By Terry Morrell, Director of the Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late-Deafened (DDHHLD)
It’s hard to believe that it’s May already, and I’m sure we’re all ready for spring. The Division is busy working on several initiatives. One is the Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRP) project.
This CRP project is in place to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities by using financial and personnel resources more efficiently. One subcommittee focuses on helping CRPs provide accessible services to those who are Deaf. One of the recommendations of this subcommittee is to increase the number of qualified Employment Specialists who are knowledgeable about Deaf culture and able to provide job development and job coaching services using American Sign Language (ASL).The project will be rolling out a number of initiatives throughout this spring and summer.To learn more, visit this website http://www.maine.gov/rehab/crp/index.shtml.
I’ve been visiting all of Maine’s CareerCenters to provide trainings about hearing loss and its impact on people who may be accessing Career Center services.
The Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened (DDHHLD) has been working closely with Eric Dibner, the State of Maine’s American Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Coordinator, on how to install videophones (VPs) in prisons, as well as how best to provide education to prisons and the court system [See Effective Communication for State Programs]. We have also been advocating to have the Governor’s State of the State speech closed-captioned on television. We have explored the option of having an ASL interpreter on the bottom of the screen as well. Next year we will continue our efforts by working with the Clerk of the House regarding the importance for Deaf viewers of showing the interpreter on-screen.
We are pleased to announce the hiring of a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (RCDHH) to fill the Lewiston position. John Post started on April 16, 2013.
The next Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened meeting is on June 13, 2013, and I invite you to attend. It will take place at the Department of Labor (DOL) office in Augusta in the Frances Perkins conference room (45 Commerce Drive). Commission meetings are open to the public.
Happy spring!
Welcome John Post, Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Vocational Rehabilitation is pleased to announce that we have hired John Post as a Rehabilitation Counselor for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He is working out of the Lewiston office. John is a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, and received his B.A. in Social Work. He recently served as a case manager at Community Counseling Center in Portland. John started with the division on April 16, and we look forward to working with him! John can be reached through email at John.I.Post@maine.gov or videophone 207-514-0183.Welcome, John!
"Independence Without Fear"
Participants at the Independence Without Fear Deaf-Blind/Dual Sensory Loss Awareness Day in the Hall of Flags.
Volunteer Program for Maine Deaf-Blind/Dual Sensory Impaired Consumers & Support Service Providers (SSP) Now Available
On February 19, 2013, the Iris Network organized a Deaf-Blind/Dual Sensory Loss Awareness event for the public at the Hall of Flags in the State House. Several Deaf-Blind/Dual Sensory Loss consumers attended the event, along with the Iris Network, the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened, the University of Southern Maine Linguistics Department, the Helen Keller National Center, the Maine Center on Deafness, Catholic Charities, and several trained SSP/interpreters.
This program’s mission is to recruit, train and maintain a database of specially trained volunteers who can facilitate communication for people with significant vision and hearing impairments.
Anyone needing service or interested in becoming a Support Service Provider volunteer should contact Amber Mooney at the Iris Network, 189 Park Avenue, Portland, ME 04102, (207) 774-6273.
Maine Deaf Blind Equipment Distribution Program (MDBEDP)
On November 9, 2012, the Maine Center on Deafness (MCD) launched the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) for the state of Maine. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established a federal equipment distribution program for each state.
The program will provide communication access to Deaf-Blind individuals by distributing equipment that will be used for telecommunications service, Internet-access service, and advanced communications. Each state has a mandate to create or find an existing organization for this program.For the state of Maine, that organization is the Maine Center on Deafness. The contact information is:
Attn: Erin Sprinkle Deaf-Blind Equipment Program Coordinator Maine Center on Deafness 68 Bishop Street, Suite 3 Portland, ME 04103 207-797-7656 V/TTY 207-766-7111 VP 207-797-9791 FAX esprinkle@mcdmaine.org
Program Outline:If you or someone you know is a Maine resident with hearing loss as well as vision loss, you may qualify for the NDBEDP. In order to find out if you are eligible, you can contact MCD and ask for Erin Sprinkle, Deaf-Blind Equipment Program Coordinator. Qualification is established through an application process which requires proof of annual income and verification of disability by a qualified professional.
After eligibility is established, an in-home/at-work assessment of need may be conducted to ensure that we find the appropriate equipment match to achieve successful communication.
Applications are available in large print, Braille, and electronic formats. If you need assistance filling out the application, please contact Erin Sprinkle at MCD and accommodations will be made.
Income guidelines for the NDBEDP:
Size of Family Income Limit (400% of poverty level)
$44,680
$60,520
$76,360
$92,200
$108,040
$123,880
$139,720
$155,560
Persons who can verify disability for the applicant:
Audiologists.
Community-based service provider.
Educator.
Helen Keller National Center Deaf-Blind registry.
Medical/Health professional.
Faculty of a school for the deaf or blind.
Speech pathologist.
Vision or hearing specialist or professional.
Vocational rehabilitation counselor.
Assistive technology specialist.
Equipment that may be received through NDBEDP includes, but is not limited to:Laptop or desktop computers.
Laptop or desktop computers.
iPads or other tablets.
Computer software (i.e. screen reader software, text zooming software).
Optical character recognition (OCR) devices.
Computer accessories including specialized keyboards, speakers, microphones, and mice.
Braille communicators.
Amplified telephones and cellular phones.
Help MCD spread the word about this program.MCD encourages you to pass this information along to any person or organization that may benefit. Many people who do not self-identify as Deaf-Blind may actually qualify based on the combination of their vision and hearing loss. It is truly a terrific opportunity afforded to those Maine residents that could improve their quality of life through advanced communications equipment.
Effective Communication for State Programs
By Eric Dibner, American Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Coordinator
The State ADA Accessibility Coordinator and DDHHLD have been advocating with several agencies to improve their accessibility so deaf and hard-of-hearing persons have effective communication.
We met with ADA staff at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to find solutions for when a deaf person comes to DHHS and no interpreter is available. One proposal is to develop Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) capability using computers or other video-calling equipment. Challenges are finding ways to keep the conversation confidential, training appropriate staff, and setting up equipment.Of course, whenever possible, an in-person interpreter will always be made available.
DHHS has successfully changed their Crisis Line (888-568-1112) so that it is now possible for people using videophones (VPs) to make a call during a mental health crisis and have it answered by a responsive agency.Previously, VP calls were blocked by the toll-free system, which now has been opened.
We have met with Department of Corrections staff with the goal of ensuring prisoners and visitors have access to communication devices equal to what hearing persons have for placing calls. If someone needs a VP, the Department currently does not have one, and TTYs are not always easily made available. (To our knowledge, there are not currently any prisoners who are deaf and who use sign language.) The Department of Corrections is reviewing its policies and practices for improvement, and we will continue to provide them assistance.
We also have had discussions with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and their Access to Justice Coordinator, Hanna Sanders. The State’s court system (Superior and District courts) has a strong policy framework and aggressively works to ensure that participants in their system have effective communication. Sanders stressed the importance of further training, especially for attorneys. She also said that the AOC will review the video shown to prisoners before they go to an arraignment. The video explains the arraignment process, which is a pre-trial hearing before a judge, but the video does not have captions. Note, municipal and probate courts fall under a separate system than the AOC.
Maine Public Broadcast Network (MPBN) has begun a program called Maine Capitol Connection, which broadcasts live coverage of Legislative hearings and committee work sessions.Initially, the program has not been captioned, so deaf viewers are denied access to the proceedings. MPBN is considering whether the program is of value and how they could caption it cost-effectively.Give them a call at the “closed captioning hotline” at (800) 884-1717 if you think this is a program you would like captioned.
Update on 9-1-1 Accessibility
By Maria P. Jacques, ENP, Director, Emergency Services Communication Bureau
The Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), through its Emergency Services Communication Bureau (ESCB), administers the statewide 9-1-1 system.We take pride in providing this life-saving service to all residents and visitors to our state.This includes those who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired.
Although the 9-1-1 equipment at Maine’s Public Safety Answering Points complies with current ADA requirements and has integrated TTY capability, we recognized that members of this community are abandoning the use of TTYs for such new technologies as text messaging that allow them more flexibility to communicate. This shift creates a challenge for those of us providing emergency assistance because text to 9-1-1 service is not yet available.
Last year, Paul Reitchel, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Representative to the Enhanced 9-1-1 Advisory Council, requested that the ESCBimplement texting to 9-1-1.At that time, we understood a decision on an interim text solution order was due from the FCC within a few months and hoped to implement that solution aggressively once announced.To date, we are still awaiting an order that outlines a path forward.
Still, progress toward a text to 9-1-1 solution is being made both nationally and here in Maine. First, in early December 2012, the four largest wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint-Nextel, filed a voluntary commitment with the FCC to make text-to 9-1-1 available to their customers by May 2014, and to provide automatic bounce-back messages across their networks by June 30, 2013. (Bounce back messages send a return message to a person who attempts to text 9-1-1 in area where the service is not available.) The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the FCC later that same month modeled much of its proposed rules after this agreement. That rule making is underway.
