eBlue Book Update
The Preliminary Design phase has been
completed. The concept and appearance
of the new website has been approved. Now, BayFirst is entering the
Critical Design Phase where they develop the functionality into the
website
such as the eBlue Book database and e-commerce capabilities. There
will be
a display at the conference for your sneak preview. Watch the eNotes
and
GA-SK for further announcements as news develops.
The GA-SK Volume
34.2 - Video Relay Service - Access in Living Color
You will be receiving the next GA-SK (Volume 34 Issue 2) anytime now.
In
this issue, we focus on Video Relay Services and provide updated
Conference
information. The next GA-SK will come out later in the summer with
Conference highlights.
15th Biennial TDI
International Conference INFORMATION UPDATE
15th Biennial TDI International Conference to Be Held at the Green Valley
Ranch Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada July 14-16, 2003
"Beating the Odds with Communications Access"
Come to Las Vegas, Nevada, the site of the 15th Biennial TDI International
Conference and Expo, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa on July 14
- 16,
2003. For more information, go to www.tdi-online.org
and click on the
Conference Logo. (Press the refresh button on your browser if you do
not
see the conference program)
On the conference introductory page, you will find links to the following
forms:
- Conference Registration*
- Hotel Registration for Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa**
- Day by Day
*Note: Online credit card payment has not been implemented yet at
www.tdi-online.org. You will
need to print and then mail or fax the
completed forms to TDI with payment. Online payment will be a
feature of
the upcoming TDI website overhaul.
**Note: Although room availability at the Green Valley Ranch Resort
and Spa
is not guaranteed at this point, the special TDI Conference rate of $89.00
per night will be honored as long as rooms are available.
NEW CONFERENCE PROGRAM INFORMATION - ALL ONLINE AT
www.tdi-online.org/tdiconference/15conferenceprogram.htm
NOTES:
- Conference Registration begins on Sunday afternoon and continues each
day
until Wednesday.
- Exhibits ARE open to the public - Conference registration not required,
but non-Conference attendees will need to sign in.
ATTENTION GOLFERS:
Golf Outing at the Revere Golf Club, Henderson, NV - Meet at the Green
Valley hotel lobby by 12:45 on Sunday July 13 for a great round of golf.
Send your reservations now to TDI along with $80 payment, which also
includes a fajita dinner. The reservation form is online at
www.tdi-online.org/tdiconference/15golfouting.htm.
To learn more about the
golf course, go to www.vegas.com/golf/courseguide/revere.html.
ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES
Except for the Golf Outing on Sunday afternoon, TDI is not sponsoring any
evening entertainment activities for this conference. However, we
are
providing some suggestions for your own activities at nearby Las Vegas
attractions. All arrangements are your responsibility.
- Golf Outing at the Revere Golf Club, Henderson, NV Sunday afternoon.
- Siegfried & Roy: Sunday July 13 - Tuesday July 15, 7:30 PM
$105.50/person. Order tickets on your own 702-791-7111 or www.mirage.com
- BlueMan Group: Sunday July 13 - Tuesday July 15, 7:00 PM and Monday July
14, 10:00 PM Luxor Theater $87.45 per person. Order tickets on your
own
800-557-7428, 702-262-4400 or www.blueman.com
- For more entertainment activities in and around Las Vegas, go to
www.onlylasvegas.com
TDI THANKS THESE CONFERENCE SPONSORS
AOL Time Warner
AT&T Relay Services
AT&T Wireless
BayFirst Solutions
Bell South
Cingular Wireless
CSD
Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association
Gallaudet University
Hamilton Relay
MCI Global Relay
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Phonic Ear
Sprint Relay
Ultratec
Verizon
National Do Not
Call Registry Opens
The National Do Not Call Registry is open for business, putting consumers
in
charge of the telemarketing calls they get at home. The Federal Government
created the national registry to make it easier and more efficient for you
to stop getting telemarketing sales calls you don't want. You can register
online at DONOTCALL.GOV if you have an active email address. If you live
in
a state west of the Mississippi River (including Minnesota or Louisiana),
you can call toll-free, 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the
number
you wish to register. Phone registration will open to the entire nation on
July 7. Registration is free.
The Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and
the
states will begin enforcing the National Do Not Call Registry on Oct. 1,
2003. That's when consumers who put their numbers on the registry by
August
31, 2003 will notice a downturn in the number of telemarketing calls they
get. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop
most, but not all, telemarketing calls.
This site has information for you-whether you're a consumer interested in
signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry, or a telemarketer or
seller interested in learning more about your responsibilities related to
the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
To enter your phone number(s) in the
National Do Not Call Registry, go to:
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/donotcall/
Action Alerts from NAD
Editor's Note: TDI shares many
concerns with other organizations that may
affect our access to telecommunications and media. Below are two
Action
Alerts from the National Association of the Deaf about the upcoming
reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
which
involves federal funding for captioning and many other educational issues.
