Life in Eureka

 

Every year I was invited to the DeafBlind support group – Waikato/BOP area. Today it was held at the Clock World in Ohaupo, Waikato. 

Why I was involved with this group? I am a deaf community support worker for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and people with disabilities for many years. I am also an advocator for the people/children with disabilities for 39 years or more. Today the weather was sunning and brighten up the dreary day after the long wet and wild weather week. I must say we enjoyed the early lunch together today.

However, Helen Keller was primarily known to many people and children around the world because of her disability – Deaf and Blind. As a deaf Historian of International and New Zealand, what about Julia Brace or Laura Bridgman? Who are these people? Have these people forgotten by us? 

Photo from American School for the Deaf… This photo: Julia Brace – 1807-1884.

Photo from Perkins School for the Blind. This photo: Laura Bridgman – 1829-1889. She died just before turning to 60 years old.

These three women who had got the same disability – DeafBlind. How did these women manage to communicate with other people in the schools, family, teachers and the community? A straightforward answer was tactile sign language.

Julia Brace developed a home sign system with her parents at home, and she learnt tactile signing from staff and students at the Hartford Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (now it is called American School for the Deaf). Julia lost her sights and hearing from typhus fever at the aged of 5 years.

Laura Bridgman was an “Intellectually superior to Helen Keller” according to Annie (Ann) Sullivan. Laura lost all or most of her sensory through having scarlet fever at the aged of 2 years old. Laura Bridgman  Laura was taught how to write and to read by Samuel Gridley Howe through tactile signing. Note Ann Sullivan was also a teacher to Helen Keller. Ann was a roommate with Laura as well. Ann became blind from trachoma at the age of 5 years old.

Let us not forget these women apart from Helen Keller.

A couple of years ago this photo was taken from our property and seeing the flipped car in the ditch in the neighbour’s property. We were asleep and the dogs did wake us up BUT we assumed it was the possums or furry animals around our place.

We saw an ambulance staff checking inside the car while the forensics staff looking for pieces and clues of the accident on the roadside, down the ditch even under the car and the neighbour’s farmland. There were several police officers checking for the mystery clues and the marking on the road. Of course, many people were speeding just before approaching, saw this flipped car, police cars and ambulance van. The drivers reduced their speed even becoming nosy and speed up after passing this accident site.

We do not really know who the driver was but we do know that the driver was drunk and drugged under influence while driving on the road in the early hour of the morning. The wrecked car was left there for about a month and it disappeared while we were at work.

In 2014 it was the year we moved to our home from the city of Hamilton, one early hour of the morning, I woke up by the light shining from the dining room. My partner – Bill (name not real) was up and keeping an eye on a drunk guy hanging around outside while our older dog – Joseph was barking. Bill did not hand over the phone to the drunk guy, but he rang the number that the drunk guy gave Bill. Another person or people came to pick the drunk guy at the gate and gone. Bill was up and waited for another 20 minutes to ensure that they were not coming back. There were no repeat dramas until the car down in the ditch.

From Monday to Friday, I go to work and there is always a new person, familiar person, or a family with small children asking for serious crying helps. What about the people with disabilities? Yes, there are a small number of Deaf family who is struggling with the need for help through Social Service, no proper services for the Deaf family even a Deaf person, in Hamilton. Here is one website which is useful for you guys to learn about the urgent needs to work with many Deaf mental people. TePou – Working with Deaf people with mental health needs

One Deaf family with young children are seeking help but there are no local support or help services in their local area. I visit them once a month and it is called a ‘drop in and chat’ visit. Last week, a Deaf mother seeking a support group because their lives have gone from good to worst or pitfall. She was crying out for help and want to have long talk so she released her emotion and anger out.

I must say there are a high number of Deaf people fell in the cracks or under the influence of becoming drug addict or alcohol. There are many reasons for any Deaf people who are isolated, unemployed, communication problems, money problems, wrong types of friends even family in the drug and alcohol abuse cycles.  The picture showed here from The Sun.

