World Conference on Women (WCW)

Since 1975, the United Nations (UN) World Conference has been composed of two groups; the government-appointed representatives from UN member states and the Non-Governmental (NGO) Forum on Women including representatives of organizations about women's real issues. The proposal that was written by 1975, during International Woman's Year, was to promote equality between men and women, to ensure the participation of women in the development of the women's rights movement, as well as to increase women's contribution in the strengthening of the World Peace. The purpose was to address women's issues from a grassroots perspective.

The major reason for implementing the WCW was that the UN committee on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights had great concern about consistent high rates of poverty among women, people with disabilities, youth and single mothers. The UN was hopeful that with some assistance from the WCW, they could act on this by developing data collections, statistics, and information on how to achieve goals.

There have been four WCW conferences since 1975. The 1st WCW was held in Mexico City, Mexico in 1975. WCW was advocating for the UN Decade for Women, with a focus on three major goals: Equality, Development and Peace, along with three sub goals; Employment, Health and Education. After the 2nd WCW in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980 and the 3rd WCW in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985, both of which focused on developing strategies for women's rights, there was a 4th WCW conference held in Beijing, China in 1995. Over 50,000 people attended the Beijing conference to set up a "plan of action".

The "plan of action" included top 12 critical areas of concern (called as "12 Critical Platforms"). Also the Beijing WCW formed the Millennium Declaration to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as basic human rights.

"In a publication for Demos, an independent think-tank in Britain, Helen Wilkinson pointed out that 'We are in the middle of an historic change in relations between men and women: a shift in power and values that is unraveling many of the assumptions not only of 200 years of industrial society, but also of millennia of traditions and beliefs'." ~ No Turning Back: Generations and the Genderquake, by Helen Wilkinson (Demos, 1995).

Here twelve (12) Critical Platforms are as follows:

There have some recent positive changes that have occurred. Five (5) African countries have prohibited clitoridectomy, and Spain set up a system that pays battered women a "salary" to encourage them to leave their abusers.

However it is not easy to change tradition overnight. There are still religious groups such as Muslims who still ban women from schooling, jobs, healthcare and public life. There are some countries that don't accept or recognize their women's rights, in spite of the progress made by the UN. Some of these countries hide behind the laws and deny the rights of women. Some countries refuse to cooperate by not providing raw data for statistics. The quote by Helen Wilkinson echoes the present condition of today's world.

There was a WCW conference in 2005. The majority of women have proposed to host a WCW conference every decade. They were in favor of hosting a WCW conference before the year 2010. However, there are factors in hesitation of hosting a WCW conference, including an immense job of preparing a huge conference, the lack of implementation resources, the geo-climate of politics, and the danger of backlash. The difficulties in trying to host a WCW conference could lead to the danger of losing ground with women's issues. The time frame that it takes to prepare a WCW conference is at least three years.

The Treaty for the Rights of Women

The Treaty for the Rights of Women, formerly the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the most comprehensive international agreement on basic rights of women. It is an important tool to end injustices and abuses of women and girls throughout the world. As of March 2006, the Treaty has been ratified (approved and signed to accept responsibility) by over 182 countries. This is also known as an International Bill of Rights for Women.

Among the developing countries who have not ratified the Treaty are: Bahrain, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Syrian Arab Republic, and United Arab Emirates.

Sadly, the United States is the only industrialized country that has not agreed to be a party to the Treaty. The Treaty is in danger of not being passed in the U.S. Senate but the Senate has proposed the Reservations, Declarations and Understandings (RDUs). However, the proposed RDUs requires further review by U.S. Dept. of Justice with some possible revisions of the language. Bush Administration has yet to take further action to agree to the Treaty. This type of tactic is very similar to the incident that occurred with the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was once in danger of losing ground in the U.S. Senate.

A coalition of over 190 U.S. religious, civic, and community organizations remain committed to supporting ratification. They include the AARP, American Nurses Association, National Education Association, National Coalition of Catholic Nuns, American Bar Association, The United Methodist Church, YWCA, and Amnesty International. In addition, a bipartisan consensus of U.S. voters has consistently supported human rights for women, showing an overwhelming support for efforts to secure the rights of women and girls.

National Organization for Women (NOW) wrote the letter to Senator Claiborne Pell, Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee, stating that they are deeply troubled about CEDAW RDUs proposal by the Senate. The letter stated that the U.S. prefers to set up its own definitions of women's rights, rather than complying with the International group for the Treaty. Read more about the NOW letter .

Make Action Now to support the Treaty. Contact your legislators to let them know about your full support.

