Deafweekly December 2, 2009

deafweekly

December 2, 2009
Vol. 6, No. 7

Editor: Tom Willard

Deafweekly is an independent news report for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community that is mailed to subscribers on Wednesdays and available to read at www.deafweekly.com. These are the actual headlines and portions of recent deaf-related news articles, with links to the full story. Minor editing is done when necessary. Deafweekly is copyrighted 2009 and any unauthorized use is prohibited. Please support our advertisers; they make it possible for you to receive Deafweekly.

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NATIONAL
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Frederick, MD
FRAUD CHARGES MAY NIX VIABLE DEAL
A spokeswoman for the New York company that tentatively agreed to purchase beleaguered Rockville deaf services business Viable said this week it is now "considering its options" after Viable president John T.C. Yeh, three other Viable executives and leaders of six other companies nationwide were charged in a six-count indictment with conspiracy to defraud the federal government out of tens of millions of dollars. Snap!VRS of Pearl River, a video relay service company, is "working through all the complications that have taken place since the indictments," said Maureen Ellenberger, vice president of marketing. / The Gazette

See also 26 ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING PROGRAM FOR DEAF / The Philadelphia Inquirer

See also UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS JOHN T.C. YEH AND HIS PARTNERS / Fookem and Bug

Albany, GA
DEAF WOMAN MURDERED IN ALBANY, GEORGIA
An Albany woman was shot in the back and left for dead this Thanksgiving. A driver and passenger called 911 after spotting the woman bleeding lying next to dumpster on South McKinley Street around 5:30 Thursday morning. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died. Thursday afternoon we spoke with neighbors who heard the gunshots, and the woman's family who want justice and answers. 45-year-old Gayle Jackson was deaf and couldn't speak. Her family can't figure out why anyone would want to kill her. / WALB

Denver, CO
EEOC: THE PICTURE PEOPLE, INC. HARASSED AND DISCHARGED DEAF EMPLOYEE
The Picture People, Inc., a nationwide chain of photography studios, refused to provide a reasonable accommodation, harassed, and retaliated against a deaf employee by eliminating her work hours, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed in late September. According to the suit, Jessica Chrysler, who is deaf, was hired as a photographer in one of the company’s studios in Littleton, Colo. She repeatedly requested an interpreter to assist her at mandatory trainings and staff meetings, but her requests were denied. Subsequently, managers picked on Chrysler, forced her to work in the back of the store away from the public, and ultimately, eliminated her work hours entirely. / US EEOC

St. Paul, MN
DEAF ST. PAUL WORKER GETS SETTLEMENT
An apprentice sheet metal worker from St. Paul will get $48,500 to settle a complaint that union leaders repeatedly refused to give him field assignments because he is deaf. Michael Sherman, who logged more than 4,400 hours as an apprentice, was unfairly discriminated against by officials with the Sheet Metal Workers' Union Local 10 and an affiliated Joint Training and Apprenticeship Committee, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Union officials agreed to pay the money without admitting to any wrongdoing. / Star Tribune

James City, VA
DEAF MAN CHARGED IN RAPE, SLAYING OF JAMES CITY TEEN MAKES PROGRESS WITH COMMUNICATION
The deaf-mute man accused of raping and murdering a James City County teen in 2005 is making progress with his communications skills, a prosecutor says. Oswaldo Martinez, who is being held at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, is still incompetent to stand trial because he remains unable to assist his attorneys with his defense, Williamsburg-James City County Commonwealth's Attorney Nate Green said after a competency review of Martinez last Tuesday. Martinez, a 36-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is charged with rape, murder, sodomy and robbery in connection with the January 2005 killing of 16-year-old Brittany Binger. / Daily Press

Poplarville, MS
POPLARVILLE TO MEET ADA GUIDELINES
The city of Poplarville has agreed with the Department of Justice on a plan for the city to improve access for persons with disabilities to its programs, services and facilities. The agreement was announced last Wednesday. Among other things, the city has agreed to provide interpreters and auxiliary aids that are necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. / WXVT-TV Delta News