There is a link from Youtube – Deaf Prison

The crime report the crime.org

Is that enough or the urgent more awareness for many Deaf people and the families in New Zealand? We do not have the number of Deaf mental/Deaf addicts even alcoholics here. Why not? Start learning about us and our needs now!

The suicide rate review from oversea

Barriers to care for the Deaf Community Health oversea

What about Deaf alcoholics??

A helpful tool from the USA for Deaf Alcohol and counsellors

Hidden problems within the Deaf community

Would be great to have a friendly Deaf AA, Deaf Mental Health and Addiction Support groups in New Zealand?

There is a public Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry meeting in Hamilton this Wednesday……..

 

I continue to complete article about awareness in the society where many people are suffering mental health and addiction.

Today I was at work, and there was an incident outside the foyer. One man (name withheld) come to the Lunch Meal group regularly every Monday. Out of the blue, he had a violent shaking and suffered another epilepsy seizure before his arrival for his lunch meal. Unfortunately, the glass door windows smashed down, and he got cut on his forehead while continue to have seizure onto the grass area. The director and the staff rang the police and the ambulance service to assist him. We were lucky to have the skills covered in First Aid area, emergency plan and Health & Safety plan (I am the only one – a deaf Health & Safety Representative for one organisation, not here). He is in the safe hand with the ambulance staff and the Waikato Hospital Emergency staff for now. The police reported about this incident on their files because they know him well.

This man is on drug withdrawal for a quite awhile, but he has disabilities – epilepsy and low literacy. He was not a violent type today, BUT he was in the past. Of course, he was one of the low income and homelessness people in the society.
I learnt to understand him about his lousy life in the gang, the struggle of getting back to ‘normal life’ when he got out of the prison, no family, no job or home to sleep. I met him when I start working here last year. Each time I see him, and he approached me one step at a time by getting to know each other.

WHY? He learnt that I am a deaf person working here and supporting many people with disabilities, raising more awareness about our disabilities in the society. He wants to know more about people with disabilities even himself. None of the organisations will take him in due to his behaviour problem even knowing him in the past. To me, the history that his previous life finished and it is time to start over again by learning to trust him and encouraging him to do any activity one at a time.

I have got another request from one Deaf family who are seeking for more help on mental illness recently.

  Take a look at former gang – senior Mongrel Mob member in Porirua, a parent and a grandfather and anti Meth campaigner.  NZ “P Pull” in Porirua
The data of how many people in New Zealand is not clear. There are the figures from Addiction in NZ. Addiction in NZ
44% will try illicit drugs at some points in their lives
93% will try alcohol at some points in their lives
12% will have a substance use disorder in their lifetime
In 2016, there were 46.730 people accessing treatment through Accessing Help.

The top common mental illness/health in the society.

• Heredity
• Biology
• Psychological Trauma
• Environmental Stressors

I know that many people will ask if there is a cure or preventable on mental illness/health. There is no answer for this.
Mental illness/health are common in our lives and the mental illness is more common than diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The top leading causes of disability are major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. What about eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHA)? Yes, these types are including.

You can get any treatment if you can manage such as medication, psychotherapy, group therapy, Day treatment or partial Hospital treatment in the society. There is a couple of treatments such as a Cognitive Behaviours and behaviour modification.

Do we have any funding available for these kind of treatments and the resources? The answer is NO because there is not enough funding to cover.

What about people with disabilties even Deaf people who have mental illness/health?

 

Help Jean raise money for creating Deaf History in New Zealand and International project and the reseach. My facebook   or to Givealittle.co.nz givealittle.co.nz

Thanks

 

Mental Illness – Bullying is a learned behaviour

The new release of a short story about the bully in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago. click the link – Bullying is a learned behaviour as above.

This picture is from Lancaster University and the lecture came to speak about Mental Health Service including working with the Deaf service and the Deaf community. Her name is Dr Margaret de Feu, OBE of Northern Ireland and she became deaf by losing her hearing loss when she was studying at the university.

