THIS WEEK IN BETHESDA

DECEMBER 11, 2015

This is a weekly report from the HLAA national office in Bethesda, Maryland. Please also sign up for the HLAA e-News where even more news is published.

ADVOCACY

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) just announced that it is exploring the feasibility of conducting a negotiated rulemaking that would ensure captioning of in-flight entertainment and videos, better-defined service animals, as well as carrier reporting of disability service requests, among other issues.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not apply to airplanes in flight, which are governed by the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). While there is some split of authority, the prevailing rule is that private individuals may not bring suit under the ACAA, so the disability access issues can only be brought to the attention of the DOT. Click here to learn more and submit your comments no later than January 6, 2016.

PUBLIC AWARENESS

Survey on Banking for People with Hearing Loss

The World Institute on Disability (WID) and the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) are conducting a brief 10- to 15-minute survey about access to and use of banking and financial institutions for people with hearing loss.

Results from this survey will be used to inform the financial and banking industry as to best practices to make information and services more accessible to people with hearing loss. No individual identifying data or characteristics will be provided to any outside agency, organization or business. All responses will be combined and no individual responses will be made available. After the completion of the study, all contact information will be destroyed.

Take the survey here.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GIVE TO HLAA

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the official workplace giving campaign of the federal government. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all. Federal workers, retirees, and government contractors are eligible to donate to the CFC. CFC is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with almost 200 CFCs throughout the country and overseas raising millions of dollars each year. To be eligible to participate in the CFC, each charitable organization must be designated as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. HLAA is a CFC approved organization.

Act now! The campaign runs through to December 15, 2015. Eligible federal employee pledges may be processed online or by completing a paper pledge form. If you are a federal employee who is new to the process, download the pledging tutorial for a step-by-step guide on how to submit a pledge to the CFC.

The HLAA designation code is 11376.

For more information visit the CFC website, and thank you for your support!

 WEBINARS

December 16, 8 p.m.-9 p.m., Christine Cassel, M.D., president and CEO of National Quality Forum, will present Aging America and Hearing Loss: The PCAST Report Explained. See the Schedule page for more information. Webinar times are Eastern Standard Time. All webinars are free, captioned, and recorded. The recordings are posted on the Webinar Replay page of our website, usually within a week.

The Kansas City Chapter is a Public Charity Status non-profit 501(c)(3) providing information, education, support, advocacy and networking for people with hearing loss, their families and friends.

hlaakc@gmail.com. | https://hlaakc.com/ | 913-904-0242 | Follow us:   
Support HLAA-KC through AmazonSmile or Donate through PayPal

Are you a member of HLAA? Join Now

CELEBRATING THE HOLYDAYS

25 FREE TICKETS – FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

THIS FRIDAY, DEC 11TH.

LIED THEATER in LAWRENCE KS

6:45 Meet & Greet

for HLAA-KC group photo
with SHIRLEY CHILDRESS,
ASL interrupter & performer

FREE SEATS ARE LOCATED CLOSE TO STAGE TO SEE UP CLOSE

We have about 3 tickets left!
Soon will start a waiting list.  Continue contacting us if you are interested.   If anyone cancels, we will find replacement from top of waiting list!

Email ‘JJ’ JONES  at JJmime@aol.com
and
copy Sue at mango@ku.edu.

The following was sent to HLAA-KC committee member who was involved with InnoCaption previously.   We are posting this to let you know InnoCaption is returning.  Please follow directions if you would like to use captioning on your mobile smartphone.

Dear InnoCaption Users: InnoCaption is happy to announce we have upgraded to a new telephone network provider to allow our users to have InnoCaption numbers which match the area of their mobile device. As a result of this upgrade, all users who registered prior to November 9, 2015 will need to re-register to be assigned a new InnoCaption number. Note: The InnoCaption service, although you are able to re-register, will not be operational until our suspension has been lifted and we have relaunched. Please register and follow the instructions below to ensure you are ready to use our service as soon as we are back! Step 1: Delete the old InnoCaption Application from your phone. We have made many improvements to the InnoCaption App, so you want to make sure you have the latest version. Step 2: Go to http://www.innocaption.com/register/ to register for your new InnoCaption number. Your number will be assigned to you as soon as you complete the registration process. Step 3: Go to the App Store and download InnoCaption. The latest version is what will be installed on your device. Step 4: When re-activing the app, be sure to enter your cell phone number, not your new InnoCaption number. Your InnoCaption number will show up automatically. Step 5: Wait for a follow-up email or posting to let you know our target relaunch date!  Thank you for your patience and continued loyalty to InnoCaption. Cristina Duarte Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager cristinaduarte@innocaption.com (703) 865-5553

Copyright © 2015 InnoCaption, Inc., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be notified or opted in during your initial InnoCaption registration.Our mailing address is: InnoCaption, Inc. 2913-C Saturn Street Brea, CA  92821

Sheraton Suites Country Club Plaza has job openings in housekeeping, part time or full time. Day shifts 8-5.

Sheraton on the Plaza Kansas City will be completely renovated December 15^th so they are just building a team to move the hotel to the next level.

The person hiring has worked with 3-5 other people with hearing loss in Colorado.  Some were working through school and worked part time and some were full staff members that were a “joy to work with”.

If interested, please email hlaakc@gmail.com and we will get you in contact with the Sheraton employee.

Offer for Only for Local Metropolitan Kansas City Movie Fans –

Take the survey about open captioning at the movies!

Win a chance of FREE movie pass at the Alamo Drafthouse!

Drawing ends at the end of New Years Eve (December 31, 2015).

Winner drawn on New Years Day.

Thank you for telling us what you think!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C9PW9RP