tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-309699772012-01-29T01:31:13.092-08:00I'm a deaf mom of three deaf and hard of hearing kiddos. Here's a peek into my world.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.comBlogger2881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-69326748109473256892008-05-25T18:23:00.000-07:002008-05-25T18:24:48.225-07:00

I'm no longer posting on Blogger--A Deaf Mom Shares Her World is now over at Wordpress:A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-4766734202738597212008-05-20T13:10:00.000-07:002008-05-20T13:28:09.806-07:00

The service industry ain't what it used to be...This morning, my friend John sent me the link to a story about poor customer service on United Airlines:Not-So-Happy FlyingLast week, I wasn't so happy with United Airlines myself. After two phone calls trying to get them to load a subtitled movie into the plane, I learned that I was going to have to create a new law to get the airlines to comply:

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-86161103732644163702008-05-19T07:13:00.001-07:002008-05-19T09:12:37.548-07:00

On Friday morning, our last full day on Oahu, we headed over to the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind. We were met by Harry Hayler, the school counselor, who gave us a tour of the school. The school currently has 72 deaf and deaf blind students and no students who are blind. All of the blind students on the island are in other schools. The school was down to 20 students at one point and nearly

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-23163893003841701572008-05-17T00:16:00.000-07:002008-05-18T13:26:11.751-07:00

Yesterday was a day of adventure. Early in the morning, we headed out to Wai'anae Boat Harbor on the north shore of Oahu to board the Hoku Nai'a for a dolphin cruise. We almost missed the boat, as we couldn't find the entrance to the harbor. The boat captain was a gal named Joyce with nine years of experience. She explained that it was difficult finding the dolphins in the last couple of weeks.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-1803343750941068692008-05-15T19:41:00.000-07:002008-05-15T20:06:02.302-07:00

Good grief, it's already Thursday. Our time here in Oahu has flown by. Yesterday, we headed out to the Dole Plantation on the northwest side of the island. A small train took us around the plantation where we viewed the various crops that are farmed there. Can you guess my favorite plant? It wasn't the pineapple, it was the plant that makes...Chocolate!!!After the train tour, we sat down to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-32599125311204219642008-05-14T11:45:00.001-07:002008-05-14T12:08:54.365-07:00

We headed back over to Pearl Harbor yesterday to tour the U.S.S Bowfin submarine and the U.S.S. Missouri battleship. Once we were on board the Bowfin, we met an intepreter, Vanetta, who was the staff person explaining the operations compartment in the submarine. Vanetta moved to Hawaii from Ohio to go to school out here. It was nice to be able to chat with her and ask questions. We obtained

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-16746442429506104012008-05-13T10:41:00.000-07:002008-05-14T11:45:00.706-07:00

Ok, pinch me. Here I am in Oahu with my parents and my sister. Yesterday, we headed out to Pearl Harbor and spent the entire day there. We aren't finished-- we're heading back out there to see the U.S.S. Missouri and Bowfin. This trip came about quite suddenly and unexpectedly. A few weeks ago, I was up in Michigan, sitting across from Dad and asking him, "If you could go anywhere, where would

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-44382707742254813312008-05-10T19:46:00.000-07:002008-05-10T20:36:47.877-07:00

Just a week ago, I was hanging around a bunch of great people from the SOBCon'08, cruising on Lake Michigan with a rum and coke in my hand. I had the opportunity to meet Robert Hruzek from Middle Zone Musings. You can see him in the photo above if you squint really hard. That's him in the twenty-gallon hat (inflation, ya know?) from Houston. Robert has an interesting challenge this week, a

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-57453170928236854322008-05-08T11:46:00.000-07:002008-05-08T12:44:41.297-07:00

Have I told you about ooVoo lately? I don't work for the company and there's no financial incentive for me to promote this, but I'm going to tell you about ooVoo because it's an amazing tool for communication over the internet. I first used ooVoo when I participated in "My ooVoo Chat" back in February of this year. A short video featuring the conversations (including mine) can be seen

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-83443942725256583052008-05-07T05:55:00.000-07:002008-05-07T06:29:33.479-07:00

Remember when I had the drive-thru window shut in my face (not once, but twice!) back in January? The issue continues to ripple on. In April, it was the subject of Laurel Papworth's presentation at the RMIT Communicator of the Year event in...Australia. That's right, Steak 'n Shake has gone down under. Laurel has an excellent presentation on why companies need to be aware of social media and how

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-43976045434591425202008-05-05T08:46:00.001-07:002008-05-05T15:10:33.068-07:00

On Friday night, the SOBCon bloggers hopped on board for a cruise down the river and out to Lake Michigan. During the week, we were keeping an eye out on the weather as Chicago is known for making fools out of the local weathermen. Friday called for severe thunderstorms in the late afternoon into the evening, so when I saw the predictions that morning, I thought for sure the cruise would be

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-6320389880171173802008-05-04T19:22:00.000-07:002008-05-04T20:05:28.454-07:00

I'm sitting at home now with Stephen Hopson from Adversity University and we just finished talking about what an amazing weekend it was for us at the SOBCon '08. Like Stephen said, "It's all about the love." And there was plenty of it this weekend. So here are some pictures to browse through-- there will be more tomorrow!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-46750233432627217652008-05-02T05:38:00.001-07:002008-05-02T05:53:12.327-07:00