We do not have the actual figures of Deaf people who have the mental illness, health issues even bullying in New Zealand. Last year, in the UK there are many Deaf people two times more from having depression to mental illness than the hearing people, for example, 1 hearing person out of two Deaf persons suffered depression.

Depression.org.nz – Deaf/Hard of Hearing people

42 percent of disabled youth not earning or learning in NZ

There are a small number of Deaf people who I have heard, and I met 2-4 Deaf people with mental illness in the Waikato area. Several years ago, I received an urgent request from one young Deaf lady and she asked for counselling. In Waikato, there are many counsellors available BUT not with the experience in the Deaf community, culture even in NZSL. The counsellors paid for the interpreters by the Ministry of Health funding for any Deaf patients. I found one person who willing to do for this Deaf lady in Hamilton.

Currently, we have 2-4 Deaf counsellors around New Zealand.

Every day I go out to work, relaxing in the cafe, observing other people’s lives and watching or reading the papers about many people even children suffered depressed, abuse, having a mental illness. I go out to the public meetings and I listen via an interpreter to many people asking for help through the public hospital. There is an urgent huge need for support, awareness, the service for the people with mental illness even people with disabilities who have the mental illness.

At my workplace, we do have people who are homeless suffering from mental illness, health to Alcohol and drug abuse in their system.  Yes, there are a small number of people with disabilities as well. I do a lot of referral cases from the people I met through booking an appointment or in the public meeting.

In the past, when I was a teacher aide for two Deaf teenagers in two different High Schools in Hamilton. I noticed there was an increasing number of expelled students who have behaviour problems from other schools. The two Deaf teenagers were in the same classroom alone with these expelled students and the students who have learning disabilities etc. I noticed the teachers’ behaviours and it was so absurd and stupid enough to train or give any encouragement to these expelled students. I put myself in a different role than a teacher aide and spoke these expelled students from time to time outside the classroom session. The results came out blue after 4-6 months later. Here is my story to share.

One expelled Maori – Mark (the name is not real) saw me coming into the classroom late and I noticed where is the Deaf boy who was not in the classroom. Mark told me where the Deaf boy was. I asked Mark if he had told the teacher about this and his replied was no. I said why not? Mark said the teacher was grumpy and refused to listen to him. I said to Mark – try again by knowing the teacher was watching us. Mark plucked up his courage and effort to tell the teacher. The teacher replied to Mark by saying Thank you and he was sorry to rebutted earlier. How does this happen? Earlier Mark arrived in the classroom 4-6 months ago, he was watching me communicating with a Deaf boy. Mark thought it was funny by having arms and hands flapping in the air. A month later, Mark asked me why I was doing this and my replied was simple – you have a Deaf boy in your classroom and does not hear anything. I said to Mark that his arts and music was good. He told me that his English and Maths were bad. Mark came from a gang family who his father was in prison. I told Mark to tell the teacher about his arts and music works and the teacher refused to listen. BUT four-six months later at the time of the missing Deaf boy in the classroom, I told Mark to tell the teacher again. This time the teacher listens and took him to do arts and music lessons by putting English and Maths together. For example to write songs in English and to use the timing of playing the guitar in Maths.  Today Mark studied Arts and Music at University and I heard that he is doing well through one of his family members.

The main problem is there are lack of resources, funding for having an NZSL video about mental illness, the need for the interpreter who has a qualification in Health area and more support groups such as Deaf Well-Being group.

More to come……

 

How good are you in lip reading without the hearing the sound or in the loud noisy room?

As a deaf linguist, I learnt a lot on lip reading and speech via sounds through my linguistic papers at the University of Waikato in the past. When I was young before going to the primary school, I learnt to speak properly through speech therapy. In the photo above, this is me when I was young and the photo was printed in the newspaper – Waikato Times. In the old days, Ministry of Education paid the funding – the speech therapy in all school but today there was no speech therapy in all school. My face have not change much today.

