A Thanksgiving Message

This has been an incredibly difficult year for Gallaudet and the Deaf Community. We witnessed a severe split in both communities, with many relationships strained or ruined. We saw students assaulted and their rights trampled. They haven’t received justice yet as long as the paid employees who harmed them are still working, despite the fact that they broke the university staff conduct policy and DC laws. The 135 people arrested on Black Friday are experiencing reprisals way out of proportion to their misdemeanors.

The lid of oppression was opened in 1988 and closed in 1990 with the death of student activist Carl Dupree. Now the lid has been blown into pieces and it will never be closed again. We have become more empowered than ever in the history of the deaf community.

We will never go back and bear the chains of oppression again.

However, we still have a long way to go. Gallaudet is still in a very big mess. The ousting of Fernandes is the first step, but we need to work on the flaws that made this fiasco possible. We didn’t do it after DPN and because of that failure, the anarchic and oppressive system was still practiced. Hence another protest, Unity for Gallaudet, and this time we need to fix the broken system so Gallaudet won’t be crippled with oppression, audism, racism, and management by intimidation. Once the wounds are healed and shared governance is up and running, we’ll know that Gallaudet is ready to move forward proudly with full sails.

But let’s take the day off today and be thankful for all the blessings we have.

We are thankful that the students are no longer sleeping outside in freezing temperatures. We are thankful that 20 hunger strikers are eating again. We are thankful that the students are having a break from Gallaudet, to be spent with their families and/or friends.

We are thankful that the Deaf Community rallied and supported the students during the first phase of the protest. We have seen unity in both Gallaudet and theDeaf Community, as never before. We saw new understanding between deaf people about the -isms separating us. Many alumni renewed old friendships and many new friendships arose. Comradeship flourishes again.

We have seen an explosion of deaf blogs and vlogs, thanks to DeafRead who helped bring them all in one site. The Deaf Community drew closer. Despite attempts by Gallaudet to impose at censorship on campus, information flows freely as never before. We have moved up to a new awareness, to a new stratosphere. We have become more empowered, more than we did in 1988.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everybody

Elizabeth and Dave

new blog link: http://www.deafread.com/blogs/?id=144

Thanksgiving links:

Click here: Turkey Trivia Quiz

Troubleshooting Thanksgiving: The Turkey Is Still Frozen:

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1119186-1119770,00.html

November 23, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 5 Comments

New Blog

It just came to my attention that I’ve forgotten to update on the old blog the news that I’ve started on a new blog, with the same name, Mishka Zena

This blog has 675 posts since the first weekend of Oct. The first phrase of the protest going at breaknecking pace is over and the second part of the protest is now slower. So I’ve been covering different topics of interest to the deaf community.So I feel that it is time to retire this blog and start anew with a new blog, Mishka Zena (http://www.deafread.com/blogs/?id=144)

Many apologies for my late update.

Have a nice Thanksgiving with your families, friends, and furbabies

November 22, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 2 Comments

A Pro Fernandes Asks WHY????

“Dr. Jane Norman and JK are close friends. Jane Norman uses ASL and JK does not look down at her.
I understand that JK repeatly said she is NOT AGAINST ASL.
The media and I still have not gotten one GOOD reason why JK was terminated. PLEASE GIVE US ONE GOOD REASON!
She does not smile enough?
She is not a good leader? Do you mean that she has to be popular and dance around with her hands flying in ASL?
Do u mean that she should isolate Deaf people from hearing people?
Do you mean that she is not supposed to speak English and ASL at the same time?
WHAAT???
We are still waiting for the reason! Boy!” By a pro-Fernandes commenter.

Elizabeth: Anyone who understands linguistics knows it is an impossibility to combine ASL and English. What you are thinking is signed English which is not ASL at all. It is signed supported English, not a bona fide language, but a sign mode.

I have heard that she is a good friend of Jane Norman and I’m glad that they are friends. However many culturally deaf people told me that they experienced audism from her. You will need to ask these deaf people why they felt that way.. Since I know them, I believe them.

