BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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• Drawing
• Archery
• Kung Fu
• Guitar (and a little singing, but I suck)
• Learning a second language Spanish/Irish/ASL (which I haven’t taken seriously so I don’t speak a second language AT ALL lol.)

So yeah, there is a lot of things I want to do. Ideally I’d like to devote one day a week to each hobby with proper tutoring … but then I wouldn’t be able to have a career and all that jazz.

Think —— !

Always trying to find way to be creative in learning ASL without having to spend all my time on the computer. So I took ASL outside. This is a practice video as I improve my ASL day by day.

Slide Clinic 38 – Slap Some Butta On Ya Toast!

The AZ skate fam gets together on a local legend – The Pins.
This was one of our biggest slide clinics yet, with over 50+ people in attendance! So stoked to see this many people out on the hills, let’s grow this community!
Thanks to ASL and Jerzey for puttin it on’, come out next month!

I realize I am fortunate to be alive, not to have broken my neck, and a host of other terrible options that never materialized.  I have a roof over my head and food in my mouth at my daughter’s home.  She did not have to take me in.  I am blessed that she did.

Now that my arm is no longer swathed to my chest I reflexively try to sign.  Mind you, I don’t have anyone to sign with.  I am live with generally soft-spoken hearing people who don’t sign and are unlikely to start anytime soon.  My daughter used to know how to sign, but doesn’t like signing.  I signed the Serenity Prayer for my OT today, just to have someone to talk with – she doesn’t sign.  I taught her the sign for “God.”

I’ve stopped trying to participate in conversations I can’t understand since I am tired of hearing “never mind.”  I’ve been considering using paper and pen.  I do have to ask for things.  I do not always get what I ask for – they are all busy people with busy lives.  They to their best for me.  I cannot ask for more.

I’ve learned how to do the dishes with one hand – using my right hand to hold a soapy sponge.  No one asked me to.  I want to help earn my keep.  I  found out I can’t scrub pots and pans.  No, there is no dishwasher.

I know eventually I will heal, and also realize ASL is a 3D language and I’m not sure how to do it anymore.  Sometimes the slightest motion sets the tendons and ligaments rolling around the inside of my arm and I stop in mid movement.  Today the Occupational Therapist finally felt them and winced, asking, “Does it hurt?”  I’m not sure “hurt” is the right word.

My daughter is marrying tomorrow and I was invited to practice.  I now know I will understand nothing spoken there.  My FM system is not with me and my good hearing aid does not work anyway.  I  thought about it and decided I will be quiet, attentive, and ask for nothing.  It is her day, not mine.

I am tired.  I took a shower and the attempt to wash my hair was challenging. My arm hurts.  And perhaps also my heart… just a little bit.

The Red Apple team is comprised of 40+ staff.  In addition, we have volunteers who donate their time to assist in various aspects of our program.  Our staff is made up of a dedicated team of people who work well together and always put the students first.  All of our staff must have a valid Florida Driver’s license and must clear a Level II background screening.  If you are a minimum age of 18, have a high school diploma and meet the additional qualifications for any of the positions described below, please submit an online application by clicking below or you can come to our Main Campus located at: 6640 Kentucky Ave. New Port Richey, Fl. 34653 to apply in person.

Volunteers are required to be age 16 and above.  Depending on how many volunteer hours you commit to and your responsibilities as a volunteer, you may be asked to pass a level II background screening.  Please click on the link below to submit a volunteer application or come to our Main Campus address listed above to fill out a volunteer application.

Position: Van Driver

Position Descriptions/Qualifications: To provide transportation for the students with varying disabilities to and from the school on their scheduled days.  Responsibilities include but are not limited to: assisting students on and off the van, reporting any malfunctions/accidents with the van, maintaining documentation, obeying Florida traffic laws, being familiar with the Pinellas/Pasco areas and ensuring the safety of the students.  Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Full time and Part time positions available.

Position: Instructors Aide

Qualifications: To provide instruction to students with varying disabilities under the direction of a teacher in regards to a specific curriculum and follow a daily schedule.  Must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions, possess a positive attitude, monitor student’s progress, and complete required paperwork and be familiar with safety procedures/disaster plan. Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere from the start of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Position may also include driving the students to and from school.  Please refer to the requirements for a van driver for details of this aspect of the position.  Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6a.m. and 6 p.m. Full time and Part time positions available.

