NFTA Meeting In February

  
                                         This was my second NFTA meeting, it went well except I think I talked too much this time.    There was a girl that was deaf in one ear sitting right next to me and I never even knew she was partially deaf.    I had passed out my agenda for the directors and everyone else to read on what the deaf  passengers need at airports and on trains.       For weeks, I spent time preparing myself to make a little speech on stuff that nobody have heard about.    Here I am going on and on about how I didn’t get any closed captioning screen at my gate and on the plane at the airport.   And that bothers me, because this isn’t fair. 
  
                                         Then when I asked if the airport could provide me these services on my next flight, I didn’t get the response I wanted to hear.   They told me that the airport does not always have the funding for the closed captioned monitors to display the safety demonstration on the planes and same with the captioned monitors displaying the flights at the gates.    That’s when I blurted out that I had filed a complaint against Delta Airlines, I wanted them to know I thought Delta Airlines sucks.   Then a few people understood where I was coming from and made some good suggestions which I really appreciated.   For some reason, I kept on talking about what deaf people need on the trains and at the airports.  I went on and on about it.   Really, I wished I would just shut up for awhile, and let someone else talk.  It seemed like all I was doing was complain endlessly, and I felt close to making a fool out of myself there.
 
                                        Finally the blind lady with the cute quiet dog that came said she was amazed that I really stood up for the deaf people, and this is rare.   That made me feel better and pretty good about myself being there.     And I wanted to shake hands with the man in the wheelchair that supported my speech.  Really, I felt like I was taking over the meeting, I have never talked so much in my life.   Boy I was worried I was going to bore everyone with my endless speech.   Surprisingly they all listened to what I had to say.     I made two requests and asked one of the  directors of NFTA to find out if they could close caption the announcements when the train breaks down and things like that on the Buffalo metro rail trains.     He said he will look into that.    I had also asked him if he could find out of they could educate the police on the trains better on how to talk to the deaf riders when checking out their tickets.      I had made a complaint about that because the cop was talking to me from behind and I didn’t hear or understand a word being said.    And he was very nice and said he will check that out also.  So I thanked him and finally I stopped going off with my mouth about the lack of deaf services.     The last thing was I asked for some kind of ID for me to show to people that I am deaf.   And luckily there was a director there that told me I can get a visor card from his office.  So I was pretty happy about that, I didn’t even know those things existed.

                                 Right now they are updating the Buffalo Airport's website, so it will be some time before it is done.   After I said something about how the Delta Airlines website sucked for the deaf people, they have been changing it.   And I really appreciate that a lot.    At least they are doing something.    And I will continue on with my fight for the rights for the deaf passengers.

Paying Attention

          

                 
             When I was working in church years ago doing a side job the person in charge, often accused me of not listening.  Especially on that day when a man name George came in with a set of tools.  He gave some kind of speech for an hour standing across the room.    I did my best to try to listen to  George by watching him talk the whole hour.  Unfortunately he had a beard and I couldn’t lip read half of what he said. So I didn’t understand any of the instructions.    I got very bored watching him talk.   George stepped backwards and tripped over a bucket of paint, which spilled all over the floor.    One thing I did hear was him swearing, the F word.  It was loud and clear. That’s all I heard.
                                                     

Then Chucky the person that hired me, told me to do what George told us to do.   Confused as I was,I tried to explain to Chucky that I didn’t get what George was talking about.   Then Chucky got mad and said  that I heard what the man was telling me, I was looking right at him the whole time.    And I tried to explain  that I didn’t understand what he was telling me to do.  That’s when Chucky flipped out.    He said that I wasn’t  paying attention and for me to stop playing games.

             
Boy, did he make me feel bad.   He wasn’t very  understanding when I tried to explain about my hearing problem.  Well either he was having a bad day, or just wasn’t educated on this subject.   So don’t assume that a deaf person is  going to understand everything you say just because they are looking right at you when you talk.   And please don’t get impatient with deaf people when they can’t figure out what you said, if they can’t lip read you at the time.    People need to understand that deaf people can’t hear, and it’s not always easy to lip read others, especially from a distance.   It’s hard I know for the deaf at times.

