Keith Wann DVD-clips.

rother Harold

"Brother Harold was a deaf man."

Said the preacher with a tear,

"But today he's up in heaven,

And today he can hear.

"Brother Harold could not speak,

So he talked with his hands,

But today he speaks with God,

And at last, God understands.

"Brother Harold was a sinner,

Like the rest of us," he screamed.

"But no longer is he silent,

For his sins have been redeemed."

And the people in the chapel

Who prayed for his soul

Rejoiced at the conviction

That Harold was now whole.

But as I sat among the mourners

And recalled the Dad I knew,

I asked myself this question:

"Is this message really true?

"Are deaf folks simply hearing folks

Whose ears do not perform?

Are women just like men

Except for function and for form?

"Are black folks just like white folks

But for the color of their skin?

Are all of us the same

If we but look deep within?

"Or is each of us unique

In what we are and what we give?

Aren't our differences our strengths?"

Let me share what I believe.

I believe if there's a heaven

It's a place not so very far

Where our differences are valued

And we're accepted as we are.

And I believe if there's a God,

He or She understands,

For He listens with his heart,

And He talks with his hands.

- Robert Ingram

earning from the master

Gather 'round, sweet butterflies.

Let your wings take peaceful rest.

Gather 'round, watch the master

Warm the air with her caress.

Watch the words flow so smoothly
From her hands with artful grace;

Watch the grammar form so neatly

In the contours of her face.

Watch her eyes move so quickly
As they reach into her soul

And reflect deepest meanings

In the wisdom that unfolds.

Watch and learn, sweet butterflies;
Remember well what you've seen

If you wish to write poems

With the rhythms of your wings.

Watch and learn from the master
How a sonnet can be seen

In the patterns of your flights

And the rhythm of your wings.

- Robert Ingram

ands-on experience

After I had lunch in liquid form one day [during the LA CODA Conference], there was a call for a woman who is "good with her hands" to judge the men's hairiest chest contest. Well, being a fan of furry guys, I volunteered right away and yes, I admit I claimed my interpreting expertise as a qualification for being judge. I judged well, too. I even got a cheap-gold-ship-on-a-stick trophy to prove it! Can't wait to see the video from the hairy man contest. (I was blindfolded the whole time.)

Does this mean I have to turn in my certification or does this make me a candidate for a specialist certificate?

- Bonnie Kraft

f a hearing kid is a tax write-off for a deaf parent, is s/he a Coda-dependent?

:If children of Deaf adults are called Codas, what are non-Codas called?

A: Hoohas (Hearing Offspring Of Hearing Adults) or Nerdas (Not Even Related to Deaf Adults).

f a HOOHA is a Hearing Offspring Of Hearing Adults, is a Deaf Offspring Of Deaf Adults a DOODA?

- Jeff Pollock

ow about PAGODA? Parents and Grandparents of Deaf Adults?

- Lisa LeBlanc

here is a group called Codependents Anonymous aka CODA. I wonder if they have a SIG for interpreters? Smile!!!

- David Bar-Tzur

ne little joke that my kids would play on me and it happened twice. I would be sitting in my beloved chair, reading the newspaper. The kids would be near by, playing with their toys. They would watch me and slowly lower their voice. Assuming that my batteries may be getting weaker, I would turn up the volume. The kids kept lowering their voices and I kept turning it up. After about 5 minutes the kids would raise their voices and say, "HI YA, DAD!!!" Talk about jumping to the ceiling like a fraidy cat!! First, I thought I was hanging upside down from the ceiling then I check my pant to see if I wet them. I manage to catch my breath and check my heart to see if it was still there. The kids got away with it but I did let them know that I did not like that.

- Randy Pope

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