How to unsubscribe from DEAF-L

Anyone who is subscribed to DEAF-L can unsubscibe from the list themselves at any time. One does not need to send a message to either the moderator or to the list itself asking for someone to unsubscribe him. Rather, the procedure for signing off DEAF-L is the standard procedure for signing off any Yahoo Groups! mailing list:

One simply sends an empty E-mail message to [email protected].

There is one condition that must be satisfied in order for your attempted signoff to be successful -- you must be sending the empty E-mail message from the same e-mail address (location) at which you subscribed to DEAF-L. This is absolutely necessary because the Yahoo Groups! list management software automatically takes the address from the header information of your original subscription E-mail message.

For example, if you sent your DEAF-L subscription message while you were logged on your regular account ([email protected]), and then you later tried to unsubscribe by sending your unsubscription message while you were logged on to one of your other accounts (let's say [email protected]), then Yahoo Groups! list management software would not be able to unsubscribe you. It would look for a subscriber by the name of camouflage and of course it would not find such a subscriber as you had subscribed under the name of xyzzy.

Similarly, one's attempted unsubscription request may occasionally be rejected by the Yahoo Groups! list management software because one or more parts of one's address has been changed (sometimes without your knowledge). For example, if you subscribed from [email protected], and then your Internet provider changed the domain name of magic to charm, and you later tried to unsubscribe, your unsubscription request would be rejected by Yahoo Groups! list management software. The software would look for a subscriber named [email protected] but it would only find a subscriber named [email protected] -- therefore the unsubscription request would be rejected.

*** PLEASE *** do not send your unsubscription request to [email protected], as it will not accomplish what you want to get done, and it will only cause your "junk" message to be distributed to all DEAF-L readers, to their annoyance. Remember, if you subscribed to DEAF-L yourself, then you can unsubscribe from the list by yourself. As always, if you simply can't figure out how to do these things for yourself, feel free to contact the list owner at [email protected], who will be glad to lend a helping hand.

A message to newcomers from the DEAF-L owner

One might ask "What is talked about on DEAF-L?" This list is for the discussion of questions, topics, and concerns related to deafness. For example, the following topics might be of some interest to people on this list:

1. The societal role of persons who are deaf
2. The cultural history of the Deaf
3. Sign language: ASL vs Pidgin Signed English vs Signed Exact English vs Manually Coded English, etc.
4. Communication strategies of persons who are deaf: Speech Reading vs Sign Language vs Cued Speech vs Fingerspelling vs Writing vs SimCom
5. What ADA means for persons who are deaf
6. The education of persons who are deaf
7. What constitutes "reasonable accommodations" for persons who are deaf
8. Problems and challenges of teachers who are deaf
9. Closed vs Open Captioning: Movies, Videos and Television
10. Employment of the deaf
11. Research on deafness
12. Computers and the deaf: A professional equalizer
13. Telephone relay services
14. The need for deaf role models
15. Support groups for persons who are deaf: ALDA vs NAD vs SHHH
16. Technological help for the deaf: Cochlear Implants, Vibro-Tactile Aids, Auto-Cue Glasses, etc.
17. Electronic communication networks for the deaf: e-mail vs BBS
18. International support services for the deaf

In addition to discussions, the DEAF-L mailing list is open to announcements on deafness related subjects, such as:

1. Calls for papers for deafness-related conferences.
2. Job announcements for high-level positions requiring familiarity with Sign Language and Deaf Culture in schools and agencies serving the Deaf.

These are but a few of the many areas that are open for discussion here on DEAF-L. I am sure that as time goes by, the list of topics actually discussed will grow and grow.

At the present time DEAF-L is operating in an unedited format, which simply means that anything submitted to DEAF-L will automatically be distributed to all subscribers to the list. At some time in the future, however, consideration may be given to changing this to an edited format. We'll make that decision if and when it becomes desirable.

Please do not post on DEAF-L a comment, question, or response that does not relate to deafness. Similarly, please avoid engaging in private conversations on the list. For discussions that are meant for only one person, or which have nothing to do with the subject matter of the list, please use private e-mail.

GUIDELINES FOR THE USAGE OF DEAF-L

DEAF-L is intended for serious discussion of anything pertaining to deafness. It is a vehicle for seeking and obtaining desired information, for sharing one's knowledge and experiences, and for learning the views and opinions of other people as they relate to the many questions and issues concerning deafness. Reasoned debate, disagreement, and diversity of opinion are welcome at all times. However, so called "flaming," personal attacks, name calling, and personal insults are definitely not appropriate behavior on DEAF-L. They are to be avoided at all times, and persons engaging in any such behaviors run the risk of having their access to the list suspended or denied by the list owner.

Let me be clear and concise here. If I am convinced that an individual is exceeding the bounds of reasonableness and propriety in their public discourse on DEAF-L, then I won't hesitate to deny that person "write" access to the list. So I would encourage all DEAF-L readers to restrain their remarks and adhere to the following "Guidelines for the Usage of DEAF-L":

• "Flaming" people is not acceptable on DEAF-L.
• Mean, nasty, and cruel language is not acceptable on DEAF-L.
• Name calling or insulting people is not acceptable on DEAF-L.
• Use of obscenities and swear words is not acceptable on DEAF-L.
• Rude, inconsiderate, impolite, or obnoxious postings are not acceptable on DEAF-L.
• Use of DEAF-L for explicitly commercial purposes is not acceptable.
• Use of DEAF-L to solicit or propagate "chain letters" is not acceptable.
• Use of DEAF-L to discuss matters not pertaining to deafness is not acceptable.
• Use of DEAF-L for "private" discussion is discouraged. If your remarks are meant only for one person's eyes, then send them by private e-mail.

If someone violates the above "Guidelines for the Usage of DEAF-L" then they will receive a warning that their write access to DEAF-L is at risk. If someone violates the guidelines again, their write access to DEAF-L will be suspended for a three-month period. If after reinstatement of posting privileges they should choose to again violate the guidelines for acceptable posts on DEAF-L, then their write access to the list will be terminated for all time.

Request For Biographical Sketches

In order to facilitate our discussions, I should like to propose that as new people subscribe to DEAF-L they make their presence known to the list membership by introducing themselves with a brief bio sketch sent to the mailing list itself.

These bios can be as long or as short as you like, but at minimum I would like to learn:

1. Who you are,
2. Where you live,
3. Your occupation,
4. Whether you are born-deaf, late-deaf, hard-of-hearing, or hearing,
5. If you are deaf, the cause of your deafness,
6. Why you subscribed to DEAF-L, and
7. Whether you have any questions or comments that you would like to pose to the group for discussion.

It would, of course, be unfair of me to ask new people to provide this information without first offering to do so myself. Accordingly, my own biographical information is available at https://www.zak.co.il/ideas/stuff/omer/eng/bio.html.