OCDAC’s 2009 Resolutions

Unfortunately wordpress dont do well with embedded videos which is part of our New Year’s Resolutions presentation.  To see this same post with the video presentations; visit http://www.deafadvocacy.org/blog/blog.html

2009 will be a monumental year for Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center as we have been collaborating with numerous health related organizations to advance our zeal. We have 5 key goals to accomplish in 2009. The key goals all fit within our mission and vision statements.

1) Solidifying our leadership direction by adding “more sails to our ship”
a) Increasing the evaluations of irresponsible deaf leadership ( achieved in 2008 )
b) Promoting responsible deaf leadership ( achieved in 2008 )
c) Increasing resources for the Deaf WAI (War Against Indiscipline) program ( exceeded in 2008 )
d) Increasing our resilience to casualty events such as loss of primary youtube outreach account.

2) Focus on deaf evolution
a) Expanding non-confrontational advocacy ( achieved in 2008 )
b) Increasing the support of oral-deaf on staff and board census
c) Increasing the use of technology-based social service concept ( exceeded in 2008 )
d) Expanding our fiscal independence concept ( exceeded in 2008 )

3) Office resources
a) Reduce facilities costs by acquiring additional real estate for the use as office resources ( exceeded in 2008 )
b) Consolidating our expenses to avoid repetition of costs

4) Outreach
a) Participate in deaf events that promote responsible deaf leadeship ( exceeded in 2008 )
b) Focus on events that need exposure to hearing loss outreach ( achieved in 2008 )
c) Develop outreach videos and use the video sharing websites ( achieved in 2008 )
d) Simplify outreach materials for easier transporting, setup, takedown ( exceeded in 2008 )
e) Provide leadership in non-deaf causes (AIDS, Paganism, Medical Innovations, Environmental, etc…) ( achieved in 2008 )

5) Social services
a) Development of web-based social service automation for global access

In the past 10 years and continuing beyond 2009, the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center will do what they do better than anything else in the world, ENTERTAIN YOU, with their special brand of deaf advocacy.

We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and productive 2009!

FROM THE BOARD, THE STAFF, AND THE VOLUNTEERS

Holiday Gift $35+

Holiday Gift $35+

Here is a small holiday gift to all those who have or had Wachovia credit card accounts.

It’s at least $35.00!

Download the claim package at Http://www.hear-for-life.org/wclaim.zip

Fill the claim form and send it out by March 4, 2009.

Happy Holidays!

Legacy Of My Youtube Account

The ASL militants managed to get my nesmuth account at youtube suspended.

Shows how far the deaf community will go to defend a very expensive language.

This is the price of evolution of the deaf society.  A price that will land on the laps of the ASL militants later on.

Richard Roehm

Accessibility Anywhere Based Braille Displays Petition to Braille display manufacturers

This is a very important petition that would allow a blind person to buy a braille display and be sure that is works with their computer. Or any other windows based computer.

A petition has been started by George McDermith at http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html asking Braille display manufacturers to base their drivers on the human interface protocol, found on all Windows computers. Such a design philosophy will ensure that users can be certain of having support for their Braille display on any computer, not just one which has been custom-configured for such access, and will eliminate the need to depend on specific screen reader drivers.

The text of the petition reads as follows:

“To: Braille display manufacturers

We, the undersigned, who are Braille display users, friends and family of Braille display users, and teachers of the blind,

*: Believe that accessibility to information for the blind on a par with their sighted piers is a right. Believe that due to this right, and due to the cost of Braille displays, accessing Braille through the use of Braille displays should not be limited by the type of screen reading solution used by the blind.

*: Strongly request that all manufacturers of Braille displays cease basing the drivers of their Braille displays off of particular screen reader drivers, but rather base all Braille display drivers off of the Human User Interface Protocol, which can be found on all Windows computers.

*: This will allow true portability and equal access to information for the blind, as they will be able to use their display with any computer. This will create greater competition in the market for the best Braille display to stand out, grant greater literacy in Braille through greater access to electronic Braille books and other materials, and support the right of all blind people to have accessibility anywhere.”

To add your support to this worthy cause, visit the petition web page at

http://www.petitiononline.com/brldis/petition.html

The Serotek Team

Beth Koenig
bethko@gmail.com
Director of Deaf Blind Services
Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
2960 Main Street A100
Irvine, CA 92614
http://www.deafadvocacy.org/dbs