* The video is captioned*
Thank you, Hee-Kyung Cho "Choy" of South Korea for sharing this with us! Deaf South Koreans are inspirational to all of us worldwide!
This video was supposed to be posted up in June but due to my internship and other things that kept me busy, I was not able to upload it until recently. I hope you all enjoy it. We all must keep the values of being an involved citizen in our countries, no matter if we are deaf or hearing.
As Justin Dart would say, You have the power! Lead on!
- Leah
Sunday, September 27, 2009
South Korea Association of the Deaf - Amazing Video!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
President Obama's Health Care Address Will Be Live-Captioned Online
Score one for accessibility in New Media world! Tonight's major "make-or-break" speech will be captioned.
Watch the Live Captioned Webcast of the President’s Health Care Address to Congress at
http://ncamftp.wgbh.org/bcb/presidentspeaks.html
Be sure to watch it and rate it. What do you think?? Debate health care as interested and involved participants that we all are.
I'm extremely pleased to see that steps are being taken to ensure greater accessibility in a modern age when we are becoming increasingly dependent on New Media. As with all changes, there are pros and cons to the hyper-connected world of blogging, twittering, vlogging, live-feeds, RSS, and all that. But if there is going to be change, we better make sure it's at least accessible.
Will you watching the address tonight? I will be!
- Leah
Watch the Live Captioned Webcast of the President’s Health Care Address to Congress at
http://ncamftp.wgbh.org/bcb/presidentspeaks.html
Be sure to watch it and rate it. What do you think?? Debate health care as interested and involved participants that we all are.
I'm extremely pleased to see that steps are being taken to ensure greater accessibility in a modern age when we are becoming increasingly dependent on New Media. As with all changes, there are pros and cons to the hyper-connected world of blogging, twittering, vlogging, live-feeds, RSS, and all that. But if there is going to be change, we better make sure it's at least accessible.
Will you watching the address tonight? I will be!
- Leah
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Follow Leah at Twitter for fast updates!
I'll be twittering at "leahkh" and I will be providing fast updates over there for the announcement of the finalists for Gallaudet's next President. Feel free to add me.
I'd like to also mention that the current President Roberto Davila will be greatly missed and his leadership was monumental for Gallaudet University. He pulled us out of a very dark period and into the bright future with successful MSCHE re-accreditation, raising academic standards, and increasing enrollment. No words of thanks may ever do his dedication to Gallaudet University justice.
Thank you, President Davila. Your presence will be irreplaceable.
- Leah
The Deaf Perspective Returns for Another Year!
Hello!
Wow, the summer has passed already?? In case you were wondering where I had gone, I was at the Capitol Hill nearly all summer. I had an internship with the House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) office, participating in the AAPD's internship program. It was a truly wonderful experience. I'd like to thank my internship sponsor, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, for helping make this exceptional opportunity possible. I'd also like to thank Andy Imparato at AAPD, Mrs. Yoshiko Dart, and Rayna Aylward at MEAF. I have some surprises coming up for you this fall, some big projects. Keep tuned in to The Deaf Perspective!
You know what I have always stood for - for community activism, participation in the political process, and being a strong stakeholder wherever you are in America and worldwide. Each individual is ultimately an ambassador for the deaf community to the world. We can and should not continue to be delegated to the image of deaf people being dependent, weak, and unable to participate. That is a myth and I strive to shatter that every single day!
I'm returning with a bang - guess where I am right now? At Gallaudet University's GUKCC auditorium, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the finalists for Gallaudet University's next President!
Gallaudet University is such a strong, proud, and determined beacon in the world for deaf education. I wish the University the best and Gallaudet University will always remain my home at heart.
- Leah
Friday, July 3, 2009
International Deaf Perspective: South Korea
Interview with Hee-Kyung Cho "Choy" of South Korea and Board Member of World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section about the push for deaf rights in South Korea.