Deaf Girl Grows Up by Susana the Deaf Lady http://deaf47.blogspot.com

World Ignored Deaf Lady's Needs For 45 Years

 
There were a number of problems as far as not getting my communication needs met in this world.   For over 40 years, they did not set up close captioning in any of the movies I wanted to see  in the theaters nearby me.    This problem goes on today.   Just recently I had wanted to see a movie over at the Regal Cinemas and asked if they can close caption it.  They said sorry, they don't have that.  So, now I don't go to the movies anymore.   They don't caption it at the theaters nearby me, so why bother going?    They provide headphones for the deaf in movie theaters.   Those things don't help me to understand the movie at all, so I don't wear those.



I'm a lip reader.  I can't hear over a headphone, or understand anything.   My parents took me on a lot of trips by plane every single year.  Not once did they close caption any of the Safety Announcements on the plane for me in over 40 years.   Up to this day, I still do not know what to do if there were to be an emergency on the plane.  As I could never hear what was being said over the microphone about the safety announcements.  The last time I was in the airport was on Dec. 22, 2012.  They did not provide any close captioning screen for me at my gate to tell me when my flight was leaving.  Neither did they provide any closed captioning screen for me on the plane to help me understand what was being said over the speakers.     I had to put up with this for over 40 years, and this is enough.

Just recently I took the Buffalo metro-rail train downtown this week.  There were no text scrolling screens on the train for me to read where we were stopping.   Every time the train stopped, an announcement was being made over a speaker. I couldn't hear or understand anything being said over that microphone.  This has got to be very hard on the deaf people.   It isn't fair to deaf people like me to not understand what is going on when traveling by train or plane.   What about restaurants?  I had recently taken my daughter out to dinner before her big trip.    When the waitress asked me what I wanted to order, I couldn't understand her.    Then when I tried to tell her I was deaf, she didn't understand what to do, or how to speak to me.   Therefore my daughter took over to speak for me.    People have got to get educated in places like this, on how to talk to a deaf person.       Things have got to change for all deaf people for the better.  Please help make this world a better place for the deaf.

Metro Rail- Deaf Lady's Bad Experience

This morning was another nightmare riding as a deaf passenger on the Buffalo Metro Rail train.    As I am waking up, I figured to save gas on my car, by taking the train instead.    So I parked it in the parking lot and headed down the escalator after paying 4 dollars for a round trip ticket.    Then I carefully put it away in my purse, where I wouldn't lose it.   By now I already knew there was no text scrolling screen displaying any of the stops.   So, I had to get used to it.  Finally I boarded the train as it slowly came my way.



  Reading the daily Buffalo paper is a must.  So I took it out and started reading as the train took off.   Some lady behind me was talking kind of loud, but I thought she was chatting with someone else.   I turned around, and I thought she was a passenger trying to make a conversation with me.   I had no clue what she was saying.   So I just turned around and looked out the window.  She tapped me on the shoulder, the lady was behind me.   I asked her what she wanted.   By then I figured she might of been the cop, as I couldn't see her uniform.  She must of had a coat on, covering it, either that, or I was half asleep.   I still didn't understand what she was trying to say to me.   So I said I was deaf.   She then smiled and I showed her my ticket, and she moved on to the next person.  At that point I was really embarrassed.    People on the train gave me dirty looks, as why am I ignoring this lady?   Why was I giving her a hard time kind of look on their face.   They didn't know I was deaf.  Neither did she.    Then I looked out the window, and wondered why she was behind me instead of front of me. I can't lipread anyone that is talking from behind me.



