AFA IS RIGHT! REPORT TO FDA AND ITS PROGRAM "MEDWATCH"

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UNHAPPY CI USERS NEED TO REPORT TO MEDWATCH!

There is a government program where anyone who have issues can report to them for regulation and modification.

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I reported this on January 17, 2008 about FDA and its medwatch program. It is imperative that everyone contact FDA and the Medwatch program. The more we notify them, they can take action. We need truth and we need to stop audism in its tracks now! This begins with you! Can you?

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Deaf Children Frustrated with Family Communication Revisited

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Deaf Children Frustrated with Family Communication Revisited:

I would like to revisit that issue laid out by "deafness.about.com" website by Jamie Berke on December 9, 2008. I responded to that topic.

I believe it is important that we focus on getting the community educated about our choices and how they can work with us. I simply ask that the bridge be open between the deaf and hearing. It even means that we have rules in communication. I studied communications as my major. I remembered picking that up while at NTID. It was often discussed.

Years later, I pursued my degree in Communication at University of Missouri - St. Louis. It helped me give insights into hearing communications. There are not enough information in deaf communications to apply within. The issue remains the hearing are focused on hearing matters. They lack the sense of understanding of deaf communications as well as deaf matters. They try to be pathological and try to fix what they think is "broken". It is NOT the case. It is still audism due to ignorance and selfishness.

The professors were wonderful during the learning years and they tried to understand my perspective about deaf communications. It was challenging looking at both hearing and deaf communications. I did appreciate them for making me think differently when observing both communication issues.

More to come soon.

My response below was in that blog about Deaf Children and family communication dated December 10, 2008.

"A visual language is a bridge between deaf and hearing worlds.

This is something we can focus on, advocate for the rights and educate the public.

Family communication is important despite my frustrations with my family while growing up. I was raised oralist until I discovered ASL. I fell in love with ASL so it has been a journey trying to cut down audism in all walks of life. It is everywhere!

We need education to reduce audism and we need laws with teeth in them to protect our rights and culture.

There were always miscommunication, attitudinal barriers, surfism, ego trips, selfishness, ignorance and whatever you label it in the past.

Let’s put AG Bell and his cronies in the past and we can resolve to do more at present and be prepared for the future.

Rub your elbows with politicians in your hometowns. It is time to educate them and have them on our sides to protect our proud culture. It is not a hard thing to do. The politicians are human like us.

The future is what we make it.

Let’s chart a new course!

Let’s pick up where we left off on September 11, 1880 and move on!

It is time to use our resources to reduce audism, colonialism and paternalism.

Sincerely,

Paul"

*”Audism spreads while good deaf people do nothing!”
-Paul Kiel

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~~~ GDNN DEBUTS ON JULY 7, 2009! ~~~

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Deaf Images Press Release

From: Deaf Images - June 20, 2009

DEAF IMAGES INTRODUCES GLOBAL DEAF NETWORK NEWS ON JULY 7, 2009 AT 7 PM!

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - June 20, 2009 - A new digital video news service will debut on July 7, 2009 at 7 p.m. (central time) for deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people with ASL capabilities. Deaf Images recently developed a format for delivery of visual and signed news in digital video. With this new digital video service, it will be available to more than 27,345 viewers globally. The countries listed are United States, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, Bangladesh, Argentina, Israel, Great Britain, Nepal and other countries. They have been active users of Deaf Image's website. It can also be seen on YOUTUBE, GOOGLE and SHOW ME DEAF COMMUNITY BLOG.

"I am pleased to have reached the milestone for Deaf Images by providing digital news services to the larger audience globally. It is a new step in a new direction for Deaf Images."said Paul Kiel, owner and videographer of Deaf Images. "This will enable everyone to network and share the information and news of interest to the Deaf communities globally."

"With high-speed Internet connection, viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing or hearing with ASL capabilities can watch Global Deaf Network News at home, at the office, in the classroom, or anywhere on a high-speed Internet-connected computer, laptop or wireless pagers. We are reaching a new technology that enables us to interconnect with one another."

"We are looking for broadcasters so please e-mail to paul@deafimages.tv that you are interested. One requirement is that you be proficient in ASL to carry out the news and information to the public."

About Deaf Images

Deaf Images is a digital video production company. It has produced documentary and commentary videos for the last five years. For more information, visit Deaf Images at http://www.deafimages.tv

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A GOOD OLD FASHIONED MILKSHAKE ON A HOT SWELTERING DAY!