"It's singing time and laughing time and playing time and now it is my favorite time, signing time!"The first time I saw a tape of Signing Time, I couldn't get the lyrics out of my mind. I suspect that's one of the reasons that Signing Time has become successful in the mainstream. Little toddlers everywhere are listening to the songs, watching the videos and moving their hands to communicate.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-79687196433448707252008-05-01T13:18:00.000-07:002008-05-01T13:24:36.955-07:00

I'm having a bad hair day today. I'm praying that the rain gods will take their dance somewhere else tomorrow. Raindrops and my hair don't mix well. Why all this concern? Well, I'm heading downtown to the SOBCon '08 and the forecast calls for rain.And possible thunderstorms. Ah, but who really cares? We'll be inside a boat, cruising the Chicago shoreline and connecting with one another. Look

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-26191068601428748032008-04-29T05:13:00.000-07:002008-04-29T05:45:01.261-07:00

I've been hanging out at Wendy Piersall's new place--SparkPlugging, and I'm liking the digs very much. Wendy took her personal blog and grew it into a network with 17 other bloggers writing for her. And she has plans to expand her site even more!Wendy started her blog as "Emoms At Home," and it began to outgrow the name as the audience expanded to fathers and people without children. Wendy began

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-50850233066779555802008-04-28T08:08:00.001-07:002008-04-28T08:30:42.042-07:00

It was one of those weekends with nary a break! On Saturday morning, I headed out to Egg Harbor Cafe to join the gals from my Deaf Women's club for breakfast. Egg Harbor has to be my number one favorite restaurant for breakfast. Their breakfasts are so delicious and their fresh-squeezed orange juice tastes as if they picked the oranges that morning. I'm not much of a breakfast person, either! Do

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-25437134171352652662008-04-24T05:23:00.000-07:002008-04-24T05:47:25.626-07:00

I met Marlene for the first time last summer. She and her husband Dale stopped by my parent's house on Christie Lake to spend the day with us. My sister Linda met Marlene and Dale through the local Deaf Clubs in Michigan and they quickly bonded. Together, they worked the Dingo games and cooked large amounts of food for the gatherings. Linda began spending time with Marlene and Dale and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-6058646726121935622008-04-22T05:15:00.000-07:002008-04-22T07:30:52.190-07:00

I haven't been doing memes but after being tagged by KW and Moxie Mocha I figured I'd play along. After all, it's all about me, me and me, and you know how much I love talking about me all the time. What was I doing 10 years ago:Let's see, ten years ago, I was researching home birth vs. hospital birth and decided to have my third child at home. Instead of renting a water tub to labor in, my

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-21063353904344097912008-04-21T08:37:00.001-07:002008-04-21T08:46:11.613-07:00

Come and join me and June Prusak tomorrow night at Chicago Hearing Society. I'll be sharing my experience of being denied service at a Steak 'n Shake restaurant and tips on how to advocate. NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS AWARENESS WEEKChicago Hearing SocietyVictim Assistance Program invites you toThe Victim Rights Awareness Night! June Prusak: Youth Services Manager, Chicago Hearing Society: “

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-62699707644724039742008-04-20T08:04:00.000-07:002008-04-20T10:38:42.259-07:00

Yesterday, I spent the day refereeing at the Harper Deaf Volleyball tournament. There were about 300 people there with hands flying everywhere (including a couple of cuers). This tournament brought back a lot of memories, for my first introduction to volleyball was in college, when I played for the NIU deaf team. At that time, the tournament was hosted at Waubonsee College. I teamed up to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-34030895062503173972008-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:002008-04-18T19:40:06.667-07:00

"I don't want to go to this award thing!" my daughter announced on Thursday morning. Lauren was selected for a STARS award at her middle school and we were heading to the breakfast event. Getting her out the door was like pulling teeth. Eventually we made it to the school and slipped into the cafeteria chairs. Lauren went up to get her award along with several other students from her team. "

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-83151438629882384192008-04-16T13:41:00.001-07:002008-04-16T13:49:16.770-07:00

The Southtown Town Star posted an update on the case of Dawn Nile's murder:Gary Albert Pleads InnocentDawn was a deaf student at Hinsdale South High School and she was found murdered in March of 1981. Gary was held in jail on a one million dollar bond and his family bailed him out to the tune of $100,000. A hearing is scheduled for May 22nd. To read all of the news articles: Dawn Niles

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-66068213927724297242008-04-15T13:09:00.001-07:002008-04-15T13:30:02.421-07:00

I've been purple for a few months now. Before that, I was a dedicated I-711 user and IP Relay and I still am-- except now all of my favorites are rolled into one. The three companies merged and now I'm a purple employee. Yes, that's right, I work for Hands On.I love video relay with VCO. What's that, you ask? I pull up VideoSign 2.5 on my computer or HOVRS.TV on my videophone and an interpreter

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-34195706507594640742008-04-14T05:59:00.000-07:002008-04-14T09:57:56.808-07:00

Jennifer Laycock tackled the issue of how negative campaigns against competitors rarely serve a positive outcome in her post, Spite is not a Marketing Strategy. Jennifer encourages companies to make themselves stand out from their competitors in a different way, a way that highlights something positive about their company. In her blog, Jennifer used the example of Steak 'n Shake and Culvers:

