Friday, November 15, 2013





DEAF ACTIVISM 2014








Thursday, October 24, 2013

Monday, July 29, 2013

Cochlear Implant Industries treat Deaf children/adults like Pavlov's dogs!








Cochlear Implant Industries treat Deaf children/adults like Pavlov's dogs!
By Paul Kiel
July 29, 2013

After recent investigation among those cochlear implant companies and meeting several people who wore the devices,  it has come to my attention.

It is obvious how they manipulate the system to gain dollars in their pockets as well as their investors who have poured millions in the coffers to finance illegal activities such as audism,  genocide, oppression and activities peppered with dishonest acts and lies to cover their activities.

Are they really in humanitarian way to save Deaf children and adults?  I think not!

As you can see this picture below about how they elaborate on this device called a remote-controlled cochlear implant,  this shows a dark side.

It allows hearing person such as parents or relatives to use it to make sure the device stays on.  In the old days before this device came out - the Deaf children would pull the behind the ear processor out and put away during the day.  They put back on when the parents come to pick them up after school hours.

This was what some teachers confided in me in those days.  I was trying to see and understand how the system is oppressive to innocent Deaf children.   

Back to this remote-controlled device,  I was told by one former user of that device that the parents and relatives have control.  They know when someone pulls off or turn off the cochlear implant device.  They would send messages like put it back on with threats like you know parents use to keep child on track.  It is sickening how the system is manipulated to control innocent Deaf children and adults with those devices.

So the guilty parties need to cease and desist their activities toward Deaf children and adults. It goes to the top.   Who is at the top?  Go figure!  It is where money talks!  Pardon the pun!  Yeah,  money talks!

With money, it comes greed!  The greed overshadows those audists,  medical profession and those at corporate level at cochlear implant industries.  This is what and how the cochlear implant industries treat Deaf children/adults like Pavlov's dogs!  It is illegal and unwarranted!

There are protections that are under United Nations laws as well as United States law.  We need to be ACTIVE in prosecuting them for their illegal actions towards the Deaf Community.

American Sign Language and Deaf Culture are here to stay!  We need you to be active with us in preserving the rights of Deaf children and adults from sea to shining sea.

Likewise George Veditz said 100 years ago this summer, "As long as we have deaf people on earth, we willhave signs. It is my hope that we all will love and guard our beautiful sign language as
the noblest gift God has given to deaf people."


George's words from the film: trascribed for reading by Carol Padden:
http://www.rid.org/UserFiles/File/pdfs/veditz.pdf



A remote-controlled cochlear implant system (behind the ear processor and internal part)
from this link at http://www.medicalexpo.com/prod/med-el/remote-controlled-cochlear-implants-systems-behind-the-ear-processors-and-internal-parts-70814-436635.html



 Who is Pavlov?


Ivan Pavlov - was a famous Russian physiologist who did some research in physiology.  He developed a concept of "the conditional reflex".  It was where he tests conditioning dogs to listen for the bell and food. and more info can be seen at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov.




Thursday, March 7, 2013

1.6 Million People Saw Switched At Birth! ASL Classes Booming!

Get popcorns popping! Get soft drinks flowing! Grab your seats and get comfy! Let's watch this finale this coming Monday evening. *groaning* have to wait until the next season to follow up on stories by SAB! It is a fantastic show and about 1.6 million people saw the last week's show. Fantastic!

Now, if you are interested in learning ASL - American Sign Language- there are plenty of places from sea to shining sea that you can pick from wherever you live. I will be happy to refer you to the specific ones in your area. There are over 400 programs of that kind. ( need updates on numbers )

Learning ASL is fun and challenging. It is a visual and gestural language that can be learned in steps from beginner's to advanced. There are career programs that you can benefit two ways with ASL. One is to be a Sign Language Interpreter and/or Two is to work with Deaf students/consumers in your field as social worker, teacher's aide, teacher, and the likes in social field.

ASL can be mastered easily if you put your heart, mind and soul into it. After teaching for more than 35 years at grassroots, education and professional levels, it is now a respected third language in use in the North America.

With the recent developments in entertainment, more people are asking about learning sign language. It is encouraging and beneficial for everyone.

Thanks to Laurent Clerc for bringing ASL to the New World!

