Wow. I’m from Chicago area and my family has a summer cottage in northern Wisconsin in Rhinelander area and I drive past both Stevens Point and Wausau on the I-39 and I never knew there’s a group of deafies nestled there and it’s amazing that they are facing the dilemma with unemployment, lack of deaf services, and discrimination.
One thing that comes in mind is does Wisconsin have an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office where deaf job applicants can file a discrimination suit against the firms that explicitly refuse to hire deaf applicants. Other thing is is there a ‘Center of Independent Living’ where deaf people can go to develop their interviewing skills, resume building, and referral services? Wausau is a large city north of Madison and should have some kind of cooperative services under a state agency run by folks in Madison.
I know there are more deafies in southern Wisconsin, notably in Madison, Delevan, and Milwaukee and probably receiving better services than folks in the north. Perhaps you could have the deafies in Stevens Point and Wausau along maybe with Green Bay, LaCrosse, and Superior (all good sized populated cities north of the central line of the state) to start a grassroot movement to let Madison know that they are being forgetten. Otherwise, they will lose those talented deaf people to other cities/states. Wisconsin, it’s your call.
i agree on what wacky taz saying about the equal employment opportuntity. we do have it in wisconsin. i works in the factory for the past 16 year that is because that have that. if there is job discrimation for the deaf u should file for equal employment opportunity or call ada (american disabilility assocation to file for the discrimation). there must not be a problem for the deaf people in the big cities but especially lot of problem in the small city. if u see equal employment opportunity on the place where u apply for if they discrimate u , u can have the right to put their address along with the application sheet on the bottom where it says equal employment opportunity then send it to ada.
I am not surprised…there are so many. I wanted to let you gangs know that Deaf-blind are more worst. The hearing world probably prefer hire deaf rather than deaf blind. I know many companies and government’s supervisors are cheating to deaf workers by giving them less percent of raise because they have several excuses. They rather pay more salaries to hearing than deaf or deaf blind. I hate that!
Anyway, we both deaf and deaf blind need to stand for our rights and fight. Not to be afraid it’s our rights. If they do that just sue them!
Jack,
The information for Sam Napier’s video phone is incorrect. Please check with Sam to get it corrected.
Thank you for helping my stepfather. We (Yvonne’s daughters) have been helping Sam and Mom for a while now to maintain their own independence. as they have wished.
As for assistance… it is not as easy as it seems. Sam and Mom want to stay in their own house for as long as possible and do not want to sell their home. I don’t blame them for not wanting to sell until they absolutely have to.
good luck Sam! Dorothy Sam’s products are beautiful and useful!
I see what deaf got lots of frustrated with not hire job and i see why all hearing prefer hire hearing instead of deaf ppl but hearing dont know nothing what Deaf can do everything but no hear. Is what deaf can show what deaf can do work better than hearing. U know that. Show them what deaf prove what deaf CAN DO IT. dont give up and keep fight for it. Also, I am not from WISC but i support you all to get it out from discramations. I am glad that i found your website and it worth to know alot about your website.
I grew up in Northern Wisconsin near where upper Michigan border. I have been heard about these BIG issues that deaf people are having hard time to get jobs because of a radio station. I was very offended by what a radio station stated. In my opinion, this radio station should have rephrased what it should have been saying instead of saying “Oh, please do not hired deaf people who lives in Wisconsin” I think that is WRONG thing to say. I wish I could have heard that! CAN’T, I am deaf and how I supposed to know that??? I was so furious when I saw this video and I was like WHAT??!! They should have said something in the appropriate way to say like “Oh guess what, deaf people needs job and they physically can do this job like hearing people does. Let hired them!”
In few years ago, I was involved with legislature in my hometown and my county that I warned them if they reject the ODHH or BDHH service that would not be able provide deaf people’s needs. I strongly believe in ODHH and BDHH, and DVR to keep this service wide open in no matter what. In some area, that some hearing people or company did not mind to hired deaf people to work but I started notice everything to required to have a degree at least high school diploma to be able work. For whatever reason that in Madison, legislatures seems not really a quite understand about deaf culture, deaf community, deaf background— why didn’t we push ourselves hard enough to tell our (voices) instead our “ASL” towards to them. I know this is huge frustration for all of us over Wisconsin state. I am currently in University of Minnesota to promote myself in higher level and hopefully when I will graduating there, then move back to Wisconsin. I want to pull the sleeves up to process new advocacy against State of Wisconsin someday because I felt this is time to do it. If deaf people who currently live in Wisconsin keep fighting as far as they can, keep it up!!! I am happy to be supporting you guys if something happen that get worse. Let me know.
8 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 13, 2007 at 7:43 am
Wacky Taz
Wow. I’m from Chicago area and my family has a summer cottage in northern Wisconsin in Rhinelander area and I drive past both Stevens Point and Wausau on the I-39 and I never knew there’s a group of deafies nestled there and it’s amazing that they are facing the dilemma with unemployment, lack of deaf services, and discrimination.
