NAD Releases Statement Supporting LGBTQ Marriages 

            The Board of Directors of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) released a statement confirming their strong support for the rights of LGBTQ deaf and hard of hearing individuals to marry ("Nad releases statement," 2012).  NAD expresses that their strong support for LGBTQ marriages is deeply rooted because deaf and/or hard-of-hearing individuals have historically been oppressed when it came to marriage equality. NAD expresses that if a deaf or hard-of-hearing woman wants to marry another woman, they deserve to have that right.  NAD states that their “…stance on marriage equality reflects the historic commitment of the NAD to protection of the rights of all deaf and hard of hearing individuals…” and that they will not tolerate inequality ("Nad releases statement," 2012).  One may view this stance as a cultural political decision because NAD has fought so hard for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and is against people being intolerant of small sub groups of the united deaf and hard-of-hearing community. With this political decision deaf and hard-of hearing women can feel supported by their community to marry who ever they wish and not feel isolated from her culturally deaf community.  

Nad releases statement on marriage equality. (2012, 05 25). Retrieved from

http://www.nad.org/news/2012/5/nad-releases-statement-marriage-equality

Deaf Politics 

Courtesy of Deaf Politics

Founded by Jessica Thurber, Deaf Politics provides information to the Deaf community on political topics and issues faced by Deaf individuals and non-deaf individuals. Deaf Politics is based out of Rochester, New York; however, it covers information from across the nation and internationally. Deaf Politics also has a twitter page where followers can access the information. (https://twitter.com/deafpolitics).  Deaf politics has a Facebook page that interested individuals can join and share their thoughts and comments. (https://www.facebook.com/deafpolitics). It seems as though the website blog is not as active as the Facebook and Twitter pages.  The issues presented are both locally and internationally. It covers broad and specific issues faced by both men and women. 

Deaf Politics. Retrieved from http://blog.deafpolitics.org

Deaf and Hard of Hearing In Governement (DHHIG) 

The DHHIG, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing In Government, is a non-profit organization. DHHIG supports individuals who are federal employees and have a hearing loss. DHHIG promotes career opportunities and focusses on equality in the work place. Their goal is to provide different means of language and communication services ranging from Speech, ASL, or SEE. They often work with a third part, for example, Federal Employment with Disabilities (FED’s). They support individuals with varying hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound, make resources more accommodating in the work place. An example of an accommodating resource can be the Electronic Accommodation Program. The program CAP, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program, “provides assistive technology, devices and support services to people with disabilities who work for federal agencies. “The DHHIG works diligently to make the employment process easier for individual that have nay range of hearing loss.

DHHIG - About. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dhhig.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1153047

 Homepage | DVBIC. Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) | DVBIC. Retrieved from http://www.dvbic.org/computerelectronic-accommodations-program-cap

Bill of Rights for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

The Bill of Rights for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children is a series of amendments each state can pass, in order to promote equality for deaf and hard -of- hearing children. 

The bills stress the need for children to be able to communicate freely. The bills also stress the need for deaf children to have qualified teachers, guidance counselors, and other personnel that would benefit their schooling.

14 states have adopted a Bill of Rights for Deaf and hard-of-hearing Children.   

VRS Reform 

The Federal Communications Commission is working on the improvement of the Video Relay Service. One of the speculated reason for the reform was the miss use of funds which are overseen by the FCC. The purpose for this reform is to improve the VRS program and to reduce the risk of fraud and abuse. It also aims to infuse the program with the latest technology for the convenience of the users. The first condition of the reform is to contract the National Science Foundation to establish ways of making VRS more like a fluid talking phone conversation. Second they plan on producing a 2 year iTRS national outreach program to inform the public about IP Relay and VRS. In addition establishing an efficient way to catalog users and providing increased oversight of providers.

Deaf Democrats

Deaf people, and deaf women in particular have never really had a voice in politics. The man who wrote this blog is determined to reach out to the Deaf community and try and make them see the benefits of forming their own political group. The NRA, GLAAD, and the NAACP have had success in numbers; if you have the support of one of these groups as a politician, you are doing something right. Patterson wants to form a group that is as influential as the NRA for Deaf people. He wants to change things such as funding for deaf education programs; public schools get all the funding from the federal government, but how much really goes towards the deaf education program? Not enough. Patterson also wants to aid in the problem of communication that deaf people have to endure every day. Patterson wants to find a way to improve communication between the two very different world and have a voice in politics.

Patterson , Melvin. "Where is the Deaf Voice In Politics?." Deaf Democrats. N.p., 24 March 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. <http://deafdemocrats.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/where-is-the-deaf-voice-in-politics/>.

FCC Issues Video Programming Rule Requiring Navigation Devices be Accessible to blind, Deaf 

On October 31 of 2013, the Federal Communications Commission issued a report on “Accessibility of User Interfaces and Video Programming Guides and Menus” and “Access Emergency Information and Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description.” The regulations in the document cover video “navigation devices.” Such navigation devices include televisions, computers, and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The producers will have a three-year deadline to meet, but no specific date was set in the document. The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) wants the regulation to require cable operators to completely list local cable programming on their onscreen guides. Cable provider list local programming on he onscreen guide under the heading “local programs,” but they actually do not provide a program description.

The Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans

The Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans is a governor appointed Commission that works with the deaf community to ensure equal opportunity within this group of people.This Commission is an advocacy group, each year they have been successful in proposing and passing various legislation. Their goals are to ensure equal access to services, programs and opportunities offered to other individuals.

Their top priorities are...

1.Identifying barriers to equal opportunity

2.Developing Solutions                       

3.Empower by building community capacity

Deaf's Rights 

The Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, (DSDHH), provides a website to reinsure basics rights for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind individuals. According to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that interpreting services, assistive listening devices, and other accommodation must be provided by all agencies that received federal funds. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by Congress in 1990. This act ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated. Such discrimination can’t happen in employment, transportation services, recreation programs, public accommodations, telecommunication services, housing, and healthcare services. Other laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities include: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA). This website also provides documents of different right such as the Disability Rights of North Carolina, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and United States Department of Justice. The DSDHH is available to assist anyone in attaining equal access to all federal, state, and local services that are available to the public. You may even contact one of the seven Regional Centers for assistance and clarification on your rights.

DSSHH. (2012 May, 29). Your Rights.

Retrieved from: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dsdhh/rights.htm