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-18001285305200161452008-04-11T19:14:00.000-07:002008-04-11T19:40:45.354-07:00

Today was nuts. I went food shopping at 2:45 and picked the youngest kiddo up at 3:30. Together, we put the food away and Steven tossed dinner in the oven while I hopped in the car to pick up Lauren at school. She stayed after school to play volleyball. As soon as we arrived home, I sent her upstairs to pack a bag for her sleepover. Her friend was on her way home from the Illinois School for

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-22164367035274901002008-04-09T07:25:00.000-07:002008-04-09T08:30:26.131-07:00

It's another week and Marlee Matlin is still kicking up her heels each week on Dancing with the Stars. I missed Monday's show as I was on a plane coming home from California. Last night, I spoke to a group of parents up north and came home just in time to see that Marlee and Fabian made it through another week. Just then, the dish went out due to a storm. Last week, I had the pleasure of

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-71627277603203248492008-04-06T08:05:00.000-07:002008-04-06T08:18:09.394-07:00

Two years ago, my family had hearing aid coverage by our insurance company up to $1,000 per year, thanks to my husband's employer. We now have HMO insurance that doesn't cover hearing aids. I am hoping that my current hearing aids continue to work for several more years. My cousin recently purchased hearing aids and was so shocked to find out that her insurance company wouldn't fork over a

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-23974433224083539842008-04-02T08:31:00.000-07:002008-04-02T09:02:13.807-07:00

When I first started working in early intervention, I didn't really have much exposure to children with autism. I grew up with a friend who was diagnosed with Aspergers as an adult. So today, I'm sharing my journey of discovering Autism as part of the Blogging for Autism Awareness month.When I received the paperwork for a little girl who was nearly three, my heart sank. I knew I wouldn't have

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-68642166625942210982008-04-01T05:18:00.000-07:002008-04-01T05:31:50.044-07:00

I've given this a lot of thought lately and this morning, I woke up from a dream and realized what I need to do: It's time for me to stop blogging and start living. I haven't seen the bottom of my kitchen sink since I cleaned it as a New Year's resolution last year. The time that I cleaned it for the television reporters doesn't count, as I shoved the dirty dishes into the oven. I haven't made

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-85516212021769017482008-03-31T09:01:00.000-07:002008-03-31T09:07:21.264-07:00

D-Pan has released a new video based on Christina Aguilera's song, "Beautiful." Kylie Sharp, the co-director of Michigan Hands & Voices has a daughter in the video--check out the girl in the pink:The lyrics for the original song: Don't look at meEvery day is so wonderfulAnd suddenly, it's hard to breatheNow and then, I get insecureFrom all the pain, I'm so ashamedI am beautiful no matter what

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-7092108940532174722008-03-30T07:43:00.000-07:002008-03-30T08:21:45.227-07:00

Karen Meyer at ABC News Chicago did a segment this morning on deaf swimmer, Will Landgren: Deaf Swimmer's Teammates Learn Sign Language. When Will first began swimming, his teammates wore sweatshirts to welcome him to the team. When Will's cochlear implant comes off and he slips into the water, his teammates communicate with him by signing or through an interpreter. To me, that's what inclusion

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-37876778633190017102008-03-28T05:44:00.001-07:002008-03-28T07:52:11.208-07:00

"How's Matthew doing?" a reader recently asked me. You may remember Matthew from earlier posts: Matthew Gets a Cochlear Implant and Matthew's Cochlear Implant Activation. I have gotten several emails from readers wondering about Matthew's progress with his cochlear implant and what he's doing today. From the very first day of activation, Matthew instantly took a liking to the sounds he was

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-73403899023856354242008-03-26T04:46:00.001-07:002008-03-26T05:25:49.672-07:00

Stephen Hopson over at Adversity University has a series of interviews that allow readers to get a deeper glimpse into the life of bloggers all over. I'm really honored that Stephen chose to interview me and share a bit more about my life. Stephen asked several questions that made me pause and think before answering. Of course, after completing the interview, I thought of many more answers that

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-88530468371260691412008-03-22T08:05:00.000-07:002008-03-22T08:37:54.893-07:00

My mom and my sister excitedly emailed me. "We went through the Culver's drive-thru!" they said. So why were they so excited? They liked the "Order Assist" system that Inclusion Solutions installed in several of Culver's restaurants. Quite simply, there is a sign with a large button near the speaker of a drive-thru. When customers press the button, this alerts the drive-thru employee that the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-67572723719643585422008-03-17T10:53:00.001-07:002008-03-17T11:06:08.129-07:00

"What's happening with Steak 'n Shake," a friend asked me recently. I figured it was time to blog about it once again. First, I have to say that the Steak 'n Shake incident has turned my life crazy upsidedown. The latest to pick up the story was Diversity, Inc.:Second Class Citizen: Deaf Mother of Three Denied Service At Restaurant.Protecting Rights of People with Hearing Loss: What Does the Law

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-42029267304605416442008-03-14T08:57:00.000-07:002008-03-14T09:17:19.159-07:00

My daughter Lauren has glitter earmolds with pink and purple glitter in them. They look really cool sparkling in her ears so I figured I'd get some blue glitter earmolds myself. After all, my current earmolds were several years old and quite nasty looking. It was time for something fresh and different. I loved my blue glitter earmolds, but after the first day, my ears were red and itching. By

