Saturday, November 17, 2012
Next LEAP meeting will be held Thursday Nov 29th
The CIL of South Florida held its organizational meeting of the launch of our new Law Enforcement Assistance Project (LEAP) on Thursday, November 1st, and we are pleased to report that the meeting was well-attended and that participants actively engaged one another in a vibrant discussion about services to the deaf community by area law enforcement agencies. Participants included many members of the deaf community and a wide variety of law enforcement agencies.
The meeting was moderated by Brenda Cummings and Natalie Basna, deaf advocates at the CIL, assisted by Marc Dubin, Esq., the CIL's Director of Advocacy. Brenda and Natalie have done a remarkable job of assisting members of the deaf community in becoming involved in advocacy and in efforts to learn and exercise their rights under the ADA. Brenda brings a wealth of experience to this effort, with specialized training obtained from the Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Service (ADWAS), a program funded by the Justice Department which serves as a national model for providing services to victims of domestic violence with hearing loss. Natalie also brings a level of commitment to the civil rights of members of the deaf community that has helped consumers who are deaf obtain services that are accessible to them.
The participants learned about how area police departments respond to domestic violence calls, and the efforts they make to ensure that a sign language interpreter is provided at the scene of a crime to ensure that responding officers are able to effectively interview victims, witnesses, and suspects. They also learned from law enforcement officials about how the police departments' ADA Coordinators assist officers to understand how to obtain the services of sign language interpreters and how to ensure that the sign language services can be provided quickly so that statements can be obtained that can be used in prosecutions of crimes.
The enthusiasm of the law enforcement community attending the meeting was evident, as they interacted with the members of the deaf community in attendance, answering questions forthrightly and asking probing questions to learn how to enhance services. There was a great deal of discussion about using video remote interpreting services and about Justice Department technical assistance and settlement agreements that addressed the legal obligations of police departments to ensure that appropriate auxiliary aids and services are provided, as well as discussion about effective communication policies to allow police departments to be able to ensure that qualified sign language interpreters are provided to communicate. Law enforcement participants learned about the limitations of lip reading and of passing notes back and forth, and learned of the importance of the role of sign language interpreters.
The next meeting of the LEAP program is scheduled to be held at the CIL offices onThursday, November 29th, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
At that meeting, we hope to have a special guest, Kay Chiodo, the owner of Deaf Link, a Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) service based in Texas, who will answer questions about VRI and talk about their experiences serving police departments throughout the United States. In addition to participating in person, participants will be able to participate by conference call and by Skype. The conference call number is 866-730-7514. Pin: 938460
If you are interested in participating, please call Natalie at 786-975-1754 (VP) or Marc at 1-305-896-3000, to rsvp, if possible.
Police Departments in Miami Dade County may also schedule a free legal training on the application of the ADA to the provision of services to the deaf community, at their offices, by contacting Marc Dubin, Esq. at 1-305-896-3000 or at mdubin@pobox.com.
Marc serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL, and formerly served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, from 1993-2005, where he was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA on behalf of the United States. He also served as a prosecutor for ten years, and as Special Counsel to the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women, where he was responsible for assisting with implementation and interpretation of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Our thanks to Brenda, Natalie, and all of the enthusiastic participants who attended the inaugural meeting of the LEAP Program. We are off to a great start, and look forward to growing the program and helping to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the deaf community.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
911 and the Deaf Community
Source: www.911.gov
SERVING THE HEARING IMPAIRED
In the current 911 system, deaf and hearing-impaired callers must use a teletypewriter (TTY) text telephone device or a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) to contact 911 in an emergency. These devices, invented in the 1960s, allow two users to type messages to each other, but are cumbersome and slow to operate. Next-generation 911 holds particular promise for people with hearing impairments or other disabilities.
TTY devices have generally become less necessary for people with hearing or speech impairments in their day-to-day communications. E-mail, instant messages, video chat and text messages are now much more commonly used for communicating with friends, family members, health-care providers and others. However, because most 911 PSAPs are accessible only via phone, deaf or speech-impaired people must still use a TTY device or have their messages relayed to a 911 call-taker by a friend, relative or third-party relay service.
