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| |  | Florida Association of the Deaf
President June McMahon's BLOG/VLOG
August 2011.
Thank you for re electing me as your President for two more years. There is still a lot of work for us to do in the next two years, 2011-2013.
The Florida Association of the Deaf conference on June 30-July 2 in St. Augustine was a great success. I would like to thank Cindy D' Angelo and her committee for doing a wonderful job. I would also like to thank the workshop presenters and sponsors for their support. We were thrilled to have Howard Rosenblum and Sharon Caserta present during the Plenary Session, "Our Legal Rights: Are they enough?" We need to continue to fight for our rights as deaf and hard of hearing people.
Carl Schneck and Carmen Tiberio were inducted into the FAD Hall of Fame during the banquet on July 2. Carl was a treasurer for the FAD for ten years. Carmen was the president of FAD for four years and also edited the Newsletter for 18 years.
Last July 15, I attended the Bash to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. I would like to congratulate James Forstall and his staff for doing a wonderful job. However, we all know that the number of deaf people using TTYs have gone down. We need to work on revising the Telecommunications Access System Act to include wireless technology.
Over 900 people attended the Wet and Wild event and I would like to thank Maureen Whetham and her committee. This is the biggest fundraising event for the FAD and helps us with our programs.
I am also thrilled to present the FAD scholarship awards to Amber Savard and Matthew Diamond. Amber graduated from the Florida School for the Deaf and will attend Gallaudet University. Matthew graduated from South Plantation High School and will attend Florida State University. I have met both students and found them to be very bright. I wish them the best in their future!
We will have four representatives going to Minnesota for the National Association of the Deaf Leadership conference on September 15-17, 2011. They are Lissette Molina Wood, Janna Montagnino, Tim Wood and myself.
The Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will continue to receive funds to continue operating under a different government entity. Melissa Watson who is our representative is relocating out of state. I will need to nominate two more people to represent the FAD. Any FAD member who is interested in serving as the representative for this council, please contact me. Thank you for contacting the Governor and your legislators.
On October 15, there will be a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Day at the Opening Night Ice Hockey Game at the Bank Atlantic in Sunrise between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Please check the website for the tickets. The events coordinator has taken sign language classes in the past. We also contacted staff who will work with some deaf and hard of hearing students from Broward County to sign the National Anthem. Check the website at www.fadcentral.org for more information on tickets.
There will be a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Day at the Capitol in Tallahassee on January 17, 2012. It is important for us to educate our legislators on the bills that we want to have presented in the next legislative session. We are going to propose the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bill of Rights as it did not pass in the last session. I am working on getting new sponsors for this bill.
We will have an ASL Film, Versa Effect on January 29, 2012 in Wellington. Hilary Ainbender is working on this fundraiser for the Deaf Awareness Day. More information will be coming for both events. The Deaf Awareness Day will be on April 28, 2012 at Cypress Bay High School in Weston.
I have appointed some new board members and committee members and they will need to be approved at the next board meeting which will be held in Clearwater at the St. Petersburg Association of the Deaf at Our Savior Lutheran Church at 4825 E. Bay Dr. Clearwater. The Board meeting will be on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 9 am. It is open to the public and we will have a Town Hall Meeting at 1 pm.
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| Important Information about Medicaid & Interpreters |
Are you a deaf person on Medicaid who has asked your doctor to provide an interpreter and they said no? Or the doctor told you to bring your own interpreter? Do you know a deaf person on Medicaid who has been denied interpreters by their doctor? If so this information is for you.
Medicaid is a form of health insurance in Florida. Medicaid is overseen by the Agency for Health Care Administration known as AHCA, who is headquartered in Tallahassee. AHCA has set up a number of rules that Medicaid doctors must follow to keep receiving payment through Medicaid. One rule is that these doctors must provide qualified interpreters, when a deaf person needs one to effectively communicate with their Medicaid doctor.
AHCA has set up 13 Medicaid area offices throughout Florida to help make sure people on Medicaid can get help when needed. If you are deaf and have asked your Medicaid doctor for an interpreter, and he or she will not provide one you must contact your local area Medicaid office immediately and let them know. If you let them know they can contact your Medicaid doctor for you and make sure the doctor will provide an interpreter. To find your local area Medicaid office you need to go to http://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/Areas/index.shtml and click on the county you live in. This will give you the phone number for the Medicaid office to call. You must call the office in your county.
When you call your local Medicaid office to tell them your doctor will not provide an interpreter please have 3 things ready: 1. your Medicaid number, 2. the name and address of the Medicaid doctor who will not provide an interpreter, 3. the date that you called the doctor asking for the interpreter when he or she said no.
This process is ONLY, and we repeat only for deaf people on Medicaid in Florida. Please do not call if you do not receive Medicaid, the office will not be able to help you.
If you do call your local Medicaid office, as we have told you to do, and the Medicaid office has not called you back within three business days or refuses to help you at all please contact Attorney Sharon Caserta at sharon.caserta@jaxlegalaid.org or videophone 904-245-1121.
The Florida Association of the Deaf, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, The Deaf Service Centers Association and Florida Legal Services Inc plan to begin working with Medicare , and possibly the private insurance companies to help set up a similar system. Once an easier process has been created for deaf people who get Medicare or private insurance we will let you know.
Please share this vlog with others in Florida.
Thank you.
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| Copyright (C) 2009. All rights reserved. | Florida Association of the Deaf Saturday, January 21, 2012 |
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