Changes to KCDHH's Commissioner Roster
The Commission bids farewell to three of its members while welcoming two new members! Mary Hughes, representative of the Kansas Association of the Deaf, has completed her term with the Commission. She is replaced by Jack Lee Cooper of Gardner. Jack's term will expire 4-29-2011. Beth Ward, Deaf or Hard of Hearing representative, has stepped down from the Commission to move out of state. Dennis Selznick of Overland Park will replace Beth. His term will also expire 4-29-2011. Melanie McKay-Cody, representative for the Kansas State Department of Education has stepped down from the Commission to accept a teaching position out of state. Jim Deister of Salina has been re-appointed as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing member.

Many thanks to Mary, Beth and Melanie for their work for the Commission. We wish them all luck in their new endeavors. Thank you to Jim for his continuing work with the Commission. The Commission looks forward to working with new members Jack and Dennis in the years to come. Welcome aboard!

Hamilton Relay seeks nominations
Hamilton Relay is looking for Deaf or hard of hearing persons who have had a strong influence within our state. Nominations due before August 30, 2008. See the Flyer for more information about nominating someone you think has make an impact on Kansas.

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Biennial Conference
The NAD conference was held in New Orleans, Louisana July 7 through 11. KCDHH Executive Director, Rebecca Rosenthal, attended. See the NAD website for a peek at the events that occurred.

Kansas now has an RID Testing Super Site!
The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf has selected Sign Language Specialists to be a super site for National Interpreter Certification (NIC) testing. Until now, the closest super sites for area interpreters were St. Louis, Little Rock and Tulsa.
Sign Language Specialists is located in Lee's Summit, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. To schedule the NIC interview-performance exam, call Sign Language Specialists at (816) 246-8770 or toll-free at (866) 372-1773.

Proclamation of KCDHH 25th Anniversary
On March 19, 2008, Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed a proclamation recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Left to Right: Audrey Walters (KCDHH Administrative Assistant), Candace Cobb (Commission member), Lori Michel (Commission Chairperson), Gregory Heller, (Commission Member), Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Jack Cooper (National Association of the Deaf, Region II Representative), Rebecca Rosenthal (KCDHH Executive Director), Suzanne Dennis (Commission Member), Melanie McKay-Cody (Commission Member)

21st Century Video Access Act
Brenda Battat, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America, and Heather York and Ryan Nickoli from VITAC, met with staff of Representatives Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Chip Pickering (R-GA) on Capitol Hill on March 18, 2008, to ask them to support the 21st Century Video Access Act. This legislation would amend the Communications Act to establish new safeguards for disability access to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind as our nation migrates to the next generation of Internet-based and digital communication technologies. To learn more about the bill, visit the website for the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology at www.coataccess.org.

Trinity Broadcasting Network airs program in ASL
The Christian network airs a program called "Dr. Wonder's Workshop" whose characters all use sign language. The program is designed for children and emphasizes Christian values and biblical teachings. Visit the program's website at www.drwonder.com

New Requirements for Sign Language Interpreter Certification
The Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing held a quarterly meeting on January 11, 2008. The Commission members voted unanimously to replace the Kansas Quality Assurance Screening (KQAS) written examination with the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) written examination effective August 2008. The change will effect only new applicants for state interpreter certification and applicants whose certification has expired. For more information, see the Kansas Quality Assurance Screening page.

New Website Address for Kansas Association of the Deaf
The Kansas Association of the Deaf has changed their website address. The new address is www.deafkansas.org. The old website address (www.kskad.org) will expire in February so be sure to bookmark the new address in your computer.

Video Phones for Public Use
The Resource Center for Independent Living in Topeka now has two Video Phones that are available to the public. No appointment is necessary. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Location:
519 Southwest 37th Street
Topeka, Kansas 66611
(785) 267-1717
(877) 719-1717 toll free
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