What's Up?!
In Southwest
Washington
Web
Edition Newsletter of SWCDHH Volume 12, Issue 1
January/February 2002
Billy "Rusty" Wales Named Executive Director
It was announced at
SWCDHH�s December Board meeting that Billy �Rusty� Wales will be
their next Executive Director. He will begin working part time in mid January
and then full time in March. Come meet him at the SWCDHH General Meeting on
March 3rd! (See flyer in this newsletter.)
Rusty has led an
adventurous life and career. he graduated from California School for the Deaf,
Riverside (CSDR) in 1963 as valedictorian. He went on to Gallaudet University,
became active in various organizations including being Editor-in-Chief of Tower
Clock and graduated in 1967. He was the firs alumnus to be hired as a faculty
member of CSDR. He managed to attend and obtain a M.A. degree in educational
administration at California State University, Northridge while he continued
teaching at CSDR.
Rusty was promoted to
be a curriculum specialist and then to project coordinator under the California
state department. At forty, he took a quantum leap to Colorado where he served
as a rehabilitation counselor with some additional special assignments. He moved
on to become a training supervisor for a Sprint Relay Center. After three years,
he became the Administrator of the Utah Division of Services for the Deaf for
five years. During the course of changing jobs, he continued to moonlight at
various colleges and universities as a part-time ASL teacher. (Once a teacher,
always a teacher!) He has won a number of awards, including TV
network/newspaper's Teacher Who Makes a Difference award. His short story has
been published in Deaf Esprit: Inspiration, Humor and Wisdom from the Deaf
Community, edited by Damara Paris and Mark Drolsbaugh.
Rusty has always been
an avid mountain hiker and he has reached over thirty 14,000-foot summits (once
featured in Colorado's best seller videotape, Climb the Rockies),
in addition to golfing, skiing, scuba diving and other outdoor activities. In
fact, he was a camp counselor for many summers, including one summer at Camp
Taloali in Oregon.
Rusty's wife, Karen,
and their nine-year-old son, Blake, enjoy similar outdoor activities. Rusty's
two daughters are now certified interpreters. Tami Smith lives with her husband,
Matt , and their baby son, Sawyer in Ellensburg. Amy Hardy lives in Salt Lake
City with her husband, Dean, their two-year-old son, Keegan.
Come join Rusty in
scaling new heights at SWCDHH; he is eagerly looking forward to meeting you all!
Job
Announcement:
SWCDHH
Office Technician
Half-time, possibly 3/4
or full-time, Negotiable
Provides reception to
clients and visitors, clerical support to staff, telephone and tty answering,
and general office support. May perform in-house interpreting.
Must have entry-level
American Sign Language interpreter skills and some bookkeeping skills.
Send r�sum� and cover
letter:
SWCDHH
Rusty Wales, Executive
Director
1715 Broadway Street
Vancouver, WA 98663
From
the Board
Highlights
from November and December 2001 Board Meetings
Leprechauns
Needed!
The Board is busy
working on the upcoming St. Patrick�s Party for March 9, 2002. Ernie
Stack is chairing the coordinating committee this year. We need many volunteers
to help make the party a success. Please contact SWCDHH if you can help.
New
Members Selected
The Board of
Directors welcomes two new members: Tracy Hufschmid and Georgia Ortiz.
You may remember Tracy as our former Secretary/Receptionist. She has
since gone on to continue her education as a sign language interpreter and wants
to stay on as an important part of our community. Georgia has recently
moved to our area and is excited to get busy working with local folks for a more
united community. Georgia has much experience working with organizations
and boards while she lived in California. Welcome to you both, Tracy and Georgia!!
Judy Johnson has
resigned from the Board of Directors. We wish her the best in her busy life!
At the December Board
Meeting, the members said goodbye to retiring Executive Director, Jim Morris.
The SWCDHH Board and Staff thank Jim for all his years of devotion to the
center and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community. Best wishes, Jim!