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-76822601611180668402008-03-13T10:08:00.000-07:002008-03-13T10:28:32.958-07:00

For seven hours a day, the stars from Dancing with the Stars practice. All day long, they twist, twirl, and tango-- and in high heels to boot. Marlee Matlin looks really good in today's Chicago Tribune (above), which shows her dancing with her partner, Fabian Sanchez. Not only does she have to follow Fabian's lead in high heels, she'll have to do it backwards as well. I've never watched Dancing

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-35029279886828612962008-03-12T05:32:00.000-07:002008-03-12T07:18:26.627-07:00

The 33rd Disability Blog Carnival is being hosted by Ruth at Wheelie Catholic. The theme is Appreciating Allies. My tribute today is to the many interpreter and CART (real time captioners) allies that I've met over the years. I grew up hard of hearing, but I basically lipread my way through life. I didn't know American Sign Language and I wasn't introduced to it until I became deaf at the age of

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-19681909523621982452008-03-11T09:20:00.000-07:002008-03-11T09:32:37.748-07:00

You guys are fantastic-- I'm now in second place for the "Send me to SOBCon" challenge! But it's going to take more clicks to send me there!"Why would you want to hang out with a bunch of SOBs?" a friend asked me. I had to explain that this was a great group of people and in no way was "Son of a *&#%" a part of this conference. It is "Biz School for Bloggers." I attended last year's event and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-24417960936737170522008-03-10T09:18:00.000-07:002008-03-10T10:31:58.591-07:00

On the Today Show, a 17-month old toddler was shown reading off words like "kangaroo" and sentences like "Nice to meet you." The parents are both speech therapists who signed with their baby when she was younger. The video, unfortunately as usual, isn't captioned but you can see the mom signing in parts of it:The Today ShowThis brought back memories when my kids were little. I loved watching

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-21965039887339729842008-03-07T12:09:00.001-08:002008-03-07T12:32:27.686-08:00

In the Chicago Tribune today, Dawn Nile's sister, Heather, talked about how the family tried to investigate Dawn's murder twelve years ago on their own. They didn't get far by trying to investigate on their own. A family friend urged the local state's attorney to get involved and two years ago, they began investigating the case, interviewing several of the Hinsdale South students who knew

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-50888224795015799162008-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:002008-03-25T20:32:26.653-07:00

In 1981, Dawn Niles, a deaf student at Hinsdale South was found murdered in a Chicago area forest preserve. My husband was a student there at the time and knew Dawn. He described her as a beautiful, popular student. Gary Albert, a deaf man from Sugar Grove, is being held in a local jail with bond set at one million dollars. Here are the news stories:Long Journey for JusticeArrest is

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-83653799571162341332008-03-03T18:11:00.000-08:002008-03-03T18:37:28.934-08:00

I'm rolling up my sleeves and asking every deaf and hard of hearing person in the blogosphere to help Deaf Mom accomplish an incredible feat:I need hundreds of hits on this link: Send DeafMom to SOBCon'08!What's SOBCon, you ask? It has nothing to do with the expletive. It's not even "Son of a buck!" as my Aunt Anna used to say. SOBCon is a blogging conference for Successful and Outstanding

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-34391144023980286332008-03-03T08:50:00.000-08:002008-03-03T17:47:07.997-08:00

While I was doing research for my Disaboom article on marriage, I came across Tina Calabro's story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:Authors Counsel Parents with Special Needs Children.The author, Tina Calabro shared her own journey of handling the bumps in marriage after son was born. She also highlighted an excellent book: Married with Special Needs Children written by Laura E. Marshak and Fran P.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-89427600485139222702008-03-02T09:49:00.000-08:002008-03-02T11:16:31.519-08:00

Karen Meyer featured deaf author, Antoinette Abbamonte, who wrote "Tree Wise," a story about a tree teaching children about Deaf Culture. Antoinette is a deaf actress who was featured in the film, "Wrong Game" along with Chicago local, Liz Tannebaum. She's also found in the video, Sign and ABCs. You can view the entire ABC interview here:Mom's Book Teaches Kids about Deaf Culture.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-75898254882476374772008-02-27T13:35:00.000-08:002008-02-27T14:13:04.613-08:00

The middle kid came home from school two days ago and mentioned that one of her teachers played Billy Joel's, "We Didn't Start the Fire" in her history class. She was given the lyrics and mentioned that she didn't even understand what half of those historical mentions meant. So I slapped "We Didn't Start the Fire" in the CD player and we talked about some of the history that was covered in there.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-12022670225856170822008-02-25T18:51:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:15:38.193-08:00

David took off for the Indiana School for the Deaf last Thursday to compete in the Midwest Academic Bowl hosted by ISD and Gallaudet. Hinsdale South is shown on the left and Minnesota North Star is on the right in the photo above. Indiana won first place and Hersey took second. Hersey won the National competition last year. For those who are not familiar with the competition, the Academic Bowl

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-43236413513791944972008-02-21T05:10:00.001-08:002008-02-26T13:05:05.282-08:00