(The first Action Alert is the most recent mailing, which is an update to
the second, earlier Action Alert.) The following action alerts can
be found
online at:
http://www.nad.org/openhouse/action/alerts/idea/IDEAalert2003june.html
***** ACTION ALERT #1 *****
Senate Committee Marks Up IDEA Bill
NAD Is Analyzing S. 1248
An Alert From the National Association of the Deaf
Release Date: June 27, 2003
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has strong feedback on the
upcoming Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
reauthorization.
The NAD is watching the IDEA reauthorization closely.
The Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee of the U.S.
Senate
marked up and reported out S. 1248, its bill to amend and extend the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through federal fiscal
year 2009, Wednesday, June 25.
The NAD is still analyzing the committee's action. NAD staff are comparing
the committee mark to the House-passed bill HR 1350.
The Senate is on its traditional July 4 recess until July 7. The NAD urges
advocates interested in the IDEA to use this recess period to study both
bills.
The immediate reaction of the NAD Law and Advocacy Center (NAD LAC) staff
to
the Senate mark up bill is to note the following:
* The Senate bill adds "interpreting services" to the definition
of "related
services" in Part A. This may be helpful to families of deaf and hard
of
hearing children and youth. However, in the opinion of the NAD LAC staff,
as
a matter of practice, most school districts already consider interpreting
services to be related services. (The House bill does not add
"interpreting
services" to the definition.)
* The Senate bill does not adopt the NAD's recommendation that the
"Special
Factors" language in section 614 be improved. Rather, the language in
current law - requiring the IEP Team to "consider" the
communication,
linguistic, and other needs of deaf and hard of hearing children and
youth -- is retained. (The House bill does the same.)
* The Senate bill authorizes the Secretary of Education ("the
Secretary
may." to fund closed- and open-captioning of media that is of
educational
value. News may be captioned only until September 30, 2006. A loan service
such as that of the Captioned Media Program is authorized. (The House bill
is similar.)
* The Senate bill amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to authorize such
sums as may be necessary to improve transition services to students with
disabilities. This includes career exploration, vocational guidance, and
similar services. (This language appears to be stronger than the
transition-related language in the House bill.)
* The Senate bill, in Title IV, creates a Commission on Universal Design
and
the Accessibility of Curriculum and Instructional Materials. The
commission
is to conduct a two-year study. Members are to include educators,
researchers, and advocates for deaf and hard of hearing individuals as
well
as for other disability populations.
Please return to the NAD website IDEA reauthorization page frequently for
updates as the IDEA continues its progress through the U.S. Congress this
summer and fall. http://www.nad.org/openhouse/action/alerts/idea/index.html
***** ACTION ALERT #2 *****
National Association of the Deaf - June 19, 2003
CAPTIONING FUNDING JEOPARDIZED
& COMMUNICATION ACCESS NEEDS IGNORED!
IDEA Re-Authorization Now on U.S. Senate "Fast Track"
What are the Issues?
* Are you prepared to lose broadcast TV/cable captioning access for local
news and entertainment programs?
* Are you going to stand-by and watch your elected officials once again
ignore the most critical needs of deaf and hard of hearing children for
language and communication access?
Funding for captioning will be dramatically curtailed. The federal
Captioned Media Program, which provides the only accessible materials to
schools and families, may not be funded at all or may have its funding
severely cut.
There are other related issues of critical importance. (Visit the
NAD
website at www.nad.org and view the
document "NAD proposed changes for the
Senate IDEA Bill and accompanying rationales"
http://nad.org/openhouse/action/alerts/idea/IDEA2003propchng.doc).
Deaf children today are essentially being denied language and
communication
access to the general curriculum. In this age of increased
accountability
and high-stakes testing, access to the curriculum and all that schools
have
to offer is critically important.
Without captioning as well as language and communication access, deaf and
hard of hearing children will never achieve their human potential.
We
cannot stand by while they are essentially being denied equal opportunity
to
participate fully in society!
S. 1248, a bill to reauthorize the Individuals With Disabilities Act
(IDEA)
has been introduced and is being put on a fast track by the U.S. Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The Committee intends
to
move this bill through both the Committee and the full Senate in the next
two weeks.
Grassroots Action Needed!
Nationwide grassroots action is needed - especially from those states
represented by members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pension (HELP).
A strong "voice" is needed from these groups:
* NAD (and TDI) membership
* State Association affiliate membership
* Organizational affiliate leadership and membership
* Parents of deaf and hard of hearing children
* Educators and professionals serving deaf and hard of
hearing children
* And every one else who is concerned about these issues!
If you are from the states listed below, please immediately contact the
U.S.
Congressional Senators representing your state, leadership of the Senate
HELP Committee, and other Senate leadership demanding that mark up of S.
1248 include changes to the following Sections - on Captioning, Special
Factors, and Natural Environments (see below).
Please read the instructions below about sending emails, faxes, and
calling
your senators.
If you are not from one of the states being represented on the HELP
Committee, please make a mental note of this Action Alert. We will
need you
in a few weeks. Meanwhile please do forward this Action Alert to
your
friends from those states.
