reenactors with a disability

[bobbyjoe49]

hello guys i am in need to find out some information since i was unable to find the commission or someone of a high rank such as a general or somebody with details on reenactors and safety etc. there is a person who is currently a reenactor has a hearing aids and the unit told him if he has hearing aids even though he can hear without too but he is "hard of hearing" speaks very very well his capt told him please use it and somehow i know something is missing here reenactors for civil war do not have anyone with hearing aids as a reenactor this is far more a mistaken idea here.I myself have never heard of a reenactor with hearing aids people will laugh if they see that and make fun of that unit as it is. there has also been issues now growing among units to deny and reject those peope who have hearing aids by turning them away. and there is file of people filing for discrimination and they said its not discrimination they just said they DO NOT WANT ANYBODY TO JOIN WITH THOSE HEARING AIDS STAY OUT period... like that what can you all tell me on this issue it is a safety matter as strange as it may sound but need to find all the details and where it can be found, then it can be shown the rules about joining people are mistakenly letting people join reenactment for civil war and knowinly can be suspended for allowing them in and could result in a lawsuit if people with hearing aids are caught in a unit,,,, i will await any response to these matters before going further thank you:confused:

[Spinster]

Bobby Joe,

In all my years, I must say this is a new one.

I've read page after page of regulation from multiple units and umbrella groups over the years.

Not once have I seen anything on this issue.

So. How about citing chapter and verse as to which organization this is?

[Jeffrey Cohen]

One of my most trusted cannoneers has a hearing aid, and no it's not from serving on the gun. No one's ever mentioned anything to us, and I've never seen anything written down.
The closest thing would be insistence on period eyewear for those of us wearing prescription glasses. Who can forget the reenactor with the aviator glasses in the movie Gettysburg.

[RJSamp]

If we kicked out of the hobby all the reenactors who can't hear the bugle calls.....

[TB1861]

They hear the bugle calls, they treat them like car alarms, somebody else's problem.

[R Beasly]

Uh, BobbyJoe, I'm not sure the point you're trying to get across. Let me see if I have this right.

You're saying you wear hearing aids and that a unit or unit's won't let you play with them while wearing your hearing aids. And that if they don't let you play with them, you are thinking of filing a lawsuit to make them let you play.

IF i have that right, it doesn't seem a good way to make friends in the group you are looking to join.

Mr. Beasly

[Isabella_Grey]

I've seen reenactors with hearing aids, and I haven't heard of any issue arising out of it. I've seen and dealt with more issues when it came down to men wanting to wear the hunting orange ear plugs...THOSE are something that a person notices, from relatively far away. The hearing aids are flesh colored, and really can't be noticed unless you look hard.

[billwatson2]

Never heard of this being an issue. Ditto ear plugs. Folks would prefer you don't wear magenta ear plugs, but I've seen them and so far as I know nobody complained. Seems like an unlikely issue.

[Rob Weaver]

I'm a bit hard of hearing myself, from firing the real big guns. I've seen reenactors with hearing aids. I don't think twice aboutthem. If you've run into a group that feels a modern prosthetic device like a hearing aid is unacceptable to them for authenticity or safety reasons, there's not a lot you can do about it. They are a private club with fairly narrow goals. I don't think lodging a suit against them would be either cheap or effective. You may win, but you will create such ill-will that you will never take the field with them. And you may poison the atmosphere so much that you may be the pariah at any Civil War reenactment. I don't think this is a hill worth dying on. There are many, many other reenacting groups. Contact one of them and let this group go as not suiting your needs.

[Spinster]

Well yes, folks consider the orange ear plugs to be obnoxious, especially since there are hearing protection items that do not glow in the dark.


If Mr Beasly is correct in his assessment of the situation, you won't win friends by suing them. Find another unit that will let you play. It's not hard. Folks who force the door on a playhouse usually find there's nobody in there they want to play with.

[flattop32355]

Any chance the original poster could redo his post, this time with punctuation, so some of us can figure out what it is he's saying so we can give reasonable answers?

Not trying to pick a fight or jump on him, but I just can't make heads or tails out of what is written.

[Jeffrey Cohen]

It cracks me up everytime I see your posts. Bravo! I usualey use my mail program to spell check and cut and past. Not in this case as you can see.

[Radar]

Any chance the original poster could redo his post, this time with punctuation, so some of us can figure out what it is he's saying so we can give reasonable answers?

Not trying to pick a fight or jump on him, but I just can't make heads or tails out of what is written.

Very good point Mr. Flattop. I was considering a similiar post. It's very hard to figure out his point with the run-on sentences and lack of punctuation.