NSF SENDS
FIRST DEAF TEACHER TO ARCTIC
Submitted by Despo Varkados, WSD
VANCOUVER, WA - Shannon
Graham, science teacher for the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD), is the
first deaf teacher to take part in the National Science Foundation
"Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic," program. The
program enhances science education by bringing the polar region into the
classroom.
From January 14-27 Graham
will travel to Fairbanks, Alaska to meet her research team, tour the lab,
and practice data collection in preparation for her actual assignment. Graham
will complete her fieldwork just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska from March
4-April 28, 2002.
Each research
assistant is responsible for collecting data, as well as recording data and
graphics on the program web site daily to be viewed by students around the
globe. Deaf students from around the world can view Graham's research
notes and graphics daily on the research web site located at http://tea.rice.edu.
The annual
"Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic," is a fully funded
program sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Located in
Vancouver, Washington, the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) has been
providing services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing children ages 3-21 since 1886.
On-campus academic and residential programs are offered at no cost to parents or
school districts in Washington state.
The WSD Outreach
Program, established in 1984, provides evaluations, consultations, training,
technical information and resources to 296 school districts across the state.
The mission of the Washington School for the Deaf is to provide a
linguistically, culturally and socially accessible learning environment in which
students are prepared to succeed in a changing world.
Deaf
News
The
Lockhart�s Trip�by Bill Lockhart
On October 20th,
Oreta and I started out on our trip to visit with friends in California. After a
couple of rest area stops, we went to Winston to see the Wildlife Safari. It was
a nice tour. There were some new animals and the park had grown larger to
accommodate them.
We stopped at Medford
to spend the night at a motel. In the morning, on the way to a gas station, I
noticed a caf� called �Rooster�s.� So we decided to have breakfast after
filling the gas tank in our van. As we entered the caf�, it had a homelike look
and on the shelves along the walls, were many rooster dolls of different shapes
and colors. The food was good.
We entered California
and went down to Redding to turn east to Susanville. We noticed that the water
level at Shasta Lake was pretty low. Halfway through to Susanville, we stopped
at a point of interest which told us the story of Lassen Peak, when it last blew
its top, and how long it lasted. We went on to Susanville to get to the highway
that would take us to Reno. While we were on the highway between Redding and
Susanville, we saw a gas station that advertised unleaded gas for $1.89 a
gallon. Whew!
We got to Reno and
filled up the gas tank for $1.35 a gallon. We spent the night at �Circus-Circus.�
After dinner, we took a stab at the slot machines, but did not have much luck.
In the morning, we sent sightseeing at Virginia City. We were disappointed that
there was not very much of the original city we had seen some years ago. There
is a bit too much commercialism now.
We stopped at Carson
City for the night. We got a room for $40 and that included two coupons to the
Nugget Casino, tickets for a $7.50 dinner and two silver dollar coins for the
slot machine. Nice deal. We still did not have any luck at the slots.
We started for
California after a good night�s sleep. We took Route 88. That highway was very
nice and well-paved. The scenery in the Sierra Range was lovely. We got to
Jackson, where some friends live. The couple is Ken and Yvonne Smothermon.
Yvonne happened to look out the window and saw our van in the driveway, but did
not know who it belonged to. When she answered the doorbell, she was surprised
to see us. She knew we were coming, but expected us the week before. But we knew
their plans, so we gave them a week to relax after a camping trip. They gave us
a tour of the town and the surrounding areas. They took us to Sacramento to
visit with Nadine and Clark Berke. The Berkes were happy to see us. After lunch,
they took us to see Ernest Whisenant, who I had not seen since 1949 while we
were at Gallaudet. We all had a nice time chatting with each other. His first
wife, Betty Sue Williams (a WSD graduate), passed away some time ago.
After three nights,
we started south on Highway 99 for Bakersfield. After a couple of stops for
exercise and lunch, we reached Bakersfield and turned east to get to the road
which would lead us to Lamont. There we were greeted by Carolyn Pokorak, an old
friend of ours. In the evening, she took us to a restaurant in Bakersfield.
While we were there, I noticed a gas station selling regular unleaded for $1.16
per gallon. WOW!
