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UPDATED 10/14/00

From the newsroom of the Washington Post, Saturday, October 14, 2000 ....

Gallaudet To Admit Hearing Freshmen

By Amy Argetsinger
Washington Post Staff Writer

Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts university for deaf and
hard-of-hearing students, has decided for the first time in its 136-year
history to start admitting hearing students into its undergraduate program.

The number of hearing freshmen will be limited to 2 percent of the entering
class--roughly six students--for the first three years of the pilot
program, college officials said.

Only students who are proficient enough in American Sign Language to
understand and be understood by their deaf classmates will be admitted.

The Northeast Washington campus, which enrolls about 2,000 undergraduate
and graduate students, does not plan to advertise the program or make
efforts to recruit hearing students. College officials say they have
received several inquiries in recent years from hearing students--many of
whom are the children of deaf parents, Gallaudet alumni among them.

"There's been a growing interest in what Gallaudet has to offer," said
college spokeswoman Mercy Coogan. "We're assuming, but not requiring, that
the hearing people who want to come here want to continue working in some
way with deaf people."

Gallaudet's graduate programs have always admitted non-deaf people, who now
account for about 60 percent of the population seeking advanced degrees.

The decision seems bound to stir controversy at a college where deaf
students take pride in their unique culture and majority status.

The watershed event in Gallaudet history was a 1988 student revolt against
the governing board's decision to appoint yet another hearing president.
The week-long "Deaf President Now" protests prompted the board to reverse
its decision and appoint its first deaf president, I. King Jordan. Rebecca
Goldenbaum, 21, a junior from Dallas, said yesterday that Gallaudet
will lose its uniqueness under the new program.

"It's turning our image from a deaf university into a mainstreamed
university," she told The Washington Post in an e-mail.

But Gloria Nathanson, a 23-year-old senior from Minnesota, said she will
welcome hearing classmates.

"It is a positive step toward gaining better insight of each other's
community," she wrote in an e-mail. "Besides, it is a relatively small
number anyway."

© 2000 The Washington Post

UPDATED 9/15/00

DeafNet is excited to announce an addition to our staff! Justin Osmond, the son of Merrill and Mary Osmond, has graciously accepted an invitation to join the DeafNet staff! Stay tuned for a picture and bio of Justin! We are also very excited and would like to share Justin's short but sweet DeafNet guestbook entry with you!

Here's the best news of all! Please join us in the DeafNet chatroom for a LIVE online chat with Justin Osmond on September 28th at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Go to Osmond Network Online Communications to logon to chat or register if you have not already registered for an Osmond Network chat! If you have not already registered for an Osmond Network chat, and plan to attend this chat, it is essential that you register as soon as possible. Please feel free to email Terri Maguire if you have any questions! By all means, let's have a good turnout to properly welcome Justin as our newest staff member!

UPDATED 7/7/00

Tired of waiting for the job opening announcement once a week or months.
We are excited to share the GOOD News that just last week we have released a new website http://www.deafjobnet.com that is available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Interpreter applicants to research job openings across the United States. We currently have added 38 job postings after releasing the web site in just 6 days. We are working with more employers to add more job
announcements for you!

Good luck in your job research! Pass this along to your friends in case they are looking for a job!

Chas
Deafjobnet.com

UPDATED 5/16/00

Deaf Latino Boy Wanted for Movie!
Warner Brothers is seeking a deaf, Latino boy, aged 4-8, for a role in a new feature film "Collateral Damage" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Filming will take place throughout the summer in Mexico and NYC - no film experience necessary.
Mali Finn, Casting Director, will meet children in NYC on Sunday 5/14--time tba. Interested persons should reply to this note asap-thanks!!

Visit these websites:
NTID Performing Arts

UPDATED 5/11/00

Interesting Facts about the Disability Voting Population
Read this and get out there and exercise your right to vote!

UPDATED 5/10/00

AG Bell Biennial International Convention
Philadelphia, PA
July 8 -11, 2000.
A convention for professionals who work with, or parents who have a deaf or hard of hearing child.
For more information, go to the convention website

Some of the topics scheduled to be covered are: Cochlear Implants, Sound Field Amplification, Mainstreaming, IDEA and the law, Parent Advocacy, Medical reimbursement, Ways to promote Speech and Language, Telecommunication, Developing Listening Skills in Infants, and Reading Issues with Deaf Children.

UPDATED 5/5/00

Lamar University nets $1.25 million federal grant to expand deaf education program

Lamar University's deaf education program has been awarded a five-year, $1.25 million U.S. Department of Education Teacher Training Grant to provide scholarships and assistance to prepare masters-level teachers of deaf children, particularly those who are deaf and members of under represented minority groups, university officials announced today.

For more information, go to the Lamar University website and click on "All of this month's news".

ATTENTION ALL INTERESTED INTERPRETERS
The American Alliance for Theatre & Education: Conference 2000needs volunteer interpreters for their upcoming conference. They are looking for both interpreters and a person (or persons) who can coordinate the schedule for all conference interpreters.
Volunteers will be entitled to attend the conference for free in exchange for 8 hours of volunteer interpreting time spread out over the course of the four-day conference.