In the meantime, the MPUC has teamed up with Verizon Wireless and the Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS) to implement a first-in-the-nation 9-1-1 text-to-TTY service that should be available in the very near future. This interim solution will allow Verizon Wireless customers only[i] to text to 9-1-1 from anywhere in Maine and have their message delivered to one of two DPS Public Safety Answering Points on its TTY equipment. The PSAP will be able to converse, using text messaging, with the person making the 9-1-1 call. Although the full-featured text-to 9-1-1 solution will not be available until industry standards are developed and NG9-1-1 is deployed, this is certainly an exciting breakthrough. We’ll make every effort to reach out to you once this service is available, so stay tuned!
i. The nature of wireless services requires us to work with each carrier individually but we are committed to continue to find opportunities to work with other carriers to make text to 9-1-1 more available as soon as possible.
In Memory of Dorothy (Cleaves) Rodgers Jordan
FREEPORT—Dorothy (Cleaves) Rodgers Jordan passed away on December 4, 2012, at Maine Medical Center after a brief illness. She was born on June 4, 1925, in Portland, to Mary Stearns and Robert E. Cleaves, Jr. She attended the Maine School for the Deaf, then public schools, graduating from Deering High School in 1943. She received her BA degree from Colby College in 1947.
She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Maine Association of the Deaf, and Maine Deaf Senior Citizens. She served on the boards of the State Deaf Advisory Committee and the Maine Center on Deafness. A resident of Belfast for thirty-eight years, she moved to Portland on her retirement and married Clay C. Jordan. They lived in Scarborough and then moved to the Woods at Canco in Portland. From July 2011 until September 2012, she lived with her son Robert in Freeport, and, from September 2012 until her death, she was a resident at Hawthorne House in Freeport.
Jordan was employed as the head cook in the Belfast public school system for eleven years and then at Penobscot Bay Medical Center Pharmacy in Rockport as a Hyperal Admixture Technician. In Portland, she worked for eight years for Goodwill Industries as a direct care giver at Caron House, a home for deaf adults with psychiatric disabilities.
She was predeceased by her first husband, Clifton Rodgers in 1984; her eldest son, Scott Rodgers in 1990; her sister, Bernice Lovejoy of Centennial, Colo., and her brother, Robert Cleaves III of Cumberland Foreside. She lost her second husband, Clay C. Jordan, in May, 2006.
Jordan is survived by her son and his wife, Robert and Simone Rodgers of Freeport; a step-son, Kenyon Jordan and his wife Therese of Colorado Springs, Colo., and a step-daughter, Deborah Nelson and her husband Peter of Westbrook. Her grandchildren are Scott’s children: Dr. Amy and her husband Robert Dudley of Saco, Kristin Rodgers in Seattle, and Jonathan Rodgers and his wife Danielle in Massachusetts.She also had three great-grandchildren; step-grandchildren, Travers and Rioux Jordan of Colorado Springs and Dr. Michael Mahoney of Sacramento, Calif.; sister-in-law, Helen Cleaves of Cumberland Foreside; and many nieces and nephews.
At her request, there was no funeral. Her cremated remains were interred beside her first husband, Clifton, in Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland at a private service.
If desired, memorial contributions may be made to: Maine Association of the Deaf Care of Bonnie Snow 126 Orchard Road Sebago, Maine 04029
or to
Maine Deaf Senior Citizens Care of Millbrook Estate 300 East Bridge Street Westbrook, Maine 04092
Welcome John Dunleavy to the Maine Center on Deafness (MCD)!
John has vast experience in providing services and adult education to Deaf adults and is a techno-geek who can ably manage MCD’s media outreach. He will be taking over the E-Vents listing, posting to MCD’s Facebook page, and the website.
John will also be taking the lead on ASL News sessions in Augusta and Bangor, Peer Support Group activities, and Scribe services (by appointment and walk-in as available) to help people understand bills and letters.
Meet Romy Spitz
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a native Southern Californian transplanted to Maine and loving almost every minute of it…except raking fall leaves….too many slimy bugs in the leaf pile.I grew up in a large, very active (hearing) family with very high expectations and I love being busy and have never been bored in my life.
Where do you work?
Ha! It depends which job you are talking about.I work full time as a consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on deafness and what we call “non-traditional” communication, which includes visual gestural (VG) communication, American Sign Language (ASL) and folks who use some speech and some signs and some other forms of communication such as communication apps on the iPad. I teach neurolinguistics (how your brain makes language happen) for the University of Southern Maine (USM) and have a private practice as a communication assessor for those children and adults who sign or could learn to sign or use VG. As I said, I’m never bored.
