WHY DEAF INDIVIDUALS WITH ADDICTIVE DISORDERS/BEHAVORIAL HEALTH PROBLEMS NEED SPECIAL MENTAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN GEORGIA

By Frank Jame J!"n La#a$ Jr%$ P"%D%$ Pre &'en( ) Ge!r*&a A !+&a(&!n !, ("e Dea, .

DISCRIMINATION OF DEAF GEORGIANS FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

Class Action case... We won in Federal Court each time... State still appeal to more high courts. The state continues to fight to withhold services to deaf consumers. A class action law suit has been won in favor of deaf citizens, but the state continues to press the court to dela or eliminate services for this group. !lease show for the hearing in the "istrict Court on April #. $our presence will spea% volumes. An interpreter will be provided, and ou will be able to hear for ourself, how much the state wants to limit its services to the deaf communit . Starts at & on '(#. )"eaf !rotest* +t is the ,,th Circuit Court of Appeals in downtown Atlanta -ral argument is scheduled for April # at &.// a.m. at the Court of Appeals. 0earing location. Courtroom 11& 2lbert Tuttle Court of Appeals 3uilding 45 Fors th Street, 6W Atlanta, 7A 1/1/1 Cler%8s -ffice. '/' 114 5,1,9. : 2peach 6ews

This Bill of Rights Act for the provision of mental health services to deaf and hard of hearing individuals is intended solely as a model for advocates to promote and for state (Georgia) legislatures to consider for codification into state law.

Mental Health for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals Bill of Rights Act
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Mental Health for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals Bill of Rights Act."

(a) The Legislature finds that: (1) Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing as a group represent an underserved population in many respects particularly mental health services! and (") Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing often re#uire highly speciali$ed mental health services. (%) Research shows that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are su&'ect to significantly more ris(s to their mental health than individuals who are a&le to hear due to many factors including &ut not limited to) lac( of communication access in general as well as with family mem&ers educators and treating professionals! lac( of access to appropriate educational services! and lac( of appropriate physical and mental health treatment services. (*) +ome individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may have secondary disa&ilities that impact the type and manner of mental health services to &e provided to such individuals. (&) The ,egislature further finds that) (1) Being deaf or hard of hearing impacts the most &asic of human needs which is the a&ility to communicate with other human &eings. -any deaf and hard of hearing individuals use a specific communication mode sign language which may &e their primary language while others e.press and receive language orally and aurally with or without visual signs or clues. +till others lac( any significant language s(ills. (") It is essential for the mental health well/&eing of deaf and hard of hearing individuals that mental health programs recogni$e the uni#ue nature of &eing deaf or hard of hearing and ensure that all deaf and hard of hearing individuals have appropriate and fully accessi&le counseling and therapeutic options! (%) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have mental health options in which their uni#ue communication mode is respected and utili$ed and the mental health professionals are proficient in the primary language mode of these individuals! (*) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have mental health options in which psychiatrists psychologists therapists counselors social wor(ers and other mental health personnel understand the uni#ue nature of &eing deaf or hard of hearing and are specifically trained to wor( with deaf and hard of hearing individuals! (0) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have access to mental health professionals who are familiar with their uni#ue culture and needs! (1) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals are involved in determining the e.tent content and purpose of mental health programs and services! (2) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have programs in which they have direct and appropriate access to a full continuum of services including &ut not limited to all modes of therapy and evaluations! (3) It is essential that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have speciali$ed programs in which their uni#ue mental health needs are provided for including appropriate research curricula programs staff and outreach!

(4) 5ach deaf or hard of hearing individual should have a determination of the most accessi&le mental health treatment program and6or services that ta(es into consideration these legislative findings and declarations! and (10) Given their unique communication needs, deaf and hard of hearing individuals would benefit from the development and implementation of state and regional programs for the mental health needs of such individuals.

