WELCOME!
With 500 members, the Bay Area Coalition of Deaf Senior Citizens, Inc. (BACDSC) established in 1996, provides social and leisure activities for the region’s deaf seniors, facilitates their access to supportive and communicative services, advocacy, empowerment and pursues deaf-friendly economical senior housing programs to enhance their quality of life. BACDSC encourages members to achieve goals in an environment that inspires and esteems the contributions of members. While membership is concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, many members reside beyond San Francisco Bay Area into States other than California. The BACDSC has a biennially elected five-officer Board.
– For further information:
BACDSC President
PO Box 6103
Fremont, CA 94538-6103
Romance, beauty,
culture and history --
Bay Area has it all!
A Labyrinth -- What's That?
The labyrinth is the embodiment of a focus as a Community to discover pathways to faith in today's world. It is a walking meditation tool. The labyrinth is a metaphor for life's journey--a pathway that, while taking many winding turns, leads us to our destination.
The labyrinth, anchoring a peaceful, flowered courtyard, is an etched-in-concrete, full-size, 42 foot replica of the Chartres Cathedral, 14th century labyrinth. It is framed in an architecturally-designed trellis. Its earth-toned color matches the foothills in the distance, making it at one with the created order around it.
The labyrinth is softly flood-lit at night and is open to anyone to walk at any hour. There are comfortable teak benches around the area so you can sit and contemplate.
Enjoy a documentary of a journey on the labyrinth with Fremont Deaf Seniors. Film and subtitles by LaRonda Zupp:
http://www.earofmyheart.com
PBS Documentary Explores
200 Years of Deaf Life
"Through Deaf Eyes," a two-hour PBS documentary exploring 200 years of Deaf life in America, aired nationally on PBS, March 2006.
It presented shared experiences of family life, education, and community connections from the perspective of Deaf citizens with interviews of leaders, historians and Deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology, and identity. DVD may be ordered.
PBS: http://www.pbs.org
Embrace Deafhood for a world...
...where being Deaf is celebrated and never condemned.
...where academic excellence in a natural Sign Language is critical and never compromised.
...where Deaf-related concerns are "heard" and never ignored.
...where false divisions among Deaf people are discarded and natural diversity is embraced.
Embrace Deafhood so our future generations can dream big, think deep, sign freely, and walk proudly as Deaf people.
WISDOM with AGE
"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."--Will Rogers
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."--Mark Twain
Kindness is ASL with which the Deaf can communicate.
BACDSC = Deaf Seniors
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BACDSC would be pleased to have your support. Join up and support its goals to provide social and leisure activities, along with advocacy for communicative access and deaf-friendly economical senior housing.
Please print the membership form, fill out and mail with payment to Membership Manager.
"Be a dreamer. They make things happen."
TV Closed Captions
January 1, 2006
Benchmark Deadline
For 100% TV Captioning
The deaf community has long been anticipating the prospect of 100% closed captioning of most new television programs.
Now we need to push for compliance.
We hope to make it easier to follow up and contact TV stations and FCC whenever closed captioning is absent or is not functioning properly.
Check out and print the Captioning Log to make it easier to log daily captioning problems so that you may then use the information to write required letters to TV Management. Click Links and go down to "TV Stations" for email links to various channels. FCC requires written letters to TV Management. Also thank TV Managements that caption programs.
LV Deaf Seniors Sue
Bank and FDIC
The fate of a community center for the deaf could be in jeopardy because the LV deaf seniors' fundraising for the project fell victim to the closure of Silver State Bank.
The nonprofit Las Vegas Deaf Seniors filed a lawsuit against
FDIC and the bank after losing more than half of the $250,000 it raised for an upcoming national conference and a social center for the community's deaf citizens. Any additional money that came back after paying off the convention was going to go toward the center.
The complaint points blame at bank employees who rejected a request by two Deaf Seniors members to have a sign language interpreter present when representatives of the organization visited a Silver State bank to discuss opening certificate of deposits. "They were told, 'No, no, no. We can do this all in writing,'" attorney Marina Kolias said. "This is something, as an advocate for the deaf, I see all the time. They are treated unequally. That (passing notes) is not effective communication."
Two Deaf Seniors members visited Silver State Bank in April, believing advertisements that its interest rates were higher than the organization's original banker, Wells Fargo Bank. Kolias said they were told their accounts would be FDIC-insured if they did not exceed $100,000 each.
Silver State folded in September, and Deaf Seniors learned that about $250,000 deposited with the bank was insured for only $100,000.
The organization, which serves as a social network for Southern Nevada's deaf population, began its fundraising efforts more than three years ago, holding small events like bake sales and flea markets. Its goal was to cover the cost of the June 9 convention for Deaf Seniors of America at the Paris hotel-casino. Their second mission was to build their community center.