Position: Instructor

Qualifications: To teach independent living skills to students with varying disabilities under the direction of the Program Coordinator.  Must possess the ability to teach and to develop curriculums that promote independence and enhance skills in the areas of academics and life skills.  Must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions, possess a positive attitude, monitor student’s progress, complete required paperwork and be familiar with safety procedures/disaster plan. Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere from the start of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Position may also include driving the students to and from school.  Please refer to the requirements for a van driver for details of this aspect of the position.  Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6a.m. and 6 p.m. Full time and Part time positions available.

Click here for an on-line application to become a part of The Red Apple Team.  If you would like to submit your resume, please do so here or you can provide us with a brief explanation as to why you should be considered to be a member of The Red Apple Team.

Click here for an on-line application to volunteer at The Red Apple.

Once your application is received and reviewed it will be up to the members of the hiring team to contact you if they would like to set up an interview.

The Red Apple takes pride in promoting within the organization first as positions become available!

The Red Apple team is comprised of 40+ staff.  In addition, we have volunteers who donate their time to assist in various aspects of our program.  Our staff is made up of a dedicated team of people who work well together and always put the students first.  All of our staff must have a valid Florida Driver’s license and must clear a Level II background screening.  If you are a minimum age of 18, have a high school diploma and meet the additional qualifications for any of the positions described below, please submit an online application by clicking below or you can come to our Main Campus located at: 6640 Kentucky Ave. New Port Richey, Fl. 34653 to apply in person.

Volunteers are required to be age 16 and above.  Depending on how many volunteer hours you commit to and your responsibilities as a volunteer, you may be asked to pass a level II background screening.  Please click on the link below to submit a volunteer application or come to our Main Campus address listed above to fill out a volunteer application.

Position: Van Driver

Position Descriptions/Qualifications: To provide transportation for the students with varying disabilities to and from the school on their scheduled days.  Responsibilities include but are not limited to: assisting students on and off the van, reporting any malfunctions/accidents with the van, maintaining documentation, obeying Florida traffic laws, being familiar with the Pinellas/Pasco areas and ensuring the safety of the students.  Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Full time and Part time positions available.

Position: Instructors Aide

Qualifications: To provide instruction to students with varying disabilities under the direction of a teacher in regards to a specific curriculum and follow a daily schedule.  Must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions, possess a positive attitude, monitor student’s progress, and complete required paperwork and be familiar with safety procedures/disaster plan. Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere from the start of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Position may also include driving the students to and from school.  Please refer to the requirements for a van driver for details of this aspect of the position.  Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6a.m. and 6 p.m. Full time and Part time positions available.

Position: Instructor

Qualifications: To teach independent living skills to students with varying disabilities under the direction of the Program Coordinator.  Must possess the ability to teach and to develop curriculums that promote independence and enhance skills in the areas of academics and life skills.  Must have the ability to follow oral and written instructions, possess a positive attitude, monitor student’s progress, complete required paperwork and be familiar with safety procedures/disaster plan. Must pass all required trainings including but not limited to CPR/First Aid, maintain confidentiality and meet the physical requirements of the position which include the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.   Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere from the start of 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.  Position may also include driving the students to and from school.  Please refer to the requirements for a van driver for details of this aspect of the position.  Must be flexible in regards to hours which can be anywhere between the hours of 6a.m. and 6 p.m. Full time and Part time positions available.

Click here for an on-line application to become a part of The Red Apple Team.  If you would like to submit your resume, please do so here or you can provide us with a brief explanation as to why you should be considered to be a member of The Red Apple Team.

Click here for an on-line application to volunteer at The Red Apple.

Once your application is received and reviewed it will be up to the members of the hiring team to contact you if they would like to set up an interview.

The Red Apple takes pride in promoting within the organization first as positions become available!

source: Wikkipedia

If a hurricane hit your home today would have an evacuation plan? If you awoke in the middle of the night to the earth trembling and your home shaking violently- would you know what to do? Green skies are often the first warning of a tornado coming – where should you go?  Dangerous chemicals were let in to the air following a train derailment near your home – would you know what to do and where to get credible information for either evacuation or sheltering in place?