I starting to understand why many people even Deaf people struggle to understand what they were saying or talking about the topic. The young generations are getting worst off when I noticed young people in the supermarket or writing a short letter. Let me explain here.

Listen to the sounding of each word. Lip and sound patterns

here

hair

hare

ear

air

for

four

Did you watch or notice the lip patterns??

What is lip reading?

Many Deaf people prefer to use visual signs such as sign language, body language, gesture, facial expression and visual clue. This is why Deaf people use their first language as sign language for many years. Not all Deaf people can read lips and they receive around 30% or less than 25% of the words through lip reading. Not all the grammatical structures and sounds are impossible to read through lip reading. Many Deaf people are not good at speaking with the right sound and they use their voice off as it is their culture. Simply is that many Deaf people can not hear the right sound by looking at the lip pattern, cannot see the tongue structure or movement behind the teeth.

I am using more than two languages – English, English-NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) and International Sign Language. For me, it is not always easy to pick up the whole conversation in the meeting or watching the t .v. because it was too noisy, people turned their face away from me, talking too fast, mumbling or gibbering even men wear long beards or moustaches over the lips.

Last year I was with a Somalian Deaf lady in the ESOL classroom and the ESOL teacher was trying to teach one African man who struggles to say ‘kitchen’ instead of ‘chicken’ and ‘khicken’ instead of ‘chicken’. Because of his accent and speaking with a clicking sound is a ‘k’.  There were several other ESOL refugee students in the same classroom and they struggle to say the right sound by using particular words such as two, too, Firth, Fifth etc. I was happy to teach them but I was not allowed to teach them due to the ESOL Teacher’s instruction. In the classroom, there were two or three volunteers for 16-17 refugee students. I was not a volunteer, just a paid job as ESOL teacher aide/communicator for the Somalian Deaf lady under one of the organisations for people with disabilities. However, the students asked me during the break hours and I helped them.

How can a Deaf family with a hearing child manage to communicate in their home? There is always the opportunity for many Deaf families to place their hearing child in a kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, with another family member’s children, grandparents, storytelling books even hearing friends’ children. Of course, the Deaf family will have two-way of communication under one roof – sign language and speaking.

Mm, what an annoying chap telling me his excuse over the disability car park at the Pak n Save – Clarence Street, Hamilton?

First of all, he is NOT A DISABLED man.

I took the disabled senior man – Rob (his name is not real) to do his food grocery at Pak n Save, Clarence Street, Hamilton at noon time today. First we went to have lunch at Burger King, Hamilton and talked over the past week though signing because we are deaf plus he has other disabilities. His other disabilities are CP as in Cerebral Palsy, speech impaired and low English.

We arrived to find one disabled car park space free but there was a grey/white or silver car in front of us. We thought he was pulling out, BUT we were wrong. He drove into the disabled car park and called out the young boy who he was waiting with a full load of foods in the trolley by the huge glass windows. Then he was loading all the food items in the back of his car while the young boy standing there waiting. The young boy noticed us and telling the man about us. I watched his lip moving as he was talking to the young boy. The man said five minutes, five minutes.

Rob was holding his mobility permit card holder that showed a proof that he is entitled for us to park the car in the disability car space. This man does not have one at all! Because we can see through the window of my car to his car.

Finally he walked over to me, there was no apologised from him to us. His excuse was he can not find anywhere to park and his grandson had to wait with full food in the trolley near the disabled parking etc… I merely told him firmly that I don’t take his words for this excuse and he went on saying that his son in law working in Pak N Save. His son in law said it is okay to park and pick up his grandson in the disabled car park.

I told him it is illegal to do that even any staff failed to accept or fail to take responsibility for allowing any family members even friends to park in the disabled park. I told him that there is plenty of parent’s car parking available. He declined this and the conversation was over. He walked away and drove off without anymore apologised.

Sigh!

After they left and I drove up to park in the same spot. We continue to do the food shopping inside. Then I went over to talked to the manager about the incident and advised the manager to speak to ALL STAFF about the guidelines and the rules over who is allow for parking the car, etc.. It is NOT for a drop or pick up car spaces.

