Deaf GLBT Support Group

By Billy Koch | Posted in Blogs | Jun.22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

*Day: *Every other Thursday
*Time:* 6:30-8:00 p.m.
*Date:* Beginning June 4, 2009
*Duration: *8 weeks
*Contact*: *EMAIL
Video Phone: *832.413.6192

http://www.montrosecounselingcenter.org

*Additional Info: *This FREE* confidential group will be open to all
Deaf who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. No one
will be identified as HIV– or + and you do not have to be a client
at MCC. The group’s facilitator (LBSW) is hearing but is fluent in
American Sign Language. This group will consist of up to ten (10)
participants who may join at anytime during the 8 week group duration.
Participants will sign agreement of confidentiality upon entering the
group meeting.

Montrose Counseling Center
401 Branard
Houston, Texas 77006

*Donations are welcome.

Leann Randolph
Email: interpreters@montrosecounselingcenter.org

Houston Deaf Rights Update

By Billy Koch | Posted in Blogs | Jun.20, 2009 | 1 Comment

They finally updated the Houston Deaf Rights Blogsite with an update to what happened and what has been going on with the March and the results of it.  There is also a video of it here - it starts around at 6:00 if you want to see it - Click here for video and click on Public Speakers 2 of 4 and around 6:00 is where Dan Warthling comes in and gives his presentation to the City Council. 

Results from the March??

By Billy Koch | Posted in Blogs | Jun.17, 2009 | 1 Comment

Apparently a day has passed and at this time many of us have watched eagerly the news media, the Chronicle who were supposed to be at the event cover this March.  And yet we, the deaf community have not heard anything.   So meaning we did not make the impact that we had hoped?   If you participated in the March please let us know how it went!   We have checked the blogsite for updates and information and nothing has been posted.   Where is the communication to the deaf community?  For those of you who were at the event let the deaf community know how it went and provide your insight!  We would love to hear from you!

Update from 3rd Meeting for March

By Billy Koch | Posted in Politics | Jun.16, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Written by Brad Porche and Billy Koch

Last night meeting at Woodhaven church served a constant reminder of the issues that many deaf/hoh face after a long sought settlement between the Department of Justice and the City of Houston.

The truth is the City of Houston has continued to fail in the requirement that has been outlined in the settlement when it comes to meeting the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing individuals. That was one of the main reason to have the March, to bring awareness to the city council of Houston. Brian and Kathy and the other co-founders hope to bring that awareness to the City of Houston and ensure that the requirements are met in the 1998 settlement.

There were about 40 people at the meeting, and some were able to watch the meeting online. Some were there to prepare for the March and others were there to question the integrity of the March and the co-founder’s preparedness. In the meeting, there were more questions than answers and many felt uneasiness in the way the March has been planned. From our observations, we could see many of the audience members did not receive a satisfied answer and was more puzzled than before. However, the March Founders was adamant to go on with the March regardless and mentioned that Brian will be having a meeting with the ADA Coordinator, Robby Laws on the issue of the settlement agreement.

Some has expressed concerns on facts and evidence that could be presented to the City Council in regards to our situation.  Others has expressed that this issue is really a two way street, not just necessarily the City of Houston failure to meet our needs but because we had no one to really follow up with the City of Houston.

So as a result, many of those in the audience had the renew call for an establishment of an organization. An organization that will meet the needs for everyone in the deaf/hoh community. We ask for those to continue to participate and bring more awareness/voice in the establishment for a organization. Please keep an eye on the update on DPHHH.com for information.  Remember this is not about you, but about the deaf/hoh community as whole.  Updates will be coming soon about upcoming meetings in regards to the deaf/hoh community.

Next Protest Meeting - Monday at 7 p.m.

By Billy Koch | Posted in Blogs | Jun.12, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Here is the information for the next protest meeting - now whether you are FOR, OPPOSED, or UNSURE about this protest - I highly encourage you to show up and voice your opinions - because this is YOUR COMMUNITY so you need to make sure that you are informed.

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Our next meeting officially is held at Woodhaven Deaf Baptist Church, located at 9920 Long Point Road, Houston, 77055. Again, it’s scheduled on Monday night, June 15 at 7pm for a final preparation for our June 16 march.

Everyone is encouraged to attend. Don’t forget to bring to the meeting (optional) as follows:

-One white cardboard (size 22” X 28”),
-Several markers (black, red, or blue ink is preferred, but if you prefer other colors, that is fine),
-One wood stick (wood sticks must be ¼ inch thick, according to the city’s rules for the march). These are for making signs/posters.

We also suggest a blue shirt to wear for our march in order to be recognized as a group of marchers for our own cause (can be light blue, royal blue, or navy blue). If you have any questions regarding our march, please email at HouDeafRights@aol.com.

Dr. Singleton’s Response to One’s Man’s Opinion to Protest

By Billy Koch | Posted in Politics | Jun.12, 2009 | 1 Comment

Dr. Patti Singleton responded to my posting on Deafnetwork - http://deafnetwork.com/wordpress/blog/2009/06/07/deaf-protest-one-guy’s-opinion…/  So I have asked for permission to post her response here on DPHHH.com so you as the individual can read it here.   And she approved my posting her response here.