It has been my privilege to work with disaster specialists throughout the United States. They work tirelessly on all of our behalf.

Therefore, in the interest of public safety I will be posting as series of articles about how to PREPARE for potential disasters AND also offer resources for you to learn more.

To start I would like to discuss two very REAL threats to our personal and property safety-  earthquakes  and tornadoes.

EARTHQUAKE PREPARATION

 You may think that earthquakes are only on the west coast of the United States or in remote mountain regions of Asia.  But, that simply is false. Earthquakes happen in almost every state in the US and throughout the world, from the islands of Japan to the mountains of China.  In fact, earthquakes can occur anytime, anywhere. Just ask the people of Washington DC who experienced a good size earthquake of a magnitude of 5.8  in 2011 (The epicenter was in Virginia).

Click here to find your area and see if you are in a location of where more than one million registered earthquakes occurred this year. (Approximately 13,000 were a 4.0 magnitude or higher).  States with the most earthquakes? Alaska and California  have the most (no surprise) but you may not have thought of Utah as a top earthquake location?

So how can you prepare for an earthquake?

 What to do during an earthquake?  We use to think that standing in a doorway was the best idea. NOPE.  What about running outside? Not the “A” answer, either. According to the United States Geological Service (USGS) the best idea is to DROP, ROLL UNDER something STURDY and HOLD ON! (View demo video here)

This new safety information is so important that an effort known as the SHAKE OUT will be conducted this coming Fall.  What is SHAKE OUT? Simply it is a designated date and time where as many US and Canadian citizens participate in a  mock “earthquake drill”.  The SHAKE OUT drill will be on October 17th at 10:17 in the morning. (Interesting piece of trivia – October 17th is the anniversary date of the Oakland earthquake of 1989)  To register your family or business for the drill or learn more click here. 

Also relevant and related to earthquake safety is to learn about tsunamis. A tsunami is a wall of water that is created following an earthquake, meteor or other disruption to the ocean.  A devastating tsunami hit Japan in 2011 and resulted in mass casualty and loss of property.  (Read about recovery efforts here )

What to do if there is a tsunami?

 Many coastal areas in the United States now have tsunami warning systems.

However, the most important thing to know about a tsunami is to prepare in advance as where you can that is safe, elevated and within fifteen minutes of your home. This packet of information was very helpful to understand tsunamis and be prepared:  Tsunami Preparedness by NOAA

TORNADO PREPARATION

Tornadoes are a real and present threat to life and property.  Like an earthquake, tornadoes can strike anywhere at any time. We only need to read the headlines of recent events to see how a tornado touching down for a few minutes can cause profound heartbreak.  Moore, Oklahoma now joins the ranks of other towns, such as Joplin, Missouri, Granbury, Texas,  as a place where  giant tornadoes have  pummeled through communities, schools and farmland.

How to prepare for a tornado?

What are considered the “best practices” if you know that you are in an area experiencing a tornado watch or warning?  First, recognize the “signs” that a tornado is coming.

• GREEN SKIES
• DARKENING SKIES
• HAIL
• LOUD NOISE, described by some like a “freight train”
• WARNING SIRENS or ALERTS RECEIVED

What should you do if you know a tornado is a true threat?

Take shelter immediately! Go to a basement, storm cellar, interior room or closet. Stay away from windows. Try to shield yourself from potential flying debris by having something over you. Be sure to have a cell phone (if possible), flashlight and battery operated radio with you.  Here is more information about planning and safety from the CDC

http://www.rvspca.org/health-behavior/disaster-preparedness

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR FAMILY PETS

Again, let planning be your friend. The Humane Society published these guidelines for pet owners.

You also can read more from the SPCA by clicking on the photo above or this link.

What if your family member has special considerations, such as uses a wheelchair, has Autism or lives with Alzheimer’s? 

There are many websites and videos (open and/or closed captioned for those with hearing loss) that can be of great assistance and a wealth of information . There are many sites to review, but these are some of my favorites.

