One day, while producing a film in the fall of 2001, I invented and designed a vibration-generating device model (music vest) so one can feel the music or sound. I’ve appeared on the popular hit show, ABC’s American Inventor (Season 2) June 2007. The show discontinued. I advanced to the top 3 finalists for New York.
Million and million consumers with technology made available for them can download music from all kind of sources from the Internet for their iPods, mobile phones, PDAs or computers, and can appreciate and relate to music of all kinds. What about us, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks? There are various degrees of hearing losses. [We need a standard product to appreciate music, too, by feeling the beats and reading lyrics, word-by-word.]
Since 2003, I have been campaigning and seeking the support or sponsorship to create marketing and products opportunities for companies for consumers like myself. Fraught in a society that lacks awareness often falls under the ignorance line, all too often disappoint over 30 millions Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing consumers across America. It’s because technology makers hardly ever include products for us. For too long, the music, entertainment and Internet industry do not realize that we are being disregarded entirely when new technology emerges. Where do the disability consumers’ rights fit in?
What is their excuse? Did it cost money to make technology accessible for us or they simply didn’t bother because we make up of a smaller niche marketing group? It's the money and the marketing size they follow, which I understand. Power hungry and greed. That's it. How many doors does it take to knock to prove them wrong? How many more proposals will they turn a deaf ear on to see the marketing size, the new technological revolutionary ideas? Why are we being taken for granted again and again and again? Do they really give a damn? No! We were created in God's image. Where is the goodness to human kind? How dare they paid no attention to us?
I wonder when will that day come for them to open their mind and heart to finally do their part?
Our campaign project is reaching out to people throughout Europe. The demands' extremely high. They are also advocating and fighting the same battle, to be heard as equal inclusive consumers. The fight is universal. It's a curse and a blessing at the same time because the Internet and technology has revolutionized life for others. But, there are basic things that are still completely inaccessible to people like myself who rely on closed captioning.
In conclusion, music has a magical way of reaching out and touching each and every soul in a different way. It’s supposed to be everybody’s music, includes the forgotten niche group: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing consumers. We’re real people, with real feelings.
“Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding,
disbelief or ignorance.” -W. Clemente Stone
Join the movement and help make life better for us, equally, (IF) YOU DARE, and/or are ready to CARE...
A Visual Music Project Campaign on a mission to educate those that 30 million Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing consumers are demanding Access to music videos (or live video playback events.) It begins NOW!
"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education." - Bertrand Russell
"It's time to empower the leaders of the stupid, the power hungry, the guilty, the greed, and the ignorant with something much bigger than education." - Jade
For the videos, I used professional talents who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, who dance and use American Sign Language (ASL) to translate and conceptualize the original meaning of the songs. Through ASL, messages expressed through our hands are music to the eyes as equally and beautifully heard from the artists who sing with their voice. ASL is a language.
THE OUTRO
MUSIC VIDEOS THAT WE CAN ALL RELATE TO THROUGH ACCESSIBILITY:
SEE WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR VISUAL MUSIC PROJECT CAMPAIGN!
We promote equal access through partnership and collaboration. Music videos can be either accessed through closed captions or in American Sign Language! It's music for everybody.
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