NATIONAL – The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has established a Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) for high school deaf and hard of hearing kids since 1969. This camp is connected to the Junior NAD association, which is an extension of the NAD. It started with the idea of building leadership among the Junior NAD members. Frank Turk and Gary Olsen, director and project specialist of Junior NAD, began this camp after much discussion and research. The first one was held from July 27^th to August 23^rd, 1969 in Stroudsburg Pennsylvania. The attendance was 64 freshmen and sophomores; success was evident and enabled the camp to continue year after year. This year will be the camp’s 48^th event.

The NAD Youth Leadership Camp is a four-week camp during the summer where the high school students learn about leadership and discover more about themselves. The camp has adopted the Chinese saying, ““Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, and I’ll remember. Involve me, and I’ll learn”; the idea of learning by doing. Today, the camp accepts 32 males and 32 females all over the US to come together and learn how to “become successful leaders and advocates for the deaf and hard of hearing community, including businessmen and women, teachers, professors, lawyers, doctors, NAD board members, and employees. NAD YLC is a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity”.

NAD YLC is a great opportunity for high school students to learn, grow, and find themselves in this hearing world. This year the YLC will be held on July 17^th through August 12^th, 2017.

For more information visit https://www.nad.org/youth/youth-leadership-camp/. Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/NAD1880,

Or Voice/VP:

301-587-1788 (ZVRS)

301-328-1443 (Sorenson)

301-338-6380 (Convo)

TTY: 301-587-1789

Fax: 301-587-1791

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VENTURA—Tri-County Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (TC GLAD) spoke with San Francisco News and shared news aout their agency, how they work, and what they do. TC GLAD is a branch of GLAD where there are three main employees: regional director, Julianna Fjeld, advocate, Hal Hunter-Suddreth, administrative assistant, Jasmine Casey, and interpreter, Mark Robinson.

TC GLAD started in 1988 and is an organization that aids deaf and hard of hearing people in finding jobs, solving boss-employee problems, and finding one’s identity within their community. There are many aspects to this agency, but the main focus is reaching the 72,000 deaf and/or hard of hearing individuals in Ventura County and instructing them how to function, occupation wise, in a hearing workforce.

Hal Hunter-Suddreth is the man that works one-on-one with clients. He assists in polishing resumes, coaches them on how to interview well, and intervenes when there is miscommunication with employers. Hal has been with the agency for 7 years and has a high success rate with his clients’ employment.

Fjeld keeps the TC GLAD office running with the correct paperwork, supervision, and lawsuits that need to be brought in order to effectively aid deaf people in the workforce. Fjeld is deaf, as well as Hunter-Suddreth, and have first hand experience of deafness in a hearing world. This team’s heart to support, encourage, assist, and instruct deaf people is seen and felt in the warm welcome one receives at their office. The deaf-friendly videos and interpreter on staff is a testament to reach the deaf community and those around them.

Tri-County Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness is growing, touching the lives of many and with the help of the county, has a bright and hopeful future ahead of them.

For more information on TCGLAD, please visit www.tcglad.org.

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LOS ANGELES – The Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. (GLAD) is holding an event called “Stars on Laverna Avenue: Love is Never Silent” on June 3^rd This proceeding entails an Emmy Award winning movie, appetizers, wine, and altogether, a fancy red carpet evening. The film is “Love is Never Silent” starring Mare Winningham; it is a drama made in 1985, yet still has not lost its flavor.

The story line encompasses the main character Margaret Ryder (Winningham) and her deaf parents. The movie unfolds the hardships of this young girl acting as her parent’s ears and voice, the go between sign language and English, and the joy along with the burden that it brings. This film showing is followed by a panel that includes: co-executive director Julianna Fjeld (TCGLAD Director), screenwriter Darlene, and interpreter Francine Stern. This is set up for an exciting evening for hearing and deaf people alike and all are welcome.

The cost is $50.00 per person and the tickets are available in person and on PayPal through the website:  http://gladinc.org/annual-benefit-2017. The event is on June 3^rd from 1:00pm-5:00pm at GLAD, Inc.

ID is required for alcoholic beverage purchases. Dress attire is dressy casual, nice jeans are okay. For other communication accommodations, please let us know 2 weeks in advance.

GLAD, Inc. is always holding and/or promoting events in local areas and is a great outreach to deaf and hearing people. There are many more happenings coming up, such as: Get ready for the new fifth Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on May 26^th by attending this Open Caption Movie Night that welcomes all. June 7^th will be a screening of the film Pirates of the Caribbean in Granada Hills at 7:00pm. For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/344727272592326/ or http://gladinc.org/event/piratesofthecaribbean/

The post GLAD, Inc. Stars on Laverna Avenue Event appeared first on San Francisco News.

