Author Archives: Jemdeafhistory

How Deaf People manage to follow breaking news or social media throughout the world today?

In the past, there was a huge barrier which many Deaf people did not know or follow what happened out there. Many hearing people told them there was an earthquake in Bali, or a mountain eruption in Chile by hearing the radio talkback or watching television. Yes there was some Deaf people watched television BUT they still do not understand what was going on.

Deaf people asked their family members or friends to explain while watching television. Often hearing member get fed up or keep telling their Deaf member to wait until at the end of the breaking news.

For many years, Deaf people request a sign language interpreter anywhere around the world while waiting for our sign language become official language under the Government bill via Human Rights Convention People with Disabilities.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is important because it is a tool for ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the same rights and opportunities as everybody else. There are around 1 billion people with disabilities in the world. They are often the poorest of the poor

On 25 September 2008, the Secretary-General received from the Government of New Zealand the following declaration:

“…..consistent with the constitutional status of Tokelau and taking into account the commitment of the Government of New Zealand to the development of self-government for Tokelau through an act of self-determination under the Charter of the United Nations, this ratification shall not extend to Tokelau unless and until a Declaration to this effect is lodged by the Government of New Zealand with the Depositary on the basis of appropriate consultation with that territory…..”

Every social media and television media MUST deliver news along with Sign Language Interpreters during the breaking news like today – COVID-19.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provide an update on COVID-19 on March 20, 2020 Nigel Howard also pictured. (MANDATORY CREDIT: Government of BC) [PNG Merlin Archive]

Of course, there is a small issue from social media where many hearing people labelled interpreters in funny messages on the hearing people’s Facebook pages, Twitters and other kinds of social media. My answer is clear “don’t discriminate or think it is funny” to many hearing people as they may not know about us – D/deaf people and Hard of Hearing people out there.

One message responded from the Prime Minister and here is the article.

Jacinda Ardern gives sign language interpreters well-deserved a shoutout

Despite the COVID-19 this month, my birthday is approaching in a week time for we can not go out to celebrate my birthday.

Having a quick look through many photos while looking at pictures of our mother’s upcoming birthday in a couple months away.

I have not changed much except my hairstyle and colour – not a full head of grey hairs insight.

Reflecting some of the photos I posted here until this morning, has made me wonder some of the long lost friends’ mentions I had not to change my facial appearance when they recognise me straight away.  I did nothing to make my face looking younger, I am just a natural person who spends so much time travelling, working in the garden, in the office and anywhere else I went.

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Here is my current photo with a small scar that our pup Nova accidentally scratched my philtrum area and lips this morning. Nova’s request was time to go for her toilet. Ouch!

Not just D/Deaf older people, some people have other disabilities and health issues out there!

Don’t take for granted to ignore these kinds of older people during the lockdown.  They need our help where they have no one there for their needs or requests on groceries, medicines, and paying the bills. Many older adults do not have any technology such as Ipad, mobile, faxes, or a computer in their home. Because they do not have a lot of financing for their needs around the house and their health, such as diabetes, deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind Guides even Hearing Dogs.

A small number of elderly people may be lucky to have a daughter or son to check on them if they are living in the same city or town. Perhaps elderly people have support workers such as a personal carer, home help worker even nurses to check on them and their health.

But what about the Deaf elderly people in their own Deaf community?

Do they understand what happened? Do they know how to prepare or where to find help out there?

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Currently, I am involved with a small number of older Deaf people who do not have any helps such as getting the groceries, paying the bills, checking on them if they are okay or not in Waikato. Only three Deaf older people over 70 years old do not have the technology available in their home except one 68 years old chap have got a fax machine.

Communication is a challenging role for them because Elderly Deaf people do not understand what the interpreter signing on the television. Many elderly Deaf people used not to use NZSL in the old days, but they were using their own early signs and gestures. I can sign in their own sign language for I can understand what they are trying to tell me when I visit.

A Deaf couple between 70 -76 years olds, the husband grumbled for he has diabetes along with his health issues, can not drive alone to the supermarket and stand in the queue for an extended period of times before entering the building. I told him that he has to face it and to accept that they got to get someone to do the grocery for them.

A deaf with CP and Speech impaired man is living with his lady boarder, and she prepares evening meals for him and to keep an eye on him. This chap prefers me because of the trust, the understanding of communication and friendship. His brother lives outside the city of Hamilton so far away, and we keep in touch with mobile and email.

Please do think about these kinds of older people when there is a crisis now and in the future. How can we help them? What is the best way to get hold of them through communication? Is there any visual technology such as Skype, so they can see us and chat with us?