Oak Brook, IL
FEDERAL SIGNAL CONTINUES SUCCESS IN DEFENSE OF HEARING LOSS LITIGATION
Federal Signal Corporation announced Monday that a Philadelphia court entered judgments in its favor in the first two cases scheduled to be tried against it by a group of firefighters who allege the Company's sirens caused them hearing loss. The cases were filed over two years ago in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and the parties engaged in extensive pre-trial work. After the first jury had been chosen, and on the morning the first trial was set to begin, the plaintiffs withdrew their oppositions to the company's motions for summary judgment, ending their cases. Federal Signal agreed to pay $12,500 toward the plaintiffs' litigation expenses, and the plaintiffs agreed to waive any rights to appeal. / PR Newswire

Long Beach, CA
USE OF COCHLEAR IMPLANTS STIRS CONTROVERSY IN DEAF COMMUNITY
The Deaf Community is a group that emphasizes the use of American Sign Language, regardless of how well a person can hear. This community promotes ASL as its primary language. Hearing children who have deaf parents also are considered part of the Deaf Community if they are fluent in ASL. The Deaf Community opposed the use of cochlear implants. The 2000 documentary "Sound and Fury," by Josh Aronson, explored the controversy. "I think that the attitudes in the Deaf Community have changed somewhat," said Mari Artinian, the mother who was featured in "Sound and Fury." "But I still feel that there is this perception that it really isn't as good as us 'hearing' people say it is. / Press-Telegram

Long Beach, CA
HEARING IS BELIEVING
In April 2002, on the same day my parents finalized their divorce, I got a cochlear implant. After the operation, I still couldn't hear. My ear surgeon at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, Dr. John Vaughan, had warned me: "The surgery is the easy part, and learning to hear with the implant is the hard part." Maybe. But to get the implant inside the cochlea - the sensory portion of the ear - the surgeon needed to drill right through the skull, then into the bony structures that protect the cochlea. That was the part that freaked me out. / Los Angeles Daily News

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INTERNATIONAL
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Nassau, Bahamas
DEAF VICTIM'S FAMILY SAYS MURDER WAS 'SENSELESS'
The family of Rauol Bullard, the 23-year-old deaf man who was stabbed to death last Friday just yards away from his home, characterized the murder as a senseless killing and a tragic loss. "He was innocent and he was stabbed," said the victim's grieving father Charles Bullard. Moments before the violent attack Rauol, who made his living by washing cars, walked to the neighborhood store to change some money, his father said. "When he was on his way back, I understand that there was a gang fight between some students and they brought some adults with them from Union Village -- and one of them just walked up behind my son and stabbed him to the neck and back," he said. / The Nassau Guardian

See also TEENAGERS RELEASED IN DEAF MAN'S MURDER / The Bahama Journal

Ghana
AGRA BEHIND 'DEAF' SOCCER VISA DEAL?
Details are enfolding about the faces and identities of the individuals and group of persons whose wishy-washy visa scandal rocked the nation’s sports a couple of months ago. Even though the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Sports Council (NSC), Mr. Worlanyo K. Agra is not forthcoming with information as to whether he indeed, facilitated the acquisition of visas for the supposed “deaf’ but hearing footballers who were sent to Australia to represent Ghana in a friendly football match, interest in the matter continues to mount. / Ghanaweb.com

Makkah, Saudi Arabia
KING SPONSORS 50 DEAF PEOPLE TO COME FOR HAJ
King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has this year paid for the Haj of 50 deaf people from 10 countries around the world. Abdul Rahman Al-Fehaid, the supervisor of the program, said the pilgrims have been able to move around easily and perform the necessary rituals. “Thanks to Allah, things have moved smoothly.” / Saudi Gazette

Nagoya, Japan
DEAF WOMAN LEFT WITH IMPAIRED SIGN LANGUAGE ABILITY AFTER ACCIDENT WINS COMPENSATION
A deaf woman in her 60s, who had her ability to use sign language impaired after being injured in a traffic accident, successfully sued the man who caused the crash, in the first case in Japan that equally recognized the standing of sign language and speech. During the hearing at the Nagoya District Court last Wednesday, Judge Kozo Tokunaga ruled that "sign language is a means of mutual comprehension, comparable to speaking for a non-handicapped individual." After recognizing that an inability to make signs is comparable to a speech impediment, he ruled in favor of plaintiff Kimie Oya, awarding 12.2 million yen ($140,650 US) in damages. / The Mainichi Daily News

Japan
PUBLICATION OF 'DEAF LIFE JAPAN' TO BE LAUNCHED IN JANUARY, 2010
The Japanese magazine, called "Deaf Life Japan," will launch the publication in Japan under the license of "Deaf Life." "Deaf Life" is an American magazine that has been popular in not only the Deaf community but also the hearing people for years. "Deaf Life Japan" will be published bi-monthly to meet the needs of readers in Japan. / Deaf Japan News

