AFA AWARD for Courage STAND!

AFA AWARD - AFA has been on the look out for unsung heroes who stand against audism.
AFA  honors & praises Brian Bauer for his courage stand against Hear Indiana.  He shows great spirit to stand for our cultural & linguistic rights! Hands-Wave and great praise to Brian Bauer!
If you would like to nominate someone for an AFA Stand award - email us at audismfreeamerica (at) gmail.com  - provide the person's name, contact information, and why s/he should get an AFA STAND award.

AFA's Letter to Indiana Legislators Opposing HB 1367

23 January 2012

Indiana State Legislators

200 West Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN 46204-2731

Dear Legislator,

This letter serves to express Audism Free America’s staunch opposition to Indiana House Bill #1367.  House Bill #1367 is dressed-up as a bill which will ensure Deaf and Hard of Hearing children achievement of “optimal communication and academic abilities” after being placed in the hands of “an appropriate agency” (determined by the Office of Management and Budget) at a cost which is undeterminable.  It fails to explain how the Outreach Services at the Indiana School for the Deaf (staffed by professionals in the field) will be improved upon by these vague actions.  It is completely incomprehensible except when considering the big picture.

In May 2011, Governor Mitch Daniels appointed to the Board of Directors at the Indiana School for the Deaf individuals who had vested interest in the HEAR INDIANA organization. HEAR INDIANA is one of the biggest supporters of House Bill # 1367.  This organization, which professes to be all about “options, choices and unbiased information” is a chapter of the AG Bell Association.  The AG Bell Association promotes the Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) method which specifically excludes American Sign Language as well as other “visual language systems.” These organizations are behind the recent legislative actions in the states of Delaware and Utah as well as Indiana.  Their unwritten agenda is clear---to influence states to close traditional schools for Deaf children in the United States and increase the number of so-called Option schools (which are exclusively oral/aural).  While these programs proclaim they are new and dealing with recent technological advancements that impact education, this oral/aural only methodology is actually antiquated, as well as exclusionary and oppressive.  These programs deny Deaf children access to a natural signed language which has been documented via decades of research to be acquired with the same ease and manner as individuals acquiring spoken language.

It is clear that the recent House Bill 1367 is part of an overt and systematic effort to ensure the education of Deaf children in your state is moving toward forced assimilation promoted by oral-aural only approaches such as LSL/Option Schools.  Such an effort results in denying Deaf and Hard of Hearing children a fully accessible, natural language, cultural identity and education of the whole child for a world in which the languages and cultures of both Deaf and Hearing people are respected.

As a national grassroots network, Audism Free America is  committed to combating audism.  Audism is attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf people of all walks of life.   For bilingual/bicultural Deaf Americans, clearly, House Bill #1367 is threatening their way of life and that of future generations.

We strongly urge you to do the just and right thing by voting against the House Bill #1367 and encouraging your fellow legislators to do so as well.

Let Freedom Roll!

Patti Durr, Karen Christie and Ruthie Jordan 

on behalf of AFA

AFA's Letter to Indiana Gov. Opposing HB 1367

23 January 2012

Governor Mitch Daniels

200 West Washington Street, #206

Indianapolis, IN 46204-2731

Dear Governor Daniels,

In May 2011, Audism Free America (AFA)* wrote to you to express our grave concerns related to the individuals you appointed to the Board of Directors at the Indiana School for the Deaf which lacked transparency and ignored the interests of stakeholders in the Indiana School for the Deaf school and community.

We stated in our letter of May 2011:  ”Your appointments reek of a new strategy aimed at closing Deaf schools which are motivated primarily by budgetary concerns and secondarily by language oppression.”

It is clear that the recent House Bill 1367 that this is a further step in such a strategy and is an overt and systematic effort to ensure the education of Deaf children in your state is moving toward forced assimilation promoted by oral-aural only approaches.  This results in denial of a fully accessible, natural language, cultural identity and education of the whole child for a world in which the languages and cultures of both Deaf and Hearing people are respected.