VENTURA—Barnes & Noble has much to offer customers, not only books. The business reaches out to the community with events such as: Weekly Storytimes, Book Groups, children’s activities, etc. Barnes & Noble will be hosting ASL Storytime in Ventura, California. This happening is a partnership with Tri-County GLAD to bring more awareness and inclusion to the deaf and hearing communities.

The Community Business Development Manager at B&N, Julia R. Palacio, talked with Canyon News about the event. She shared that this event has been taking place before she was working there. This is encouraging and a great support for the deaf community and it is a good example of how ASL is expressive and interactive. Stories in ASL for children are presented with even more exaggerated expressions and bigger motions. Both hearing and deaf, can see the picture being painted by the storyteller.

Also, stories in ASL are beneficial in the same way they are for hearing children. They are fun, educational, and engaging. It has been researched by Tiara V. Malloy in Sign Language Use for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Babies: The Evidence Supports It, in July 2003 that, “Use of sign language with children—hearing or otherwise—is known to promote early communication, since children can communicate with their hands sooner than they can master verbal skills.” ASL Storytime at B&N plays right into the benefits this language can bring to children.

Barnes & Noble and Tri-County GLAD are proud to offer this event to the community and welcome all to come. The next event will be held on Friday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. For more information regarding this ASL Storytime, visit https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/4843005-26

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LOS ANGELES – World Recreation Association of the Deaf, Inc. (WRAD) is putting on an event called Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness day at Six Flags Magic Mountain on June 10^th, 2017. This happening is welcome to all as this nonprofit public benefit corporation welcomes everyone who is interested in such cultural events, activities, and entertainment.

WRAD was established in 1985 to serve deaf and hard of hearing individuals and promote their culture. This organization holds events around the world and does not discriminate against anyone, but simply desires to inform persons with hearing loss of all the options so they can make fully educated decisions. WRAD has four categories: Education, Charitable, Research, and Publications. They strive to reach as many people as they can for they have a wide range of knowledge to share.

In the world today, as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) agrees, many of the struggles that Deaf people face between the hearing world is due to a lack of understanding and awareness of Deaf language, culture, and rights. Therefore, there are a handful of organizations that recognize this and take action to promote recognition, such as but not limited to: Tri-County GLAD, GLAD Inc., LEAD-K, and WRAD.

Now, all Deaf and Hard of Hearing events, activities, education, and entertainment contribute to informing people of their culture, language, and world. Furthermore, some associations mainly utilize events in order to spread awareness, while others focus on other aspects, yet still support and encourage happenings. Nevertheless, as WRAD says, “We all learn from each other. If you have an open mind and good heart, and if you celebrate diversity, and wish to learn from others who may be quite different from you, and to learn to accommodate differences in the interests of mutual understanding, come and join us!!!”.

For more information on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness day, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/World-Recreation-Association-of-the-Deaf-Inc-WRAD-75632430935/

The post Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Awareness Day appeared first on San Francisco News.

NORTHRIDGE—Deaf events at times may appear to be scarce, yet in many cities there are continuous gatherings at popular places. Some of these businesses include: Starbucks, Shakey’s Pizza, Cold Stone, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Rev., etc. Most Deaf people love to socialize and utilize their native language; hearing American Sign Language (ASL) students need to practice for their classes, and ASL events are beneficial to those in the community.

Over the years, students have taken over these gatherings. This is due to teachers at community colleges and universities requiring attendance to such events. Fewer Deaf people take part in these functions. Some hearing students do not mind, but others may feel guilty, shy, awkward and scared. All of these feelings are understandable, though most are not necessary.

A couple of Deaf people talked with Canyon News about events mentioned above. One gentleman was happy to share that he attends in order to help students learn ASL. He stated that he enjoyed seeing people’s desire to learn his language and is more than happy to teach them what he can. Another young man said that he participates as a result of being at work all-day and longing for his native language and culture environment.

Deaf social events are still beneficial to those who attend. Hearing students should take advantage of the wonderful opportunities to meet new people utilizing ASL, and make connections they might never otherwise have made.

