ASL and Deaf training for Police in Denver

I was pleased to read the article presented in an internet newsletter today that I had to ask permission from Lorrie Kosinski, who is a certified sign language interpreter for Denver Commision for People with Disabilities to reprint her article here. I feel this is an excellent example why police CAN be trained to work with the Deaf community! We only need to have motivated deaf instructors (in this article, Bonita Adair and Tammy Rydstrom) and agencies (the Denver Commission, the Denver Police Academy, ASL Essence and DOVE) determined to educate the law enforcement about the Deaf community and how to communicate with them. Other states CAN do that as well, if they have eager deaf teachers and agencies willing to work with each other! Here is Lorrie's article:

Denver City Employees & Police are Learning Sign Language
Denver City employees are excited about learning sign language and being able to interact directly with Deaf people who may come into their office. The Denver Commission for People with Disabilities has once again been offering American Sign Language (ASL) I-III classes which will run through May 23. Participants are learning basic signs, the ABC’s, and a little bit about the Deaf person’s world.

The Denver Commission, in conjunction with the Denver Police Academy, is also offering ASL I, II, and III classes for police officers, April-June, 2007. These classes focus on terminology and protocol for communicating with people who are Deaf within the law enforcement setting, and offer CEUs to officers taking the classes.

Big thanks to Bonita Adaire, a certified sign language instructor who is Deaf, for teaching all of the classes for City employees and Denver Police officers. Bonita runs her own business, ASL Essence, and has been teaching sign language classes for the City of Denver for the past four years. Prior to Bonita, several other dedicated members of the Deaf community have given of their time to teach the sign language classes.

Thank you also to Tammy Rydstrom of Dove for presenting to the officers during our ASL II class, and to the many Deaf people who have taken the time to meet the ASL participants through the City classes. Your involvement is so valuable to the City of Denver in helping it to become more accessible to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

Now this is not a one-time occurance! This is on-going for 3 years (from my knowledge but could be more than 3 years.) You see, it proves that if agencies and individuals are VERY determined, the law enforcement CAN learn to work with Deaf community!

Missions, Bays and graduate school, oh my!

Have been busy so far in California! Had gone to Morro Bay, Cambria, Elephant Seal Vista. I cannot describe what I have seen of the seals. So many seals! A lot of seals starting to molt, so it's very much seeing st. bernard dogs having chunks of fur missing, crumps of overgrown matted hair here and there! I saw a couple of male elephant seals fighting so it was very much a boxing fight! I could see far into the ocean but not the ocean horizon due to fog. Morro Bay was quite nifty. I am going kayaking there next week, so it should be interesting. Yes I had kayaked in a river before but in a bay, never had done! At this time, I'm trying to figure how to put pictures here- I forgot again. I'm using my laptop so I don't have the program in which I could transfer pictures to internet to edit into the article. Sorry! One of you'd have to feel sorry and send me the program again. *crackle*
I also saw two missions today. No, no, not "Mission Impossible" things! It's Spanish 'churches' from when Spain owned California and other states before they were even named or even owned by United States! They were very impressive to the point that I could see how important they were for the Spanish community back then, a day's journey between each mission. They represented "civilization" as well as a stable routine where one could have expected assistance with birth baptisms, weddings, funerals, last rites, politics, history, education and even teaching how to raise crops. The missions I went, had raised olives, grapes (one mission still have the original grape tree from 1779), avocades, etc. I may not be a christian but I can see how the missions were very important back then.

Oh yeah, before I complete this entry- I wish to announce- I got accepted for graduate school (Mental Health Counseling)!!! I will start this fall semester. So I'm looking forward to it! As one of my professors said after I informed her, "Now the hard work begins but you will be successful." You know what? I can't wait!

California

Starting tomorrow, I won't be around. I'm off to California. That national park where redwoods grow tall almost to touch the sky. The beaches where seals sunbath and gulls snatch food up. Winchester Mystery House, oh my! San Luis Obiga, San Francisco, Los Angeles. I hadn't been back in California since I was ohhh.....maybe ten years old. Oh gods, that was more than 20 years ago! Oh wait... As one friend reader would remind me..I was there recently but when was that, Dave? ten years ago? So, I don't know if I'd have time to check my email, even less my blog. I will try, but I cannot promise. My aunt has this OLD computer that I don't even know if it can even hook up on internet since it still is all green words on black background..yeah THAT old!!! If there is a internet cafe around, I'll grab the opportunity to do so. Have fun without me around!

Cops- no difference!

According to some bloggers, cops are very nasty to deaf individuals. I take that with a grain of salt because we don't know the other side of the stories. One deaf guy could be on drugs and show attitude to a cop that comes to check on a call that someone is being hostile at a club, hence that deaf guy may say that the cop targeted him; never mind that he SHOWED an hostile and uncooperative attitude. That's one example. On the other hand, there may be a cooperative deaf driver but he was stopped for speeding; the cop may flash his flashlight into the guy's face, preventing him from lipreading. (Happened to one of my friends.) There are articles that there are deaf folks cooperating with cops and there have been no problems, as well as articles that deaf folks not cooperating or that cops didn't work with them (communicative-wise.) I like to play the devil's advocate (wearing someone else's shoes, not mine- as in an idiom.) Now, before anyone think that cops "target" deaf people- look up statistics that cops focus on African-american, hispanic, etc. African-Americans even developed a term for it: "BWD" (Black While driving.) A good article: "It's Not Just In New Jersey" by Tammerlin Drummond.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,26426,00.html?iid=chix-sphere

Now I see there is an article about a cop using excessive force on a white woman who sped to be with her dad who was in process of having a heart attack. Guess what? She is NOT deaf. So... it is not only Deaf, African-American, Hispanic, white men, etc... even white women can get mistreated.
http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/florida-deputy-suspended-over-rough/20070504085809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

I rest my case here.