We Do Not Want to Hear, We Want a World Where We Do Not Have to Hear

We Do Not Want to Hear, We Want a World Where We Do Not Have to Hear

            While researching assistive technologies and ITCs for the presentation on hearing disabilities I noticed many articles referring to the Deaf civil rights movement.  As Halpern writes in her article Listening In on Deaf Culture “I write this article for other outsiders--hearing people who may never have realized that there is such a thing as Deaf Culture.”  Halpern gives a synopsis of misconceptions surrounding Deaf culture and ends by encouraging “Hearies” to support people who are deaf in their civil rights movement by educating people about sign language and Deaf culture.

            In Deaf culture, people who are deaf are not hearing impaired.  They do not hear, but they do not lack anything.  Halpern writes “Finally, when we hear about devices such as the cochlear implant, we joyously hail them as hopeful signs that we can some day eradicate deafness altogether.” Deaf culture is deep and rich and the thought of eradicating a culture is not usually a joyous one. In this blog post I will discuss the Halpern article as it relates to some of my personal experiences first with the language commonly used by people who are deaf and then in discussing civil rights and rights documented in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

            People who are deaf may use sign language.  In the United States the most popular sign language is American Sign Language or ASL.  There is a common misconception that ASL is silent English.   ASL has a different structure and Halpern likens it to Navajo “Rather than the standard "he","she", "it", and "they" of English, Navaho and ASL use a much wider array of pronouns that match the person or object they refer back to. These are known as "classifiers." For example, ASL has no discrete sign for "it" but instead uses any of a series of classifier signs which vary with the category, size, and shape of the object referred to. In this way, ASL pronouns carry much more information than do English pronouns.”  Where I work we communicate via email extensively.  I have advocated for our co-workers who are deaf in the areas of “communicating effectively in writing” which is one of our job requirements.  When a supervisor put a co-worker who was deaf on a discipline path for not being able to communicate in English.  I helped her explain the differences between English and ASL to the supervisor.  I taught the supervisor how to read ASL.  We have a wide variety of first languages among staff and lack of English skills was never questioned before.  It was questioned because the supervisor assumed that ASL was silent English.  People who are deaf do not gather information the way people who are hearing gather information.  Especially evident in the workplace, people who are hearing gather most information from brief conversations, over-hearing the conversations of others and by workshops/meetings/trainings.  Unfortunately sign language interpreters cannot know all of the terminology for every field.  There is no one-to-one English to ASL correlation, so during lectures or trainings it is hit or miss whether the person who is deaf is getting any intelligible information at all.  Because I know sign language, I have been able to advocate for my co-workers who are deaf to get them interpreters that suit their personal styles and demand to have the same interpreters come to our workplace so they can learn our concepts and terminology in order to interpret library information successfully.  The person who is deaf does not know what is being said to know whether they or other speakers are being interpreted well.  I sit next to our co-workers who are deaf to quickly give the interpreter an agreed upon sign on the fly during meetings, presentations and trainings.  This is not very successful and we are always looking at ways to improve information gathering.  The signs our co-workers who are deaf use for our terminology are simply agreed upon as they come up, and may or may not correlate with the signs used for those terms signed by library employees who are deaf at other locations.  The common misconception that ASL is silent English poses problems for people who are deaf.