  Five minutes later, another cop was behind me.   He was mumbling away and I got restless.   I turned around and I didn't understand what he said, he was talking away.   So I showed him my ticket to get him off my back.   And I also told him a cop had already checked for my ticket earlier.    He said that doesn't matter, I still need to show it to him.  By then I was feeling dissatisfied.  It did not make sense for them to check for my ticket twice, when I had it.  What was wrong with these people?   Anyway, I was very disappointed that these cops did not know how to communicate with me as a deaf rider.  They went from behind me and I can't understand anything being said to me from my back.  And when they were in front of me, they talked too fast and mumbled, so I couldn't lip read them either.  This is a big problem for the deaf riders.   Something has got to be done.   When I go to the next NFTA meeting, I am going to bring this up.  This should not keep on happening to the deaf riders like me.  They need to train the cops who check our tickets on how to communicate with the deaf in the correct way where they can understand them.  

Delta Airlines-I Filed A Legal Complaint

On Dec. 22, 2012 as you know Delta Airlines did not provide me any closed captioning monitors at my gate to announce when my flight was leaving.   Nor did they bother to close caption the safety demonstration on my plane for me.   And the flight attendant did not know sign language and she had no knowledge of how to communicate with me as a deaf passenger.  And even though I told the people in the airport I was deaf when I checked in my bags, they did not refer me to any kind of special services they had for deaf people.   So, I decided to do something.    So I turned around and filled out some forms, got it notarized and send it out.   They received it, and notified me that they will be doing an investigation at Delta Airlines regarding my complaint.

Hopefully this will solve some problems in most airports that the deaf passengers are going through.   Things has got to change for the deaf passengers.   As far as I know, some of the deaf people are getting the services there.   But they need to provide services for ALL of the deaf passengers, not just some of them!   I will continue on with this fight for my rights!

About Me

NFTA Meeting - My Agenda

What The Deaf Needs on the Trains and at Airports

METRO RAIL
Problems
1. There's no present text scrolling screens announcing the stops. The deaf cannot hear the announcements being made over the microphone and speakers. I couldn't see out the window when it was snowing and raining out, they were fogged up,therefore I could not tell what stop we were at. The train got overcrowded many times last year and when I couldn't see out the windows to see if it was time to get off. I couldn't go look out the door at each stop because people were standing and blocking the door entrance. It was very difficult to know when to get off.

2 When the train broke down when I was on it last summer, I didn't hear the instructions on what we had to do next over the speakers. I didn't know what to do, or if I was supposed to get off.

3. At the train station, the cops set up a table to check everyones bags, etc. The cops said something to me and I didn't understand a word being said. Same problem on the train. The person that checks to see if everyone has their ticket, checks mine and I don't understand what the cop on the train is saying to me. I can't hear on the train and it was hard to lipread what the cops were saying.

Solutions
1. Provide text scrolling screens at all times displaying the words of all stops. For safety reason, they need to display any announcements being made when the train breaks down too on the text screens for the deaf. Believe me the deaf needs to know what is going on too when there's an emergency or if something happens!

2. If for some reason you can't provide any text scrolling screens for the deaf right now, then display a button on every train for the deaf person to press for help if it breaks down. That way when he or she presses the button it can send someone over that knows sign language to tell this deaf person what happened and what he is supposed to do when the train breaks down. As far as not knowing the stops if there's no text scrolling screens, this creates a big problem for those who can't hear the announcements. If noone knows sign language then have someone write down what is going on for the deaf passenger.