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I felt like having a good old fashioned milkshake on a hot sweltering day in St. Louis! I grew up with Velvet Freeze and always loved the taste of milkshake. There are not one place that can match the taste! No matter except Parkmoor (now shuttered) served the best milkshake.

After mowing the yards and running errands, I felt like having something like a good old fashioned milkshake. I knew of a place thanks to my friend. I went to Velvet Freeze on West Florissant and ordered a large chocolate milkshake with old fashioned oatmeal cookies. It was heaven taking spoonfuls of milkshake down my throat quenching my thirst. It felt cool and makes me get goose pimples.

Every bite takes me down the memory lane to late 1950's. I recall first bite in 1959 as a young boy with heated winds blowing in my face while taking spoonfuls. Today, as an old man at age 57 with white hair, wrinkles and overweight, every bite takes me back to my boyish age of 7 when I had first bite of old fashioned milkshake. It is like taking a trip back in time and remember the good old summer of 1959. I remembered my boyish face and a crewcut (of course brown hair) and the 1950s cars going up and down the street. How nostalgic it was! I enjoyed reminscencing those days.

Oh, it is back to 2009 and reality! Time to get going! Back to real world and it will be sad one of these days if Velvet Freeze disappears.. I thought it disappeared in early 1980s as there used to be several Velvet Freeze places - one on Southwest, one on Watson, one on Gravois, one on Big Bend..and others... It was a vanishing breed.

Hope Velvet Freeze sticks around! Can't forget good old fashioned chocolate milkshake and old fashioned oatmeal cookies during hot summers! Yum! Yum!

=)

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ASL BICENTENNIAL 1816-2016: 200 YEARS OF ASL CELEBRATION!

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ASL IS THE "OFFICIAL LANGUAGE" OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY!

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The humble beginnings of ASL is when the monks as a commitment to silence developed and used sign language. It was derived into the use of LSF. This is how and why Laurent Clerc used it and brought it to the new world. It was August 22, 1816. It will soon be 200 years of ASL Celebration! Let's designate August 22, 2016 as our national celebration of 200 years of American Sign Language. That will be 7 years from now. We can have weekend of celebration from Friday, August 19, 2016 to Monday, August 22, 2016.

We need to celebrate our proud heritage and culture of American Sign Language. We need to recognize ASL as the official language of the Deaf community.

We could ask the United States Post Office to help us commerate a stamp to recognize Laurent Clerc and George Veditz for their tireless work in advocating ASL. Of course, they have not met each other, but we will help them meet on the postage stamp. The postage stamp can go on sale on August 22, 2016 on the 200th anniversary of Clerc's arrival in the New World.

We could ask organizations supporting ASL to set up simultaneous activities from sea to shining sea on the same weekend. It will be nice to showcase our deaf heritage and culture at state schools for the deaf and other places where deaf history has been made.

So I call for having ASL BICENTENNIAL 1816 - 2016: 200 YEARS OF ASL CELEBRATION. We might do it in Hartford where it was the beginning. We may include ASLTA and other groups as well as NAD, DBC, Deafhood, etc in supporting the program and educate America from sea to shining sea!

Onward we go! Let's celebrate 200 years of ASL!

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To be on the updates mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to Paul Kiel

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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, August 19, 2016: OPENING CEREMONIES FOR THE WEEKEND STARTING AT NOON

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016: ALL DAY FESTIVITIES WITH WORKSHOPS, FESTIVAL AND FOOD

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2016: ALL DAY FESTIVITIES

MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016: HONORING LAURENT CLERC ON HIS ARRIVAL TO HARTFORD (MORNING)
and HONORING GEORGE VEDITZ ON HIS ADVOCACY OF ASL (AFTERNOON)
*Possible Commerative Stamp Ceremony to see CLERC and VEDITZ on same stamp

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Deaf artists can have opportunity to design a stamp with picture of Clerc and Veditz meeting together. More information soon.

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I am working on a book titled:ASL BICENTENNIAL 1816 - 2016: 200 YEARS OF ASL CELEBRATION. It will be released on August 19, 2016.

If you have stories and pictures from 1816 to 2016, please send them in .jpg format and credits (who they belong to so I can get copyright permission )

The front cover will have picture of Clerc and Veditz. More information soon!

If you are interested to be on working committee, please let me know!

All rights reserved: Deaf Images/Paul Kiel - 2009-2016

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DO DEAF HAVE "KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES" SYNDROME?

