Have you ever...

[verilu]

thought that you completely forgot about being deaf or hearing impaired because you were so drawn into the hearing world?

I have. I just found out today that I am clearly disabled because the hearing world couldn't provide necessary services for me.

 

[saywhatkid]

Perhaps you could offer some details on what happened today?

I find myself just being me, and then it happens....a moment where hearing would present a different result. That is when I realize I am not like them.

 

[verilu]

This was three weeks ago.

I was at college sleeping and when I woke up, I did my normal thing. Went to class. Then when I saw my youth minister, he told me there was a fire at a dorm building. I told him which building? He said James River. That was my building! I was shocked!

For the rest of the day, I looked around wondering if anyone actually cared I'm alive. Do I not belong here because I am severely hard of hearing?

I found out later that the policeman who was trying to search every room in the building that night was taken to the hospital because he inhaled so much smoke, he suffocated. It was that bad. I was on the 4th floor and he couldn't get to that floor.

I notified the hall director about this. She has not apologized and was trying to save her job. She said that it was my responsibility to sign a list that I should receive special attention. I'm pretty sure that the University knows that I am disabled but I never knew I needed to sign another form...

I also went to the dean of students about this. I specifically asked him to provide better ways for me to be safe. No special alarms have been installed to this day.

No one knows what it is like to be in a blind man's shoes but we can clearly see that he needs special attention but nobody can see what deaf people need help also!

I wish I can sue the University for the lack to provide special attention to deaf people. The disability office has been gone since this summer and this is a state school!

 

[saywhatkid]

There are several people here that should jump in and offer ideas. I assume you are not able to afford a flasher smoke detector. I do not feel this should be required by you to buy. The school, by offering dorms and rental units, has a legal responsibility to provide some type of warning system. If this school receives aid from the state taxes, there has to be some provisions made for you. Keep poking around. Part of your education will be learning how to deal with red tape, apparently. It will also become your contribution to others that follow you.

 

[verilu]

There are several people here that should jump in and offer ideas. I assume you are not able to afford a flasher smoke detector. I do not feel this should be required by you to buy. The school, by offering dorms and rental units, has a legal responsibility to provide some type of warning system. If this school receives aid from the state taxes, there has to be some provisions made for you. Keep poking around. Part of your education will be learning how to deal with red tape, apparently. It will also become your contribution to others that follow you.

So is it a violation that they failed to install a flasher smoke detector before the fire?

Keep in mind that everyone was out of the building and my Resident Advisor couldn't get me.

 

[saywhatkid]

So is it a violation that they failed to install a flasher smoke detector before the fire?

Keep in mind that everyone was out of the building and my Resident Advisor couldn't get me.

I have no background in legalities of the ADA and so forth. Am actually surprised nobody else has replied. Give it a few days. I would begin using Google to find out local laws and so forth, since you know what state/school your location is currently.

Here is a government PDF file to look over. www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa-202-508.pdf

There is lots of info out there. Just Google and revise the parameters to suit your location.

 

[CJB]

For the rest of the day, I looked around wondering if anyone actually cared I'm alive. Do I not belong here because I am severely hard of hearing?

I just want to put this out there. Are you sure this has to do with your hearing loss? Have you talked to people and are you sure no one was looking for you? Maybe they already knew you weren't in the building since you mentioned you were meeting with your minister.

I just wanted to say that cause sometimes I assume an incident is a deaf issue or a blind issue and it turns out it's not, and maybe you can save yourself some anger if it isn't deaf-related.

 

[saywhatkid]

I just want to put this out there. Are you sure this has to do with your hearing loss? Have you talked to people and are you sure no one was looking for you? Maybe they already knew you weren't in the building since you mentioned you were meeting with your minister.

I just wanted to say that cause sometimes I assume an incident is a deaf issue or a blind issue and it turns out it's not, and maybe you can save yourself some anger if it isn't deaf-related.

Good points.

 

[Topgun]

This was three weeks ago.

I was at college sleeping and when I woke up, I did my normal thing. Went to class. Then when I saw my youth minister, he told me there was a fire at a dorm building. I told him which building? He said James River. That was my building! I was shocked!

For the rest of the day, I looked around wondering if anyone actually cared I'm alive. Do I not belong here because I am severely hard of hearing?

I found out later that the policeman who was trying to search every room in the building that night was taken to the hospital because he inhaled so much smoke, he suffocated. It was that bad. I was on the 4th floor and he couldn't get to that floor.

I notified the hall director about this. She has not apologized and was trying to save her job. She said that it was my responsibility to sign a list that I should receive special attention. I'm pretty sure that the University knows that I am disabled but I never knew I needed to sign another form...

I also went to the dean of students about this. I specifically asked him to provide better ways for me to be safe. No special alarms have been installed to this day.

No one knows what it is like to be in a blind man's shoes but we can clearly see that he needs special attention but nobody can see what deaf people need help also!

I wish I can sue the University for the lack to provide special attention to deaf people. The disability office has been gone since this summer and this is a state school!

The hall director is wrong. She is responsible for all her students living on her floor. All rooms must be emptied. All rooms must be checked. You need to tell the dean what she said because she is not doing her job well.

another thing is, the school should offer you protection becuase it is their property that you live on. You attend their school.... They by law have to provide a safe fire exit for you.

