I’m thinking of retiring this blog. Thoughts?
Archive for the 'In Appeal-Democrat News' Category
What do you do…
July 1st, 2009, 2:43 pm by HanaThis is for deaf and hard of hearing people out there who speak as their form of communication with their hearing counterparts. What do you do if you get interrupted by a hearing person who does not realize you are speaking to another hearing person?
For example, I’m talking to my hearing co-worker who sits next to me, and there is a pause as I wait for a response from him. My co-worker needs to think about his response because he’s weighting his options. During this pause, another hearing co-worker walks in and begins talking to my hearing co-worker. What would you do? I’m curious what your response is.
I know that sometimes a deaf or hard of hearing person would just back down and come back later. But once in a while, you might do what I just did … I said, “I was talking to him first. Please wait your turn!”
Captioned Version of Swine Flu Video
April 30th, 2009, 3:09 pm by Hana
or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5t1r7yG7rM
Since news medias are doing informational media distributions on the recent Swine Flu, I am providing a link for a captioned version of the Swine Flu explanation.
Be sure to click on the up-arrow in the bottom-right (see picture to left) to turn the Closed Captioning on if it doesn’t show up. The video is 5:26 minutes long.
Could You Please Say Something?
October 30th, 2008, 3:14 pm by HanaWhile I was typing up the previous post about Oct. 11, I kept getting calls from the relay on my account, but every time I answered “Hello this is Hana,” the caller would hang up. After the third call, I was getting annoyed and decided to do a reverse phone number look up using Google search. I was ready to chew out whoever it was for harassing a deaf person.
Imagine my surprise when it came back as originating from our corporate’s interactive department down in Irvine!!!!
Then I thought; maybe there was a problem and they needed to get a hold of me.
So I dialed the number back and had the Relay announce my identity — Hana calling from Appeal-Democrat — and explained to the lady on the other end that I was getting calls from her number on my caller id; was someone trying to get a hold of me?
Turns out she was testing phone numbers on their contacts list to make sure it was up-to-date, including mine.
Ahhh!
I told her to please say something next time instead of hanging up, because I thought I was being prank called till I did a reverse look up on the number. 
Cool.
I commented about the call to my colleague, Steve Nelson, and he got the same call a minute later. At least she said something to him.
From the Webmaster
October 15th, 2008, 4:01 pm by HanaWhen the sites went down over the weekend, I was aware of it. I was at home surfing as usual and when the site failed to come up on Saturday morning for my routine reading and I saw the work e-mails regarding the issue. So what did I do?
Well, let me tell you. After six and half years of this and previous freelance webmaster experience, I just went for a walk. I already knew that someone else was on the task and updates were flowing in.
There is nothing you can do when equipment fails. Furthermore, if the said equipment is not even in the same zip code as Appeal-Democrat is, there is nothing else you can do but let the folks who do have access to the equipment, fix it. The Freedom Interactive IT folks are not slouches and they kept us updated throughout the entire ordeal. They were not restoring just ours, but at least 70+ others. They’re actually good men and ladies.
Others may feel powerless. I shrugged philosophically.
It happens. Have a beer and relax.
Mark Your Calendar - August 6
August 4th, 2008, 5:27 pm by HanaThe General Plan for the County is being updated and it is important for you, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, to be present. An ASL interpreter and assistive hearing equipment has been reserved for you.
When: 6:00 PM Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Where: 915 8th Street in Marysville — the Yuba County Board of Supervisors chambers
Length: 1 1/2 to 2 hours with a presentation starting at 6, then open booth.
Why? Your voice is needed for the planning of the county — services provided, parks, schools, medical type, police, fire, housing, businesses and agriculture land usage.
The web site is www.yubavision2030.org — be sure to visit it and read. There are maps provided for your information.
NorCal Scrapbooking!
June 30th, 2008, 4:29 pm by Hana
Just heard about this from a friend — NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing (formerly NorCal Center on Deafness) is having a Scrapbooking Day on Saturday, July 12 from 1 PM to 4 PM.
A $5 gets you one spot out of 30 available.
Deadline is July 7. Hurry and get your spot!
