LETTERS - Sept. 8

ISSUE | DEAF CONCERNS

Signing access

As a deaf person with excellent oral skills, I want to thank The Inquirer for printing Marja Brandon's comment ("First, make sure deaf children get the message," Sept. 2). As one who became deaf at the age of 10 months and one of the minority of deaf individuals with very intelligible speech, as well as good receptive lip-reading skills, I can't even begin to describe the trauma of being raised orally and auditorially. A few words via free association will have to do: isolation in the hearing community; delayed psycho-social development; insufficient lip-reading skills for full accessible communication with people who can hear; and poor self-image.

It wasn't until I, as a 22-year-old deaf adult, started learning to sign that I became a part of the deaf community, and with its support and understanding, I overcame these handicapping deficits after many years of self-analysis. My access to the hearing community will never be accessible enough for me without a sign-language interpreter.

|Lawrence J. Brick, past president, Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf, Philadelphia

ISSUE | WONDER DRUGS

Costly, out of reach

For patients like me, this Blood Cancer Awareness Month brings cause for celebration and frustration. I was diagnosed with a cancer of B white cells that is both slow-growing and incurable. I need treatment whenever the cancerous cells squeeze out the red blood cells and platelets I need to be healthy. The last antibody treatment I had gave me a remission of six months. I am now out of remission and in need of treatment. I celebrate that two new drugs have come on the market in the past few months that attack in a different way, giving extended remissions and increasing overall survival for even the sickest patients.

Why the frustration? The price of these drugs, $130,000 per year, puts them beyond reach. Even with my excellent health insurance and the catastrophic drug pricing mandated by Medicare, I would pay $4,550 out of pocket and then a co-pay of $100 for each month's supply. We need changes in drug pricing so patients can benefit from drug breakthroughs.

|Virginia Goldberg, Wyndmoor

ISSUE | SCHOOLING

Not just another Meatless Monday

With the new school year, parents' attention is turning to school lunches. Current lunch guidelines require double the servings of fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less sodium and fat, and a meat-free breakfast. The challenge is to get students to eat healthier foods. Parents should work with cafeteria managers to encourage consumption of healthy foods. Initiatives could include student recipe or poster contests, student gardens, and Meatless Mondays.

|Pavel Anistadt, Philadelphia

Learning from seasoned teachers

I know almost everything James Paul stated in his commentary is false from my unique perspective as a teacher for 35 years in the Philly schools and now as a school board member of a nearby suburb ("To fix districts' finances, address pensions, choice," Sept. 2). It is not especially surprising, as Paul is part of the right-wing think tank the Commonwealth Foundation, which seems out to destroy unions and, along the way, eliminate the public schools. Paul says seniority causes the firing of "many terrific, young public-school teachers" as if being inexperienced makes them better teachers - an idea that anyone who has ever been in a school knows is preposterous, since inexperienced teachers often leave within five years.

|Ron Stoloff, Blue Bell

ISSUE | NAMING OPPORTUNITIES

Will SEPTA deal fee be listed on hospital bills?

It is bad enough that naming rights are routinely given to large corporations with plenty of resources and that iconic names have been removed ("Now leaving the station," Sept. 2). But for a health-care system such as Jefferson to use its resources in that way is an abomination.

I don't blame SEPTA for making the deal to change the Market East Station's name. The agency needs all the money it can get. But if Jefferson truly has extra funds, it should use them to improve care for patients, and especially to provide care for those without insurance. And, meanwhile, one could wonder how Jefferson accumulated this money: perhaps with inflated charges that could be reduced?

|Joan Chinitz, Fort Washington, jjchin@comcast.net

Name that town, building, park bench

With name changes for railroad stations and sports facilities, why not go all the way and put the city's name up for the highest bidder? That should bring in several million dollars and help balance the budget. How would it sound if the city were named for a soft drink or automobile? It might be easier to remember.

|Ernest B. Cohen, Upper Darby

Seeing a downside to Founding Father link

Thomas Jefferson had slaves, supported Virginia's slave laws, and enriched himself and maintained his power and position on the backs of his slaves. This train-station naming rights deal will have to be reversed. Shame on SEPTA leaders and every elected official who does not oppose it and work to undo it.

|Tim Kearney, Philadelphia