Slept in this morning until our young pup – Nova climbing over my head, a funny way of greeting Jazz and us – the black dog on the bed around 9 am. Yes, at 9 am.

I woke up earlier around 6 am due to Nova wanting to go out and do her toileting, for she is a bit afraid of the outside – light foggy morning. I was grumbling for her to disturb my sleeping.

No work to do in the city of Hamilton today!

Just working from home usual – blogging, researching, emailing and texting.

Checking out the tomato plant and two capsicum plants in the greenhouse and preparing for the new vegetable plants during the autumn through winter in the greenhouse. Nova pinches an old bird nest, for I have been saving it for photography. Blast Nova for wreaking it as she had the nest in her mouth and shot out through double doors of the greenhouse behind my back.

Cabbage plants and blueberries shrubs will be planting in the ground other days, No hurry!

Enjoying the sunshine for our dogs loves to go out and play madly in the fields. Blast Nova, for she popped into the new vegetable garden as she squeezed herself through fence mesh. Note the wire fence mesh is not the smaller type as it is a bit wide but not large gap holes.

Seeing the butterflies fluttering over the tree which has purple flowers out now. What a delightful that Monarch Butterflies are still around!

I earned a break from the house and to enjoyed the sunny afternoon.

Tomorrow it is another day to do grocery for one Deaf with diabetes chap for he is over 85 years old and living alone. Then pop down to visit one Deaf lady if I manage to source a large bag of flour from the supermarket at the same time to do the chap’s grocery. Pray it will bring us answer from the Lord above. And a last stop on the way home, to see another Deaf man with speech impaired and CP if he is not feeling too bored for he has a lady boarder in one bubble household.

Then head home for a quick lunch, before another live stream video conferencing by the council in the afternoon.
Here is a cartoon and it is something to laugh to brighten your day.

This morning it was my sixth trip back to the city of Hamilton. Another typical day for the persons I am supporting on their request for the groceries and picking up the power bills plus my routine checking on them if they are okay.

I arrived at Pak n Save – Clarence Street, near the Court House early, and it was not so bad in the queue line. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we are approaching the Autumn season.

Autumn season is a time for anyone who will be having the flu, hayfever symptoms, or cold toward to Winter season. Fear Not!

Outside the supermarket, I was observing everyone to come and go even waiting in the queue. A smaller number of persons don’t wear mask and gloves where I don’t wear a mask and have a pair of gloves in handy for one person who is a Deaf Muslim lady. A more significant number of people do wear a mask and gloves. It is their choice of what to wear or not to wear. I reached the front entrance door, and of course, the staff wore a mask and a pair of gloves. I said I am deaf myself and unable to lip read if you can sign or point out even to gestures like go. The staff realised and accepted my disability and made the gesture as to go in. The same thing happened at the small dairy shop in Silverdale, Hamilton and the woman wore a mask when I asked for a bag of flour. She refused to do gesture as no and I walked out. I don’t think she is fully aware of our disability as D/deaf.

Anyone who wears a mask and no understanding of any sign language/gesture, this result leads to many problems for many D/deaf people without their interpreter in the same room.

A friend of mine who is a nurse, living overseas and she works in refugee camps over many years. Her workplace has supplied many different types of masks available for these refugee camps, where there are many refugees with disabilities including D/deaf. One of the good masks is a transparent face mask on the left side -The Communicator mask with a clear view, model FM86000. The other types of masks which many doctors and nurses wear is N95 mask on the right side.

The N95 mask is: –

• a respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles.
• The ‘N95’ designation means that when subjected to careful testing, the respirator blocks at least 95% of very small (0.3 microns) test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks. However, even a properly fitted N95 respirator does not completely eliminate the risk of illness or death.
• N95 respirators are not designed for children or people with facial hair. Because a proper fit cannot be achieved on children and people with facial hair, the N95 respirator may not provide full protection.

The woman on the left photo is Anne McIntosh and she is a Deaf professor for the established of the transparent mask and encouraging all Medical centres and dental clinics across the United State plus taught in communication classes/workshops. The company is SafeNClear. Here are two links – YouTube  Anne McIntosh and further reading – SafeNClear

Have a look at the Youtube here and you will find an interpreter wearing one of the transparent masks. She made the transparent mask and encourage other people to do the same but precaution if using the right method.  Sign Language Interpreter

It would help many D/deaf people to understand what they are talking if there is no interpreter or video Interpreter conferencing available in New Zealand or anywhere in the world. Money is not the problem if the transparent masks are too expensive where the number of D/deaf people living in New Zealand is lesser than other people without disabilities.  Simply stock these transparent masks in one large box and store in the stockroom. Use it when you have a D/deaf patient in the GP room or in the dental room.