Na(&!na# A !+&a(&!n !, ("e Dea, RESEARCH ABUSES OF DEAF CHILDREN

TYPES OF ABUSE Physical Neglect and Abandonment Sexual Abuse Emotional Abuse Substance Abuse Implant Abuse ONSE!UEN ES OF ABUSE "elayed communication Poo# cogniti$e %unctioning Beha$io# p#oblems&'ental (ealth Poo# social s)ills "isto#ted sel% concepts The $ictim becomes a pe#pet#ato# Alcohol o# chemically dependent SUBSTAN E ABUSE O$e# *+ pe#cent o% the people ,ith disability ha$e some type o% Substance abuse- 'ight be highe# ,ith "ea% people-

AUTOBIOGRAPHY- FROM THE SCOURGE OF FAMILY ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS$ A DEAF ADULT CHILD SURVIVES By Frank Jame J!"n La#a$ Jr%$ P"%D%$ Pre &'en( ) Ge!r*&a A !+&a(&!n !, ("e Dea,%

.I HAVE LEARNED THAT SUCCESS IS TO BE MEASURED NOT SO MUCH BY THE POSITION THAT ONE HAS REACHED IN LIFE$ AS BY THE OBSTACLES WHICH HE HAS OVERCOME WHILE TRYING TO SUCCEED%/ BOO0ER T% WASHINGTON Becoming a victim of alcohol or drugs is a terrible fate for any individual and a loss for society. he losses are compounded when the victim is deaf or hard!of!hearing, and when treatment is difficult to find. "erhaps one should first e#amine $elen %eller&s definition of deafness' 1T"e 2r!3#em !, 'ea,ne are 'ee2er an' m!re +!m2#e4$ &, n!( m!re &m2!r(an($ ("an ("! e !, 3#&n'ne % Dea,ne & a m5+" 6!r e m& ,!r(5ne% F!r &( mean ("e #! !, ("e m! ( 7&(a# (&m5#5 ) ("e !5n' !, ("e 7!&+e ("a( 3r&n* #an*5a*e$ e( ("!5*"( a (&r$ an' kee2 5 &n ("e &n(e##e+(5a# +!m2any !, man%1 ( deaf adult child of an addicted family, ) was born to middle class parents in *os (ngeles, +alifornia. ,y hearing parents, -ran. /r. and )sabel made their living as a salesman and )B, .ey punch operator, respectively. ) was a hearing child. he first five years of my life were with two wonderful, loving and devoted parents. hey provided everything a child would need. 0nfortunately, at the young age of five, ) began to lose my hearing due to an antibiotic drug (/treptomycin) intended to combat tonsillitis. ,y parents were heartbro.en at the prospect of profound deafness and concerned as to how it would impact my life. hey continued to shower me with their affection and love. o evaluate my hearing and speech status, ) was sent to 1ohn racy +linic. hereafter, ) attended a number of schools before being placed in a private military academy, which, of course, was a hearing academy. (t first things ran smooth. 2ne day an older boy (officer) was in our dormitory for inspection. 3e all stood at attention in front of our beds. ) was about eight years old and was e#tremely concerned that ) might not be able to hear him calling my name if he had anything to say to me about the drawers or closet. ) .new if he stood in front of me, ) would be able to read his lips and respond verbally without any problem. $owever, he called my name from behind and ) did not respond. ) loo.ed for clues from others who stood by their beds to see if there was any indication that my name was called. here was none. -inally the officer tapped me on my shoulder. ) loo.ed him straight in the face as he as.ed me if ) heard him call my name. ) told him no. $e reported this to the principal and ) was called into his office. ) was as.ed if ) had a hearing problem. ) replied that ) did not hear well. he principal requested a hearing test and found that ) had a hearing impairment, a 40db level of hearing. +onsequently, my parents were informed of this and it was suggested that ) attend a special school for deaf and hard!of!hearing children. ) attended ,ary 5. Bennett /chool and eventually was placed at +alifornia /chool for the 6eaf (7+/687) around the young impressionable age of nine. (fterward and while undergoing this ma9or change in my young life, my parents divorced. +/68 was only temporary for a year as my parents planned that ) would attend another private school the ne#t year. ( culture shoc. doesn&t even come close to describing the ordeal of attending +/68 school as an oralist with a student body of deaf children who used sign language to converse. ) was unable to communicate with them e#cept for primitive gestures.