It is not by chance that recent appointees to the ISD Board and those supporting the House Bill 1367 are both from HEAR INDIANA organization. This organization proudly endorses an exclusionary, oppressive and antiquated method of education for Deaf children dressed up as technologically advanced.  The methodology promoted by HEAR INDIANA/AG BELL Association deny Deaf children access to a natural signed language which has been documented via decades of research to be acquired with the same ease and manner as individuals acquiring spoken language.

“Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people--they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress.”

---Paulo Freire

We join with those who oppose House Bill  #1367 and see it as assurance that  “optimal communication and academic abilities” will be denied to Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in Indiana as the office of management and budget becomes enriched.  Outreach services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their families needs to be left in the hands of professionals such as those at the Indiana School for the Deaf.  We remain gravely concerned that the Governor of Indiana is one of those leaders who work with select groups to impose unjust actions, and thus will remain vigilant in our efforts that justice be served for Deaf children and their families.

Let Freedom Roll!

Ruthie Jordan, Patti Durr, and Karen Christie

on behalf of AFA

English text below the video box

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JrIQW36Wsg

scroll down under press release for link to a community based petition

AFA PR (PRWEB) January 16, 2012 http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9108761.htm

AFA Denounces FDAs Approval of Newborn Stem Cell Experimentation

Audism Free America (AFA), a grassroots Deaf activist network, condemns the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its approval of a study which will use cord blood stem cells on infants as young as six weeks old in an effort to eradicate the Deaf population of the United States.

AFA further denounces the FDA, Cord Blood Registry ®, LSL/AVT specialists,*Children’s Memorial Hospital (Houston), and the principal investigators of this study for undermining the human rights of their patients and promoting eugenic outcomes.

The newswire released on January 12, 2012 from Cord Blood Registry® and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital states that parents of newborns and infants between six weeks to 18 months will be recruited.  The infants will undergo MRIs (which frequently include sedation), blood tests, and be given their own stored stem cord blood via IV infusions.  Possible health risks to the infant were not mentioned. (see http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-cord-blood-childrens-memorial-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss) 

The newswire contained alarmist views of how being Deaf impacts language abilities and social development without describing research concerning the negative impact of withholding American Sign Language and access to cultural identification with other Deaf people.

When contacted, Dr. Harlan Lane, Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award stated:  “Children who are born Deaf or early become so have a dual heritage – they have their parents’ ethnicity and also that of the sign language minority; their natural language is American Sign Language.   Exclusively pathological views of Deaf children have been out of date for decades. Deaf babies are healthy babies and live fulfilling and contributing lives.”

AFA advocates for the rights of Deaf Americans, cultural resurgence, and seeks primarily to challenge the ideological foundations of audism in America. Audism is attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf people of all walks of life.

AFA calls upon governmental agencies to ensure their commitment to protecting all citizens, including Deaf newborns and infants. The actions by the FDA serve to highlight the medical community’s systematic effort to threaten the culture, language, and right to life of Deaf people—and therefore, endangering linguistic and cultural diversity in the United States.

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*LSL/AVT specialists (Listening and Spoken Language/Auditory Verbal Therapists) are those certified by the Alexander Graham Bell Academy and promote oral/aural only approaches to language development excluding all forms of signing.
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Link to community based petition started by Karen Kingrey http://signon.org/sign/stop-stem-cells-experiment.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1970141

EHDI Reps Agree to Meet with AFA Reps in St. Louis

EHDI representatives have responded to Audism Free America's 5 demands and have agreed to meet with us in St. Louis before the EHDI conference.

To see AFA's demands in ASL and English go to:
http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/2011/12/afas-5-demands-of-ehdi.html

For information on the EHDI conference go to:
http://ehdiconference.org/

Fla Gov. Scott's office reply to AFA re: Felix Garcia

Audism Free America (AFA) sent a letter to Governor Scott re: Felix Garcia, a Deaf man who has been unjustly imprisoned for nearly 30 years, and received a prompt reply from the Governor's office.  AFA will follow up with the various offices below and post those letters to keep you informed and if you wish to send your own letters.