Military Eligibity, Disability, and Social Programs
Before I begin this post, I apologize sincerely for opening up such a can of worms. I am not sure about what kind of role SSDI plays in the life of people with disabilities outside the deaf community but I will write based on my knowledge of the issue within the deaf community.
What propelled me to think about this issue critically and through the lens of disability rights was my chat with a LC (Legislative Counsel) from outside my office this week. We were talking about my internship experience and how educational it is for me. I said that I had originally entered the office with only two areas of policy interest but now I had broadened to three more areas of policy interest. I mentioned Foreign Affairs as one of the new policy interests and we talked about the difference between Defense and Foreign Affairs. I said that I'm not interested in Defense or military issues because I truthfully don't know very much about the area. Since I'm deaf, I'm not eligible for military service and neither are many in the deaf community so the subject has become rather distant to me. After we finished talking, I walked into the elevator and started thinking about military eligibility and the disability community.
There are some knowledge that you gain from in the classrooms, the books, and the media. And then there are some knowledge that you gain from mere interaction, from social contact, and from cultural sensibilities. It is hard to trace back the original source when your information comes from this second set of knowledge because it's like “you've always known that.”
Growing up, I always knew that the deaf were not allowed to serve in the military and the same is probably true of other disabilities. The only mention of disability in conjunction with military is mostly of disabled veterans. Later on, when I went off to college and many of my friends also did – many people I knew flocked to the SSDI office. The broad-swinging justification for these kind of programs being available to the deaf was because of 2 things: A) Difficulty getting jobs as a deaf person and B) Ineligible for military enlistment.
I can definitely vouch for the A reason. I remember all too well when as a 16-year-old I tried to get a summer job and was continually denied applications at places espousing “HIRING NOW!” signs. Even today, many deaf people get jobs through tips in the community. As a deaf person it's hard to just “walk in and apply for a job.” And the military enlistment is true as well. When you enlist in the military, you get benefits. And we the deaf don't get a chance at that. So the Social Security programs are there to “fill in the gap” of in-equal opportunities.
However, the problem that these kind of programs creates for the deaf community is that it creates a sort of financial pacifier. Rather than suing the workplaces that deny employment and opening up the job market to be more deaf-friendly, deaf people know that there's the SSDI option.
Do we really want to be in this kind of situation? The answer is a flat NO. There are plenty of deaf people I know who have stated that they WANT to serve in the military and WOULD if they were not ineligible. There are no reasons why deaf people can't serve at home bases and contribute their assets in other areas of service else than combat. Regarding employment, I happen to know of a person who was late deafened in his 20s and he lost his job as a waiter along with his hearing. We do go out and look for jobs but more often than not, doors are closed.
Traditionally, deaf people have responded to such job discrimination by creating conclaves where they employ each other. Over 100 years ago, when deaf people were denied insurance – they all got together and established the first deaf insurance company in 1901. We have places of employment where it is more deaf friendly such as education, telecommunications, and certain businesses. Our culture is all about reaching out and helping each other out. But it's time to reach outward rather than inward and push for change.
I've always espoused social programs as important and necessary but at the same time, the job market needs to be opened up enough that social programs are the “safety net” not the “first resort.” The more people are on financial pacifiers, more tax money are being spent by the government rather than more tax money being paid towards the government.
More opportunities need to be created for accessibility in the job market and the military. Here is an interesting reading on deaf people serving in the Israeli military. Remember, the change most often begins at the top – at the government – and that's where we need to “pack” (taking a page out of FDR's book) ourselves in for professional careers.
What propelled me to think about this issue critically and through the lens of disability rights was my chat with a LC (Legislative Counsel) from outside my office this week. We were talking about my internship experience and how educational it is for me. I said that I had originally entered the office with only two areas of policy interest but now I had broadened to three more areas of policy interest. I mentioned Foreign Affairs as one of the new policy interests and we talked about the difference between Defense and Foreign Affairs. I said that I'm not interested in Defense or military issues because I truthfully don't know very much about the area. Since I'm deaf, I'm not eligible for military service and neither are many in the deaf community so the subject has become rather distant to me. After we finished talking, I walked into the elevator and started thinking about military eligibility and the disability community.
