Open Letter to Deaf Education Programs

In response to several concerns Audism Free America (AFA) has received from Deaf and Hearing students in Deaf Education teacher training programs about the pathological nature of the curriculum, AFA has created this open letter.

To Whom it May Concern:

It has come to our attention that many of the teacher training programs in the field of Deaf education continue to approach the Deaf child as if s/he is abnormal and inadequate. Many of these programs are designed with a heavy emphasis on the spoken language acquisition and English language development of hearing children and how Deaf children are delayed and/or deficient in comparison. There is also an abundance of course work addressing speech pathology and audiology when the stated goal of the programs and of the students in these programs is to become certified to teach elementary school level or a specific subject matter. The course of studies in these programs have a bias towards clinical services in the speech and hearing over methods of teaching, curriculum development, and the discipline areas these teachers will need to teach.

 Furthermore, while many teacher training programs aim to prepare their graduates for working with ‘diverse’ communication preferences and approaches, coursework and teacher expectations clearly value and reward speaking and listening approaches. A whole child approach as well as bilingual/multilingual educational strategies is absent from most of these programs. Students in these programs may bring in information from researchers such as Petitto, Emmory, Mayberry, Nover and Padden on the value and importance of bilingualism for the Deaf child’s linguistic and cognitive development as well as their feelings of contentment and self worth. Routinely, their professors undermine these studies as limiting and guide them back to utilizing research focusing on to speech, audition, cued speech and/or simultaneous communication.

Given that four international documents (see excerpts below) have declared the importance and justness of ensuring that Deaf children have access to a fully natural signed language in their educational environments and in light of the article by Humphries et al. concerning the harms of Cochlear Implants especially in terms of language deprivation
( http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/9/1/16), we call upon Deaf education teacher programs to give proper, correct, and accurate information in bilingual-bicultural (ASL & English) teaching methodology, research, curriculum, and materials.

Additionally, Deaf students in Deaf education teacher training programs, having experienced Deaf educational systems first hand, have much to teach us. Would that we would listen.

 Students training to become educators of Deaf learners today should not have to face systematic barriers to access to information about ASL, Bilingualism, and quality educational methodology rather than clinical services. We thank you in advance for re-examining your Deaf education program and routing out any bias or injustice that may exist.

 Let Freedom Roll,

Audism Free America

See four international documents asserting the rights of the Deaf child to have a fully natural accessible language and the right to Deaf people to have a say in the way they are educated. http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/2011/10/international-documents-asserting.html

AFA's Pride Parade & Vigil

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFuKYoatNL4&feature=share&list=UUcY3go7tTUJuZz6b1ijVLVw

SAVE THE DATES - 

Come One - Come All.

more details coming soon

Fri April 19, 2013
12 pm AFA ASL PRIDE Parade
meet at Gallaudet at 11:30 to parade to White House

Sat April 20, 2013
9 am - 5 pm Deaf Nation Expo at Gallaudet

7:30 pm AFA Vigil
location TBA

AFA's letter to HuffPost - video performers' non-ASL

Greetings Kia:

We are writing to go on the record that Audism Free America* objects to the mangling, mislabeling, and misrepresentation of American Sign Language by the video performers Mark Nakhla and company.  (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/no-church-in-the-wild-asl-video_n_1434834.html)  Huffington post's writer, Crystal Bell, mistakenly praised their videos when she has no qualification to judge the quality of their ASL performance.  When members of the Deaf community commented about this inaccuracy, Mark and others dismissed and diminished ASL and Deaf culture even further. 


We are grateful that the Huffington Post has now done a follow up article and has just, good and right quotes from NAD CEO Howard Rosenblum.  (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/no-church-in-the-wild-video-asl-community_n_1459409.html)  We are also pleased to know that Huffington Post will reach out to the NAD or other reputable Deaf ASL organizations in the future as needed.  We hope you will consider carrying articles by Deaf writers in the future. 


We very much appreciated when the Huffington Post carried the video clip of President Obama signing "thank you" to a Deaf student after he had signed "I'm proud of you" to the president.  Such positive and accurate representation of ASL and Deaf culture to the wider public is desirable and needed.