Sincerely,

Paul Kiel

kielpa@quincy.edu

American Sign Language Instructor/Deaf Culture & History Lecturer
Quincy University
Quincy, IL 62301











* This video was passed around on Facebook, e-mails and ABCFamily website. 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Friday, February 8, 2013

STAMP OUT AUDISM AT ISD!

*Thanks to Brian Riley for passing this.   Please pass on to others.  It is very important and we need to help ISD regain its audism free zone!*

Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 3:44 pm ET
 
 
 
A special message from Jerry Covell:
 
 
 
25 Years After DPN, Deaf STILL CAN’T?
Jerry Covell


Next month, I will be participating in a 25th anniversary of the Deaf President Now protest at Gallaudet University where I was one of the student leaders that protested against the Board of Trustee to prove the world that a qualified deaf person can become a president of Gallaudet University and that “deaf people can do anything but hear”.  Yet, a few weeks ago a deplorable incident occurred at a school for the deaf…..now we are basically being told “deaf people cannot do anything”.  Such oppression and bigotry actually happened at the Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) by a hearing principal and certain hearing co-workers on January 17, 2013.  It is just unbelievable that this oppression is still happening in this day and age.

A bit of history is necessary to understand why it happened.  It all started last summer when a certain group of hearing teachers and administrators at ISD were pushing for Cued Speech* as a teaching philosophy to be utilized in place of Visual Phonetic which was widely used for few years and has been unsuccessful.  Instead of teaching deaf and hard of hearing children in their natural visual language, American Sign Language; another auditory based teaching philosophy, Cued Speech was arbitrarily implemented in August 2012 by a former superintendent a few days prior to her resignation without the input of the entire educators at ISD and the deaf community.  As a result, it stunned the deaf community and created two different camps of educators to be formed at the Illinois School for the Cued Speech Deaf. This created an adverse environment among the educators inside the school and the school hostile to the deaf community.  The Language Planning Committee was re-activated to develop a language policy for the school to be applied during instruction.  This policy must be submitted in writing by the end of this school year for approval.  This committee was stacked with Cued Speech supporters and it took an interim superintendent to force a more balanced committee by having more deaf and hearing teachers who prefer a different teaching philosophy.  Cued Speech was intended to be used only during language and reading classes but it is currently used all day during class time.

The shocking incident happened on January 17, 2013 immediately after the Language Planning Committee meeting.  There are several people in the room however the focus will be on four individuals:

Fara Harper – deaf educator, Pre-K to 8th

Hearing principal of Pre-K to 8th

Hearing Reading Specialist

Hearing educator, Pre-K to 8th


Fara Harper has a Master’s Degree and is in her 8th year teaching at the ISD.  She is a very popular and well-liked teacher at the school.  Fara, the only deaf teacher in pre-K to 8th, is a highly qualified deaf teacher who is trained to deal with students with a variety of hearing loss and communication modes.  Fara was asked why she would not wholeheartedly support cued speech and she explained her position regarding American Sign Language in the classroom when questioned by the three hearing individuals (these three are staunch supporters of cued speech).  Fara was “challenged” on how she would deal with a child in her classroom that would need auditory stimulation to which she responded that she would address the child’s auditory needs by bringing in appropriate professionals such as audiologist and/or speech-language pathologist to work on the child’s speaking/listening skills as well as English language development.  Somehow this led to a comment made by the principal that Fara would not have to worry about dealing with those types of students (those that need auditory stimulations).  The principal was talking about her own adopted son who has a hearing loss and that Fara’s expected to be in her class this coming fall. Of course, Fara was puzzled by that comment and asked the principal “Is it because I am deaf?”  The principal replied “Yes”.  Fara was shocked and offended.  There is no misunderstanding that the principal intentionally gave the impression that Fara is NOT QUALIFIED to teach the principal’s son because she is DEAF and does not speak.