One of the next upcoming socials will be held on Thursday, June 8, at Shakey’s Pizza in Northridge at 6 p.m. There are many more events in Porter Ranch, Burbank, Orange County, Ventura, etc. For more information visit So Cal ASL Events Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/pg/socalaslevents/events/

The post Deaf Events With Hearing Students appeared first on San Francisco News.

NORTHRIDGE – In a handful of colleges today, materials discussing deaf children within the education system, and the problems that schools often cause are required for students to learn. Such materials may include the critical and disabling pedagogy that is can be found in schools, which either enable or hinder children from learning all they can. This writing will briefly discuss teaching strategies and advocates for deaf and hard of hearing (HH) people.

There are three different methods of teaching according to John Miller in Whole Child Education: Transmission, Transaction, and Transformational. Transmission is where the teacher simply transmits information from their brain to the student’s brain; this practice typically encourages the children to study for testing, not for learning. Transaction technique is when there is more interaction between student and teacher; more learning, yet is still limited. This will aid in the child understanding, but fully grasping material and application to all areas of life is not the focus. Lastly, Transformational teaching is giving children the full experience of learning: conversational, visual, hands-on, as well as helping individuals discover more about themselves, the world, and develop their own perspective of life. Also, being observant if students are not comprehending and adjusting teaching style and/or material accordingly.

That being said, most educational systems are not set up for accepting Transformational method teachers. This can be seen directly with deaf mainstreamed students. It is most difficult and improbable for deaf children to have Transformational learning without an interpreter, unqualified interpreters, and/or no connection to their identity and culture. This has been a large issue for deaf and hard of hearing young individuals and their families. Many do not know what their child is needing, unaware of the deeper elements of deafness. However, there are many people who are eager to share important information regarding education, schools, deafness, and all the options offered.

Such people are advocates for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. These advocates can be found in different areas, organizations, campaigns, and communities. For example, LEAD-K, NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing, GLAD, Tri-County GLAD, Deaf Community Services San Diego, etc. Most of these deaf and hard of hearing supporters have been mentioned in previous writings and can always be contacted through their websites and/or Facebook.

Overall, it comes back to teachers and parents, what is being taught, learned, and how. Yet, regarding the education systems, one must ask the question what is more prevalent, disabling or critical pedagogy within schools? For this greatly affects the future of the next generation, especially the deaf and HH. For one must remember, teachers, parents, and advocates cannot change the present; they can only impact the future. Therefore, one must look ahead, keep their eyes on the prize and as Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning”.

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BEL AIR—Becoming deaf as a teenager who adored music wasn’t easy…I think I would have accepted blindness if given a choice. Surely, my ears were my biggest gift of life but there was one person who seemed to suffer more than me… my mother.

The first year was about seeing specialists, taking tests and getting opinions… 2nd… 3rd…4th…12th from basically anyone that knew anything about head injuries or hearing and an MD on their door.

Some of the tests were horrendous… especially the one where they lay you on a table then they put little water balloons in your ears and they change the temperature of the water… it literally makes you feel like your spinning and they only stop it when you’re puking.

I often wondered why my parents kept sending me to new doctors, who just seemed more concerned with running up bills retesting me than to really make me hear again. I felt like a reject of sorts… disappointment of not being able to know how to heal myself.

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance…

Amid all those doctor visits, we learned that one must go through the five stages of grief, learning to deal with a death… or deafness in my situation. Sometimes I wondered if it would have been easier for my mother to cope if I had just died.

As I was juggling these stages of self-acceptance…. my mother was so obviously stuck in denial. Having handicapped children was not in her picture of a perfect life. She was Super-mum, she could do everything… except fix her child’s hearing.

One day I was studying with my feet upon the foot-board of my bed. My mother came in lecturing me about something I had done wrong and she was going on and on. As a new lip reader, I understood maybe 2 out 10 words but I always knew what she wanted.

She kept saying, “Do you understand me?”

I replied in my typical bratty tone, “Yes please stop shouting… I still can’t hear you.”

The look on her face was pure excitement. I was left confused as to why my cheeky reply suddenly made her happy.

By dinner time, she basically told everyone how I could hear her shout!

At first, I didn’t fight it. I let her have her enjoyment as I didn’t want to burst her bubble. After all the hidden sadness, around “hearing” in our house, we needed something to hold onto, some hope… even if it was not true and short-lived.

Long after the doctor testing ceased, my mother continued to do her own hearing tests on me. At random times she would shout and if I didn’t “hear” her, she’d ask, “Oh dear, why didn’t you hear me?” I’d think to myself, “Really?!?!” But it was allowing her a wee bit of hope.