 

[shel90]

The hall director is wrong. She is responsible for all her students living on her floor. All rooms must be emptied. All rooms must be checked. You need to tell the dean what she said because she is not doing her job well.

another thing is, the school should offer you protection becuase it is their property that you live on. You attend their school.... They by law have to provide a safe fire exit for you.

 

[Frisky Feline]

The hall director is wrong. She is responsible for all her students living on her floor. All rooms must be emptied. All rooms must be checked. You need to tell the dean what she said because she is not doing her job well.

another thing is, the school should offer you protection becuase it is their property that you live on. You attend their school.... They by law have to provide a safe fire exit for you.

Oh my god! Glad you are OK. I was a resident Advisor for 4 years. I was instructed to check every rooms and communicate with the hall director. I am stunned that your dorm, the hall director, did not do a good job. I feel that you do need to report to let the high level like the dean or the dorm dean know you do need a special attention or someone like resident advisor's responsibile for someone who needs help.

 

[Bottesini]

So is it a violation that they failed to install a flasher smoke detector before the fire?

Keep in mind that everyone was out of the building and my Resident Advisor couldn't get me.

No. THey are not required to guess about your hearing. Of course you have to tell them to get accommodation.

 

[verilu]

I just want to put this out there. Are you sure this has to do with your hearing loss? Have you talked to people and are you sure no one was looking for you? Maybe they already knew you weren't in the building since you mentioned you were meeting with your minister.

I just wanted to say that cause sometimes I assume an incident is a deaf issue or a blind issue and it turns out it's not, and maybe you can save yourself some anger if it isn't deaf-related.

Everyone knew I was hard of hearing. I gave the University my hearing test sheet and everything that proved I have a 90db loss. My RA knew I was deaf. Since they cutted the disability office for the year, I had to report to the dean of students for my accommodation.

I did report to the dean of studens about this whole incident. Gave him a hard lesson to learn. Since three weeks, no changes have been made to keep me safe. I did everything myself just to make them be aware that I need help even though I had accommodation last year(notetaker).

Keep in mind that nobody told me of this incident until my youth minister told me. Not even my RA told me about what happened. They wanted to keep everything under cover.

THe school newspaper mentioned nothing of me. They mentioned about what happened to the police officer but not me.

Someone knew that I was in the building. But they didn't tell me.

 

[posts from hell]

Omg. So wrong on many levels.
Ill be honest here, some of the blame was on you as well. You did not take care of yourself requiring a flasher and other neccessary stuff to make yourself safe.
Why so sue happy? What did you lose? Nothing. You gained some knowledge in this experience. You also learned you're actually deaf as well.

 

[verilu]

Really? Do you think it's the kid in the wheelchair's fault that he couldn't make it down the stairwell because nobody helped him? How would he feel about that?


The worst part was I could have died in my sleep while suffocating because of the fume. If it happened to the police officer on the 3rd floor, it should have happened to me on the 4th floor.

Should I sue the police department for their failure to protect?

 

[Bottesini]

Really? Do you think it's the kid in the wheelchair's fault that he couldn't make it down the stairwell because nobody helped him? How would he feel about that?


The worst part was I could have died in my sleep while suffocating because of the fume. If it happened to the police officer on the 3rd floor, it should have happened to me on the 4th floor.

Should I sue the police department for their failure to protect?

No they should give you remedial education to learn how to take care of yourself and get accommodation.

 

[saywhatkid]

Should I sue the police department for their failure to protect?

Why sue anyone? Why get dollar signs in your eyes over this?

Here is a chance for you to increase awareness of your situation, for the benefit of others. Why not take your story to the school newspaper? They might be interested in what happened; you can learn about how the media works; you can restate your claims that you have been ignored by the management of the college. If you go for the quick cash fix, you will aid noboby else. You will have a difficult time proving anything, since you were unharmed. I don't know, it seems like an easy choice to make....

 

[verilu]

You make a great point there, saywhatkid. I am going to contact the school's editor about this and hopefully I can get the words out. I don't want this incident to be a passing event. I want this to be significant that the safety of everyone in our school is incompetent.

 

[saywhatkid]

You make a great point there, saywhatkid. I am going to contact the school's editor about this and hopefully I can get the words out. I don't want this incident to be a passing event. I want this to be significant that the safety of everyone in our school is incompetent.

Great! They need to address this situation before it does injure or kill someone. Others will need this fixed in the future.

Maybe they can name the flashing smoke alarm after you...

 

[Bebonang]

Great! They need to address this situation before it does injure or kill someone. Others will need this fixed in the future.

Maybe they can name the flashing smoke alarm after you...

I don't think that is not funny when you are putting her down like this. It was a very serious incident that she was not aware of what was going on, just because she is deaf. There was fire alarms and fire smoke that could have happen to her on her fourth floor. I am glad that she is okay and lucky to be alive. I agree with Topgun that the Hall Director should checked all students' rooms to make sure everyone is out of the building. If the Hall Director knows about her deafness and will be there for her to wake her up and get her out of the building for safety. You think that she is idiot for doing that. Grow up. :roll: