February 2006 Minutes

Action Items for February 10th, 2006 FCCDHH Meeting
            

1. All minutes were approved for November 18th, December 2nd, December 16th.            
2. Mary Grace will check into the legality of making suggested changes to the public comment card (make it more similar to an incident report, carbonless).           
3. Mary Grace to assure that media contacts occur in each area where a meeting will be held and assist Council members as needed in reaching their constituencies about upcoming quarterly meetings.            
4. Mary Grace will compile a list of the number of inquiries per complaint topic area to date and for each future meeting.            
5. Karen will present to the council in May on newborn hearing screening and follow up issues in the state (30 minutes). Laurie and Stan will provide input on the development of this presentation.            
6. Mary Grace will contact the Governor’s appointments office to clarify the procedure to reappoint current members and recommend others who have applied.           
7. Chris suggested that letters on behalf of FCCDHH be written to Craig Fugate and the State Fire Marshal expressing concerns over the access of people who are deaf or hard of hearing to adequate fire alerts in hotels and the expense to the private citizen.            
8. Eloise offered to email all Council members a handout that accompanied a presentation on emergency preparedness by Mark Dubin, former Department of Justice attorney who has been working with the Center for Independent Living in Broward County.           
9. Tanya will examine the actual contract with Ecisive and will consult with the CEO of Ecisive to address the issues that have occurred.           
10. Website information assignments: John – Attorney General and DCF, Evy – DVR, DBS, AHCA; Eloise Division of Courts (with Evan), and Social Security Administration. Evan also suggested the Division of Elections. Tanya requested this input go to Mary Grace within 2 weeks (by February 24) so that Tanya can get the information posted on the FCCDHH website.           

            

11. Joan requested that the names of each individual who submitted applications to the Governor’s appointments office as representatives of the associations or organizations participating on the FCCDHH be shared with the appropriate officer of that organization. Chris agreed to do so.            
12. Stan suggested that Bob Fifer from FLASHA be contacted to come to the meeting in May to support Better Speech and Hearing Month. Chris proposed that speech language pathologists, audiologists, Deaf Service Centers, Centers for Independent Living, etc., be invited to attend the meeting in honor of Better Speech and Hearing Month and perhaps host a reception.           
13. Regarding involving a database specialist in website development, Chris suggested that Barbara Cain with the ADAWG be contacted for support on database development, perhaps as a member of the subcommittee to avoid duplication between the ADAWG and FCCDHH websites.            

            

14. FCCDHH pay for an exhibit booth and for several members of the FCCDHH to attend the Family Café conference. Additional informational materials and supplies should be ordered and an internet connection be obtained so that streaming video can be provided at the exhibit. FAD would be willing to loan their display for use by FCCDHH. Up to $3500 was approved to support member travel and lodging to the Family Café and the exhibit. Nice laminated nametags be purchased for members.           

            

15.  Joan to develop a letter from Florida HLAA requesting sponsorship of a booth for their June conference by FCCDHH http://www.hearingloss.org/pdf/HLAA2006ExhibitorProspectus.pdf . Chris and Stan to work out the logistics of maximum family scholarship amounts, etc. Council voted to appropriate $5,000.00 for sponsorship for the convention (which entitles FCCDHH to a booth) and $2,500.00 for scholarships and for two people to staff the booth.           

             

16.  FCCDHH to sponsor a booth at the 36th annual regional SERID conference in Tampa in October. Donation of $2000 includes an exhibit table and registration. There will need to be effort to spend the dollars for this October conference prior to the end of the fiscal year.           

            

17.  Chris Wagner will attend the National Associations of State Agencies for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Palm Springs, California at the end of June.           

            

18.  Rick Kottler was approved to set up one more Medical Accessibility Task Force meeting prior to the end of the fiscal year. It will be held in Orlando at the FHA office and has a budget of up to $3000 for accommodations and travel. The development of a brochure that consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing could take with them to hospitals or doctors’ offices that could help them make the case for accessibility accommodations was delegated to the Medical Accessibility Task Force so that collaborative input and funding could be secured in support of the brochure idea.            

            

19. Tanya will arrange to host a conference call for the Information and Referral subcommittee (Tanya, Rick, Joan, Evy, Eloise, Stan) with expenses not exceeding $500 to support the meeting.            

            

20. Scheduling dates for next year were discussed. Chris directed Mary Grace to book hotels that have accessible fire alarms in the sleeping rooms and high speed internet (preferably wireless) in the meeting room.           
    1. August 17 - 18, 2006 in Gainesville           
    2. November 2 - 3, 2006 in Tampa Bay area           
    3. February 22 – 23, 2007 in Panama City           
    4. May 10 – 11, 2007 in West Palm Beach           

            

21. Carol Christopherson will do a 30-minute presentation on service animals at the May FCCDHH in Miami.           
22. Chris stated that the Council members would provide Joe Naulty with ideas of possible sources of funding to support the new Florida Deaf-Blind Association activities.            
23. Lisa asked Evy to provider her with the contact information for the Coalition for Exceptional Education Students.           
24. Lisa will send the Interpreter Licensure PowerPoint presentation to Mary Grace so that it can be distributed to all Council members.           
25. Chris to write letters of recommendation to Governor supporting re-application of Council members.           

FLORIDA COORDINATING COUNCIL            

FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING           

February 9, 2005           

            

Members present: Chris Wagner, Rick Kottler, Tanya English, Lisa Schaefermeyer, Joan Haber, Carol Christopherson, John Jackson, Eloise Williams, Evy Friend, Stan Gustetic, Randy Ellsworth, Julie Church, Joseph Naulty. Staff: Karen Anderson, DOH liaison to Council, and Mary Grace Tavel, Council assistant.           

            

Members absent: Carolyn Franklin, Evan Goldman, Laurie Gaylord, Sarah Harris.           

            

1:15 Chris Wagner called the meeting to order           

            

All members introduced themselves and the groups that they were representing.  Sign language interpreters, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) provider, Special Services Provider, and sound system assistants were introduced.            

            

Chris Wagner described the operation of the FCCDHH meetings, including the committee meetings.           

