For many of us, the Internet erased communication barriers until videos started gaining popularity with sites like YouTube and TV networks making episodes of shows available as downloads. We can watch the TV shows on TV with captions, but the downloaded videos are silent — without captions. The Wall Street Journal took notice with its …
Category: The D Life
Data Plan for PDAs
I want to switch to the Palm Treo when my current data plan contract ends in December, so I’ve been researching prices and options. I went to Verizon Wireless and couldn’t find a data only plan. The rates for a calling plan with unlimited data were too high. I emailed Verizon about a data only …
Taking Notes
stu.dicio.us is a great idea and would’ve helped me a lot in college… but what are the chances fellow students who take the same classes would use this service? I entered my university and there were only NINE notes from classes I never took. I also entered the university I attended as a freshman and …
Deaf Comedy and Jokes
Well, as a lipreader-instead-of-sign-language-user, I can’t catch these videos from DeafJoke.tv. But I get the third comic strip and I love it. Though I may not use an interpreter, I’ve had plenty of situations when I had delayed reaction or laughter because someone had to tell me what happened. Funny snakes, too. I hate it …
Experience the Awareness
Last Friday, my kid’s elementary school held a program called “Experience the Awareness.” The point of the program is to have the kids learn about the struggle behind the different disabilities and learning differences. Kids rotate through 10 stations, spending about five minutes (too short) at each station. We covered muscular dystrophy, missing limb, injured …
Dealing with Phone Reps and Recordings
While working for a company, employees received a letter from HR telling us we needed to call the voice automated system to confirm our accounts. It had to be “the employee” who does it. I asked the manager what I should do about it and she said to have Paul call. I didn’t trust this …
Connecting Online
Did I tell you how much I appreciate the Internet? It’s the one place I rarely run into communication barriers. The only time that happens is when a site has audio or a video without captions (and it isn’t easy to tell what’s going on just by watching it). I posted entries on this over …
Misreading Lips: The Mahjongg Story
I play mahjongg once a week and love it. I, however, can’t imagine playing as fast as the regulars do especially since I have to look at every tile thrown. My group contains mostly beginners and we’re getting faster — but still a long way from the continuous clickety clickety clack game. Anyway, we were …
Hearing Loss and Hearing Help
Here’s an excellent guide from The Hearing Journal. It discusses the price of not addressing the hearing loss and where to get help. There article also contains a long list of resources, which I’ve added here as a backup. Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing American Tinnitus Association Better Hearing …
Paying the Price for Not Being Yourself
Stephen Hopson, a talented person who is a pilot and former stock broker, shares an embarrassing experience that could easily happen to anyone who is deaf. I do what he did — answer “yes” or “no” when I’m not sure what someone said and I’ve already asked him to repeat. You just don’t want to …