One thing that comes in mind is does Wisconsin have an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office where deaf job applicants can file a discrimination suit against the firms that explicitly refuse to hire deaf applicants. Other thing is is there a ‘Center of Independent Living’ where deaf people can go to develop their interviewing skills, resume building, and referral services? Wausau is a large city north of Madison and should have some kind of cooperative services under a state agency run by folks in Madison.
I know there are more deafies in southern Wisconsin, notably in Madison, Delevan, and Milwaukee and probably receiving better services than folks in the north. Perhaps you could have the deafies in Stevens Point and Wausau along maybe with Green Bay, LaCrosse, and Superior (all good sized populated cities north of the central line of the state) to start a grassroot movement to let Madison know that they are being forgetten. Otherwise, they will lose those talented deaf people to other cities/states. Wisconsin, it’s your call.
February 19, 2007 at 11:25 am
debbie
there is alot of discrimation going on around in wisconsin. there is more deaf people lives in big cities than in small cities.
February 19, 2007 at 8:25 pm
debbie
i agree on what wacky taz saying about the equal employment opportuntity. we do have it in wisconsin. i works in the factory for the past 16 year that is because that have that. if there is job discrimation for the deaf u should file for equal employment opportunity or call ada (american disabilility assocation to file for the discrimation). there must not be a problem for the deaf people in the big cities but especially lot of problem in the small city. if u see equal employment opportunity on the place where u apply for if they discrimate u , u can have the right to put their address along with the application sheet on the bottom where it says equal employment opportunity then send it to ada.
February 21, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Al Alvord
I am not surprised…there are so many. I wanted to let you gangs know that Deaf-blind are more worst. The hearing world probably prefer hire deaf rather than deaf blind. I know many companies and government’s supervisors are cheating to deaf workers by giving them less percent of raise because they have several excuses. They rather pay more salaries to hearing than deaf or deaf blind. I hate that!
Anyway, we both deaf and deaf blind need to stand for our rights and fight. Not to be afraid it’s our rights. If they do that just sue them!
February 25, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Dorothy
Jack,
The information for Sam Napier’s video phone is incorrect. Please check with Sam to get it corrected.
Thank you for helping my stepfather. We (Yvonne’s daughters) have been helping Sam and Mom for a while now to maintain their own independence. as they have wished.
Sam’s products are beautiful and useful!
As for assistance… it is not as easy as it seems. Sam and Mom want to stay in their own house for as long as possible and do not want to sell their home. I don’t blame them for not wanting to sell until they absolutely have to.
good luck Sam! Dorothy
March 3, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Debra
Jack
I see what deaf got lots of frustrated with not hire job and i see why all hearing prefer hire hearing instead of deaf ppl but hearing dont know nothing what Deaf can do everything but no hear. Is what deaf can show what deaf can do work better than hearing. U know that. Show them what deaf prove what deaf CAN DO IT. dont give up and keep fight for it. Also, I am not from WISC but i support you all to get it out from discramations. I am glad that i found your website and it worth to know alot about your website.
March 23, 2007 at 2:37 am
Paige
I grew up in Northern Wisconsin near where upper Michigan border. I have been heard about these BIG issues that deaf people are having hard time to get jobs because of a radio station. I was very offended by what a radio station stated. In my opinion, this radio station should have rephrased what it should have been saying instead of saying “Oh, please do not hired deaf people who lives in Wisconsin” I think that is WRONG thing to say. I wish I could have heard that! CAN’T, I am deaf and how I supposed to know that??? I was so furious when I saw this video and I was like WHAT??!! They should have said something in the appropriate way to say like “Oh guess what, deaf people needs job and they physically can do this job like hearing people does. Let hired them!”
In few years ago, I was involved with legislature in my hometown and my county that I warned them if they reject the ODHH or BDHH service that would not be able provide deaf people’s needs. I strongly believe in ODHH and BDHH, and DVR to keep this service wide open in no matter what. In some area, that some hearing people or company did not mind to hired deaf people to work but I started notice everything to required to have a degree at least high school diploma to be able work. For whatever reason that in Madison, legislatures seems not really a quite understand about deaf culture, deaf community, deaf background— why didn’t we push ourselves hard enough to tell our (voices) instead our “ASL” towards to them. I know this is huge frustration for all of us over Wisconsin state. I am currently in University of Minnesota to promote myself in higher level and hopefully when I will graduating there, then move back to Wisconsin. I want to pull the sleeves up to process new advocacy against State of Wisconsin someday because I felt this is time to do it. If deaf people who currently live in Wisconsin keep fighting as far as they can, keep it up!!! I am happy to be supporting you guys if something happen that get worse. Let me know.
March 23, 2007 at 1:56 pm
courious
For those who “heard” the radio station made that comment, which staion was it? Is there actual “proof” that it was stated on the airwaves?