We wish you all the best with your future endeavors and look forward to more positive and just posts about ASL, Deaf ethnicity, and social justice from the Huffington Post in the future.

Let Freedom Roll,

Patti Durr, Karen Christie, and Ruthie Jordan on behalf of AFA


*Audism Free America (AFA) is a grassroots Deaf activist organization in the US, which advocates for Deaf American rights, 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 is committed to: 1. human and linguistic rights of Deaf people 2. unmasking audism and media misrepresentation 3. advocating for future generations

AFA letter to New York Times Editors re: biased series

Tue, Aug 16, 20

Dear NY Times Editors:

Audism Free America (AFA) is a grassroots Deaf activist network in the US, which advocates for Deaf American rights, 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.

We want to express our discontent over the series of op-ed pieces the NY Times ran concerning Deaf education. The “debate” is not boiled down to Deaf Schools = manualism (sign language) and Mainstreaming = oral / aural only. Nope, life is much more complex than that. Some Deaf schools are oral / aural only, some are signed English, some are simultaneous-communication (Speaking with some signing), and a few are bilingual-bicultural (ASL + English). Programs offer clinical services in audition and articulation as deemed appropriate via the child’s IEP etc.

The true debate, which your series did not even touch upon, is really about whether or not oral / aural only is alright– ie whether or not the banishing of a natural and fully accessible language and the denial of a Deaf child’s natural visual acuity is acceptable in the 21st century. Four major international organizations have said – it is NOT o.k. to deny Deaf children access to a fully natural and accessible signed language (See the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), and the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) New Era and Accord for the Future 2010 Agreement).

The NY Times displayed blatant bias in their selection of writers for your five op-ed pieces. Of the five only one is Deaf. None of them appear to have had any experiences at Deaf schools – either as a student, teacher or administrator. All of them are well versed and experienced with the majority culture and highly and clearly value it.

The old “communication war” was set up to be a binary thing – Oralism Vs. Manualism but in actuality it was always Oralism vs. Bilingualism. Modality vs. multilingualism. To see the NY Times reinforce errors of the past while promoting some unhealthy and unacceptable myths about the “miracles” of future technology and the burden of “the Deaf” on taxpayers skates dangerously close to some of the rhetoric used to push for eugenics (positive and/or negative eugenics).

We request that in the future the NY Times commit to getting the full story and involve the actual byproducts of Deaf education and experts and scholars within the field of multilingualism-multiculturalism, Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf education, and Deaf rights.

As things presently stand though – instead of journalistic integrity examining Deaf Rights, the NY Times has on the record, many wrongs. We hope and trust you will correct such errors in the future.

Also, you should know that the op-ed piece by Perry Zirkel “What the Law Requires” you feature a photograph that is incorrectly captioned by the NYTimes to read “Members of the National Association of the Deaf demonstrated in Washington in July, calling for specific education for the deaf involving sign language and separate school facilities.” The fact is that the photo was taken at an Audism Free Rally in Washington, DC outside of the Omni Shoreham Hotel where the Alexander Graham Bell Association was hosting it’s Listening and Spoken Language Symposium. It was not an NAD event and we were not calling for separate school facilities at this rally.

If you would care to learn more about who we are and what we were protesting, rallying and hosting a vigil for, please feel free to contact us.

Patti Durr, Ruthie Jordan, and Karen Christie on Behalf of Audism Free America (AFA)

--
LET FREEDOM ROLL!!
AFA

NAD apologies to AFA

July 21-23, 2011 Audism Free America hosted rallies in front of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC to protest the Alexander Graham Bell Association and their Listening and Spoken Language Symposium.

On July 22 Friday at 7 pm there was a Vigil at the AG Bell Association headquarters - The Volta Laboratory and Bureau. During this vigil a few pieces of blue painters trim tape were placed over some words on the Volta Bureau plaque so that the words Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing could read as Alexander Graham Bell Association for the ... Hearing

Later that evening Sean Gerlis - National Association of the Deaf (NAD) designated representative for the AFA rally and the AFA meeting with the Dept of Education posted on facebook and tweeted:
“On behalf of Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Prez of NAD & myself, we NAD do not condone this behavior from @endaudism to desecrate AGB's building.”