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DO DEAF HAVE "KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES" SYNDROME?

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I am beginning to notice a trend these days about deaf getting cochlear implanted for wrong reasons. Is it part of "Keeping up with the Jones" syndrome?

Often times, the society can be materialistic, competitive, and unhappy. The neighbors tend to compete up by having their lawns manicured, new sporty cars in garages, and the materialistic stuff. It is like keeping up with Jones. The Jones may have their lawn taken care of by professional landscapers. The next door neighbors may follow suit.

Was it normal? I guess not.. it is the urgency in each person that competes for the best or somewhat heading for unhealthy psychological consequences.

The last 25 years have shown a lot of failures among the deaf persons who tried to use cochlear implants. There is NOT enough data to clarify the fuzzy and gray areas. The medical profession as well as others in the field of cochlear implanting have been painting fuzzy pictures twisted with lies and lack of evidences.

According to sources on internet, blogs and medical information, the cochlear implanting have several negative factors. Now more deaf bloggers are getting fed up with Aunt Matilda's story about her surgery according to Dianrez! She hit the nail right on the head! We are getting tired of those surgical stuff. We have heard it over and over for the last 25 years.

The negative factors are :

It is still experimental.

It is not a necessary one.

It is merely an expensive hearing aid.

It is only an amplifier with mechanical sounds. (no natural sounds)

It is not safe equipment as several babies and adults lost their lives.

It does NOT cure deafness.

It is proven that only those who lost hearing later in life may benefit from it.

It is not the answer for others who were born deaf or profound deaf.

It is still not safe surgery as the risks are very high.

So wake up and smell the coffee!

You will always be deaf!

It is time to move on and get busy for deaf advocacy!

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LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL??? IS IT???

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Knowing today (June 14, 2009) is the Flag Day! It is time to remember the Old Glory and its humble beginnings. Betsy Ross made the flag and the rest was the history.

Many times, I gaze upon the Old Glory to say the pledge and at many events, I stand up to go with the national anthem. I am bothered sometimes when it says, "Liberty and Justice for all". Does it ring true in the deaf community? I believe not yet. It takes more effort to even the keel.

We need to do that by reminding our legislators from city to the state as well as the federal that we are entitled to equal communication access as well as protection of our rights to enjoy American Sign Language and our proud Deaf culture.

I hope this can be resolved in this lifetime as I want to be able to enjoy saying "Liberty and Justice for all" without any reminders that the audists are still abusing the deaf community.

Liberty and Justice for all??? Is it???

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ARE DEAF SUFFERING FROM LACK OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES?

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Give or take! A deaf person will be committed to hospitalization for mental health issues. What are the statistics? It is untold and underreported everywhere from the sea to the shining sea. Are there support services for deaf patients? What programs are working for deaf needing mental health services?

This picture above is a puzzle being put together but some pieces are missing.

Yes, some pieces are missing.

It is interesting how defensive people are these days. The parents need to know that the devices are not successful for deaf lives. American Sign Language is the key to communication. It is ok to be oral and use any devices. It seems that everyone focused too much on wrong choices. It harms the deaf individual to a greater extent that the damage is permanent and not reversable.

Why can't we let the deaf child be a deaf child? No one will be able to convert the deaf child to be the hearing child that everyone had dreamt and wanted. The real world is that the child will ALWAYS be deaf.

I have been to both sides of the spectrum (oralism and signing). The mental health is better when using ASL.

I notice oral deaf people have higher mental health problems than the deaf people using sign language. Give or take a number. I have noticed in the last 40 plus years of deaf advocacy that the numbers are higher when the oralists stuck to one side. The next generation of mental health problems will be cochlear implant users. It is the tip of iceberg waiting to happen the next 5 to 10 years.

There were no flexibility and no understanding of their peers. This causes them to suffer mental health.

This mental health issue is reaching new heights as it is very controversial of how and why the professionals are approaching the issue of mental health.

Mental health defines as a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.

This is where the deaf community are focusing on the lack of support services for the well being of a deaf individual. The majority of mental health programs are failing to meet the needs of the deaf community at an alarming rate.

The deaf person needs to have emotional and psychological well being to be able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities as deaf person, function in a society that respects a deaf person and the well being and provide supportive services to allow the deaf to meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.

It is sorely lacking emotionally and psychologically for a deaf person today to be able to use cognitive and emotional capabilities.