I wish people need to learn how to respect and accept that disabled car park is for All disabled people who have a mobility permit holder card.

Try to read the messages here…. Is the ordinary person’s writing, or a slow learner like an ESOL person’s writing?

These messages were from the Deaf people who I am supporting them. Note: Surname withheld and removed from the messages were confidential for anyone in public.

How about this one? Can you understand this language?

1. Buon pomeriggio, impariamo oggi il linguaggio dei segni. (Italian)

2. Kia ahiahi, kia ako tatou mo te reo tohu i tenei ra. (Māori)

3. Dea-tráthnóna in iúl dúinn faoi theanga chomhartha inniu. (Irish)

4. Goede middag laat ons vandaag nog leren over gebarentaal. (Dutch)

5. Gelinka wanaagsani waxaynu baranaynaa luqadda dhegeysiga maanta (Somali)

I will put these language into our English sentences and you will see the difference in the English language. (Note – I am a deaf linguist).

1. Good afternoon, let us today the sign language.
2. Good afternoon, let us learn for sign language.
3. Good afternoon, let us know about sign language today.
4. Good afternoon, let us today yet learn about sign language.
5. Good afternoon, we are learning sign language today.

It is impossible to correct the English language from other language such as Somalia, Irish, Italian. The correct English language we use today, is ‘Good afternoon, let us learn about sign language today.’

With our NZSL, it is not based on English or other language. NZSL is a true and natural language that conveys information via a wide range of movements and expressions. NZSL is not a mime or gestures. NZSL is not a universal ‘Deaf’ language.

Here is two movie clips on communicate with any Deaf person in NZSL.

example of NZSL1

example on NZSL 2

In the term of language such ‘special needs’, ‘hearing impaired’, or ‘disabled’ and theses words are in the term of medical terminology. I was watching one of the YouTube and there was a guy  comedian who have disabilities on Uk Talent show. He mentions about too many words ‘special” everywhere such as Special Needs,  Education, Special Equipment. Then he said what about Special Forces!

Everyone is different when we speak or to write to another person like me. I keep typing or writing letters or blogs and I have to stop and read the grammar or content before sending off by email or to post the blogs. Often I realise there is a tiny mistake where I missed after posting out. Not everyone mention if they found an error in the blogs or email letters in replied. If I am typing a official letter to the councillor or to the Prime Minister and I would have my director to check it before sending off first. I keep practicing typing English when I am well enough to do the blogs, a draft book on Hamilton Deaf Units, and making a website on Deaf History and Sign Language. But most of the days, I am not well enough to do this due to my right elbow, arm and the tiredness from having the nerve flaring up on any days or nights.

Donate welcome through Givealttle.com or through my facebook and I would be grateful if you can help and support me.

Givealittle.com – Jean’s project on Deaf History

Facebook website for Deaf History work

 

The Fourth day of the NZSL Week!

Think about our NZSL and it is our language just you speak English, Korean, French language around the world.

Here is one of the good message for you all…

The good news is that the Parliament decided to use the interpreters for all news from the Parliament. Check out the newspaper – MPs and the Parliament – NZ…..

MPs and the Parliament – NZ  

One of the MPs is doing sign language – see below.

One of the MPs signing at the Parliament

 

 

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A third day of the NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) Week in New Zealand.

I made the Deaf Vlog for the Facebook group – Deaf Vlog (NZ, Australia and UK) this morning. One Deaf mother with a hearing son from Australia, replied to my vlog and the message was ‘how quiet is at my place without any sounds, BUT to see the autumn leaves lying on the ground? A very quiet sound of the wind blowing in the trees.’

Pan flute – The Sound of Silence

Here are a couple of links to YouTube with the captioning for the Deaf people or Hard of Hearing people.

The sound of Silence with captioning – Lords of the Ring

Dana Winner – The Sound of Silence

I turned the sound off when I was doing the video, and I signed a small message about our NZSL Week to Australia, the UK including Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Republic of Ireland and New Zealand in sign language.

