Two Movie Chains Agree To Captioning for Deaf in Washington, DC area theaters. I used to live in Washington, DC. Too bad it didn’t happen in the six long years I lived there. It’s understandable this is happening there and not elsewhere as the area does have a large deaf population.
We have a couple of theaters in the Dallas / Fort Worth metro area with scheduled captioned movies, but the attendance is pitiful. I went to a couple of movies at Grapevine Mills AMC. The times are just not convenient and with three kids, it isn’t easy to get over there or Arlington where the other theater has rear-window captioning.
Movie Chains and Captioning
Video Games Aiding Hearing
Now I don’t have to feel guilty about all those video games I played as a kid and any that I play as an adult though I rarely play. BBC News reports video games may help improve hearing and cochlear implants are mentioned in the article.
Sign Language Not Universal
From Ask Yahoo! Is sign language for the deaf universal? I knew the answer was no and got to see it in action in Four Weddings and a Funeral. I loved seeing sign language with an accent. Though I don’t know sign language, I could tell something was different in British sign language.
To Deaf Bloggers
Justin wrote, “Meg from Mandarin Design, has developed an entry on her blog about asking for deaf bloggers to sign in. Her purpose for this is to meet all deaf bloggers and get to know them.”
Her questions with my answers:
Q: Where are you from?
A: Plano, TX. Born and bred in Fort Worth. Lived in Washington, DC for six years, the only time I had exposure to deaf people.
Q: What do you do?
A: Wifing, mothering, writing, editing, and technical writing for Snave Co, a teleco, and meryl.net.
Q: Why do you blog?
A: To learn, share, and inform.
Q: Have you noticed that little symbol on some sites that make you know there is audio? Do you think you are missing anything?
A: Yes and no. We are bombarded with so much information that it’s just something else to overwhelm us. On the other hand, I’d like to be able to listen to select items.
Q: Does your work present any challenges related to IT (or other) ?
A: My company finally installed its own instant messaging system last year and I’ve been with them for five years. Nonetheless, the biggest challenge is not IT. It’s POTS… plain ol’ telephone service. They teleconference like it’s going out of style. A co-worker recently got a promotion to another area because they knew her from the teleconferences.
I’ve been in our group the longest and many don’t know me because I couldn’t join certain committees who met solely by phone. However, I did lead a project team and we were in three states. Thanks to a terrific co-worker’s notes and letting me know what others said, the project was a success. But it was very hard to do it.
Q: Are job interviews any more or less difficult using interpreters?
A: Never used interpreters.
Q: Do you love your work?
A: I love the freelance work I do most of the time. I also love my children and they still drive Paul and me crazy on a regular basis. All jobs are that way even if it’s the perfect job.
Q: Do you work in an environment where you have deaf coworkers?
A: No, but I have in the past.
Meg says, “I’ve also noticed that people will come to me and say ‘Will you tell Curtis..blah, blah, blah.’ Hmm, you can tell him. He reads lips well (unless they have an accent). Then we type on his PC to discuss. It seems to me that he is left out of the loop sometimes.”
This is exactly what I work hard to avoid. I saw this happen to a deaf co-worker years ago in my first job out of college. She worked in HR and covered several departments. When a manager from one of those departments had questions, I saw him talking to her boss instead of her. I don’t want to be viewed as weak and incapable. That’s why I value computers. They’re a great equalizer except for the audio part.
Smoke Signals
This has been the week (actually, year, but worse this week than in a long, long time) from h-e-double hockey sticks (gotta keep this site G-rated). My daughter had to go to the ER last night (she’s fine). My older son has been acting up at school. A project suddenly fell apart. I wish it was an April Fool’s joke, but it is not. A friend sent this and I want to pass it on as I am sure many could use a little encouragement.
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements,
and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers.
“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
Unmasked
This blog, unlike meryl’s notes, shares more personal information since the purpose is to educate people about leading a life with little hearing and using technology to hear differently. However, I’ve yet to determine whether or not I should share the bad feelings or experiences with which I contended as a person with communication challenges. Would it be too personal? Would it be viewed as “feeling sorry for me” thinking?
That’s not why I would report it — I’d be sharing that so people get inside the thoughts of a person in my situation. Thinking and doing are two different things. It’d be quite an eye-opener to know what people are thinking. Oh, I know that’s called telepathy and Deanna Troi can do it, but I can’t do it and I don’t know what everyday people are thinking.