The culprit is audism being rampant in every fabric of the community. The parents are too busy following the wrong advices provided by the medical professionals as well as the schools that are paid by cochlear implant companies. There are profits that the audists are laughing their way to the banks. Money talks! This is how and why many hearing people are greedy and gullible to the whims of snake oil men.

Cochlear implant is merely an expensive hearing aid.

It is time now to stop the lies and allow the deaf people to be deaf themselves!

Unfortunately, we cannot fix the stupid!

We will simply move on and give support to those organizations educating the public about our proud deaf culture and how we are benefitting from various options we have on our hand.

Like the saying goes, the necessity is the mother of invention. Look at many deaf people the past several hundred of years have contributed to our society. Who invented light bulb? Who founded Girl Scouts? Who invented the shorthand? Who invented morse code? Who invented the movies? and many more!!!

Geez whiz! The deaf would not need mental health services if those hearing people had not abused us! We need to stand up and tell them off!

It is time to help our deaf friends who need mental health services! We need to remind the medical profession that we are entitled to same services that hearing people are enjoying. We do not need their patronization, paternalism, audism, oppression and lies.

We are capable of doing things and they need to stop being audists!

The Ten Commandments of Deaf Culture

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1. You should not put hearing culture above Deaf Culture;

2. You shall not lose eye contact when communicating with a Deaf person;

3. You shall communicate in sign language at all times;

4. You shall not be the Deaf person’s sign language instructor;

5. You shall not be the Deaf person’s English grammar teacher;

6. You shall not be the Deaf person’s speech therapist;

7. You shall not be the Deaf person’s comedian, tell non-Deaf jokes and puns;

8. You shall not be the Deaf person’s “mother or father”;

9. You shall view Deaf people as an ethnic group, not as handicapped;

10. You shall believe Deaf people can do all things.

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(Author unknown~Please let me know who should get the credit for creating this wonderful list)*

*found on FB by Mikey K. (Thanks, Mikey - I was looking for that to use it again! It was so long ago. I can't remember the author's name. Maybe someone will help us!!)

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The Tools of Audism...

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This commentary is about what audists used as tools of audism to intimidate deaf children and adults in the 19th and 20th century. It might be happening in the 21st century. It stresses on the need of better leadership, better advocacy and better education to improve the needs of deaf community.

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BACK TO FUTURE: VEDITZ ENVISIONED THE WORLD OF VIDEOPHONES!

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When I researched on Veditz for my upcoming video project, I got goose pimples when I saw George Veditz's letter to AG Bell. It felt like going back 95 years to his time and see Veditz and Bell debating.

The letter showed how the deaf community refused to support Bell and his Volta Bureau. See his letter dated on February 10, 1915.

George even hit the nail right on its head when he said, "I wonder if you could be induced to turn your attention to a sort of television that will do for the eye what the telephone does for the ear." What a chilling prophecy George had!

He knew that we are having videophones today! He must have seen the future and wrote the letter thinking back to future.

I find it odd as the first television did not happen until November 9, 1919.

AG BELL HAS NO INTEGRITY AT ALL!

In my response to AFA about AG Bell's Integrity????, AG BELL lost his integrity when he stole Meucci's telephone invention. He lied and he cheated. He wrote articles and letters condemning deaf community and ASL. He always argued with Edward Miner Gallaudet about choice of communication mode.

It was Victorian times that influenced Bell to think above women. His mother and his wife were deaf. He probably was not comfortable with them. He was not Deaf enough to be in their shoes and understand the communication process.

George Veditz had many meetings with AG Bell. Veditz tried to coax Bell to change his ways and respect the Deaf more.

See this letter from George Veditz to Bell in December 1909. That is 100 years ago - http://memory.loc.gov/mss/magbell/169/16910210/0001.jpg

From one lie to another lie threading through the pages of history from 1870s to now show how Bell and his cronies are perpetuating audism through diversions and brainwashing.

The telephone was in fact a discrimination against deaf employees. There has been no record that AG Bell was willing to provide access to visual needs. George Veditz could have seen the future already when he wrote to Bell, "I wonder if you could be induced to turn your attention to a sort of television that will do for the eye what the telephone does for the ear." It is a chilling prophecy laid out by George Veditz. He said that about 95 years ago! Today we have videophones and it is a blessing!

In conclusion, keep on exposing AG Bell and show the world what a hypocrite AG Bell is! Deaf lives have been ruined by his lies and oppression for the last 129 years!

Keep up the good work! Go AFA Go!