July 23 Saturday morning AFA sent an email to NAD CEO Howard Rosenblum and
CCed Sean Gerlis and Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins explaining the incorrectness and inappropriateness of the term "descrate" and that no defacing took place. We also requested a public apology.

On the Evening of July 27 Wed we received an apology from Dr. Scoggins, NAD president, and we asked if we could share this reply with the public. In the evening of July 29 Fri we received a reply from Dr. Scoggins that it was fine to do so. Here is the NAD's reply below.

We look forward to future activism and advocacy as we work collectively to combat audism and ensure equality and justice.

Let Freedom Roll,
Audism Free America
-------

On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 7:24 PM, Bobbie Beth Scoggins wrote:

Hi cherished AFA Members,



This is to let you know that the NAD was pleased to be present at the rally, and to support your cause in principle. It is imperative that all deaf children grow up with and benefit from American Sign Language in their education, as well as in their social and identity development. We look forward to continuing the mutual advocating on this issue with you.



I sincerely apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from the unintended use of "desecration." We respect your right to express your freedom of speech, and ask that you respect the NAD and its position that we do not engage or participate in any activities that will affect the property of others.



Our mission, vision and values are strong and consistent with what you are trying to do. We hope that both the AFA and the NAD can move forward with our collective work to advocate for all deaf children and their right to acquisition of American Sign Language.



Thank you,
Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President

AFA's Immediate Release re: ICED's Historic Announcement

http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AudismFreeAmerica@gmail.com

Historic Announcement Rejecting the Exclusion of Sign Language in Deaf Education

On July 19, 2010, the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) made important history by rejecting their resolutions from 1880 that banned the use of Sign Language in education for Deaf children and promoted the exclusive use of speech and residual hearing called Oralism. ICED also apologized for the detrimental effects that Oralism has had on the Deaf population for 130 years.

The infamous resolutions from 1880 have been described by many scholars and historians as an attempt at linguistic and cultural genocide as as well as a systematic effort to institutionalize audism, the belief that to hear and speak is superior to being Deaf.

The Congress organizers in conjunction with the British Columbia Deaf Community released at the opening ceremony, their “A New Era: Deaf Participation and Collaboration” which:

• Rejected all ICED Milan 1880 Congress resolutions passed that denied the inclusion of Sign Language in educational programs for Deaf students
• acknowledged and sincerely regretted the detrimental effects of the ICED Milan Congress,
• and called upon all Nations to ensure that educational programs for the Deaf accept and respect all languages.


According to the ICED 2010 press release, “The audience, both Deaf and hearing, spontaneously responded with an outpouring of emotion and a standing ovation.”

Audism Free America (AFA) joins with the Deaf community world-wide in the celebration of this historic event and will remain vigilant of the rights of Deaf citizens. AFA is grassroots Deaf activist organization which advocates for Deaf American rights, cultural resurgence, and seeks primarily to challenge the ideological foundations of audism in America.


Additionally, in a letter to Audism Free America (AFA), Claire Anderson, ICED 2010 Chair wrote, “The impact and decision of the Milan (1880) Congress to ban Sign Language from schools for the Deaf has clearly had a marked affect on the education and indeed the lives of Deaf students. We can all agree that this decision was, quite simply, wrong. it polarized the field of Deaf Education, introduced a contra-productive dogma and limited free choices of individuals and organizations. More importantly from a human and social/emotional aspect, it has been devastating for many Deaf people, their families and the Deaf Community.”

The timing of the New Era document is particularly auspicious, as scholars and activists have noted the beginnings of another wave of Oralism severely impacting Deaf babies and children. Excessive marketing and mandating of assistive listening devices are often integral components of educational programs serving Deaf students today. The claims of reliability and effectiveness of devices such as cochlear implants are highly questionable. Cochlear implants and digital hearing technologies are often coupled with Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT), which effectively prohibits Sign Language. Governments at various levels have begun to utilize developments in genetic engineering and genetic study to implement the diagnosing, documenting, and tracking of Deaf infants genes and family genealogy in a push to deny Deaf people true equality of condition.