At times, I found it to be embarrassing and degrading so I knew the “talk” had to happen. Maybe it wasn’t cool that I waited so long because this whole time she had been set on that I could hear her certain tone of voice and that made her hopeful.

I approached it gently, “When you speak, things vibrate and I feel your voice.” Her confused gaze was breaking my heart. I took her up to my room and had her place her hand on the footboard while I played music. As gently as possible I said, “I can’t hear you but I’m not dumb, I know you were shouting.”

She argued, “No, you heard me. I know you did!”… but I didn’t. It was such a disappointment for her. If only she could fix me… but she couldn’t. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t fail me as a mother. It just was.

I was coping. I was learning how to find new ways of perceiving sound. The less I tried the more naturally it came to me. Things like feeling music started to have its own joy again. Still, It was painful to accept my own loss than to have to help others accept it as well.

The next few years would include procedures, surgeries, therapies, devices and even a trip to the Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The amazing owners, Bill and Tani Austin treated me like family and offered me everything available in technology.

I was chauffeured around by one of the Osmonds’ nephew and was taken to parties to celebrate how I can now “hear again.” I sat beside Lou Ferrigno. He was in all the newspapers, on how the original “Incredible Hulk” went from deaf to hearing, as he got the same technology to use as a new police officer.

Mr. Austin is the best of the best and he personally examined and fitted me with all sorts of new technology. I came home with all these devices and new sounds that made us all temporarily happy. The sounds were not like how I could hear before. It was different. It was headache-causing. It wasn’t natural and it felt painful.

But I was doing this for my loved ones so they could feel better about me.

The less I fought it, the more I found peace, answers and alternate ways of understanding sound. Your senses become so much more magical when you only have four.

I love to go barefoot. Everything can be felt through my feet. Having shoes on is like using ear plugs.

I had more sensitivity. Things I wouldn’t have noticed before became noticeable. In fact, there were times I was rooms away and knew someone was at the door but no one heard them knocking.

My vision was no longer one dimensional. My peripheral vision effortlessly became a major tool. I can often predict when and what someone is going to say.

Changes in someone’s body language became more noticeable. Automatically, I anticipate sounds and thoughts. For me, this happens in defense of offending an unsuspecting hearing person.

I pick up on “1-second look” clues. This is when a person has a quick passing facial expression but it means something much more. Like you can almost hear them thinking.

I notice other people’s reactions to find the basis of noise, going off random cues as well as the vibrations I feel. Once you find the source of the noise you can figure out what it means.

For example, a person in a restaurant shouting. How do I know he’s shouting? Because people tables away are looking in his direction. So he’s’ obviously not whispering. I follow where the eyes are going and see a man upset and he’s pointing at his food and then you lip read some and I get it… he’s upset, he’s shouting and it’s a dispute.

One doesn’t have to be hearing to know this. This is how you learn to be deaf and get through in a hearing world.

I know the volume level of a club or restaurant by the expression of people’s faces and how hard or easy it is for them to communicate, continuously leaning forward and talking with more force than if it was a quiet place. You feel the music on your chair or through your glass. You know the vibrations are coming through strong so that means hearing people hear it loud and their communication is affected by the noise levels.

Before I lost my hearing, I routinely ran 6 miles a day, never noticing as much as I did running the same streets while deaf. For example, in some neighborhoods, I began to know when they were doing laundry because I could smell it from the street. I often could tell what people were having for breakfast.

I’d deal with constant interrogations: Why are you playing music? Why are you going to concerts? How did you know I was talking? Somehow people just assume if you can’t hear through your ears you’re dumb and you can’t “hear” at all. You do, it’s just you hear in a different way.

I quickly became tired of explaining this to everyone, my issue of deafness is my obstacle and not theirs. I don’t like being judged by my deafness. Sometimes, I’m with deaf friends and they hear something I didn’t notice and I ask them how did you know of that noise and they usually blow me off. I get it… they’re tired of explaining their deaf-hearing tactics but I always wonder how I can improve my ability to “hear”.

It’s that rare hearing person that enters my life that makes me their charity case, wanting so badly for me to be normal that they find every way to make me “hear” which brings back the aching memories of my mother.

As methodical as the 5 stages of grief, I can usually spot it as it happens. I’m flattered and sometimes get caught up with their idealism which always turns into disappointment.

First, they want to fix how I “hear” by finding a solution: some want me to sign, some will explore every potential assistive device, surgery, new technology, some suggest I don’t sign and just lipread.

