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3rd Annual ASL Improv Night
June 24, 2006
featuring several Deaf and Hearing entertainers
will take place on
Saturday, June 24, 2006
At 7:30 PM
At the Tampa Westshore Marriott Hotel
Tampa, Florida
Invited entertainers include
Keith Wann, Crom Saunders, Sarah Harris and others...
Come and be prepared to be laughing so hard and you may fall off the chair
like some people did LAST YEAR!
For more info: http://www.aslimprov.com/
Hotel rooms are available at $91.00 per night , Ask for Silent Weekend
Rate..
Sponsored by Florida Relay, Sprint and FTRI
DVD "CC" Labeling Class Settlement Notice
June 22, 2006
DVD "CC" LABELING CLASS SETTLEMENT
**ATTENTION:** IF YOU ARE DEAF OR HAVE HEARING LOSS AND HAVE PURCHASED, RENTED, OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED A DVD OR OTHER HOME VIDEO PRODUCT, OR IF YOU HAVE OBTAINED SUCH A PRODUCT FOR USE WITH CAPTIONING OR CLOSED
CAPTIONING, PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY—YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE
AFFECTED BY THIS PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. THIS NOTICE IS
PROVIDED BY COURT ORDER.CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT.
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Editor's Note: Below is a legal notice about a class action settlement regarding DVDs that were labeled as "captioned" but only the movie was captioned, not the extra bonus features common on many home video DVDs.
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The Los Angeles County Superior Court has preliminarily approved
settlement of Boltz v. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., et al.
(Case No. BC 323842), a pending class action lawsuit which alleged that
certain motion picture producers and distributors misled consumers by
inaccurately describing the nature of the closed captioning and/or
subtitling provided on their DVDs. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges
that Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., The Walt Disney Company,
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Warner Home Video Inc., Universal
Studios Home Entertainment LLC, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Inc., Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc., and Tri-Star Pictures, Inc.
(the "Settling Companies") misled consumers by displaying a captioning
symbol or stating "captioning," "captioned," "subtitled" or "subtitling"
on certain DVD packaging when the main feature presentation was
captioned, closed captioned, or subtitled but some or all of the DVD
"bonus material" was not. The Settling Companies have denied liability,
but have agreed to settle this action to avoid litigation by, in the
future, providing captioning or closed captioning of bonus material on
major categories of DVDs they distribute over the next five (5) years,
paying $275,000 to certain non-profit organizations dedicated to
advocacy for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, and paying attorneys’
fees and costs (including any incentive award to named plaintiff) up to
$1,300,000 in exchange for the release of claims, as more fully
specified in the settlement agreements.
YOU MAY BE A MEMBER OF THE SETTLEMENT CLASS.
The proposed settlement affects and includes the following U.S.
residents: (1) all persons with any hearing loss who, before April 27,
2006 (the "Class Period"), have purchased, rented or otherwise obtained
a VHS, Laser Disk, DVD, or other home video product produced and/or
distributed by any of the Settling Companies ("Home Video Product"), or
on whose behalf such a Home Video Product was so obtained; and (2) all
other persons who, within the Class Period, purchased, rented or
otherwise obtained such a Home Video Product or on whose behalf such a
Home Video Product was so obtained for use with or with the expectation
that it contained captioning or closed captioning. To receive a more
detailed summary of the terms and conditions of the settlement, visit
www.dvdcclabelingclasssettlement.com.
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO EXCLUDE YOURSELF FROM THE SETTLEMENT.
Class members who have not expressly excluded themselves from the class
will be bound by the settlement’s terms. To be excluded, you must submit
a written request for exclusion that includes your name, address,
telephone number and your desire to be excluded from the settlement
class to The Garden City Group, Inc. at P.O. Box 91041, Seattle, WA
98111-9141, referencing "DVD ‘CC’ Labeling Class Settlement." Your
Exclusion Request must be POSTMARKED no later than midnight of July 14,
2006, or it will not be accepted. IF YOU DO NOT REQUEST TO BE EXCLUDED
YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SETTLEMENT CLASS.
