news from neodba

Northeast Ohio Deaf-Blind Association

News From NEODBA

Issue #4
November 1th, 2012
Angela C. Orlando

In this issue:
1. Upcoming Event -- ASL World Fair
2. NEODBA at Cedar Point
3. Busy October
4. New Deaf and Deaf-Blind Special Collection on Bookshare
5. Contact Us


Upcoming Event - ASL World Fair

Please join NEODBA at the ASL World Fair on Thursday, Nov. 15th.
This event is sponsored by ASL 3 students at Kent State Trumbull
Campus. There will be a variety of interesting tables set up by
students, as well as organizations and agencies representing the
Deaf community. Don't miss out on the fun.

Angela Orlando and Nick Abrahamson will be running the NEODBA
both. We will have papers for visitors to take, resources for
where to find more information, braille/print alphabet cards and
braille pocket tokens. For some added excitement, we will be
setting up tactile games. Players will be blindfolded. No peeking
allowed!

Are you interested in NEODBA but too nervous to attend a big
social? Here is your chance to find out what we are all about and
meet a few deaf-blind people.

Do you have a family member with dual sensory loss? Are you a
professional working with someone who has both hearing and vision
loss? Visit our table for more information to pass on to your
family or clients.

Event: ASL World Fair
Thursday, November 15, 2012, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Kent State University at Trumbull
4314 Mahoning Avenue NW
Warren, Ohio 44483

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NEODBA at Cedar Point

On August 4th, 2012, NEODBA enjoyed a thrilling day at Cedar
Point. Three deaf-blind individuals and seven volunteers joined
many other deaf people to celebrate Deaf Awareness Day at Cedar
Point. It was definitely an exciting trip.

In our group, we had two thrill seekers and one chicken. (That
was me. I only went on two rides.) We proved to the deaf visitors
and general public that people who are deaf-blind enjoy the same
types of activities, even if that means soaring through the sky
at top speeds.

New SSP Janet Norton had much to say on working with her
deaf-blind individual. "We did a lot of walking, had lunch and
rode some rides. It was amazing to work with (her),.

Janet also communicated with other deaf and deaf-blind people.
She said, "It felt awesome."

She plans to continue working with NEODBA in the future. "I have
to say this was my first trip with NEODBA, and it was amazing,
everyone was very friendly and accepting. I was really nervous,
everyone understood and as the day went on I was much less
nervous. I had a wonderful time and can not wait to attend
another event."

We would like to thank all our volunteers who helped make this
trip such a success: Allan Paytosh, Ann Popplestone, Ashlinacrae
Kyle, Grace Dusek, Janet Norton, Jared Sillanpa and Margie
Wunderle.

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Busy October

October was a busy month for NEODBA. Read below to see what we've
been up to.

__ Marlee Matlin
On Tuesday, October 9the, Angela Orlando and Nick Abrahamson
joined over 1,000 people at the Kent State University Ballroom
for a presentation by Marlee Matlin. The event was sponsored by
Student Accessibility Service to help celebrate Disability
Awareness month.

Ms. Matlin is an award winning deaf actress who has appeared in
Children of a Lesser God, Reasonable Doubts, Picket Fences,
Switched at Birth and other film and TV shows. She is also the
author of several books, including I'll Scream Later, Deaf Child
Crossing and Nobody's Perfect.

After a wonderful and entertain speech, Ms. Matlin sat down to
autograph copies of her books. I would have loved to meet her,
but my physical disabilities prevent me from being able to stand
in a long line. No problem. When Marlee Matlin heard of this, she
left the table to come talk directly to Nick and I. It was so
exciting to communicate one-on-one in tactile sign language with
a "star." I appreciate Ms. Matlin's generosity and willingness to
accommodate individuals who are deaf-blind.


** Workshop
NEODBA presented an "Introduction to Working with Individuals
who are Deaf-Blind" training workshop on October 12th to
employees at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental
Disabilities. Angela orlando, Nick Abrahamson, Kara Bull and Judy
Knisely were the presenters.

Nearly 20 students signed up to take this class. Topics
included: What is deaf-blindness, Cultural Aspects of
deaf-blindness, what is an SSP, communication methods, low-tech
resources and more. Students participated in two simulations in
which they were blindfolded and had to walk with a sighted guide
or manipulate tactile items and games. They also took part in a
basic sign language lesson.

We received excellent feedback about this workshop. 17 students
rated the class as "excellent," while one indicated "good."
Comments on the evaluation were quite positive. Students wrote:

I learned...
An understanding of how it feels to be deaf or blind
How to trust others if I did not have my vision or sight. How
to use simple household items to make daily living skills easier.


My favorite part was...
Watching and listening to Angie and Nick's
experience/perspective.
Identification of different objects.
The whole day!
The blindfold and writing exercise.


The activities...
were very uplifting, getting you to realize "what if?"
were awfully interesting, Especially the Blindfold
Activities.
The signing you have to do, you got to be in shape. It's a
workout.


