Archives for November 2000

Wyndholme Village to start construction by January 2001

November 1, 2000

Originally appeared in Silent News, November 2000.

Wyndholme Village, a residential senior community for deaf and hard of hearing people in Baltimore, Md., has come to an agreement with creditors regarding the construction of the community.

“My attorneys are preparing the necessary documents for the creditor’s signatures and along with a formal commitment for $6,000,000—the requirements set forth at the September hearing, have been met,” stated James M. Lancelotta, managing member and developer of Wyndholme Village.

Wyndholme Village, mainly operated by Lancelotta, was forced to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999. Scott Macdonald, Senior Vice President of Marketing, said, “Wyndholme Village went into bankruptcy due to a lender who agreed to fund $7,150,000 in October 1998. They did not perform.” Less than two weeks from the scheduled funding, the lender providing the capital admitted to misappropriating millions of company dollars, which subsequently halted all future activity. The lender was Cornerstone Lending Corporation of America. Michael R. Wise, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone, was charged with “serious financial improprieties,” and Cornerstone was unable to follow through with the promised money. A follow up by Council for the Creditors Committee revealed that Wise is currently incarcerated and Cornerstone Private Capital has been placed in receivership.

“Without these funds it became impossible for Wyndholme Village to carry the debt. Once this occurred—without the funds as promised—our cash flow from other Lancelotta entities were utilized costing over $200,000 a month. By March 1999 we were forced to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy,” Macdonald said. He added that each day under the status of Chapter 11 bankruptcy has cost Lancelotta and Wyndholme Village in excess of $5,000 daily for protection of assets.

Macdonald added, “Prior to the hearing held on Sept. 17, I negotiated with all the creditors and was able to create a plan that was acceptable to everyone. The court wanted to be informed of the terms and parameters of the agreement. In essence, Wyndholme Village agreed to allow the creditors to have full control of the property in the event that Wyndholme Village is not able to make the payments it has agreed to make by Dec. 29, 2000.”

According to documents summarizing the planned payments, Wyndholme is required to pay as much as $6,245,000 to creditors, along with unsecured creditors being paid in full beginning in Jan. on a quarterly basis. All unpaid real estate property taxes and trustee fees will also be paid, totaling $56,500, along with administrative fees totaling $110,000.

An unidentified investment group is providing Wyndholme Village with the needed six million dollars by Nov. 28, with verification of these funds being provided to a bankruptcy court by Nov. 16. A cash flow analysis is also required to be provided by Nov. 16.

Wyndholme currently has 28 signed contracts of individuals ready to move into their units, although it has not actively tried to sell any units since February 2000. Macdonald said, “Jim Lancelotta decided not to pursue sales until he was completely sure that Wyndholme Village was going to become a reality. Now, he is sure and has already provided staff with their quotas.”

On Wyndholme Village’s website, Lancelotta writes, “My belief in the deaf community; the need of deaf seniors to have the opportunity to reside in a well-deserved quality environment eliminating the fear of isolation and the support of my staff, family, and the deaf population gives me the strength and conviction to prevail and take this ‘so-called risk.'”

Construction will begin in January 2001, although groundbreaking events will take place earlier.

The Wyndholme Village website may be viewed at www.wyndholmevillage.com.

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Filed Under: Business, Silent News

STD/AIDS Hotline calls increases yearly

November 1, 2000

Originally appeared in Silent News, November 2000.

Nowadays, AIDS and HIV are such household words, thanks in part to the generous publicity the disease has gotten in the past few years. We all hear about AIDS and HIV on a daily basis, but barely give it a second thought unless it has affected our lives directly.

Well, think about this. It is estimated that 7,000 to 26,000 deaf people in the U.S. are infected with HIV, according to the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. This number may be much higher, but there is very little documentation. The center points out that Maryland was the first state to include questions about deafness in its HIV counseling and testing forms—and because of this first, officials have documented that 4.3% of the Maryland deaf population is infected with HIV.

Even though many deaf people may be aware of what HIV and AIDS are, many are not educated on preventive methods. Or worse yet, many do not practice preventive methods even after being educated. And then there are those who have mistaken ideas and misconceptions of what HIV and AIDS involve or what to do if one contracts HIV/AIDS.

Chad Ludwig, Senior Supervisor for the TTY Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National STD/AIDS Hotlines, says, “We get an average of 12 productive calls that come in from anywhere in the United States, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.”

Add that up and that’s an awful lot of calls.

Just what is the hotline? How does it get funded? Has it grown? Who is behind these calls?

People who are trained in American Sign Langauge (ASL) and are culturally sensitive to the deaf and hard of hearing community staff the STD/AIDS TTY Hotline.