            Halpern writes, “The Deaf civil rights movement is the political arm of the Deaf community. Throughout history American deaf people have been denied the right to vote, to marry, and to raise children. The Deaf civil rights movement is dedicated to fighting this kind of discrimination and raising awareness of Deaf history and Deaf culture within the Deaf community.  “ The best advocates for Deaf culture are its members.  Just as hearing people may not know about their history and culture, people who are deaf may not know theirs.  Deaf history and culture is not usually taught in schools whether mainstream or residential facilities.  A person who is deaf may not know all of the history, culture, laws and policies regarding persons who are deaf. Halpern writes, “Therefore, another major goal of the Deaf civil rights movement is parity in education--development of an educational system where deaf children can become both Deaf and literate.” With regard to the ADA, the common misconception I would like to dispel is that as co-workers, supervisors or friends we are not allowed to ask a person who is deaf if s/he would like accommodation.  I have had issues with this in my workplace.  I have heard supervisors say that they do not have to provide accommodation unless it is asked for specifically each time an event, training, meeting etc takes place. I learned a few years ago that one supervisor was making a co-worker who is deaf submit a request via email 48 hours prior to each standing meeting she was required to go to each month.  Standing meetings should be standing interpreter requests, that is the way it is now.  When the co-worker casually mentioned this to me, she didn’t think it was strange that the supervisor was making her do this.  She did not know any differently because her prior work places had not provided interpreters using the loophole in the ADA by claiming that is would be a hardship.   I do not claim to be a law expert, but I do know that the ADA is the least we can do, we can do what ever we want above that level.  We could hire an interpreter to walk around with our deaf co-worker interpreting all of the side conversations and information that the person who is deaf misses each day.  We could do that, there is nothing stopping us.  We can support members of the Deaf community in their work for civil rights and their rights under the ADA.

            Educating both Deaf and Hearing about sign language, Deaf history, culture and laws regarding people who are deaf can broaden understanding and strengthen Universal Access goals.

REFERENCES

Halpern, C. A. (n.d.). Halpern, "Listening in on Deaf Culture". University of

                  Colorado Boulder. Retrieved March 13, 2012, from

                  http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards/V5N2/AWARD/halpern2.html

Accessibility, It Is Not Just About Getting In The Door

Accessibility, It Is Not Just About Getting In The Door

            This semester we have been learning about technology and access to information.  A big part of providing information in an appropriate way is to understand different disabilities.  From the focused presentations I have learned about different disabilities, some of the assistive devices and some of the ITCs that can be used as interfaces.  One of the many take aways that I have been boggling minds with is the idea that making a building accessible is not enough. The ADA is not enough.  If a person can enter the building, this does not guarantee that he or she can use anything in the building.  If a person can wheel down an aisle that does not mean that he/she can reach the top shelf. If a person can walk up to a database computer, it does not mean that he/she can use the means of interacting with the database that is provided.  I am embarrassed to say that this is something I had never considered before.  I was convinced that people could ask the culturally competent staff for help, so everything was okay.  I had not considered what it would be like to always have to ask for assistance.  On a side note, Drs Maatta and Bonnici have also taught me is that there is no reason to be embarrassed about not knowing; there is only embarrassment in knowing and not doing anything about it. 

            In his article Universal Access to Information, Varian asserts “Universal access to all the world’s information is technologically possible now; the missing piece is the legal infrastructure that will provide the incentives to make such access economically viable.“   The Federal government stated that all government websites must be screen reader compatible, however many are not even now.  Varian suggests that incentives would create a world where accessibility is an architectural fundamental both in building and technology architecture.  In his lecture to ASIST, Tim Emmons described how Apple computers made a commitment to accessibility and integrated it into the fundamental design of its products first released in 2006.  Tim asserts that it would be no more expensive if it were integrated into fundamental design protocols. 

All public buildings are constructed according to ADA guidelines for physical access, however once people get in the door there are no laws about rights to access anything inside the building.  In my relationship with the Deaf community, I am finding that advocacy by both Deaf, and non-Deaf community members, is crucial.  My experience has been that misperceptions of the ADA requirements and simply “I don’t know what I don’t know” confuse self-advocacy efforts.  One of the issues I find most prevalent is that folks say to me “I have always been treated this way, things will never change.” As information professionals, we Project ALFA fellows can provide access to information in a respectful way furthering the civil rights initiatives of people with disabilities.  We are educated in many of the issues people with disabilities face in gaining access to information.  We can break down barriers to access through participating in conference sessions and educating other information providers.  We can talk to our co-workers, family members and people we meet while using public transportation about the importance of Universal Access.  We can develop workshops.  What we have learned is important to share.  The United Nations supports us in providing Universal Access to information:

“Freedom to receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers is enshrined as a fundamental right in Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, access to information and communication technologies, which are increasingly important to ensure this right, are neither freely nor equitably distributed. Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of ITU, the United Nations agency organizing the Summit said that the time has come to gain the commitment of the world’s political leaders "to develop urgently needed new policy and legal frameworks that are appropriate to cyberspace, and that will help give a structure within which new information and communication technologies will serve all of society in a meaningful way."