I don’t know where you get the idea that Deaf people are isolated from hearing people. Many have hearing families, hearing co workers, and hearing friends.

About Fernandes not being a good leader, unfortunately she is not a good administrator. Here is the link explaining the reasons why she shouldn’t become a president, but remember you asked for it, not me.

Protest Issues: Myth vs. Fact

From The Gallaudet Protest: Quick References

Inspired by Mishka Zena’s Factual Sheet at http://mishkazena.wordpress.com/2006/11/03/fight-against-not-deaf-enough/

MYTH: Fernandes was “not deaf enough” and was simply caught in the middle of a “deaf culture/identity” battle being waged by those who wish to exclude certain groups of deaf people.: FACT: Gallaudet has always had students from diverse communication backgrounds. Many oral students enroll and are accepted as a part of the Gallaudet community. In fact, quite a few protesters wear hearing aids or cochlear implants, some are hard of hearing, and many are from mainstreaming programs. As an example, this protester with an oral background posted about her experience at Gallaudet, prompting a long list of comments from fellow protesters with similar backgrounds.^[1]

MYTH: This was a student protest.: FACT: Faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and many organizations were also involved. 82% of faculty members passed a resolution calling for the resignation or removal of Dr. Fernandes. 168 out of 221 eligible voting faculty members were present at this meeting. Clerc Center staff members were involved, with 83% calling for Fernandes’ resignation or removal.^[2] The Gallaudet Alumni Association, National Association of the Deaf, and parents and relatives of the students called for the resignation of Dr. Fernandes. View a more complete list of supporters ^[3]

MYTH: The protesters and other deaf people are resisting change caused by technology.: FACT: The protesters made heavy use of new technology such as email pagers, video relay services, blogs and vlogs, online video sharing services, and so forth. In addition, many protesters have cochlear implants. The deaf community has already embraced many new technologies and trends, often well ahead of the general population.

MYTH: Fernandes is a tough and qualified leader.: FACT: When President Jordan appointed Dr. Fernandes to lead the division of Academic Affairs as Provost of Gallaudet University, the Faculty Senate objected and reprimanded Dr. Jordan for violating the principle of shared governance in making that appointment.^[4]; FACT: Dr. Jordan admits violating procedures in appointing Dr. Fernandes as provost.^[5]; FACT: After Dr. Fernandes’s selection, the faculty issued four votes of no confidence, one of which detailed specific leadership failures. ^[6]; FACT: Last year, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget gave Gallaudet an “ineffective” rating, with many of the criticisms targeting programs under Fernandes’ purview.^[7]; FACT: Tenure was granted to Fernandes despite a lack of published scholarly research.^[8]

MYTH: Fernandes was the only one qualified to lead the university.: FACT: Several candidates who applied, most notably Dr. Glenn Anderson, had more qualifications than the other two candidates who made it into the final round with Fernandes. This fact has prompted concerns about the process being rigged to favor Fernandes.

MYTH: The protestors were an unruly mob who prevented MSSD and Kendall students from attending classes.: FACT: Protesters were prepared to allow MSSD and Kendall staff on-campus so that education for pre-collegiate students could continue uninterrupted, but university officials made the decision to close the schools October 11 and 12.^[9]

[edit]

Sources

Retrieved from “http://wiki.signcasts.com/index.php?title=Protest_Issues:_Myth_vs._Fact“

November 17, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 5 Comments

Canadian Diamonds Trader: A Pyramid

The high volume of commenters claiming that this CDT is a legitimate company piqued my curiosity, so I decided to investigate this a little further.

I found something very interesting: CDT has been declared a pyramid trading scheme by the Western Australia Government.

“Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, Government of Western Australia:

Canadian Diamond Traders

Pyramid

Canadian Diamond Traders (CDT) is being promoted on the Internet, explaining how people can join the scheme and by recruiting others, receive a diamond and money at exit when they reach the top of the pyramid.

