As a college student myself, it's hard enough going back to classes after some time. But when you find you have to rely on other students to help out in getting notes, you risk getting a student who does not take good notes. While it's good to have an interpreter, it's even better when you have one who reads the course text(s) and sometimes actually tries to do the course work at home.
But what about students at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, who have transcribing services? This is a difficult enough thing to do at times, especially when you have fast-talking instructors and those who sometimes turn their classroom into Comedy Central.
Check this article;
Dispute between transcribers and CWU leaves deaf, hard of hearing students without key support
Can a college's disabilities services office do without a transcription service? Can deaf students use the Powerpoint slides and the course book(s) including what the teacher writes on the board? There are times when you don't need to know every single word the instructor says, just the important things and make notes of that. with the exception of classes like math. There are carbonless notebooks that that are great for notes. When one writes on one sheet, the writing appears on the sheet underneath it.
What kind of support services do you look for in a college other than interpreters? One must remember that the Typewell program used at CWU is different than CART.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Repairing a Sidekick II
Anyone have two Sidekick IIs that work to an extent? I had an SK2 with a working unit but bad screen and another with a bad unit and good working screen. In this case, you need a T6 torx screwdriver and a place to keep the screws. Avoid the hex drivers, as they won't do the job. They will damage the screw heads and make it nearly impossible to remove. Finding the T6s may be difficult, though I found mine at a local computer store. Ebay will have them, but you may not find them at your local hardware store. If your SKII is still under warranty, this will most likely void it. So, do this at your own risk.
Most importantly, make sure the units are turned off.
Remove the four buttons on the four corners of the unit. Remove the screws underneath.
Open up the screen halfway to reveal two screws and remove those. These two hold down the screen turning unit.
Carefully remove the upper and lower bumpers, making note of how they went on. Remove the SIM card as well. Make note of which SIM card you normally use in a working SK and keep it separate from other SIM card(s).
You should now be able to carefully pop off the upper part from the lower part. Be careful of the screen assembly, as it can fall off. Put aside the lower part and carefully remove the screen from the upper part.
Now put it back together, screwing in the screen assembly first. You should be able to turn it on test it a bit. If all goes well and you can turn it on and use it, you've done a good job. Now turn it off and put the rest of the screws and buttons back on.
Repairing the bad unit yourself may be more a hassle due to all the tiny electronic parts in there. There's not much in the way of parts you can use except for the little vibrator motor on the upper left corner in the lower unit half under the circuit board. There's a lot of tiny surface mount parts including LEDs under the keyboard and other places.
I've not done this yet with an SK3 or SK ID. Remember to do this at your own risk. I can't take responsibility for mistakes if you do it wrong.
Most importantly, make sure the units are turned off.
Remove the four buttons on the four corners of the unit. Remove the screws underneath.
Open up the screen halfway to reveal two screws and remove those. These two hold down the screen turning unit.
Carefully remove the upper and lower bumpers, making note of how they went on. Remove the SIM card as well. Make note of which SIM card you normally use in a working SK and keep it separate from other SIM card(s).
You should now be able to carefully pop off the upper part from the lower part. Be careful of the screen assembly, as it can fall off. Put aside the lower part and carefully remove the screen from the upper part.
Now put it back together, screwing in the screen assembly first. You should be able to turn it on test it a bit. If all goes well and you can turn it on and use it, you've done a good job. Now turn it off and put the rest of the screws and buttons back on.
Repairing the bad unit yourself may be more a hassle due to all the tiny electronic parts in there. There's not much in the way of parts you can use except for the little vibrator motor on the upper left corner in the lower unit half under the circuit board. There's a lot of tiny surface mount parts including LEDs under the keyboard and other places.
I've not done this yet with an SK3 or SK ID. Remember to do this at your own risk. I can't take responsibility for mistakes if you do it wrong.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Fire In The Mouth!
Seek Geo's Harry Potter Jelly Beans: Weird Flavors and HP Jelly Beans: Weird Flavors Part Two vlog entries nearly had me on the floor when he tasted the candies. I'll have to try them sometime.
His reactions reminded me of when I was out in San Diego at a costuming convention a few years ago and heard about a place called University Chicken before I went. They have something called the 911 Challenge, but it's not on the menu. You have to ask for it. Before they even make it for you, you have to sign a waiver saying you're not going to sue them for anything, etc. It's a rather hilarious thing to read. Then when they serve it to you, you have 10 minutes to eat 12 wings. You have nothing to drink and no napkins.