(s ) loo. bac. though, the first ten years of my life seemed wonderful. 5very +hristmas, ) awo.e finding our living room filled with hundreds of balloons. "resents were piled high under the tree. ) recall one special +hristmas morning ) found an adorable German shepherd puppy 9ust for me: 5ven during my first year at +/68, twice a wee. dad sent many pac.ages of goodies and toys. hey were for all of my classmates or for all thirty!two boys in the dormitory: oday ) ponder whether he was 9ust spoiling me or felt bad about the divorce or maybe guilty that ) was placed in a boarding school. ) suspect all three might be a correct assessment and motive. (t the end of the first year at +/68 and during that summer, tragically, dad passed away suddenly. $e died of a heart attac. alone on the corner of $ollywood and ;ine. /imultaneously, mom was in the hospital with an acute ear infection and high fever when the heartbrea.ing news hit me about dad. (nd as a strange twist of fate, she lost her hearing too (five years after me). $ow ironic this seemed because there was absolutely no deafness in our family history other than mother&s twin sister, (unt ,ary, who had a similar ear infection and became deaf also as a result. Both sisters were twenty!eight and in the prime of life. <aturally, they met this hardship with great distress. -irst, they lost their 9obs and that almost immediately forced us into poverty. hey loved music and could no longer appreciate the beautiful sounds. +ommunication with the world !! friends and family, became hopeless and doomed. -or us, subsistence diminished to a feeling of total abandonment and our outloo. became blea., desolate and 9oyless. (t the formidable young age of ten, ) was compelled to grow up very fast or did )= "hysically ) became a young man but psychologically, the consequences were many. he private school was no longer an option and ) returned to +/68. ) felt betrayed by bro.en promises. (ll the boys questioned me about the goodies and toys. ) was angry at dad for placing me in such an embarrassing situation. ) struggled with the reality he left me. /crambling with all of these horrendous hurdles and roadbloc.s, ) changed from an outgoing, friendly person to a withdrawn and frightened young boy. ) was so ill!at!ease that ) retreated and harbored the feeling that my mother didn&t seem to care about her son. )solation and confusion consumed me together with hostility and anger that had not yet surfaced. ) sadly watched mother become an alcoholic>drug addict 9ust li.e her sisters ,ary (schi?ophrenic) and 1ean (psychiatric ward>commit suicide). hey also abused prescription drugs. Gone were the +hristmas trees, the presents or even someone to tal. with on +hristmas morning. he life ) once .new became a dismal shadow that seemed a fantasy. "robably in search of love, approval and wanting a normal life, ) began to shoulder many of the responsibilities. *ater, ) reali?ed ) too. on these burdens out of necessity. ) collected empty soda bottles from the seedy streets of *os (ngeles and e#changed them for cash deposits at the mar.ets. "otato or corn chips and pret?els satisfied my hunger pains. )f ) was luc.y and fortunate the day&s collection of bottles, then ) treated myself to a slice of pi??a or a cold, plastic!wrapped sandwich from a liquor store. 2nce a .ind man at 8alph&s /upermar.et apparently recogni?ed that ) was a hungry .id and instructed me to go around bac. and loaded me up with edible vegetables and fruits that were about to be tossed. 3hile at ,ac(rthur "ar. in *os (ngeles, ) watched an elderly man tend to his video game machine business. 5very 3ednesday afternoon at the boat house, he collected his money from the slots, cleaned the glass of each machine and repaired it if necessary. 2ne day, he inadvertently left a large ring of .eys still inserted in one of the slots. ) too. it. 3hen he came bac. in the ne#t wee., he didn&t have an e#tra set so ) wal.ed up to him and told him that he left it. $e was astonished and immediately chec.ed to see if anything was stolen from the

slots. $e reali?ed that ) couldn&t hear, but still offered me a 9ob at the boat house. $e paid me cash and fed me at the boat house cafe: ) will never forget his .indness and compassionate spirit. Because +/68 was closed, e#istence during the summer months was e#tremely harsh and that particular summer he literally .ept me going until school resumed. 6uring the summers and some holidays, there were many times that ) didn&t eat for two days. /ometimes, ) bought a pac.age of macaroni or spaghetti !!! but ) ate it without any sauce or even butter. )t wasn&t too tasty for an eleven year old .id, but it filled me up nonetheless. 2nce bac. at +/68, the environment became normal, healthy and placid. he teachers cared about our learning and the dormitory counselors advised and protected us. ) had some friends, and the surroundings and atmosphere were peaceful and unobtrusive. )t was a place where ) could sleep undisturbed for eight hours a night while en9oying hot meals three times a day. )t was heaven !! the only real home ) had !! and marvelously so, not infested with coc.roaches and bed bugs: ) am convinced anger was an integral part of my emotions while ) suffered and sustained the anguish of what substance abuse did to my life and family. ) swore that as long as ) lived ) would not drin. any alcohol, use drugs or smo.e. /omehow in this terrifying and grim e#istence, ) wanted to help others with their substance abuse>mental health. ,aybe once ) graduated from school ) would pursue this dream ) had promised myself. oo young then to reali?e it, the negative life ) led as a young boy became my positive strength as a young adult. ,uch later ) read philosopher <iet?sche who said something to this effect @ 1W"en y!5 e42er&en+e 5,,er&n*$ y!5 "a7e (6! +"!&+e - e&("er y!5 are *!&n* (! 5rren'er$ a++e2( 'e,ea( an' 2er& " &n ("e 2r!+e 8 !r y!5 6&## !7er+!me &( an' 3e+!me a (r!n*er 2er !n ,!r &( an' 5r7&7e%1