When: June 2-5, 2000
Where: Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center
About AATE: The American Alliance for Theatre and Education is a professional association of educators, artists, students and other interested individuals and organizations involved in drama and theatre for youth. The mission of AATE is to promote standards of excellence in theatre and theatre education
How: If you are interested, or would like more information, please
contact Angela Farrand and include the following information: Name, Daytime & evening phone, E-mail address, Street address and which days you will be available for interpreting: Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday mornings or afternoons

UPDATED 4/10/00

The Tony-award winning National Theatre of the Deaf is accepting submissions for Deaf and hearing actors for the upcoming season. Positions are available in the Resident Acting Company and by-project actors, for the companies, Resident Season and National Tours.

Non-signers and signers are strongly encouraged to apply. Auditions by appointment will be held in Washington, DC on May 8 and in New York City on May 9. AEA and non-AEA members will be considered.

For an appointment, send submissions, including photograph and resume to:

NTD
James Hodson, General Manager
P.O. Box 659
Chester, CT 06412

UPDATED 4/6/00

You are invited to join a mailing list called "Deaf-Blind Social List" for just chatting with friends and having a fun exchange of exciting information, such as life experience, deaf clubs, and deaf-blind clubs around the world and to share interesting information. You can subscribe to this list or get more information by going to:

http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/dbsocial
For any questions, please contact John.

UPDATED 3/18/00

Maryland Deaf Festival 2001 is hosting a bingo-dinner night on Saturday, April 29, 2000. It will take place at Casey Community Center in Gaithersburg, MD from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Everyone is welcome!

The cost for an adult ticket is $10 ($12 at door) and child's (from 4 to 12) is $5 ($6 at door). Children 3 and under are free. A ticket includes a dinner, a beverage, and a game card.
MDF 2001 is affliated with the Maryland Association of the Deaf. This event is a fundraiser to make the MDF 2001 possible and exciting.

For more information and tickets, please go to their website.

UPDATED 2/29/2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bell Atlantic Offers 7-1-1 Dialing For Relay Service in Massachusetts

Beginning February 25th, persons in Massachusetts who wish to make a Relay call can simply dial 7-1-1 to reach a Relay Operator.

Massachusetts joins only two other states, Hawaii and Maryland, in providing 7-1-1 access to its citizens. Through the continued efforts of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reserved 7-1-1 in order to provide better access to Telecommunications Relay nationwide. While other States will begin offering the service in the future, Bell Atlantic and MassRelay are pleased to be among the first in the continental States to offer 7-1-1 access as part of the commitment to provide the finest Relay service in the country.

Both TTY users and Voice callers can dial 7-1-1 to reach a Relay Operator. TTY users will now find it easier than ever to leave messages for hearing individuals to return their call. Rather than having to leave long, and sometimes confusing, instructions for the person to call Relay at the 800 number, then call the TTY user s number, messages now can simply state, Dial 711 and ask the Operator to call me at this number . Bell Atlantic and MassRelay expect that 7-1-1 access will greatly improve the rate of returned messages made by persons previously unfamiliar with Relay.

TTY users who wish to include Relay instructions on their business cards will also find 7-1-1 an easier and quicker reference. Announcements and instructions for use of 7-1-1 will be distributed by Bell Atlantic in the March telephone bill insert and by MassRelay through the Outreach Program in brochures, web site information, and presentations.

The current MassRelay numbers, 1-800-439-2370 for TTY calls and 1-800-439-0183 for Voice calls continue to operate normally. Both TTY and Voice users may choose to dial 7-1-1 instead, however, TTY users may wish to continue using the TTY 800 number for the fastest service possible. 7-1-1 is only available to callers within Massachusetts. Travelers outside the Commonwealth who wish to place a MassRelay call must use one of the 800 numbers (TTY or Voice).

MassRelay is operated by VISTA Information Technologies, Inc. and administered by Bell Atlantic. For more information about MassRelay Service or to arrange for a Relay presentation, please contact the MassRelay Outreach Manager, Mark Sommer, at
1 800 439 0415 (TTY) or email at Outreach@massrelay.org.

UPDATED 2/29/2000

American Society for Deaf Children
Yours, Mine, and Ours
July 12 - 15, 2000
Get Connected and Stay Connected! How? Plan to join us for the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) convention July 12-15, 2000. ASDC is pleased to provide a warm and friendly atmosphere conducive to sharing and learning on the campus of Gallaudet University. We invite you and your family to experience one of the most fun-filled and informative conventions you will ever attend. Unlike many conventions, this will be an escape to the tranquil surroundings of Gallaudet's campus located in the heart of our nation's capitol. The attire is casual...the environment is comfortable...and the feeling is family-oriented! Come
prepared to share your experiences, obtain new information through the various workshops, keynote presentations and events, while developing friendships and alliances. Young children and teenagers will have the opportunity to participate in activities planned especially for them. For a brochure or for more information, contact:
Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center
The College for Continuing Education
800 Florida Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20002
ATTN: ASDC
ph: 202-651-6060
fx: 202-651-6041
email

Barbara Raimondo
301/990-2847 v/tty
301/990-2848 fax

UPDATED 02/5/2000

An intensive training program for practicing sign language interpreters will be offered this summer at Western Oregon University (WOU). The training, called the Summer Interpreter Education Program (SIEP), is designed for deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing individuals and is sponsored by the Division of Extended Programs at WOU.
For a brochure and application, contact the Division of Extended Programs at 503-838-8483, or by email, or call toll free 800-451-5767 (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT., OR, UT, WA, and WY).