The boy’s message made me realised and his ‘experienced on silent’ was living with his Deaf family. The experienced on silent makes no difference to me because I grew up in two worlds – in the Deaf community and in the hearing community.

Looking at the people speaking with their voice everywhere – buildings, car park, rock concert, home, workplace and the parks. Imagine if there was a loud noisy area and people cannot hear each other when speaking. Yep, it would be very difficult for them.

check out the sound in Paris cafe and traffic noise in Paris

For us, many Deaf people communicate in sign language easily – no matter where we are in the places, farm, noisy place. We communicate in sign language through the window, high-rise floor, across the road or across the large ‘crowding’ room. We did not have any problem with communicating than using voice by shouting out or yelling out to other people.

Recently I watched the movie and it called “The Quiet Place” last month.

In John Krasinski’s brilliantly suspenseful thriller, a family must remain silent at all times to avoid the giant predators roaming their post-apocalyptic world. The Guardian Paper Review

I noticed a number of audiences in the same room as me and they were trying to work out the storylines until the end of the movie. A couple who sat near me, they were asking me about the movie and I told them that I am deaf. They were astonished at me. Of course, we have several discussions over cuppa afterwards and they did not know about sign language as they knew very little about Deaf people. Who pays for the cuppa? They paid for me in return of thank you for the information about sign language and Deaf people.

 

Help Jean to raise money for the blog, Deaf History International projects. My domain is “mydeaf.blog” under WordPress is not ready yet

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Deaf History New Zealand and International fundraiser for Sine Peader

Today is the second day of the NZSL Week, in New Zealand.

I took the Somalian Deaf lady – Alisa* for her shopping after we have a coffee and chat in Hamilton this morning. We were signing as chatting just like everyone else in the cafe and staff asked for the signs such as please, thank you and coffee. The weather was perfect and a warm day during the Autumn season.

Fast forward to the Pak n Save, in Mill Street, Hamilton. we were inside the shopping and people watched us when I was explaining the name of the foods on the shelves even in the vegetable area. They were not nosey, just seeing us – Deaf people communicated with each other. One checkout lady asked for a sign – thank you and I responded the sign – thank you to this staff. the staff repeated the sign to Alisa.

We walked out into the car park and Alisa put her foods at the back of my car. She put the trolley back to the trolley bay.

Something was not right!

One driver, who her car was parked next to my car, she was reversing her car out while Alisa walked behind the driver’s car. The driver gave a glared and scowl at Alisa and lucky Alisa responded back in sign language – DEAF. It was not about where she came from. It was about telling Alisa to look where she is going.

The driver was shocked and said nothing. I saw the drama and I tapped on the driver’s window lightly. I spoke to her if she thought about invisible disability than any children or pets behind the car or not. The driver did not know about Deaf as an invisible disability. I said to her if she would like us to wear the label on the front or at the back of our body.

She replied well, perhaps and I told her that many disabled people refused to wear the label as a disability. To wear a label of any types of disability is a medical word for many years. I showed her my hoodie sweater which it had got a message and I said to her to think about when coming across to any person who can not hear the car reversing.  No matter if it was children or elderly people but what about the disabled person including Deaf person in the car park.

I know there are few cars that came in with reversing sensors in New Zealand a couple of years ago. I saw a couple of cars with reversing sensors in the car park with my partner. I asked my partner if he knows about it or not. His reply was yes and it was expensive but safe for anyone to see the sensors or to hear the reversing alarm. I know buses, trucks and large earthmovers have got one BUT not many cars available in New Zealand. Here is one of the websites and I posted the link below.

example of tools reversing alarms and sensors

At the end of the day, my job was over and Alisa said she is to continue to tell people by signing  “DEAF” back: if other people ask questions, scowling at her. This is her sign message as a voice to other people so they need to know and learn that she is Deaf and her language is ESOL/NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language).

*Note: Alisa is not a real name and her real name is protected from other people in any blogs. 

 

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