There are some knowledge that you gain from in the classrooms, the books, and the media. And then there are some knowledge that you gain from mere interaction, from social contact, and from cultural sensibilities. It is hard to trace back the original source when your information comes from this second set of knowledge because it's like “you've always known that.”
Growing up, I always knew that the deaf were not allowed to serve in the military and the same is probably true of other disabilities. The only mention of disability in conjunction with military is mostly of disabled veterans. Later on, when I went off to college and many of my friends also did – many people I knew flocked to the SSDI office. The broad-swinging justification for these kind of programs being available to the deaf was because of 2 things: A) Difficulty getting jobs as a deaf person and B) Ineligible for military enlistment.
I can definitely vouch for the A reason. I remember all too well when as a 16-year-old I tried to get a summer job and was continually denied applications at places espousing “HIRING NOW!” signs. Even today, many deaf people get jobs through tips in the community. As a deaf person it's hard to just “walk in and apply for a job.” And the military enlistment is true as well. When you enlist in the military, you get benefits. And we the deaf don't get a chance at that. So the Social Security programs are there to “fill in the gap” of in-equal opportunities.
However, the problem that these kind of programs creates for the deaf community is that it creates a sort of financial pacifier. Rather than suing the workplaces that deny employment and opening up the job market to be more deaf-friendly, deaf people know that there's the SSDI option.
Do we really want to be in this kind of situation? The answer is a flat NO. There are plenty of deaf people I know who have stated that they WANT to serve in the military and WOULD if they were not ineligible. There are no reasons why deaf people can't serve at home bases and contribute their assets in other areas of service else than combat. Regarding employment, I happen to know of a person who was late deafened in his 20s and he lost his job as a waiter along with his hearing. We do go out and look for jobs but more often than not, doors are closed.
Traditionally, deaf people have responded to such job discrimination by creating conclaves where they employ each other. Over 100 years ago, when deaf people were denied insurance – they all got together and established the first deaf insurance company in 1901. We have places of employment where it is more deaf friendly such as education, telecommunications, and certain businesses. Our culture is all about reaching out and helping each other out. But it's time to reach outward rather than inward and push for change.
I've always espoused social programs as important and necessary but at the same time, the job market needs to be opened up enough that social programs are the “safety net” not the “first resort.” The more people are on financial pacifiers, more tax money are being spent by the government rather than more tax money being paid towards the government.
More opportunities need to be created for accessibility in the job market and the military. Here is an interesting reading on deaf people serving in the Israeli military. Remember, the change most often begins at the top – at the government – and that's where we need to “pack” (taking a page out of FDR's book) ourselves in for professional careers.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Commentary on Sign Language and Accessibility
First of all, I would like to proclaim that I have not reneged on my promises of “transcript coming!” on some vlogs. Transcripts are UP and posted for some vlogs that I updated in hurry without translation. You may go back to them and check out the English words. I work hard to transcribe my vlogs but due to my being in school full time, being active in extracurricular, working a job, and volunteering in spare time... the sad truth is that sometimes time doesn’t permit me to do that for every single vlog. Those are the times when I ask for volunteers to help out. There are still videos left that need to be transcribed.
As I repeatedly emphasized, two-way accessibility is extremely important. If we want to get accessibility in the world, we must open ourselves up to the world as well.
We the deaf consider ourselves a linguistic minority with our sign language. More than anything, our life experience, culture, and barriers are all bound inexorably to language rather than our hearing status. A deaf child who does not have access to proper language acquisition ultimately will not have access to better education and life opportunities. True, I’ll say frankly that I was born profoundly D-E-A-F but I’ll also be the first to tell you that if not for sign language and bilingualism – I would be reduced to something that society would want to “fix.” With the light of sign language, the deaf and the disabled have a formidable weapon against the ideas of eugenics, of a “perfect human race” that isn’t necessary and best left behind with Hitler’s demise.
