ALDA-Maine (http://www.alda-maine.mysite.com) invites all disability advocates (all reading AbilityMaine) to make contact with us for ideas and means to plan a future collaborative event. It might be encouraging to learn more from each other. We are HOH (hard of hearing) and deafened (while some are deaf and speak sign language). There are over 95,000 Maine citizens with hearing loss who are not Deaf and do not use American Sign Language. Many folks do not know that we are disabled also - we cannot communicate well (due to hearing loss) in most situations where human speech sounds are used. Hearing aids and even cochlear implants do not cure our hearing loss. We have a long way to go to educate ourselves and others about our abilities, our civil rights, and how to enable the Society we live in, so that resources for full equal access (in communications and all pathways) are open to us all. Email to aldamaine@gmail.com

Reminder: Open and free event about Presentation on Civil Rights for deafened and HOH people, December 6th, 5:30 to 7pm in Portland. CART (real time captioning). RSVP required by email to aldamaine@gmail.com. Pot luck holiday snacks welcome. Drawing for free membership in ALDA-Maine. ALDA-Maine is all volunteers and the only official Chapter of an established national assocition in all of northern New England.