My Journey with a Cochlear Implant

By Mary O’Shea

I am glad I accomplished some of my goals including obtaining my Bachelor's degree in Biology and my Master'd Degree in Education. In addition, I am currently sharpening my drawing skills, a life long passion with the goal of exhibiting future works in art show exhibits. By working closely with my instructors at the Developing Art Institute of Developing Artists in Manchester, CT. that dream is slowly enfolding as my art work was on exhibit and for sale for the first time this past Spring. Most recently, I accomplished my goal of obtaining a cochlear implant. Prior to the surgery, I had many trepidations and fears of the unknown. My brother Steve had obtained an implant several years ago and greatly benefits from it. Since, I had explained to the doctor I had been severely Deaf since age 8 with a decibel loss of 85db, he felt cochlear implant surgery would be marginally beneficial. However, I chose to go ahead with it because I recalled in my younger days that lip - reading was much easier for me when I had some hearing and any kind of sound input would be greatly beneficial.

On the day of the surgery, March 30, 2006 which took place at John Demsey Hospital (UConn Health Center) there was much nervous apprehension as it was discovered I had a slight temperature of 100. The week before I had just finished a ten day course of antibiotics to stave off a sinus infection. I also was experiencing mild stomach pain. Looking back, I laugh and joke that it was probably ovulation day. The doctor thankfully gave me the ok and surgery moved forward. First I was lying on the gurney waving goodbye to Leslie Warren, one of my favorite interpreters who worked at the hospital, next the anestheologist was sticking me in the arm with a needle mouthing the words "This will make you rest." My mom came to my side, hugged me and told me she loved me.

Next thing I knew I was awake and in a state of grogginess. My head was wrapped in heavy gauze and my throat was sore. They had inserted a tube into my throat while I was in surgery. My mother and a nurse were right beside me and told me to notify them if I experienced any pain. Sure enough a throbbing stabbing pain began in my implanted ear and I was given Percocet from to control it. Still the pain endured and it wasn't until almost an hour later that I was finally discharged from the hospital. By that time my mother was a nervous wreck and was insisting I be kept overnight but the pain finally subsided. My mom, Dad, and I spent the night at a suite just down the road from the hospital. I ate a light dinner and was grateful to hit the pillows and a king sized bed for the night. The next day, my parents and I went to Massachusetts where I stayed for the next week and rested a great deal.

May 2nd was my hook up day. Hook up day is when the audiologist first turns on the implant and inputs the levels of sound for each of the 22 electrodes of the cochlear implant which gives a variety of high, medium, and soft pitch sounds.

The day of my hookup day on May 2nd, I met with a good friend of mine at ASD and she followed me to the clinic, UConn Ear Nose and Throat Audiology Department. When they turned on the cochlear implant, I started to hear the beeps. It was somewhat uncomfortable as if someone had decided to do some weird chemical bubbling experiments inside my head. The audiologist, Maria, who was very pleasant woman, was testing me for the softest levels of sound I could hear and the loudest that was comfortable. It sounded so different from what I remembered hearing with a hearing aid. The sound or sensation was coming from inside my head and not from the outside as it is with a hearing aid.

When I heard speech for the first time… it was very, very soft… and all I heard was like soft sounds… as if someone was underwater… It was not pleasant…. But it was not the Mickey Mouse speech my brother warned me about It was more like … more like raspy,  spitting kind of speech  like a snake hissing at you.   I was so overwhelmed but my friend was in awe and mesmerized by it all.

Over time and further mappings, it improved immensely… Whew, the thought of listening to someone hissing at me was a bit too much to accept. The implant does give you access to high pitch sounds… like s, sh, and z… and I was astounded at how they different it sounded comparing with my hearing aids. What I remembered as a child with a severe loss was - it sounded so much crisper and so much clearer. I can communicate with hearing people at much greater ease now. It greatly helps with lip-reading

I finally understood why I always felt deaf even when people felt I should hear with 85-db loss because even though I didn’t have profound loss until H.S. Speech sounds much clearer and easier to follow. Maria stated that audiologists consider people with severe hearing losses as deaf today because hearing aids amplify the damaged part of the ear and speech is so distorted.

One morning, I talked with my mother on the phone without an amplifier.  I wore my Cochlear Nucleus implant with the telecoil (“t-switch” – to “hear” a magnetic signal), and with concentration and effort, I could understand sentences. It was rather remarkable and amazing, as I have never heard well on the phone in my life. I am amazed at how noisy the world is… how environmental sounds are, even on TV, how music is piped in everywhere… Starbucks… food stores… bookstores…. A few weeks ago, I went into my favorite hangout, Borders. I could hear the music playing, and in joy, I danced a jiggle.

I was amazed at the sound of birds. They make quite a musical racket, and their sounds are quite interesting. You can almost make out different birds by their different pitches as they sing.