You can learn more about Felix’s case in “The Silent Treatment” article by James Ridgeway in Mother Jones.  http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/deaf-prisoners-felix-garcia?page=1 (see pages 2-3 also).

People can write to Felix Garcia at:
Felix Garcia #482246-J2116-L
Tomoka Correctional Institution
3950 Tiger Bay Road
Daytona Beach, Florida 32124-1098
-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Governor Rick Scott 
Date: Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 3:15 PM
Subject: RE: xxxx Free Felix Garcia
To: Audism Free America


Thank you for contacting Governor Rick Scott's Office.  We appreciate your concerns about a criminal case and the opportunity to respond.

The Florida Constitution limits the Governor's intervention in criminal cases and their appeals.  Each state attorney is an elected official charged with certain discretionary duties, including the duty to determine whether or not to prosecute any particular crime committed within his or her jurisdiction. This decision is based on the quality and quantity of the evidence of guilt shown, and in the best interest of justice. The state attorneys operate independently, and as elected officials, they answer to the voters of their individual jurisdictions.

Questions about Mr. Garcia's guilt or innocence, or the procedural fairness of his criminal conviction must be addressed in the courts. Those who wish to contest judicial rulings should speak with an attorney about what appellate procedures may be available.

Decisions over prisoners' movement within the system and access to services while incarcerated are under the administrative authority of the Florida Department of Corrections.  To assist you, I forwarded a copy of your email to the Department for their review.  If you want to contact the Department directly, please use the information provided below.

Department of Corrections
501 South Calhoun Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2500
(850) 488-7480

The Florida Parole Commission is an entity independent of the Governor's control that protects the public by administering parole, conditional release, conditional medical release, control release, and addiction recovery supervision to all eligible criminal offenders.  For more information, please contact the Florida Parole Commission by writing to 4070 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida  32399-2450 or by calling (850) 922-0000.  The web site for the Commission is www.fpc.state.fl.us and the email address is publicaffairs@fpc.state.fl.us.

The Governor has no independent ability to pardon someone. The clemency function is a power to grant full or conditional pardons, restore a felon's civil rights, or commute punishment.  There are complicated rules for these lengthy procedures, and these powers are vested in the Governor only with the agreement of two Cabinet members who are also statewide elected officials. For more information, you can write the Office of Executive Clemency at 4070 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida  32399-2450, or you can call 1-800-435-8286.  You may also email the office at clemencyweb@fpc.state.fl.us, and you can reach the office by fax at (850) 488-0965.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact the Governor's Office.

Sincerely,

Warren Davis
Office of Citizen Services
--------------------
AFA's initial letter to Governor Scott


From: Audism Free America
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 5:39 PM
To: Governor Rick Scott
Subject: xxxxx Free Felix Garcia

From: Audism Free America

County: Alachua

Zip Code: 14618

Message Body: 8 January 2012



Dear Governor Scott:



Audism Free America (AFA), is a grassroots advocacy network and we are writing to beseech upon you to release Felix Garcia.  Mr. Garcia is a partially Deaf man who has been imprisoned for nearly 30 years for crimes his Hearing brother has recently confessed to committing.  As a result of being partially Deaf, Mr. Garcia did not have full access to his original trial and lawyer and no suitable reasonable accommodations were made for him.  As a prisoner in various jails for the past three decades, he also has been denied access to full information and services – this includes the use of the telephone.



In the time needed for you and your staff to review Felix’s case, it is imperative that the state of Florida equip the Tomoka correctional Institution (or anywhere he is moved to) with a videophone and relay services and that his case be properly investigated.  The Americans with Disability Act title II covers the judicial system and prison facilities.  Reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication are a right that Mr. Garcia has been denied.



You can learn more about Felix’s case in “The Silent Treatment” article by James Ridgeway in Mother Jones.  http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/deaf-prisoners-felix-garcia?page=1 (see pages 2-3 also).



Audism is attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf people of all walks of life.



