Meet Dave, A new voice in advocacy

Posted on September 3, 2010

By Dave Atias, Assistant Director of Advocacy

Hello!  I’m Dave Atias.  I’m the new Assistant Director of Advocacy at CDR.  I was hired in late July.  Before I tell you a little about myself I would like to describe my start at CDR.  My first week on the job entailed a trip to Washington DC for the annual National Council on Independent Living Conference.  My first day of work at the CDR office was the day the Maggie Brooks story hit the newspaper.  So my second week at CDR was spent sleeping on Main Street.

I didn’t quit!  In fact, with my background, I have actually enjoyed (as much as one can enjoy being attacked by the County Executive) what I’ve been doing so far. Read more

Deaf Community Protests Deaf Adult Services’ Hiring of Hearing Executive Director

Posted on July 31, 2009

By Dean Derusso, Deaf Systems Advocates

Buffalo has a small deaf population. However they have a Deaf Adult Services (DAS) (wnydas.org) that provides advocacy, education, case management, counseling and interpreting services to all counties of Western New York along with Southern Ontario and northern parts of Pennsylvania. They are the only human services agency in this region that is uniquely qualified to serve the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. Read more

Community Living Options for Deaf Seniors

Posted on June 26, 2009

By Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate

Many Deaf and Hard of hearing people, who are either born with no hearing or are late deafened, face barriers of communication in nursing homes.  Staff do not know sign language.  People prefer to stay at home where the environment is designed for them to enjoy, and in the community where other deaf people live. 
 
Deaf people want the choice to be with people who can communicate with them in their preferred language or form of communication so they will enjoy their senior years with good friends.  Read more

Thoughts on CDPAS Voice Recognition

Posted on May 7, 2009

By Roger Strickland, Director of Information Technology

Monroe County is mandating that CDPAS services must use a new voice recognition phone system to clock in on a shift and clock out. They also will do random spot checks to see if a clocked in attendant is still at the consumer’s home. I see many problems with this secretly developed system that they are now quickly trying to jam down our consumer’s throats.

They said that they were developing this system for “consumer safety”.  If their main concern is consumer safety, why didn’t the business card say “Consumer Protective Specialist” instead of “Medical Antifraud Specialist”?  This is not a quality of care program.  The County is selectively targeting the disability community and CDPAS services in particular. Don’t try to slip us a three dollar bill.  This initiative isn’t for all home care services.  It is just focused on the service managed by people with disabilities.  Discrimination is discrimination no matter how big your smokescreen. Read more

Web Blog

Posted on January 15, 2009

By Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate

On January 14th, 2009 there were several police cars parked around the Center for Disability Rights building – and there was no protest going on!  Even better, no one got arrested.  The police were here for a good cause.  They came to get together and discuss how each police department in Monroe County can work with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.  Participating police departments included East Rochester, Greece, Brighton, Fairport, Webster and Irondequoit and the Monroe County Sheriff.

The Regional Center for Independent Living’s (RCIL) Deaf Police Subcommittee has been working with the Rochester Police Department (RPD) on improving the relationship between police officers and deaf and hard of hearing people in Rochester. Read more

Making Our Voices Heard at the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council

Posted on October 10, 2008

by RCIL Systems Advocate, Terrie Lincoln

On Wednesday, October 8th, twenty one disability rights advocates headed from Rochester to Albany for the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC) meeting. MISCC was established to develop a statewide plan to ensure that people with all disabilities and of all ages receive long term care services in the most integrated setting, rather than being forced into facilities.

We met in RCIL/CDR’s parking lot at 7:00 a.m. Our group was so excited to get there, that being pulled over by the police and receiving not one but two tickets could not stop us.  We pulled into the Empire State Plaza by 11:30 a.m.  After lunch and a pre-meeting, we filed into the meeting room, which was set up to accommodate over one hundred visitors as well as web-casting the entire proceeding. Read more

Deaf Activists in the Eye of the Storm in Albany!

Posted on August 30, 2008

by Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate

We got the Governor to know we want to be independent…

August 19 was the day when emergency budget sessions about state budget cuts were scheduled.   Those cuts would mean loss of employment and loss of services in the community.

Cuts to Independent Living and Home Care would push people back into nursing homes.  But, for the Deaf community it was about removing effective communication in the community, in other words, removing their voice and hearing in the community. Read more

Reflections on the RPD Forum with the Deaf Community

Posted on May 28, 2008

by Patrick Harris, Coordinator of Deaf Habilitation Services

After reading the CART transcript of the Rochester Police Department discussion forum with the Rochester Deaf Community that was held at Rochester School for the Deaf on May 21st. It looks like that the RPD are trying to meet the needs of deaf community’s request to have better accessible communication between the police officers and the deaf citizens after several communication problems that plagued the past couple years.

My Opinion – It’s not surprising to know that Rochester, NY is one of the largest deaf populations in the world and yet the City of Rochester still overlooked those deaf accessibly needs for the public for years. Washington D.C. has more deaf-friendly environments than Rochester itself.

The Deaf Rochester citizens have expressed concerns about how the police officers reacted to the deaf citizens when they are unable to hear the police’s commands to stop or to pull over or to calm down when under emotional situations. Read more

Rochester Police Department meets with the Deaf Community

Posted on May 28, 2008

This is the CART transcription of the Town Hall forum held between the Rochester Police Department and the Deaf community of the Greater Rochester Area. The forum was held on May 21, 2008, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Rochester School for the Deaf.

Participants in the forum included RPD Chief David Moore and several senior officers from his staff. RPD participants also included newer officers and the officers that will be serving as the liaisons with the Deaf community.

Dean DeRusso, Deaf Systems Advocate at the Regional Center for Independent Living, served as facilitator for the forum. Dean and several other deaf individuals had a series of meetings with the liaisons from RPD to arrange the forum.

Read more

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