Spring 2001 Issue | Volume 10 Number 1
Editor-in-Chief: Arlene Romoff (aromoff@aol.com)
a.b.c. Executive Board:
Coordinator: Florence Steiger
Cultural Affairs Committee:
Arlene Romoff and
Paula Brown Glick, Ph.D., Co-Chairs
Health Care Committee: Ruth D. Bernstein, Chair
League Liaison: Lise Hamlin
Legal Affairs: Charlotte N. Roth
Public Service Agencies: Ed McGibbon
Restaurant Committee: Ruth Bernstein, Chair
Senior Centers: Ruth C. Green, Chair
Telecommunications Committee: Joseph Gordon, Chair
Travel Committee: Ruth Bernstein, Chair
League Consultants:
Keith Muller, Executive Director
Josh Gendel, Technical Services Director
Amy Hohn, Director of Volunteers
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
STAGETEXT Captioning in London
a.b.c. in Y2K
FCC Disabilities Rights Office
MoMA Captioned Lectures
Met Museum Captioned Lectures
Accessible Worksites
AG Bell Convention
Active Advocate: Melissa Levow
SHHH Convention in Cherry Hill
ALDAcon 2001 in Newport, RI
WGBH Accessible Software Guide
Dept of Justice Website Info
Museum Access Information
Contributions to Accessibility Recognized
STAGETEXT BRINGS CAPTIONED LIVE THEATRE TO THE UK
Geoff Brown, Peter Pullan and Mervyn Williams are three individuals with different degrees of hearing loss who have advocated for some time on the need for text generation (conversion of spoken or sung words to written text) as a means of increasing accessibility to arts and educational venues. They were dissatisfied that, in the United Kingdom, accessibility for people with a hearing loss was restricted to the provision of loop systems or sign language interpretation, neither of which could address the diversity of hearing loss in the community.
They were in contact with the Theatre Development Fund of New York, which offers captioned Broadway theatre performances in New York and arranged to provide two captioned theatre performances in London last March. Following the success of those performances, they formed STAGETEXT in May, 2000 as a charitable company.
The mission of STAGETEXT is to promote and develop the use of text generation systems in entertainment, educational, training and cultural venues in order to increase accessibility for people with a hearing loss, thus enabling them to follow the proceedings on an equal level with their hearing peers and thereby promoting social inclusiveness STAGETEXT has been successful in arranging open captioning at live theatre performances in London and other UK theatres. STAGETEXT is actively seeking funding for its operations. It is working in partnership with the ADAPT Trust, a charitable trust with interests in improving access to the arts for people with disabilities.
Information about STAGETEXT, and a current schedule of captioned live theatre performances can be found at their website http://www.stagetext.co.uk
They can also be contacted at 020 7624 2161(FAX) or by mail to: 75 Canfield Gardens, London NW6 3EA
a.b.c. IN Y2K – WHAT A YEAR!
Y2K has drawn to a close and none of the doomsday disasters that had been predicted occurred. Computers all over the world continued to function and the year progressed much like all other years, with the exception of the extraordinary election event. a.b.c moved along the access highway for people who have a hearing loss, and experienced a wonderfully productive and exciting year. Here’s a recap:
The League and a.b.c.’s Ruth C. Green obtained two grants from the New York City Department of Aging to purchase and staff a mobile hearing testing van and to provide training on coping with hearing loss to staff and participants at senior centers.
Keith Muller, Lise Hamlin, Ilene Miner and Ruth C. Green met with the New York City Council's Chair on Mental Health, Retardation, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Services about the need for mental health services for people with hearing loss.
Keith Muller, Lise Hamlin, Paula Glick, Joe Gordon and Ruth Bernstein testified before the New York State Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities on behalf of the League, a.b.c. and SHHH.
Charlotte N. Roth and Paula Glick monitored recent building code legislation in New York State and proposed Fire, Energy and Building Code legislation. Comments have been submitted and a letter has been written to the Senator who sponsored the proposed legislation.
Ed McGibbon, Lise Hamlin, Lois Beadle and Joan Lynton conducted a workshop for 85 members of the New York Police Department (NYPD). Additional workshops are being planned. Ed, Lise and Joe Gordon toured the 911 facilities in Brooklyn, New York to determine how 911 operators react when dealing with people with hearing loss. Ed will help prepare a brochure for deaf and hard of hearing people. He is contacting the NYC Fire Department and the EMS Department to provide training for personnel. The Nassau and Suffolk County Police Academies have been contacted as well.