This is not something that can be resolved through apology or any disciplinary actions other than termination.  The principal has to be terminated for her unacceptable comment and attitude toward Fara as a deaf person.  If this is how the principal views Fara negatively, she has the same views of other deaf teachers in general.  Two other individuals in the room (the hearing Reading Specialist and the hearing educator) are as guilty because they did not stop the principal’s negative and condescending comment.  They are as guilty as the principal because they are accomplices to it and have participated in such prejudices.  Those three hearing individuals have been bullying, harassing, jabbing, patronizing and condescending to deaf co-workers, deaf parents, deaf students and the deaf community (also to hearing teachers who have deaf-heart).  Those kind of comments and attitudes are not acceptable from ANYONE especially those who teach, train and prepare deaf and hard of hearing children to become independent and self-sufficient.  Such demeaning comments, attitudes and actions have profound effects on our deaf and hard of hearing students. Those children will grow up thinking they CAN’T because their popular and well-liked deaf teacher CAN’T.  We will no longer be subjugated to those kind of people and allow them to continue the plantation mentality to keep deaf people powerless.  Therefore, we expect that Illinois School for the Deaf sever ties with those three hearing individuals (the hearing principal, the hearing Reading Specialist and the hearing educator)  as there is no place for them there.

I thought that, 25 years ago, we changed hearing people’s views about deaf people and I am extremely saddened to find out that their views may have not truly changed.  Changes must happen….it starts with you so please share your views with:


Governor Quinn

Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/pages/contactthegovernor.aspx (can write letter online)



Ryan Croke - Deputy Chief of Staff (his parents are deaf)

Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Ryan.croke@illinois.gov



Joan Forney – Acting Superintendent at ISD

322 WestWinds Drive

Jacksonville, IL 62650



Kris Smith - DVRS Deputy Director
kris.smith@illinois.gov



Michelle Saddle - DHS Secretary
michelle.saddler@illinois.gov
 

*A bit of background information regarding Cued Speech…. It is an auditory based communication mode that allows visual pictures of speech sounds and sound patterns that are used in the English language.  This mode typically benefits those children who have auditory verbal training with residual hearing and have the ability to understand and/or lipread speech that would assist in their English language acquisition.  Those students are commonly known as hard of hearing who are equipped with hearing aids or cochlear implants.  Cued Speech does not benefit those who have significant hearing loss and/or cannot understand and/or lipread speech in normal conversational tone so they lose out other teaching strategies to learn English.  Cued Speech is currently used at Illinois School for the Deaf on all students regardless if it benefits the child or not which violates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that states that the instruction shall be in the child’s language and communication mode.


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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Mental Illness for audism?

When tweeting, I mentioned this:

Is it a mental illness when those hearing 

people have "fix it" mentality towards

Deaf people? 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012



              Aunt Lizzie, I miss you!  OXOXOX


Aunt Lizzie
1875-1969   

A grand old lady cheered me up whenever I came to see her at her small apartment.  I always looked forward to Sunday dinners with her.  She was a small frame woman with many years shown on her face.  

The last time I hugged her and saw her, she was 94 years old in 1969.   She had hearing problems and she had to keep saying "huh" often trying to understand whoever is talking to her. I was young kid growing up with her and she was my grandmother's aunt.  Then she was my great-great Aunt Lizzie, but I called her Aunt Lizzie.  She was fun and humorous person. We would make faces and gesture as if we know what we are talking about.  She would crack me up and I would roll on floor laughing.

She would be smoking Chesterfields and sip some brandy in her living room.  I often would sit on floor near her to ask her questions about the old days and how she grew up during hard times.  She was a nurse at the old St. Louis City Hospital.

She would write down notes and tell me some interesting stories. I wish I can remember the details.  She even told me how she had to ride horses and carriages, do things by hand,  work like slave to feed family, etc before we got those modern equipment to take care of stuff.  She had to haul big pots from second floor to first floor to outside back where outhouse was.

She would make some wisecracks with anyone in her apartment.  I would never forget how she lectured my grandmother's brother and I was fascinated about how she felt about his leaving home and not visiting her for more than 50 years.  I was standing with my mouth open...they had not seen each other for more than 50 years. I was curious as to why it happened...Lizzie said it was between him and her.  I respected that.

At her funeral, I looked at her and she looked at peace.   I was teasing her one time that she could be 100 and I would catch up with her.  She laughed and told me how she felt being that old.  She missed her family, relatives and many friends.   She felt alone and she simply wanted to go home to those people she missed in her long life.  

Just before her casket was lowered into the grave,  I took the cross off ( a tradition with funerals ) and hang it on my wall.  It is still hanging for the last 43 years.

I miss you, Aunt Lizzie!  You have a special place in my heart all these years and I remember the fun times.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Paul




Thursday, August 2, 2012

Paul's Commentary: NAD 2012








Paul's Commentary: NAD 2012