We're talking hot stuff. I barely finished with a few seconds left. My face and nose were red, nose and eyes were running, and tongue was on fire. Halfway there, it was getting hot, and then with the last three, whoa... I just kept going, ignoring the heat and then some. I don't even remember anyone taking flash pics of me or the entire store cheering me on since I was so focused on eating them.
My prize? A tshirt mentioning what I did and my picture on the wall. They were talking about it all during the convention, even bringing it up during a puppet show at one point, even after the con in some chatrooms and forums. They were teasing me about it here and there. "You're still alive?" "Can you still talk and taste?" "Can you still eat?"
I could probably do it again, but next time I want to enjoy the food there than try to make my mouth flame out.
You know when something goes in hot, it will come out hot? The next morning...
...ouch...
His reactions reminded me of when I was out in San Diego at a costuming convention a few years ago and heard about a place called University Chicken before I went. They have something called the 911 Challenge, but it's not on the menu. You have to ask for it. Before they even make it for you, you have to sign a waiver saying you're not going to sue them for anything, etc. It's a rather hilarious thing to read. Then when they serve it to you, you have 10 minutes to eat 12 wings. You have nothing to drink and no napkins.
We're talking hot stuff. I barely finished with a few seconds left. My face and nose were red, nose and eyes were running, and tongue was on fire. Halfway there, it was getting hot, and then with the last three, whoa... I just kept going, ignoring the heat and then some. I don't even remember anyone taking flash pics of me or the entire store cheering me on since I was so focused on eating them.
My prize? A tshirt mentioning what I did and my picture on the wall. They were talking about it all during the convention, even bringing it up during a puppet show at one point, even after the con in some chatrooms and forums. They were teasing me about it here and there. "You're still alive?" "Can you still talk and taste?" "Can you still eat?"
I could probably do it again, but next time I want to enjoy the food there than try to make my mouth flame out.
You know when something goes in hot, it will come out hot? The next morning...
...ouch...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
AOL Releases Real-Time IMing for the Deaf!
Just came across this article;
AOL Launches Real-Time Instant Messaging Targeted to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users
What does this mean for us? It means that rather than waiting for the other person to finish typing SEND or ENTER to send the entire message, we can see everything the person types just like on a TTY!
No more waiting for the other person! Real-time communications! Whoo-hoo! We need that!
AOL Launches Real-Time Instant Messaging Targeted to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users
What does this mean for us? It means that rather than waiting for the other person to finish typing SEND or ENTER to send the entire message, we can see everything the person types just like on a TTY!
No more waiting for the other person! Real-time communications! Whoo-hoo! We need that!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Deaf Scams via AIM
Did anyone get an AIM message from someone claiming to be an FBI agent, law enforcement officer, etc? It most likely is a scam. They will often offer you something like this if you work for them online;
- cash every month or week, usually nearly $1,000
- a new vehicle
- pay for vehicle registration, typically a few hundred
- have you fill out an application which most likely you will send to a completely different address
They may say something about helping other deaf. Don't fall for this scam. You will most likely lose money and be a victim of ID theft. Report it to the people they were trying to fraudulently represent.
One other IM scam I've heard about is how the FBI IMs the so-called victims. Maybe the FBI/law enforcement does this from time to time when the victim requests but a lot of the time from what I've seen, they'll use snail mail or the phone. However, when one receives an IM from the "FBI," let them make the first moves. They should have all your info in front of them including your case number and related information.
My own experiences almost exactly mirror Dianarez's experience in her Scamming Deaf via Sidekick blog post. In my case, this other person tried to impersonate a police chief in Ohio. They were very interested in knowing who this person was when I contacted them. If you see ddaservice on AIM, that's the person. Another time it was a business.
One way they get your info is via DeafVP. That's a scammer's paradise right there since all IM info is out in the open. Make it so they have to email you for the info, like I do. When I removed my info, the IMs from them stopped.
Update 3/24/2009:
When posting chat logs anywhere, change your AIM name to something like [name_removed], and remove your personal info with [personal_info_removed]. This way, you're protecting yourself from worse things like ID theft.
Let's get this powerball4real8 idiot OFF the air!
- cash every month or week, usually nearly $1,000
- a new vehicle
- pay for vehicle registration, typically a few hundred
- have you fill out an application which most likely you will send to a completely different address
They may say something about helping other deaf. Don't fall for this scam. You will most likely lose money and be a victim of ID theft. Report it to the people they were trying to fraudulently represent.
One other IM scam I've heard about is how the FBI IMs the so-called victims. Maybe the FBI/law enforcement does this from time to time when the victim requests but a lot of the time from what I've seen, they'll use snail mail or the phone. However, when one receives an IM from the "FBI," let them make the first moves. They should have all your info in front of them including your case number and related information.