(nother incident occurred during one of those summers around A o&cloc. in the morning. 2utside the rear door of our duple# was a fenced house where all the windows were boarded and the furnishings were covered with white sheets. ( large conspicuous sign informed one 762 <2 85/"(//.7 2bviously, the grass was not maintained standing tall at three feet. 3eird and spoo.y, it loo.ed li.e a haunted house. ( man lurching at the rear entrance bro.e down the door and startled mom. /he screamed and he fled the scene. Buic.ly she ordered me to get a butcher .nife from the .itchen for protection. ,y heart trembled with fear questioning what chance ) had as an eleven year old child to fend off this wild maniac, burglar or much worse a rapist attac.ing mom. ) could only see, not hear. ) stood tall trying to suc. up courage to fight off the intruder. ) glanced over at mother. /he was passed out from the boo?e. (gain ) pee.ed at the doorwayC the man was gone. Det nothing but threatening dar.ness loomed beyond. ) was so scared. 3e didn&t have a phone and certainly bac. then a telecommunication device for deaf people ( 66) wasn&t in operation. ) grabbed both our cats in my arms and loc.ed myself in the other bedroom and turned the light on. ) was half cra?y with fear. ) held on tightly to the cats all night. hey were my ears. )f they heard anything, )&d .now someone was lur.ing around the house. 5ventually, ) fell asleep. he ne#t morning ) slowly unloc.ed the door to see if mom was o.ay. han.fully, she was fine and remained asleep on the couch. his was another pitiful but typical childhood e#perience that affected me adversely.

) recall at si#teen during another holiday brea., ) came home to our apartment and found it destroyed. he apartment manager informed me that it was my mother&s lit cigarette that set the fire. $e threw us out. /ecretly, ) .new she was probably drun. and passed out. /he was hospitali?ed with burns from the accident. -or three days ) wal.ed $ollywood Boulevard where it was safe because of the many all night tourists, until ) caught the +/68 school bus on /unday in downtown *os (ngeles. he sad aftermath is that ) attended the funerals of my entire family (mother, aunts, uncles, and grandparents). hey all died from mental health problems and>or substance abuse of one form or another. ,ary, schi?ophrenic, was in a coma when mom died of an overdose of sleeping pills. 2ne wee. later, she passed away without ever regaining consciousness !! never .nowing that mother had already died. 3hat was so strange about them is that they shared everything in life and even in death. hey are buried beside one another. (s ) questioned and e#amined earlier in this article ) grew up quic.ly in order to survive. )nwardly, ) certainly did not understand or comprehend the significance or consequence of how as a deaf adult child ) suffered from severe psychological problems. ) e#perienced and witnessed mental health problems, alcoholism and drug abuse at a very young age. ) did not understand the concept of the disease as it related to alcohol or drug addiction until ) was eighteen. By then ) had watched mom go through four hours of agony when ) refused to give her a bottle of vod.a. /he screamed, pleaded, and cried. /he bro.e out with body sha.es, cold sweats, withdrawal symptoms, binges, blac.outs etc. /he was pregnant and ) refused to give her any liquor because ) was concerned about her unborn child. ) wanted to nourish her and the baby with food and attempted to bargain with her to eat first. <aturally, ) was very naive and ignorant as to the outcome of my refusal to give her a bottle. /he was completely at my mercy and she loo.ed li.e she was dying before my eyes. ) was so apprehensive that ) finally surrendered. By this time she could not even hold the vod.a bottle or open it for that matter. /he acted li.e a total stranger. his was not the mother ) .new all my life. (t that moment, ) reali?ed and understood what the Big (( boo. was tal.ing about. ,y half brother 6aniel was born with developmental disability due to -etal (lcohol /yndrome and since his birth is a ward of the /tate of +alifornia. ,y half sister who is four years older that 6aniel has a learning disability (-etal (lcohol 5ffect ! developmental disability) due to mom&s alcoholism>drugs. -ortunately, as the first child, ) was spared from having any physical or health problems because mother did not drin.. -rom a long and weary 9ourney of heartbrea., confusion, and despair, ) survived. 6eath surrounded my family and later, my friends, from the plague of substance abuse>mental health. ) .new they all died in vain, unless ) learned something from their tribulation. We are n!( &n ("e "an' !, an &ne7&(a3#e ,a(e !r 'e (&ny )) Fa(e an' 'e (&ny (! "a2e$ m!#' an' ,rame 3y ("e ,!re &*"( an' 7& &!n 6e 'are (! ee ,!r !5r e#7e %