            

The members dispersed into two groups: Information and Referral committee and the Legislative committee to discuss their related issues until 3:00.           

            

Chris Wagner welcomed public to the FCCDHH meeting. Members introduced themselves and who they represent. Laurie Gaylord and Sarah Harris had arrived. Protocol for providing public comment was described. A time limit for speaking was described.  Comments were received from 21 members of the public. Mr. Wagner thanked all persons who provided input. The public comment period and meeting adjourned at 5:56 PM.           

            

            

            

Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing           

February 10th, 2006           

            

Members present: Chris Wagner, Rick Kottler, Tanya English, Evan Goldman, Lisa Schaefermeyer, Joan Haber, Carol Christopherson, John Jackson, Eloise Williams, Evy Friend, Stan Gustetic, Randy Ellsworth, Julie Church, Joseph Naulty, Laurie Gaylord, Sarah Harris. Staff: Karen Anderson, DOH liaison, and Mary Grace Tavel, Council assistant.           

            

Members absent: Carolyn Franklin. Lisa Schaefermeyer was absent much of the morning and Rick Kottler was absent in the afternoon.           

            

I.                    Call to Order           

a)   Introductions           

1.   Chris Wagner, Chair, called the meeting to order at 8:08 am.           

2.   Members introduced themselves and their affiliations.            

3.   CART provider, interpreters, sound system support and the Support Service Provider were introduced and thanked for their assistance.           

b)   Meeting minutes from November 2005 FCCDHH meeting were presented. Laurie Gaylord moved to approve minutes with a second by Randy Ellsworth with subsequent unanimous approval. Evy Friend was requested by Laurie Gaylord to provide an update on the revision of the proposed rule for eligibility criteria for special instruction for students with hearing loss. The rule has been through public hearings and completion is expected in the summer. Minutes from the December 2nd teleconference were reviewed, moved for approval by Sarah Harris, seconded by Joan Haber with subsequent unanimous approval. December 16th teleconference meeting minutes were presented. Joan Haber moved to accept the minutes, Randy Ellsworth seconded, with subsequent approval after typo revisions were discussed. All approved with exception of Tanya English.            

c)   Budget report was presented by Stan Gustetic. He worked closely with Mary Grace, assistant to the Council, to develop the budget report. There remains approximately $95,000 in the budget that will need to be discussed by the council for possible expenditure. Members were invited to review the budget carefully. John Jackson expressed concern about delaying spending of the money. Chris Wagner stated that spending the money will be discussed as a part of new business later in today’s meeting. Stan made the point that it was important to deplete the funds in the FCCDHH budget so that the use of the full budget that flows through the Department of Health will be considered justified. Discussion occurred on how the budget report displays encumbrances and expenditures. Sarah Harris motioned to accept the financial report, seconded by Joan, with subsequent unanimous approval.            

            

II.                  Public Comment Review and Discussion           

a)      Comments about the public hearing were invited by members of the Council.            

b)      Stan inquired about having a possible point in the future when the Council can request public input on specific items. For example, if the Council has a primary concern about the website, to then specifically request input from the public on the website.            

c)      Chris Wagner expressed that the Council could present the action items and current activities of the Council prior to the public comment period and then request input from the public on any new information that could be added to what the Council is already working on.            

d)      Tanya suggested that all written advocacy materials, such as letters to TV stations, that were generated by the Council be posted on the website in an advocacy section, perhaps with some quotes from the public.            

e)      Julie expressed concern that the Council is not getting the word out to the public about activities of the Council. Joe Naulty inquired how members of the Council should make stakeholders in the general area that the quarterly FCCDHH meeting is held at to make them aware of the upcoming meeting and to encourage them to inform the public of the meeting. Chris Wagner explained that Mary Grace releases the information in the public notice and that each Council member should be releasing the public notice to their own organizations or associations and take steps to let people know about the upcoming meetings. The dates are also in the written brochure that has been distributed widely. Laurie reinforced that she thought that it is up to Council members to reach out and inform each of their constituencies to inform them of upcoming meetings.            

f)        Laurie suggested that during public meetings if we adhere to the time limit that the Council has set that it would cause the public to be more concise and shorten the proceedings.            

g)      Sarah commented that the issues raised by the public in each area are not the same everywhere. The Council should do something about the issues regardless of location to provide more support for access for individuals who are deaf.             

h)      Randy expressed that the Council has an obligation to take the concerns of the public and try to do something about it and that it would not be appropriate to restrict their topics to address.            

i)        Stan expressed that it is important to inform the public about the activities of the council to address concerns. He further expressed that Mary Grace is very competent to advertise upcoming meetings and assist council members to reach out to public and media sources. Miami would be a good location to broadcast the availability of the FCCDHH website.            

j)        Chris indicated that a condensed report of the actions of the Council during the first 10 minutes of public hearing and then invite further comments. Carol indicated that people complete the public comment card and then have difficulty remembering just what they wrote or to provide some structure or suggested areas of comment and encourage them to include specific names of hospitals, etc. Chris asked Mary Grace to explore the idea of carbonless copies for the comment cards so that members of the public can refer to what they put in writing to share with Council members. Julie suggested that the card request information on specific incidents (e.g., court, timeframe, hospital). Chris cautioned that it not be perceived that the FCCDHH was an investigative body. Laurie reinforced the idea of an incident report form that prompts public to include specifics about the difficulties they are having with hospitals, police, etc. Evy wondered if there was a way to assist the public in talking about issues that happened in the last few months rather than experiences from a long time ago. Many of the comments relate to misunderstanding of how people can access services from different agencies (i.e., FCAT waiver, VR) resulting in some of the comment time being spent by Council members educating the public on how to access services. Tanya said that the whole purpose of having the public comment session was to identify where the problems lie and that everyone needs to be heard and it would be beneficial to have a tally of the number or proportion of the comments that occurred in the different complaint areas. Mary Grace will tally the number of comments per complaint area to date, and for each future meeting.           

