March's nearly over..

Hello! Hello! Hello!

I have some exciting news to share..

Bucky had to go and take MCP 270-271 - Supporting Users & Troubleshooting a MS Win XP Operating Sys (Microsoft Certification Professional) test today (Friday) at noon and he PASSED!! So he's planning on taking one more test to get another certification to be certified as MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Tech.) soon. I am just very excited he passed and feeling real good about his test score! YAY!! Congratulation honey!!

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And another Congratulation to Bucky as he's proud owner of his first own motorcycle.. Will have a picture taken to post online.. He's really tickled that he is able to say "I'm a motorcycle owner" :) One of our neighbors was really thrilled to see that Bucky has a motorcycle as he has two bikes of his own and they rode around the block today before we hit the road to Clinton..

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I didn't get to see "Through the Deaf eyes" when it came out on Wednesday as I went to bed at 8 pm due to being so tired. I was very fortunate that Dad copied it on his DVR so I was able to watch it tonight. WOW!! MAN!! I realized I missed those old deaf actors/actresses I watched when I was younger such as Deafcla among the others. So I am going to see if I can get a copy of that movie to watch and let my children see the "oldies deaf movies".. I thought the show was very good and to the point of Hearing/Deafness.. I loved that guy at the beginning and the ending of that show, C.J. Jones. LOL!! He's funny but at the end of the show, He has the point right there.. It's not the matter of deafness and unablilty of speaking with voice BUT knowledge that should make the big difference!

That brings me to one of the bosses at my workplace, he came to my desk other day and asked "why didn't deaf school teach deaf children how to speak?" I said "Deaf school has speech program but not all children succeed at this and why didn't hearing people learn sign language instead of Spanish, French, Germany?" he looked at me and said "I know, I know" :)

Like the guy said in the clip "Can you read my lips?" I really hate that words because it makes me feel like I have to assist them to be able to communicate with me. They can just go ahead and write down what they want to say or have an interpreter available.. Why do they have to ask "Can you read lips?"

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Mom is doing very well after her joint replacement/ Carpal release surgery last week. She is now in cast for next 3 weeks then will be fitted with brace to wear for another month.. Bless her and Dad for being patient and willing to take in Justin and Ryan this past week while the boys were on their spring break. I was hoping my plan would follow through but it fell through so Mom and Dad was willing to make this work so I'm very grateful for them to help us out with the boys while Bucky and I work to make living for our family. Thank you Mom and Dad! We love you..

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Another Deaf issue.. I agree with this email I got from Mom and Dad.. Every interpreter who makes money from intepreting should be licensed no matter how simple the assignment is..

-------Original Message---
Subject: Support State Legislation on Licensing
Interpreters

I SUPPORT STATE LEGISLATION ON CERTIFYING AND LICENSING
INTERPRETERS!

Hello! I am Paul Kiel. I am known as Deaf Advocate on many
blogs and newsletters around the country. I have lived and experienced using
sign language interpreters in many cities and states. I do encourage the state
legislators to develop state legislation on certifying and licensing
interpreters.

Can drivers drive car without license? NO - it is illegal
to drive without license.

Can lawyers perform legal duties without
license? NO - they have to pass the bar exam to be qualifed to work with
clients.

Can doctors perform surgeries on patients without license? NO -
they have to pass and be approved by state medical boards.

Can sign
language interpreters work without license? NO - they have to be licensed in
order to do any interpreting.

According to National Association of the
Deaf's website under Advocacy Issues - Interpreting, it stated that, "The
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) basically gives deaf and hard of hearing
individuals the right to a qualified interpreter. However, the definition of
"qualified interpreter" is very broad and does not establish the standards for
the interprters before they are hired to provide interpreting services."

More states are interested in having ceritfication and licensing
interpreters for all settings.

It is important to monitor who is
interpreting.

It is imperative that we regulate, report and improve the
interpreting profession.

It is a profession that needs checks and
balances.

This helps weed out those unscrupuous individuals.

We
do need a licensure to help us know what's going on and who are capable of doing
the job.

This will help provide good interpreters with credit and
identify the bad apples.

Having licensure will help improve interpreting
services for Deaf and Hard of hearing.

I have been using sign language
interpreters for more than 40 years. I have seen good and bad interpreters. I
have bad experiences with bad interpreters. My experiences with bad interpreters
are serious enough to require that all interpreters be licensed in order to be
more professional in service delivery. I do demand and expect each interpreter
who works for me to be licensed. I have the right to turn down any interpreters
that are NOT licensed. I cannot trust anyone without license.