) was pushed into an uncharted territory when ) grew up and stared death in the face when it too. all of my family members by the time ) was twenty!one. ) refused to become a victim or a statistic from substance abuse. -or a young man trying to overcome many psychological problems, the healing began once ) learned to forgive my parents for divorcingC my father for dying much too soonC and my beloved mother, )sabel, for drin.ing her

life away because she didn&t .now how to cope with life&s substantial obstacles thrust at her. ) fared much better than my parents& misfortunes and the entire family&s afflictions. ) certainly paid a heart!rending priceC but to state it simply, ) made a choice and fought bac.. ) remained in school and continued my education. ) became one of instrumental co!founders of the recovery program for the 6eaf and $ard of $earing (lcohol and 6rug (busers in southern +alifornia. ) wrote my doctoral dissertation about the deaf substance abuser with my advisors on the dissertation committee, 6r. $arlan *ane and 6r. Betty G. ,iller. ) authored a lengthy article on deaf substance abuse which was published in the <ational (ssociation of the 6eaf&s 6eaf (merican ,onograph. ) have authored many periodicals regarding my stance against substance abuse. ) was a spea.er at the 3orld -ederation of the 6eaf regarding ,ental $ealth issues. /haring these childhood e#periences growing up in a bro.en, impoverished and alcoholic home only touches the diminutive corners of my life and its adverse effects on me. 3e all recogni?e one cannot totally comprehend someone&s life unless they have wal.ed in their shoes. (s ) counsel today, it is impossible for anyone to tell me that ) do not understand the implications of alcoholism or drug abuse because ) don&t drin. or use illegal drugs. hey are in for a rude awa.ening and argumentative challenge: $earing adult children of alcoholics have difficulty e#periencing a healthy and normal life. hey have low self esteem, feelings of isolation, confusion, anger, fear, guilt, high level of an#iety with interpersonal relationships etc. (s my intimate epic reveals, children who are deaf of hearing parents already e#perience many of those same characteristics without having addicted families. )f they grow up with addicted families, their dilemma is much more severe. ,ost of them have communication barriers with their families due to their deafness and the family&s inability to communicate in sign language. ,any deaf and hard!of!hearing people have communication, isolation and poor self esteem problems along with society&s stigma and discrimination. )f they are also deaf adult children of addicted families, their problems are compounded. 8ecovering persons from (.(., <.(., (.+.2.(. etc e#periences similar diseases resulting from alcoholism and>or chemical dependencies. 3e all go through our own 1E / 5" program. (n interesting note is that some famous adult children of alcoholics are' "residents +linton and 8eagan, raci *ords, 6r. +laudia Blac., 8odney %ing, actors +huc. <orris and 6esi (rna?, 1r., actresses /u?anne /omers and (ngie 6ic.inson, and many more !!! all of whom do not have a hearing loss. ,y published boo. entitled, +ounseling the 6eaf /ubstance (buser, F14 pages is available for order from ,idas ,anagement +ompany for G1H.HI ! free shipping... An!("er 3!!k9 '!ne an' !!n (! 3e 253#& "e'$ .T"e Ar( !, Be&n* a Hea#("y Dea, Per !n/% I( 6&## en+!m2a ma(er&a# !n 'ea, +5#(5re$ 'ea, &'en(&(y$ 'ea, e'5+a(&!n$ men(a# "ea#("$ an' 53 (an+e a35 e%