Contact Tami Levario at 916-349-7500 Voice/TTY/Videophone or e-mail her at Tlevario@norcalcenter.org.
Interactive Video Dictionary in the Works
May 28th, 2008, 5:29 pm by Hana
I was reading the Appeal-Democrat newspaper over the weekend when my husband showed me this article titled “Researchers making video dictionary for the deaf.” I found the online version here.
The short story: Boston University students are looking to create a sign language resource through the creation of a video dictionary paired with an interactive computer program that would read your sign through a Web cam, then match it up with possible translations. The idea is to create a visual and interactive dictionary of ASL (American Sign Language) for everyone to use.
I sure would like this. Even though I’m a Deaf person and ASL user, there are still signs I don’t know for certain words. Right now, we have DeafVideo.tv and YouTube searches for ASL videos to get some. I wonder how the program is going to get around the dialect variations, for example, East Coast ASL versus West Coast ASL.
I remember my parents carrying a sign language book with them when I was learning how to communicate as a toddler. I rushed around pointing at items both animate and inanimate, and asked for the sign. My mother said that I became visibly frustrated if there wasn’t a sign in the book for what I wanted to know.
I wonder mostly at the impact this will have on people if the project is successful.
Mutts Deaf Dog Comic
April 28th, 2008, 4:53 pm by HanaFound this comic in Appeal-Democrat’s paper today:
Last Friday and some announcements
January 7th, 2008, 8:06 pm byLast Friday was interesting. The Mid-Valley (encompassing the Yuba-Sutter and outlying towns) experienced blackouts and violent storms starting Thursday night and into Sunday. I slept peacefully through the storm but woke up Friday morning at 5 to some tremors. The winds had hit gusts of 65 mph and was buffering the house. Then the power blinked off sometimes around 6 a.m. I woke up at 7:30 a.m. to a dark house. I went to work and arrived at 10 a.m. to find everyone standing in the main hallway — in the dark.
I thought as a Deaf person, that it was strange that people were standing in the dark talking when we have a naturally lit kitchen with floor to ceiling windows. It’s too dark for me to “hear.”
The day was spent updating the web from any laptop that had a card before the internal battery ran out of stored power, until the ITs set up 6 working computers running off two gas powered generators. That allowed the Appeal-Democrat to pull off the day’s real “daily miracle” as Editor Len La Barth coined it in a note to Readers in the Saturday’s paper. There’s a picture in our Staff Photography Gallery of a few of us crowded in the back hallway pulling off the miracle. That’s Gordon Webb, the IT Assistant, standing in the back with a hand to his forehead. Yes, it was rather stressing.
The weekend was uneventful. Power was restored at my home by 5 p.m. Friday evening and our phone on Sunday morning. Thousands are still without electricity, though.
Today (Monday) is basically catch-up day before the next series of storms hit us.
*****
I have a couple announcements.
David Kur let me know via e-mail today that a brand-new
CalDeaf.com has been launched today. It is a calendar listing all of Deaf-related events taking place in California alone.
Features are:
-Browse hundreds of deaf events in California!
-Bookmark the website and you’ll never miss any more deaf gatherings, expos, or events!
- Discover and share events with your friends
- Post your events and pictures of past events… and more
- Search for upcoming events by keyword, month, week, or day
- Sort events by region
- Event pages can include photo galleries, videos, and maps
- Receive reminder emails, and send your friends emails about the events
- Sign up for notifications of new events
- Comment on events, either by text or video
Finally, a home for the California Deaf Community. Once you’re there, you’ll never want to leave!
*****
Next, FREED has a list of Support Group meeting for 2008.
Cross-Disability peer support group meets every second Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. at the FREED office, 508 J Street, Marysville, CA.
Hearing Loss support group meets every third Wednesday of the Month at 10 a.m. at the same location mentioned above.
Contact Information: Claudia Hollis, (530) 742-4474 voice and TTY.
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Contacting Hana
Got a question? Something you want to bring to my attention? E-mail me! -
Looking for Deaf Events?
Deaf Calendar Events are being listed on
CalDeaf Events Calendar, please visit them for the latest Deaf Events.
Also, if you are on Facebook, join the Deaf Californians here.