            

III.                Medical Accessibility Task Force Update           

a)      Chris Wagner introduced Kathy Reep, a representative from the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) who was in the audience.            

b)      Rick Kottler presented a report on the results of the Medical Accessibility Task Force meeting. It was emphasized that the Council is an advocacy and education organization and not a police force. The Task Force meeting was educational and Bob Mather from the Department of Justice provided a presentation that was very beneficial.            

c)      The outcome of the meeting was that another meeting be called with Kathy Reep and a few FHA members who work with local compliance issues and a few of the Council members to develop a best practice guide for the hospitals on how to provide the access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It was proposed that the meeting(s) be held in Orlando and at low cost.            

d)      There was discussion about the Council developing an educational video/DVD for hospitals and physicians. The Florida Medical Association was invited to the Medical Access meeting and they did not attend. Rick Kottler indicated that it was appropriate to invest energy into working with the hospital association and work toward a trend that will also influence physicians. He further indicated the need to insert course work or instruction into medical school or nursing school to provide them information on deaf access rights and issues.            

e)      The Council needs to encourage the public to copy the FCCDHH whenever a complaint is filed with the Department of Justice so that the Council is collecting information on the scope of the complaints. For example, in New Jersey the Attorney General recently required the provision of interpreters within a certain amount of time in hospitals. In order to possibly accomplish the same thing in Florida the Council needs to have proof of the scope of the actual complaints.            

f)        Rick Kottler requested one or two meetings to discuss the best practice guidelines and then also to address the conceptual development of an educational DVD.            

g)      Kathy Reep was invited to address the Council. She works for the corporate compliance section of the Florida Hospital Association wherein concerns related to providing accessibility for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing are raised. Policies and procedures are starting to be developed in hospitals to address these access issues. She stated her belief that if the Council provided a best practice guideline it could assist in this process and would also be helpful to share with physicians. She expressed willingness to partner with the Council and Rick Kottler to work toward developing guidelines. She also expressed that it may be possible to obtain some funding support from the hospitals for development of the educational DVD that she will explore.            

h)      Chris Wagner described the desire to develop a comprehensive video to include deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind perspectives, including scenarios and deaf and hard of hearing speakers. A contact with Dan Kossoff, who developed the FCCDHH PSA resulted in an rough estimate for an educational DVD from $32,000 to $60,000. He proposed approaching the Florida Hospital Association, Department of Health, Florida Medical Association, Department of Elder Affairs, and Department of Children and Families to develop a cost-sharing to fund development of the video. It was suggested that a $50,000 amount be used as a target for development of the video. Further discussion ensued about the possible cost of the video.            

i)        Kathy Reep indicated that there were 230 acute care hospitals and also numerous skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. Instead of providing one DVD to each location she suggested that it be included in the FCCDHH website. Carol Christopherson indicated the importance of including information on the use of oral interpreters by the late-deafened and service animals. Tanya suggested that some basic general footage be shot that could then also be used in a future legal access video. Laurie indicated it was critical for the medical profession to be informed of the need for follow up of newborns who fail hearing screening and Stan agreed.            

j)        Rick did request permission from the Council to hold one or two Medical Access Task Force meetings to include: Chris, Joan, Tanya, Lisa and also Kathy Reep and other members of the Florida Hospital Association. The Florida Medical Association can also be invited to the best practice guideline development meeting. Kathy Reep stressed that the best practice guidelines for communication access in medical facilities be the focus of the meetings. Carol Christopherson informed the Council that the ABA Journal already has a published article on accessibility of service animals in medical settings.           

k)      Chris Wagner made a comment about the early hearing screening and a suggestion that an informational presentation be made at the next Council meeting on the issue. Laurie and Stan will assist Karen in preparing the information to be presented.            

            

IV.                Legislative Update           

a)      Evan Goldman presented the Legislative Update.            

b)      The FCCDHH has again been included in Governor Bush’s budget for this legislative year at the same level as previous years. The Council will remain in Department of Health so that the existing support staff can continue to provide assistance.            

c)      In prior meetings the Council had expressed the desire to increase the funding of FCCDHH. Evan and Tanya met with Senator Nan Rich who then agreed to sponsor the Council’s Community Budget Issue Request (CBIR) with Representative Gus Bilirakis on the House side. Evan provided information on how members should advocate for the CBIR by contacting delegation members in each of their locales to sign onto the CBIR. The best way to do this is to work in coalition with their respective associations or organizations. It is also important to communicate with members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Even if it gets passed by the House and Senate it still would need to be supported by the Governor’s office. The key is tenacity of FCCDHH members working with their local House and Senate members.            

d)      Evan referred to a number of bills that were included in members’ meeting packets.            

a.      Senate Bill 1014 – Florida School for the Deaf and Blind; desired changes including education services provided on an outreach basis for sensory-impaired children ages 0-5 years and to district school boards upon request.           

b.      House Bill 243 - relating to hearing aid specialists that establishes patients right to refuse or cancel the sale of the hearing aids within 72 hours of responding to an advertisement for free or reduced fee services.           

c.   Senate Bill 370 – Beginning in 2008 an applicant for audiology licensure must have earned a doctoral degree in audiology. Also, an audiologist or speech language pathologist who employs an assistant must provide on-the-job training with a plan approved by the board and must maintain responsibility for all services performed by the assistant.            

d.      Federal HR 4022 – requires health coverage for certain reconstructive surgery to correct or repair abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors or disease to improve function or to give the patient a normal appearance to the extent possible. This bill relates to lack of health coverage for surgery for children who have ear atresia or microtia as a means of treatment to improve hearing loss.            

e.      Federal HR 414 - Hearing Aid Tax Credit Bill; not to exceed $500 per qualified hearing aid once per every 5 years for a taxpayer age 55 or older or a dependent child. If a person owed no income tax they may actually received the $500 back for their pocket.           

f.        Evan reported that in Broward County in May during Better Speech and Hearing Month they are planning to hold a press event with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to showcase and support the Hearing Aid Tax Credit Bill. Tentative date is May 1st. Laurie Gaylord suggested that the concerns raised by hearing loss that is caused due to excessive volume of iPods also be included in the event.  Evan urged all interested Council members to speak with him about holding similar press events in their own localities.           

g.      Chris inquired to Evan about a new bill sponsored by Senator Wise (SB 1058) for emergency preparedness for persons with disabilities. At the Federal level there is a similar bill for the Emergency Preparedness and Response for Individuals with Disabilities Act. Evan said he would look into the bills.            