Paula Glick and Karin Mango wrote two new publications, "Be Prepared and Equipped" and "Providing Effective Communication: Requirements of the ADA."
Karin Mango gathered information via questionnaires on accessibility in museums and historic sights in order to update the a.b.c. cultural guide for NYC. Toby Kurzband worked with Karin to summarize the responses. Information is posted on our website at http://www.lhh.org/abc/museum/.
Toby Kurzband, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday, has written several articles, "Disabilities in the Arts," which included a pen and ink sketch., "Humor about Hearing Loss," "Sports and Hearing Loss" and "The League Library." He conducted a workshop on "Appreciating the Arts with a Hearing Loss" at the League, and a workshop about the League's programs at a Senior Center. His letter concerning hearing loss was printed in the New York Times. In addition, his drawings and paintings were exhibited at a one-man show at the Penn South Program for Seniors.
Florence Steiger and Paula Glick have been working with the Theatre Development Fund (TDF ) to have more Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theatres install infrared listening systems.
Ruth R. Green produced the publication, "Better Health Care Access for Consumers with Hearing/Vision Loss," and with other a.b.c. members, "A Guideline for Developing an Effective Advocacy Program."
Ruth Bernstein initiated a one-week hearing accessible tour to London that included a group FM system and attendance at three captioned performances. She worked with Keith Muller and Josh Gendel of the League for the Hard of Hearing, staff of TDF and interested people in London. Inspired by the theater captioning experience provided by Don DePew and Alan Schweitzer of New York, Peter Pullan of London and colleagues have formed STAGETEXT, a captioning organization based in London. Their first captioned show was presented in November, 2000. (See related article in this issue.)
Ruth Bernstein has been in contact with the airlines to improve accessibility in airports and on planes. She was a speaker for the Committee on Accessibility of the New York City Council. Ruth, Josh Gendel and Ellen LaFargue of the League spoke on, "Coping With Hearing Loss," at the Jewish Community Center of the Upper West Side, New York City. The League chose Ruth as "The Volunteer of the Year." She attended a "Train the Trainer" workshop, sponsored by SHHH and the Northeast Technical Assistance Center (NETAC) in Rochester, NY. She has had several letters related to hearing loss printed in the New York Times.
Ruth Bernstein, Joe Gordon, and Paula Glick, Arlene Romoff, Charlotte N. Roth and Florence Steiger presented a workshop entitled "Advocacy for Better Communication" at the SHHH convention in St. Paul, MN. a.b.c. was asked to repeat this workshop at the 2001 SHHH convention in Cherry Hill, N.J.
Keith Muller received two awards at the SHHH convention in St. Paul, the SHHH Award as "Special Friend of Hard of Hearing People" and NYS SHHH/Manhattan Chapter "Professional Adviser of the Year."
Joan Lynton, with other a.b.c. members, has been working with The Frick Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, providing workshops for management and staff.
Roz Pretzfelder works with movie theatres to increase access via captioning, and to list captioned movies on
the a.b.c. website, with the help of Richard Kaufman. She contributed the portions of the a.b.c. Accessibility Guide related to Assistive Listening Systems, Open Captioned Movies and Rear Window Captioned Movies. She has been working with the New York Times and theater chains to list captioned performances.
Arlene Romoff became a first time author with the publication of her book, Hear Again – Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant. Arlene is also the editor of a.b.c Reports. We have received requests for copies from all over the world, as well as questions and comments from people who read our website version. Arlene’s work with the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has resulted in open captioned public lectures. She continues her work with the New Jersey Arts Access Task Force, monitoring ADA compliance at arts facilities. Her advocacy resulted in captioned performances at the new New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, as well as other regional N.J. theatres. She is also a member of the N.J. Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH) Advisory Council, and its Community Services subcommittee. She assisted in the effective advocacy efforts to obtain additional funding for the N.J. DDHH.
Under a grant from the Center for Health Care Access (CHCA), Dr. Orin Kaufman and Ruth R. Green organized and presented two workshops for consumers with hearing loss titled "Access to Health Care."
Florence Steiger and Barbara DeLeeuw conducted two workshops for the staff at the League, providing information about a.b.c.’s projects and successes.
Dr. Orin Kaufman and Lise Hamlin of CHCA produced an HIV/AIDS curriculum under a grant from New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute.
