Grant Laird, Jr. Blog

ASL Video – Approx 6:28 Minutes Long

Grant was Netflix member for about three years. During the recent time when Netflix announced they will not offer captions on its streaming service for another couple year. Many people quit Netflix for good. It took him a while to make the final decisions to put Netflix account on hold. Strangely, they will not let him put an account on hold, but he could put it on hold for three months not on hold permanently. Netflix has very good members' comments on all movies – it helps him decide to rent this movie or not.

He got free 30-day trial with Blockbuster Online (BBO) through Twitter. BBO announced they would look into adding captions on their downloadable movies service. Later, BBO emailed him that they extended his free trial account until the end of December. Very nice.

Desperately he has only been with BBO for a month; he saw significantly difference between BBO and Netflix in many different ways. BBO has more services including rent DVD and Blu-Ray (no extra charge) discs, rent or buy downloadable movies, rent game discs, and of course you can drop discs at local store. (Depending on what package you pick) While Netflix only offers DVD and Blu-Ray (extra charge) and its streaming videos service, they have very fast delivery in comparison to BBO.

BBO has listed for closed captioned and subtitle but it’s often inaccurate. Sometime it doesn’t list anything at all. Very poor in this area.

Grant used Redbox service from time to time. It has its own advantage and disadvantage. Generally, it's pretty cool service and cheap – one of his biggest peeves is waiting for somebody to finish with Redbox kiosk in line. Sometime it will take them 10 minutes to pick couple movies. He just wants to drop DVD immediately and go, but he cannot do that. Of course, it’s not that bad after all. Another thing is – a very limited selection of movies unlike Netflix and BBO. What's more, Redbox do not show if the movie has caption or subtitle on the kiosk touch-screen menu. He already reported to Redbox about it few weeks ago.

From time to time, he noticed several DVD movies from Netflix or BBO do not have caption/subtitle. He would check at Amazon.com, Walmart.com or DVDempire.com to double check if it really has caption/subtitle or not. However, he noticed that retail box has caption/subtitle but not takes it too seriously until “Up” DVD released.

Due to the recent incident that deaf community got upset that Disney Pixar "Up" Rental DVD version does not include the caption/subtitle but retail box version has it. Again, this is not first time he saw it. One of the articles confirmed that Disney knew they remove all special features including caption/subtitle for a marketing reason.

Via Marlee Matlin's Twitter account: Spoke with Disney execs. Will restore Missing "UP" captions on DVD rental versions- a manufacturer error.

Oh yeah, in case you did not hear about HR3101, please tell your representative today! You can find more information under COAT. Go to http://www.coataccess.org

Grant Laird, Jr.

http://blog.grantlairdjr.com

 ASL VIdeo – Approx 10 Minutes Long

You also can watch and reply with video comment, please go to http://www.deafvideo.tv/56783

Not too long ago, John Pozadzides posted “An Open-Source Look at the Cost of WordCamp Dallas” on July 13, 2009. It’s about how much it takes to operate WordCamp Dallas including a list of expenses in setting it all up. All is fine till a gentleman named Aaron Hall posted “If you cut out the T-shirts and interpreters, you would break even.” in the posting comments. (scroll down to comment area)

To read full post, go to http://onemansblog.com/2009/07/13/an-open-source-look-at-the-cost-of-wordcamp-dallas/

According to his website, he is an attorney in Minnesota.

Grant decided to mention it via Twitter yesterday, and it raised questions about his comments. What kind gentleman is he? Need education? No common sense? The point is some people out there are obviously ignorant and/or maybe clueless like Aaron Hall.

To learn more about Aaron Hall, visit his website at http://www.aaronhall.com/ 

What’s going on? Let Grant explain how he did it from the beginning…

Grant and Wordpress

Grant is a Wordpress die-hard fan and wanted to learn how to take advantage of it as much as possible. He has been using the Wordpress program since it released in the early stage of version 2 – that’s mean he’s using it for approximately 4 years by now. He started using the Wordpress platform for most of his clients (as many as 10 of them so far).

WordCamp Dallas 2008

Grant learned about WordCamp Dallas last year. The host, Charles Stricklin, agreed to waive admission fees in exchange for no interpreters. Grant has no objection about it because he wants to see what it is like himself. He attended the two-day workshop without interpreters in Frisco. It was very hard to understand anybody, really.

He remembers this particularly because John Pozadzides, who gave very good presentation, had 50+ pages on his slide show. Believe it or not, Grant made blog and vlog about it on his website. Check it out! The rest of workshop is hard to understand without interpreters.