Manila, Phillipines
THEATER OF SILENCE
Theater is all lights, movements and sounds -- yes, even to those who cannot really hear. Believing in the potential of young and deaf Filipino performing artists, Dulaang Tahimik ng Pilipinas (DTP) was born to encourage deaf artists to rise above their disabilities and promote awareness of the deaf Filipino community to the hearing majority through the performing arts. DTP has evolved from a small group of 11 -- with only two deaf members -- to 19 who are mostly deaf dancers and directors. / Manila Bulletin

Chennai, India
COMMANDOS TO LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE AT SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
They have learned combat from the US Marines and tactics from war veterans. Now, they will learn a vital mode of communication from a Chennai-based school for the deaf. Personnel of the Tamil Nadu Commando Force will take lessons from the CSI Higher Secondary School here on sign language to communicate with each other during anti-terrorist operations. The 40-day training will begin on January 18. / The Times of India

Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
STUDENT FROM SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF DESIGNS SEASONS GREETING CARD
On Tuesday November 24, the British High Commissioner Dr. Peter Hayes visited the Ratmalana School for the Deaf . The High Commissioner visited the school to congratulate and present to Chamika Umesh Bandara, a grade seven student at the school, a framed copy of the British High Commission's 2009 Season Greeting Card. Chamika was the winner of the High Commission's 2009 Season Greeting Card Competition. / Flickr

Kenya
CLASS OF DEAF CHILDREN WOULD BENEFIT FROM BOOKS
Matt Palma sees a true desire to learn in his classroom in Kenya. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse graduate once used toy blocks borrowed from another teacher to demonstrate 2x3 is the same as 3x2. It amazed his class of deaf children, ages 9 to 19. "Jaws dropped, arms were in the air," Palma wrote on his blog. Yet supplies -- like those blocks -- haven't kept pace with that hunger to learn. The Peace Corps volunteer is teaching English, math, Kenyan sign language, art and reading with little more than a blackboard and a piece of chalk. / LaCrosse Tribune

London, England
DISABLED, AND SEEKING ACCEPTANCE IN FASHION
The fashion world may be the last bastion of prejudice, a field that overtly discriminates against people because of their looks. So there is something both bold and troubling about “Britain’s Missing Top Model,” a reality show that bean yesterday on BBC America that pits disabled women against one another to compete for a photo spread in the U.K. edition of Marie Claire magazine. The show adds an extra layer of contention by including deaf contestants -- hearing loss is a disadvantage that disappears in front of the camera. Kellie, 24, relies on signers for even trivial conversation, but she has no visible impairment in photographs, and that upsets Sophie, 23, who was paralyzed in a car accident and uses a wheelchair. / The New York Times

London, England
BLUETOOTH BONUS GIVES DEAF TV JOY
The hard of hearing no longer need to turn the volume right up or resort to subtitles to enjoy their favourite telly shows. A new hearing aid has been unveiled which enables wearers to have their own personal volume control. The gadget uses the same Bluetooth wireless technology found in mobile phone hands-free headsets to connect to compatible TVs. It means sufferers can adjust the sound to exactly the right level for them -- without deafening family and friends. / The Sun

Denbighshire, England
DOG 'SAVES' SLEEP CONDITION WOMAN
A deaf woman with a sleep condition which stops her breathing says she owes her life to her hearing dog. Bernadetta Henry, known as Nan, from Llangollen, Denbighshire, suffers from sleep apnea which she says can stop her breathing up to three times each night. She says Boris, her six-year-old bichon frise, knows when to rouse her and puts his paws on her chest to wake her up. Ms. Henry, a widow, said: "I believe he's saved my life." / BBC News

Northampton, England
DEAFWATCH FIRE ALARM FOR THE DEAF INSTALLED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON
DeafWatch, the fire alarm system for Deaf people from Wireless Alert Solutions Limited has been chosen by the University of Northampton for the protection of the Deaf and hard of hearing people throughout the campus. The university has always taken its duty of care for Deaf and hard of hearing students and staff seriously, and previously had a legacy paging system in the most vulnerable buildings. They turned to Wireless Alert Solutions Limited’s DeafWatch system as they were looking for a new system that provided complete coverage across all campus buildings. / PRLog