After that, they want to fix the way I “talk.” When I was speaking, some will constantly correct my speech and suggest going to a speech therapist… some are so bold to believe they can be my speech therapist. Some believe I shouldn’t speak at all. Now that I don’t use my voice, it’s suggested that I should speak.

When all that doesn’t work, they imagine I can hear them on some level. Same as my mother. If I let them think I can hear them, they are more excited, more relieved, but why would I carry on a lie with someone I care about.

When all this fails, they lose the spark of love and interest in my wellbeing. It’s as if they feel they failed me on some level or maybe it’s just that I failed them. It’s like a bird with a broken wing… how hard do you try to fix it before you just give up and let it die.

When we reach this stage, it’s bittersweet. It usually doesn’t come quickly. I feel their disappointment and how I failed them but I am the one left with the result. All the energy going into trying to make me normal again just exhausts me and destabilizes me.

I have a new bataal teacher in my life and it just occurred to me that he is one of these people. I am saddened because it is someone I feel so comfortable with but it’s better to get unattached before its too late. It never ends well.

I never put my theory into words before… it was only tonight when I was sitting with him as he was certain I could hear him laugh. I realized we are in this cycle. He has done everything to find new ways of me hearing music, such as a vibrating metronome, he’s learned ASL, he’s urging me to speak and he wants to change everything I have been living with for more than a decade for a “better life.”

All the while, I’ve blindly fallen impressed by his undying attempts that I got swept in the hopes. I didn’t even realize until today I was caught up in this cycle; encouraging and believing that I could be fixed.

I’m all grown up now and learned to not allow deafness to define me. Sure sometimes I ask God… “Why do you take the ears of a person that lives for music and let people who don’t even know who My Chemical Romance is to have perfect hearing?”

But it’s my fate… and I accept it. I find myself avoiding people that make me their charity case. I guess it’s because I know that in the end… I’ll only disappoint them.

The post Deaf Not Dumb appeared first on San Francisco News.

BEVERLY HILLS—I am one of the many millennials that refer to organic, holistic and more natural approaches to health care. However, there are times when you need real old fashioned medical help. Receiving health care isn’t a problem for most because we have laws in place to protect patients from discrimination and being denied health care regardless of your situation.

However, what happens when the health care facilities become so big and powerful that they are above the law? This is happening more and more in so many places. I am going to bring to you a series of situations that has happened to me personally at my local hospital. I am starting with the most recent and will go backwards in time as my health allows… sharing with you truth, photos, videos and shocking detail of how Cedars-Sinai treats me, just one non-verbal deaf person behind closed doors… it will make your skin crawl.

My health took a major turn for the worst in May  2018, after a freak accident where my ear drum got ruptured. Something that should have healed easily… but it didn’t. The infection was in my mastoid and quickly spread, affecting my entire body. It was a mystery to the dozens of doctors I saw, specifically at Cedars-Sinai.

I was referred to an Infectious Disease doctor, Dr. Benjamin Bluen, by my Otolaryngologist, Dr. Yu-Tung Wong. He was concerned by the various ongoing fungal cultures being reported back from the lab along with my quickly declining health…which took me nearly overnight from a healthy athletic person, running and completing 5 full marathons to being bed ridden and unable to walk to the restroom due to severe chronic pain and debilitating weakness.

Thanks to the help of the amazing, mindful, intelligent Dr. Wong, we figured it out. The combination of my ruptured ear drum with the invasion of toxic in my home, intensified by a water-filled ceiling collapse, was nothing short of a deadly mixture for my immune system. Little did I know it at the time that mold kills.

Even though Dr. Bluen didn’t figure that out, in spite of the fungal infections that were popping up on all my cultures, nor did he even ask if my environment could have mold in it…I still trusted him because he came from Dr. Wong’s suggestion. Dr. Wong’s skills far bypasses anyone I’ve ever met. So when Dr. Wong suggests another doctor, I expect that doctor is in the same ranking as Dr. Wong, himself.

In April 2019, I removed myself from the mold exposure, still too ill to figure out whether I will fix my home or find a new one…so I am an hour away. I still continue to use Cedars-Sinai as it is the only hospital I have ever been to and it is my home town.

My immigrant grandfather came from Beirut, Lebanon and his first job in America was at Cedars-Sinai. I fundraised millions for The Thalians Mental Health Clinic since I was a wee child. I donated so many countless hours on fundraisers working with Debbie Reynolds and Ruta Lee and my family’s celebrity management company completed their web site for many years… free of charge.