Grant made a vow to do something about getting them to provide interpreters for WordCamp. One thing he kept in mind is never bringing up “ADA law” or any other word related to law in any email exchanges with all those people he mentioned in this note. He managed just fine although DARS representative mentioned this to him a couple times directly. He avoided using any strong words such as ADA Law, Section 504, lawsuit, deaf right, etc. (Last resources) You get the picture…

WordCamp Dallas 2009

Naturally, Grant got excited that we were having WordCamp Dallas again this year. He contacted them directly via the WordCamp Dallas website but no one responded. He also contacted Tony Cecala who hosts DFW Wordpress Meetup – he figured Tony can help because nobody from WordCamp replied back to Grant. He told Grant he forwarded Grant’s email to them.

Also, Grant contacted Lorelle VanFossen who is well known in the Wordpress community. He also purchased her book at WordCamp 2008. In her email, she mentioned that Matt Mullenweg (founder of Wordpress) and Automattic (name of company that supports Wordpress) has nothing to do with the WordCamp operation itself. She also mentioned that interpreters are expensive.

Grant also contacted a DARS representative for support and ideas how to get them to provide interpreters. At this time, he was frustrated that he was getting nowhere until after the DARS representative called the University of Texas at Dallas’s facility. (It is a public university which applies to Section 504 law; does it count if they just rent the facility?) At the same time she found out who was hosting WordCamp Dallas 2009, which was John Pozadzides. The DARS representative and Grant exchanged emails exclusively – it is like moral support. Keep in mind, she did not participate in any of Grant’s email exchanges with people from WordCamp Dallas.

Also, the DARS representative suggested Grant to get an interpreter estimate for the two-day workshop, which he did. Two estimates from two agencies said that it would cost approximately $2,500 and up – it’s expensive because of the weekend which the agencies considered overtime pay. (Ugh!) He also contacted a couple freelance interpreters and got a better deal.

John finally got in touch and he’s very patient with Grant. He asked how much it costs and tried to understand how it works with the whole interpreter situation. Grant gave him the freelance interpreter phone number, hoping they will figure it out. John is very positive and wants to make it possible somehow.

One week left before WordCamp Dallas 2009

John declared that the interpreter situation worked out. He even encouraged Grant to welcome more deaf and hard of hearing attendees, and he pulled four Deaf people all together. Grant was thrilled about the workshop after spend many countless emails and Twitter for three months.

Big Weekend at WordCamp Dallas 2009 (June 27-28, 2009)

It was crowded that weekend, but filled with excitement and people hungry to learn new stuff. We had two amazing interpreters the whole weekend. Grant felt blessed to be part of the workshops. He believes this is one of the first times that WordCamp Dallas ever offered a sign language interpreter and hopes other WordCamps will follow in the near future. It was Grant’s understanding that Automattic paid the interpreter fee, which wasn’t even mentioned on John Pozadzides’ post called “An Open-Source Look at the Cost of WordCamp Dallas”.

THANK YOU, AUTOMATTIC. YOU ROCK!

Believe it or not, it means a lot to us – we truly appreciate your making every effort to make it possible! Thank you John Pozadzides, Cali Lewis, (I know that her website doesn’t have subtitle for its video but that’s another story) and WordCamp 2009 Team for the amazing workshops!

Finally, Grant hopes we all learn something from it. Hopefully, you can use some ideas from this for your future WordCamp event or other events. Anything is possible.

Grant will be back next year.

Hasta La Vista, Baby!

Note:

Sam Dunn is one of the deaf attendees at WordCamp Dallas 2009, he posted a cute cartoon about it. Check it out!

Objection! Cut this one!

Also, see select videos with ASL interpreters created by Dave Curlee. Hopefully he will post more videos with ASL interpreters in the near future.

1. Panel Discussion | WordCamp Dallas 2009

2. Cali Lewis – Seven (7) Rules For Building A Vibrant Community | WordCamp Dallas 2009 

To view PDF file – click here in case they remove post and/or comment.

Note: My good friend Wade Engelsman wrote this as part of his English Final paper. We thought it’s good way to share with everybody. Please feel free to make comment. He made A on this one! –gwlj

Deafness: Is It a Disability?

Wade Engelsman
4/23/2009

I am profoundly deaf. A rock could hear better than I. However, I am much more useful than the rock. According to the society that I live in, being a deaf citizen is considered a handicapped person. How dare they label me as a useless person! Individuals with deafness should not be looked upon, viewed or labeled as disabled.

The United States Government defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities.” (Office of Disability Employment Policy, 2009). That definition is offensive to me. First of all, the deaf population can do anything that a ‘normal’ person can do except hear. I am aware that I am not able to hear; however, it does not stop me from dancing, talking, playing with other children, work, or drive. What major life activities are being limited by being deaf? Talking? Heck, I can speak well. Listening to the radio or music? Not for me, who cares? And Beethoven, one of the world’s most renowned music composer was deaf. Driving? Well, TXxxxxxxx is my driver’s license number. In fact, there is a government report claiming that deaf drivers are safer than non-deaf drivers. Wagner mentioned that there is an article called Deaf-Mutes Are Safest Motorists on Pennsylvania’s Highway Systems which is found in The Bulletin of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, September 1940, pp. 15-16. (qtd. in “Hearing Disorders”). We as deaf drivers tend to use our eyes and pay attention to our surroundings much more than the hearing drivers. Often we are able to notice objects that might cause accidents easier than the normal people.