Chester, England
CHESTER POLICE OFFICERS SUCCESSFULLY PASS SIGN LANGUAGE COURSE
Police officers and staff from across Chester and Ellesmere Port have been awarded their level 1 British Sign Language certificate from West Cheshire College. Nine police officers and staff from the Western Area were presented with their awards on November 17 following a 30 week course run at Blacon police station by Andrew Mayers from the college. / Chester Chronicle

Sheffield, England
SIGN OF THE TIMES AS POLICE OFFICERS 'COP' LANGUAGE LESSONS
Police in Sheffield are receiving sign language lessons to help a teenager fulfill his dream of teaching it all over the country. Christopher Sampson, aged 18, is giving lessons to officers at Woodseats Police Station once a month. He was invited to the station by Police Community Support Officer Supervisor Natalie Dixon, who met him on her rounds. Christopher, from Millhouses, has severe learning difficulties, Down's Syndrome, a hole in his heart, and hearing loss in one ear, but is determined to travel the country teaching sign language. / The Star

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LIFE & LEISURE
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Boston, MA
PEOPLE CAN HEAR WITH THEIR SKIN, STUDY SHOWS
Listening is more than a matter of being "all ears." People can also hear with their skin, according to new research that deepens our understanding of the senses, showing they can work together but also override one another. Strange though it seems, scientists are finding that multiple senses contribute to the simplest perceptions. People can see with their ears, hear with their eyes, or hear with a touch. In the work published today in the journal Nature, researchers found they could influence what people hear by delivering puffs of air to the back of a hand or their neck. / The Boston Globe

Nashua, NH
SENIOR CLASS -- WEEK 34. DEAF BEAUTY
Joan McMahon was born deaf. During her youth, McMahon attended the Catholic-run Boston School for the Deaf. Joan would meet her match in college, marry, raise nine children and would divorce five years ago. And like a phoenix from the ashes, McMahon would renew herself. At 65, she competed in the Ms. New Hampshire Senior America Pageant on Nov. 22. / Nashua Telegraph

Shreveport, LA
DEAF ACTION CENTER LEADER GETS SURPRISE
"Happy Birthday to you, Gregory Kallenberg, Happy Birthday to you." And, what a surprise to Kallenberg when the chorus rang out Nov. 18 at the Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center of Louisiana. Gregory and wife Heidi were at the center for a morning photo shoot and interview for The Times, preparing to leave for a series of birthday festivities elsewhere. But as Gregory stepped from an hall into the main room, he was greeted with song and a candle-filled birthday cake from Dough Basket. / Shreveport Times

Prescott, AZ
COMMUNITY PROFILE: DEAF IS A DISABILITY, BUT SHOULDN'T BE A HANDICAP
Jack Clevenger of Prescott will look you in the eye and tell you that going deaf may be a disability, but isolating from society makes it a handicap. "If a person goes in isolation because of a hearing loss or going deaf, it gets harder and harder to stay in touch," he said. "That's the devastation of the handicap, not the disability." Clevenger knows -- he is "deaf as a rock." / The Daily Courier

Beloit, WI
DEAF REACH OUT TO OTHERS FOR ADVOCACY
They may have lost their hearing, but they’ve found a new family. The Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA) has opened its first chapter in Wisconsin thanks to Beloit’s Jessica Congdon. A year after seeking other deaf and hard of hearing friends, the group of 10 became official on November 19. With the holidays around the corner, Congdon said it’s more important than ever that late deafened adults get the support they need. “People can feel alone and isolated and like no one understands,” Congdon said. / Beloit Daily News

West Palm Beach, FL
FOR MILLIONS WITH UNTREATED HEARING LOSS, HOLIDAY SEASON CAN BE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT
For many of the millions of hearing impaired Americans, especially the 27 million living with untreated hearing loss, the holidays may not be all that happy, says audiologist Cindy Beyer, senior vice president of HearUSA. Studies have linked hearing loss to stress, frustration, and social isolation, said Beyer, "which can easily be intensified at holiday gatherings with families and friends, when many of those with hearing impairment may find conversations both difficult and isolating." Here are some suggestions for making holiday meals and celebrations more comfortable and enjoyable for those with hearing impairment and for the people around them.
/ PR Newswire