You as a
consumer have a right to request for one. You can ask to see if he or she is
licensed. If not, you can file a complaint with the state licensing board. This
is why we do need the kind of system to keep interpreters in line with rules and
policies.

I am sharing with you some of my experiences with some bad
interpreters.

1. I was working for a housing project that had a hearing
man. He claimed to be an interpreter. It was hard to read his signs and I have
seen him misinterpret some of his clients in his office. He twisted the
information from his clients when newspaper reporters were asking questions. He
was even worse to the point of manipulting deaf clients.
It was terrible
experience.

2. I was working for a service agency that the director had
a wife who claimed to be an interpreter. She was terrible at interpreting. She
was so egostical and so selfish. The clients had hard time understanding her and
she made so many mistakes that ruined the lives of clients.

3. I was
visiting a town and there was a hearing guy who claimed to be interpreter. He
only used fingerspelling and mouthed words to tell us what was going on. He did
not even use ASL smoothly at all. He was so terrible that I had to leave.

4. I was working for a service agency that practiced nepotism and
tokenism. The family claimed to be interpreters. They were only out to get money
to finance themselves and they were so bad that I refused to use them to
interpret for me. The clients suffered in many situations that I witnessed to
the point of refusing to work for them anymore.

5. There has been
problems in courts with bad interpreters. One interpreter misinterpreted the sex
abuse case. A woman tried to tell police about her rape situation. The police
did not understand. It took longer to explain by paper. The interpreter was
unable to do the job.

6. Another situation was that the interpreter
misquoted what the woman said in a rape case in the court. The interpreter said
that they were "making love" when actually the man abused and raped brutally
her. The court let the rapist go free. It is injustice for the deaf woman!

Speaking of injustice, we need to stop corruption, abuse and lack of
professionalism in interpreting.

We deserve the right to have licensed
interpreters who can do the job right and be professional at the same time!

This is why more and more states are working on licensing interpreters!
It is beneficial for us all!

Go to the state legislators and tell
them we do need licensure system to weed out bad interpreters!

Go for
it! You will be glad you did it!

Sincerely,

Paul J. Kiel
a
tireless Deaf Advocate

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Another issue about Interpreting agencies and costs.. It's very sad situation but it HAS to be changed or improve for BOTH sides (Deaf and Hearing) I am aware of difficulties many areas are having with costs and even the fact not enough interpreters available to handle assignments nowadays due to Video Relay Services.. I think it's time for MAJOR OVERHAUL cleaning and make it within margin rates of costs for every states, no matter where you are at but costs should be within margin rates for ALL states as I have noticed some states pays better than other etc.. We need to make sure that it is a requirement that we screen people who want to come and work in deaf centers like we have in Knoxville TN. , KCD..

It is time for WORLD to be very aware of deafness (ALL TYPE OF DEAFNESS, that includes Oralist, CI and so on) and make this world accessible to everyone. It is no excuse for the world to continue to have barriers because deaf, blind, wheelchair, all disabilities has been around for long time and still have to approach barriers and ignorant people who chose not to be accessible or make the barrier crumble between worlds..

Thanks!

Till then, M-

Better late than none for March :)

Hello Everyone!

Sorry it took me so long to post something for March.. We had been so busy since beginning of March till now. So I'm taking some time to post something :)

I started my new job at Insurance place on 27th of February and I LOVE my job! People who I work with are real nice and very eager to learn sign. A lady who works next to my cubicle is very eager to learn sign to communicate with me! I am real excited about this. I did enjoyed my job at JewelryTV before quitting to come to work for this Insurance place.. They both have pros and cons but I'm happy where I am at now.

On Friday March 2nd, after Bucky and I got home from work, we packed up the car and went to North Carolina to visit our other family and really had wonderful time visiting Mom, Bill, Tina, Brittany, Becky, Mom Mom, Pop, Uncle Randy, Aunt Linda, Paul and so on. It was real good to see them all cramming in only one and half days we had with them.

We got there Friday night about 9:45 pm and Bill couldn't wait to see us so he came over with the girls to see us at Mom's then took our three kids with them to sleep over at their new place they had recently moved to.