The website shows a pyramid diagram with four levels. Recruits place a deposit on a diamond through the website and commence on the base level as a Diamond Miner (8 positions). By recruiting others, participants progress through to Diamond Cutter (4), Polisher (2) and the top, the Diamond Collector. Once reaching the top, they supposedly receive the diamond and $3,000 cash. They are also encouraged to rejoin, which continues the scheme.

CDT’s website makes such statements as:

If you have $100 to invest and you know two other people with $100 to invest, you can make $3,000 over and over again;
You earn commissions by referring other members to the program. When they make a purchase, you get credit for the sales; and
The more people you directly sponsor, the faster you will cycle out and the more frequently you will cycle. The ideal is to sponsor at least two members as soon as possible.

Consumer Protection believes the scheme to be a pyramid trading scheme in breach of the Fair Trading Act.

http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/ConsumerProtection/scamnet/Scams/Canadian_Diamond_Tra.html“

here is another one:

“Canadian Diamond Traders Inc: Is It A Scam?

We are actively pursuing closing this pyramid fraud down as we did Treasure Traders International. Join us www.crimebustersnow.com . we will also arrange to sue them for a very minimal disperment cost with no fees unless you win. call 905-963-3389 www.crimebustersnow.com

http://mlm.business-opportunities.biz/2006/01/25/canadian-diamond-traders-inc-is-it-a-scam/“

Well, after checking the Internet for quite a while, I can asset that this is a highly controversial company, with some claiming it is a scam and the others vouching for its legitimacy.

Personally I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole a company that has so much controversy, but that’s just me.

Rule of thumb for anyone making an investment: contact your certified financial planner, your attorney or check with your state agency before you make any investment with your hard-earned money.

I will not post any claims vouching the legitimacy of this company here from unknown parties. However, I will post the official statement when I hear from Maryland Securities Agency. Elizabeth

November 17, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 14 Comments

Death Penalty Sought in Deaf Slaying

Blog:The Politics of “Deaf culture”

Commentary: This blogger, Cathy Young, is also the author of “Radicalism in the Deaf Culture”, which appeared in the Boston Globe in which she accused “deaf radicals” of rejecting Fernandes due to a “deaf identity crisis”. She conveniently failed to recognize the fact that a large portion of the protesters came from a background similar to Dr Fernandes’, such as being educated in mainstream programs, or having an oral background (like me), and that a good number of the protesters were hearing. In this blog, she maintained her stance and noted with amusement the rebutatls from Jamie Berke’s personal blog. She still doesn’t get the complete picture. elizabeth

The politics of “Deaf culture”

I have written about the politics of “Deaf pride/Deaf culture” on some previous occasions; the subject interests me mainly because it is such a perfect reductio ad absurdum of “political correctness” and identity politics. The phenomenon first drew my attention in 1988 when I heard about the protests at Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed entirely for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, against the appointment of a hearing president, Elisabeth Zinser (at that point, Gallaudet had never had a deaf president since its inception in its more than 100-year history). What struck me was not so much the protest itself as the atittudes of militants who railed against the idea of deafness as something that needed to be “fixed”; one of them said that he would puncture his own eardrums if he suddenly woke up with the ability to hear.

This year, the controversy at Gallaudet was not about about a hearing president but about a president who, apparently, wasn’t “deaf enough.” My column on the topic ran in The Boston Globe last week, and since that was before I resumed blogging, I thought I’d share it now.

SINCE LAST MAY, Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed entirely for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, has been rocked by protests over
the selection of a new president.

Jane K. Fernandes was scheduled to take over from I. King Jordan in January. On Oct. 29, after protesters shut down the Washington campus for more than two weeks, the board of trustees revoked Fernandes’s appointment. This fiasco is a striking example of identity politics gone mad.

In 1988, protesters rebelled against the appointment of a hearing president, Elisabeth Singer, and demanded a deaf president (something Gallaudet had never had since its founding in 1864). Singer resigned , and Jordan was appointed in her place.

Fernandes, the Gallaudet provost whom Jordan wanted to see as his replacement, is also deaf; but to some, “not deaf enough.” She grew up lip-reading and speaking and learned sign language only as a graduate student.