What is a bubble in every household during the lockdown across New Zealand?

See in the photo resemble each bubble of every household in the community.

On the right side, this is our bubble out in the rural area where our neighbours are not so close within each other. We have got a large property where we can let our dogs out for their runs during the days and nights.

The neighbours have their own bubble of a family with children and dogs or no dogs or a couple down the road from us. If one of these family in their own bubble and decide to do running or cycling out on a beautiful day. They will have to keep 2 metres away from us and our dogs no matter if we are outside or inside. This help to reduce the movement or social movements without catching the virus.

Now, if someone like me who works under the essential services such as Social Services, Hospitals, Disability Organisation. One of us will break the bubble and go to work and come back. One of us has our responsibility and precaution is to wash our hands, leave shoes outside in the sun or by the door in the fresh air, keep distancing from your children and partner into a bedroom. In the bedroom, change the clothes as much you can and put the clothes in the washing machine. Have a warm shower and put clean clothes on.  Keep yourself distancing from your children and partner on the first day of coming home from work. If one of us become infected, we will report to the manager so they can send someone else to do the job for you. Do self-isolating within 14 days in your own makeshift bedroom and keep distancing from others. Let your partner do the cooking etc. If your partner or children become ill, then stay home with them.

Yes, it is scary when coming down to a person is working under the essential services.

Did you know about the Spanish Flu back between 1918-1920?

The Spanish Flu was formerly known as 1918 Pandemic and the outbreak started in January 1918, just after the First World War to December 1920. The first reported of this influenza was in Spain,, and it was a respiratory virus. It is similar to coronavirus,, which has three combines of respiratory, fever and cough today. But the strain of coronavirus is unlikely different from the Spanish Flu but still have a similar strain. The Spanish Flu strain was H1N1 where else Coronavirus strain is Covid-19. With the Coronavirus, it is possible to have mutated by any animal and migrated to a human. The infected human became mutated and migrated to many other people. But we do not have an answer for this type of Coronavirus.

The hypotheses about the Spanish Flu came from a British team, led by virologist John Syndey Oxford in the work of research in 1999. His team believed influenza came from the military camp in Étaples, Northern France in 1917 where the medical doctors reported one set of the new virus of high mortality and this medical team claimed it was a flu. The military camp and a hospital was overcrowding which was an ideal site for spreading of a respiratory virus.  There were more than 100,000 soldiers, even nurses passed through this camp and hospital where the soldiers were treated for chemical attacks and other symptoms from the battles. This camp and hospital were closed to the piggery and poultry as food supplies bought in from the nearby villages.  This strain harboured in birds, then mutated before migrated to pigs. Yes, it was the same pattern to Swine Flu and Avian Flu several years ago, but in different strains of the virus. Unfortunately, it killed up to 50,000,000 people around the world. In the United States, quick learning to stop spreading the Spanish Flu was the flattened of the curve – social distancing. Here is a link to the flattened of the curve Flattened the curve

How did the Spanish Flu come to New Zealand?

Most people believed the steamship SS Niagara sailed into Waitemata Harbour. On this ship, there were many soldiers, a Prime Minister – William Massey along with his team came home from France via London, England. The number of New Zealanders was nearly 10,000, and the worst hit was Māori people while they suffered heavily than the rest of New Zealanders, young people between 15 years old and 44 years old.

An excellent website for reading can be found here – Influenza in New Zealand

This is why our country along with the other country opt to lock down to prevent social distraction within the community.

Another day is rolling in, and I woke up early ‘feeling empty’ because there are fewer noises outside. Our dogs slept through without barking in the middle of the nights.

Having a cup of coffee for it is my favourite drink in the early hours of the morning. Checking emails, text messages and facebooks if there is an urgent job such as food shopping, bill,s or picking medicines for the persons I am supporting.  Many supermarkets open later and closing up before 9p,m so I head out to the first closest supermarket in Claudelands, Hamilton City. It is close to a few of the people I need to check on them.

How quiet on the highway road from our home in the rural area to the city!

It is a bit strange out there because, in the early hours of the morning, it was hardy two or three people walking down the road and four cars passing by. Stopping at the traffic lights near the supermarket, I noticed two fellas for I know them who are low incomes and one of them has a mental illness. His support person’s face is full of gang’s tattoo – Mongrel Mob as he is okay to me. They saw me in the car and waved with a smiling face and gave thumb signs – good while I passed them.