Joe Gordon attended a Federal Access Board meeting in Washington, DC. Joe has submitted testimony to the FCC and the Federal Access Board on issues related to people with hearing loss. After the Board published a proposal to update the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), in November, 1999, several a.b.c. members submitted comments to the Access Board regarding the proposed changes. Joe maintains contact with major captioning companies for TV and movies, and is working on captioning on the Internet. He has just been asked to become a charter member of AOL’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. He also contributed to the section on captioning for the a.b.c. Accessibility Guide.
Lise Hamlin and Dr. Orin Kaufman participated in a workshop organized by the Hadassah National Center for the Deaf in conjunction with the League for the Hard of Hearing. The workshop was held at Hadassah National Center for the Jewish Deaf in New York City.
Members of a.b.c. celebrated the 10th anniversary of the ADA at Gracie Mansion.
In addition: a.b.c. members are either members or work with the following organizations, representing the needs of people with hearing loss:
Hospital Audiences, Inc.
Lincoln Center Program and Services for People with
Disabilities, Advisory Council
Lexington Center RERC
Manhattan Borough Presidents Advisory Board
NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Advisory Council
NJ Arts Access Task Force/State Council on the Arts
NY Council on the Arts
NY Lawyers for Public Interest
NY State Office of Advocates for Persons with
Disabilities
NYC Board of Education Advisory Council,
Commission for Students with Disabilities
NYC Council
NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
NYC Transit ADA Compliance Committee
NYC Transit Department of Customer Service Access
Board
Theatre Development Fund/ Theatre Access Project
VESID Deaf and Hard of Hearing Workgroup
a.b.c has been privileged to have the continued and complete support of Keith Muller, Lise Hamlin, Diane Bostic and Brenda Irizarry of the League for the Hard of Hearing. We thank them for their faith and their efforts on behalf of people with hearing loss. We look forward to tackling more projects to help people with hearing loss obtain fuller participation in society.
FCC DISABILTIES RIGHTS OFFICE PROVIDES INFORMATION TO CONSUMERSThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) works hard to make sure that people with disabilities - such as a hearing, visual, speech, or other disability - get the same opportunities as everyone else to telecommunicate. The Disabilities Rights Office (DRO), housed in the FCC's Consumer Information Bureau, provides technical assistance to consumers, businesses, and government agencies on their rights and responsibilities to facilitate disability access in the foundations and frontiers of telecommunications.
Everyone should become more involved with the FCC - by filing comments with the Office of the Secretary, attending public forums, and exploring the entire website. The exciting world of telecommunications belongs to everyone!
The FCC enforces the rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that mandate a nationwide system of telecommunications relay services (TRS). TRS permits people with normal hearing to talk to those with hearing disabilities, and vice versa. Speech-to-Speech service is also part of TRS.
The FCC makes sure that telecommunications equipment and services, including cell phones and calling plans, are provided so that someone with a disability can use them. Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandates this access. The FCC also implements the Closed Captioning requirements of the Telecommunications Act, to make sure that more and more television is made accessible for people who are hard of hearing or deaf.
You can receive free information from the Disabilities Rights Office Information Mailing List, emailed directly to you. To subscribe, send an email to: subscribe@info.fcc.gov with the following text in the message part of your email:
subscribe droinfo Your-first-name Your-last-name
Inquiries can be sent to:
FCC, 445 12th St. SW, Washington, DC 20554 Or to: droinfo@info.fcc.gov
MoMA HOLDS ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC PROGRAM ON WORKSPACE DESIGNThe Museum of Modern Art's Department of Architecture and Design held a panel discussion about the way we work, contemporary work environments, and design strategies for the future, called Workspheres: Designing the Workplace of Tomorrow on September 29, 2000. This was the first public program at the Museum that offered both sign-language interpretation and the CART (Computer Assisted Real Time) captioning system. The auditorium was equipped with an infrared system. The moderator, Paola Antonelli, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, was very enthusiastic about working with the sign-language interpreters and the CART captioner to make the event accessible to people with hearing loss. Antonelli also presented on the panel, "Beyond Barriers: Accessing the Arts," in September 1999 at MoMA.
The panelists were architect Robert Luchetti, a specialist in working and learning environments from Cambridge; designer Bruce Mau, Bruce Mau Design, Toronto; designer Aura Oslapas, IDEO, San Francisco; and British design critic John Thackara.