            

V.                  Emergency Preparedness Meeting Update           

a)      Chris Wagner described the meeting that was held on December 13th in Tampa and attended by TV stations and emergency management directors. Since the meeting he’s received many positive contacts, many asking for policies and procedures. Another Emergency Preparedness meeting is desired to educate emergency preparedness managers and TV stations that were unable to attend in December.           

b)      Chris spoke with Craig Fugate last week at the Emergency Preparedness Conference for Persons with Disabilities about continuing to be involved as a voice for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Chris would like Mr. Fugate to participate in future FCCDHH Emergency Preparedness meetings.            

c)      Chris has been asked to present at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in May to discuss emergency preparedness.           

d)      There is a desire and interest to get persons who are deaf and hard of hearing involved in the mock emergency drills that occur in hospitals and mock disaster drills.           

e)      A situation occurred at last week’s Emergency Preparedness Conference for Persons with Disabilities that exemplified the necessity to do a better job of fire alarms in hotels and addressing true evacuation needs for persons with disabilities in case of fire. The ADA kits that many hotels have available are insufficient to address true accessibility to emergency alerts.           

f)        Chris Wagner strongly stated the belief that the Council should take a very serious position on emergency preparedness discussions and also how to let people know about fire alarms and how to work them. He suggested that the Council needs to address the State Fire Marshal and educate him about the issue of fire alarm access in hotels and expense for private citizens (Ex: $129 at Home Depot).  The concern can also be addressed within the state building code committee.            

g)      Carol Christopherson mentioned her desire to attend an upcoming meeting in Duval County of Department of Health Officers discussing pandemic, epidemic, influenza, and other health issues. She thought the FCCDHH and the deaf community should know about the meeting. Chris mentioned that this issue has been discussed at the Florida Disability Task Force, of which he is a member. If there is breaking news, it is almost always auditory only with no realtime captioning available.            

h)      Chris is also involved in emergency preparedness initiatives at the national level through Consumer Advocate Network (CAN) where they have been exploring the use of text messaging devices to disseminate information to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Only about 30% of these individuals have this technology.             

i)        Eloise clarified SB 1058 as Senator Wise’s and also mentioned HB 89 from Representative Harrell on emergency preparedness. The bill contains information on special needs shelters, service animals, registry, etc. Eloise offered to email all Council members a handout that accompanied a presentation on emergency preparedness by Mark Dubin, former Department of Justice attorney who has been working with the Center for Independent Living in Broward County.            

j)        Joan shared a handout from the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons on a grant to provide an 8-hour course on emergency preparedness. This group had inquired if Florida would be interesting in sponsoring this course. Chris made a comment that much of their focus is on terrorism rather than weather disasters and that he had been speaking with them about this. There are strings on this grant that have been imposed by Homeland Security.             

k)      Tanya shared that the Broward County League for the Hard of Hearing has a monthly health lecture about different health issues. They are well attended and have CART and interpreter services. This seems to be an effective means of getting health information out to individuals who are deaf and the Deaf Service Centers may be interested in doing something similar.           

            

VI. Website Report           

a)      Tanya expressed frustration in lack of progress in website development due to collaboration difficulties with the web development company.            

b)      Mary Grace and Tanya have received training on how to update the website themselves.            

c)      There are still aspects of the website that Ecisive needs to address. Tanya will examine the actual contract with Ecisive and will consult with the CEO of Ecisive to address the issues that have occurred. FCCDHH does not have a contract with Ecisive for ongoing management of the website nor is there a recommendation to continue with them. Dororthy Hesson still provides consultation.            

d)      There are issues with the firewalls within the Department of Health IT department that prevent Mary Grace from updating the website from the office. There is a concern about the stalling with populating the database.           

e)      There are issues in how it is to be determined who or what services will be included on the FCCDHH website. It was suggested that a subcommittee be developed (Tanya, Rick, Joan, Evy, Eloise, Stan) to recommend criteria and an application process. Tanya requested that the Council consider supporting one or more meetings of the subcommittee to address these issues. Rick described a system currently used by the Deaf Service Center Association that may be used as a model. Discussion occurred about criteria for inclusion of providers on the website.            

f)        Tanya stated that on the portion of the website that includes coordination issues there should be input by each of the state agencies. For example, Eloise will provide information from Elder Affairs and Veterans Affairs related to contact people, best links on the websites, etc. Karen has already provided information related to infant hearing and SHINE early intervention. DOE and DOEA have already provided information. Other agencies or departments that should be considered and information put on the website include  DOH, DCF, VA, APD, AHCA. DVR, and DBS. It was suggested that a single contact person in each department be identified. Eloise also suggested the State Courts Administrator’s ADA policies and Chris suggested Debbie Howells as the contact person about ADA issues. Evan suggested including the Secretary of State’s office regarding information about voting. There was discussion about having the committee meet via teleconference with CART support. Assignments for website information gathering: John – Attorney General and DCF; Evy – DVR, DBS, AHCA; Eloise-- Division of Courts (with Evan), and Social Security Administration. Evan also suggested the Division of Elections. Tanya requested this input go to Mary Grace within 2 weeks.            

g)      Julie raised the question about involving a database specialist. Chris suggested that Barbara Cain with the ADAWG be contacted for support on database development, perhaps as a member of the subcommittee to avoid duplication.            

            

VI.                Audient Alliance for Accessible Hearing Care           

a)      Joan presented information from Audient. Chris and Joan attended a presentation about this program and were favorably impressed on this low cost program to obtain 2 digital hearing aids.            

b)      Information on Audient was offered as a resource for Mary Grace to have on hand when inquiries occur.            

c)      Evan commented that Council members should be actively promoting this program.            

                                                                                                                               

VII.              Promotional Items Protocols/Update           

a)      Mary Grace has been keeping track of distribution of promotional items.            

b)      Tanya stated that the printable version of the brochures has not yet been provided by Ecisive for the website and that future brochures will need to reflect updated meeting dates.            

c)      Chris Wagner officially recognized Mary Grace for her promptness and competency in assisting the Council.            