======================================================

Folks,
This email caught my eye & I can’t help but smile at the similarities in the feelings expressed now and back during the first protest at Gallaudet University for a “Deaf President Now” in March, 1988…
I was fortunate to be there as a graduate student at Gallaudet and on the front lines as history was made…and I learned some valuable lessons in working with the media & politicians in general. There were folks who opposed the protest and those who supported it, but the important thing is that we put aside our differences and worked together for a common cause. I’m not sure that waiting to have a Deaf Awareness Week the most appropriate thing to do to get your legal issues addressed now…I’m also not saying that the Deaf Awareness Week isn’t important, it IS but you need to do much, much more than that…protecting your legal rights is a daily, weekly, monthly, year-round thing…not a onetime event during the year!

You need to have your act together - the Houston Deaf Rights group needs to organize and put out a list of Issues with concrete examples of each, i.e.: legal rights not being addressed or respected, discrimination, etc. What have you tried in terms of resolving these issues in the past? Again you needs dates & data to prove your case..
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Where are the Real Voices? Speak up!

By Julie Reese | Posted in Blogs | Jun.11, 2009 | 3 Comments

After reading the posts and blogs that everyone has written about related to the Protest and the lack of upholding the DOJ settlement in those cases where the deaf cititzens got denied communication access such as a qualified interpreter. My question is: Where are those deaf citizens who said they got denied an interpreter recently? These citizens need to speak up and make their voices heard. They need to tell the story of what happened. These are the people we should be listening to.  Please, speak up for yourselves. You cannot expect other people to do the work and “talking” for you. You can empower yourselves to make yourself heard by the City of Houston and Houston Police Department. Everyone will be listening and will back you up. You are the true voice. Sooo… Speak Up!

Update Information on Deaf Protest

By Bradley Porche | Posted in Blogs | Jun.10, 2009 | 3 Comments

Here is the Department of Justice settlement between the United States of America, Rashad Gordon and Michael Edward against the City of Houston, TX. Again, this is only a settlement and does not emphasize a case law. Settlement Agreement

There will be another meeting taking place on June 15th at 6:30pm (location will be updated), you can find out more information on the Communication Access Now blog and there is an outline of explanations from the 5 co-founders.

Hope you find this informative and I would strongly encourage you to attend the meeting. I plan on having a real time streaming and archived video of the meeting posted so that more Deaf/HOH people will be aware of what is going on and eventually feel like they are “participating” . It will be from this account, UStream.tv broadcast and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks!

Pre-Deaf Protest Meeting - Tuesday 9th

By Bradley Porche | Posted in Blogs, Politics | Jun.10, 2009 | 14 Comments

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the pre-protest meeting at Memorial City Mall. The meeting finally started after a few minutes delay due to waiting for more Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals to show up. There were approximately around 15 Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals.

There were diverse individuals from different background, some were Deaf and Hard of Hearing, some had a strong conviction to protest and some were not sure of what was going on. Neverthless, Brian Determan, one of the co-founders of the Deaf Right Protest (the title of the protest has not been clarified) took the floor and explained the issue of why we should need to protest.

Several issues were brought up.  Some stated that it was a long struggle for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals to gain access to interpreters and the city did not fullfill the needs of Deaf individuals. He said that he met with the city and the city coordinator said that there was not much Deaf awareness and did not know how to provide the support for the Deaf community.
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Share Your Hurricane Ike Experiences

By Julie Reese | Posted in Blogs | Jun.09, 2009 | Leave a Comment

We are already 9 days into a new Hurricane Season which began June 1st. The reason why I am here is to ask for your feedback and to hear about your experiences during Hurricane Ike or afterwards.

First of all, let me share a bit about my experience although it may be different from most of what you had experienced here. I was more fortunate than others, no doubt. I live in a mandatory evacuation zone in Galveston County, right on the edge of Clear Lake within 2 miles from Gulf Coast. My apartment home is situated on a marina so I knew I could NOT take any chances with a hurricane that HAD been forecasted to become a Cat-3 (at that time). I immediately packed up my bags and took my dog and evacuated to the west side of Fort Worth where my parents lived (where I hail from), which was a 5 hour drive from Clear Lake. Many of my friends had stayed in Houston and rode out the storm. I stayed up watching CNN all night worrying about everyone here in Houston. I even saw live coverage of boats rocking back and forth on Clear Lake on CNN as Hurricane Ike churned towards Galveston as a Cat-2. All the DARS offices closed for two weeks. Schools closed down. I returned a week later and was very grateful to see that my home that had been in the path of the eye was spared. Not even a scratch.  Unfortunately, many people’s homes around me had been destroyed.  Debris was everywhere and people threw out all their furniture on the side of streets.  Boats were tossed here and there.  It was very heart breaking because I had never seen anything like that in my entire life.
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