My first musical tape I bought was Phantom of the Opera… and boy… was I mesmerized as the poor Phantom sung his heart out…. However, for opera it is a bit much… I hope my brothers teach me a little about soft rock!

Do I regret getting an implant? No…. but it was scary to go through it because I did experience side effects for two months, and the thought that it would go on forever, was scary!!  I do know this; you need to be brave to undergo this type of surgery, but I’m glad I did it, and it helps me a lot now, communicating with hearing people, hearing music… and if I had to do it over again, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

The True Story about Cochlear Implants

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Who's Who - Deaf Woman in Herstory

Mabel Hubbard Bell

World Traveler, Community Activist, Women’s Rights Advocate, & Writer

Mabel Hubbard Bell was born on November 25, 1857 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Gardner and Gertrude Hubbard, who were prominent members of society. Mabel’s father, Gardiner Hubbard, was a graduate of Dartmouth College and was a member of a Boston Law firm. Mabel’s grandfather was a judge on the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

~ Excerpts from http://www.digitaloutrider.com/html.bell/humanitarian.html

At the age of five, Mabel became profoundly deaf from scarlet fever. Even though most deaf children and adults in the 19th century used sign language, Mabel’s family believed that Mabel should speak and lipread.

She received an education that was far superior to the education that was available to deaf children at the time. Mabel was encouraged to read, and she became an avid reader, which was a way of learning new words. This was not the norm in the 19th century for deaf children.

The Hubbard’s family had a great deal of wealth and attained high social status.  They were determined that their deaf daughter would have a life that differed from what other deaf children experienced in those days.

As a child, Mabel attended Clarke Institute for Deaf Mutes, which was started by Mabel’s father. Clarke Institute later became the Clarke School for the Deaf. It was there that she had a tutor named Mary True, who, along with Mabel’s mother, made sure that she received speech training.

Mabel went to Germany to receive more speech and language training in order to improve her speech and language skills. It was common for people who were of high society in those days to study abroad in Europe. Mabel’s father had high hopes that Mabel’s speech training in Europe would enhance her speech skills, but that was not the case. Mabel returned back to the United States and began speech training with a vocal coach, who turned out to be her father’s business partner, Aleck Bell. Aleck, who later became known as Alexander Graham Bell to the world. Not only was he a teacher for the deaf, but his mother, Eliza Bell, was almost totally deaf.

Mabel and Aleck ended up falling in love and were married on July 11, 1877. Their parents were not supportive of the engagement. The Hubbards were concerned with the ten-year age difference while the Bells were worried that the deafness gene would be passed on to their grandchildren.

~Excerpts from http://www.digitaloutrider.com/html/bell/humanitarian.html

A few months later, both sets of parents gave their consent for Mabel and Aleck to be married. Mabel and Aleck, whose name was later changed to Alexander, had two daughters, Elsie May, born in 1878, and Marion “Daisy”, who joined her big sister in 1880. They were both born with normal hearing.  Later on, Mabel gave birth to two premature sons, who did not survive.

Mabel was able to converse quite well with guests who visited the Bell home. Her husband and children did not treat her differently, and Alexander made sure that his wife was included in all of their interactions with friends and families. “Mabel was rarely seen with other deaf people. She once wrote, ‘Deaf teachers don’t want them to ‘herd’ together.to become peculiar people..’ ”

~Excerpts from http://www.workersforjesus.com/dfi/961.html

Mabel and her husband believed “sign language tend to isolate the deaf from the society”

~Excerpts from http://www.workersforjesus.com/dfi/961.html

Mabel was not only a devoted wife and mother, but she was very active in several organizations as well as a strong advocate for women’s rights. The family lived in Washington, D.C., where Mabel became involved in the National Geographic Society, founded in 1888 by her father. Mabel was responsible for the magazine’s popularity after when it first became published. There were only a few subscribers at the time, so Mabel suggested that they use photographs in the magazine. After that, the magazine thrived and became known for its stunning photographs, which still is the magazine’s best feature today.

Mabel also supported her husband’s work with the deaf, establishing day schools for the deaf throughout the United States. In 1890, the Bell family built a house in Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia, where they spent many summers.  In 1910, at the age of 52, Mabel was a strong advocate for women’s suffrage.

Two years later, she was active in the opening of the first Montessori school in Canada. Mabel became the president of the Montessori Education Association and opened up a Montessori school in Washington, D.C. The Montessori system created a controversy, and in 1919, all the Montessori schools in the country closed. Years later, in the 20th century, the Montessori system made a comeback.

~Excerpts from http://www.workersforjesus.com/dfi/961/htm.

Mabel was greatly involved in the Red Cross during World War 1 (1941-1918) and helped raised money. She also helped to involve women in boat building jobs for the U.S. Navy.