YOUR RIGHT TO CAPTIONING IS IN DANGER!
An URGENT situation has presented itself regarding your right to continue to receive TV closed-captioning as well as open-captioned videos from the Captioned Media Program (CMP). Your IMMEDIATE ACTION is critically needed. It's almost unbelievable, but by September 30th, 2001, the amount of captioning available to persons with a hearing loss may be significantly decreased. Why? Chiefly because of loopholes in the Telecommunications (TC) Act of 1996. The TC Act "mandates" captioning, but it will be several years before (if ever) all captioning "mandates" will take effect.

2001: THE REAL Y2K FOR THE DEAF COMMUNITY
In September of 2001, funds from the government will only be used for captioning "...educational, news, and informational television, videos, or materials." NO FUNDS will be available for the captioning of "entertainment" television or videos. Will the TC Act be in effect and ensure that all programming will be captioned anyway? No! For example:

For "new" TV programming (aired for the first time on or after January of 1998), only 25% must be captioned, 50% by January of 2002, 75% by January of 2004, and 100% captioning is mandated only by January of 2006. Much of the closed-captioning you currently enjoy will be lost in September of 2001!
* There are also exemptions to the above rules such as:

programming from new TV networks does not have to be captioned,

no video programmer will be required to spend more than 2% of its annual gross revenues on captioning,

there are absolutely no requirements for home videos or classic movies such as those currently provided by theCMP,

and more!

WHAT YOU MUST DO
Some captioning will be lost in 2001. But there is one thing you can do right now to reduce that loss. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has invited comments and recommendations from the public on the definition of the term "educational, news, and informational." (See the end of this communication for contact information.) If you want to read in depth about the invitation from the government for public comments, read the Federal Register announcement at http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg/grantann/q499/121799d.txt The NAD will provide comments to the ED which include the following:

* We believe that virtually EVERYTHING on television and videos is educational. Without captioning, access to the critical common knowledge of the world community will be lost. To a large extent, this common knowledge and collective memory allows people to communicate, to work together, and to live together. But any TV program defined as "entertainment" will no longer receive any government support for captioning!

* The term "educational, news, and informational" should be read and defined as broadly possible. Any and all television and videos have the potential to be educational or informational. The CMP is the ONLY source of many open-captioned movies, and it will no longer receive government support for captioning of "entertainment" videos!

* The National Education Goals (Goals 2000) state that "every adult will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy." Those same goals also expect that all children in America "will start school ready to learn." Literate adultsmust be able to gather and understand information on a variety of subjects through a number of different modes. But without full captioning access, deaf and hard of hearing individuals will be at a serious disadvantage!

VOICE YOUR OPINION BEFORE THE DEADLINE OF JANUARY 18.

Yes, this is a civil rights issue, BUT the government is not asking for a response about civil rights. They are asking for a response defining "educational, news, and informational" materials. This battle can be won if a broad definition of "educational" materials is adopted by the government. Government funding for captioning of movies and other "entertainment" materials may then be continued. Here's how to voice your opinion:

BY JANUARY 18, written comments concerning the definition of "educational, news and informational" media must be RECEIVED by the government at the following address:
Debra Sturdivant
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3527
Switzer Building
Washington, DC 20202-2641.
FAX: (202) 205-8105
Telephone: (202) 205-8038 (V).

If you prefer to send your comments through email, use the following address: comments@ed.gov
You must include the phrase "educational media activities" in the subject line of your electronic message. If you have questions:
1. Call or email the CMP: 1-800-237-6213 (V), 1-800-237-6819 (TTY), or info@cfv.org.
2. Or, directly contact the U. S. Department of Education: Debra Sturdivant (202) 205-8038 (V) or Jo Ann McCann (202) 205-8475 (V).
NOTE: If you use a TTY, you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Eyeglasses That Hear!

Interpreter Job Satisfaction Research

Here is a site on scholarships for the deaf/hard of hearing!

Check out information on scholarships for ASL/Interpreters at Deaf Magazine!!

Ear implants are found to aid profound deafness

Enjoy an exclusive interview with hard of hearing Justin Osmond, son of Merrill and Mary Osmond. You'll be touched and impressed on how Justin has taken what could have been an unfortunate challenge and turned it into magic! Don't wait a moment longer. Click here!

Copyright © 2000 Osmond Network LLC

Contact Rosemarie@deaf.net for comments and suggestions.