This panel was held in conjunction with the exhibition, Workspheres: Designing the Workplace of Tomorrow (February 8-May 8, 2001). The panel provided an opportunity to consider our relationship to our work environments, the evolution of workspace design, and its possibilities for the future. Topics of discussion included the psychology behind cell-phone use, maximizing corporate workspace through the cubicle, merging workspace design with the comfortable design of one's home, and devices that track one's use of time and displays the data on the Internet. The sign-language interpretation and CART captioning system for the event were made possible in part by the Theatre Development Fund's TAP Plus Program.
MoMA regularly schedules sign-language interpreted programs, and FM headsets and infrared systems for the two theaters and Video on View program are always available for the public. The “Brown Bag Lunch Lectures” for Spring 2001, will have CART captioning as well. For more information about upcoming events at the Museum, contact Leah Schroder, Special Needs Assistant, at (212) 708-9864 (voice), or (212) 247-1230 (TTY) or Leah_Schroder@moma.org
CAPTIONED LECTURES SCHEDULED AT METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is now offering one realtime captioned lecture each month. Beginning in January, 2001, the first captioned lecture held was The Great Deer of the Eurasian Nomads: North Asian Sources and Symbolism, given by Esther Jacobson-Tepfer from the University of Oregon, in the Uris Auditorium. Captioned lectures for February and March were Rain on the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru, and Women of Delft, respectively. Captioned lectures are listed in the Museum’s Calendar and in the Signs of Art brochure.
Lectures are free of charge with Museum admission, and no reservation is necessary. The Uris Auditorium is located near the 81st Street entrance to the Museum. This is a level entrance.
The Museum is very much aware that there is a great demand for this service, and is committed to improving accessibility for people with hearing loss. We will be assessing the response to the monthly captioned lectures to determine which lectures should be captioned and how often, in the future. We would appreciate your feedback as the program develops.
In addition to captioning, the Metropolitan offers a number of other services for visitors with hearing impairments. There are assistive listening devices at the Information Desks. Infrared sound enhancement systems are available in both auditoriums. Assistive listening devices and audio loops for use with hearing aids are available for use with the Key to the Met Audio Guides, which also have volume control. Scripts of all Audio Guides, in standard and large print, are available from the Audio Guide rental desks and in the Uris Library.
If you would like any further information, have any questions or comments, or would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact Rebecca McGinnis, Access Coordinator at (212)879-5500 ext.3561; (212)570-3828(TTY); (212)570-3782(FAX), or write to Education, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10021
The captioned lectures are also listed on the calendar on the Museum's website (http://www.metmuseum.org).
DEFINING THE ACCESSIBLE WORKSITEThey gave Edward a TTY, courtesy of the company, on the day he joined the firm. When it came time to take the training course, however, Ed didn’t know what to do. “I don’t sign, so an interpreter won’t work. How am I going to handle this course?” Ed decided to say nothing, and just wing it. Maybe the books and manuals would be enough. He missed some key elements the instructor mentioned, however, and soon both Ed and the company were having problems. Privately, management mused that maybe hiring employees with a disability was not such a good idea, after all.
These are the kinds of problems that Sinclair, Nicholson and Associates (SNA) deal with for its corporate clients. But the question remains, “What defines an accessible workplace?” Realizing that new technology was making more solutions possible, SNA decided to apply the same systems logic to the problem that is used for large-scale computer software. It includes the following elements:
Over the past summer months, SNA consultants constructed a system model that allowed them to effectively evaluate if a workplace was, in fact, accessible to an employee with a hearing loss. In addition, they considered what it would take to make an organization accessible to the general public. Why not take advantage of free customers? With our aging baby boomers, hearing loss will be increasingly prevalent in any company’s market. (For further information, see http://www.textel.com, or email SNA@sympatico.ca)
At one time, the cost of installing a remedial system would have been prohibitive, but new technology is reducing such costs. For example, “NTS” from NXI Communications in Utah has made distributed TTY networks through the client’s computer server network possible. In addition, website links to the client’s NTS system will soon allow clients to contact the company directly from the Web. (See http://www.nxicom.com)
Every successful company has a business plan. Adding an “access plan” only makes good sense.
Rick Sinclair is senior partner of Sinclair, Nicholson and Associates, an Ottawa-based consulting firm on issues related to hearing loss in the workplace. SNA has worked with the governments of Canada, South Africa and Australia, and large clients in North America on making their workplaces accessible to persons with hearing loss. He is the author of "What To Do When Your Client Can't Hear You,” a guide to accessible Employee Assistance Programs.