“In December 1986, the American Social Health Association was awarded the contract for the National AIDS Hotline by the US Centers for Disease Control. Located briefly in Palo Alto, Calif., NAH moved its operation to New York City in February of 1987. In October of the same year, additional facilities were opened in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Then in August 1988, the National AIDS Hotline expanded to include services for Spanish-speaking individuals and TTY users,” said Ludwig.

According to a 1999 profile of callers to the TTY line, 62.5% of the 577 calls in 1999 were from ASL users. 60% of the calls were from female callers.

Ludwig came to the Hotline in August 1997 after earning a bachelor’s degree in social work from the National Technical Institute of the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. He did an internship at AIDS Rochester prior to working at the Hotline. Ludwig said, “I am pleased to report that the call volume has had a steady increase since I came onboard. We received 421 calls in 1997; 550 in 1998, 577 in 1999, and we will know the final number for this year by January 2001.”

The Hotlines are funded by the Centers for Disease Control, and they are bidding for another five-year grant. If they get this grant, it will be their fourth successive time.

Even with the increases and monetary support, the hotlines still strive to serve the most important population: the population that is not educated about the dangers of HIV/AIDS or the preventive steps. Add the fact that many of the callers’ first language is ASL—and it becomes that much more complex.

Even with the staff being trained in cultural sensitivity and language-appropriate skills, there’s still that sliver of the deaf community who cannot communicate effectively via TTY. It is for this very reason that the CDC is taking steps to provide ASL access. “Currently, the [Hotlines] TTY Service is collaborating with the CDC National Immunization Information Hotline to launch their own video in ASL responding to the most frequently asked questions about immunization. It is projected to launch by December,” Ludwig added. The CDC already has a video available that answers frequently asked questions about AIDS.

The hotlines promise to keep all calls strictly confidential. This is an essential factor for many TTY callers, who are worried about their identities being found out—especially in the close-knit deaf and hard of hearing community.

People may visit the hotlines’ website at www.ashastd.org/nah/tty.html, or call 1-800-AIDS-TTY (1-800-243-7889). Spanish Deaf callers may call the same line and use Spanish to communicate with live TTY operators. TTY operators are available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Filed Under: Community resources, Silent News

LightKitchen hopes to bring together fellow filmmakers

November 1, 2000

Originally appeared in Silent News, November 2000.

A group of students at Gallaudet University has formed a group, LightKitchen, in hopes of becoming a film company eventually. Ryan Commerson, one of the founders, said, “We gave birth to LightKitchen at XandO’s, a coffee house in Washington, D.C., after hours and hours of hard labor. So, right now, we are taking small steps towards the goal by producing few short works such as those shown on www.lightkitchen.com.”

According to the group, light is essential for any film or video production, while the kitchen tends to be the preferred gathering place for deaf people: well-lit, easy to communicate, and warm.

Rene Visco, another founder and the webmaster of the LightKitchen website, said, “To me, LightKitchen means saying, ‘I’ll make me a world.’  A world that people around the world can join in and watch. They laugh at our follies, beam at our successes, awed by our complex human natures, and cry with us in our darkest hours. The important thing is that they will understand what Deafness is and means.”

Commerson agreed with Visco, saying, “It’s clear that pushing for higher education [for deaf people] can’t do it all, or even politics – something is missing to make the connections with all of the major fields – entertainment. It’s the major element [of the deaf community] that has been largely neglected.”

On the site, visitors can view three entertaining videos: Daniele Le Rose’s ominous Millennium, Wayne Betts’ humorous Mr. V, or Ryan Commerson’s emotional Soulmate. Visco explained, “Soon in the near future, it is possible that LightKitchen’s website will be revamped again, this time with dynamic Flash content and more QuickTime clips. It will be a powerful visual medium for any Internet user. I aim and strive to make LightKitchen’s website a cutting-edge website that is front of the pack in the Internet.” Visco also hopes to make the site multilingual, including Spanish and Italian translations.

Currently, the group is working on Commerson’s rock climbing project, along with screenings of works by various deaf filmmakers such as Charles Krauel, Julianna Fjeld, and Peter Wolf. “We’ll have discussions on filmmaking aesthetics, approaches, and so on. We also will study why deaf moviemakers in the past have failed, and how we can learn from their struggles, and discuss aspects such as framing our language. Often shots of deaf people talking don’t look so great — why? What can we do to change that? How can we create a movie that can be enjoyed by millions—not only the deaf—and so on,” Commerson said.

The group is also planning a film festival of sorts. “We are planning to be a big sponsor for Gallaudet’s T.V., Photography and Digital Media’s MOS Fest (visual works without audio tracks), which Facundo Montenegro [the third founder of the group] will be preparing for next fall,” Visco said. This will enable the group to establish an annual film festival that will encourage deaf moviemakers on an international basis to participate.

Visco said, “Right now, LightKitchen is a profit-making business. I believe we will spin off a non-profit LightKitchen foundation so that we can influence the future generations of Deaf filmmakers, actors, actresses, and crew members around the world.”