RED CROSS 

READY.GOV

EMSC NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER

DEAFInc.com

SAVE THE CHILDREN

LASTLY… 

What information can I share with my family that is “child friendly”

I really liked this website (in addition to the child resources from the sites mentioned above)

USGS KID INFO (including science fair project ideas)

In the next post we will discuss safety and preparation for Hurricane Season.   Please feel free to share YOUR disaster preparation safety information below. Thank you

 Stay safe everyone!

~Louise

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Louise Satter is a Psychologist who  created the SIGN LANGUAGE FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS Series – ASL, ENGLISH and SPANISH.  Read more about how to connect with Louise for speaking engagements, including the DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS PROGRAM (including sign language) and other programs related to safety and the well-being of children and adults with exceptional needs.

CLICK HERE for more information.

You can’t tell by looking at Rudi that she’s different from any other dog.

The energetic young “pit bull”-mix loves to play and loves the attention of her owner, Angi Holt-Parks, who lives in the Point Place neighborhood of Toledo.

But Rudi has a disability: She’s deaf. Ms. Holt-Parks and her husband, Don, are learning American Sign Language — the same used by and with deaf people — and teaching it to the dog to communicate with her.

So far, she has learned the hand signals for “potty,” “no,” “good girl,” “love,” and “sit,” she said.

The couple adopted the dog from the Lucas County dog warden, where Ms. Holt-Parks is a volunteer.

“After working with her and walking her, I saw she had a lot of potential,” she said. “She just wasn’t given the chance by anybody because she was deaf. She kept getting looked over. I was constantly thinking about her and even did some research online about deaf dogs and sign language before I got her.”

Click here to continue reading

The talk will be TODAY, Friday, May 31st from 3:30-4:30PM in Gowen Hall 301. He will stay for questions afterwards until 5:30.

Since this is a very last minute arrangement, we haven’t arranged ASL interpreters.  Second year ASL skills are recommended so you can understand the presentation and discussion better.  Sorry about the last minute notice.  Dr. Davis is thinking of doing a formal presentation next time he stops by town ahead of time.  But for now, it will just be a casual presentation.

Remember this event is not interpreted so you need second year ASL skills or above to be able to understand the presentation.

Quick video on fingerspelling. Have fun.

Makes life a happier place…

This week-long immersion experience, conducted by all-Deaf instructors, is designed for ASL students at all levels. The morning of the first day participants will be assessed and placed into appropriate groups. The week will consist of structured sessions appropriate for each group, daily presentations by a variety of Deaf professionals and opportunities to interact with the local Deaf Community as well as an off-site visit to a local Deaf agency. Those who are just beginning to study ASL and those seeking to enhance their ASL skills will find this week particularly beneficial. 

For those who have not completed a formal ASL class but believe they have the equivalent skill level, please contact our office at symposium.summer@gmail.com to arrange an evaluation with a member of our staff.

You are…..

Deaf Yoga Foundation welcomes you to Yoga in ASL.

You can find a list of Yoga instructors.

You can learn how to teach Yoga. 

You can connect with some very inspirational people in the Yoga world. 

This video, originally posted to YouTube by DeafHope, was featured on Bellamie Harvard’s The Broken Phoenix Blog.

Not only is the message powerful and enlightening – but the Sign is beautiful. Maybe someday, I’ll be able to sign this well.

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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Each day I post a positive WOD in Fingerspelling. It’s a fun way for me to practice my ASL alphabet and fun for others to learn too (if they want).

A woman’s water breaks (ok lets skip the part where I escape the womb).

Fast forward a few hours. Particularly a little bit after 6:30 pm

The woman holds her child and smiles. It’s so beautiful (sort of… a face only a mother could love)

“Oh my god, Mom, she looks like E.T.” she said, laughing, to her mother (and yes my mom did say this when she first held me. Love you too, mumsy).

A few days later she went home with a beautiful (and humble) baby girl named Jordan. and this is where my story starts.

There were some issues, it’s sort of a long story I might address later, but eventually I ended up being raised by my grandparents. They were mom and dad to me. My biological mom eventually became affectionately called “bio mommie.” (and later in my teenage years, biohazard. We’re a loving people).