How do you do your job?
In all my jobs I do a combination of assessment which is basically problem solving, advocacy for communication rights, and program creation and coordination to ensure that people have the opportunity for improved communication. I am in full agreement with TASH (formerly known as the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps)—communication is the one right through which we ensure that we get all of our other rights, and is therefore a basic human right. If you believe this, it stands to reason that deaf and hearing people who use VG or limited ASL should have access to therapies and programs to promote their communication abilities in order to ensure their ability to self-determine (make choices about) their lives. I’ll never get rich doing this, but I’ll be happy.
What population do you work with?
Honestly, I don’t think in terms of populations. I wouldn’t want people to think about me in terms of a population. What would you label me as--deaf, hard of hearing, short, fat, someone with Klippel-Feil, a politics junkie? I just think in terms of people and what challenges I can help them overcome. My work at DHHS right now includes people with intellectual disability, autism, traumatic brain injury (TBI); in my other jobs, I work with infants/toddlers, youth, young adults, and even older adults who need communication assistance regardless of why they need assistance. We need to stop thinking about labels and just see people as people.
What are some of your successes?
They aren’t my successes, they are ours. Maine is the first state that has included visual gestural and sign language communication assessment and therapy into its Medicaid services.It started with the adult intellectual disability waiver and is now spreading to include other waivers. That is something to be proud of!Maine is also probably the only state that has included iPad and Android technology into its defined covered services under Waiver.So at least for vulnerable populations, we have expanded the scope of communication therapies to include signing and gesturing and given them the ability to purchase other non-traditional communication tools.
What are some of your challenges?
Schools remain stubborn against similar access to sign and gesture assessment and therapy for most children. Honestly, if we could remediate the kids’ language and communication skills, we have a much better chance of educating them so that they can be even more productive as adults. No one should have to struggle to communicate. As for personal challenges, I think everyone would agree it is my complete lack of patience with staying with the status quo, sticking with traditional practices and tolerating the power and turf wars that keep us deaf and hard-of-hearing people from moving forward.
What would you like to see happen for those with whom you work?
That they all—we all—live happier, healthier, more productive and fulfilling lives. That we all stop thinking of “we’ve always” and “I can’t” and start thinking of “how we could.”Sometimes it’s not a matter of money, but of mindset.
Is there anything you feel is important to mention?
I’ve had an amazing run here in Maine in this very non-traditional job, I hope it continues, and I thank everyone who has been part of the journey.
In today’s economy many areseeking alternate means to arriveat the desired end.The costof new hearing aids is driving anincreasing number of individuals toseek programs that offer refurbishedhearing aids since they cost less thannew ones.But are used hearing aidssafe for other wearers?On October29, 2012 www.healthyhearing.comexplored this growing concern.
This is a great question regardingused hearing aids.There are twothings to consider when determining ifused hearing aids can be reused foranother person: the physical fit of thehearing aids and the prescription orsound settings of the hearing aids.
Let’s start with the fit. There are twobasic styles of hearing aids: custom andbehind-the-ear hearing aids. Customhearing aids are made specificallyto fit a person’s outer ear.Because ofthe custom fit, this style of hearingaid unfortunately cannot be worn byanother person as it would likely eitherfall out or cause discomfort.
Behind-the-ear hearing aids aremore of a universal fit. When coupledto a new custom ear mold or ear tipfor open-fit-hearing aids, they can beworn by others if the hearing aids areappropriate for the hearing loss. That’swhere the prescription comes in.
Buying or Wearing Used Hearing Aids:
The first step is to determine ifthe behind-the-ear hearing aid isappropriate for your hearing loss.To determine this you will need tocontact your hearing professional.The professional then will examinethe prescription of the hearing aids,the amount of amplification andadjustment possible and compare it toyour hearing test results to determineif the hearing aids are appropriate foryour hearing loss.
Second you will want to have thehearing aids inspected and tested byan audiologist or hearing aid dispenserto ensure they are still in good workingorder.If necessary they may needto be sent to the manufacturer fora thorough cleaning and/or repair.This may require a professional fee ormanufacturer charge.
Lastly once the used hearing aids have been determined to be working and are appropriate for you, the audiologist or hearing aid dispenser will need to program them specifically for your hearing loss.This fine tuning may take more than one session in order to meet your hearing and lifestyle needs.Although you may have received the used hearing aids for free or purchased them for a low-cost, you will be required to pay a fitting fee(s) to the hearing aid professional.
