Candroth

I think she has a very good point. If someone screws up, they should be given a chance to make things right and get their life on a 'normal' track. That many criminals aren't given that opportunity is very sad.

Since my father died last month, I've heard a hundred 'let me know if I can help' lines from our family and friends. I've told all of them my holidays are going to be awful and I'm broke. I think two have offered anything at all (forty bucks and an invitation to dinner). At this point I just shrug and don't expect anyone to actually lift a finger.

(Edit, after some time and several replies) My point here is that telling people what's going on sometimes results in a lot of empty platitudes that can be pretty demoralizing.

Document everything. Report it when you need to, and write down everything you can remember -- every single time. There's only so much you can do, but if you feel it's important then the more information you have the better off those little ones will be. (And the parents.)

Well if you want me to go into details, I've asked them to replace: the food that was thrown away from the fridge and freezer, the litterbox they put in the trash, my futon mattress that was ruined when they left it outside to get snowed on, the only scratching post in the entire house, the allergen-free laundry soap they used up and replaced with 'fresh scent' Tide ('fresh scent' my ass), the cat food they threw out, the huge stock pot I cook soup in, the various kitchen gadgets that have gone missing, the houseplants they threw out because they were 'in the way' when my dad was in hospice, MY non-perishable food that they ate ... I could keep going on if you like.

A few suggested I write a list of things that I need. I did. The list was thrown away twice and I was still accused of 'whining' and 'complaining' and I should be grateful for all the help.

In grade school as a kid (in the 80s), there was sometimes a deaf kid in class with me. Sesame Street had a deaf character (Linda!) that helped me learn a couple super basic signs. When I reached 7th grade I shared a couple of classes with a deaf girl and started learning ASL on my own to communicate with her, however slow it would be. I've tried to educate myself over the years on deaf culture, sign language, accessibility and visibility, etc.

I have a few questions for you!

I can only think of two deaf actors (Marlee Matlin and ... *googles* Deanne Bray (from Heroes), and Nyle DiMarco as public figures. That seems like an awfully low number of people. As a deaf individual 'in the public eye', do you think that the hearing world is doing enough to include deaf individuals, especially in the public sector?

What can we in the hearing world do to accommodate deaf individuals? Do you know of any resources the average person could make use of? (For instance I want to get some kind of sticker or button to put on a name badge at work to show that I can sign.)

AND FINALLY -- Are there any deaf individuals you'd like to point out, in social media or otherwise in the public eye? Folks we should know about?