Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5 PM
(Subject to change during holiday season and under bad weather conditions. )
1-800-639-3884 – MCD’s main number for voice, TTY or VP relay
1-866-347-0275 VP – if you’re using a videophone, call us directly!
Maine Center on Deafness is looking to fill the following position:
Civil Rights Program Manager
The Maine Center on Deafness (“MCD”) is a nonprofit organization that serves people throughout Maine who are D/deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-deafened or speech-impaired by providing resources, advocating for social equality, and helping the general public to better understand and appreciate our constituents’ life experience, culture, history, and civil rights issues. MCD currently delivers programs in the areas of civil rights advocacy and legal services, adaptive equipment distribution and sales, communications and outreach for Maine’s Relay Service, and other programs.
MCD seeks an energetic and experienced civil rights advocate and/or attorney with program management experience to serve as manager of our Civil Rights Program. We are looking for the right person for this position, whether an attorney or advocate. Because we have a part-time attorney on staff already, attorney experience is a plus but not required. Similarly, ability to communicate in American Sign Language (“ASL”) is a plus, but not required. We will consider applicants seeking either full- or part-time positions.
The manager of the Civil Rights Program (“CRP Manager”) is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Rights Program meets the service delivery and reporting requirements of our funding grants/contracts, and is delivering high-quality legal and advocacy services. The CRP Manager will meet personally with clients to deliver advocacy services; if an attorney, the CRP Manager will deliver legal services and represent the client in administrative and court proceedings. The CRP Manager also leads interagency collaboration, grassroots activism/education efforts, and systemic advocacy at the Maine Legislature. The CRP Manager is responsible for effectively managing and reporting quarterly and annually on program outcomes, including budget, staff, and grant/contract compliance. This position reports directly to the Executive Director and contributes to the advancement of MCD’s mission and vision. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience and skills.
Applicants must possess excellent leadership, managerial, interpersonal, and written and communication skills. Experience with civil rights issues in legislative and/or legal setting is a must. Experience with ADA compliance, with civil rights law generally, and with special education law are greatly desired, as is experience with Maine’s legislative process. Familiarity with ASL, alternative communication modalities, D/deafness, Deaf Culture, and hearing loss is preferred. Attorneys will be required to maintain an active Maine license.
Applications will be considered until positions are filled. D/deaf and hard of hearing, women, and minorities are encouraged to apply. Qualified candidates should send a resume, salary requirements, and cover letter to: Executive Director, Maine Center on Deafness, 68 Bishop Street, Suite #3, Portland ME 04103 or email to emoran@mcdmaine.org.
MCD is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants shall receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation.
Contact MCD for help or to file a complaint.
Do you see this symbol on things that you buy, like groceries and tissues?
They can mean real $$ for MECDHH to provide programming for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students!
Cut out the symbols and bring them to the Deaf Culture Festival at MECDHH on October 1, 10-4 or mail them to the school at MECHDD, 1 Mackworth Island, Falmouth, ME 04105. Thanks for your support!
Updated Investor Alert: Investor Warning Regarding Possible Advance Fee Fraud Targeting Deaf InvestorsThis updated alert is to warn potential investors, including deaf investors, about the risk of “advance fee fraud” schemes involving companies with names similar to Imperia. Advance fee fraud gets its name from the fact that an investor is asked to pay a fee up front — in advance of receiving any proceeds, money, stock or warrants — in order for the deal to go through. The bogus fee may be described as a “processing fee”, a commission, regulatory fee or tax, or some other incidental expense. Sometimes, advance fee frauds brazenly target investors who have already lost money in investment schemes.
We urge investors to be skeptical of any request for an advance fee and to thoroughly research the person or group making the request.
Read more: http://www.sec.gov/investor/alerts/imperiaupdate.htm
By J. Hemmerdinger
Portland Press Herald Staff Writer
PORTLAND — Representatives of Maine’s telecommunications industry will meet later this week in Portland to discuss how federal efforts to expand broadband access will affect residents who have disabilities, particularly those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or blind.
At issue is the ability of disabled people to access and use broadband Internet service, which the federal government sees as critical to growing the economy, creating jobs, improving global competitiveness and increasing Americans’ standard of living.
Also to be discussed is the potential impact of the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan on funding for so-called relay services, which traditionally help deaf and hearing-impaired people communicate via telephone, but are increasingly needed for online communication.
The event – “The National Broadband Plan: What is it? Why Should I Care?” – will be held Thursday and Friday at the Holiday Inn by the Bay and is open to the public.
The forum is presented by Maine’s Telecommunications Relay Services advisory council, which advises Gov. Paul LePage and writes contracts with companies that provide telephone relay services to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Citing FCC data, a news release from the council said that only 42 percent of people with a disability use broadband Internet service, compared with 65 percent of the broader population.
But even if they have broadband access, disabled people face barriers to using the Internet, said the release.
For instance, Web pages typically aren’t designed for people with vision or hearing difficulties, and online videos often lack captioning.
Also, specialized software and hardware that help disabled people use the Internet can be prohibitively expensive.
Among those expected to speak at the event are Maine Public Utilities Commission chairman Thomas Welch and Karen Peltz Strauss, FCC deputy bureau chief in the consumer and government affairs bureau. Representatives from the ConnectME Authority, Maine’s Office of the Public Advocate, Time Warner Cable and others also are scheduled to talk.
People who are deaf or heard of hearing already have free access to services that allow them to make phone calls through an electronic device called a teletypewriter, or TTY. They can also receive discounts on relay equipment and telephone bills.