Likewise, I have never heard of or seen this problem either.

[FloridaHoosier]

Please, for the love of all that is right in this world, if you are going to post in this forum and wish to be viewed upon seriously, write in recognizable English. Please use punctuation. Please use clear, complete sentences. Please make sense. This is not intended to be mean spirited - this is intended to make things easier on all of us who have to read the original post and say to ourselves, "Huh?".

[Hawkeye]

I myself have a hearing aid, and I have only run into a problem with one organization. I have never attended another event with that organization, and I don't intend to in the near future.

Aside from that, I have never had a problem on the field or off. I have even noticed that many people are unaware of it. Concerning the Neon Earplugs; I hate the things. I understand and support wanting to keep your ears safe, especially if you’re near any artillery, but at least make it flesh colored.

As for the way the original post was written, I too have trouble understanding it. However, I ask that people not be too quick to judge on this. I know many people with hearing problems that also have trouble writing.

[bob 125th nysvi]

lets sort this out.

First the original post was incredibly confusing so how the poster expects a usable answer is beyond me.

To get to the cux of the issue, whether or not someone wears hearing aids is first and foremost a personal decision as to whether they want to wear them or try to function without.

Next it is a unit issue. If the unit is willing to allow it and you don't like it FIND A DIFFERENT UNIT! It is everybody's unit not yours exclusively and if the unit allows it and you don't like it tough.

Finally it is a event issue but at an individual level not a "national" level.

I can see an immersion event going for high authenticity standards saying "Sorry no, that doesn't fit what we want to do." And then the individual has to decide if they want to do that event without them and their unit has to decide whether to support that individual by attending or not. But they are certainly with in their rights to say "No".

At a mainstream event where we see fat over-aged reenacters with farby equipment, earplugs (I use them but covered with cotton) and all the other inauthentic things most of us put up with to have fun then they really don't have much in the way of grounds to say "No" but they still have the right to.

But both events have the right to also say "Yes" and again if you don't like it, TOUGH don't go.

I hope, given the rambling nature of the question, I answered the original post.

[skamikaze]

I'm surprised any of you read the whole thing. I gave up halfway through.

My ears are shot as well. Too many years of guns, guitars, and industrial employment. I choose to wear earplugs when I do artillery and its no big deal. If anyone told me I couldn't, I wouldn't participate with them, but I wouldn't sue them.

In fact, I don't think there are any grounds for suing them. This is a hobby, I don't think that handicap rights work here. Those rights aren't universal to EVERYTHING under the sun, otherwise there would be a major class action lawsuit by the hearing impaired against the employers of call centers. Any judge would throw this case out in a heartbeat.

[PMB1861]

Please, for the love of all that is right in this world, if you are going to post in this forum and wish to be viewed upon seriously, write in recognizable English. Please use punctuation. Please use clear, complete sentences. Please make sense. This is not intended to be mean spirited - this is intended to make things easier on all of us who have to read the original post and say to ourselves, "Huh?".

Ross, I feel for you... but you might as well joust with windmills I fear.

[Blair]

bobbyjoe49,

First of all, and correct me if I am wrong in this assessment, is about preventing reenacters with disabilities from "playing" the ACW game.
Or, is it intends to be more protective of reenacters from developing disabilities they may get because they chose to "play" a game of pretend soldiering?
Just another "possible" point of view?

[Bill_Cross]

What did you say???

[johnduffer]

" What did you say??? "


Ditto.

[Gregg Hensley]

I read the whole post 3 times. I kinda sorta got parts of it. The parts that struck me concerned units that all of a sudden made an issue of hearing aids. I live an hour west of Statesville and my first unit was based there. I'm very familiar with other NC units, having fought on both sides of the lines with them for years. Just what companies are you referring to Bobbyjoe? I'm sure I know them. Having fought/camped with these boys for years, I know them well enough to know that hearing aids would not be an issue, unless the event standards said no to them. I'm very interested in whom you are referring to. If you don't want to post here, send me a PM.

Gregg Hensley
22 NC, Co K.
40 Illinois, Co. I

[wheres_my_horse]

I tried to make sense of this; my translation is in the brackets and my $.02 in blue. If all the part required was punctuation, I left it as is.


Hello guys, I am in need to find out some information since I was unable to find the commission or someone of a high rank such as a general or somebody with details on reenactors and safety etc.



there is a person who is currently a reenactor has a hearing aids and the unit told him if he has hearing aids even though he can hear without too but he is "hard of hearing" speaks very very well his capt told him please use it and somehow i know something is missing here reenactors for civil war do not have anyone with hearing aids as a reenactor this is far more a mistaken idea here.