AG BELL ASSN TO HOST SUMMER CONFERENCE ON GENETICS AND HEARING LOSS
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) announces its upcoming summer conference titled, The Human Genome Project and Hearing Loss, to be held from July 27 through July 29 in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. The conference will kick off on Friday, July 27, with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Institute – an international research effort focused on mapping and sequencing human DNA. On Saturday, July 28, seven leading scientists in the field will discuss specific issues related to genetics and hearing loss. Presentation topics will explore nonsyndromic and syndromic hearing loss, audiological testing and the identification of hearing loss genes, genetic testing, and hair cell regeneration. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday, July 29, AG Bell will host educational sessions on a variety of topics including technology, parenting, curriculum development, and education.
To learn more about the conference, visit AG Bell’s website (www.agbell.org), send an email (info@agbell.org), or call (202)337-5220, ext.123 (voice), (202)337-5221(TTY). As is customary for AG Bell events, there will be a supervised children’s activities program available for families.
ACTIVE ADVOCATE:
Melissa Levow
As a frequent movie-goer, I was delighted when assistive listening devices became increasingly available in theaters. I would no longer miss a movie’s revelatory last words or a pivotal line such as “I see dead people.” As one theater chain instructs, I would finally be able to “sit back, relax and enjoy the show.”
This was not to be. More often than not, I experience problems using these devices: the headset does not work or the volume is too low. Whenever this occurs, I march out of the auditorium to obtain a replacement – and that one may not work either.
The culprit is usually that the battery is low or even dead. From what I can tell, most theaters do not have a systematic method to ensure that each headset, when it’s distributed, has a fully working battery. When I initially receive one, I ask whether it’s working properly. Depending upon the type of device, the usher checks that when it’s turned on, it lights up or gives off static. By no means does this guarantee that the unit works. One usher didn’t check for either light or static but assured me the headset was fine – it had been tested a week ago.
Think about the dying battery in your hearing aid: sounds become softer or garbled causing speakers’ words to be incomprehensible. Similarly, a listening device’s weak battery results in lower or muffled volume and may even die in the middle of the movie. Fortunately, this has never happened to me – has it happened to you?
When a headset is not functioning properly, I immediately leave the auditorium to obtain another one - sometimes while missing the movie’s beginning. At times, I have gotten a second instrument and found that it, too, doesn’t work. When I go back to obtain a replacement, I may even ask an usher to return with me to the auditorium. If the new unit should not work, the usher can get another one, thereby saving me from exiting my seat – and annoying everyone sitting near me.
After the movie, I immediately complain to the theater manager. I always follow up with a letter to the theater chain’s regional manager, whose name I obtain from either the theater manager or by calling the chain’s main office. I tell the entire story of how I had to deal with the problem. My letter includes the number of floors I went up and down to obtain a replacement headset, how much time it took to resolve the entire problem, the names of the employees I spoke to and the inconvenience caused me, my companion and the people in my row who I stepped over each time to obtain another headset.
In my letter, I also emphasize the need to implement a method to ensure that all batteries are working properly and that the availability of these devices is required by federal law. I also note that I am reporting this incident to a.b.c., an advocacy organization affiliated with the League for the Hard of Hearing, that is monitoring these types of incidents. I close the letter by asking the theater chain to inform me as to how they will ensure that all devices work each and every time a customer needs one. And I send a copy of the letter to Dr. Paula Brown Glick, a.b.c.’s advocate on this issue.
While it may seem arduous to write such a letter, it is critical that theater management knows each and every time a unit does not work properly. Remember, they want to please their patrons. Only by our persistence in putting this problem in front of them – by speaking and by writing – will we be able to draw attention to this issue. If theater management is not made aware of the on-going nature of this problem, how can we expect a resolution? Please join me by speaking up to make sure that we can go to the movies – and truly enjoy the show.
Melissa Levow is Director of Budget and Fiscal Operations for the Family Independence Administration, a division of New York City’s Human Resources Administration.
Editor’s Note:
Thanks, too, to Elaine Kagle, who also reported her experience with headsets that did not work at the Clearview Cinema on 23rd Street, NYC. We welcome you to notify us, as well as the theater management, when you experience difficulties with headsets. With your help, we can be more effective in getting problems identified and corrected.
