{"id":20294,"date":"2012-10-10T16:06:02","date_gmt":"2012-10-10T21:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=20294"},"modified":"2012-10-10T21:18:10","modified_gmt":"2012-10-11T02:18:10","slug":"dallas-area-deaf-advocate-fights-for-communication-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/10\/10\/dallas-area-deaf-advocate-fights-for-communication-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas-area deaf advocate fights for communication services"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dallas-area deaf advocate fights for communication services<\/strong><\/p>\n

Levi Coplen and Heather Bise work with Deaf Action Center colleague Eric Patterson on a video phone in Bise’s Dallas office. Bise and other advocates say many facilities aren’t following a federal law that requires equal access for the deaf and people who are hard of hearing.<\/p>\n

By SARAH MERVOSH Staff Writer smervosh@dallasnews.com<\/p>\n

Published: 06 October 2012<\/p>\n

The lights flicker in a community room at the Deaf Action Center in Dallas. The 50 or so deaf people in the audience turn their attention to Heather Bise. Her fingers crunch inward and burst outward as she launches into a presentation in sign language.<\/p>\n

She polls the audience. How many of them have been denied an interpreter at a doctor\u2019s appointment? About half raise their hands. Bise, who is also deaf, nods. She\u2019s fighting against this type of discrimination, called \u201caudism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen deaf people experience these challenges, many deaf people just take it,\u201d Bise says, hitting her chest as she signs. \u201cThat\u2019s going to bring the deaf community down. We have to fight for our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bise and other advocates for the deaf say many facilities aren\u2019t following a federal law that requires equal access for the deaf and people who are hard of hearing. Those who are deaf are left struggling to communicate in some of life\u2019s most crucial moments. Some hospitals, for example, expect deaf patients to read lips or write notes instead of providing a sign language interpreter.<\/p>\n

And Bise has noticed that audism has become more of a problem since the recession. Providing interpreting or real-time transcription services costs money, and many facilities don\u2019t want to pay. Increasingly, deaf people have had to fight for the rights they\u2019re entitled to by law.<\/p>\n

Deaf culture<\/p>\n

Bise is among the estimated 840,000 Texans who are deaf or hard of hearing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.<\/p>\n

She was born with a hearing loss and didn\u2019t learn to sign until adulthood. As a child, she used a hearing aid, learned to speak English and attended mainstream schools. But she struggled with academics and got in trouble with teachers because she couldn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n

At the University of North Texas, large lecture halls made reading her professors\u2019 lips nearly impossible. Bise grew frustrated. She thought about quitting school. When the college referred her to the office of disabilities, she balked at the handicap sticker on the wall. \u201cThat\u2019s not me,\u201d she thought.<\/p>\n

But when she saw how well two students communicated while signing, she realized she wanted to learn. She became fluent in American Sign Language \u2014 a language she prefers over English. \u201cI found my way into the deaf world, and I found my happy spot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In deaf culture, deafness is seen not as a disability but as a source of pride. Bise, 33, is engaged to a deaf man. She attends a deaf church. She understands the nuances of deaf culture \u2014 that widening her eyes and leaning forward shows concern; that deaf people highly value acquiring information from one another because they can\u2019t always get it from television, radio or other sources that serve the hearing world.<\/p>\n

Bise knows she may have deaf children one day. And she loves the idea. But she worries about their future: \u201cAre they going to be taken advantage of?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fighting for change<\/p>\n

As a deafness resource specialist at the Deaf Action Center, Bise sees about 80 clients a month to resolve discrimination complaints. She acts as a mediator between the deaf and hearing worlds \u2014 listening to clients\u2019 needs and advocating on their behalf.<\/p>\n

Bise assists domestic violence victims when police choose to use the batterer as the interpreter. She gets calls about courts that want to use a child to interpret for deaf parents. She explains to doctors that writing notes won\u2019t work because deaf people often prefer signing to English, which they consider a second language.<\/p>\n

Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, sees this resistance nationally. Doctors and lawyers are often most reluctant, he said, but the problem pervades all fields. \u201cMany service providers [think] it is not mandatory or worthwhile to provide such communication access,\u201d Rosenblum said.<\/p>\n

But providing services is mandatory under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The law says facilities that serve the public cannot discriminate because of a disability and must provide reasonable accommodations. For public places such as hospitals or courtrooms, that can mean paying for the appropriate communication services.<\/p>\n

Reluctance to provide them often stems from financial concerns. Before the economy took a turn for the worse, Bise filed about one complaint each month. Now, she files five times as many. \u201cIt boils down to money,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But can economic issues trump the law? Audism may help explain the \u201ctremendous pushback\u201d Bise encounters.<\/p>\n

Some deaf people wonder why they are expected to pay for their interpreters, when those who use wheelchairs are not expected to bring their own elevators. Federal law requires equal access for both groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cA deaf person without access to the full services of the hospital is being denied just as someone in a wheelchair without a ramp,\u201d said Dirksen Bauman, professor at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing.<\/p>\n

And with today\u2019s technology, sign language interpreters can be on hand through video relay services. \u201cThere is less and less an excuse of availability,\u201d Bauman said.<\/p>\n

Bise has taken it upon herself to combat audism. She speaks perfect English but uses sign language to advocate for clients. And she chooses to order her nonfat caramel latte at Starbucks by typing on her iPhone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my teachable moment,\u201d Bise said. \u201cIf I go in and use my voice, who learns anything from that?\u201d<\/p>\n

More information on resources for the deaf:<\/p>\n

The Deaf Action Center serves the deaf and hard of hearing in Dallas. For more information, dial 214-521-0407 using a telephone or dial 214-377-1898 using a video phone. For contact information for locations in Fort Worth and Wichita Falls, visit http:\/\/www.dactexas.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The National Association of the Deaf is a nonprofit organization that empowers deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the country. For more information, visit http:\/\/www.nad.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/community-news\/dallas\/headlines\/20121006-deaf-advocate-fights-to-bring-equality-in-dallas-area.ece<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dallas-area deaf advocate fights for communication services Levi Coplen and Heather Bise work with Deaf Action Center colleague Eric Patterson on a video phone in Bise’s Dallas office. Bise and other advocates say many facilities aren’t following a federal law…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[1629,23,7945,881,19,15257,15394,24,451,15398,169,3287,24388,15399,5138,10199,2734,8014,40,1232,15395,15401,100,630,15397,15396,191,861,17,15400,3874],"class_list":["post-20294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-asl","tag-audism","tag-dac","tag-dallas-dfw","tag-dallas-news","tag-dallas-tx","tag-deaf","tag-deaf-action-center","tag-deaf-advocate","tag-deaf-culture","tag-deaf-rights","tag-dfw","tag-discrimation","tag-equal-access","tag-eric-patterson","tag-heather-bise","tag-howard-rosenblum","tag-interpreter","tag-iphone","tag-levi-coplen","tag-mediator","tag-nad","tag-national-association-of-the-deaf","tag-october-6","tag-sarah-mervosh","tag-sign-language","tag-starbucks","tag-texas","tag-u-s-census-bureau","tag-university-of-north-texas"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-5hk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16500,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/11\/03\/can%e2%80%99t-get-a-drivers-license-or-into-drivers-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":20294,"position":0},"title":"Can\u2019t get a Drivers License or into Drivers Education?","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Can\u2019t get a Drivers License or into Drivers Education? 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