A Deaf Mom Shares Her World » 2006

Deaf Education on Talk of the Nation Oct. 12

A parent sent me this announcement:

OUTGOING gallaudet university PRESIDENT I. KING JORDAN JOINS NPR’S
TALK
OF THE NATION FOR DISCUSSION ON HIS LEGACY AND the CONTR0VERSY OVER
HIS
SUCCESSOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 12, 2006

REAL-TIME LIVE CAPTIONING TECHNOLOGY PROVIDED at www.npr.org
; FOR DEAF AND HEARING IMPAIRED PARTICIPATION

Special Two-Hour Broadcast to Explore Future of Deaf Culture In Light
of
New Technological Advancements

Washington, D.C.; September 21, 2006 - NPR’s Talk of the Nation will
feature I. King Jordan in a special 2 hour broadcast on the future of
deaf education and culture on Thursday October 12, 2006. Dr. Jordan
plans to retire at the end of this year as president of Gallaudet
University, the world’s only university dedicated to deaf and hearing
impaired students. As the first ever deaf president of the
institution,
he began the job in 1988 amid controversy and leaves 18 years later in
the midst of more controversy over the appointment of his successor.
In Hour One of the broadcast, Dr. Jordan weighs in on the debate and
his
legacy.

Hour Two will examine the shifting debate over the cochlear implant.
Once an issue that divided the deaf community, the use of cochlear
implants is now more accepted. Yet, very difficult questions remain
about how people with cochlear implants can successfully live in two
worlds - the hearing and the deaf - about how children with these
implants should be educated. Guests during this hour will include
documentary filmmaker Josh Aronson, whose film “Sound and Fury” tells
the story two brother split apart by their different approaches to the
implants for their children. Mr. Aronson has recently completed a
follow-up to his film, “Sound and Fury: Six Years Later” and will join
the program with Peter and Heather Artinian who were featured in both
films.

The deaf and hearing impaired community will be able to follow in
real-time Dr. Jordan’s discussion with Talk of the Nation host Neal
Conan through live captioning on www.NPR.org ; .
The
captioning technology enabling the streaming of broadcast captions on
the Web is developed and provided by the Media Access Group at WGBH
Boston. Those tuning in to the program through the live caption
stream
will also be able to email questions to Dr. Jordan over the course of
the hour.

The October 12th broadcast will be the second time Talk of the Nation
has employed a captioning service to accommodate the deaf and hard of
hearing audience. On February 2, 2005 for an interview with Dr.
Jordan
and the authors of the 1990 book, “Inside Deaf Culture,” the program
offered real time captioning to enable participation among the hearing
impaired community. Audio and text of the interview is available at
www.NPR.org ; .

Talk of the Nation is NPR’s midday news talk program that explores
all
topics from politics to pop culture, education, religion, books,
health,
family and music. Through call-ins and e-mails, listeners are able to
join in dialogue with decision-makers, authors, academicians, artists
and newsmakers in the headlines. Neal Conan has been host of Talk of
the
Nation since 2001. With 2.8 million weekly listeners, the program
airs
on 276 NPR Member stations around the country; for local stations and
time periods, check http://www.npr.org/schedule/index.php.

-NPR-

NPR Media Relations:
Emily Lenzner, 202.513.2754, elenzner@npr.org
Chad Campbell, 202.513.2304, ccampbell@npr.org
Emily A. Lenzner
Director, Communications and Media Relations

NPR

635 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington DC 20001-3753

w. 202.513.2754 / c. 202.744.9484

elenzner@npr.org

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: Uncategorized by admin
No Comments »

Happy Birthday to my Baby!

Nine years ago, after fourteen hours of labor, my youngest son was born at home. Steven Michael weighed a hefty nine pounds and he had a full head of jet black hair. When he was two, his hair turned a beautiful blonde color. People would take one look at me, gaze over at Joe and wonder just where that blonde hair came from. He’s very much his daddy’s son and was blessed with legs that can tear up a soccer field.

Birthdays make me feel bittersweet, for each one that passes serves as a reminder that time is ticking away and all too soon, my children will someday be off on their own. I can’t believe my “baby” is nine years old. I still feel like I’m 25, so the math doesn’t add up.

Happy Birthday to my little sweetheart!

Check out one of Steven’s favorites: Steven Michael, Get Off That Bed Right Now!

Bookmark me!

More »

Tags: Uncategorized by admin
2 Comments »

A Divine Lunch

In early September, I headed out to the Marriott hotel to sign the contract for the IL Hands & Voices Mom’s Night Inn. Across the street from the hotel was my favorite restaurant, Maggiano’s. A family that I worked with generously gave me a gift certificate so I decided to treat myself to lunch. Armed with a stack of magazines, I was looking forward to enjoying a Maggiano’s Salad.

I walked in and did a double-take. Sitting in the waiting area was the priest that married the hubby and I– Father Joe Mulcrone. He was waiting for a friend to show up and join him for lunch. So we hugged and I sat down to catch up with him while he was waiting for his friend.

A half hour later, his friend still hadn’t arrived. We decided to have lunch together, figuring his friend could always join us. We had so much to catch up on, since we both advocated for many of the same issues but hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

We shared a great lunch and Father Joe chatted about his latest mission: a trip to Mexico. Father Joe arranged this trip to Rancho Viejo, Mexico for the 2nd Annual Catholic Deaf Youth in the Western Hemisphere on July 1 -8, 2006. There were 25 deaf adults from the U.S., Trinidad/Tobago, Ecuador and Mexico. Pat Graybill, Father Joe and several others spent the week celebrating various masses and teaching leadership skills to the participants. Communication was quite a challenge: Two spoken languages: English and Spanish. Three sign-languages: American Sign-Language (ASL), Venezuelan, and Mexican.

Halfway through our lunch, we stopped and had a good chuckle. Apparently Divine Intervention had arranged for us to meet and have lunch together– how else to explain how a priest from Chicago and a gal from the western suburbs arrive in the same restaurant at the same time and a companion doesn’t show up?

Bookmark me!