In recent weeks, anti-Fernandes students and professors have denied that their objections had anything to do with her not being deaf enough, and have accused her of raising the issue to pose as a victim of political correctness.

However, the Washington Post reports that the protesters backed off the “not deaf enough” complaint only when they realized that it wasn’t likely to garner sympathy from the outside world. They focused instead on Fernandes’s supposedly autocratic and intimidating leadership style and her alleged lack of interpersonal skills (one critic quoted by the Inside Higher Ed website even noted that she didn’t smile enough).

There were also vague charges that she is insufficiently committed to fighting racism. Yet none of these gripes seem sufficient to justify the passion hat led to her ouster: the protests included hunger strikes and threats of violence.

Some of the criticisms publicly leveled at Fernandes are overtly rooted in identity politics. In a letter to the Post , Gallaudet English professor Kathleen M. Wood excoriated both Fernandes and Jordan for taking the position that Gallaudet is for all deaf students. This misguided inclusiveness, Wood asserted , had attracted deaf students who were “not integrating into Deaf culture” and resisting the use of sign language. She ended her letter by stating, “The new Gallaudet will not be for everyone.”

“Deaf culture” — that’s Deaf with a capital D — has flourished at Gallaudet. It is a radical movement that views deafness not as a disability but as an oppressed minority status akin to race, and also as a unique linguistic culture. The movement holds that there is nothing wrong with being deaf, only with how society has treated deaf people.

Few would deny that, historically, deaf people and others with disabilities have endured stereotyping, bias, and unfairness. Much progress has been made toward seeing people with disabilities as whole individuals, toward focusing on what they can do, not on what they can’t . But it’s a leap from this understanding to the bizarre idea that the lack of hearing is no more a disability than being female or black. (Verbal communication aside, surely being unable to hear environmental sounds often places a person at a serious disadvantage.)

The majority of deaf people do not belong to Deaf culture. It is estimated that at most a quarter of profoundly deaf people in the United States use sign language. Yet at many schools for the deaf, signing has been dogmatically treated as the only acceptable communication; children with some hearing have received little training in auditory and speaking skills. Deaf schools that promote “oralism” have been targeted for protests.

More harmful still, Deaf activists have railed against cochlear implants, which enable many deaf children to gain functional hearing; some deaf parents have denied implants to their children on ideological grounds. The activists also oppose research into cures for deafness through gene therapy and other means.

To them, attempts to “fix” deafness amounts to nothing short of genocide.

Fernandes herself embraces Deaf culture, but she does not want it to be isolated from the hearing world or exclude those who don’t meet purist standards of “Deafness.” She also believes that the deaf community must deal honestly with
the challenges posed by advances in medicine. When this sensible view is rejected under pressure from a handful of radicals, it is a testament to the madness that can prevail when oppressed-minority status becomes a weapon to silence critics.

And here’s a response on a blog called Berke Outspoken, which claims that my column “gets it all wrong.” As far as I can tell, this post finds exactly one actual error: though some bizarre brain-to-hand miscommunication, I misspelled “Elisabeth Zinser,” the name of the temporary hearing president of Gallaudet in 1988, as “Elisabeth Singer.” (Actually, I almost did it again while typing this paragraph.) The blogger, one Jamie, concludes that I “obviously didn’t do [my] homework”; in fact, I had read two articles on the 1988 controversy immediately prior to writing the column.

I’m amused by this point in the “rebuttal”:

She claims most deaf people do not belong to Deaf culture. That may be true, but
oral deaf people do belong to the deaf community even if they are not “culturally” deaf.

First of all, many of those people may not think of themselves as belonging to the “deaf community.” Secondly, there are quite a few who not only don’t belong to “Deaf culture” but actively oppose it.

Jamie, the blogger, also claims that several claims in my column (e.g. about Deaf activists opposing cochlear implants and research into cures for deafness) are made up out of whole cloth. My 2002 Reason column on the topic has much more on the sources.

