[chelsea24]

I don't know enough about VNN's expenses to respond to that, but I do know about the problems of the deaf. My mother wore a hearing aid and my husband has only has 10 percent hearing in one ear and 0 in the other. He had a cochlear implant two years ago and it's been like a miracle to us.

And here's another thing I do know. The majority of hearing people don't give a rat's behind about the problem of the hard of hearing or deaf people. I suspect that carries over into the blind or nearly blind community. There was a time in Illinois when we couldn't get captioning because of the way our house was situated. The signal wouldn't come through. We went to the Home Owners Association and asked if we could put up a satellite dish (at that time it was against bylaws). I almost fell over when two or three of the board members actually said that "Television is a luxury. Why don't you just read a book." I can't even put into words here how I felt when I looked at my husband's face. It broke my heart. I also can't put into words what my response was! :verymad:

So, I got ALDA involved. The Association for Late-Deafened Adults. Also, dragged out The American Disabilities Act. That covers hearing loss as well as other disabilities. Maybe someone can use this to take action.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the short title of United States (Pub.L. 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, enacted 1990-07-26), codified at 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush. The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. Disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity."

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Coordination and Review Section

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.

I now know my husband's rights and there have been times we've stayed at a hotel and the television wasn't captioned. I just call the front desk and they either send someone right up to turn it on, or in one case, they had to go out and get us a new television.

Yes, it might be a luxury, but it is also his right.