My own experiences almost exactly mirror Dianarez's experience in her Scamming Deaf via Sidekick blog post. In my case, this other person tried to impersonate a police chief in Ohio. They were very interested in knowing who this person was when I contacted them. If you see ddaservice on AIM, that's the person. Another time it was a business.
One way they get your info is via DeafVP. That's a scammer's paradise right there since all IM info is out in the open. Make it so they have to email you for the info, like I do. When I removed my info, the IMs from them stopped.
Update 3/24/2009:
When posting chat logs anywhere, change your AIM name to something like [name_removed], and remove your personal info with [personal_info_removed]. This way, you're protecting yourself from worse things like ID theft.
Let's get this powerball4real8 idiot OFF the air!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Oops! I did a Faux Pas Again!
I had to laugh when I read this blog entry back in October and it reminded me of some other things.
Mind Your P’s and Q’s, Or in This Case: D’s and H’s
Those of us who tend to alternate between the hearing and the deaf worlds usually know what they shouldn't do, but now and then a foulup will happen.
Sure, we've all had to make relay calls. The post comments about how some hearing people are so rude to the point of voicing that they have a deaf person on the phone or something. I was job searching awhile ago, there was this receptionist who said "This is a place of business." I told them why I was calling, and then she sighed and directed my call to the right person. Heck, maybe I should have said "...and I'm a job seeker, so what's your point?" Another friend's dad said the relay calls were slow, and that's pretty much the truth. Hearing people can have 5 minute calls. A relay call like this could last as long as 30 minutes. "S" *pause* "L" *pause* "O" *long pause* "W" he said.
Another call I made before IPRelay and the 800 numbers, though each state had their own 800 number. I called this craft store not once, but twice, each time getting a hangup after they say something like "I'm with a customer!" or something quite rude. I had to type to the operator that I was seriously considering going out there and straightening them out. The operator's response? "GO FOR IT!"
But of course squeaky hearing aids are as equally irritating. At one point in high school, I had a crack in the tubing leading to my earmold. During the *ENTIRE* history class, it whistled. It wasn't til the end of class when the interpreter told me about it. Then there's the other funny moments I mentioned in my Growing Up Deaf posts.
I worked at this now-gone candy bar manufacturer in the office as part of coop years ago. Since I couldn't hear the monitor beeping which indicated a program just started running, someone made a poster with "beepbeepbeepbeep" on it. Then every time it beeped, they'd knock on the glass walls and show me the poster and I'd go from there. I think I still have it somewhere. Another thing I'd occasionally do is make like a speakerphone call to that person on the other side of the window, so all they had to do was nod or shake their head for yes or no.
I've probably forgotten a few things... I'll remember them.
Mind Your P’s and Q’s, Or in This Case: D’s and H’s
Those of us who tend to alternate between the hearing and the deaf worlds usually know what they shouldn't do, but now and then a foulup will happen.
Sure, we've all had to make relay calls. The post comments about how some hearing people are so rude to the point of voicing that they have a deaf person on the phone or something. I was job searching awhile ago, there was this receptionist who said "This is a place of business." I told them why I was calling, and then she sighed and directed my call to the right person. Heck, maybe I should have said "...and I'm a job seeker, so what's your point?" Another friend's dad said the relay calls were slow, and that's pretty much the truth. Hearing people can have 5 minute calls. A relay call like this could last as long as 30 minutes. "S" *pause* "L" *pause* "O" *long pause* "W" he said.
Another call I made before IPRelay and the 800 numbers, though each state had their own 800 number. I called this craft store not once, but twice, each time getting a hangup after they say something like "I'm with a customer!" or something quite rude. I had to type to the operator that I was seriously considering going out there and straightening them out. The operator's response? "GO FOR IT!"
But of course squeaky hearing aids are as equally irritating. At one point in high school, I had a crack in the tubing leading to my earmold. During the *ENTIRE* history class, it whistled. It wasn't til the end of class when the interpreter told me about it. Then there's the other funny moments I mentioned in my Growing Up Deaf posts.
I worked at this now-gone candy bar manufacturer in the office as part of coop years ago. Since I couldn't hear the monitor beeping which indicated a program just started running, someone made a poster with "beepbeepbeepbeep" on it. Then every time it beeped, they'd knock on the glass walls and show me the poster and I'd go from there. I think I still have it somewhere. Another thing I'd occasionally do is make like a speakerphone call to that person on the other side of the window, so all they had to do was nod or shake their head for yes or no.
I've probably forgotten a few things... I'll remember them.
Monday, December 24, 2007
We're not too disabled to work?