The New Era manifesto from ICED 2010 includes an Accord for the Future, which is signed by representatives of ICED, BC Deaf Community, Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) and World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), calls upon the Nations of the world to right past wrongs, guarantee all Deaf infants and children a right to natural and fully accessible language, and recognize the full human, cultural and linguistic rights of Deaf people. By actively partnering with Deaf people on this document, ICED reaffirmed its new commitment to ensuring equal involvement of Deaf people in their education and issues affecting future generations of Deaf people.

###
If you would like more information about Audism Free America please contact AudismFreeAmerica@gmail.com

AFA Vlog: Y E S we can - KUDOS

AFA wishes to recognize and congratulate some recent positive activism:
1. NAD for requesting the term "audism" be put into the dictionary
2. Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims ASADV and Deaf Abused Woman’s Network DAWN for writing letters opposing Cyberbullying within the Deaf community
3. Cochlear Implant Suits:
- Dept of Justice fines Cochlear Americas for kick backs
- FDA fines Advanced Bionics for faulty cochlear implants
4. AB 2072 activism - rallying and lobbying for positive and just legislation
Its wonderful to witness all of this growth as we all work for an audism free America.
http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/
Big hand waves to all of you for making a difference

AFA: AG Bell 3 Demands Revisited

Audism Free America would like to remind the AG Bell Association of our past demands and request that they revisit them in light of recent events.

In a July 29, 2009 letter to AFA from the AG Bell Association President Wyant and CEO Graham they stated:
"The AG Bell Board of Directors reviewed AFA's demands and voted unanimously to not meet the demands."

AFA's Three Demands and AG Bell's actions and inactions:
1. the AG Bell Association and Academy cease and desist from denying Deaf infants, children, and their families the right to a natural and fully accessible language.

While AG Bell's board unanimously voted to not meet this demands they did mention the AG Bell Association's Position Statement on American Sign Language which acknowledges that some Deaf people do use ASL.

Notice that this position statement was ratified by their board 2 weeks before the Deaf Bilingual Coalition conference and demonstration in Wisconsin in 2008.

2. the AG Bell Association cease and desist from misinforming the public and the media about ASL Deaf people. The AG Bell Association has not retracted its letter to Pepsi objecting to the commercial featuring ASL in a positive light and continually paints ASL Deaf people as unsuccessful and dependent.

AG Bell has NEVER apologized for this offensive letter to Pepsi. AG Bell must refrain from misrepresenting Deaf folks who use ASL as being dependent, isolated and unsuccessful.

3. the AG Bell Association cease and desist its incestuous relationship with cochlear implant manufacturers and join AFA in calling for an independent and impartial study of the physical, psychological, and social impact of cochlear implants on infants, children and adolescents.

The AG Bell Association continues to have very close ties with numerous cochlear implant companies including companies that have been sued for faulty and harmful products or for unethical actions. AG Bell has had Advanced Bionics and Cochlear Americas as their Circle Alliance partners for the past several years. Both companies have had to pay heavy penalties for unethical wrongdoings in the manufacturing and/or marketing of their cochlear implants.

A judge in Idaho has ruled that parents must make their Deaf daughter wear her bilateral implants all her waking hours regardless of whether or not they might be malfunctioning or causing her discomfort. Yet there has been no statement of opposition from the AG Bell association to this order.

AG Bell association has yet to sign the AFA petition calling for an independent and impartial investigating of the physical, psychological, and social impact of cochlear implants on infants, children and adolescents.