Relay services serving the hearing-impaired community now commonly accept IP-based communications as well as TTY, video relay and other types of calls. As public safety answering points (PSAPs) implement Next Generation technology, there won’t be a need to relay messages to 911. PSAPs will be able to communicate directly with deaf or hard-of-hearing callers via text messaging and video relay services.
DOJ: 17. Q. What about "911" calls? How are those made accessible to people with speech or hearing disabilities?
A: Individuals with hearing and speech disabilities must have direct access to "911" or similar emergency telephone services, meaning that emergency response centers must be equipped to receive calls from TDD and computer modem users without relying on third parties or state relay services. It is important that operators are trained to use the TDD when the caller is silent, and not only when the operator recognizes the tones of a TDD at the other end of the line. For additional information, please refer to the Department of Justices publication, Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Telephone Emergency Services. For information about how to obtain this and other publications, see the resources section at the end of this document.
Report on the LEAP Program Meeting Held November 1st
The CIL of South Florida held its organizational meeting of the launch of our new Law Enforcement Assistance Project (LEAP) on Thursday, November 1st, and we are pleased to report that the meeting was well-attended and that participants actively engaged one another in a vibrant discussion about services to the deaf community by area law enforcement agencies. Participants included many members of the deaf community and a wide variety of law enforcement agencies.
The meeting was moderated by Brenda Cummings and Natalie Basna, deaf advocates at the CIL, assisted by Marc Dubin, Esq., the CIL's Director of Advocacy. Brenda and Natalie have done a remarkable job of assisting members of the deaf community in becoming involved in advocacy and in efforts to learn and exercise their rights under the ADA. Brenda brings a wealth of experience to this effort, with specialized training obtained from the Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Service (ADWAS), a program funded by the Justice Department which serves as a national model for providing services to victims of domestic violence with hearing loss. Natalie also brings a level of commitment to the civil rights of members of the deaf community that has helped consumers who are deaf obtain services that are accessible to them.
The participants learned about how area police departments respond to domestic violence calls, and the efforts they make to ensure that a sign language interpreter is provided at the scene of a crime to ensure that responding officers are able to effectively interview victims, witnesses, and suspects. They also learned from law enforcement officials about how the police departments' ADA Coordinators assist officers to understand how to obtain the services of sign language interpreters and how to ensure that the sign language services can be provided quickly so that statements can be obtained that can be used in prosecutions of crimes.
The enthusiasm of the law enforcement community attending the meeting was evident, as they interacted with the members of the deaf community in attendance, answering questions forthrightly and asking probing questions to learn how to enhance services. There was a great deal of discussion about using video remote interpreting services and about Justice Department technical assistance and settlement agreements that addressed the legal obligations of police departments to ensure that appropriate auxiliary aids and services are provided, as well as discussion about effective communication policies to allow police departments to be able to ensure that qualified sign language interpreters are provided to communicate. Law enforcement participants learned about the limitations of lip reading and of passing notes back and forth, and learned of the importance of the role of sign language interpreters.
The next meeting of the LEAP program is scheduled to be held at the CIL offices onThursday, November 29th, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm .At that meeting, we hope to have a special guest, Kay Chiodo, the owner of Deaf Link, a Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) service based in Texas, who will answer questions about VRI and talk about their experiences serving police departments throughout the United States. In addition to participating in person, participants will be able to participate by conference call and by Skype. If you are interested in participating, please call Natalie at 786-975-1754 (VP) or Marc at 1-305-896-3000.
Police Departments in Miami Dade County may also schedule a free legal training on the application of the ADA to the provision of services to the deaf community, at their offices, by contacting Marc Dubin, Esq. at 1-305-896-3000 or at mdubin@pobox.com.
Marc serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL, and formerly served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, from 1993-2005, where he was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA on behalf of the United States. He also served as a prosecutor for ten years, and as Special Counsel to the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women, where he was responsible for assisting with implementation and interpretation of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Our thanks to Brenda, Natalie, and all of the enthusiastic participants who attended the inaugural meeting of the LEAP Program. We are off to a great start, and look forward to growing the program and helping to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the deaf community.