SHHH 16th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FEATURES WIDE RANGE OF WORKSHOPS AND EXHIBITS ON HEARING LOSS ISSUES
“Freedom to Hear” is the theme of the 16th Annual International Convention sponsored by the nation’s largest consumer organization for people with hearing loss, Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH). Scheduled for June 22-25, 2001, the convention will be held at the Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ, near Philadelphia. Over 45 workshops will offer valuable information on hearing aids, assistive technology, coping, family issues, employment, and advocacy. An Exhibit Hall will display the latest technological advances in hearing aids, assistive devices, and telephones. Attendees will also have the opportunity to add on other exciting options such as a tour of Philadelphia, an award-winning captioned theatrical performance, and a post-convention golf outing or trip to nearby Atlantic City.
Assistive listening devices and realtime captioning will be provided at all presentations, and sign language interpreting will be available at the Exhibit Hall (on request), the Opening Session, the Business Meeting, the Research Symposium (on the Role of the Brain in Hearing), the Awards Ceremony, and the Farewell Banquet. First-time attendees are invited to attend the Newcomer’s Meeting. Continuing Education credits are available for ASHA or AAA. The Children’s Workshop for children aged 7-12, scheduled for all day, Saturday, June 23, includes a magic show and a workshop with Philadelphia’s famed Mummers.
For more information about the convention, contact SHHH, 7910 Woodmont Ave. Suite 1200, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 or (301)657-2248(Voice), (310)657-2249(TTY), (301)913-9413(FAX), or email National@shhh.org, or visit the website at www.shhh.org.
ALDAcon 2001: ODYSSEY BY THE SEA 13TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE ASSN OF LATE-DEAFENED ADULTS OCT 31 – NOV 2, 2001
The Boston chapter of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA, Inc.) will host ALDAcon 2001 at the Hyatt Regency in Newport, Rhode Island. Aptly themed “Odyssey by the Sea,” the conference promises to be as memorable as Newport itself, the legendary seaside city otherwise known as "America's First Resort."
Since ALDA’s inception in 1987, the organization has taken pride in serving the needs of people who lose their hearing after acquiring a spoken language. For many late-deafened, hard-of-hearing, and deaf people, ALDAcon is a once-a-year opportunity to learn and socialize in an atmosphere where communication flows freely. At ALDAcon 2001 you will find a supportive forum for sharing your stories, feelings, and coping strategies. Conference participants include people at varied stages of hearing loss, their families and friends, as well as professionals working in related fields. No matter how deafness touches your life, the conference will be an occasion to meet others with similar experiences and gather information about improving the quality of late-deafened life.
To foster a sense of belonging and facilitate the exchange of information, all workshops and social gatherings scheduled at the Hyatt Regency will be interpreted in sign language and captioned with CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation). For those who are hard-of-hearing, a limited number of FM systems will be available. As you can see, great efforts are underway to ensure that ALDAcon 2001 will be totally communication accessible, educational, and fun!
Many outstanding activities are planned for this year’s conference, including a vast array of informative workshops and inspiring speakers. Robert Davila, Vice President of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf; Nancy Bloch, Executive Director of the National Association of the Deaf; and U.S. Congressman James Langevin (RI, D) are among those already confirmed to participate in ALDAcon 2001!
For more information about ALDAcon 2001, the Hyatt Regency Newport, and Southwest Airlines (the preferred airline for the conference), visit the ALDA-Boston web site at www.aldaboston.org/aldacon.htm. You may also contact Lori Heir, Public Relations Chairperson, at aldacon2001pr@yahoo.com, or MATP Center, Children's Hospital, 1295 Boylston Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02215. 617-355-7167(TTY), 617-355-7820(V), 617-355-6345(FAX).
ACCESSIBILITY CHECKLIST FOR MUSEUMS AND HISTORIC SITES
This article can be found at http://www.lhh.org/abc/museum
CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACCESSIBILITY RECOGNIZED
At the request of Paula Brown Glick, a.b.c.’s Cultural Affairs Committee Co-chair, letters of commendation were sent to Beverly Sills, Andre Mirabelli, and Bobbi Wailes of Lincoln Center for providing excellent indoor and outdoor sound systems and assistive listening systems during the Lincoln Center Festival 2000. A letter of commendation was also sent to A&E Cable Network for excellence in captioning new programs and retaining captions on reruns.