Kolias said her clients did not hold onto the notes that outlined the conversation between Deaf Seniors and Silver State officials. She holds little hope that the bank did either.
(Excerpted from the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Deaf Priced Out of Complex
A "miscommunication" led to disappointment for Spartanburg, South Carolina's deaf senior citizen community when it recently discovered that the new Cedar Springs Place apartment complex had an income requirement that excludes many deaf senior citizens who were counting on it to be the first complex in the state they could call their own.
www.goupstate.com/
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FCC/Captioning
The FCC is trying to give TV stations some guidance on complying with emergency-information closed-captioning rules.
As of January 2006, TV has been required to close-caption all non-exempt programming, which includes breaking news and emergency alerts.
Emergency information not being available in advance and must be posted on short notice, makes it difficult to meet 100% compliance. so FCC will consider those circumstances as long as the lapse is minimal.
FCC listed a number of steps to prevent the lapses such as finding and arranging a process with outside services that can do it quickly.
DSA2009 now at Paris Las Vegas
Because of the World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel & Casino, the 2009DSA Conference has relocated to the fabulous Paris Las Vegas June 22-25, 2009. Room rates remain same $119 per nite and also for pre- and post-conference dates until reserved number of rooms are sold. Also the combo rate of $225 deadline has been extended to March 31. Note that Paris Las Vegas rooms are not suites like Rio Hotel. For a glimpse and details, checkout this website:
www.dsa2009.us
For DSA 2007 highlights in Orlando, Fla.:
www.deafnation.com
Check for latest:
http://deafnewspaper.com/2008/january/dsa02.html
DSA Will Also Host a Poker Tourney
Another exciting event will happen during the conference, with DSA hosting a Deaf Poker Craze tournament Monday, June 22 at the Binion's Horseshoe Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. There is a $200 entry fee to play in the tournament.
Registration is required to play poker. The deadline to register in mail is on June 1, 2009. Note that if you want to register after June 1st, you will need to bring cash to the event and pay at registration table on June 22nd. You can register now in advance by sending money order, payable to:
LVDS/DSA 2009
Attn: Poker
PO Box 777143
Henderson, NV 89077
NAD Posts some
Advocacy Items
Check out this website to see some of the advocacy NAD is doing:
www.blogs.nad.org/advocacy
ADA Restoration Act
Congressman Steny Hoyer said, "Courts have ruled that medication or other corrective measures have made ADA claimants 'too functional' to be considered 'disabled' under the law. Let me be clear: This is not what Congress intended when it passed the ADA. We intended a broad application of the law. Simply put, the point of the ADA is not disability, it is the prevention of wrongful and unlawful discrimination."
Contact your Senators and the Senators from the HELP Committee to urge them to co-sponsor the ADA Restoration Act (S:1881). To identify U.S. Senators, go to:
www.senate.gov
and also for supporting statements from Senators:
www.senate.gov
The Capitol Switchboard can be reached at (202) 224-3121 / (202) 224-3091 TTY.
FCC announces a Summarizing
10-digit Numbering and Emergency Call Requirements
The FCC Commission put on its website a Consumer Advisory summarizing the ten-digit numbering and emergency call requirements for Video Relay Service (VRS) and IP Relay, forms of telecommunications relay service (TRS), adopted by the Commission in the June 24, 2008, numbering order (FCC 08-151). These requirements become effective December 31, 2008, and will permit voice telephone users to call VRS and IP Relay users by dialing the user's ten-digit number, and will permit VRS and IP Relay users to make emergency calls that will automatically route to appropriate emergency services personnel.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trstendigit.html
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VLOGS/BLOGS:
www.joeybaer.com
www.mosinternational.com
www.deafhoh.com
www.deafread.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ahHbie2i-Y
www.asl.deafvideo.tv/watch/5259
www.raa-deaf.org/sandbox1.html
www.ellasflashlight.com/
www.i711.com/vlogs/
www.deafinternational.org (changing signs)
www.dbcusa.org
www.edsalert.com
www.netsignnews.com
www.jehanne.wordpress.com
POTPOURRI:
www.csdf.k12.ca.us/
www.garybdir.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/sign-language-has-saved-my-life/
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=deaf+freedom+cruise&search=Search (Deaf Freedom Cruise)
www.aslclips.com (glaucoma)
www.deafweather.com/specialwx/ (ASL Weather)
www.deafmd.org/
Amy Cohen Efron's blog:
http://blog.deafread.com/abcohende/2007/07/25/the-greatest-irony-voice-interpreted-encore-presentation/
A SPOOF:
www.thespoof.com
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