Contact these members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions (HELP):
Alabama: Jeff Sessions
Connecticut: Christopher Dodd
Iowa: Tom Harkin
Kansas: Pat Roberts
Maryland: Barbara Mikulski
Massachusetts: Edward Kennedy
Missouri: Christopher Bond
Nevada: John Ensign
New Hampshire: Judd Gregg
New Mexico: Jeff Bingaman
New York: Hillary Clinton
North Carolina: John Edwards
Ohio: Mike DeWine
Rhode Island: Jack Reed
South Carolina: Lindsey Graham
Tennessee: Bill Frist
Tennessee: Lamar Alexander
Vermont: James Jeffords
Virginia: John Warner
Washington: Patty Murray
Wyoming: Mike Enzi
ACTION TO TAKE:
Print out this action alert so you can follow these instructions:
a. Go to the NAD website at www.nad.org .
b. Locate the "Write to Congress" sticker under
"HOTLINKS" (the column on
the right side).
c. Enter your zip code and click on "GO".
d. A new page will appear with photos and email addresses of President
Bush,
your Senators, and your local Congressional
representative.
e. Select "email" under your Senator's picture and name.
f. Select "Compose your own letter" and click on "Next
Step".
g. In the SUBJECT box enter: S. 1248
h. In the "OPTIONAL TEXT" box cut and paste the following text
(Be sure to
add your personal information and remove the
information in the parentheses,
plus follow the additional instructions below):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Start of text)
The National Association of the Deaf is the nation's oldest and largest
consumer organization protecting the rights of 28 million deaf, hard of
hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind individuals, including
approximately
50,000 children who are being served under the Individuals with
Disabilities
Education Act. The NAD, since its formation in 1880, has placed a
high
priority on the educational needs of deaf and hard of hearing children.
As a ______________ (e.g., member, deaf individual, hard of hearing
individual, parent, concerned citizen, educator, etc) I am writing to
express my views about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
reauthorization, specifically S. 1248, the Senate's bill to reauthorize
and
amend the IDEA.
While there are several provisions in the Senate bill that I support, it
is
critical that certain provisions presented to the Committee by the NAD and
a
large coalition of organizations involved with the education of deaf and
hard of hearing individuals is included in the bill.
These provisions are:
1. Restoring captioning in "Educational Media Services" to
"the Secretary
shall support" as is currently stated in the statute,
rather than merely
"may support."
2. Ensuring that the IDEA requires that the communication needs of deaf
and
hard of hearing children be provided rather than merely
considered under
Section 614(d)(3)(B)(iv) Development of IEP.
3. Changing the "natural environments" provision under Part C of
the IDEA to
language consistent with the House Bill.
4. Increasing the need for more teachers to work with deaf, hard of
hearing,
blind, deaf-blind students. Personnel preparation
needs of low-incidence
populations are being ignored and it is becoming
catastrophic.
5. Including in the law, the continuum of educational placements and fully
appraising parents of the options on the continuum
before a placement
decision is made. The continuum includes
instruction in regular classes,
special classes, special schools, home instruction,
instruction in hospitals
and institutions, and supplementary services such as
resource room or
itinerant instruction provided in conjunction with the
regular classroom setting.
* Mere consideration of the child's language and
communication needs is
insufficient. Schools and programs
must provide deaf and hard of hearing
children with language and communication
access. Without it deaf children
will not have adequate access to the
general curriculum or a fair
opportunity to perform satisfactorily on
mandated assessments based on that
curriculum.
* Language and communication access is critical to the overall development
and education of deaf and hard
of hearing children.
* Schools and programs must not be allowed to simply consider a child's
language and communication needs, they must provide language and
communication access, the cornerstone upon which all learning
rests.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTION TO TAKE (continued):
i. Make sure you insert the proper identifier in the email (underlined
area)
and remove the (e.g., Member, Deaf individual, Hard of
Hearing individual,
parent, concerned citizen, educator, etc) bracket.
j. Fill in the requested information on the web page
k. Click YES in the box labeled "Would you like to have a copy of
this
message sent to your email address?"
l. Send your message via email on the message delivery page.
m. If you also have access to a fax machine hit the BACKPAGE key on your
web
browser.
n. Select PRINT under message delivery option.
o. Print out your letter and fax it to your Senator, using the number
available through the same webpage at Congress.org .
p. Send a copy of your email to Annie_White@labor.senate.gov,
Connie_White@labor.senate.gov,
Julie_Carter@labor.senate.gov
q. Send a copy of your email to comments@nad.org
(and to
info@tdi-online.org).
r. Email, fax, and call your Senator's office and deliver the following
message:
"I am a (deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind individual, or parent,
educator, etc.)
calling about S. 1248, a bill to amend the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act.
I am requesting that... (Refer to letter above)"
EMAIL! FAX!
CALL! YOUR
SENATORS!
For more information on the NAD's Recommended IDEA Language, go to
www.nad.org/idealanguage/.
The National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center
814 Thayer Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 587-1789 TTY
(301) 587-1788 Voice
(301) 587-0234 FAX
If you have any questions about this eNote, please e-mail to jimhouse@tdi-online.org
Send e-mail to Webmaster
with
questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2001 TDI All Rights Reserved Last modified: June 07, 2003