Tired Conversations
I didn’t make this discovery until recent years after attending a few conferences and conventions. I’ve always accepted I’m a low energy person except during my middle school days when I played every sport at the school and was a bundle of energy. But that waned during the high school years. Looking back, it makes sense.
Lipreading takes more work even if it is with a person I understand well. In fact, Paul and I were on a conference call (he was helping me “listen”) and I was tired within 30 minutes. This was Paul! I talked to him all the time. In this situation, I was watching him constantly talk for 30 minutes except for the few instances when I contributed. When we regularly talk, it’s a conversation — back and forth. The conference was a conversation with many perspectives and I was lipreading them all constantly with no break.
When I went to sxsw two years ago, I crashed at 8pm on the second to the last night. Didn’t mean to do that, just fell asleep on the bed while resting up for that night’s events. Watching speakers, talking with people, and trying to follow along in gatherings.
Thinking about this further, I was more conscious of this fact when talking to someone one-on-one to see if maybe it was more work for me than an average hearing person even if it was with a person I understood well. After a few conversations, I believe it is harder because not only I have to translate what they’re saying but to digest it, too.
I have to try to put my own thoughts away if I am going to pay attention to the speaker’s thoughts. Unfortunately, I lose my train of thought and what I wanted to say when it was my turn. I believe it’s more important to listen than to speak even though that’s a large order on my part.
I confirmed my theory when a friend of mine went to visit someone in a foreign country and had dinner with them. They were speaking in their native language and she was exhausted trying to follow along. She came back and told me she felt like me in that situation and understands why I get so tired in such situations.
That’s why I cherish email and instant messaging. It evens things, but alas… many I know aren’t e-users. What can I do? I am not going to force e-stuff on them, which is like forcing a hobby on a child. They probably use it when it is necessary, but nothing more.
Music
La Crosse Tribune reports on a seventh grader who plays the violin and is hearing better since receiving the implant two years ago.
It slipped my mind that I played two musical instruments. I took piano lessons around third grade since I was the kind of kid who tried things. I think I took lessons for about two years and was a typical kid in that I never practiced at home. For many years, however, I could still remember how to play Yankee Doodle from memory as that is what I played in the recital.
In sixth grade, I signed up to play the clarinet and also did that for two years. Don’t know why I went beyond one year. Just wasn’t my thing. But I still remember the best day when I played a short song perfectly and earned first chair for the first and only time in my life. The class applauded. It was a small class. Originally, I was in the honors classed, but requested to move since I couldn’t keep up. Thanks, Mr. Matney (band) and Mrs. Guinn (piano) for working with me and having patience.
Epic Biosonics Inc. Writes
Mary McFarland, President and CEO, and Epic Biosonics, kindly took the time to write in response to this August entry. Here’s the note:
“I would like to respond to a posting on Bionic Ear Blog which provided information on a totally implantable cochlear implant from Epic Biosonics Inc. I would like to take this opportunity to update your readers on the development of this device.
As some of you are already aware, Epic ran into a particularly difficult technical hurdle and had to shelve the develoment of this exciting implant. Epic Biosonics is now working with Austrian cochlear implant manufacturer, MED-EL Medical Electroincs, to develop electrode array technology for incorporation into future MED-EL cochlear implants. We are pleased to be working with a company that has such excellent products and supportive staff.
“I would like to wish all of you well in your pursuit of better hearing.”
Mary McFarland
President and CEO
Two-way Communications
I’ve been researching how I can stay in touch when away from the computer and when the person who wishes to reach me is also away from emailing capabilities (or more importantly, not even a big emailer as luck would have it that most people I know locally are that way).
I looked into a two-way pager in which comes with a phone number where a person can call and leave a message with an operator. The operator would page me with a text message. But Paul believes that it would be just as difficult as calling me through the relay operator.
I am at my wit’s end. I want to be reachable to friends, family, colleagues without putting too many hurdles in front of them. Suggestions appreciated and will be shared.
What I’ve used / tried: I had a text pager for three years and got text messages fewer than 20 times during that period. I had a cell phone that could get text messages, but I didn’t promote it since I had a PDA with a modem at the time and could check email and it sufficed. Since then, I don’t have that set up anymore because the network is no longer available. But it still required using a computer or other email system to send a text message to me. I want to reach those who aren’t regular emailers.