Saturday morning, Bucky and I went over to Bill's house to get the kids and we all decided to go to North Wilkesboro to eat at Mayflower seafood restaurant but were disappointed that they were closed till 3 pm. It was 1:30 when we came over and we had not had our breakfast so we all were starving so decided to go somewhere else. Mom suggested Fire Mountain, we had not heard of that restaurant so we went there and it was real good! The kids were excited about all selections they can have instead of having one choice. After eating our Lupper, Mom, Tori, Bucky and I went to Wal-mart to walk around as Mom wanted to get Ryan and Tori some things but they didn't sell that as it was a seasonal thing.. So we went to see Uncle Randy and Aunt Linda and Paul for a visit, Paul looked real good and he had a real big smile when he saw Bucky. It was really precious to see that.. Paul is paralyzed from an drunk driving accident (it's a long story that I may get into later) Bucky was drooling and wanting to ride a motorcycle as you all know we don't have one here for him to go riding on yet and Uncle Randy has a Harley Davidson bike. So Bucky got to ride for a little bit to make him happy. LOL! After our visit at Uncle Randy's, we went to see Mom Mom and Pop. As usual, it is always good to see them! We all decided to go over to Mom's place as she had ham cooking in oven and Mom Mom and Pop was hungry so we cut the ham for ham sandwiches. So the ham didn't get devoured till later in the evening because we all were stuffed from Fire Mountain..

Saturday night, Bucky and Justin went to see Trevor, Orry, Aunt Jean and Uncle Charlie for a visit while I stayed at Mom's with the little kids (Ryan, Becky, Brittany and Tori) and Mom :) We enjoyed a quiet evening at home watching kiddies movie..

Sunday morning came, Bucky got busy with moving Mom's bed from one room to another and Bill and Tina came so he got some help :) So it was really good visit for us since we had not been to NC since Mom Mom and Pop's 60th wedding anniversary dinner 2 years ago.

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Happy Birthday to March Folks

Rev. Larry Potter- March 9 - Tennessee
Billy Taylor SR - March 12 - Virginia
Becky Woodard - March 17 - North Carolina
Zachary Mountjoy - March 17 - Virginia
Orry Carriere - March 17 - North Carolina
Trista Moore - March 18 - North Carolina
Wendy Allen - March 18 - Last known state was Louisiana
Yamka Mountjoy - March 25 - Virginia
Tammy Lentz - March 28 - North Carolina
Mom Mitchell - March 31 - North Carolina
Sandy Duncan - March 31 - Pennsylvania
Darill Fowler - March 31- North Carolina

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I was reading blogs this morning and came to this VLOG.. I feel and think that lady really hit this perfectly! It is VERY important for deaf community to be able to come to unity on HOW we approach the community where hearing parents come to find their child is deaf and looking for information for their child.. We as a deaf community should not be "bashing" other communities because it will give them the bad impression of us. We need to come up with better way to educate others about the Deaf Community and how strong we can be.

When I was younger, I would be very defiant and say NO CI! NO CI! But as I get older, I realize that people should have choices. I definitely do not want CI for my own choice. When I took Tori to a E.N.T. Dr a couple of years ago, after we were done with the appointment he asked if he could ask me a personal question. I knew it would be about CI but I said sure, you can ask me a question and I will answer if I see fit. He said "What is your opinion about Cochlear Implant?" I told him flat out that "I oppose it BUT I respect people's wishes when they decide it's best choice for them. I do not feel that children should be implanted because their parents feel that their child would be better not knowing sign language and teach them only to use speech.. " He said he understood..

I believe that there is nothing wrong with variety of deafness in community, we shouldn't make any other deaf person feel inferior to us because of their choices of knowing how to speak, having CI, preference to listen to music and so on. I am VERY DEAF but I LOVE music.. I love lyrics and I love feeling beats even though I can't hear a squat.. I don't like feeling heavy metal music that my son listen to because it usually feel like scratching on chalkboard which is very annoying! :)

I hope we do come together and improve our presentation to world in general with many sensitive issues we approach between hearing/deaf world. Yes, I know the Deaf has been around for many many years as well as hearing but each generation approach something new and we have to continue to educate people without bashing them because it wouldn't work that way! It will just divide the worlds even more..

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Bucky's anxiously looking forward this weekend as we are considering buying a motorcycle for him.. Will post picture of him on his new bike if we actually get it on Saturday. :)

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Keep that in mind!

Daylight Saving Time start and end date changes
Beginning March 2007 ---
Year DST Begins 2 a.m. (Second Sunday in March)
DST Ends 2 a.m. (First Sunday in November)

2007 March 11 November 4
2008 March 9 November 2
2009 March 8 November 1
2010 March 14 November 7
2011 March 13 November 6
2012 March 11 November 4
2013 March 10 November 3
2014 March 9 November 2
2015 March 8 November 1

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Curious about Deaf people in history?? You can read about many deaf people has had made their names important..

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Enjoy your week! :)

Till Then, M-