Ah yes, the rumors are so true, Marlee Matlin is in the line up for the new Dancing with the Stars season. She will be on Oprah today along with the other cast members. USA Today published an interview with Marlee: Deaf Matlin Follows in Mills' Footsteps. Marlee isn't worried about following the music. "The stairs at the top of the stage--I'm thinking heels, stairs, and I start to sweat," she

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-67553646525113365602008-02-20T17:38:00.000-08:002008-02-20T17:43:11.649-08:00

I'm now a Contributing Writer over at Parenting Squad and my first article is up:Ten Hearing Aids at My House

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-26833942804690357942008-02-18T13:47:00.000-08:002008-02-18T16:50:44.615-08:00

I have been contributing articles to Disaboom since late last year and I thought I would share those articles here: Peace Corps Years Inspire The UnheardMoms with Disabilities--Connecting With One AnotherFor Better or Worse, and Kids with DisabilitiesSpunky Mom Takes on School DistrictMarlee Matlin: What My Parents Understood (reprint)

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-2593861785143451002008-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:002008-02-15T07:35:22.407-08:00

Four students died (now updated to six) and thirteen were wounded today when a gunman unleashed a hail of bullets in Cole Hall at Northern Illinois University. News reports say that the gunman jumped on the stage and began shooting the students from there. He turned the gun on himself a few minutes later. This hits especially close to home because I have many friends and professors from NIU. I

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-86172642022547642542008-02-14T04:55:00.000-08:002008-02-14T07:24:47.524-08:00

On Wednesday, January 28, 2008, I experienced discrimination at a local Steak 'n Shake restaurant when a manager slammed the window in my face and refused to fill an order for two milkshakes. After briefly debating whether to sit in the drive thru in protest and allow the manager to fulfill his threat to call the cops, I decided to blog about it instead. Thanks to the power of the internet,

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-11569331410691623522008-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:002008-02-27T14:16:17.367-08:00

MTV is coming to town. MTV is producing a documentary, True Life, I'm Deaf and has chosen Aubrey Millar from my hometown. You may remember Aubrey from a previous post:The Oldest Goes off to High School. David and Aubrey have been friends since they were babies. I'm so excited for Aubrey and I look forward to watching this documentary unfold!Update:MTV came and shot footage for two days. Now

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-58262209604950304592008-02-11T08:19:00.000-08:002008-02-11T11:49:37.139-08:00

On Saturday night, after sending my oldest kid off to the Turnabout dance, I headed over to my BookHands meeting. Two of our members couldn't make it and one had to leave early. Two of our other members moved out of state but they continued to read the books along with the rest of us. We discussed the book, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, about three boys who lived in Sudan and later came

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-70583272481962776712008-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:002008-02-09T15:23:00.450-08:00

The great folks over at Oovoo, are hosting My Oovoo Day, an event where bloggers from all over are hosting a chat day to interact with their readers using webcams and text and voice chat. This chat is in honor of Susan Reynolds, a blogger who was diagnosed with breast cancer and has been sharing her journey in her blog, Boobs on Ice. You may have heard about the Frozen Peas Fund which is

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-63138302442664126512008-02-05T19:29:00.001-08:002008-02-06T16:10:07.114-08:00

Glenda Watson Hyatt has invited me to share the spotlight at her Reader's Cafe Wednesday, February 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. Pacific Standard time. That's from 6 to 10 p.m. Central Standard Time.Glenda plans to tackle some questions related to the recent denial of service at Steak 'n Shake such as: Why didn’t you go inside to order your milkshake? (I know why, but I would like Karen to explain why.) Is

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-80233729442759752102008-02-03T07:12:00.000-08:002008-02-03T08:48:37.386-08:00

Last night, I met up with Darren and Sheri Therriault at the West Suburban Association of the Deaf. I am one of the past presidents of this club and Dennis O'Brien, the current president has taken the club to new heights. Darren played the passenger in the Pepsi Commercial that will be airing today during the Super Bowl pre-game. During the "Deal or No Deal" game last night, Darren and I

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-37329241859705926252008-02-01T06:54:00.000-08:002008-02-01T07:46:27.360-08:00

Yesterday, I joined Patrick Hughes, Jr. and Carey Siegel at the Romeoville Culver's to discuss drive thru solutions for fast food restaurants. Patrick is the owner of Inclusion Solutions, a company that provides products for improved access for people with disabilities. Inclusion Solutions has installed a product called "Order Assist" in 28 Culver's locations. I decided to experience the drive

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-73102221432363131552008-01-30T13:50:00.001-08:002008-01-31T05:50:39.280-08:00

This morning, I had a meeting with three of the executives from Steak 'n Shake. Joining me at the meeting were Beth Donofrio, a board member from Illinois Hands & Voices and Howard Rosenblum, an attorney from Equip for Equality with me. Beth assisted me in taking notes at the meeting. Steak 'n Shake started off with an apology and said, "We believe in admitting when we make mistakes and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-6484856171584975632008-01-29T08:49:00.000-08:002008-01-29T11:45:50.993-08:00

Here's an interesting comment that was left on the Steak 'n Shake post: My dear aunt is physically handicapped and has a tendency to take things personally. For example, even when family members give her corrective feedback, she easily gets hurt. When she doesn't receive the special treatment she expects, she assumes she's being mistreated for her disability. I've been to the Bolingbrook Steak n