Cedars-Sinai is all I know and they are the best of the best… well, that is… if you are not deaf.

Toxic Mold Illness is severe and it covers basically your entire body and to get it under control, you need good physicians working on top of the diseases and good care.

Since 2018, I have been asking… and begging… for a primary care physician at Cedars-Sinai, but have been continually rejected because somehow they think deafness is contagious. Finally, after getting rejected in the same fashion as this week by Dr. Michele Neeley (story to come), customer care apologized and paired me with Dr. Stephanie Tran.

Dr. Tran was great, but then she dropped me because it turns out she is living in the same building as me in Beverly Hills and has suffered from the mold exposure as well. I did not even recognize her or know her, but she recognized me so that was the end of that. She found it a conflict of interest… I did not. She told me to find someone new.

I managed to find a great primary care physician in San Diego. One that doesn’t mind I am deaf. I have to go all the way to San Diego because not one physician (out of 27 attempts) at Cedars Sinai would treat me.

So now I am still battling this problem and it has spread.

I have systematic infections spreading in my jaw bone. However, my immune system is too weak to handle the surgeries. So they are doing a little at a time, then redoing them because my body doesn’t heal and it creates more of an infection at the surgery site… which was why my doctors decided I need to see an infectious disease doctor again for guidance on which antibiotics I can use as I am now showing allergy to all of them. Plus I needed IV treatment a few weeks ago and that was a disaster because my veins are not working properly.

So naturally, I chose Dr. Bluen, because he is trusted by Dr. Wong and I trust Dr. Wong without any question.

On March 3, 2021 I set up an appointment with Dr. Bluen’s office via my office, asking for a sooner time. I was told this was the soonest. They were instructed and reminded I was deaf and needed an interpreter. Even though it states “DEAF” all over my record as if I am labeled as a contagion.

However, I have become smarter because of the countless times I have waited weeks or months for my appointment and traveled by private driver all the way there to have been rejected health care by Cedars Sinai, treated poorly and denied services and interpreters without any notice. So this time, I had another person in my office secretly contact Blue Shield of California and have them send an interpreter. So now I had two arranged interpreters 3 weeks before the planned appointment… So I thought.

I took Uber which was over $200, one way.

I texted my office while I was on my way asking them to make sure an interpreter was present. Just to be extra certain.

Isabel contacted Dr. Bluen’s office on my behalf at:

3:01 p.m., no answer, left message
3:12 p.m., no answer, left message
3:14 p.m., no answer
3:35 p.m., no answer

Oh, but where were they? A fully staffed medical office. Why wouldn’t they be answering their phones in the middle of the day? Well, I was soon to find out that there were about 4-5 women working, all talking, joking and hanging out amongst themselves.

This isn’t the worst of it.

I went up to the office and saw there were no seats or places to sit and they locked the door, it had a buzzer to use and so I went back down to sit on the curb outside the building. I have to sit. It is painful to be upright. Just walking 5 feet is tremendous pain which penetrates my body from the bottom of my legs up to my torso.

Finally, since they were not answering their phones or calling us back, I went back up and rang the bell at the time of my appointment.

Out comes a very abrupt, insensitive, rude, uncompassionate, ignorant unprofessional employee called Alejandra, even though the name on her badge is Maria Carlos.

She is talking through her mask. I point at my ears. This has worked everywhere. Strangers, homeless people, little children, foreigners, grocery store…all understand what that means. She obviously didn’t and continued to talk to me through her mask, seemingly becoming annoyed that I was not able to reply. I continued to point to my ears.

She forces on me anti-bacterial hand lotion and hands me a new mask. She writes back and forth with me but still keeps talking to me through her mask. I am nearing tears while I am in tremendous pain and in need of a seat. She makes me wait at the door way while she goes back and forth, I guess getting information on how to handle a deaf patient… instead of offering me a seat while she investigates whether or not she is allowed to let me in.

She finally points to where I am to sit. I turned on my captioning app to alert me as to what is being said in the room.

She writes to me on a post it note, “Are you the interpreter?” Then asked me repeatedly if I am the patient. Then, not even respecting me enough to address me by my correct name, saying we have to reschedule… not once but twice.

Let that sink in a minute. I am not speaking. I am pointing to my ears. I am obviously not understanding a word she is saying through her mask and she writes on a piece of paper asking me if I am the interpreter. How is it that Alejandra even has a job at a doctor’s office?