The United Nations Millennium Declaration acknowledges that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can make the world a better place, by helping to alleviate poverty, improving the delivery of education and healthcare services, and making government more accessible and accountable to the people. "The UN Millennium goals provide humanity with a united vision of what we wish to achieve in the next decade. ICTs are tools that will help us achieve that vision, and the World Summit on the Information Society can provide the direction," noted Mr Utsumi.

Mr Utsumi implored delegates to spend the two weeks of the preparatory meeting developing a draft of a text of the declaration and action plan "that will help to attract the attention of the world’s leaders and persuade them to lend their support to the Summit. It must be compelling and provocative, and it must capture our hopes and aspirations and those of the societies of which we are all part — as well as addressing our fears and concerns."

With the knowledge we have through our previous experience and the knowledge gained through Project ALFA we can join world leaders in this shared effort to gain Universal Access to information.

REFERENCES

Press Release on: "Access to Information is a Fundamental Right in Information Society". (n.d.). ITU: the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2003/08.html

Emmons, T. (Speaker) (2012, April 2). Q & A with Tim Emmons. ASIST Meeting. Lecture conducted from University of Alabama, via Wimba.

Varian, H. (n.d.). Universal access to information. UC Berkeley School of Information. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hal/Papers/2006/univ-access-info.pdf

             

People First

People First

            I read an article on the Disability Is Natural website called To Ensure Inclusion, Freedom and Respect for All it’s time to embrace People First Language by Kathy Snow.  Snow discusses the origins of such words as disability and handicapped.  She also explains how words matter and how changes in language have helped with civil rights movements such as the women’s rights movement.  Snow uses casual language to discuss a very serious subject.

“—A New Paradigm—
’Disability is a natural Part of the human Experience...’U.S. Developmental Disabilities/Bill of Rights Act

Like gender, ethnicity, and other traits, a disability is simply one of many natural characteristics of being human. Are you defined by your gender, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, or other trait? No! So how can we define others by a characteristic that is known as a ‘disability’?”

            I support the people first concept and the way it helps us change the world by changing our language.  Changing our language will also help as the baby boomers age and potentially become people with disabilities, however it is one of those “Universal” changes that helps everyone.  The challenge we Project ALFA Fellows have is bringing people first language with us and seeding society with it.  A handy way I have done it is when ever I say something like “she is a deaf woman I work with” I stop myself and say, “…excuse, me, I meant to say I work with a woman who is deaf…” the listener inevitably asks me why I corrected myself and I can explain the people fist concept.  This has spread through the people I know and I like to imagine that it has spread geometrically from them.

            Technology could help us in the transition to people first language.  I have an example from a recent magazine.  I am in TOPS.  It is a club called Taking Off Pounds Sensibly.  TOPS started in 1943 and much of the language and methods from that time remain. Over the past few years there have been some efforts to update the language.  In a recent issue the member magazine featured a chapter that has only one member who is sighted.  One of the members who is blind explained the concept of people first:  “Bonita Howe responded by saying, ‘the members we have in our chapter are not visually impaired, they are blind.’ I explained that I didn’t want to offend anyone, which spurred her to add, ‘Never say ‘the blind person, Bonita’; instead say ‘Bonita, the person who is blind.’ ‘Never put the word ‘blind’ before the person.’ “  On the next page of the magazine the head line reads “TOPS publications available for the print disabled” The article is peppered with “blind students”, “the visually impaired”, “hundreds of blind and visually impaired individuals”.  The challenge is to get grammar checkers to check for the error and other technology to identify the form of the people first concept and correct for it.  If we could get Teachers to teach people first language, and have editors and grammar checkers checking for the form then our society could use language to help bring attention to the entity first and then its attributes.  The dehumanization of people who are disabled through language could be turned around with the help of technology.

            Snow concludes her article with a list of examples of the way we may by used to talking and makes suggestions for changing our language.  Snow writes, “Isn’t it time to make this change? If not now, when? If not you, who? Using People First Language is the right thing to do, so let’s do it!”  Let’s do it, indeed.