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-10597493440485810722008-01-28T09:07:00.000-08:002008-01-28T12:50:40.427-08:00

I turned on the TV this morning to catch Mike Barz interviewing Darren Therriault on his participation in the Silent Pepsi Commercial:Good Day Chicago.A big thank YOU, hand wave and shout out to Michelle who took the time to type out the transcript and send it to me:Announcer: For a lot of folks, the best thing about the Super Bowl are the commercials. This year one of the most creative ones

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-56844761185578127942008-01-26T06:49:00.000-08:002008-01-26T06:57:18.467-08:00

Dear Anonymous Commenter who left a nasty comment at 11:10 p.m. on Friday night:Unfortunately, you had too many f-bombs and b-words in your comment for me to allow it on this site. One previous f-bomb comment was enough for me to let through already. You accused me of planing (I think you meant planning) this whole thing for money. I think you're missing something here. I drove up to the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-62727952130689663532008-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:002008-01-25T08:58:00.164-08:00

Fox News Chicago covered the Steak 'n Shake Denies a Milkshake story:Deaf Woman Says Steak 'n Shake Refused to Serve HerHow ironic is it that I can't access a news story on the web because it isn't captioned? I dream of the day when it's all accessible!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-40284251339462777572008-01-24T16:54:00.000-08:002008-01-24T18:52:13.434-08:00

Here's ABC New's coverage:ABC NewsIt is not captioned, but the story is below the video. Fox News is covering this at nine and ten p.m. tonight and tomorrow morning.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-63105862214120641372008-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:002008-04-28T09:19:58.764-07:00

Yesterday, I just wanted a shake from Steak 'n Shake and was turned away. Today, I'm seeing how amazing the internet is:Diversity, Inc.: Second Class CitizenEmoms At Home: Standing up for a Friend and Fellow BloggerThe Consumerist: Steak 'n Shake Manager Denies ServiceHenry Kisor: Making a FussLaurel Papworth, Social Networks: Australia Event: Social Networks and P.R.The Strategy Guy: Being

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-28168338863215599932008-01-24T09:14:00.001-08:002008-01-24T09:14:56.851-08:00

This week's Disability Blog Carnival focuses on the theme, "What Professionals Should Know About Disability" and is hosted over at Ryn Tale's Book of Days.If I had a dime for every time a professional predicted an outcome for a child with a disability based on what they "learned from many years in the field," I'd be a millionaire. Make that a zillionaire. I've heard the same stories over and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-82491123077819857882008-01-23T16:16:00.000-08:002008-01-23T16:33:06.562-08:00

After picking my youngest son up from school, we decided to grab some shakes at the local Steak and Shake before heading over to the middle school to pick up Lauren. I went through the empty drive through and drove past the speaker. After waiting a few minutes at the window, I finally honked the horn and waited some more. After a second honk a few minutes later, a young man appeared. "Hi! I

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com232tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-42318066187649427822008-01-22T09:34:00.000-08:002008-01-27T17:03:50.951-08:00

My oldest son's Stanford Achievement Test results came in the mail last week. I glanced through them and was surprised to see results equal to 6th and 7th grade results. There were two results that said "PHS." What does "PHS" stand for, I asked the school counselor. That means the student scored "Post High School," or college level, she replied. Oh cool, my son at least had two results in the PHS

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-4955817552311791152008-01-19T06:44:00.000-08:002008-01-19T07:05:09.855-08:00

Twenty four point six million. Read that again.$24,600,000. A pretty big number, eh? That's how much the head honcho at Tyson collects to run the world's largest meat processing facility. The Proxy Governance firm believes that Tyson executives are over-paid: Proxy Firm Says Tyson CEO Paid Too Much.If you remember awhile back, I had a culinary adventure with two bags of Tyson chicken parts.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-5727694054323745712008-01-18T06:41:00.000-08:002008-01-18T07:21:34.876-08:00

Dr. Robert Davila's book, Moments of Truth: Robert R. Davila, the Story of a Deaf Leader,was recently released and it is on my pile of "books to read". I first met Dr. Davila at the Chicago Hearing Society Volunteer Lunch in October, 2007. He is shown above with Jill Sahakian (CHS Director) and Mary Clark. Bob was the keynote speaker and he shared stories of growing up deaf in a large Hispanic

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-66987997394439740652008-01-17T15:12:00.001-08:002008-01-17T15:15:40.742-08:00

My sister Linda and I recently went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Luigi's House. On the way home, we were reminiscing about the past and Linda brought up some memories about her three years at Central Institute for the Deaf. We had never really talked about her time at the auditory oral school that she attended from preschool until third grade. So tonight, I asked her some questions

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-31023216474211997322008-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:002008-01-16T08:39:49.550-08:00

It's freezing cold in Chicago and I'm dreaming of summer at the lake! Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-74483077117783650302008-01-14T05:34:00.000-08:002008-01-14T06:54:33.421-08:00

Illinois Hands & Voices hosted a Mom's Night Inn this weekend. This is an event that I always look forward to. Not only is it a weekend to connect with other moms of deaf and hard of hearing children, but it is a fun learning experience as well. This is the third year we've hosted the event and we used a new location this time which seemed to work out well.On Saturday, we had Leeanne Seaver

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-50373949362168115922008-01-11T17:29:00.000-08:002008-01-11T18:09:39.552-08:00

