NW Connection
Your Eyes and Ears in the Northwest
Volume #5 – Jan 2006
Happy New Year Everyone!
2006
promises to be an exciting year. The
American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) will host its bi annual Conference
at
Also,
the annual Seabeck Retreat sponsored by the
Are
you wondering what’s up with the National SSP Pilot Project? We are still waiting to hear from Congress if
our appropriation request has been approved.
The war on
The Northwest Office of HKNC continues
to provide consultations to customers, service providers, parents, educators
and we work in collaboration with many agencies in the four states in the
region. Our priority is to assist with
helping deaf-blind folks find gainful employment in the community of their
choice. I am available to you for
consultation, assistance or just to talk.
Just E-mail, phone, VP, fax or write to me and
I will respond to you as soon as I can.
Have a wonderful and productive year.
Dorothy
Walt, Regional Rep./Region 10, HKNC
DB SPOUSAL SUPPORT
If
you are interested in finding out more about a new deaf-blind support group for
spouses and partners or persons who are deaf-blind or hearing and visually
impaired, send a blank e-mail request to DB-Spousal-Support-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
DB SPICE OF LIFE
Another
new Yahoo group for DBers is also being started
called DB-Spice of Life. Its
description: Just as spices add more flavors to food, a variety of personal
interests, life changes and new experiences will be the spice that makes life
more exciting! This is a group of
Deaf-Blind people who love to share life stories and experiences, swap recipes,
exchange helpful tips and ideas, and learn to be a more caring and supportive
group. Hosts are Karen who specializes in healthy cooking and organic
gardening, and Melanie who enjoys traveling and writing. You may subscribe by
sending a blank e-mail to:
DB-SpiceofLife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
New
Company Provides Books in Alternate Formats
Huge
Print Press now provides customized large print books as well as e-text
versions edited in Microsoft Word format which can be used with screen readers
such as JAWS, Kurzweil, Open Book, etc. The e-text can also be converted to Braille
with Duxbury and other Braille applications.
Just send your favorite book to Huge Print Press in print and they will
return it to you in 2 weeks in the format you desire. Prices for the e-text version ranges from
$.45 to $.70 per page of the original book and for large print books the range
is from $.30 per page of the original book to $.99 or higher per page—all dependent
on the complexity of the book (a medical textbook might be closer to the $.99
charge). If you would like more
information about this new company, check it out at www.hugeprint.com
HKNC
Goal
This newsletter is for the deaf-blind
people of the Northwest and the people who live with
them, work with them and socialize with them. The
Your Regional Representative is Dorothy
Walt, 206-324-1133 TTY/Video Phone. For
voice callers, call 711, then give the operator
Dorothy’s number. E-mail nwhknc@juno.com or FAX 206-324-9159
Address
is: Helen Keller National Center; NW
Region
FCC Closed Captioned Regulations
By
law, as of January 1, 2006, TV shows must be closed captioned. For more information on the rules and
regulations check it out at the Federal Communications Commission’s website: http://www.fcc./gov/cgb/dro
Free Hotline Available for Air
Travelers
The
Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and
Proceedings has a toll free number for consumers who experience
disability-related air travel problems.
The hotline, which is staffed from 7 AM to 11 PM (EST) seven days a
week, provides general information and assistance to consumers about the rights
of air travelers with disabilities. The
phone numbers are 800-455-9880 (TTY) and 800-778-4838 (V).
HKNC Alumni Newsletter
Were
you a student at HKNC? Do you want to keep in touch with other former HKNC
students? Add your name to the e-mail list or mailing list by contacting Susan Shiparo at hkncalumni@aol.com
How
Can We Help You?
Questions, Comments,
Changes of Address or E-mail? Would you like to receive your newsletter
in a new way (E-Mail, Large Print, Braille Grade I and Braille Grade II)? Just contact Taryn
by phone at 206-324-9120 (V/TTY) or by e-mail at hkncnw@qwest.net and she will be happy to
make any changes you would like. We are
always happy to hear from you!
Helen
Keller’s Going to
The first lady of
Flying Blind and Deaf but Not Alone
By ANINDYA BHATTACHARYYA
WHEN you are deaf-blind, technology is
an ever-present companion. I travel with
a laptop for e-mail, phone and Internet access.