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WORKING WORLD
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Craig, CO
RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS STRUGGLE TO FIND INTERPRETERS
Mariah Kowach feels like she's living on an island. She's a deaf 7th grader at Craig Middle School with no real effective way of talking with anybody. "For the class, I can't get work done, turned in," Kowach said through her limited vocalization skills. Kowach knows sign language, but no one else in the entire school district does. Craig, like many other rural school districts across the state, has trouble hiring sign language interpreters to help deaf students. "She would have communication problems and sometimes meltdowns where she'd get real frustrated," Rod Kowach, her father, said. / 9NEWS

Naperville, IL
JOB CRUNCH EVEN HARDER ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
As large numbers of Americans deal with losing jobs, the unemployment rates are even higher among certain groups, including men, minorities -- and also people with disabilities. Lenny Kepil knows. He was laid off from his job this spring as a software test engineer. He'd been the last hired, but his whole department took a hit. Kepil, who lives in Naperville, Illinois, has an impressive resume with more than 26 years as a software engineer. He's also deaf. It's hard enough for anyone to find work in this recession. It's much harder for someone with a disability. / NPR

Daytona Beach, FL
EASTER SEALS PROGRAM HELPS DEAF JOB SEEKERS
Finding a job in a tough economy is not easy, but imagine the frustration felt by John Wilson, who can't even hear the voices of his prospective employers. The 38-year-old from Daytona Beach, who has been deaf all his life, filled out about 20 applications before getting help from a local Easter Seals program. But with help from the Deaf Advocacy Program at Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties, he started working in January at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Daytona Beach through a contract with Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare. / News-Journal

Rochester, NY
ROCHESTER STUDY TARGETS HEARING LOSS IN HIV/AIDS PATIENTS
A new five-year Rochester study of hearing loss among people with HIV or AIDS will explore an issue documented so far only in scattered, unconfirmed reports. At University of Rochester Medical Center, specialists in hearing loss and specialists in HIV and the immune system are teaming up to measure the hearing of people with and without HIV, supported by a nearly $2 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. / Democrat and Chronicle

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Los Angeles, CA
DISNEY FIRST TO ADD 3D SUBTITLES TO MOVIES
A glut of films have started being released with a 3D option at some theaters next to the more traditional 2D releases. There is one issue that you may not have thought about with the screening of 3D films, however. That is catering for those who are hard of hearing or deaf with subtitles. One company that has thought about it is Disney who at the end of last week announced it was releasing the first ever movie to include 3D subtitles in the UK. That movie is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey. / Geek.com

Internet
FACEPALM: DEAF CHOIR ON GLEE
I was so pleased with Glee's portrayals of people with special needs in the episode Wheels ... and then last night's episode thread about a competing Glee club from a Deaf school dripped patronizing treacle. Blech. Meloukhia already wrote what I would write so I'll just quote: "Glee is finally allowing us to see the Deaf choir performing, I may have to give them some points for trying even though they are doing it very badly." / Squidalicious

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Keith Wann's ASL Comedy Tour 2009-2010

Keith Wann, renowned for his hilarious, sidesplitting comedy performances, is now producing and hosting the ASL Comedy Tour 2009, which will travel the U.S. this year. With American Sign Language (ASL) artists presenting solo performances incorporating comedy, skits, songs, improvisation, and stories, each show lasts two hours. Sponsored by www.CallVRS.org, the multi-city tour is designed to be affordable for each location - making it ideal as a fundraiser for participating organizations.

“We really want to reach out to all communities, so we are sharing in the costs and profits at each location. We will work closely with booking parties to maximize profits for their organization and to bring in as many people as possible for a night of laughter, socialization and fun,” Wann said. “We also offer workshops by some of our performers, which can be held the day of the performance. People can come to our workshops, and then unwind by attending the comedy show that evening.”

www.aslcomedytour.com
Contact KemiProductionsInc@gmail.com.