I met Sara Kennedy several years ago when I first joined the board of Hands & Voices. I knew I liked this hip mom from the beginning, as she was also a homebirth mom. Sara wrote a beautiful article about the delicate dance of language and communication and I wanted to share it with my readers:Not so long ago, I looked down at a 14 month old toddler in my lap after learning that she could not hear

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-55650922349712427852008-01-09T12:53:00.001-08:002008-01-09T13:04:21.548-08:00

My Mother-in-law gave me a gift certificate to her salon because a few scraggly gray hairs popped up over the summer. The kids noticed."Mom, you've got GRAY hairs!" they announced on one beautiful sunny day. You'll note that they added an "s" to that sentence.I'm no longer a dye virgin. Today, I spent two hours at the Lush salon. I had no idea a shampoo could feel so good. The last time I was

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-56423184076615010652008-01-08T07:33:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:50:58.750-08:00

Paula Rosenthal posted an interesting article from the Better Hearing Institute on her blog: One Million Youth in America with Hearing Loss May be Left Behind, National Survey Finds; Even ‘Minor’ Hearing Loss Causes Major Problems The study focused on unilateral and mild hearing loss and found that when left untreated, several areas of life were affected, namely:Social skills (52%) Grades in

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-43816428499257360992008-01-06T14:59:00.000-08:002008-01-06T15:26:27.631-08:00

Tim Poindexter over at Disaboom posted a recent release about captioned radio:Closed Captioned Radio? That's Right, It's Here!The first over-the-air broadcast is set for January 8, 2008.Back in April, 2006, the actual idea was demonstrated at a Broadcasting Conference: Harris Corporation and NPR Labs to Demonstrate New HD Radio Services for Hearing and Visually Impaired at NAB2006.I remember

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-41717386658849652862008-01-05T18:31:00.000-08:002008-01-05T19:28:49.108-08:00

Arrrghhhh!The oldest son has a few extra credit projects that include watching non-fiction movies from the library. The few movies that I found aren't captioned, and have no English subtitles. I'm off to browse the Described and Captioned Media Program list to see what they have on there. We have encountered this same issue in the schools. I do wish that we could make it mandatory that all

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-34008945366377975862008-01-02T11:34:00.000-08:002008-01-02T19:02:56.855-08:00

When Heather Whitestone became Miss America back in 1995, I watched the pageant with great interest. This was the first time in history that a profoundly deaf contestant had become Miss America. A video clip of that moment can be viewed here: Video of Heather Whitestone.I read Heather's book, Listening With My Heart shortly after it was released. Two weeks ago, my library had the book, Yes,

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-462702853326868702008-01-01T16:10:00.001-08:002008-01-01T16:24:25.623-08:00

We may have looked a little wild last night, but it was actually very mellow and low key. Happy New Year to you all! And yes, that's Ginger Ale, not champagne in the kid's cups! Goodbye 2007--it was a nice year!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-38422207040673680062007-12-30T07:53:00.000-08:002007-12-30T08:28:43.820-08:00

It's one of those weekends...We have three dogs, four adults, and six kids in the house and there's a couple more adults and kids joining us for a New Year's Eve party tomorrow. Lauren's friend Sarah, came in from Texas. The hubby made me promise that there would just be "a few people" this year. Thank goodness that he doesn't read this blog. I'm down to one chair in the dining room. Joe's

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-8724470171532584202007-12-26T07:12:00.000-08:002008-01-01T19:10:14.415-08:00

It's Wordless Wednesday:"It's not a snowman, it's a SnowWoman, Mom!"

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-4143090730099180212007-12-21T07:09:00.000-08:002007-12-30T08:30:28.043-08:00

In March of 2006, we had a team of researchers spend the day with us at my house. One of my cousins came up from Missouri and my parents came in from Michigan. All of my siblings and some nieces and nephews were there as well. The researchers spent the day talking with each of us individually and gathering blood samples. Before they left, we sat down to a huge dinner. My mom never lets anyone

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-49121020446528665162007-12-16T07:57:00.001-08:002007-12-17T12:50:47.713-08:00

On Saturday night, it was my turn to host BookHands, a deaf women's book club, at my place. I'm notorious for picking books by deaf authors or with deaf themes, but this time, I went with a self-help book, What Happy Women Know.We were missing two of our members, Karen and Kathy, who moved out of state (and how we do miss them!) and another member had a company party to go to. We had quite a

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-45024608096224507882007-12-14T14:14:00.000-08:002007-12-14T15:11:55.968-08:00

Two weeks ago, my oldest son was asked to take over a role in the Hinsdale South Deaf Drama, "Dorothy Meets Alice." So for two weeks, he stayed after school until six p.m. and practiced learning 35 lines in American Sign Language. We went to see the play last night and I was so, so proud of my guy! The entire cast did a good job, although there were times when the ASL went over our heads. He's in

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-68317222266713337402007-12-13T13:53:00.001-08:002007-12-13T14:06:34.583-08:00

Are you a mom or caregiver of a deaf or hard of hearing child? Then you'll want to join the Illinois Hands & Voices Mom's Night Inn on January 12, 2008. This overnight retreat begins at 2 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Naperville, Illinois. Leeanne Seaver, the Executive Director of Hands & Voices, will be presenting her own journey, "Beginning with the End in Mind: What I Know Now, I Wish I Knew