In the educational area, there is no difference in the possible performance of a hearing impaired student and the hearing students. Erica Olson, a student at Como Park Elementary in St.Paul, Minnesota, won the school’s spelling bee and title of 2000-01 champion.“Kelly Telech, one of Erica’s teachers in the program, says the girl is ‘definitely equal in every academic and intellectual way’ to other students.” (Dea, 2001). That is one of many successful stories in public education. Granted that many of the deaf students are in special education but that does not mean that they have learning disabilities. It is not the learning disability that puts them in special education, instead they should be considered as ESL (English as Second Language) students. “The teaching methods of ESL have been successful when applied to deaf education, and there is a need for improved cooperation between teachers of the deaf and ESL teachers.” (Magrath, 1985). American Sign Language is now more widely accepted as a foreign language. Because ASL is the language that deaf children learn first, English is harder for them to learn. I understand that not being able to hear words would put me in disadvantage position in learning. However, I graduated from my high school in the top 10% (39th out of 615) with GPA of 3.94. All of my courses were regular classes with an interpreter. One may argue that because I cannot hear and use a sign language interpreter, it makes me a disabled person. My counter response to that person who thinks that way is: Are Hispanic-American citizens that use a Spanish speaking interpreter also disabled people? However, I have to concur with the argument that because of our label of being a disability, it made it much easier to get interpreters and equipments such as hearing aids, closed captioning for television and video phones for school, jobs, doctor’s office and court. That is probably the only good reason for the deaf community to be viewed as handicapped people.

Success in the work field is not limited to the so called normal people. Alright, I know that any deaf person cannot be a policeman, a disc jockey for a radio station, nor an air traffic controller. But is one of those jobs listed above according to the definition of “Disability” considered a “major activity” for anybody’s life? It’s pretty much that any deaf person can do almost any kind of work that a normal person can do. Often, managers that I worked for would say that their deaf employees would be more reliable, faster, and work harder than others. Alex Abadi, owner of Image Microsystems, credits his deaf employees with the rapid growth of his recycling division which has nearly doubled his sales. "Disabled workers are better than regular employees," says Abadi, "They are more committed and like their jobs better. Other companies just need to give them a chance." (Stewart, 2008). There are sports figures, an actress who won an Oscar, owners/CEO of companies that are deaf. Denver Broncos’ defensive end KennyWalker, Curtis Pride who played outfield for Detroit Tigers, and Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleader Christina Murphy found success in professional sports. Being deaf did not stop Miss USA 1995 Heather Whitestone or Marlee Matlin who won an Oscar in 1987 for best actress from performing at their best. Sid Ander, founder of Krown Manufacturing, Inc. is one of the many hearing impaired successful business owners. (Krown, 2009). The most amazing thing that I have discovered is that Cupola Pakistan Limited, winner of 2008 Stevies’ International Business Award (The International Business Awards, 2008), has three Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants that are being run by all deaf employees with exception of one hearing manager. (KFC) 

I believe that society does not understand what deafness is. Many people tend to be misinformed about many things about deafness. What they need to realize that deafness is not a disability but a disadvantage. Once society understands and accepts that, the life of deaf people would be greatly improved.

References

Dea, V. (2001, January 31). Take Note. Education Week, 20(20), 3. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.: http://proxy.devry.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=url,cookie,ip,uid&db=aph&AN=4132119&site=ehost-live

KFC run by Hearing Impaired Employees. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from What’s New at KFC website: http://www.kfcpakistan.com/gulshan2.asp

Krown Manufacturing, Inc. (2009). About Company. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Krown Manufacturing Inc website: http://www.krownmfg.com/us/

HEARING DISORDERS and COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVERS (1993). p. E-42. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Federal Carrier Safety Administration website: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hearing2.pdf

The International Business Awards. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from The International Business Awards website: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hearing2.pdf

Magrath, D. (1985, December). ESL and Deaf Education: Mutual Needs. Foreign Language Annals, v18 n6, p497-499. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Education Resource Information Center database: http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=E%20SL+and+Deaf+Education%3A+Mutual+Needs&searchtype=keyword&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b80099700&accno=EJ328198&_nfl%20%09s=false

Office of Disability Employment Policy. (2009) Question: How does the federal government define “disability”? Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Office of Disability Employment Policy website: http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/federal.htm

Stewart, B. (2008, September 15). Deaf school dynamos. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Small Business at CNNMoney website: http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/11/smallbusiness/deaf_school_dynamos.fsb/index.htm