Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!wtm
From: AMillar@cup.portal.com (Alan Miller)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Isolation
Message-ID: <17286@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 31 Jan 91 03:14:02 GMT
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Reply-To: AMillar@cup.portal.com (Alan Miller)
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Index Number: 13273

> In some ways I agree with you and in other ways, I have to disagree. 
>  It's OUR place to educate the hearing world instead of hiding in 
> isolation.  People are people and are not aware of this unless *WE*
>  show them the difference.

Well I'm not deaf, I don't have any close friends who are deaf and
I don't know sign language.  Despite this, I would like to be able to
do something to help eliminate the isolation factor.  I am in exactly
the situation you described:  I don't know what I can do to help.

It seems to me that electronic mail in particular is a big opportunity
for uniform communications.  With a few exceptions, the major mail systems
can talk to each other (Fidonet, UUCP, InterNet, MCIMail, CompuServe,
etc can all exchange mail, though it may take a few hops).  I know the
hearing world relies extensively on the phone, but fax seems to be
emerging in business to be just as ubiquitous.

So, what can I as a hearing person do to help eliminate isolation?  
Speaking as a person who works in the computer industry, are there
particular things that could be done or created that would help,
say along the lines of TDD <-> email <-> fax or who knows what? 
Or is technology the least of the problems?

I'm interested in hearing what everyone has to say.

- Alan Millar  AMillar@cup.portal.com