Executive Directors Report
Charity has received word that the new board
members will be appointed in January and she will get together
training information such as a hand book and other information
that has been given to the board.
The activity’s report will not be presented due to
technical difficulties with accessing group wise at the office.
Part of the activity’s report is compiled through group wise.
Staff Interpreting position is now posted. It is
on the Division of Personnel Website and posted in Deaf Digest
magazine. Charity and Alex were both hired as a result of the ad
posted in Deaf Digest. The closing date for applications is
December 31, 2001.
The Task Force bidding will open on December 18,
2001. Charity will have more information about the Task Force at
the next board meeting.
ASL as a foreign language. Dr. Bodkins has not
been able to attend the past couple of meeting. I spoke with
Annette Carey who is Dr. Bodkins designee on what steps we need to
take on ASL as a foreign language and one step being taken now is
that Annette is contacting someone to appoint a curriculum that
will become a state wide IGO.
No activity has been taken on the Resource
Library. Alex, Kara and I were to have a meeting today with Ms
Johnson-Cyrus from the Division of Rehabilitation Services, but no
one showed up. I ’ll have to check on the problem when I return to
the office. Shana said that Jennifer is looking at three
possibilities, Cultural Center, Public Library or the Division of
Rehabilitation Services.
Alex, Kara and I will be attending the State of
State Speech on January 9.
Barbara King offered to go to the State
Rehabilitation Council Independent Living Center meeting on
December 6, she shared information about Hearing Aid Bill and DMV
Code. I understand a bill has been written on the DMV Code, but I
have not seen it yet.
I met with John Law and realized we need to work
with the Insurance Company within the state and get them to agree
to cover the cost of hearing aids, we felt that would be more
supportive and easier to push through the legislature than if we
try to work on the outside going in. As for the DMV Code, Charity
said she did not see any problem with this legislation going
through. An audiologist would sign a paper to turn into DMV to
verify that the person has a hearing loss.
Mr. Ennis wanted to know about drivers license
code. It was explained that if the police would pull you over and
you have the code on your license it lets the police know that the
person is deaf. Sometimes in the past people have tried to explain
to police that they are deaf and were not believed, also if you
are in an accident and they are trying to wake you up by speaking
to you they would realize by the code on your license that you are
deaf.
Kara and I have finished staff training. We have
had 11 ½ days of training since July. Alex still needs three
classes before completion.
In November Alex, Kara and I attended the Post
Secondary Consortium meeting at the Division of Rehabilitation
Center. Five priorities were discussed for the four-year
interpreter training program. Verizon has 1.7 million dollars of
grant money available. Carol Newlon who is a grant writer is
helping us with a grant to try and get some of this money. We met
on Tuesday this week. Kara, Alex, Carol and I identified the needs
in the state, what the goals and objectives are and discussed
facts that would support the need for the grant.
We need to have a meeting with the Vice President
of Marshall University to see if they are interested in
establishing a four-year interpreter training program. A four-year
interpreter program and deaf education program would work well
together. The Department of Education is working on reclassifying
educational interpreters to a professional status. The Marshall
program would be of great assistance to these interpreters. This
would not only serve the Master’s program, but also the Department
of Education needs.
Annette Carey said that one thing we are looking
at with this interpreter training program is the use of technology
for the quality of two way transmissions. You must have smooth
transmission going back and forth. We are hoping to use some of
the Verizon money to purchase the technology that would be
necessary to provide quality two way feed, this is a must if you
are to have a good interpreter training program. Also another plus
in connecting with the Marshall program is that it is hard to get
people to leave their home to go to Fairmont State so we are
looking at setting up sites in West Virginia that would be within
an hour drive to everyone.
Fairmont State College will be having satellite
classes in 2002 for Deaf Culture and History. We are not sure at
this point where the areas for the satellite classes are. We will
be working with RESA who will provide training and technology and
hope to have about 12 sites state wide.
Budget Report was passed out to board members. We
will have a 3 percent cut and I was looking at two possibilities
for reducing budget. We will keep one vehicle and not get the
second one and we will also cut our cost of printing. The
Directory will be posted on the web. We realize that some people
do not have access to the web, so we will have some copies printed
and kept in our office for those who do not have web access.
Shana had a question on printing and binding. On
the third page $17,840 year to date, is that how much we are over
budget? Is that unexpected? Charity responded that some of the
expenses that were carried over from last year’s printing were not
paid and showed up in this year’s budget. We have had decisions
with Danny Woolcock about how much we should put for the budget.
He said we had a position that was vacant and we knew the money
was there, this is my second year here and I know what standard is
expected. I want to reduce the cost on printing, and this includes
deaf awareness, jackets, brochures and directories.