Le Rose, who is visiting the United States as a Fulbright/Mason-Perkins Deafness Fund Scholar from Italy, hopes to be able to bring a branch of this organization back to his home country. He said, “LightKitchen is beneficial to me because I am able to share ideas and goals with others who have common goals. With this, I will be able to develop my skills and techniques for future use in Italy. For example, I would like to produce videotapes for distribution in Italy related to the arts, education, and culture of deaf people. I’d also like to produce movies. This will help expose the hearing community to our Deaf community.”

When asked about the struggles that the organization may face in its establishment, Commerson said, “Some believe in Deaf advancement by means of education. Some believe in Deaf advancement by means of political empowerment. We believe in Deaf advancement by means of entertainment. Without inspiration, tears, fears, or laughter. . .we’re facing the yellow hex sign that says Dead End.”

The group, which also includes Wayne Betts, has been using both individually owned equipment and loaned equipment. The acquisition of necessary equipment is another goal the group has.

The website may be viewed at www.lightkitchen.com.

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Filed Under: Business, Community resources, Gallaudet, Silent News

Editorial: Guess what I just heard?

November 1, 2000

Originally appeared in Silent News, November 2000.

By the time I got out of bed on the morning of Sept. 28, I had five e-mails waiting to tell me about Eric Plunkett’s tragic murder the day before. By noon, I heard that he was murdered by six girls. Then I heard that he was murdered because he was getting ready to notify officials about a fellow student who had raped six girls. By the time police arrested the main suspect, Thomas Minch, I heard that Plunkett was bludgeoned to death by a sledgehammer by a frenzied Minch, who was angry over a breakup. The person who told me this even argued with me, saying I didn’t have my facts straight (even though I had already gotten the official report).

In truth, the weapon used was a chair, and Minch was released almost immediately due to insufficient evidence.

People constantly expressed shock, anger, disbelief, and sadness in the Plunkett death. Yet, almost every one of them became angry at Minch as soon as he was arrested. Suspects are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Minch was immediately cast as the guilty party, even though he was only a suspect.

Fellow students and people who knew Minch said one of two things: ”I can’t believe he’d do anything like this,” or, “That was so sick of him to do this.”

Can you imagine? Minch is forever ruined by this experience. He comes from a deaf family in New Hampshire. Can you imagine how difficult this is for the family, especially within the close-knit deaf community? How difficult it is for the people who attended camp with Minch? How difficult it is for classmates of Minch from both The Learning Center and Gallaudet? How difficult it is for Eric Plunkett’s family (who has astounded me with their positive attitudes throughout this tragedy)?

I’ve seen how a rush to judge someone can affect a family. Some years ago, a classmate of mine was arrested by the FBI in a sting for selling pornography over the Internet. He was quickly labeled by both the local media and the deaf community as a sick and deranged person. This was a guy I had grown up with and shared so much with. His family, also a deaf family, was immediately bombarded with either anger or support. Later, it was found that he was indeed innocent. However, no matter what, even today he is talked about behind his back. His whole family is still talked about by people. I see people signing in hushed signs whenever one of the family members walks by. I have seen the pain this guy has gone through for someone else’s mistake. All for the sake of gossip.

Many deaf leaders are also victims of the curse of gossip. No matter what and no matter how honest they may be, deaf leaders are always talked about. Why?

More often than not, it’s the work of a very few people. One deaf leader screws up, they all get stereotyped. There are certainly a few deaf leaders or directors who have set precedents for future directors or leaders. I’ve worked at an agency where the deaf director was the most dishonest person I had ever worked with, and quite arrogant in his beliefs that he wouldn’t get caught (he did).

Rumors are just incredible. They destroy relationships, destroy confidence and trust, and sadly, too often, destroy lives. They also cause unnecessary harm.

When I was a sophomore at Gallaudet, I went on spring break to Cancun with 15 others. One of our group members got killed in a freak jeep accident. When I arrived at school from Cancun, I walked up to my room and went straight to the TTY to call my mother and let her know of what had happened. The very minute I sat down to start dialing, my doorbell flashed. It was the girl (actually, she was nearly 40, so I suppose I should say she was a woman) from next door, saying with wide eyes, “I heard your group killed someone!” This was literally four minutes after I had arrived and two minutes after I had set down my suitcase. How in the world did she hear so fast? And how in the world did she have the guts to come to my door and say that? Needless to say, I rudely slammed the door in her face and called my mother.  She never spoke to me after that.

So, what to do?

When you hear rumors about people, check your facts. Ask the people, and if you don’t feel comfortable asking them—then it’s really none of your business, anyway. Or here’s a radical idea: ignore them. You’ll sleep better at night. I promise.

Copyrighted material. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the written consent of the author.

Filed Under: Culture, Editorial, Gallaudet, Silent News

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