In addition to these three demands, we'd also like to know what your thought of the film Audism Unveiled, which we donated to you. Secondly, when will we be getting a copy of the CART transcript of the meeting we had with you and thirdly we'd like to to see you participate in the International Day of Sign Language this September since you now have a position statement on ASL.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Meeting with AG Bell Executive Director and April 3, 2009 Rally

BIG THANKS FOR ALL YOUR CONTACTS OF SUPPORT

OUR RALLY AT AG BELL HEADQUARTERS WILL BE ON APRIL 3, FRIDAY FROM 11 AM TO 9 PM
AFA PR WEB (vlog at bottom)

LETTER TO AG BELL ASSOC FOR A MEETING:

1. On March 3, Audism Free America (AFA) sent an email and hard copy letter (see bottom) to Alexander Graham, executive director of AG Bell association, and Jay Wyant, president of AG Bell Association, requesting a meeting on April 3, 2009 Friday in order to discuss our three demands face to face. (see letter)

2. We, AFA, did not get a response from AG Bell’s executive director, Alex Graham, until Friday March 13 (10 days after we sent our letter) and we only got the reply after repeated phone calls to AG Bell Association and an email check in. He replied that he could not meet with us on April 3rd as requested but could meet with us April 2 at 9 am. AFA has conflicts in our schedule on April 2nd but we have made ourselves available for April 2nd at 4 pm if April 3rd is still not doable for Mr. Graham. We have not received any response from president Wyant.

3. The same day AG Bell Executive Director Graham replied to our letter, AG Bell Association sent out an AG Bell Assoc. e-blast update to their members - (See bottom)

a. notice how they are still using media to misrepresent Deaf ASL people
b. notice how they pick and choose our demands to share with the public
c. notice how they say the purpose for telling AFA they can meet with us on April 2nd instead of April 3rd is to encourage a peaceful demonstration the next day and to clarify AG Bell's association’s mission of supporting families and individuals who choose listening and spoken language.

They are twisting things and trying to control the agenda.

4. We have already informed AG Bell, we are committed to peaceful activism and we know full well what their mission is. We are requesting the meeting to address our three demands in person.

5. We have sent the email reply below to Alex Graham’s March 13 (Friday) on March 16 , 2009 (Monday).

-----------

AG Bell Association's Update

Friday, March 13, 2009

In This Issue….

Group Plans Demonstration at AG Bell Headquarters

A number of our members have contacted AG Bell regarding a recent announcement of a planned demonstration at its national headquarters.

Last week, a newly formed group calling itself “Audism Free America” announced that it will be demonstrating outside of AG Bell’s national headquarters, also known as the Volta Bureau, in Washington, D.C.., on April 3, 2009. In a press release entitled, “Audism Free America Targets the Volta Bureau,” the group states its intent is to “call attention to the denial of linguistic and human rights of Deaf citizens and to highlight how the Volta Bureau/AG Bell Association has worked to perpetuate the denial of these rights.” The group claims that the Volta Bureau “houses a shameful history in the establishment and perpetuation of audism in the United States.”

Audism, as stated by this group, is “the assumption that behaving in ways of those who speak and hear is best and desired. Audism manifests itself as a stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice against Deaf culture, American Sign Language and Deaf people.”

In a letter from the group’s representative to AG Bell Executive Director Alexander T. Graham, Audism Free America demands that AG Bell “cease and desist from denying Deaf infants, children and their families the right to a natural and fully accessible language,” among other things. The group also contends in its letter that “oralism (oral/aural only methods) has been proven to be an abysmal failure, it is time for us to unite and work together to ensure the birthrights of Deaf infants and children and the human rights of all Deaf people who have suffered under your iron grip.”

The group also requested a meeting with AG Bell leadership to discuss its demands. On behalf of AG Bell, Graham agreed to meet with the group the day before the demonstration to encourage a peaceful demonstration and to clarify AG Bell’s mission of supporting families and individuals who choose listening and spoken language. “AG Bell’s primary concern is the safety of all those involved, including our staff who work at the Volta Bureau and the particpants in the demonstration,” stated Graham. “AG Bell recognizes that differing viewpoints exist within the deaf and hard of hearing communities and respects the rights of those viewpoints to be expressed in a positive and lawful manner.”

During the AG Bell Convention in Milwaukee last June, AG Bell President Jay Wyant conducted a lengthy on-camera interview with the now-leader of Audism Free America. The interview addressed many of the issues that continue to be raised by this and similar organizations. To see the interview, click here (captions were not provided). Also, in a further effort to clarify its position on ASL, the AG Bell Board of Directors issued an official position statement on American Sign Language. To read the full statement, click here. Any inquiries related to this event should be directed to AG Bell’s director of communications, Catherine Murphy.

------------------

Our original letter to AG Bell Executive Director A. Graham and President J. Wyant:

3 March 2009

Greetings President Wyandt and CEO Graham:

Audism Free America (AFA) is a grassroots Deaf activist organization in the US, which advocates for Deaf American rights, 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 is committed to:
1. human and linguistic rights of Deaf people
2. unmasking audism and media misrepresentation
3. advocating for future generations

Thus, we would like to request a meeting with you on April 3, 2009 when we are in the D.C. area. Our meeting is to clearly state our demands that:

1. the AG Bell Association and Academy cease and desist from denying Deaf infants, children, and their families the right to a natural and fully accessible language.

2. the AG Bell Association cease and desist from misinforming the public and the media about ASL Deaf people. The AG Bell Association has not retracted its letter to Pepsi objecting to the commercial featuring ASL in a positive light and continually paints ASL Deaf people as unsuccessful and dependent.

3. the AG Bell Association cease and desist its incestuous relationship with cochlear implant manufacturers and join AFA in calling for an independent and impartial study of the physical, psychological, and social impact of cochlear implants on infants, children and adolescents.

Indeed the AG Bell Association follows in the footsteps of your founder in trying to destroy the linguistic and human rights of Deaf people by EXCLUDING ASL from your services, programs and schools (except when legally mandated). A.G. Bell, the man, through publicized reports was an eugenicist, xenophobe, and audist along with recent reports that he was also thief and plagiarist (see D. Baynton, H. Lane, and S. Shulman as well as Bell’s own writings). Oralism (oral / aural only methods) has been proven to be an abysmal failure, it is time for us to unite and work together to ensure the birthrights of Deaf infants and children and the human rights of all Deaf people who have suffered under your iron grip.

We look forward to this meeting as an opportunity to present our demands to you in person and to address any questions you may have.

Please let us know the time and location that is best for you both to meet with us on April 3, 2009.

Let Freedom Roll,



Ruthie Jordan, Audism Free America
AudismFreeAmerica@gmail.com

-------------

Our reply to Mr. Graham after receiving his March 13 email reply (10 days after our letter above) saying he can not meet on April 3 but could do April 2 at 9 am.

Greetings Mr. Graham:

Thank you for your reply of March 13, 2009 – 10 Days after we sent our email to you. We regret that you have some conflicts on April 3. We are hoping that you will be able to change your schedule in order to meet with us on April 3 as we have a conflict on April 2.

The only possible time we could meet with you on April 2 would be at 4 pm. We also want to know if AG Bell Association President Jay Wyant will be joining us as well.

To clarify the purpose of our meeting is not to discuss the importance of a “peaceful demonstration and to clarify AG Bell’s mission of supporting families and individuals who choose listening and spoken language.” AFA is committed to non-violent, peaceful activism and we are VERY familiar with your mission as well as your position statement acknowledging the existence of ASL.

While we appreciate your spreading the word about our website, mission, the definition of audism, and our April 3rd rally to your members via your March 13 AG Bell update, we find it very interesting that this announcement stating that you have agreed to meet with us on April 2nd was composed before you even notified us and secured our agreement to the date and time you specified.

We look forward to establishing an agreed upon meeting date and time (April 2 Thur at 4 pm or April 3 Fri anytime between 9-4) so that you can keep your word and meet with us as you have informed your members you would be doing so.

Let Freedom Roll,

Ruthie Jordan, AFA

Our Three Demands:


1. the AG Bell Association and Academy cease and desist from denying Deaf infants, children, and their families the right to a natural and fully accessible language.

2. the AG Bell Association cease and desist from misinforming the public and the media about ASL Deaf people. The AG Bell Association has not retracted its letter to Pepsi objecting to the commercial featuring ASL in a positive light and continually paints ASL Deaf people as unsuccessful and dependent.

3. the AG Bell Association cease and desist its incestuous relationship with cochlear implant manufacturers and join AFA in calling for an independent and impartial study of the physical, psychological, and social impact of cochlear implants on infants, children and adolescents.