Mata Expo
You may have heard of some of the Deaf "trade shows" (e.g.
Deaf Expo) that are held around the country. Here's one called the
"Mata
Expo 2005 for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing" which will take place
in Long Beach, CA in November, 2005. The press release (see below) is
interesting in part because is slips between the terms "Deaf"
and "Deaf and hard of hearing" effortlessly, often in a single
sentence!
Like
other Deaf trade shows, this one seems to really be targeted at the Deaf
community. A look at their website reinforces that view.
Here's
the press release.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Long
Beach, CA - November 5, 2005
The upcoming Mata Expo 2005 for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing to be
held November 5, 2005, mirrors society's increased awareness of Deaf
people's needs.
Mata' means 'See you later or again" in japanese language and
"Eyes"
in tagalog language. Mata is a symbolic word "visual
concept" in the
Deaf-related world.
Mata Expo is more than just a trade show. It is an opportunity for
companies, organizations, and individuals with talents to show off
their deaf / hard of hearing products to thousands of people at once
and make announcements about new products and services. It is also a
showcase for deaf performing artists in various media types (deaf
films, deaf celebrities and cultural arts presented from US nationwide
and International).
A paramount emphasis will be on the changes and progress made in
quality of life for Deaf and hard-of -hearing American consumers.
Part of the show's focus will be a celebration of society's increasing
awareness of the needs of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. Included will
be a detailed look at the recent legislation passed and written into
laws that positively impact the quality of life for the Deaf and
hard-of-hearing.
American Sign Language, the fourth-most used language in the US, can
now be used in many high schools, colleges and universities for
foreign language credit.
Open to the public, the show targets not only Deaf people but also
their employers, friends and family, government and nonprofit
organizations as well as students enrolled in sign language and Deaf
culture classes.
More details, please visit our website: http://www.mata.tv
Mata Expo 2005
Where: Long Beach Convention Center
300 E. Ocean Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90802
Promenade Ballroom- Room 104
Time: 9:00am-6pm
Admission: $5.00-early bird $10.00-at door
Ticket online available at http://www.mata.tv
Any questions? Feel free to contact us.
info@mata.tv
John Darby responded to this press
release with a email to the folks at Mata. Here's what he said:
Sirs:
You
publicize this as being for "Deaf and Hard of Hearing" -- will
you, in fact, have real time captioning and assistive listening devices
available for attendees? Or, are you just using the term
"hard of hearing" to try to "sucker" more people
into attending what is actually a "Deaf" event?
From
the information given so far, it appears to be the latter!
We
have not seen any endorsement or indication of participation by Self
Help for Hard of Hearing People.
There
IS something called "Truth in Advertising".
We
who participate in the Oral Hearing Loss Advocacy group will be
interested in your response.
John
L. Darby