The meeting was moderated by Brenda Cummings and Natalie Basna, deaf advocates at the CIL, assisted by Marc Dubin, Esq., the CIL's Director of Advocacy. Brenda and Natalie have done a remarkable job of assisting members of the deaf community in becoming involved in advocacy and in efforts to learn and exercise their rights under the ADA. Brenda brings a wealth of experience to this effort, with specialized training obtained from the Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Service (ADWAS), a program funded by the Justice Department which serves as a national model for providing services to victims of domestic violence with hearing loss. Natalie also brings a level of commitment to the civil rights of members of the deaf community that has helped consumers who are deaf obtain services that are accessible to them.
The participants learned about how area police departments respond to domestic violence calls, and the efforts they make to ensure that a sign language interpreter is provided at the scene of a crime to ensure that responding officers are able to effectively interview victims, witnesses, and suspects. They also learned from law enforcement officials about how the police departments' ADA Coordinators assist officers to understand how to obtain the services of sign language interpreters and how to ensure that the sign language services can be provided quickly so that statements can be obtained that can be used in prosecutions of crimes.
The enthusiasm of the law enforcement community attending the meeting was evident, as they interacted with the members of the deaf community in attendance, answering questions forthrightly and asking probing questions to learn how to enhance services. There was a great deal of discussion about using video remote interpreting services and about Justice Department technical assistance and settlement agreements that addressed the legal obligations of police departments to ensure that appropriate auxiliary aids and services are provided, as well as discussion about effective communication policies to allow police departments to be able to ensure that qualified sign language interpreters are provided to communicate. Law enforcement participants learned about the limitations of lip reading and of passing notes back and forth, and learned of the importance of the role of sign language interpreters.
The next meeting of the LEAP program is scheduled to be held at the CIL offices onThursday, November 29th, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm .At that meeting, we hope to have a special guest, Kay Chiodo, the owner of Deaf Link, a Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) service based in Texas, who will answer questions about VRI and talk about their experiences serving police departments throughout the United States. In addition to participating in person, participants will be able to participate by conference call and by Skype. If you are interested in participating, please call Natalie at 786-975-1754 (VP) or Marc at 1-305-896-3000.
Police Departments in Miami Dade County may also schedule a free legal training on the application of the ADA to the provision of services to the deaf community, at their offices, by contacting Marc Dubin, Esq. at 1-305-896-3000 or at mdubin@pobox.com.
Marc serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL, and formerly served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, from 1993-2005, where he was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA on behalf of the United States. He also served as a prosecutor for ten years, and as Special Counsel to the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women, where he was responsible for assisting with implementation and interpretation of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Our thanks to Brenda, Natalie, and all of the enthusiastic participants who attended the inaugural meeting of the LEAP Program. We are off to a great start, and look forward to growing the program and helping to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the deaf community.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sign Language Services, VRI, and Braille Services in Miami Dade County, FL
American Sign Language Interpreter Services
| |
Center for Independent Living of S. FL, Inc.
6660 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33138
Contact: Nury Rodriguez
Email: Nury@soflacil.org
Serving Dade County
| |
Accessible Communication for the Deaf
19451 Sheridan Street, Suite 340
Pembroke Pines, FL 33332
Scheduler: Trudy Chin
Serving Dade County
| |
ASL Services, Inc.
3700 Commerce Blvd., Suite 216
Kissimmee, FL 34741
Serving Dade County
| |
CODA Link, Inc.
1304 SW 160 Avenue, Suite 340
Sunrise, FL 33326
Contact: Donna Fernandez or Stephanie
| |
CHC Hearing
2900 West Cypress Creek Road
(Private entrance/parking in rear of building) Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 | |
Video Remote Interpreting
|
Braille Translation
|
BRAILLE/ LARGE PRINT (English)
Cat’s Meow Braille transcription
Contact: Laura Brauer
Phone: 316-619-4750
Email: info@catsmeowbraille.com
| |
Video Remote Interpreting
|
Computer Assisted Real-time Translation
|
PURPLE
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)
Request VRI: 800-618-2418
Email: vri@purple.us
Request CART: 866-669-7707
Email: CART@purple.us
|
CART (Computer assisted Real-time Translation), also called
Real-time captioning
Tanya Ward English
Email: Tanya@captioncrew.com
Phone: 954-684-1259
|
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Application to Join LEAP Project
Application to join LEAP Project
LEAP is designed to foster greater understanding between people with disabilities and the police, and to enhance compliance of law enforcement agencies with the ADA and Section 504.
