Good Job Comrades!

Congrats
There are several people that deserve recognization and support from the Deaf Liberation Movement. People who work to improve the standards of life for Deaf people will be recognized by us and receive our support.

The purpose of encouraging people to sign when they are around Deaf people is to provide equal access to information that is being presented around them. When people do not sign, Deaf people do not have access to the information being spoken of.

"I'm tired"
A group of Deaf students and faculty worked together and participated in this protest collected statistics and made sure their concerns that Deaf people are being denied access to information around them.


Letter to Alan Hurwitz, Dean/Vice-President of NTID
We also want to applaud Lizzie Sorkin, the president of NTID Student Congress for her hard word to make the Dean - Vice President of NTID wake up and do something to improve communication and access to information at NTID.

Here is a copy of her letter obtained from the comment area at What's wrong with RSD?: Third Town Hall Meeting?

Dear Dr. Hurwitz,

I wanted email you about a protest that took place recently. It started on Monday, April 24th and finished on Friday, April 28th. It went from 8am to 5pm with protestors having hourly shifts. Everyday, at 5pm, a green sign with a total number was left at your office door for you to keep. I hope you understood the purpose behind the idea of the project but I will understand if you do not.

I have gotten emails, conversations, and dealt with questions and confusions
-- all for this spontaneous protest. People suggested a better way to show it. People disagreed with the protest and demanded to stop it. People also praised it and gave humble support. I decided that action was necessary so I followed the procedure to make sure that the protest was on track according to the Student¹s Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. After organising the initiation of it, signups didn¹t stop! People were so thirsty to get involved. People were so starved to show the community that a change was necessary. I am hoping that this project will show the community what we're lacking - the right attitude. The whole purpose of the protest was to create awareness. People started talking about it, addressed the issue of communication access and what it meant to them. Finally people realised the differences.

In my first email to some 80 people, I opened with ³My name is Lizzie Sorkin and I¹m tired.² That¹s the bottom line behind this whole protest. Awareness needs to be made to the NTID Staff/Faculty that there must be signed conversations at all times in LBJ. If its in their job description or expectations, it needs to be enforced. As a student who has been here since 1999, I have grown here. I have been shaped into who I am today because of this place, my home. And for me to sit back and just continue to have meetings with you regarding communication access, and wait -- I couldn¹t.

If we are to publisice NTID as a unique place, why can¹t we make it a unique place? To deal with conversations that are not signed, I can get that anywhere else ­ why must I experience that same struggle at NTID? It is time to change that attitude among the faculty and staff, however I understand that change doesn¹t happen overnight but that doesn¹t mean we can excuse it and sit back and wait till it happens.

A quote that I shared with the protestors that a strong woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said, ³Do what you feel in your heart is right, you¹ll be criticized anyway.²

There were a total of 487 conversations that were not signed last week in building 60. This letter is made up of 487 words. Imagine missing out on this if it were not signed to you.


Sincerely tired,

Lizzie & the many tired supporters involved

Hope you will support us and join our struggle.

Regards,
--
The Deaf Liberator