Would you take a moment to envision if you were in his shoes and stuck in prison unjustly in another country?   What if you were innocent and did NOT do any crime.   Suppose they won’t provide any access or translator for you to be able to speak out for your rights in your language and neglected you for many years while in prison.  Imagine if you did not understand guards and other prisoners’ language and you just did your best to understand.  Imagine getting raped and assaulted.  Imagine being put in isolation and the lack of love from your family when your family members falsely accused you and others looked the other way.   Imagine being utterly abandoned by your family and your suffering innocent soul locked within the prison while other prisoners are treated with full language rights and access.  That is what your judicial system is doing to Felix Garcia, an innocent Deaf prisoner.  Deaf people are human beings who deserve equal treatment in prisons.



AFA, along with other Deaf individuals and Hearing allies, recognize the story of Felix Garcia as a story about cruel and unusual punishment as well as denial of basic rights….because he is Deaf.  We know of many Deaf prisoners who have experienced a lack of communication, assault and neglect in prisons.  Mr. Garcia is innocent and did NOT commit the crimes for which he has been unjustly charged and sentenced.  Also, Mr. Garcia never had full access to information during his arrest, his trial, and imprisonment.  We urge you, Governor Scott, to ensure that Felix be provided full access in prison and that he be released as quickly as possible. FREE FELIX now because it is the right, just, wise and valid thing to do.

Let Freedom Roll,


Karen Christie, Patti Durr and Ruthie Jordan on behalf of Audism Free America

http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/afas-free-felix-letter-to-fla-governor.html

AFA's Free Felix letter to Fla Governor

8 January 2012

Dear Governor Scott:

Audism Free America (AFA), is a grassroots advocacy network and we are writing to beseech upon you to release Felix Garcia.  Mr. Garcia is a partially Deaf man who has been imprisoned for nearly 30 years for crimes his Hearing brother has recently confessed to committing.  As a result of being partially Deaf, Mr. Garcia did not have full access to his original trial and lawyer and no suitable reasonable accommodations were made for him.  As a prisoner in various jails for the past three decades, he also has been denied access to full information and services – this includes the use of the telephone.

In the time needed for you and your staff to review Felix’s case, it is imperative that the state of Florida equip the Tomoka correctional Institution (or anywhere he is moved to) with a videophone and relay services and that his case be properly investigated.  The Americans with Disability Act title II covers the judicial system and prison facilities.  Reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication are a right that Mr. Garcia has been denied. 

You can learn more about Felix’s case in “The Silent Treatment” article by James Ridgeway in Mother Jones.  http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/deaf-prisoners-felix-garcia?page=1 (see pages 2-3 also). 

Audism is attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf people of all walks of life.

Would you take a moment to envision if you were in his shoes and stuck in prison unjustly in another country?   What if you were innocent and did NOT do any crime.   Suppose they won’t provide any access or translator for you to be able to speak out for your rights in your language and neglected you for many years while in prison.  Imagine if you did not understand guards and other prisoners’ language and you just did your best to understand.  Imagine getting raped and assaulted.  Imagine being put in isolation and the lack of love from your family when your family members falsely accused you and others looked the other way.   Imagine being utterly abandoned by your family and your suffering innocent soul locked within the prison while other prisoners are treated with full language rights and access.  That is what your judicial system is doing to Felix Garcia, an innocent Deaf prisoner.  Deaf people are human beings who deserve equal treatment in prisons. 

AFA, along with other Deaf individuals and Hearing allies, recognize the story of Felix Garcia as a story about cruel and unusual punishment as well as denial of basic rights….because he is Deaf.  We know of many Deaf prisoners who have experienced a lack of communication, assault and neglect in prisons.  Mr. Garcia is innocent and did NOT commit the crimes for which he has been unjustly charged and sentenced.  Also, Mr. Garcia never had full access to information during his arrest, his trial, and imprisonment.  We urge you, Governor Scott, to ensure that Felix be provided full access in prison and that he be released as quickly as possible. FREE FELIX now because it is the right, just, wise and valid thing to do. 

Let Freedom Roll,

Karen Christie, Patti Durr and Ruthie Jordan on behalf of Audism Free America