As she is rejecting me. I am not willing to just leave. I want the doctor to see me, with or without an interpreter. They argue with me…they were not going to see me without an interpreter. Even though I can lipread. They have clear masks. I can write, they can write. I have apps that both caption verbal words and speaks my words. I can facetime a person to interpret.

Sure… none of those are really proper accommodations per the law. A law that has been in existence for more than 30 years, however, it is a way of fixing their INADEQUACIES and allowing me the immediate health care I need. They write to me again different verbiage, same thing… “we are not going to see you today”

My last attempt to be heard, I make it clear by typing and in no sense exaggerating my words… “I am dying” and all she does is nod her head clearly validating her anti-social personality… telling me to reschedule. I then continue to type on the same note.

Everything else that happens is not relevant although you can read for yourself.

Once again, I leave Cedars Sinai crying and exhausted. I sat and waiting on the curb to catch my breath to figure out how to get the help I need without the humiliation.

I spent my last bit of energy to shower, dress, stumble to an Uber on crutches in pain (level of a 8/9), short of breath, dizzy and weak. Then on my way there fighting the nausea from the motion of the car all the way there. I get there expecting to find a sympathetic office to quickly give me the meds I need to help cure my infections, including a UTI which has been increasingly more and more painful while I waited the three weeks for this appointment…

Instead I get an uninformed, group of employees standing around socializing confused as to if I am the interpreter or not and completely ignorant to know of my situation and worse yet… that deaf means you can’t hear and the fact I’m not talking means I am nonverbal.

It was so foolish of me to think that Dr. Bluen’s office was as good as Dr. Wong’s office who has not once let me down in spite of the daily/weekly/monthly interactions and in a much larger office.

It was so foolish for me to think that both interpreters would not show and that they would answer their phone to give me enough notice to find another interpreter. SO FOOLISH OF ME to think that they knew and understood the law which allows me equal access to health care.

This is not the first time Cedars-Sinai has humiliated and degraded me at the expense of my health, safety and comfort. It is not the first time I’ve been reduced to tears for the humiliation of having to beg for healthcare, one that our current administration states is a “right for all”….

If I do not make my voice heard with this incident it will not be the last.

My appointment to have a procedure done (oral surgery) on the next day will be done with risk due to the failure of Dr. Bluen’s office to obey the laws of equal access to those with disabilities.

I’m stuck, if I postpone the surgery, it will be another 4 weeks I’d have to wait for an opening which my tired and exhausted body can’t make.

As I sit here writing this, I am on the verge of vomiting the wee bit of soup I had for breakfast and my body is freezing but yet overheating. I can’t walk at all. My body is swollen from the immune system issues and the growing infection in my blood, my legs are so swollen and I have pain in my urinary tract infection. I am so uncomfortable…. Then I get a telephone call from Adel at Case Management. Only I didn’t know who it was from while she was calling and it wouldn’t have mattered because I am DEAF! Do you not get what deaf means? it means I do not answer my phone.

It’s 2021, who does not get “deaf”… or do text messages, emails and portal messages at Cedars. Why would they choose to phone me. I am deaf…. Duh!

Oh but that is not all, I see I have another message from the office manager at Dr. Bluen’s, called Jackie Robertson.

After my office spends about an hour to reach Adel, yes the people calling on my behalf are employees that work for me, which means again you spending my money and wasting my time for something that is a guarantee under the law (to provide equal access).

Then your office manager, Jackie decides to “go check the records to see if she has permission to talk with Spencer.”

Hellooooooooo… you did not have permission to discriminate against me based on my disability, or deny me health care or continue to subject me to further humiliation by phoning me when you know I can’t hear… but now you are going to further waste my employee’s time and my money by making her hold and wait to see if you have my permission to talk to her.

Well, you didn’t have my permission to break the law and reject me on a day I needed health care, but that did not stop you. So what else do you want? Really… you want a letter from me stating people you can talk to in the event you choose to not allow me equal access by contacting me directly?

Obviously IQ is not a requirement to work with Dr. Bluen… maybe you need to do some house cleaning. Maybe Dr. Bluen is equivalent. After all he did not help to figure out a pretty obvious problem the last time I saw him… that any health care provider should have been able to identify.

As I was basically begging them to still see me yesterday, I watch another man walk in, about my age, I see him go to the counter and say a few words back and forth and then sits and waits and gets in within minutes to see the doctor. MINUTES. No questions asked. Why am I not allowed that?

I guess I am not entitled to the same health care.