I use a G.P.S.-equipped Braille Note note-taker to get information about
my surroundings. To communicate with others, I have a Screen Braille
Communicator with two sides: one in Braille, which I can read; the other an
L.C.D. screen with a keyboard, for someone who is sighted.
My other traveling companion is my
guide dog, a yellow female Labrador retriever named Dinah. But there is no substitute for the human
touch. For example, printing letters on my palm is sometimes quicker and easier
than the Screen Braille Communicator.
And I still have to rely on other people - everyone from flight
attendants, hotel clerks and cab drivers to the airline staff escort I need to
get through security. Occasionally, I
also turn to other travelers for assistance.
One of my most memorable
experiences with a Good Samaritan happened a few years ago. My flight from
I started waving my arms to
attract someone's attention, and a man came over. I showed him my communication
card and how to print on my palm. His
name was Allen, and he told me we were delayed until midnight. He said he would
sit with me on the plane. We finally boarded, and when we sat down, I realized
we were in first class because the seats were leathery and the armrests were
wider.
I was so exhausted that I napped
often during the flight. Allen became my interpreter, making sure I got any
food or drink I wanted from the flight attendant. I figured they must have upgraded us because
of the delay. I sometimes get bumped up if there are open seats because
airlines don't have much room for Dinah.
I always try to get the bulkhead seat, but there have been times when my
canine companion ends up sitting in the aisle.
When we landed, Allen helped me
find a bag and a cab to the
A few days later, the executive
director of the center, Joe McNulty, visited me. "Remember that guy Allen you met on the
airline?" he asked. "He called me to find out if you made it back
here O.K. Do you know who he is?"
"No," I said. He was
Allen Brill, the chief executive of Rolex
As told to Christopher
Elliott. E-mail: elliottc@nytimes.com New York
Times, Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Town
for Signers Being Developed!
A town is being formed in
No
limits--Blind and deaf man enjoys life to fullest
By Amy Maginnis-Honey
David Bess Jr., 43, is deaf and
blind. But that hasn't stopped the
former
He is the main subject of
"Visions," a memoir by his mother Janie P. Bess, who lives in
"Visions" is also a look
into Janie Bess' life. She was an aspiring singer, who missed a chance to open
for Ray Charles, when she fell ill with rubella. At the time she didn't know she was
pregnant. Born six weeks premature,
David Bess Jr. had his first eye surgery when he was 2 months old and he lost
all vision when he was 5 years old.
Janie Bess suspected there was
something wrong with her son's hearing but doctors insisted otherwise. However,
when he didn't react to her dropping an iron skillet on the floor, she made a
scene in an Air Force clinic to get him help.
David was about 2. “The doors
really opened for David then," his mother said.
Only 19 when she gave birth to
David, Janie grew up with her son and learned with him. "God gave me the nerve to stand up to
people," she said. "I used to be the cry baby in the family."
The
book was written to encourage others. "I've found so many people who have
less than David," she said. "And they say 'my life is over' and they
give up." She offers them no pity,
instead telling them to count their blessings rather than complain.
Janie Bess said,
she couldn't be happier. "David has had a full life. He has touched
so many lives," "I'm so proud of him.”
SHHH
Changing Name to Hearing Loss Association of
The Board of Trustees of Self Help for
Hard of Hearing People voted to change the name of the organization to the
Hearing Loss Association of
Traveling?
These Tips Could Make It Easier
(Here is the second and last part of
Travel Tips! First
part in January 2005 newsletter.)
1. Ask a fellow traveler on the same flight
to inform you of any important announcements or changes in flight plans.
2. If you need large print or Braille
for the in-flight safety announcements, the airline should have those
accommodations. They are not supposed to
take off until everyone has access to the safety information. You can request it before you take off.
3. It’s a good idea to let the
attendants know you have a vision and hearing loss; and how to communicate with
you.
4. Explain to the attendant, how to get
your attention when they are passing out drinks, a meal, snacks, or if there is
an emergency.
5. If you do not hear well, you are not
supposed to sit in the emergency exit rows.
Ask your seatmate to alert you if any unexpected announcements are made.