This blog originally began because I wanted to update my family and friends on what I was doing at Democratic National Convention. Even though I’m proud that many members of my extended family know sign language, some of them do not know sign language. Should they be left out of the loop and be reduced to the same level of frustration looking at my moving hands as deaf people looking at hearing people speak with their soundless lips? No. Because I know far too well the frustration of the lack of accessibility on the internet, I refused to let any one fall victim to this impediment on my own little niche in the internet. No one deserves to be left out.
Quid pro quo. The loose translation for the Latin expression is “you give me something, I give you something.” We give the world accessibility to our community, our language, and our unique perspective. In return, everybody understands more why accessibility is so important for everybody.
From the political perspective: Enough is enough. It’s time for the deaf community to stop being insular and think broadly in making an impact in the world through voting, volunteering, and connecting to our elected leaders. It’s time for the rest of the world to realize that the deaf community has powerful and untapped potential for major grassroots impact. To the politicians- Eleven million. Don’t be ignorant. Win our vote.
And I’d like to give a heartfelt BIG Thank-You to volunteers Victoria Calaman for transcribing the International vlogs and to Raychelle Harris’ interpreting class for transcribing the rest of the vlogs.
VLOGS with transcripts
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/08/important-deafcampaign2008-status-on.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/leah-katz-hernandez-in-back-room.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/turnout-at-election-watch-party.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2009/03/international-deaf-perspective-spain.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/international-deaf-perspective-denmark.html
As I repeatedly emphasized, two-way accessibility is extremely important. If we want to get accessibility in the world, we must open ourselves up to the world as well.
We the deaf consider ourselves a linguistic minority with our sign language. More than anything, our life experience, culture, and barriers are all bound inexorably to language rather than our hearing status. A deaf child who does not have access to proper language acquisition ultimately will not have access to better education and life opportunities. True, I’ll say frankly that I was born profoundly D-E-A-F but I’ll also be the first to tell you that if not for sign language and bilingualism – I would be reduced to something that society would want to “fix.” With the light of sign language, the deaf and the disabled have a formidable weapon against the ideas of eugenics, of a “perfect human race” that isn’t necessary and best left behind with Hitler’s demise.
This blog originally began because I wanted to update my family and friends on what I was doing at Democratic National Convention. Even though I’m proud that many members of my extended family know sign language, some of them do not know sign language. Should they be left out of the loop and be reduced to the same level of frustration looking at my moving hands as deaf people looking at hearing people speak with their soundless lips? No. Because I know far too well the frustration of the lack of accessibility on the internet, I refused to let any one fall victim to this impediment on my own little niche in the internet. No one deserves to be left out.
Quid pro quo. The loose translation for the Latin expression is “you give me something, I give you something.” We give the world accessibility to our community, our language, and our unique perspective. In return, everybody understands more why accessibility is so important for everybody.
From the political perspective: Enough is enough. It’s time for the deaf community to stop being insular and think broadly in making an impact in the world through voting, volunteering, and connecting to our elected leaders. It’s time for the rest of the world to realize that the deaf community has powerful and untapped potential for major grassroots impact. To the politicians- Eleven million. Don’t be ignorant. Win our vote.
And I’d like to give a heartfelt BIG Thank-You to volunteers Victoria Calaman for transcribing the International vlogs and to Raychelle Harris’ interpreting class for transcribing the rest of the vlogs.
VLOGS with transcripts
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/08/important-deafcampaign2008-status-on.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/leah-katz-hernandez-in-back-room.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2008/11/turnout-at-election-watch-party.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2009/03/international-deaf-perspective-spain.html
http://deafcampaign2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/international-deaf-perspective-denmark.html
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