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on the spot:

FEEDBACK FRIDAY

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I wish John Lee Clark's essay, "Does Disability Really Need to Be Fixed?", could be published in journals subscribed to primarily by hearing and sighted individual. I will not elaborate on the number of times people have considered me "crazy" for implying what you said so eloquently. I have yet to meet a hearing person who did not think deafness should be fixed if at all possible, and that those qualifying for a cochlear implant must be retarded or sick not to jump at the opportunity to be "normal."

Anyway, good job! Thanks.

Ruth Silver

John Lee Clark responds:

Then you will be pleased to know that the essay was first published in The Star Tribune, Minnesota's leading newspaper. So a lot of hearing and sighted people did get to read it, and it did cause quite a stir. Thank you for your kind words and sharing your experiences!

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I saw Adrean Clark's cartoon with the panic button. Some interpreters stay in panic mode. I think having an easy button (like the Staples commercial) would be a great thing for an interpreter to have. So when someone starts talking about geothermal radiation or some other beyond-understanding verbage, having an easy button would be a very nice thing to have!

Good work!

Jane McCann

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Please Join Clerc Scar in Supporting This Petition!

We, the members and friends of the American Association of the Deaf-Blind, were shocked and heartbroken when Arthur Roehrig, on his last day as president (Tuesday, June 30, 2009), announced that the board had voted two months earlier to postpone the next conference to 2013. This means seven years of no conference. We find this unacceptable.

In his letter, the president explained that AADB did not have enough money for a conference. That is not true. AADB DOES have the money, but the board decided to use it to maintain AADB Office staff and expenses, which total around $300,000. Most of this money comes from a fund AADB had for many years, that was used solely for conferences. We ask the board of AADB to use this fund for conferences again. Ever since the expansion of AADB Office affected our conferences, members have made it clear on many occasions that we want the deaf-blind community's most important cultural touchstone back: the conferences.

In the same letter, the president mentioned that the host organization for the next conference had found a hotel available for 2011. The hotel requires a $25,000 deposit. The host organization even raised $10,000 on its own. That left $15,000. But the board decided to postpone the conference with the hope that the host organization would raise more money.

We are disappointed that the board did not make cuts to the already overpriced and ineffective AADB Office and transfer $15,000 to the hotel to complete the deposit.

We affirm that the conferences are of utmost importance to the deaf-blind community. We ask the board to get the next conference back on track for 2011. We request that the board transfer $15,000 to complete the hotel deposit by the end of July. Failure to do so will result in the members among the undersigned withdrawing our memberships and requesting refunds, followed by other acts of protest by members and our allies.

Members and non-members, deaf-blind and others, all are welcome to support our cause. If you would like to sign this petition, email your name and city to ipo56@aol.com by July 10. The leaders of this petition will submit it to the board of AADB on that day.

Thank you for your support!

Petition Leaders

Melanie Bond Bay City, Michigan

John Lee Clark St. Paul, Minnesota

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