            

VIII.            New Business           

a)      Continuation of council members was discussed. Seven members have terms that expire on June 30th, 2006. Each member was asked if they desire to return to participation on the Council. The following individuals indicated their desire to continue: Sarah Harris; Joan Haber; Rick Kottler; Stan Gustetic; Randy Ellsworth;and Evan Goldman. Lisa Schaefermeyer was asked once she returned to the meeting and expressed her willingness to stay on the Council. The Governor’s appointment office collects applications for the Council that are then shared with Chris and Karen. Recommendations are made to the Governor’s appointment office. Joan requested that each of the associations or organizations that are represented as to who has submitted applications to the Governor’s appointment office be contacted. Chris agreed to do so.            

b)      The Council needs to consider election of a new chair person. Chris suggested that the Council members consider a new chair once all of the appointments to the council have been confirmed. So discussion on the election of Chairpersons was delayed until the August FCCDHH meeting.           

c)      Evan commented about participation of FCCDHH members in the May is Better Speech and Hearing Month.  He encouraged Council members to reach out to their communities to support the month. Chris proposed that we invite speech language pathologists, audiologist, Deaf Service Center, Center for Independent Living, etc. to attend the meeting and perhaps host a reception. Stan suggested that Bob Fifer from FLASHA be contacted to come to the meeting.  Laurie suggested that this would also be a good time to showcase the FCCDHH website. Stan suggested it be promoted as “Better Communication Month”.           

d)      The Family Café conference is on June 2nd – 4th and has approximately 7000 attendees with the focus on children with disabilities, especially developmental disabilities. Evy has attended a couple of past Family Café meetings and will be presenting this year on teaching reading and accommodations that can be provided. She described the content and activities related to this conference. Chris recommended that the FCCDHH pay for an exhibit booth at the conference. Chris moved that several members of the FCCDHH attend the Family Café conference and attend an exhibit booth. John Jackson seconded the motion. Julie inquired about the cost of the booth and Mary Grace reported that she thought it was $500. Stan recommended that additional informational materials and supplies be ordered and that an internet connection so that streaming video can be provided at the exhibit. All members voted with unanimous approval.  Chris that FAD would be willing to loan their display for use by FCCDHH. Stan made a motion to pay up to $3500 to support member travel and lodging to the Family Café and the exhibit. Stan suggested that nice laminated nametags be purchased for members. All members approved the expenditure for the Family Café.           

e)      The national convention for the Hearing Loss Association of the America will be held in Orlando on June 29th – July 2nd. The local chapter of the HLAA is acting as a local host. Joan Haber encouraged all FCCDHH members to attend. 1800 people are expected to attend. Chris made a motion that the FCCDHH provide a $5000 donation to support to the HLAA conference. Sarah seconded it. Evan would like to add an amendment to invite parents with children to attend as well, so that part of the donation would be used as a scholarship to support families to attend. Julie raised the question about availability of programs for children. Joan said that younger people are now more of a focus since the Cochlear Implant Association combined with the HLAA. Stan raised the question of whether the state HLAA should receive the donation rather than providing the donation to the national HLAA. Laurie raised the issue of needing to be careful supporting any one organization because this provides a precedent for many other organizations approach the FCCDHH for support. Julie made the point that this could be considered as an opportunity to promote visibility of FCCDHH rather than as a donation. It was suggested that dollars be provided to the Florida HLAA and that it have the responsibility for providing parent scholarships (registration and lodging) rather than having the Council make those decisions. Expectations on the specifics for how the donations be spent would be specified in a letter written by Chris and Stan, such as a $500 cap per family.  A motion was made that the FCCDHH sponsor a maximum donation of $7500 to the Florida HLAA for an exhibit booth and to sponsor families to attend the conference (details to be worked out between Stan Gustetic and Chris Wagner). All members voted to approve the motion with the exception of Joan and Carol who are members of FHLAA and excused themselves from the vote.            

f)        Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness (SERID) is hosting their 36th annual regional conference in Tampa in October. There are 10 regions in the US. They are expecting between 300-350 professionals to be participating in the conference. Sponsorships include an exhibit table and registration. Stan made a motion that FCCDHH sponsor a $2000 donation to the SERID; Randy seconded the motion. All members voted in favor of the motion with the exception of Julie, Chris, and Sarah who abstained due to their involvement on the planning committee with the SERID conference. Stan made the comment that there will need to bean effort to spend the dollars for this October conference prior to the end of the fiscal year.           

g)      Chris has been invited to a meeting of the National Associations of State Agencies for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Palm Springs, California at the end of June. Chris requested that the Council consider providing support from FCCDHH for travel and hotel so that he can attend. Because there is already a line item for the Chair to attend appropriate meetings there was no need for the Council to approve the travel expenditure.           

h)      Rick Kottler asked for the Council to approve one more Medical Accessibility Task Force meeting prior to the end of the fiscal year. The funding would be used to cover CART and interpreters and travel. There have already been dollars encumbered for additional meetings and travel in the FCCDHH budget. Chris made a motion to have one more Medical Accessibility meeting to be held in Orlando prior to June with a budget not to exceed $3000 in support of travel and accessibility. Motion was seconded by Randy Ellsworth and all present council members approved.            

i)        Tanya made a motion that the FCCDHH host a conference call for the Information and Referral subcommittee.  Stan suggested that a maximum of $500 be provided to support the meeting. Seconded by John with unanimous approval by all members present.            

j)        Scheduling dates for next year were discussed.            

a.      August 17 - 18, 2006 in Gainesville           

b.      November 2 - 3, 2006 in Tampa Bay area           

c.      February 22 – 23, 2007 in Panama City           

d.      May 10 – 11, 2007 in West Palm Beach           

Chris directed Mary Grace to book hotels that have accessible fire alarms in the sleeping rooms and high speed internet (preferably wireless) in the meeting room.           

k)      Evan suggested that Carol present on Service Animals. Chris said that it would be put on the agenda for the May meeting.           

l)        Joe reported that a new Florida Deaf Blind Association has been developed and is in the process of being incorporated. $4000 has been donated by the Helen Keller Center, Conklin Center, and Department of Education DVR. Their first meeting is on May 5-6 in Pompano. Joe requested that the Council consider providing some support of the start up of this organization. Chris expressed concern that a possible conflict of interest could be perceived. Chris suggested that resources be tapped such as the Florida Lions Foundation or other state organizations. He said that there would be names and resources provided to Joe.            

m)   Tanya suggested that a brochure be developed that consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing could take with them to hospitals or doctor’s offices that could help them make the case for accessibility accommodations. Chris suggested that this activity be delegated to the Medical Accessibility Task Force and that collaborative input and funding be secured in support of the brochure idea.             

n)      In exploration of an inquiry from the website, Mary Grace inquired if members knew about the availability of small cards that had simple signs printed on them. Carol suggested that the Center for Independent Living in Jacksonville handed out materials to emergency personnel a couple of years ago and the cards might have been part of what was handed out.            

o)      Joan suggested that dollars be identified to air the PSA again. Chris and Evan supported this idea. No motion was made.            

p)      Evan suggested providing some sort of training collaborative. Joan reported that the HLAA has developed the Academy of Hearing Loss Support Specialists to train people to provide support to persons with hearing loss. She brought up the idea that scholarships be funded for people in Florida to participate in this training. Julie commented that the Deaf Service Centers do have training as within their mission and suggested exploring collaborations with the Centers for these scholarships. Chris cautioned that the FCCDHH budget was very limited in terms of meeting all the various training and outreach needs in the state, which is why a request for additional funds has been proposed to the Legislature.           

            

IX.               Licensure Report           

a)      The Licensure Report was presented by Tanya English and Lisa Schaefermeyer.            

b)      Tanya reported that the CART work group was still discussing and that they have the goal of providing recommendations next year. There is still an interest in working with the Florida Court Reporters Association to pursue credentialing of CART.           

c)      Lisa reported meeting with Representative Attkisson during the morning to discuss use of interpreters and the need for licensure. He questioned Lisa and Ali for over two and a half hours on issues related to the use of sign language interpreters. He is the Chair of the DBPR committee.            

d)      Representative Baxley will sponsor the interpreter licensure bill in the House and it is not finalized, but looks very hopeful that Senator Wise will sponsor it in the Senate. FRID has been in contact with John McBride the legislative affairs director at DBPR who has been providing them with information on aspects important to licensure that should appear in a bill. Chris Wagner will be meeting with Elmer Dillingham, President of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. FRID was advised that FSDB needs to be a strong supporter of the bill. Once bill numbers are assigned FRID can begin to rally support. A rally is planned at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 21st.            

e)      A powerpoint presentation that was developed for Legislators was shown to the Council.            

f)        Evan congratulated Lisa and Tanya on all the work they did on this issue and the quality of the power point. He suggested that the number of other states that have licensure be added to the powerpoint.            

g)      Evy reported that the Department of Education is continuing to support a project to improve the skills of educational interpreters. There was one slide that said that there would be no additional cost if licensure was established but there may be increased cost if the school districts were only paying interpreters on a paraprofessional pay scale.            

h)      The Coalition for Exceptional Education Students was in agreement and Evy said that they may be willing to be supportive of FRID and FAD’s efforts. Lisa asked Evy to provider her with the contact information for the Coalition for Exceptional Education Students.            

i)        Sarah asked that the power point be shared with FCCDHH members. Lisa will send it to Mary Grace for distribution to members.            

j)        Evy reported that for the first time there was negative growth in the number of students in exceptional education. The number of deaf and hard of hearing students has grown a little but that may be more related to better identification of students with hearing impairment.           

k)      Chris described the Rally on Tally that occurred in March 2004 to lobby for passage of legislation for the FCCDHH. He stated that he wanted to see the Rally on Tally become an annual event. It will occur again on March 21st. There is an opportunity to meet with the Legislators and their assistants. The Rally would be not only to support Licensure but also for emergency preparedness, educational reform, and other issues. Unfortunately the Capitol is not accessible to persons with hearing loss, but the staff and legislators are gaining experience and education about accessibility each time a person who is deaf or hard of hearing appears.           

            
X.                 Announcements           

a)      March 18th Deaf Expo in Kissimmee Convention Center. Free admission.            

b)      March 21st the Rally at Tally at the Capitol           

c)      May 4-5 the FCCDHH meeting in Miami. All members were reminded to contact constituents and stakeholders in the Miami area.           

d)      There will be 2 presentations at the Miami meeting: one by Carol on service animals and one by Karen on newborn hearing screening.           

e)      Stan shared directories for services available for children with hearing loss and vision impairment with updated contacts that are made available to parents and others.            

f)        Joe commented that he bought a cell phone that was finally compatible with his hearing aids without it being so loud that everyone surrounding him can hear the conversation.           

g)      Joan reported that she was happy to see the copy of the letter of response from 20th Century Fox regarding provision of captioning in theaters. She reminded all members to go to captioned theaters. She would appreciate it if people would let her know when a theater is under construction so that the FHLAA chapter can contact them about captioning options and needs. Their chapter was successful in intervening with a theater undergoing renovation in Sarasota that has since agreed to install rear window technology.             

            

XI.               Adjournment           

 Chris Wagner thanked all Council members for their participation and expressed his appreciation to the public attending the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50 PM.            