Membership is open to anyone interested in participating, from anywhere in the country, and will meet monthly. Meetings will be held at the CILSF office in Miami and members may also participate by phone, Twitter, Facebook, and Skype. We are particularly interested in having persons with disabilities and members of law enforcement join and share your questions and thoughts.
Meetings will be moderated by Marc Dubin, Esq., Director of Advocacy at the CILSF. Marc formerly served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department, where he was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA and Section 504 on behalf of the United States. He also served as Special Counsel at the Office on Violence Against Women at the Justice Department and as a prosecutor in New York and Florida for over a decade,
If you are interested in getting involved with this project, please contact Marc at 1-305-896-3000 or by email at mdubin@pobox.com.
You may also contact Natalie Basna, a Deaf Advocate at the CIL, at Natalie@soflacil.org. She may also be reached by VP at 786-975-1754.
Please visit our Advocacy Blog, at www.ADAadvocacyBlog.org.
If you are interested in joining, please fill out the application below and email it to Marc Dubin or Natalie Basna at the email addresses set forth above, or mail the completed application to the address below, addressed to Marc or Natalie.
Mailing Address:
CIL of South Florida
6660 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, Fl
33138
Application Form: (Please fill in completely - if necessary, write "none").
Name
Address
Phone
Fax
Email
Twitter name
Facebook name
Disability
Agency and title
Background
Reason for Participating (please add additional pages, if necessary).
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Welcome to Our Blog
Welcome to the Blog of the Law Enforcement Assistance Project (LEAP). LEAP is a project of the Center for Independent Living of South Florida's Systems Advocacy Program.
The LEAP Program has several goals:
1. To enhance relationships between the law enforcement community and the disability community.
2. To identify and address issues of concern.
3. To assist police departments to better understand the legal requirements imposed by title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
4. To assist police departments in developing and implementing an effective communication policy so that they may better communicate with victims, witnesses, and suspects at crime scenes, including in cases of domestic violence and sex crimes.
5. To educate members of the disability community about their federal civil rights.
The System Advocacy Program of the Center for Independent Living of South Florida (CIL) is operated under the direction of Marc Dubin, Esq., who serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL. Prior to joining the CIL, Marc served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department, from 1993-2005, in the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C.
In that capacity, Marc was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA and of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, federal civil rights laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.
Marc also served as a prosecutor for ten years, in New York and Florida. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in South Florida, and as Special Counsel to the Office on Violence Against Women at the Justice Department.
It is hoped that this project will result in stronger relationships between the disability community and law enforcement, and serve to help police departments enhance their interactions with the disability community.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Marc at 1-305-896-3000 or by email at mdubin@pobox.com.
Also, please attend our next meeting of the LEAP Program on Thursday, November 1st, 2012, at the CIL offices. located at 6660 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami. For ADA accommodations, please call Mary Fountain at 305-752-8025. The meeting is from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm.
The LEAP Program has several goals:
1. To enhance relationships between the law enforcement community and the disability community.
2. To identify and address issues of concern.
3. To assist police departments to better understand the legal requirements imposed by title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
4. To assist police departments in developing and implementing an effective communication policy so that they may better communicate with victims, witnesses, and suspects at crime scenes, including in cases of domestic violence and sex crimes.
5. To educate members of the disability community about their federal civil rights.
The System Advocacy Program of the Center for Independent Living of South Florida (CIL) is operated under the direction of Marc Dubin, Esq., who serves as Director of Advocacy at the CIL. Prior to joining the CIL, Marc served as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Justice Department, from 1993-2005, in the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C.
In that capacity, Marc was responsible for nationwide enforcement of the ADA and of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, federal civil rights laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.
Marc also served as a prosecutor for ten years, in New York and Florida. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in South Florida, and as Special Counsel to the Office on Violence Against Women at the Justice Department.
It is hoped that this project will result in stronger relationships between the disability community and law enforcement, and serve to help police departments enhance their interactions with the disability community.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Marc at 1-305-896-3000 or by email at mdubin@pobox.com.
Also, please attend our next meeting of the LEAP Program on Thursday, November 1st, 2012, at the CIL offices. located at 6660 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami. For ADA accommodations, please call Mary Fountain at 305-752-8025. The meeting is from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm.
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