~ Excerpts from http://www.workersforjesus.com/dfi/961.htm.

Alexander Graham Bell died on August 2, 1922 after forty-five years of marriage. Five months after Alexander’s death, Mabel died on January 3,1923 from pancreatic cancer. She was buried next to her husband on the grounds of their summer home in Beinn Bhreagh, Canada.

Philosophical Corner

Featured Member Profile

Mary O'Shea

Who is Mary O’Shea? That question was in my mind as we sat signing at one of her favorite hangouts, Starbucks in Colchester, CT. Her Irish charm is the first thing you notice about Mary. One immediately feels at ease upon meeting Mary. She chats away, often interjecting her sense of humor into her dialogue. Mary can also be serious as she ponders over deep thoughts, portraying her creative way of thinking.

As a self-described die-hard animal lover, she thinks of herself as odd and funny. Mary has a lot of Irish characteristics, with freckles and strawberry-blonde hair and white-blonde eyebrows. Mary loves café mochas, reading, and creating art through drawing and painting. Her dream is to be able to sell her artwork one day.  She is immensely proud because her artwork was exhibited for the first time and for sale this past Spring. She has been working closely with her Instructor at the Developing Art Institute in Glastonbury. She specializes in drawing animals.

Born in Reading, Massachusetts on May 18, 1963, Mary grew up with two brothers and one sister. At the age of three, she was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss. She became very severely deaf at the age of 8. This later progressed to a severe to profound loss by the time she was 12 and by high school she was profoundly deaf. One of Mary’s brothers was also diagnosed as hard of hearing and he became deaf in his late 20’s. The cause of her deafness is hereditary.    At the age of 4, Mary went to a self-contained class for the deaf and hard of hearing in a public school and there she remained until the age of 9. It was then that the family moved to London, due to Mary’s father’s job relocation. Mary attended a school for American children and was fully mainstreamed in their small classes. After two years in living in London, the family returned back to Reading, Massachusetts. Mary attended a private, College preparatory Catholic high school and after her graduation from high school, she went to Regis College, where she majored in Biology.

After college, she attended Deaf, Inc to learn sign language. She learned very quickly and ended up dropping out of the class because she was ahead of the other students in learning sign language. She then attended UMASS for a sign language class while a student at Smith College. She got her Master’s Degree in Education, specializing in working with deaf and hard of hearing children. It was at Smith that she picked up more native sign language by socializing with the Deaf. That opened up a new world for Mary. She realized that she had missed a lot of what went on in the classrooms in her earlier years of schooling, The first time she experienced having sign language interpreters in her art classes when she was in her early thirties she was shocked. She had no idea what she had been missing all these years. “I was so mad!” Mary emphatically signed, with a glimmer of her Irish temper showing through.

After graduating from Smith College, Mary worked at a few different schools for the deaf. She also worked as a Program Director of a small Deaf/HH program at Independent Living Center. She also worked in a group home. She relocated to Connecticut to work at the American School for the Deaf as a Teacher in 1999. She has most recently worked as a Resource Coordinator, a ten month contractual position for Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Connect to Work this past year. Currently, Mary teaches English and Math to deaf adults at an Adult education program in West Hartford, CT part time and she is currently seeking more tutoring jobs as well as work in Basic Adult Education. She also would like to continue to work with deaf as well as hearing children.

Mary is now a Membership Coordinator on the board of Deaf Women of Connecticut (DWC). When asked what her vision for DWC is, she replied that she would like to see “Deaf women continue to support each other, provide opportunities for social interaction, as well as being empowered, educated about improving self-esteem and fostering a positive outlook in this age of rapid change which is having an impact on the Deaf Community”.

Mary paused; her light blond eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, and continued, “I don’t want to see deaf women be isolated. I want them to come together and socialize, share their ideas, share their concerns, and support each other as well as encourage each other.”

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Mary to describe herself in one word. Mary pondered over this for a few minutes. She said her friends would call her charming. I encouraged her to think of what she would say about herself. She then signed, “friendly”. And that, in a nutshell, describes her perfectly.

DWC needs your help for ideas!

We have some ideas for the year of 2006 but we are working on it now. Meanwhile we hope to hear from you by emailing your ideas to our DWC Board members and Co-Coordinators. Please join us to "wave our hands up in air" in welcoming Mary O'Shea as DWC Membership Coordinator.

Our new mailing address is: P.O. Box 903; Colchester, CT 06415-0903.

Board Members:
Cassandra – cassandra@dwconline.org

Mary– mary@dwconline.org

Liz– liz@dwconline.org

June–june@dwconline.org

Assistant Coordinator:
Allison -abrooks@dwconline.org