The next day, we
started out to go north. We first stopped to fill the van with the $1.16 per
gallon gas. We got to Merced to turn west to get to Napa. The next day, we tried
to get onto the Redwood Highway, but I missed the turn and wound up on I-5.
After a look at the map, we went on to Red Bluff and took a road that led us to
Highway 101.
After a lunch break
in Red Bluff, we started westbound on Route 36. It appeared to be a nice road
out of town, but after a short while, it became narrower and winding. Then we
realized it was once a logging road in the Coastal Range. It went up and down
and through some places that where there was not very much room. I mean the
shoulders were not wide enough and some places there was a steep drop off. We
finally reached Highway 101 � it took four hours to travel 134 miles!
We stopped at Eureka
for the night. In the morning we started north and saw Ocean World, an aquarium.
We decided to take a tour and because we are deaf, we paid half-price admission.
Before we entered the touring rooms, we were handed booklets that described each
room with some introductions of each fish or mammal in each place. It was a very
nice tour.
We went up north to
enter Oregon. That day stared out very cloudy and it stayed that way all day
long. We stopped at a petting zoo near Bandon. Some animals were caged, and some
were walking around. We saw a baby lion in a little �doghouse.� Oreta picked
it up and petted it. Another lady held it and fed it a bottle of milk. It was so
cute. We also saw and petted an opossum, an albino skunk (it was brown and
white), a bearcat and a ferret. The weather started to drizzle a bit as we got
back on the road north.
We stopped in
Reedsport for the night. After we settled in our room, it started to rain very
hard. It was the first rain we saw since a few days before we started for sunny
California.
The next morning, we
made a couple of stops along the way north. One was in Lincoln City and the
second at Seaside. After lunch and some browsing and shopping, we were homebound
on Highway 26. We got home ahead of the rush hour.
The trip took us ten
days and we traveled about 1300 miles. We averaged about 26 miles per gallon of
gas. Our van was very reliable and never gave us trouble.
Accessible
Events
Portland Family magazine,
a free publication covering topics of interest in families in the Portland Metro
area and SW Washington, announced a new feature as of December 2001. The new
calendar provides a consistent printed resource for people seeking information
on upcoming accessible events in our community.
Currently, the
calendar lists events that have sign language interpreting, audio description
(for visually-impaired) and open captioned movies. Pick up your copy today!
TYGRES
HEART SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRESENT
�A
MIDSUMMER NIGHT�S DREAM�
This play combines
elements of comedy, romance, and magic in the woods of Athens where fairies and
mortals meet�to hilarious consequences. This production will be
shadow-interpreted, which is different from typical signed performances in the
sense that the interpreters will actually be on stage with the actors and wear
costumes as well. Therefore, it will be easier to view the dialogue and action
simultaneously, rather than having to choose one over the other.
Special shadow-interpreted
performances:
Saturday, April 13th at 2
p.m.
Tuesday, April 16th at
10:45 a.m.
Thursday, April 25th at 7
p.m.
Dolores Winningstad Theatre, Portland
Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, Oregon
Call (503) 288-8400 for
tickets and information. Tickets are also available from all Ticketmaster Ticket
Centers.
Tickets orders can also
be made through (503) 288-8400, Fax (503) 288-8401, [email protected]
Washington�s
Relay Services
Olympia - The
Washington Department of Social and Health Services and Sprint have initiated a
service that allows hundreds of thousands of state residents who are deaf or
have hearing difficulties to communicate visually via sign language by telephone
and the Internet.
The new Sprint
service will help Washington citizens who cannot communicate effectively with
standard text telephone service used by the deaf known as Telecommunications
Relay Service (TRS).
The state's
approximately 540,000 deaf and hard of hearing persons now may use Washington
Video Relay Service (WAVRS). It allows deaf and hard-of-hearing callers to use
sign language to "speak" to a Sprint relay operator via a desktop
computer equipped with a videoconference camera.
The operator
translates the sign language verbally for people using standard telephones and
then translates voiced information into American Sign Language for deaf callers.