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SPORTS
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Las Vegas, NV
HAMILL TO FIGHT ON SATURDAY
Matt Hamill, an ultimate fighter from New Hartford, N.Y., will compete in one of the featured bouts that will be televised nationally on Spike TV. The live finale of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” that includes two bouts showcasing four of the UFC’s rising stars, will be telecast beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Hamill will fight Jon Jones in a light heavyweight bout. “It’s my first time being showcased in the main event,” Hamill said. “It’s an honor to be at this level.” / The Observer-Dispatch

Jacksonville, FL
BOBSLED'S VONETTA FLOWERS BASKS IN SON'S TRIUMPH
These days, 2002 Olympic bobsled champion Vonetta Flowers is pursuing other kinds of victories. Like this one. "What's your name," she asks her son. He replies, slowly, drawing out each syllable, "Jor ... dan ... Flow ... ers." "How old are you?" Another pause. "Sev ... en." For Flowers, those are words to savor. The fact that her son is making and responding to sounds at all, that's as sweet as the joyous tears she shed on a frosty night in Park City, Utah, nearly eight years ago, when she teamed with driver Jill Bakken and became the first black athlete to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics. / USA Today

Anchorage, AK
DEAF UAA CHEERLEADER AT TOP OF THE PYRAMID
Like any good cheerleader, UAA's Michaela Brewer has a fine sense of rhythm, tempo and timing, dancing effortlessly to the beat of whatever hip-hop music bumps through the arena. But unlike her teammates, Brewer has never once heard a crucial element of her cheerleading performance. The cheers. When she was a year old, Brewer went deaf after a bout with spinal meningitis. While she lost most of her hearing, what Brewer didn't lose was her love of dance. That love helped her excel as a cheerleader at East High, and it helped her when she decided to go out for the team at the University of Alaska Anchorage. / Anchorage Daily News

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EMPLOYMENT
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You can advertise your job openings here for just $20 a week (up to 100 words, 10 cents each add'l word). Start spreading the news! To place your ad, send the announcement to mail@deafweekly.com.

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Seeking Applicants For:
NTID Director of Student Life Team

National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY

The Student Life Team (SLT) coordinates co-curricular programming for deaf and hard-of-hearing students attending the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. A team of seven professionals and two support staff in the SLT work collaboratively with the student community, academic programs within NTID, and with Student Affairs programs at Rochester Institute of Technology to provide a wide range of experiential learning opportunities in campus and community settings.

Description:

-- Hire, train, supervise, and guide a staff of seven full time professionals and two support staff, servicing the 1,200 deaf and hard-of hearing students attending all eight colleges of NTID.

-- Oversee the general office operations, including reservations procedures, reception area support, and budget management and administration.

-- Establish, foster, and maintain key partnerships with institutional areas servicing deaf and hard-of-hearing students, offering program design, student community networking, and/or creative support to these departments.

-- Oversee programmatic direction and support for the Center for Intercollegiate Athletics & Recreation Support Team.

-- Direct the implementation of an annual first-year co-curriculum designed specifically to enhance and support the transition of deaf and hard-of-hearing students from high school to the college environment.

-- Regularly review and synthesize information regarding national current and future trends in college student data as well as in education of the deaf and hard of hearing student community, and provide recommended models for application of both.

-- Provide student community advocacy and liaison, creating an educational environment conducive to and supportive of student development and growth opportunities.

-- Serve as Administrative Advisor to the NTID Student Congress (NSC), maintaining ultimate accountability for their budgetary operations.

-- Direct the NTID summer residential program, supporting four to six summer seminar experiences for students aged 12 through 19 years. This includes partnerships with several offices coordinating the curricular and administrative functions of the programs, while hiring, training, supervising, and evaluating seven professional and 30 paraprofessional staff for this effort.

-- Utilize regular evening and weekend commitments year-round to provide role-modeling and support and connection for students.

-- Master’s degree required

-- Program and curriculum development experiences, especially in application to underrepresented communities
Knowledge and demonstrated application of student development theory in practices and programs

-- Three to five years of supervision experience

-- Ability to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing students

-- Demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity in all forms, particularly an understanding of Deaf culture and deaf/hard-of-hearing students

-- Budget management and administrative experience
Knowledge of residential community program administration strongly preferred

The hiring process for this position requires a criminal background check and/or motor vehicle records check. Any verbal or written offer made is contingent on satisfactory results, as determined by Human Resources

Ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the college’s continuing commitment to cultural diversity, pluralism, and individual difference strongly preferred.

The Rochester Institute of Technology is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All individuals with the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the university’s continuing commitment to cultural diversity, pluralism, and individual differences are encouraged to make application.

Review of applications will begin November 20, 2009
Must be eligible to work in the US
This position is subject to available funding

Your application information and any relevant documentation such as resume and cover letter should be uploaded via this website http://mycareer.rit.edu in order to be considered for any positions you are interested in. Search using KEYWORD IRC33668.

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