We offer our heart-felt thanks to Ashlinacrae Kyle, James
McCarthy and Monique Craig for serving as volunteer tactile
interpreters during this workshop.


** OAD Mini Conference
Angela Orlando and Kara Bull took part in the Ohio Association
of the Deaf min conference on October 13th. In addition to to
attending a workshop about ASL classifiers, we also participated
in an open forum to discuss important issues affecting the Deaf
community. Concerns included: deaf people having difficulty
communicating with law enforcement, the closing of Beachwood
Schools deaf program, the use of video remote interpreting in
hospitals and how it's not very effective, improved education and
bill of rights for deaf children, the need for Support Service
Providers for people who are deaf-blind and the importance of
social opportunities for people who are deaf and developmentally
disabled.

We hope that OAD will begin working on a plan to rectify these
issues. NEODBA is eager to help establish SSP services to enhance
the lives for all deaf-blind citizens in Ohio.


** Poetry Reading
Angela Orlando and another deaf student at Kent State
participated in a poetry reading on October 24th. The reading,
which took place at the Wick Poetry Center, was in honor of
Disability Awareness month. About 50 people were in the audience.

I read four poems entitled Disability, PHARC, I'm so Amazing and
An Open Letter to the Students of Satterfield Hall. If you would
like to read these poems, please contact me at
neodba.info@gmail.com. There is also a youtubes video. Follow the
links below:

Poem #4
An Open Apology to the Students of Satterfield Hall
http://youtu.be/-0tjh4Gg43s

Poem #3
I'm So Amazing
http://youtu.be/Eg1cbmQmCv0
Poems #1 and #2
Disability
PHARC
http://youtu.be/xLYRcO-jIdI


(Please note: if any of the links do not work, check to see if it
has been broken in half. My braille machine has a habit of doing
that. If it still doesn't work, you may have to search for the
video.)


** Fall Social and Cookout
We had a fun-filled day during our Fall Social and Cookout on
Saturday, October 27th. Two deaf-blind individuals and seven
SSP's spent hours eating, shopping and eating some more! We
visited the beautiful Amish country in Wayne County. After Lunch
at Das Dutch Kitchen, our group enjoyed shopping at three
different stores. We then went to Kara's parents' farm for
another excellent meal. The poor weather kept us indoors, but we
still got to roast S'mores in a large fire place.

Special thanks to the Restler family for allowing us to visit. We
would also like to thank the special people who served as
volunteers: Allan Paytosh, Brittany Halter, Carol B., Debbie
Schwartz, Kara Bull, Meagan McKinley and Sue Del Vechio.

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New Deaf and Deaf-Blind Special Collection on Bookshare

Bookshare members will enjoy the new Deaf and Deaf-Blind Special
Collection. You can find it by visiting
https://www.bookshare.org/browse/collection/44/Deaf%20and%20Deaf-
Blind%20Special%20Collection.

Liz Halperin, an employee at Bookshare who happens to be
deaf-blind, has worked long and hard to create this collection.
You'll find all sorts of books -- fiction, non-fiction and
children's books -- that relate in some way to deaf or
deaf-blindness. Here are some of the books that might interest
you:

The Education of Laura Bridgman: First Deaf and Blind Person to
Learn Language, 2001, Ernest Freeberg

The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, the
Original Deaf- Blind Girl, 2001, Elisabeth Gitter

Helen Keller: Rebel Lives, 2003, Helen Keller, edited by John
Davis

Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark, 1997, Johanna Hurwitz

On Different Roads: An Autobiography, 1991, Geraldine Lawhorn

Words in My Hands: A Teacher, A Deaf-Blind Man, An Unforgettable
Journey, 2005, Diane Chambers

Independence Without Sight or Sound: Suggestions for
Practitioners Working with Deaf-Blind Adults, 1993, Dona
Sauerburger

Deaf-Blind Interpreting Workbook: Student Readings and
Worksheets, 2005, Mary Bauer et al

Hand in Hand: Essentials of Communication and Orientation and
Mobility for Your Students Who Are Deaf-Blind: Appendixes,
Glossary, Resources, Index, 1995, Kathleen Mary Huebner et al

Hand in Hand: Essentials of Communication and Orientation and
Mobility for Your Students Who Are Deaf-Blind: A Trainer's
Manual, 1995, Elga Joffee et al

Independent Living Without Sight and Hearing, 1972, Richard
Kinney

The Miracle Worker, 1957, William Gibson

Of Such Small Differences, 1988, Joanne Greenberg

A Picture Book of Helen Keller, 1990, David A. Adler

Helen Keller: An Inspiring Life, 2007, Carol Ghiglieri

A Girl Named Helen Keller, 1995, Margo Lundell

Helen Keller, 2008, Anne Schraff

Who Was Helen Keller?, 2003, Gare Thompson

The Story of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's Teacher, 1987,
George Selden

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Contact Us

Email: neodba.info@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/neodba

Twitter: www.twitter.com search for neodba1