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-74319146661026736552007-12-12T05:44:00.000-08:002007-12-12T05:51:17.259-08:00

At my Women's Club this Sunday, my friend Jean gave me this dish towel. Need I say more? Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-87630756824301002752007-12-10T16:13:00.000-08:002007-12-10T16:19:11.640-08:00

My friend Tony, has just completed the LSAT and is planning to go to law school when he finishes his undergraduate degree. Tony is hard of hearing and I've been connecting him with deaf and hard of hearing lawyers when I find them. Here's one for you, Tony:Leonard Hall, Kansas Attorney.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-19799772517995409022007-12-08T05:27:00.001-08:002007-12-08T05:29:35.831-08:00

I'm one proud Mama this morning:Deaf Students Prepare for "Dorothy Meets Alice."

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-70486081682511386622007-12-07T08:12:00.000-08:002007-12-07T08:23:48.470-08:00

You know those email tidbits that get sent over and over around the internet? Well, I don't usually read through many of them, but my cousin Chris sent me this one below and I thought it was beautiful. I don't know who the original author is so I can't give any credit. Here it is:Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-72723519384115476952007-12-06T14:49:00.001-08:002007-12-06T15:29:24.989-08:00

Yesterday, I headed west to Northern Illinois University for my annual visit with Dr. Ouellette. Dr. Ouellette is the Department Chair for the School of Allied Health. Each year, I speak to her graduate class about Hands & Voices and raising deaf and hard of hearing children. Every year, we grab lunch together before class and catch up on life. After the class was over, I headed over to the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-83460487156222672182007-12-04T06:44:00.000-08:002007-12-04T07:35:24.320-08:00

A few months ago, I was asked by Disaboom.com to join their group of bloggers writing about life. My blog posts can be found here: Deaf Mom's Disaboom.Disaboom is a brand new website that focuses on disability topics and people with disabilities. The website launched in October of this year, and will re-launch with some improved changes in January of next year. The Vancouver Sun recently did an

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-3654732583667874402007-12-01T17:28:00.000-08:002007-12-02T10:40:39.121-08:00

It was a cold, blustery day for a funeral today. St. Alphonsus Church, located in the heart of Lincoln Park, was filled with friends and family who came to remember Barbe Gurga, a deaf Rehabilitation Counselor. For 21 years, Barbe worked with countless deaf and hard of hearing clients to develop their careers and assist in finding jobs. In April, 2004, Barbe was diagnosed with uterine cancer.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-40292699944361824102007-11-30T13:13:00.000-08:002007-11-30T13:36:35.922-08:00

My neighbor, Rick, took a business class two years ago where the students had to come up with an idea and write a persuasive paper on that idea. Rick watched his son come home with heavy textbooks each day and thought, why not develop an electronic book for all of the textbooks? Ah, but someone beat him to the idea. It probably won't be long until schools switch over to the newest product at

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-18754364128723732982007-11-29T05:24:00.000-08:002007-11-29T05:57:24.855-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, my son David asked if he could have a new friend over. "Sure," I said. After all, the reason we fought to have him attend a different high school was to end the social isolation he was experiencing in middle school. David's friend Aleksey came over with another friend and the guys played video games. Aleksey and his friend came over another weekend, playing video games

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-35946756996152541362007-11-28T08:13:00.001-08:002007-12-03T16:32:29.736-08:00

It's Wordless Wednesday! Here's Kaycie waiting for the kids to come home from school.

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-39740042946415724172007-11-27T11:22:00.000-08:002007-11-27T14:48:01.477-08:00

It was the news that I was hoping not to hear. For the past few days, I have been reading about Emma Agnew, a deaf woman from New Zealand. She went off to meet someone about selling her car and was missing for nearly two weeks. Christy Smith, a deaf participant on the Survivor show, posted information about Emma on her blog: The Search for Emma. Jamie Berke from About.com also urged readers to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-59165523718909187892007-11-26T06:16:00.000-08:002007-11-26T08:33:36.138-08:00

When my friend's son Matthew attended sports camp this summer at the Illinois School for the Deaf, he told his Mom, "I want to go to school here."Sue never thought that she would consider a residential school as an option for her kids. Sue is deaf and she grew up attending schools that had several deaf students within a regular school. She always had one or two deaf friends to hang around with

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-63373746882600658642007-11-25T06:53:00.000-08:002007-11-25T07:44:14.011-08:00

The hubby tossed me the "Perspective" section of the Chicago Tribune this morning. I almost never read this section of the newspaper but today, there was a side shot of a cute four-year-old girl sporting a hearing aid with a swirly pink and blue earmold.Hear and Now? is written by Julie Vassilatos, a mom in Hyde Park, Illinois. She recounts the family's journey of getting a diagnosis and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30969977.post-63847371426387879952007-11-24T19:35:00.000-08:002007-11-24T19:39:31.861-08:00

Potbelly Sandwich Works was handed a lawsuit when a customer using a wheelchair couldn't access the restaurant:Potbelly Adds Accessibility to the MenuKudos to Potbelly for committing to an accessible design for all their restaurants-- even if it took a lawsuit to make it happen. Now let's see them hire people with disabilities as well!

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098620301550608119noreply@blogger.com1