[There is a person who is currently a re-enactor and has hearing aids and the unit told him that if he has hearing aids he may wear them. This is despite the fact that he can also hear without them but is “hard of hearing” and he can speak very well.

I know something is wrong here. Civil War re-enactment units do not have anyone with hearing aids as a re-enactor]

Actually, that is not true. There are re-enactors that have posted on this thread that do have hearing aids and do wear them in the field.

If you are saying that in 1861 to 65 no one had hearing aids as we know them you are correct, but to say that no hearing aids take the field, you are not correct.


I myself have never heard of a reenactor with hearing aids people will laugh if they see that and make fun of that unit as it is. there has also been issues now growing among units to deny and reject those peope who have hearing aids by turning them away. and there is file of people filing for discrimination and they said its not discrimination they just said they DO NOT WANT ANYBODY TO JOIN WITH THOSE HEARING AIDS STAY OUT period...

[I myself have never heard of a re-enactor with hearing aids. People will laugh if they see that and make fun of that unit.

There have also been issues/pressures amongst units to deny and reject people with hearing aids.

I understand there is also a group of people filing for discrimination. The units have said that excluding the people with hearing aids is not discrimination; they just DO NOT WANT ANYBODY WITH HEARING AIDS TO JOIN. Period.]

As noted above, there are other re-enactors out there with Hearing Aids. Just like there are Prussian Observers in other units. As stated before, the unit has the option (as long as it does not violate the parent organizations rules) to choose who they allow to join.

If you don't feel comfortable being in a unit that allows hearing aids, that is a decision you need to make on your own.


like that what can you all tell me on this issue it is a safety matter as strange as it may sound but need to find all the details and where it can be found, then it can be shown the rules about joining people are mistakenly letting people join reenactment for civil war and knowinly can be suspended for allowing them in and could result in a lawsuit if people with hearing aids are caught in a unit,,,, i will await any response to these matters before going further thank you

[I would like any information you can give me. Is this a safety matter (as strange as that sounds)? I feel the need to find out all the details and where I could find.

Then I can show the rules where a unit could get suspended for allowing a person with a hearing aid to join their unit.

I believe the unit might want to pursue a lawsuit against the overall unit should they be suspended for accepting a member with a hearing aid.]

It would depend on the parent organization and their rules. If the parent organization spells out that no hearing aid can take the field, then the subordinate unit is expected to follow that regulation (like the others). If you don't feel comfortable putting the parent organization here, then I suggest you ask someone you feel comfortable asking on the forum via PM if they could help you find the parent organization's regulations.


I will await any response to these matters before going further thank you

[Radar]

bobbyjoe49 has never chimed in any more. Is this a possible troll? Maybe.

[Blair]

Radar,

Yes, it could be.
It might also be that the "hard core", self appointed elite scared the surfings out of him?
But then what do I know?
Blair

[johnduffer]

" It might also be that the "hard core", self appointed elite scared the surfings out of him "

?? I totally missed those posts, mods may have deleted them before I came along.

[Blair]

John,

No omission from the moderating staff here. Not that I can tell.
The part you maybe totally missing is the fact that they did not include you in the self appointed elite?
Did you bother to ask the original poster? Or did you decide to point fingers at someone because you could?
Blair

[johnduffer]

??? I'm definitely not in "the self appointed elite" and don't recall "pointing fingers" at anyone. I may be in the wrong thread here as I have no idea what you are talking about. Sorry.

[Blair]

Ask yourself this John,
Are you replying to me? Or are you replying to the original poster question? However vague that original questiion maybe?
Blair

[TheQM]

Blair,

It's difficult to take a poster seriously when you read his post three times and you still aren't sure exactly what he was asking. I blame it on the "Texting" world we live in. Only we old farts still write in full sentences, let alone use punctuation.

It was mentioned that the gentleman may have a problem writing, because of his hearing problem. If so, I apologize for judging him.

BTW, I'm the world's worst speller, but at least I try to be understood.

[Blair]

Bill R,

I very much agree with you.
We should not slam dunk this individual because he can't, or doesn't know how to write. I'm sad to say!
It is part and parcel within the time we live in.
If you have a way to correct it... please let me know?
(just as a note here), there are few spellers that can do a great deal worst than "me". Even by accident.
But, I try hard to get it right. Does that help? ;-)
Blair

[Spinster]

Okay Fellers,


This has run it's course. Folks are getting testy at each other that have nothing to be testy about.

The original poster checked the forum this morning and has not returned to clarify or answer questions.

He can send me a private message to have the thread reopened once he's ready to speak.