November 16, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 24 Comments

Death Penalty Sought For Daphne Wright

The Minnehaha County State’s Attorney is seeking the death penalty against a deaf Sioux Falls woman. Daphne Wright is charged with the first degree murder of Darlene VanderGiesen.

Wednesday State’s Attorney Dave Nelson filed papers indicating prosecutors will ask for the death penalty if Wright is found guilty. The trial begins January second.

VanderGiesen was kidnapped, killed and dismembered in February. Her remains were found weeks later in a Sioux Falls landfill and in a ditch in southwest Minnesota. Police tied her death to Wright through an e-mail and court papers show Wright later told police she thought VanderGiesen was trying to break up a relationship with her girlfriend.
News Staff
© 2006 KELOLAND TV. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=25,52471

Commentary: This had been a grisly murder that left many experienced law officials sickened and horrified. In a small city, with extensive media coverage, it may be difficult for an accused murderer to get a fair trail. However, with Daphne Wright, obtaining a fair trail may be doubly hard due to her profound deafness. Will enough qualified legal interpreters well versed in ASL be provided during her trail?

Yes, the victim was also profoundly Deaf and was not only well known, but also well-liked in Sioux Falls Deaf Community. Ms. Daphne Wright had relocated to S.F. from Maryland and wasn’t apparently acquaintaned with the local Deaf folks there. She was reportedly a difficult person with an anger management issue, according to few who knew her.

Update: I’ve added another news article recently, two posts away from this one. That article has more details, though I must warn you, it is graphic.

email contact: mishkazena@aol.com

November 16, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 12 Comments

November 16, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

A Step Towards Open Dialogue #2:

What: An Open Forum

The first open forum was a success, with great suggestions for making it
even more so next time.

This open forum will group people into three rooms (a mix of faculty,
staff, administrators, students, alumni, and community members in each
group). Each group will have one moderator.

This open forum is intended to allow people to share their concerns
regarding barriers to unity, their frustrations regarding “the
system,” ideas for processes that will lead to a more united and
healthy campus.

Everyone is welcome—and encouraged to come!

When: Monday, November 20th, 7 to 9pm

Where: We are trying to secure MPR and Subflex A/B in the Student
Acacemic Center. For now, meet in the marketplace area.

Sponsored by the Student Body Government and the FSSA Coalition

November 15, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 1 Comment

BoT Violates Federal Law?

On Wednesday, October 4, 2006, a rally was held in Fremont, California, in which the Vice President of the National Board of Directors of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association (GUAA), Ms. Alyce Lentz, reported that the Gallaudet Board of Trustees has not apprised the GUAA Board of the provision of Title 20, United States Code, Sec. 4303, and that the GUAA national board has not been allowed to nominate members to the Gallaudet Board of Trustees for any period in recent memory. http://bayareapovongally.blogspot.com/

This constitutes a clear violation of US Federal Law on the part of the Gallaudet Board of Trustees.

Section 4303 of the EDA (The Education of the Deaf Act of 1986, as amended), which is the legislation that governs Gallaudet University, specifies that at least one trustee must be nominated by the Gallaudet University Alumni Association. “B) eighteen other members, all of whom shall be elected by the Board of Trustees and of whom one shall be elected pursuant to regulations of the Board of Trustees, on nomination by the Gallaudet University Alumni Association, for a term of three years.”
http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t17t20+4379+0++%28Gallaudet%20University%20Alumni%20Association%29%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20

Apparently this hadn’t been adhered by the BoT.

Alyce Lentz, the Vice-President of the National Board of Directors of the Gallaudet Alumni Association (GUAA) spoke about resolutions recently put forth by the national GUAA Board:

The GUAA Board calls on the Board of Trustees of Gallaudet University to follow the federal Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 (as amended), which gives the alumni of Gallaudet and the National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) the right to nominate an alumni member to serve on their respective boards. http://bayareapovongally.blogspot.com/

Hat Tip to Brian Riley.

November 15, 2006 Posted by Mishka Zena | Uncategorized | | 2 Comments

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