Before arriving in the car park, I noticed a few people waiting in the line within 2 metres apart from the entrance double sliding doors while security officers wore masks and counted per persons. The limit of per persons is 50 people are allowed to enter inside the building. I found a car park to park my trusty car and walked over to the waiting line. The waiting time was not as long as I entered the building and started doing food groceries. Many of the staff wore masks and gloves everywhere, including there were plenty of hand sanitisers at the front entrance and every checkout counters.

Foods and drinks products on the shelves are more or less empty than last time. Before the lockdown, there were madness where many people started to panic and did the grocery. Now it is calm, BUT some product of foods or drinks are not on the shelves for the persons I am supporting, including us. Rats! There was no flour for us to do baking because my partner wants to do the baking for two of us during the lockdown and if I am working through. I know there is one place which will be handy on my last stop before heading home.

Done the first lot of groceries and head over to Couplands where they are selling loaves of bread, buns, cakes, muffins and so on. Rain falling down nicely while I drive on. Arriving at the car park as it was not so full and entering the Couplands building was no hassle. Bought several loaves of bread, and while I was waiting at the checkout, I noticed something amusing to laugh a bit. The young checkout lady was watching every person who entering the entrance, and first-person came, failed to wash their hands. She growled at this person, “minster, you need to wash your hand. Please, and there is a warning sign up on the window.” Follow the same pattern, there were four more people came through the door. I spoke to the checkout lady for I did not bring the bag, and I will return the basket and wiped down before leaving here. I did this as the double doors closed while the security officer noticed and took the basket to the checkout lady.

Head out to the last shop for I know where to buy a large bag of flour.

Finally dropping off each person’s groceries on the way home before the last stop at a Deaf elderly with speech-impaired and CP’s home. A quick chat into a long chat over the need to visit the path lab and his hospital appointment etc with his boarder. He already had his breakfast so no-no for his blood test today. I told the boarder that they will need to go to the Path lab on Monday next week.

Finally hit the road onward home back to the rural area where our dogs and my partner were pleased to see me home safely.  A short break for lunch, I followed up emails, messages until the messages via Facebook interrupted. Another Deaf man wants some help with literacy in regarding his job as a paper delivery. Quick read three letters from his boss, explained to the Deaf man for he was outside the petrol station because his home and no other income to pay the wifi/broadband network. This is one of the barriers for him as a Deaf man with low literacy NEEDS access through wifi/broadband at home but his income was no match for the cost. Hopefully, I can come up with an idea but I can not do this due to the work contract.

A kind email from a brother of the Deaf elderly speech-impaired and CP, came through with a grateful thank you for my job under essential service.

This is my daily work today so far.

Two nights ago, before I went to bed after chatting, one of the Deaf chap through Video Messenger. I was thinking of doing regularly personal blog perhaps not every day throughout the four weeks lockdown due to Corvid 19 – Coronavirus Pandemic in New Zealand. Why?

I am a deaf specialised worker for two organisations to many people with disabilities/Deaf and Hard of Hearing around Waikato. I have other roles as well, which are advisory person/advocator and literacy tutor. The New Zealand Government – Prime Minister, announced that all workers under essential services such as social service, supermarkets, doctors/nurses, etc. work through the lockdown. My role fits in the categories- social services and disability organisation.

Why not? I will start doing it and reflect on my daily/weekly works when there is text message for their request on food shopping, or need of bills even health issues. The technology we are in today, have everyone’s lives easier to communicate with other people through Skype, Messengers, or social media. Without these kinds of social media, many Deaf and Hard of Hearing people will be lost in communication with their families or friends even their own support workers.

Today a trip down to the city of Hamilton, along the State Highway 26 had been very weird because there were no cars or vans except for delivery trucks such as milk tankers and couriers. I arrived in the city and it looked empty like a ghost city except a few people walking along the footpath or riding on their cycles.

I visited an elderly Deaf chap to see if he understands what happened with the situation of lockdown and his requests for bits of help. He barely understands a few details from the television via NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) interpreter. He is over 84 years old and his sign language is different from our current NZSL. I explained every detail which easier for him to understand. One thing he annoying was the buses which he is not allowed to catch the bus to the supermarket or to do banking.

I headed over to the other side of the Waikato River for two more requests. I was waiting in car parks and noticed a few people wearing masks which is not necessary, BUT it is okay for their safety. The medical Centre where I was waiting, was well equipped for outside patients and visitors of their patients.

Hardly see a few police cars out toward our home in the rural.

Head up – just received another job to do tomorrow… This time it is a food shopping request from one elderly Deaf with speech-impaired and CP.