Deaf Blindness Awareness Week

By Nurse Diane

The Silence is deafening.... This is a saying that I have used, usually when it is so quiet.  Last year we had a tornado rip through my neighborhood in the middle of the night.  The storm knocked out the power and there were no lights, no sounds of air-conditioning units humming, no traffic, not even a chirp of a cricket.   There were no streetlights, no moon or stars shining in the sky.  All that was left was a feeling of aloneness and fear.   This sensation was brief.  Soon people began starting generators, driving vehicles and dots of light began to appear, and life returned to normal.

Those who suffer from hearing loss and loss of sight do not have the luxury of experiencing a brief occurrence then returning back to sound and sight.  These amazing people have learned to adapt, to change and use other senses to survive and excel in the world.  Probably one of the most famous of the deaf/blind community is Helen Keller.

Helen was not born deaf or blind, she contracted an illness when she was 19 months old, probably meningitis, which took her hearing and sight.  This also affected her ability to speak as well.  Fortunately, her family was able to provide a personal teacher, Anne Sullivan, who was able to live with Helen and work with her, teaching her what is now widely known as sign language.  Helen's life is depicted in the movie The Miracle Worker.  In this movie, the pivotal moment is where Helen realizes that the movement her teacher has been pounding into her hand is actually the word for water. The realization that she has learned something can be seen all over her face as she races around trying to learn as much as she can as fast as possible.

Helen went on to become a world famous speaker and author.  She helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), worked for women's rights, the suffragette movement, worker's rights, and was an advocate for people with disabilities.  She met with several presidents, and other famous people such as Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell and Charlie Chaplin.  Helen Keller showed the world that being blind and deaf did not prevent her from being a valuable contributor to society.  Today, people who are blind or deaf do not label themselves as handicapped, but impaired.  Loss of one sense does not alter a person's usefulness in today's society.  In fact their contributions have proved to enhance it.   Ludwig van Beethoven, one of he most famous composers of all time, continued to write and perform long after he lost his hearing at a young age.  Claude Monet, one of the world's most famous artists, continued painting after his eyesight began to fail.

The purpose of this week is to make everyone aware that the loss of one's sight or hearing does not define a person as handicapped or helpless, and just as these people have learned to adapt and use the abilities they have, so must the rest of us learn to adapt and learn how to communicate and assist those affected so that everyone will be able to function at the best of their ability.

Things you can do to help:

Take a sign language class

Read to the blind

Work with training assist dogs

Donate time and money

Shop for a friend or neighbor

For more information see:

http://www.nad.org/

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Members.asp?SnID=1893595376

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month

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By Terry Orr

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme is "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"

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During nearly five plus decades of working, I have worked with many people disabilities and to the person – they all excelled in the workplace. 

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The AbilityOne Program is the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities in the United States, providing employment opportunities to more than 50,000 people. More than 600 participating, community-based nonprofit agencies (NPAs) train and employ these individuals with disabilities nationwide. But there are hundreds of thousands of Americans who are blind or have other significant disabilities that are still waiting for their chance to work. That’s why building awareness of the Program during NDEAM and throughout the year is so crucial to its success.

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References and Links:

http://www.dol.gov/odep/

http://www.consultspringboard.com/2012/ndeam-what-can-you-do/

http://www.nablement.com/2012/08/national-disability-employment-awareness-month-moving-beyond-the-tagline/

http://blog.capabilitiesinc.biz/?p=863

http://www.abilityone.gov/media_room/ndeam.html

Helen Keller Deaf Blindness Awareness Week - 2012

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By Diane Forrest

There is a movie called The Miracle Worker.  It is the story of a woman who became the tutor of a young girl.  No one believes this child could learn anything.  You see she was both deaf and blind as a result of a childhood illness, probably scarlet fever or meningitis.  Had she been born to another family, we might never have come so far so fast in the field of teaching the deaf and blind how to communicate.  Her father was the editor for an Alabama newspaper, and her family line included Robert E. Lee, and Charles Adams, a general for the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

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They would not allow their daughter to be put in some institution to live the remainder of her life, instead they hired Anne Sullivan to move in with them and tutor their daughter.  Her name - Helen Keller.  Through time, patience and meticulous instructions, Helen was able to learn to communicate with those around her.  Ms. Sullivan remained with Helen until her death.

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Helen went on to become an advocate for people with disabilities, she was a suffragette, and went on to become a writer who supported the working class.  She met every president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson and was friends with many famous figures, including Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain.

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Medical Science has made great strides since the days of Helen Keller.  There are many medical solutions as well as scientific solutions for helping those who are deaf and blind.

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The Perkins Institute, where Helen was a student and the first deaf/blind person to receive a Bachelor's degree, is still in existence and is still teaching those who are deaf and blind.  The Helen Keller institute not only helps those who are deaf and blind, but also does research for these conditions as well.  This week is Helen Keller Deaf Blindness Awareness Week.  Please visit these sites and find out ways you can support this important research.

http://www.hknc.org/

http://www.helenkeller.org/

http://www.perkins.org/news-events/news/deafblind-awareness.html