oday, ) recommend and urge various universities>colleges that have deaf programs to implement a certification program for deaf students in the areas of alcohol and drug abuse counseling, since there e#ists a shortage of deaf counselors to meet the needs of chemically dependent deaf and hard of hearing people. /uch

certification programs could be subsets of general education programs, special education course wor., communication studies, deaf studies or they could be offered under the auspices of the psychology, vocational rehabilitation, or mental health departments, Gallaudet 0niversity should ta.e the initiative by offering a certification program in alcohol and drug abuse counseling and further, to accept credits as part of the student&s degree requirements as an incentive to encourage deaf students to enroll. his certification should be available through Gallaudet 0niversity&s 2nline program (5#tended *earning). ) continue to recogni?e the need and demand for more insightful caring bi!lingual J bi!cultural counselors, inta.e personnel, therapists, mental health wor.ers, and other professionals. 3e need public support both monetarily and in less tangible areas such as morale. 2verall commitment on the part of everyone involved in the therapeutic process is greatly needed on both giving and receiving ends, to enable people to bring their best to the process of eliminating from the deaf community the impediment of alcoholism and substance abuse. he deaf e#perience is still discussed with the opinions generally away from the assumption that deafness constitutes a disability which merits ameliorative action on the part of everyone from family to social service agencies and toward the belief that deafness need not be deemed a defect and that deaf people can be recogni?ed as any other language!minority people. )n my opinion, the scourge of addictive disorders or the underlying propensity (behavioral health problems) to abuse substances is a disability. his can ultimately be overcome so that all deaf people shall have a greater probability of living well!ad9usted lives. I:7e "a' an &n(ere (&n* #&,e ,5## !, 'ea("$ ,am&#y men(a# "ea#(" 2r!3#em $ a''&+(&7e '& !r'er $ an' 3e"a7&!ra# "ea#(" 2r!3#em % I:7e 35r&e' 3!(" 2aren( $ a## ,am&#y mem3er $ an' ,ee# I +!me ,r!m an !7er#!a' !, a''&+(&7e an' men(a# "ea#(" e42er&en+e (! "e#2 !("er $ 'ea, !r n!(% T"& & a !+&a# 2r!3#em ("a( nee' (! 3e re !#7e' ("r!5*" *!7ernmen( 2r!*ram $ 253#&+ a6arene an' e'5+a(&!n% O5r 'ea, +&(&;en "a7e many 2r!3#em (! !7er+!me an' &(: 6ay (!! ea y ,!r ("em (! *! &n6ar'% I kn!68 I 6a ("ere% B5( ("r!5*" (ren*(" &n +!n7&+(&!n$ I !7er+ame any nee' ,!r 'r5* !r a#+!"!#% I am "e#2&n* !("er ,!##!6 my 6ay$ ("e 6ay (! a "ea#("y$ n!rma#$ e#,) 5 (a&n&n* #&,e% "((2-//666%2+6#a6,&rm%+!m/62)+!n(en(/52#!a' /<=></=?/J5'*men()Dea,)C#a )A+(&!n%2', his autobiography articleKs reprinted ("osted, "assed, or "ublished) with permission of the author of 7+ounseling the 6eaf /ubstance (buser.7 (+) E01F @ -ran. 1ames 1ohn *ala, 1r. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR8 0eyn!(e S2eaker a( ("e W!r#' C!n*re !, ("e W!r#' Fe'era(&!n !, ("e Dea, !n Men(a# Hea#(" I 5e @>AAAB$ an' a5("!r !,$ .C!5n e#&n* ("e Dea, S53 (an+e A35 er/% Dr% Frank La#a$ re+&2&en( !, Ga##a5'e( Un&7er &(y: 2re (&*&!5 La5ren( C#er+ A6ar' 3y Dr% I% 0&n* J!r'an &n re+!*n&(&!n ,!r ("e 6!rk &n men(a# "ea#(" an' 53 (an+e a35 e% A5("!r "a 3!(" S+"!!# Smar( @E'5+a(&!n/De*ree B an' S(ree( Smar(

@E42er&en+e/Har " C"&#'"!!' ("a( *&7e "&m S5r7&7a# Sk&## $ C"ara+(er$ an' Per 2e+(&7e !n L&,eB