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT.
If you do not exclude yourself from the settlement, you may object to
the terms of the settlement by submitting a written objection to the
Court, class counsel and the Settling Companies’ counsel. Your objection
must be POSTMARKED no later than midnight of July 14, 2006, or it will
not be considered by the Court. TO DOWNLOAD AN EXCLUSION REQUEST FORM OR
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW AND WHEN TO LODGE AN OBJECTION TO THE
SETTLEMENT, VISIT www.dvdcclabelingclasssettlement.com.
A hearing to determine whether the Court should grant final approval of
the settlement and the amount of any award of attorneys' fees and costs
(including any incentive award to named plaintiff) will be held before
Judge Anthony J. Mohr, in Department 309, Central Civil West Courthouse,
600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90005, at 10:00 a.m.
on August 28, 2006.
PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE COURT OR THE CLERK’S OFFICE.
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About TDI:
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. is a nonprofit
advocacy organization that promotes equal access to telecommunications,
media and information technology for individuals who are deaf and hard
of hearing. Since 1968, TDI has successfully advocated for a variety of
federal legislation to improve the lives of people with hearing loss,
including the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988, the Americans with
Disabilities Act and the Television Decoder Circuitry Act, both of 1990,
and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In addition, TDI advocates for
administrative rules and policies that will provide greater access to
wireless technology, as well as complete and high-quality captioning of
television programs. Since its inception, TDI has promoted equal access
to 9-1-1 centers and other public safety answering points, and is now
working to ensure full access for deaf and hard of hearing people to
information during natural or manmade disasters and other types of
emergencies. TDI annually publishes a national directory and resource
guide, commonly known as The Blue Book, which is a popular resource book
for people with hearing loss, as well as The GA-SK Quarterly News
Magazine. For more information about TDI, visit www.tdi-online.org.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We hope you find these eNotes useful. If you do not wish to receive any
further TDI-L eNotes from TDI, send e-mail to enotes@tdi-online.org with
"Unsubscribe" in the subject line and your first and last names in the
body. Please allow up to 30 days for your request to be processed.
In order to prevent your anti-spam software from blocking e-mail news
and promos from TDI, please include the following e-mail addresses into
your e-mail address book.
info@tdi-online.org
epromo@tdi-online.org
enotes@tdi-online.org
Thank you,
--
Sincerely,
Jim House
Public Relations & Resource Development Officer
Telecommunications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Inc.
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 604
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3803
Open Letter to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, Administration, Campus and External Community on the Gallaudet Presidential Announcement
June 10, 2006
http://www.nad.org/GallaudetOpenLetter3
Posted May 3, 2006
On Monday May 1, 2006, the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees Interim Chair Celia May Baldwin announced its selection of Provost Jane K. Fernandes as its 9th president. The announcement quoted Baldwin as saying: “Jane has a deep understanding of how this university works, having served in senior leadership positions here for more than a decade.
On Monday May 1, 2006, the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees Interim Chair Celia May Baldwin announced its selection of Provost Jane K. Fernandes as its 9th president. The announcement quoted Baldwin as saying: “Jane has a deep understanding of how this university works, having served in senior leadership positions here for more than a decade.” That same afternoon, Gallaudet students protested the decision. Faculty and staff concerns are also surfacing. The NAD has all along been communicating with students, faculty, staff, and alumni – and others having a vested interest in Gallaudet University. We stand with these concerned stakeholders, who sincerely believe that they are not being respected nor heard.
