Common Discrimination Towards the Deaf by Township Trustee's Offices?

[yizuman]

Apparently my local Trustee's office is refusing to provide help with our utility bills because of my communication equipments which is reliant on the internet,

As many of you know, I am unemployed and am working on my SSDI case as well as I am caring for my bedridden wife who is a stroke victim (3 years ago) and a double amputee (since 15 years of age due to bone cancer).

So our only source of income is my wife's SSDI checks.

So the Trustee's office said they will provide help with our utility bills if I shut off my internet connection which would leave me totally silent with the hearing world and no sole means of communicating with the hearing world (i.e. doctor appointments for my wife, script refills, etc.).

I've spoken with a few other deaf individuals from varying cities of the same state as I live in and they too have the same problem.

So I am curious as to how widespread this problem is varying from state to state?

Any of you encountered this problem as well?

Yiz

 

[Jazzberry]

I'm not sure if the Trustee's office would go for this. Are they willing to pay for your telephone bill? If they are, ask if they would be willing to pay for a dry loop dsl instead.

This way you could continue to use e-mail, instant messaging and virtual TTY software. If your wife is hearing, she could use Skype and of course e-mail and instant messaging also.

I think the cost of a dry loop dsl bill would probably be less than a phone bill and you could explain that just like they communicate by telephone you communicate by e-mail, IM and virtual TTY. You are not using the internet as a luxery -- you are using it for communication.

Maybe that would work?