Back in July, I posted about this same issue, "ADA Updates? Should I Hold my Breath?" I had to deal with college classes before coming back to this, so I'm behind a bit. Reunify Gally posted this earlier;
Qualifed to Work = Disqualification from ADA Protection
Today, I'm wondering what's going on with the ADA updates. Are they stuck in a rut, going into continuous arguments and putting it off as they're known to do with certain bills? Back in the 90s, many people were at least hoping to find a good job, but it seems there wasn't much happening back then and still even less today. Again, there's the quibbling over the definition of the words 'disabled' and 'functional.' Despite some aids like drugs and assistive devices, we're denied ADA coverage.
Say what? Illogical.
You basically still have the same disability even without the drugs and devices. If you have a cochlear implant, and remove your processor, you're still deaf. Same when you remove your hearing aids. If you have a walking disability, and use a cane or wheelchair to help get around, you still have it even without them. Same with the drugs. They all do the same thing, of helping you get around without being too limited and dependent. They help you be independent to an extent.
So why aren't employers giving us a fair shake? Check the second paragraph. Are you seeing certain words pop out, namely, assuming and stereotyping? Now with the Internet and online applications, it's possibly made much worse and harder due to computer screenings and those who have to look through many resumes.
So what's the way to deal with it? More loophole-ridden laws without teeth? More of the different ways that the courts interpret things? More Deaf Awareness Days? More educational programs? Will employers/hiring authorities just bypass or ignore them? Would it be possible to mix a disabilities job fair into a regular job fair and hope for the best? There's still those who just flat out refuse to use anything, other than use voice to voice with applicants. There's still even those who when they find that they've called a relay number, refuse to even use it, much less accept the call. They're attempting to put, as Pink Floyd says, another brick in the wall, while we try to remove them as fast as they're placed.
Qualifed to Work = Disqualification from ADA Protection
Today, I'm wondering what's going on with the ADA updates. Are they stuck in a rut, going into continuous arguments and putting it off as they're known to do with certain bills? Back in the 90s, many people were at least hoping to find a good job, but it seems there wasn't much happening back then and still even less today. Again, there's the quibbling over the definition of the words 'disabled' and 'functional.' Despite some aids like drugs and assistive devices, we're denied ADA coverage.
Say what? Illogical.
You basically still have the same disability even without the drugs and devices. If you have a cochlear implant, and remove your processor, you're still deaf. Same when you remove your hearing aids. If you have a walking disability, and use a cane or wheelchair to help get around, you still have it even without them. Same with the drugs. They all do the same thing, of helping you get around without being too limited and dependent. They help you be independent to an extent.
So why aren't employers giving us a fair shake? Check the second paragraph. Are you seeing certain words pop out, namely, assuming and stereotyping? Now with the Internet and online applications, it's possibly made much worse and harder due to computer screenings and those who have to look through many resumes.
So what's the way to deal with it? More loophole-ridden laws without teeth? More of the different ways that the courts interpret things? More Deaf Awareness Days? More educational programs? Will employers/hiring authorities just bypass or ignore them? Would it be possible to mix a disabilities job fair into a regular job fair and hope for the best? There's still those who just flat out refuse to use anything, other than use voice to voice with applicants. There's still even those who when they find that they've called a relay number, refuse to even use it, much less accept the call. They're attempting to put, as Pink Floyd says, another brick in the wall, while we try to remove them as fast as they're placed.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Bringing Down the House
Anyone just about bring down the house in class, that is, cause the entire class to fall over laughing? Seems I did it unintentionally a few years ago.
I was still going to the local community college, and I think it was my second semester there. I borrowed a fiber optic cable from a friend and put it in my jacket pocket with a flashlight and went to class. I pulled out both and the entire classroom promptly went to pieces.
I was told later by a classmate that right at the same time I was pulling them out, the instructor said; "...we don't have fiber optic cable so I can't demo it..." I had also completely missed my interpreter telling me what the instructor said. The instructor just kept talking like normal.
Anyone do something like this unintentionally?
I was still going to the local community college, and I think it was my second semester there. I borrowed a fiber optic cable from a friend and put it in my jacket pocket with a flashlight and went to class. I pulled out both and the entire classroom promptly went to pieces.
I was told later by a classmate that right at the same time I was pulling them out, the instructor said; "...we don't have fiber optic cable so I can't demo it..." I had also completely missed my interpreter telling me what the instructor said. The instructor just kept talking like normal.
Anyone do something like this unintentionally?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Life Eggs You
We were doing wraps for dinner. Someone wanted Subway, but Jamie picked up some stuff from the local grocery store to make our own. So, we cut things up, me doing most of the work. Only thing is, I did the eggs a bit wrong. I let the water boil, then dropped two eggs in there, and they cracked a bit. I dropped in two more, this time putting them deeper in the water before letting go. No cracks. Then I take the two cracked ones out, but they're not quite done yet, runny yolk.
So I put the yolks in the microwave for 30 seconds. Almost done. Tried another 30 seconds.
20 seconds later... *BOOM!*
wow... My hearing aids were off, yet that was loud enough for me to hear since I was so close by and was watching it.
What a mess. Easy cleanup, fortunately.
The other two I left in the pot to cook a bit longer cracked also, but not as bad. They came out better.
Jamie looked at me like "WHAT?!" when I told her about the microwave.
Either way, good dinner.
Next time I want to blow up eggs, I'll use an M80.
So I put the yolks in the microwave for 30 seconds. Almost done. Tried another 30 seconds.
20 seconds later... *BOOM!*
wow... My hearing aids were off, yet that was loud enough for me to hear since I was so close by and was watching it.
What a mess. Easy cleanup, fortunately.
The other two I left in the pot to cook a bit longer cracked also, but not as bad. They came out better.
Jamie looked at me like "WHAT?!" when I told her about the microwave.
Either way, good dinner.
Next time I want to blow up eggs, I'll use an M80.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Growing up Deaf - Final
Looking to the future
Post-college, there are times that it seems that old friends have disconnected. Those who mistreated you have apologized or don't seem to care. While you tend to keep in touch with those you met back in college over time, it's too easy to lose contact with those you grew up with. I was never able to keep in contact with the other old friends from before high school due to all the moving we did. I've found some from high school and before via Internet searches. I would like to hear from my previous teachers if I can find them again.
After high school, I started finding out about the social stuff that I had missed. After college, I found I had missed much more. Almost no one invited me over for birthday parties, dinners, overnights, the usual things of growing up. That included missing the prom and finding out what it was all about.
Here's a message I posted to an email list in response to a low-vision friend who has a guide dog when she was complaining about some things related to the church she was attending;
> I'd bail. Start looking for some place that's closer and easier to get
> to. Two hours away, two hours back -- that's four hours a night just to
> be rejected. And that far away, there's little or no chance of
> outside-of-Tues-night contact if you do connect with anyone.
Yep... Kinda the story of our lives. If you're the only one at the church with a vision problem, and people aren't talking or interacting with you, then you know something's wrong.
How many times have I heard the stories of deaf kids and others who have never been invited to a sleepover, never been invited to a birthday party, never been called by their friends, never been visited by them, none of them ever gone out of their way to be on the kid's side after they're going through teasing, always being picked last, always eating alone at lunch, no one talking with you at lunch...
That flippin' *HURTS!* It gets worse when adults are doing it and they start creating cliques or reject you due to your disability. Even worse when they ignore you or refuse to interact with you...
We can't always dwell on the past. Neither can we change it. The future can have better things in store for us. If we move on with our lives, then we have become better for it.
Thanks for reading the serial.
Post-college, there are times that it seems that old friends have disconnected. Those who mistreated you have apologized or don't seem to care. While you tend to keep in touch with those you met back in college over time, it's too easy to lose contact with those you grew up with. I was never able to keep in contact with the other old friends from before high school due to all the moving we did. I've found some from high school and before via Internet searches. I would like to hear from my previous teachers if I can find them again.
After high school, I started finding out about the social stuff that I had missed. After college, I found I had missed much more. Almost no one invited me over for birthday parties, dinners, overnights, the usual things of growing up. That included missing the prom and finding out what it was all about.
Here's a message I posted to an email list in response to a low-vision friend who has a guide dog when she was complaining about some things related to the church she was attending;
> I'd bail. Start looking for some place that's closer and easier to get
> to. Two hours away, two hours back -- that's four hours a night just to
> be rejected. And that far away, there's little or no chance of
> outside-of-Tues-night contact if you do connect with anyone.
Yep... Kinda the story of our lives. If you're the only one at the church with a vision problem, and people aren't talking or interacting with you, then you know something's wrong.
How many times have I heard the stories of deaf kids and others who have never been invited to a sleepover, never been invited to a birthday party, never been called by their friends, never been visited by them, none of them ever gone out of their way to be on the kid's side after they're going through teasing, always being picked last, always eating alone at lunch, no one talking with you at lunch...
That flippin' *HURTS!* It gets worse when adults are doing it and they start creating cliques or reject you due to your disability. Even worse when they ignore you or refuse to interact with you...
We can't always dwell on the past. Neither can we change it. The future can have better things in store for us. If we move on with our lives, then we have become better for it.
Thanks for reading the serial.
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