People using sign
language also can use the system to communicate directly to other people via the
WAVRS which allows them to add gestures, facial expressions or other physical
signs during the call to enrich the experience. Persons using this relay service
also may use videoconference facilities to communicate to relay operators or
directly to others who understand sign language.
Washington is one of
the first states to implement the VRS system and it is the first to offer a
dedicated VRS website. The website uses a high-speed Internet line connection
and Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser.
"With the
implementation of WAVRS, we have joined Sprint to demonstrate why DSHS and
Washington state government lead the country in using modern communications
technology to improve service for its citizens with the most cost-effective
means possible," said Dennis Braddock, DSHS secretary.
The WAVRS system is
ideal for tech-savvy relay service users who prefer to communicate visually with
American Sign Language, the preferred system for approximately 22 million
Americans.
G. Leon Curtis,
director of the DSHS Office of the Deaf and Heard of Hearing, explained,
"Video Relay Service opens many opportunities for improving communication,
not only for deaf and deaf-blind persons, but also for businesses, private and
public offices and others with whom they communicate."
Of the 540,000
Washington residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, approximately 10,000 are
deaf and 200 are both deaf and blind.
In the new system,
DSHS will provide video equipment. The service is free to callers and available
in Spanish. Callers are responsible for high-speed line service charges.
Users can access the
service at www.wavrs.com. The telephone number is 877-352-5300 or 888 391-9090.
The telephone number for non-deaf users is 866-410-5787. Service hours are 9
a.m. to 9 p.m. PST Monday to Friday.
WAVRS will supplement
the existing Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) that has been provided for
the deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech impaired by Sprint since 1998.
Approximately 25,000 Washington state users conduct approximately 135,000 calls
monthly. With TRS, a communications assistant facilitates conversations by
typing and sending a standard phone user's spoken words to the recipient's text
telephone (TTY) and voicing TTY user text to the standard phone user while
assuring conversation confidentiality.
Sprint is the
nation's leading provider of telecommunications relay services (TRS) with over a
decade of experience. The U.S. government, 27 states and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico currently rely on Sprint's 11 U.S. Relay Operations centers to offer
the power of communications many take for granted to a population that otherwise
would be isolated.
Washington
State Grange Donations
Thanks to the
generous donation of the Washington State Grange, SWCDHH has received a new
paper cutter and electric stapler. Mrs. Dora Van Allen has been a long-time
supporter of SWCDHH and the Deaf Community. She has been instrumental in raising
funds through the Grange to assist with several agencies who serve Deaf and Hard
of Hearing people.
Now, a paper cutter
and stapler may not seem like a big deal to some. And you may wonder what they
have to do with deafness. Well, those volunteers and staff who work on the
newsletter and other publications know that these are important tools to get the
job done. Because they are of �Universal Design,� they can be used by
individuals who may have arthritis or other problems with their hands.
We thank you,
Dora and the supporters at the Washington State Grange!
American
Deafness-Related Resources is a new publication that lists
contact information of deaf associations/clubs, service organizations,
education, employment, interpreting, health, addiction services, legal help,
mental health services, companies selling technical devices/books/ videotapes,
captioning groups and much more! Contact: http://members.rogers.com/signnet/DI.html.
Deaf International is a division of The Signers' Network, 74 Mayfair Crescent,
Brampton, Ontario L6S 3N4 Canada, Fax: (905) 792-1116.
Deaf Power
Runners
In Portland, Oregon
an organization puts out an event called Hood To Coast Relay Race which is the
world's largest relay race (a total of 195+ miles from top of our Mt. Hood all
the way down to Seaside beach - beautiful but challenging for a 12-runner team).
Only 1,000 teams are allowed to participate and we are proud to say that our
team, the one and only Deaf team, made it for the August 2002 event. (To
know more about this event check out their website: www.hoodtocoast.com)
... a support group
for women
Address:
________________________________________________________________________
City:
_____________________________________ State: ___________ Zip: _______________
(Optional) I would
like my donation to be made in memory of: _______________________
SWCDHH is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization.
Financial donations
are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