That man just because he can hear, got to see the doctor without any argument or delay while I was turned away, even after I showed the moronic excuse of a person that was turning me away the Uber receipt of $200+ to get there alone.

Moronic excuse of a person… too rough? Well, I just call it as I see it. What are their excuses for denying me coverage while I am in such critical condition?

NONE! It is one million percent inexcusable.

The post Cedars-Sinai Is Deadly For The Deaf appeared first on San Francisco News.

UNITED STATES—A friend of mine shared a link to a video that really disturbed me over the weekend. It involved a deaf woman who was denied service at a Dunkin’ Donuts establishment in Encino, California. The woman posted a tearful video sharing her tale of just feeling defeated and frustrated that a place that she frequently visited denied her service because she could not hear. I hate to say this, but if you have seen that video and it did not strike your emotions that concern me greatly.

I think this video really frustrated me because I do know deaf people in real life and I’ve heard all types of stories of discrimination they have endured because of their deafness. I remember hearing a local reporter indicate her brother being deaf and that he relies on lip reading to communicate and it struck me that is near impossible for deaf individuals to do as a result of the pandemic. Why? People are wearing masks. You can’t read lips with a mask. The past two years have been a massive struggle for individuals who are deaf because of that.

It finally hit me; damn we can be a selfish community at times. We don’t think about others and their needs. I was horrified, just horrified that not a single staff member at this Dunkin’ Donuts establishment did not do more to help this woman. I mean the staff member refused to take off her mask, even though Plexiglas was separating her from the customer. Look I get it with COVID-19; some are more worried than others. I get it, but c’mon this woman was asking for service and she was denied it because she cannot hear.

Tell me in what world is that fair. I’ll tell you it is not! Even if you didn’t want to remove your mask, you could have taken or gotten some paper and communicated with this customer that way. Making matters worse is the manager coming out and then refusing to help the customer as well. I felt this woman’s pain, but I don’t understand her pain fully because I’m not deaf. That would indeed make my boil blood knowing that I’m being denied service or the right to have service because I am deaf.

A lot of people consider someone who is deaf as being disabled and that is not the case. They cannot hear, that doesn’t mean they are unable to communicate. They have ASL, many lip read and some actually speak. There are these misconceptions that linger out there that so many people need to educate themselves on. I mean do we actually appreciate the fact that those of us who can hear can actually hear. We have a sense that those who are deaf do not and we look at it as people who can’t hear are different from everyone else.

They are not. They are still human beings, they still deserve respect and they deserve to be heard people. You should NOT be denied service no matter where you go because you are deaf. Deaf people still function and operate just like other human beings, unfortunately they cannot hear, but for many of them it is not the end of the world they embrace it. I don’t like sharing personal tales, but I know a deaf individual who has been desperately attempting to seek medical attention and has been denied service at countless hospitals and medical facilities because they are deaf. Tell me again how is that possible, how is that fair? It is not, physicians and their idiotic staff can’t take a moment and try to be patient and communicate with my friend via paper or their interpreter who is right by their side? Again make it make sense cause I cannot understand it and it boils my blood to the core that people can be so cruel in not attempting to help those in need.

I just want people to place themselves in the shoes of a deaf person, how would you feel if you were trying to get help, but no one was willing to help you because they didn’t want to take a little more time to assist you because you cannot hear sounds. It would really frustrate you and now you can see how the deaf feel. Do not treat the deaf like they’re less of a person because they cannot hear. They are still human beings and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and so many are not because people are just ignorant, lazy and don’t feel like they have time to be bothered or have to put in a little extra time to communicate.

I’ve always wanted to learn ASL while in college, but found myself in a pickle because the courses I needed to graduate always conflicted with the ASL classes I wanted to take, but the more I hear these stories about deaf people being treated with such ignorance it makes me want to learn ASL that much more. I don’t like to see videos like my friend shared with me over the weekend, I don’t want to keep hearing these stories of mistreatment. We need to do better as human beings.

Most deaf individuals do NOT see the inability to hear as a disability and those of us who can hear should not treat them a certain way as a result. I want to be able to step in and assist if such a situation arises because you never know what a difference you can make by helping one communicate who might have difficulty because others are not willing to adjust how they normally communicate.

As noted, I want to hear your stories about mistreatment because this can no longer be ignored. Email me at trevor@canyon-news.com. In addition, if you are a physician or primary care doctor who can assist my friend who is deaf who has been desperate for nearly a year, if not longer to see a doctor to be properly treated email me as well.

The post Deaf Is Not Disable appeared first on San Francisco News.