At one point in my life, I stayed the night with my biological mom and my aunt. It was actually my aunt’s house. I grew up going there regularly. The next day, I was inside watching anime because I was going through that middle school phase, and I smelled smoke. I went outside to see what the smell was. Just then, Bio-Mom and my cousin came running out of the house. It was on fire. My aunt was already outside, and we were trying to get her away from the house, but the dogs were still inside. A lot of swear words were said, long story short, Bio-Mom ran back in and saved the dogs. We stood outside as smoke rushed out the windows and drifted into the blue sky, slowly turning it into a hue of grey.

And with that smoke went my emotional stability. Ok, I’ll admit that’s a little melodramatic. I had anxiety because of all the drama(that I decided not to disclose on here) within the first three years of my life. But this event triggered it and made it a lot worse. I developed an eating disorder and I must admit things got a little out of hand in my life. This was the same year I decided to learn American Sign Language.

I decided I needed to learn something to keep my mind off the incident. For about a year, I would constantly be looking around and making sure nothing was on fire. I would jump at the slightest noise. It was just a rough patch in my life. So I decided to learn a new language to distract myself from these things. But I thought sign language would be easier, because I have a lot of hearing trouble (which I affectionately refer to as my “hearing stupidity” because I can hear, I’m just not so good at comprehension in crowded places), and other languages give me a lot of trouble. So from that point on, I dedicated my spare time to watching grammatically terrible ASL music videos that helped me none. Most of what I learned in the time I spent doing independent Sign Language study, I learned from Deaf people themselves. I had a close friend at the time, who is still dear to me, and her parents and sister are Deaf. Additionally there were Deaf students who went to school with me. You will probably see more posts about these people, as they are still in school with me.

My sophomore year, I finally began recovery from my previously mentioned eating disorder. Bulimia, to be specific. Ugh. Dark times in my life.

That year I also began doing musical theatre, and was in my first real musical : Honk! The Musical Story of the Ugly Duckling. Musical theatre plays a huge role (no pun intended) in my life even at this point.

My junior year I took American Sign Language 1 and 2 classes. I was also Ursula in The Little Mermaid at my school. I got ridiculously bored with ASL 1. I knew all the material. But ASL 2 had some new material that was pretty exciting. I was actually learning grammar and storytelling! I ended up winning third place in the National ASL poetry competition. Fun stuff. My newest goal was to have language flowing off my hands as if I’d been doing it my entire life. Still working on that, by the way.

That was also the year I came out as a lesbian which got rid of a lot of stress, because I’d been holding that secret in since I realised in 4th grade. That’s complicated though, I don’t want to focus this post on that by any means.

So tomorrow is the last day of my Junior year in High school. Next year, as a Senior, I will be taking American Sign Language 3, a new class at our school, and I am slowly becoming more fluent as I attend Deaf events and interact with natural ASL users. It’s a wonderful journey and it is a daily process and I plan on studying ASL in college, to either become a teacher or an interpreter. I will minor in theatre, and hope to interpret musicals and plays as a hobby and possibly a career.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that American Sign Language and Theatre are both very important aspects to my character. They are my escape from various things. I have come a long way since that day I was born and even since the house fire. I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the future. Hopefully more life lessons and lots of good things. I just really love American Sign Language and theatre.

This Memorial Day I went to a deaf bbq. Cas is taking ASL at the college so she had to go as her teacher was putting it on. Now I know literally this much ASL

‘this much’

But I had a lot of fun anyway. There were deaf and hearing people alike and of course I had my besty Cas there to save me when I needed to say something to someone who was deaf. We played volleyball and considered the danger of playing such a game so near to a large group of people who wouldn’t be able to hear us if we yelled ‘heads!’.

After volleyball there was mingling and then there were skits. These included: how deaf people and hearing people poop differently, a violinist who puts everyone to sleep and is then eaten by a deaf lion, a horse named praise the lord who jumps off a cliff, and a man who eats chili on the way home and then farts in a room full of his friends.

After the deaf bbq Cas and I drove down to the mall and contemplated making build-a-bears. We were going to go bowling as I require revenge for her defeating me three days ago. But instead we went to see Iron Man 3 again.
(Side note: if you haven’t seen that yet, go watch it. Now. Drop all that you are doing and go watch it right now!)

The end.