REFERENCES

Crane, C. (2012, Apr. - May.). Trailblazers for TOPS. Tops news, 64, no. 3, 6-7.

People First Language. (n.d.). Your #1 source for people first language and new ways of thinking. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/explore/pfl

Snow, K. (n.d.). To ensure inclusion, freedom and respect for all it’s time to embrace people first language. Disability is Natural, Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/images/PDF/pfl09.pdf, 2.

TOPS publications available for the print disabled. (2012, Apr. - May.). Tops News, 64, no. 3, 8.

Committees, committees

Blog post 1

Committees, committees

I am on two committees through my work with the City.  One of them is the at the departmental level and is concerned with equity and human rights and the other is the quarterly accessibility round table. 

The first group is involved in imagining an organization that furthers social justice, equity, accessibility, dignity, sustainability, diversity & inclusion.  This group devises action plans and is accountable for the completion of efforts to make the organization all that it can be.  I have been on the committee for many years and helped create a City Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan and this was the basis for the departmental effort.  We created subcommittees and a five-year plan for our department.  We continue to meet such goals as creating online lists of language resources for serving clients who do not use English and putting Big Shot (magnifier) on all computers. This group is eager to hear what I have learned in my courses and helps me implement projects furthering Universal Access.  The members of this group are like-minded and interested in equity and access, both physical and informational, for all.  Being a permanent manager now, I have more power as far as monetary and authority to allocate funds and employee work toward supporting Universal Access principles.  It is exciting and energizing to be a part of this committee and its work.

The other group is concerned with our meeting the Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.  At our meeting last week we discussed the amendments to the ADA and what we still needed to do to meet the requirements.  We had two new members, one from the sidewalks group and one from Human Resources.  As we talked I shared some of what I am learning in Project ALFA and asked the group to please remind me of our narrow scope if I head off on a Universal Access tangent from time to time.  Forest, from sidewalks, asked me what that was and I told him a bit about it and how it relates back to Universal Design theory.  He apparently knew the term Universal Design but did not know the background and history of Universal Design as conceived of by Ronald L. Mace.  Forest was energized by what I was talking about and practically shouted “…but if we do Universal Design and Access we WILL be meeting the ADA, so why don’t we just do that?”  His exclamation almost made me laugh; ah, though it were that simple. The convener explains that we have to balance how many people what we do will help with out limited budget.  She explains how the City uses the ADA as a baseline, as a guideline.  If we do less than the ADA requires we are breaking the law, if we do more, we have to solidly explain what we do as responsible stewards of public money.   I want to get to the committee that decided the scope of the Quarterly Roundtable; that is where I want to gain a seat.  I want to affect that group the same way I was able to reach Forest.  The look on his face was amazing; it was like I was telling him what he had wanted to hear all of his life.   I remember that feeling.

 I am learning what I have wanted to learn all of my life.  I remember in Dr. Maatta’s course last year thinking “I have been working for equity and human rights for years and I am learning information I have never even thought existed” I’ll remember being amazed this year in both of Dr. Bonnici’s courses learning the benefits of making, not only libraries, but everything accessible to everyone.  Dr. Bonnici gently brings me back to the Universal principle when I start talking about setting up adaptive tech stations or other segregation model ideas.  I remember listening to Tim Emmons talk about how if everyone used Apple’s concept of building accessibility into, well everything, from the ground up instead of trying to overlay something onto a finished product that it would be far less expensive and time consuming.  The courses and the educational opportunities afforded me by Project ALFA have given me a new strength in looking at technology, procedures, policies, collection development and interpersonal interactions.

The personal change that has come about by my participation in Project ALFA has helped keep the ideas flowing in one of the committees I sit on, while making the other committee seem antiquated.

I will end my blog posts with two quotes

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

Mahatma Gandhi

"That’s okay; they give up an inch. I will take that inch. I will take that inch and the next one and I will never give up. I will keep moving forward inch by inch if that is what it takes. No one can keep me from my righteous journey."

Rayna Luvert (one of my fellow committee members)

http://www.udinstitute.org/