Culture is an important part of any society. Foods, languages, holidays, and ethinicities (only naming a few) all meld together to form what we define as "culture". To understand the Deaf culture, it is your assignment to pick one of the topics, listed below, and briefly (in 3-5 sentences) discuss that topic. An example of an important date in history would be the march to the capitol during the Deaf President Now movement, seen in the picture on the left (Photo Courtesy of Gallaudet University).

Contibuting author Ernie Jones shares his thoughts on respecting guide dogs.

Notice: Submissions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the ILRC of Northeast Florida. The ILRC Blog is created for individuals to share ideas, articles, frustrations and accolades. As an agency, our goal is to provide an outlet of communication between individuals to further our mission in advocating independence. We welcome any feedback.

If you have an article that you would like to submit for a blog entry, please click HERE.

Stress management is not to be taken lightly. Failure to develop stress management, can lead to possibly upsetting ones disability, and termination of employment. In some cases, lack of stress management can even prevent you from being successful during an interview, which could delay you in gaining employment.

Set your stations to Comcast Channel 29 tonight at 7PM to learn more about breast cancer awareness and the "Right to Know" campaign from Dr. Laila Samiian, University of Florida's Chief of Breast Surgery and Eva Egensteiner, Health Communications Specialist of Florida Office in Disability and Health.

After you watch, tell us what you think. Click on the link to read more on the "Right to Know" campaign.

Welcome to the ILRC Blog. Within this blog you will be able to meet students that are taking other classes in the ILRC ASL Series... not to mention gain some extra credit! So read more and build your vocabulary.

Each quarter, the ILRC recognizes four individuals exemplifying the four core values of our organization: Teamwork, Accountability, Positive Approach, and going Above and Beyond.

This quarter, our blog features Brenda Phillips who received the award for Positive Approach. Phillips has been with the ILRC since December of last year. The ILRC is priviledged to have her on staff.

This event was designed to bring together Jacksonville's disability community to demonstrate the power of its voting potential. The event hosted representatives from major political parties who will share platform information as well as outline their positions on disability-related issues.

There were demonstrations of accessible voting machines and attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of the Supervisor of Elections, Jerry Holland.

Perhaps, Braille and assistive technology for the blind are equal, in that it provides an opportunity for those with sight loss a human right to connect. Is learning Braille more effective than learning to use assistive technology?

When seeking employment, is it more effective if one can read Braille instead of using assistive technology? Title I of the ADA, states an individual must be able to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Many individuals with vision loss are employed who either read and write Braille, and/or use assistive technology.

The following article explains how one individual with vision loss uses assistive technology to run her very own financial firm.

Give your opinion, Braille, assistive technology, or human reader? If you are unable to see the required text in the box and post to the blog, please e-mail your comments to aprilo@cilj.com, and your information will be posted for you.