            

PUBLIC HEARING February 9th, 2006           

            

1. Omid Nouri – He is a 3D animation artist who was interested in getting hired into a certain company. He and a hearing friend with the same exact background interviewed and the hearing person got the job and he did not. He felt that the company did not want to provide the interpreter so he could be trained. It is important that employers be trained to understand the need and right of deaf and hard of hearing consumers for interpreters. He also had an experience with VR that requires a medical check up. When he said he wanted to go to a certain college he was told that he can only go to RIT or Gallaudet, not the animation training he could have received from the college of interest. He has 3 bachelor’s degrees and cannot get a job. There is a need for some discussions with VR about the confidence they need to give deaf people so that they have the ability to go out and get a job. He also feels hurt that many millionaires have done nothing to help the deaf to have an equal advantage as people who are hearing.  He is considering suing the EEOC about ADA issues related to his wife. Most businesses don’t understand the ADA or doesn’t think it pertains to them. Even though he is a qualified person he cannot be hired.  Also, it is important for Sprint or other companies to lower the price of PDAs, Sidekicks, etc.            
2. Victoria Delta – She cannot find a job. She tries to do her best to speak for herself without an interpreter. She has a higher education. Her dream is to develop a hard of hearing and deaf job hot line.            
3. Samuel Moree – 1. Interpreters need to be far more qualified. We need to look into licensure. 2. When we are talking about video phones hearing people do not know about VP. 3. Emergencies – the local fire department distributed free fire alarms to the hearing people but not the deaf people – it should be fair.            
4. Donna Drake – She was representing Voc Rehab as a liaison so that she can address DVR issues. She hopes to be able to provide better life quality to persons who are deaf. Today she attended the meeting and wanted to congratulate all council members on completing the interpreter licensure report. This is a long effort. FCCDHH needs to stand firm to support getting interpreter licensure set up. High school reform is a big concern due to the lack of quality of interpreters. If the student does not have a qualified interpreter they are not going to get what they need to be able to compete with the hearing students.            
5. Emile Abiabdallah – He is having a problem with the police department. When pulled over at night he did not know why he was pulled over. The policeman did not communicate the reason, but gave him a ticket. He emailed the Chief of police about the incident. He requested interpreter services but they refused to meet with him with an interpreter present. They went to court. Judge dismissed the case because the policeman didn’t show up. The interpreter at the Orange County court setting seemed very uncomfortable and not qualified as an interpreter. Sheriff’s Department, not Orange County Police.            
6. Emily Karva – A deaf gentleman was in court last fall (age 18) who was asked how he pleads. The lawyer told him to say guilty, so he did so. Then the man asked what ‘guilty’ meant. He did not know about why he was there or what the charges were. The interpreter was not qualified to provide interpreter services to this juvenile and now he is in jail with two life sentences – all because he did not having a qualified interpreter. She works for the Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Most important, the VR services are not always providing qualified services. One woman who was very motivated to go to college left out of frustration due to the result of a lack of a qualified interpreter. The language in life skills curriculums for hearing people are often too high in language for deaf people – they need to be in a life skills class with other people who are deaf. Captioning sometimes has words that are too large and difficult to understand. Sometimes interpreters on the screen are covered by the captioning. Some deaf people have difficulty paying their bills and understanding what the paperwork related to setting up services and billing really means.            
7. Frances Rivera – Complaint about the wait for an interpreter while at the Longwood Hospital. They said an interpreter would come but none showed up. For 2 ½ weeks without an interpreter, including when she was transferred from the hospital. A police officer also came to her home to interview her but again no interpreter was provided.            
8. Deej Jones – Working with the IRS has been a struggle – no interpreter services are provided. A signer in the office who can provide a simple explanation is not enough. He feels at a loss. A second issue is Medicaid. They require a lot of information on a form. He is working with the Center for Independent Living to help with the form. He finally received a Medicaid card but when he tried to use the card services were refused because they demanded a co-pay. He doesn’t understand his options. A third issue is in relation to the post office. He got an application on the web. They didn’t provide an interpreter when he went in to take the employment test. He was refused the job. Better accommodations were needed for him to be fairly interviewed by the post office. A final concern was about closed captioning appearing in the middle or top of the screen thereby cutting off part of the picture or the interpreter. It is important to improve the captioning system.            
9. Tesha Greene – Problems with the IRS not providing an interpreter. The person at the Center for Independent Living wasn’t helpful. Every year she wants an interpreter to be with her when she does her taxes. When looking for a job she sends in a resume’ the employers seem interested in her but when they invite her to come in for an interview the employers then refuse to provide a qualified interpreter. They ask her to bring a family member to interpret. Too often she shows up for the interview and the interpreter is not provided. Similar thing happened when she applied to go to school. She applied for college entrance to PolyTechnical. Was denied when they found out that she would need an interpreter. Also happened when she made a physician appointment and was assured that an interpreter would be provided. When she showed up and an interpreter was not there they blamed her for not telling them, when she really had. After 2-3 hours of waiting someone came to her and asked her if she can read lips and tried to write to her. After more waiting she was told that she would need to pay for the interpreter.  She also had gone to VR to ask them to pay for hearing aids. They then said they required her to get a job first. She went to Quest as required by VR. Quest said that VR should help her find a job.            
10. Justin Bruscino – He works for the Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Orlando. Children graduating from high school who are deaf do not have basic skills such as using a phone book, basic equipment, or even how to use an interpreter properly. Managing checkbooks and a budget – few receive basic life skills training. Some of these basic tutorials could be put on websites in sign language so the deaf person could access the training fully in the language they know. There are ASL users and Spanish Deaf in the area so more than one tutorial language is needed. He has worked with local county emergency management agencies and they do not have an interpreter provided on the TV for where shelters are at, what is going on, etc. He’s attended county emergency agency meetings where people on the council have indicated that they thought that their tax dollars should no go to pay for interpreter services and that college students should be used. It is also hard for people to go to the Florida Relay office in Seminole; especially Spanish Deaf who don’t have 1.5 hours out of their day to drive to the FTRI office.           
11. Milton Morales – He left. Information on the card he completed indicated that he wanted to express his concern related to hospitals not providing interpreters and the cost of high speed internet services.            