3. Is it possible to teach those who work in the train station and on the train a little sign language? They really only need to learn how to say, Can I see your ticket? Or do you have your train ticket? It really isnt' that difficult to learn, and it doesn't take very long. Also thank you is easy to say in sign language. If not, then try to teach the people who work on the train to face the deaf person when talking so that we can lipread him or her. And to carry paper and a pen in case he is hard to lipread. If you can't find anyone to help teach sign language, I'm around on weekends, and some week nights if you need a little help. I do know some sign language.
Airports

1. Provide signs, brochures, flyers, any kind of material to let all deaf people know you have services for the deaf at airports. Send it to them in the mail. Show t.v. commercials once a week about the services you provide to help the deaf passengers. Provide the information in these materials on how we can apply for these services. Leaving a phone number on your website doesn't really help. The deaf cannot hear on the phone. Not all people use the internet, so don't expect all deaf people to find out about your services through a website online. Please try to put the information about your Deaf services in the Buffalo Paper once a month, so that we have the most updated information on how to get these services. You can also consider emailing everyone that needs these services. I never got any email before my last flight in December from Delta Airlines telling me they had special services. When I was at the airport and checked in, I told the lady I was deaf . She did not refer me to any kind of special services I could use as a deaf passenger, therefore I didn't know the airport even had anything to help me. I also told the person at the gate I was deaf, the gate person did not refer me or tell me about any such services that was available in the airport.

2. If you don't provide close captioning screens at every single gate, then inform the deaf passenger how to make sure he or she gets the gate that has that screen. When I flew to Detroit last dec.2012. they did not provide any closed captioning screen for me at the gate even though I told them I was deaf at the Buffalo airport.

3. Please close caption all safety instructions on every plane that the deaf passenger is on. And teach the flight attendants sign language. You could consider providing a closed captioning screen at the deaf passengers seat when they do the safety demonstrations. Make sure all deaf passengers sit up front where they can lipread the flight attendant if she doesn't know any sign language.


Thank you for reading! I hope you can find my ideas useful and helpful for the deaf passengers.

Metro Rail in Buffalo did not provide any text scrolling screens-this is unfair to the deaf riders

This morning wasn't as cold as the other days, so I decided to take the Metro Rail to work instead of driving. At most times it's convenient for me as it saves money on gas and I get to rest and read the paper instead of driving. By now I thought things would of changed. Usually when the weather is warm, I like to travel by train instead of driving. It's been cold, so I have been too lazy to take the train every week as I usually did in the summer. So I happily parked my car in the parking lot which is free, then I walked to the station. Price is same, 2 dollars each way, 4 dollars for a round trip. Not bad at all. Seems cheap to me. It's better than having to pay 15 dollars in gas getting to work and back all in one day. There are no bathrooms in this station, and I don't know why. I grabbed my ticket, went down the escalator to the tunnel underground. My cellphone does not work down there, not at all, no service. Then I waited for the train. It comes every 10 minutes which is good.

I hopped on and did some observing this morning. There were no screens at all in the train displaying any of the stops.
As you can see on the picture above, there's nothing in the train close captioning anything up on the wall. This was bad news for deaf people like me. As the train approached each stop, I had no way of knowing what stop we were at. I did hear a faint announcement over a microphone at each stop, but I couldn't understand what it was saying. There are times when it rains and snows and I can't see out of the windows at all. The windows sometimes get fogged up, or completely covered in snow and I am unable to look outside the window to see where we are. This has created a problem for me last year, as this has happened many times. Since I can't hear the announcements of each stop, I have no way of knowing when to get off. And if the windows are fogged up, I can't see where we are. Luckily today, it didn't snow or rain, so I was able to look out the window and tell when it was time to get off by reading the signs outside the window. Then I took the train home and it was the same problem, no closed captioning screens displaying the stops. This has got to change, this is no good for deaf people and it does not work for those who can't hear. So what I did next was write a note to NFTA about this problem. They told me I was on the old train and that new trains coming out will have screens that will tell us where the train is stopping. Something like that. What I am going to do is attend some more NFTA and find out what is going on and why nothing has been done to the trains I was on today to display the announcements on a text screen. I think they should display these on all trains. Even if they are old until the new trains are out. This just isn't right for deaf people to not have any access to being able to understand where the train is stopping. How will deaf people know when to get off the train if they can't hear the announcements at each stop? This is an ongoing problem and it's very unfair to the deaf population.