Last October, the NAD Board of Directors wrote an Open Letter to the Gallaudet Board of Trustees. In that letter, the NAD Board noted the long-standing and positive relationship between the NAD and Gallaudet. The letter continued by articulating priorities and principles important to the NAD. Among those were that Gallaudet’s next president be an individual who can sustain Gallaudet’s historic role as a “beacon of hope for all deaf citizens in the world” and who has “a deep understanding of the challenges faced by deaf people every day in this country and worldwide”. The Open Letter added that “the next president must also be a visionary in promoting academic excellence, as well as committed to diversity in hiring and promoting qualified deaf administrators, faculty, and staff members”.
The NAD also brought together, in a December 2005 a round table with four individuals who represent different segments of our large and diverse community (see http://www.nad.org/gallaudetroundtable) who expressed their hopes and expectations for Gallaudet.
Last month, the NAD wrote a second Open Letter (see http://www.nad.org/GallaudetOpenletter2). In that communication, which was addressed to the Gallaudet University Search Committee, Board of Trustees, campus community and the larger deaf and hard of hearing community, the NAD noted the fact that all three finalists were deaf individuals with records of distinction. This second letter referenced the role of the NAD in advocating for a deaf president even before and during the historic Deaf President Now events of 18 years ago (http://www.nad.org/NAD-DPN). The NAD urged the Trustees to appoint as the next president, a person “able to unite the community behind a common vision and inspire individuals and groups both on and off campus to reach for a noble cause bigger than any single person or issue.” Further, the NAD urged stakeholders to closely scrutinize each candidate according to the Presidential qualifications and expectations as outlined by the search committee—and to communicate their expectations and views to the committee and the Trustees.
We recognize the tremendous level of unrest this week on and off campus. We believe that current furor is fueled by disconnect between the stated goals of the University and the actions of the administration. Specifically, we are troubled by growing evidence that the final decision by the Board of Trustees may not reflect deeply felt values of students, faculty, alumni, and other community stakeholders – values arising from Gallaudet’s unique place in our community and articulated in our previous open letters, as well as in the Presidential Agenda outlined by the Trustees (see http://pr.gallaudet.edu/presidentalsearch/?ID=8140). Tumultuous and rapidly spreading undercurrents among the students and the campus community also seem to be influenced by ongoing issues related to a lack of diversity within campus, distrust of the current administration, perceived low academic expectations, and poor community morale. Progress is also being restrained by the twin chains of bigotry – audism and racism – which deserve attention and action.
We also recognize the unique role of a University community in promoting freedom of speech, respect for diversity, support for vigorous debate, and tolerance for the exercising of civility in response to dissent and strongly expressed discourse. At this time, discussion is warranted and should be not only tolerated, but encouraged. The current unrest reflects the deeply felt values assigned to Gallaudet by students, faculty, staff, alumni and other community stakeholders, values the NAD and others in the national and worldwide community of deaf and hard of hearing people also hold dear. Gallaudet acknowledged, and expressed commitment to such values in the announcement of the search. There, the University stated that it was eager to identify a president with the abilities to “ensure full access and open communication throughout the University.” The Trustees also set as a qualification the ability to “lead the entire Gallaudet community and its students (K-12 and college level) through times of crisis and challenge.”
Accordingly, the NAD calls upon the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, President I. King Jordan, and Provost Jane K. Fernandes to take corrective action with courage and wisdom to resolve in a positive manner the growing discord, divisiveness and disconnect on and off campus. Such decisive action would begin the healing process and enable all involved to move forward. The current leadership must move expeditiously to “unite the community behind a common vision and inspire individuals and groups both on and off campus to reach for a noble cause bigger than any single person or issue.”
Members of the NAD and its supporters are deeply concerned that if this crisis is not resolved immediately and decisively by Gallaudet University, there would be increased risk for long term and permanent impact in the areas of recruitment, enrollment and financial giving.
The NAD is determined to stand firm for the cherished values of our community and for the well-being of the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing people. This is precisely why the NAD stands with Gallaudet students and the entire community in retaining the true greatness of Gallaudet University and the hope it represents to the nation and the world.
Sincerely,
Andrew J. Lange
President
National Association of the Deaf