12. Larry Kavanaugh – He was told about the existence of FCCDHH 2 weeks ago. Hearing aids are very expensive; he’s worn them since he was about 6 years old. They cost about 20% of his annual salary. He managed to get assistance this time from VR but doesn’t know about the future. VR required a letter from his employer stating that he needed hearing aids for safety and work. His employer refused because they were concerned that writing a letter would mean a guarantee of future employment. He ended up getting a letter from his physician stating that hearing aids were a medical necessity. He would like to have hearing aids covered by insurance in the future. He is grateful that technology is now available to make communication more accessible than in the past. He does require assistive devices for persons who are deaf because he is deaf when he is not wearing hearing aids. Sarah Harris said that it sometimes takes VR a year to approve applications for hearing aids, but it is not so long in other places. Number of hearing aids, requirements of employer letters, etc. is inconsistent by VR in different areas of the state. The VR office for the state does not have an audiology consultant for the VR counselors to ask questions. Stan has been volunteering in this capacity of late.            
13. Jaime Mariona – He left. His comment card was read. He wanted to discuss equal rights in that hearing people should be getting video phones from some of those video agencies. Request for a FCCDHH office be established in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Miami so that services can be addressed from a regional model. Deaf and hard of hearing people have difficulty establishing high speed internet service for video phones. This is cost prohibitive and should be available at reduced cost or free.            
14. Angela Roth – President and CEO of ASL Services. She thanked each of the council members for their investment to help the deaf community and for coming to Orlando. She requested consideration for providing information to the deaf community that they truly need. Websites or only written materials are not enough. Videos that show role play would be useful. Some people in Florida have ASL as their 2nd, 3rd, 4th language. Materials should be developed in a range of understanding. Many programs where deaf individuals are sent for vocational training are specific for people with hearing that are not aware of the needs of the deaf person. Many deaf people fail in an interview situation because none of the job preparation programs prepare the deaf person to address deaf-specific needs in a job interview situation.  Doctors have been known to lie by saying that they will provide an interpreter for an appointment and then never even contact an interpreter from the contracted interpreter agency to provide these services. We need CDIs and advocates. Training needs to occur. Interpreters are limited by the code of ethics. Deaf advocates are needed as well so that their rights and the guidance they need to get their needs met occur. Life skills are not being addressed by school systems. She stressed the need for the Council to establish a legacy so that no one individual in a position of power will be able to make political or personal decisions that influence the deaf community in the state.            
15. Kathy Borzell – Representing the Hearing Loss Association of America and the Hearing Loss Association of Florida. It is critical that physicians be trained from their initial training institutions on access rights for persons with hearing loss. She recently served on a Disabilities Access Panel to a group of 3rd year medical students. She has concerns about what the students are being taught in regard to how to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people. They did not seem to understand ramifications of hearing loss – especially for seniors. Sensitivity training for medical students is critical so that they understand the human aspect and not the bottom line – cost. If the hospitals are aware of the access issues then physicians may be influenced.            
16. Jason Hurdich – Representing American Sign Language Services and the Communication Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He is an advocate and a program developer. He expressed concerns about a person who is deaf and has been in mental health facility (Orlando Regional Medical Center – South Seminole Mental Health) for about 4 months. Clinicians assumed that he was mentally retarded. After 4 months someone suggested that he was deaf so Mr. Hurdich became involved. There is a lack of therapists and psychiatrists who know American Sign Language in central Florida. Therefore there are no inpatient or outpatient services available for deaf clients with mental health needs. Also there is no process in the court system to determine the communication needs of the person who is deaf so their communication access needs can be met.  There needs to be a pool of Certified Deaf Interpreters to be supported by the FCCDHH. Most people who are deaf do not realize the consequences of having an unqualified interpreter involved in different situations. Empowerment is critical for deaf and hard of hearing people with information about the law, policies, code of ethics, emergency preparedness, training videos on rights, and procedures on how to handle issues.            
17. Joaquin Rivera – He thanked the council for being a liaison to the deaf community. When he goes to the hospital he has to wait hours for an interpreter. He is required to write back and forth. Refuse to provide computers. In a police officer situation they refuse to provide an interpreter. They give him a ticket and he doesn’t necessarily know what the ticket was for. When interviewing for a job the company refuses to provide an interpreter during the interview and believes that he as a deaf consumer is required to pay. When there is any type of an accident he has been denied having an interpreter to provide a statement. He feels strongly that the Governor and businesses need to be reminded that an interpreter needs to be provided in a variety of job, police, and hospital situations.           
18. Mark Hays – he left. His comment card indicated that he was concerned about lack of qualified interpreters.           
19. Sara Bankhead & Rachel Payne – They are from Louisville KY and are doing internships at ASL services. They had an experience where the Winter Haven Hospital called for an interpreter to come so that a man could help make big medical decisions for his mother and the client did not have money to pay for the interpreter. The hospital contract was only for 9-5 coverage and did not cover for weekends, when the client needed the interpreter services. The hospital did not have any idea what a TTY was. They had to find out from elsewhere and bring one in from outside the hospital. There were no posted signs or education about ADA services available. Training for staff in the medical field is a serious issue. The policy for the hospital was printed out and the nurse had it but refused to let the client read it. It explained that the client had the right to an interpreter, and they still refused to provide one. In KY there are signs posted in the hospital about who to contact for deaf services (interpreters, TTY).            
20. Jim Diaz – President of the Hearing Loss Association of Florida. He expressed concern about receiving contacts from hard of hearing people about the state for funding hearing aids and how they relate that audiologists and physicians do not provide good information to people on avenues of help. He suggested having a calendar on the FCCDHH so that convention or pertinent conferences can be posted. Audiologists and doctors are not geared to provide aural rehabilitation such as communication strategies; assistive devices; connections with others who have hearing loss. Many people are not able to attend conferences so that people can connect with one another or to attend courses on aural rehabilitation. Also, a recent board member went to a hospital but found it very difficult because there were no amplified phones. Rick Kottler publicly thanked Jim Diaz for his advocacy for persons who are hard of hearing. Deaf Services Centers are increasingly adding services for persons who are hard of hearing in addition to those who are deaf.            
21. Pat Miller – (comments shared by Jim Diaz) Hospital personnel could help things by wearing clear masks instead of white masks to facilitate lipreading. The hospital should automatically provide a captioned TV set for people who have hearing loss. Notetakers are not sufficient for students – they should be able to have CART. There should be continuing education training provided or available to hospital staff about communicated with hard of hearing and also deaf individuals. CapTel services are too slow – the hearing public is geared to faster communication. Problems with hearing aid and telephone compatibility. Lack of captioning on TV and movies. How does the hearing impaired person complain about lack of captioning or inadequate captioning during emergency situations?