• Access for all • Tsunami debris could be tourist draw • Just my thoughts and suggestions Access for all I had the opportunity to attend the Mini Conference on the Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris put on by The Surfrider
• Access for all •
Tsunami debris could be tourist draw •
Just my thoughts and suggestions
Access for all
I had the opportunity to attend the Mini Conference on the Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris put on by The Surfrider Foundation-Kauai Chapter and Kauai Community College Marine Option Program this past Saturday.
As we all know, this is an extremely important topic for all of us living in the Hawaiian Islands. The conference was open to the public with a variety of very educated, well informed and excellent speakers. I would like to address one important feature that was clearly missing.
Open to the Public means open to everyone, to include all aspects/communities of Kauai, to include people with disabilities. While KCC is capable of providing access for people with different physical ability levels (wheelchairs, canes, etc.).
One area of support that was visibly absent was the lack of closed captioning for our residents with hearing impairment.
One cannot make the assumption that individuals with hearing impairment fit into one simple, clearly defined category: all ages are affected, there are many levels of hearing ability; some are multilingual being able to use verbal English (and lip reading) as well as American Sign Language (ASL); some don’t sign at all and some rely on written/reading visual information to understand; some wear hearing aids or cochlear implants and some don’t; some read lips and some can’t (speaking as a speech therapist, only 20 percent of speech is visible and it is especially difficult to read lips if the person has a moustache or if English is a second language to him/her). Hearing impairment is invisible to the general public. This does not make it OK to ignore.
Closed captioning is an easy, cheap way to make this (or any) conference assessable to all Kauaians. Real Time Caption Services (RTC) is done via Internet and is simple to set-up. All you need is a laptop, LCD Projector, screen and phone line. With any conference, especially of this importance, closed captioning should be incorporated in as part of the conference, not as an afterthought. That being said, where do we go from here? I’m all about solution-based problem solving. No complaints without providing a solution.
1. Know who to contact and what your resources are.
a. For closed captioning: http://www.acscaptions.com
b. Nationally: http://www.ada.gov/ Research the ADA online and figure out what title/category your Organization fits under. There are many, many individuals who are eager and will to help; myself included!
c. Locally: Our Mayor’s Office is a wonderful resource, specifically ADA Coordinator, Christina Pilkington at the Office of the Mayor 4444 Rice Street, Suite 150, Lihue, HI 96766
Phone (808) 241-6203 (V/TTY)Fax (808) 241-6161
2. Have a plan and educate yourself. It is much easier and cheaper to do it right then it is to defend yourself.
3. And, no excuses! Many of us, as we age, will/do have hearing loss. Pride or lack of knowledge keeps us from getting hearing aids. Closed captioning will help everyone.
Both KCC and Surfrider Foundation are proactive and wonderful resources for our Island but that being said, both groups need to take it up to a whole nother level when it comes to providing access to ALL of Kaua‘i’s People!
Suzie Woolway, Speech Language Pathologist, Kapa‘a
Tsunami debris could be tourist draw
I appreciate Gayle Hughes’s letter on Dec. 12. I would like to add a few thoughts.
I believe that fears about radioactivity and damage to tourism are both unfounded and insensitive. The material was swept quickly out to sea, so radioactivity should be minimal.
Regarding tourism, maybe some tourists will come to see the debris. If it is a problem, we can clean it up.
I predict that it will actually be a very difficult experience, for a different reason. Some coming day, when we are walking on the beach and see someone’s household possessions tossing in the waves, it will be difficult to hold back the tears, just thinking about what happened to that family.
Mark Beeksma, Koloa
Just my thoughts and suggestions
First I want to compliment Ray McCormick for the fine job he has done with the DOT in taking over for Steve Kyono. His open door policy to everyone by being available at all times is truly refreshing and should be a model for our government to follow.
In my opinion and the opinion of many other drivers, the 50 mph speed limit along Kuhio Highway from the Hanamaulu turn off to the Wailua River was not the problem for the many accidents and deaths in that area.
The problem was created by those far exceeding this 50 mph limit and those drivers who recklessly jumped from one lane to the other causing these accidents. It may well be that dropping the limit to 40 mph can improve safety but, ANY speed limit is only as good as the police officers patrolling the area to enforce the limits — 40, 50 or whatever.
The latest 30 mph limit along this stretch of highway is insane as no one will maintain that speed unless a police car is clocking with a radar gun. Yes, when construction is going on (the rumble strip) the limit may need to be even slower than 30 mph. But the GI had an advisory in the 12/12 edition saying “KPD: Mind Construction Zone Speed Limits.” It says that the limits (now 30 mph) will be enforced day or night even when construction in not actively occurring. And that the fine for speeding in a construction zone in $297!!!
When there are no barricades or slowing down devices on the highway why should the speed limit be 30 mph? And as I was going north bound on Kuhio at 34 mph every car traveling in the same direction passed me. The law should be that the limit is 30 mph during construction and not at other times.
I do believe that the radar indicating signs along the highway are helpful in controlling speeds and I totally support the use of them.
The Wailua Bridge improvements are a big plus factor for traffic flow and I compliment Ray and the Acrow people for making that whole project operational in a timely manner.
One other big problem that needs solving is when the south bound left lane leaving the bridge merges back into the right land and creates a serious traffic flow or a possible accident. When the contra flow activity is operational there is no problem as the two lanes move fine.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