In Memory of James Levier
June 23, 1940 - March 16, 2001
You are missed.
Pictured: James Levier memorial granite bench on Mackworth Island
Resources - A Guide to Services for People Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened
Updated guides are available. To obtain the current issue, contact Nancy Melanson or view the guide online at the website address below.
Nancy Melanson Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened 150 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 623-7958 (V) 623-7998 (TTY) 207-470-7668 (VP) Email: Nancy.A.Melanson@Maine.Gov
Joe Roquebecil, Deaf Counselor - 207-221-5526 (VP)
Sitara Sheikh, Deaf Counselor - 207-226-7271 (VP)
Do you have a pair of hearing aids in a drawer?
Want to put them to good use? Mail them to the Penobscot Community Health Center/Warren Center. We will fix them and pass them along to an individual in need.
Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC)/Warren Center P.O. Box 439 Bangor, Maine 04401.
The Telecommunications Equipment Program (TEP)provides adaptive no-cost and low-cost telecommunications equipment to Maine residents who cannot use a regular telephone due to ANY sensory, intellectual or physical disability.
The Civil Rights Program at the Maine Center on Deafness (MCD) promotes the rights of D/deaf, late-deafened and hard-of-hearing people throughout the state. MCD advocates for D/deaf, late-deafened and hard-of-hearing individuals whose civil rights related to hearing loss have been violated in employment; housing; federal, state or local government programs; education; or public accommodation situations.
CapTel 800i / 840i Customers: New FCC-Required Changes
Changes for CapTel 800i / CapTel 840i Users A recent ruling by the FCC requires changes in the way that all IP-based captioned telephones work. Effective March 7, 2013, you will need to press the CAPTIONS button to turn captions on at the start of every call. The captions will no longer come on automatically. When people call you, you will need to turn captions on by pressing the CAPTIONS button on in order to see captions of the call. The CAPTIONS button will turn off again every time you hang up the handset.
Why does the FCC require these changes? The FCC is working to protect the TRS Fund, which pays for captioning services under the Americans with Disabilities Act, from people accidentally receiving captions on a call even if they are not needed. The FCC is concerned that people who do not need the Captioning Service may accidentally be getting captions during their calls, because the captions have appeared automatically. By asking users turn captions on before each call, the FCC believes it will reduce the chance of people accidentally using the captioning service if they do not need it, thereby protecting the funds for people who really do need captions.
I use CapTel 800i/840i - How does this affect me? If you use CapTel 840i or CapTel 800i, you will need to press the CAPTIONS button before every call in order to receive captions. When people call you, you will need to press the CAPTIONS button as you pick up the handset or at any time during their call in order to see captions.
I use CapTel 800/840 - How does this affect me? If you use CapTel 800 or CapTel 840, these changes do NOT affect you. Your CapTel 800 / CapTel 840 will continue to work as it always has.
How will I get captions on my calls? At the start of every call, press the CAPTIONS button first to turn captions on. If you begin a conversation and notice the captions are not on, simply press the CAPTIONS button. Your CapTel Phone will connect to the captioning service and you will begin receiving captions of the call. Here are complete step-by-step instructions for making a call with captions and answering a call with captions.
Will I still get captions on my answering machine messages? Your CapTel 840i will still record voice answering machine messages. If you need captions of your answering machine messages, press the Captions button while playing back your messages. Your CapTel 840i phone will connect to the captioning service and you will receive captions of the message. Here are complete step-by-step instructions for getting captions on your answering machine messages.
Do I have to press the CAPTIONS button at the start of a call? You can press the CAPTIONS button at any time during a call to turn the captions on. Captions will begin appearing once you turn the captions feature on. The red light around the CAPTIONS button will glow to let you know when captions are turned on.
Can I go back to having captions turn on automatically like they always have? Unfortunately, no. The FCC ruling requires that all IP-based captioned telephones must have the user turn captions on for each and every call.
We recognize that the new FCC rules regarding captions OFF may cause considerable inconvenience for some CapTel users. We deeply regret any inconvenience and want you to know that we believe the FCC is acting in good faith to do its duty to protect the funds that pay for IP CapTel service. We are committed to working with CapTel users and with the FCC to further consider the new rules so that CapTel users will have the most enjoyable and functionally-equivalent telephone service possible.
About Us
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services - Carolyn R. Lockwood, Director
Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened
The Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Late Deafened provides a program of services to Deaf, hard-of-hearing and late-deafened people in Maine, which includes information and referral, advocacy, and accessibility promotion.
The Maine Department of Labor provides equal opportunity in employment and programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.