As you get in, tell your driver your
hotel or airline. Give him a card that
says something like “Hard of hearing,
1. Request an
Amplified phone or TTY
Visual/tactile alarm clock
Door knock alert
Telephone alert
Smoke alarm alert
Fire alarm alert
You may need to bring your own vibrator to connect to the
2. Try to get a room on the sixth floor
or below as aerial ladders only reach to about the sixth floor.
3. Try to get a room near the fire
exit. If a fire does occur, you may be
able to hear/feel lots of noise and vibration of people running up/down the
stairs. Then you can step out to find
out what’s going on.
4. To orient yourself to the hotel,
fire exit, elevators, restaurants, etc., ask the hotel staff to guide you and
show you where everything is located.
1. Ask for your specific accommodations
and ask to have them installed.
2. Ask the hotel to leave notes under
your door instead of messages on the phone.
3. If you have a trusted friend who is
also staying in the hotel, ask that the hotel give your friend a key to your
room, in case of emergency.
If the
hotel can’t provide specific accommodations, you might want to:
1. Bring your own portable telephone
amplifier or TTY
2. Bring your own vibrating or flashing
light alarms
An
Affordable Hearing Aid? It’s About Time!
With
over 28 million Americans who have a hearing loss, the Lions Affordable Hearing
Aid Project (AHAP) developed a low cost, high quality hearing aid which at a
little over $100 has proven to perform as well as aids that sell for
$2,000. This aid is only available
through Lions Clubs in partnership with local audiologists. Whereas these partnerships exist worldwide,
so does the AHAP program. Read more
about this program at their new, cleverly named web site: www.lionsear.org
or call them at 630-571-5466, ext 615
voice.
Make It TWO Affordable Hearing Aids!
Ever
hear of the program “HEAR NOW”? They
became part of Starkey Hearing Foundation in 1999. They accept donated used hearing aids which
are sold to a repair lab. The money
generates funds for the “So the World May Hear” Program which allows persons
with low income to purchase a hearing aid for the cost of the application
process ($100 for one or $200 for two).
Complete instructions and application are available on the Starkey web
site at www.sotheworldmayhear.org
Click on “HEAR NOW” and follow the
link to the application. If you have
questions or do not have access to the Internet, call 800-648-4327 (voice) and
Starkey staff will return your call.
Information about AFB scholarships
The American Foundation for the
Blind has scholarship information available on their web site for those who are
planning to go to college. Go to www.afb.org/scholarships.asp and look at the six (6) possible
scholarships. All require the applicants
to be legally blind. Please see the AFB
web site for specific criteria. Applications and all required supporting
documents must be received at AFB postmarked no later than March 31, 2006.
Ever wondered about that tax
exemption for blindness?
If
your vision loss has worsened in the last year you might not be aware of this
little tax trivia. When filing your
federal income tax, if you are considered legally blind, check off the box (for
yourself or your spouse), and attach a letter from your doctor documenting the
fact. If this statement certifies that
the condition is unlikely to improve, a new certification is not required in
subsequent years. The deduction can be a
large amount (approximately $1,000) so it might be worth checking out. For more information, contact your tax
preparer or check the IRS web link for standard deduction tables.
Hadley Opens Online Discussion
Board!
The
Moderated by school staff, the
online discussion board offers five forums: Braille, technology, professionals,
families and general inquiries. The
Deaf-Blind Techies ListServe
Bapin (HKNC Headquarters,
To
subscribe to DB Techies on the new server, please send a message to the
following address: dbtechies-subscribe-request@tr.wou.edu
You then will receive a message with
directions on how to verify that you are subscribed to the list. If you have
any questions, you can e-mail to John at johnc@shellworld.net
Tip of the Month
Burnt Food Odors — To
neutralize burnt FOOD odors in the house, mix 1/2 cup whole cloves with 2 cups
water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes.
The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone.
Interesting
Tidbits
Over three million girls are part of
Girl Scouts of
William “Dummy” Hoy was a professional
baseball player who happened to be deaf.
He developed the original idea and signs still used today by umpires of
the game.
“Deaf people can do anything but
hear.” I. King Jordan
NOTE: Products, services or activities
listed in this newsletter do not imply endorsement by HKNC. They are provided for informational purposes
only.