deaf-blind, that person brings baggage from their "former life" into a
>> new
>> >> identity.
>> >>
>> >> I wrote a paper in 1989 entitled, "Deaf-Blindness: An Emerging
>> Culture?"
>> >> That paper introduced the "possibility" that a culture unique to
>> >> deaf-blind people exists, or at least was in the process of developing.
>> >> "Deaf-Blind Culture" was a controversial topic back then, but it is a
>> >> cherished belief among many now. The question is - is there a
>> >> comprehensive culture of deaf-blind people?
>> >>
>> >> I know of no other culture that has TWO languages - and both English
>> and
>> >> ASL are not "ours" but are borrowed from hearing people and Deaf
>> people,
>> >> and that does not even take PT into account. We do not even have a
>> unified
>> >> means of receiving and expresssing our language, even assuming we came
>> >> from one sid3e or the other. Braille can be a "natural" means of
>> accessing
>> >> written information, but ASL does not have a written component and
>> those
>> >> who grew up relying on visual ASL find it hard to learn or feel
>> >> comfortable with braille.
>> >>
>> >> I think that at some point we - us, not professionals who serve our
>> group
>> >> - need to decide: do we embrace the concept of an umbrella culture we
>> all
>> >> belong to, a culture with two languages and many, often competing
>> needs?
>> >> Or are we to go for two separate groups based opon language needs?
>> >>
>> >> I am wholeheartedly in favor of the "umbrella". I think we are too
>> small a
>> >> group to divide into sub-groups. I think we share toomuchtogether to
>> focus
>> >> on how we are different.
>> >>
>> >> One can be blind and become deaf, and one can be deaf and become blind.
>> >> The new person ... physically there is no difference, but culturally?
>> The
>> >> baggage from our "former" life will dictate our outlook, needs and our
>> >> approach. I am all for an identity that embraces who we have become,
>> and
>> >> not who we once were.
>> >>
>> >> Rod
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: Scott Davert via NFB-DB  <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>> >> To:  nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>> >> CC: scottdavert at gmail.com
>> >> Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 8:08 am
>> >> Subject: Re: [NFB-DB] Fwd: Now Hiring - Please Share
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hi Rod.
>> >> It's very concerning. Unless PA has another form of service delivery
>> >> for those who are "ASL illiterate?" I find the entire thing sad and
>> >> agree 100% with your views on this subject. This is a sad example of
>> >> how far we have not progressed.
>> >>
>> >> Scott
>> >>
>> >> On 3/14/22, Rod and Ele Macdonald via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> >> Scott,
>> >>
>> >> You are spot-on in my opinion.
>> >>
>> >> The deaf-blind "culture" - I introduced this concept over 30 years ago
>> >> and
>> >> still believe in it - is the only culture I know of with TWO languages,
>> >> neither of which is "ours". (We borrow English from hearing people and
>> >> ASL
>> >> from Deaf people, then try to adapt as best we can.) I believe that any
>> >> person who is (1) blind, has low vision, or has tunnel vision AND (2)
>> is
>> >> deaf or hard-of-hearing, is a deaf-blind person, and any attempt to
>> >> provide
>> >> services to this group should take into account the needs of the entire
>> >> population to be served.
>> >>
>> >> I would presumably be a consumer of such services if I lived in the
>> >> service
>> >> area, but I neither use ASL nor have usable hearing: What should the
>> >> hiring
>> >> authority put in the job description such that my communication needs
>> are
>> >> "covered"?
>> >>
>> >> It is a challenge, but an issue that should be challenged.
>> >>
>> >> Rod
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: Scott Davert via NFB-DB  <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>> >> To:  nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>> >> CC: scottdavert at gmail.com
>> >> Date: Monday, March 14, 2022 12:52 pm
>> >> Subject: [NFB-DB] Fwd: Now Hiring - Please Share
>> >>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Passing along. I noticed there is no mention of the requirement
>> forhard
>> >>> of
>> >>> hearing culture and that ASL fluency is required. I guess they only
>> want
>> >>> a
>> >>> someone who is DEAF STRONG for this. Maybe my impression is off? I'm
>> >>> passing this along as FYI...
>> >>>
>> >>> Scott
>> >>>
>> >>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>
>> >>> Begin forwarded message:
>> >>>
>> >>> From: Richard <prmcgann at comcast.net>
>> >>> Date: March 14, 2022 at 10:47:04 EDT
>> >>> To: NADBAmericans at groups.io, aadb-l at googlegroups.com, "Professionals
>> >>> Serving DeafBlind Consumers (PSDBC)" <psdbc at googlegroups.com>
>> >>> Subject: [AADB-L] Fwd: Now Hiring - Please Share
>> >>> Reply-To: aadb-l at googlegroups.com
>> >>>
>> >>> ?
>> >>> to all,
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> passing around.
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> -------- Forwarded Message --------
>> >>> Subject:     Now Hiring - Please Share
>> >>> Date:        Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:39:02 -0400
>> >>> From:        SSP Program <ssp at deafstone.org>
>> >>> To:  SSP Program <ssp at deafstone.org>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Hello!
>> >>>
>> >>> Please share the following open positions:
>> >>>
>> >>> * Director of DeafBlind Services - West PA
>> >>> * Director of DeafBlind Services - East PA
>> >>> * SSP Coordinator - East PA
>> >>>
>> >>> Job descriptions attached in Word and PDF documents.
>> >>>
>> >>> Thank you,
>> >>> Jessica K Adams, CI & CT
>> >>> COO
>> >>> Email: JAdams at DeafStone.org
>> >>> Phone/Text/FaceTime: 412-616-0400
>> >>> Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
>> >>>
>> >>> www.DeafStone.org
>> >>> --
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>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >>
>> >> Tracie Inman
>> >>
>> >> ===231197443961970ÚH
>> >
>> >
>>
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>
>
> --
> *Tracie Inman*
>
>
>
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