Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Ex parte 2: Vendetta? AND Sexism!

RantWoman in her guise as interpreter advocate continues to receive communications about the Seattle Men's Chorus and their longtime signer Kevin Gallagher.

Please note: RantWoman has decided based on everything she has learned that the term "sign language interpreter" does not apply,at least right now until Mr. Gallagher participates in some coaching and invests some time to see whehter he can upgrade his craft.

RantWoman has learned that complaints about signing at Seattle Men's Chorus events have been filed with the Seattle Commission on People with Disabilities and that the issue will be addressed again at the regular February 20, 4:30 pm meeting of the Commission, held at City Hall. Regretably RantWoman has a conflict.

RantWoman is trusting that the calendar is correct even though RantWoman is disheartened to see that minutes posting is out of date; the Commission meets monthly but RantWoman does not see any minutes after May 2013 or any indication that minutes may be made available some other way. The ex parte issue with this blog post again refers to information which may or may not be part of the formal record!

RantWoman does note new additions to the campaign blog, http://openlettertosmc.blogspot.com/
Still, RantWoman is interested in checking the minutes because RantWoman has heard reference to the word "vendetta" regarding relations between the Deaf community and Seattle Men's Chorus.

RantWoman does NOT see it. The Seattle Men's chorus has been using the same problematic signer for over two decades. Counting the current effort, there have been at least 3 campaigns imploring the Seattle Men's Chorus to address the issue. Under the circumstances, RantWoman considers use on the current campaign blog of words like "embarrassed" on SMC's behalf to be the height of diplomacy, NOT evidence of a vendetta. RantWoman HOPES members of the Commission on People with Disabilities will lose the inflammatory rhetoric and consider circumstances carefully.

RantWoman presently does not need any more reasons to be disturbed by this entire situation. RantWoman does not need any such reasons, but the cosmos has delivered another one, sexism, in particular someone's assertion that one woman is all upset just because she is 9 months pregnant, not because there is any actual problem. No one disputes that pregnancy affects a woman's psyche. Let's see, though: pregnancy lasts 9 months; the problem signer has been employed for over two decades. That sounds to RantWoman like an awful lot of time for there to be problems that have nothing to do with one woman's pregnancy! RantWoman calls on the Seattle Commission on People with Disabilities to please hear this complaint and people advocating for it respectfully!

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