But similar programs are largely unavailable for Internet users, said Claude Stout, executive director of Silver Spring, Md.-based TDI, a nonprofit group that promotes improved telecommunications access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
For instance, said Stout, who is hard of hearing and spoke through an interpreter, there are no programs to help disabled people purchase computer equipment or pay monthly Internet bills.
Barbara Keefe, vice chair of the advisory council, said her colleagues are particularly interested in how the broadband plan will affect funding for relay services, which are currently paid for through the Universal Service Fund. Traditional telephone companies pay into the fund with money collected from consumers, who pay universal service fees tacked onto phone bills.
Keefe, who works in Falmouth and is an outreach specialist at PEPNet-Northeast, a group that helps schools improve programs for deaf or hard-of-hearing students, said telephone companies could be forced to raise rates if universal service fees on telephone bills are eliminated or reduced by the broadband plan.
Congress directed the FCC in 2009 to create the National Broadband Plan to bring affordable broadband Internet access to all Americans. According to the FCC, some 100 million Americans lack access to broadband services at home.
According to the Telecommunications Relay Services Advisory Council, broadband is available in 90 percent of Maine.
Staff Writer Jonathan Hemmerdinger can be contacted at 791-6316 or at: jhemmerdinger@mainetoday.com
For more information about the Broadband Forum or to register contact Maine Center on Deafness at 207.797.7656 or info@mcdmaine.org
Relay Consumer Alert: New FCC Rules on Toll Free Numbers
Please take a moment to view this video – in ASL and captioned.
The FCC will discontinue free toll-free numbers (800 and 866 numbers) for VPs in the near future. If you would like to continue using a toll-free number (800 or 866 number) you’ll have to pay for it separately, like the hearing world. This will not affect local numbers (such as those starting with area code 207), only toll-free numbers (800 and 866 numbers). There will be a one year transition period for this change to take affect, meaning if you have an existing toll-free number it will still be free until the end of August, 2012.
Get Emergency Weather Alerts
The federal agency NOAA, which tracks violent weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, etc) has posted a new site for the benefit of the deaf that need access to such emergency announcements. Click here for more information or to enroll:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/special_need.htm
Although by now I am very used to living with the constant ringing in my ears that is my “friend” tinnitus, every once in a while I wish it would go away. Far, far away. I don’t get upset or depressed about the constant noise, thankfully, but I sure can understand why some folks do. The ringing is relentless and ever-present; it never stops, and it can distort other sounds (including speech) so they are difficult to identify and understand. To cover up or “mask” the ringing, I always have the radio or music playing in the background. A few days ago I was listening to NPR and was delighted to hear a story about tinnitus featured. I listened attentively, as this was something I could really relate to.
As I was listening to the story (a link is included at the end of this article), I found myself hoping that I would learn there was a new cure or therapy on the market. Honestly, I was surprised by that. I don’t think of myself as someone who wants a cure to my hearing problem, because I don’t really view it as a problem for most of the time. But there are those moments, I am realizing, when I would like the constant ringing to stop. And it doesn’t. It just doesn’t stop. So I can’t run away from it, I can only do my best to find ways to live with it. According to the story I heard, there aren’t any amazing new cures out there, although some folks find relief (acceptance?) through the use of meditation. I haven’t tried that myself (I’m not good at sitting still and clearing my mind, as those who know me can attest), but I would be willing to give it a go at some point. For now I have put the notion of a cure behind me, and I am firmly back in the “I am not going to let this bother me” camp again. Let the bells in my ears ring all they want; sometimes I don’t hear them at all because I am outside listening to the birds and the wind in the trees instead.
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/138163304/tinnitus-why-wont-my-ears-stop-ringing
Since joining the MCD team in 2006, I have had the opportunity to meet with a variety of folks from all across the state, many of them experiencing hearing loss that occurs later in life. I’ve given them information about equipment and technology that can help overcome their communication difficulties, and counseled them on requesting accommodations that state and federal law ensure. I constantly caution care-givers and service providers to be aware of the impact that hearing loss has on adults and their relationships, and offer resources that help improve their service delivery. I guess it is fair to say that I have become immersed in this world, which is ironic because I am gradually becoming hard of hearing myself. My audiologist suggested I have damaged my hearing by exposure to loud sounds, which in my case was most certainly music. In addition to that damage, I also have tinnitus. In both ears. The right one is OK, but the left one is pretty bad. The constant ringing tone never goes away, which not only drives me crazy sometimes (actually it can keep me awake at night), but it also “covers” speech sounds which can make it difficult for me to figure out what someone is saying. Listening to the radio (I am an avid listener of Public Radio for two reasons: I appreciate the programming without commercials, and by turning up the volume I can drown out the tinnitus ring) can be a challenge sometimes, because I can’t make out key words crucial for understanding the narrative. Like so many others like me, I simply walk over and turn up the volume. Unlike many others though, I don’t upset my spouse in the process. My husband is Deaf, so he isn’t bothered by the radio, no matter how loud I set it. We’re lucky we don’t have neighbors close by too. At some point I will probably start using a personal amplifier system, also known as an Assistive Listening Device (“ALD”), for watching TV. When I do, you can be sure I will write about the experience! Because one thing I really, really want to do is to help people manage their hearing loss, which includes being open, honest, and unapologetic about it. My hope is by doing so, the stigma of hearing loss will go away, and owning hearing loss and hearing aids will be as “acceptable” as having myopia and reading glasses. Anyone care to join me??