It provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to participate in an academic year of overseas travel and digital storytelling in up to three countries on globally significant theme. This Fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the National Geographic Society.
Through the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, Fulbrighters will undertake an in-depth examination of a globally relevant issue, comparing and contrasting how that issue is experienced across borders.
Utilizing a variety of digital storytelling tools, including text, photography, video, audio, graphic illustrations, and/or social media, Fellows will tell their stories, or the stories of those they meet, publishing their work on a dedicated blog hosted on the National Geographic.
VIDEO: Deaf News - Deaf pair accused of murder unfit to stand trial due to mental impairment, Australian Supreme Court told.
MELBOURNE -- Psychiatrists have found two of three Deaf people accused of murdering a profoundly Deaf man, who fell 12 metres from an apartment balcony, unfit to stand trial due to mental impairment.
Crown prosecutor Sharn Coombes told the Supreme Court on Monday that Georgia Fields, 19, and Jake Fairest, 26, who are on bail, had been assessed and found to be unfit to stand trial. A third man, Warwick Toohey, 37, who appeared via video link from prison, needed further assessment.
Justice Lex Lasry reserved any decision as to whether the trio's trial would proceed until next year.
A trial date had been set down for May 2, but Justice Lasry adjourned the case to February 8, when a directions hearing will be held to get an update on the fitness to plead question for the trio.
Ms Fields, Mr Toohey and Mr Fairest are charged with murdering Robbie Wright, who fell from a balcony outside his Ringwood apartment on January 15. Mr Wright, 36, who also suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and had an intellectual disability, died in hospital three days later.
Ms Fields is profoundly Deaf and can communicate only by sign language and in writing.
Mr Fairest has severe cognitive and developmental disabilities caused by aggressive chemotherapy treatment to a brain tumour when he was seven. The treatment also caused stunted growth, a weakened spine and a growth hormone deficiency.
VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: The entrepreneurs no longer feel pigeonholed to work in fields that only cater to other Deaf people in the United States.
NEW YORK (AP) - Thanks to new technology and improving outreach programs, more Deaf people are opening small businesses across the country. Soon after customers arrive at Mozzeria for the first time, they notice something's different about the restaurant: Virtually every staffer is Deaf.
Owners Russ and Melody Stein are also Deaf, and have run their San Francisco restaurant since 2011. The business is thriving because customers love the food and the Steins have overcome obstacles Deaf people can face when they become small business owners - particularly lingering stereotypes and prejudice, and fewer resources than hearing entrepreneurs have.
"We have the same skills as a hearing individual," Russ Stein says. Running Mozzeria comes naturally to Melody Stein, whose family is in the restaurant business. "It's something I've always wanted to do," she says.
Deaf people have the same ambition and ability to be entrepreneurs and business owners as those who hear, says Tom Baldridge, director of the business administration program at Gallaudet University, the largest educational institution serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There's a growing interest among Gallaudet students in entrepreneurship, matching the increase in business schools across the country. The university is expanding its entrepreneurship offerings beyond courses, and giving students experience in running businesses like campus coffee shops.
"A lot is happening right now beyond a few courses in entrepreneurship. We've hired a consultant who's going to guide us (and) infuse corporate entrepreneurship into all the academic disciplines," Baldridge says.
MIXED REACTIONS
The hearing world is still catching up to the idea of Deaf business owners. The Steins have encountered discrimination from people who hear and don't want to make accommodations to help those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
The couple has run into resistance when they asked for help at local government offices, including times when they were trying to get permits required for running a restaurant.
"We have had our rough moments," Russ Stein says. "There have been times when I had to ask for interpreters, and I was made fun of; I was looked down upon."
Vendors and other business owners who can hear are often startled or feel awkward when they first meet the couple. Some have assumed that because the Steins are Deaf, they didn't know what they were doing, Russ Stein says. Some have been impatient about using pen and paper to communicate, or have said offensive or inappropriate things.
"People ask, 'how do you drive?'" Stein says.
But most vendors adapt to working with the Steins. Mozzeria's wine vendor has become a true colleague, helping them learn more about the restaurant business.
And customers, most of whom can hear, seem happy to write their questions about items on the menu. Some seem awkward when they first come in, but they soon relax and enjoy their meals.
"They learn to overcome their fear," Melody Stein says.
OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES
Many Deaf owners have dealt with prejudice, including hearing people believing that the best careers for Deaf people are teaching or counseling other Deaf people.
Mara Ladines, who owns By Mara, a clothing manufacturer and store in New York wanted a career in fashion design, but some counselors in college tried to steer her toward being a graphic designer, a job that would require less communication with others.
"They believed a Deaf individual can't get a job in the fashion industry." she says.
Ladines insisted on taking design courses and got jobs in retailers including clothing store H&M. In 2008, she began designing T-shirts and other clothes with a logo that shows the American Sign Language sign for "I love you." She started the business online and it has grown to the point where she could open the store last spring; many of the people who walk in are hearing, and Ladines is able to communicate with them and make sales. By Joyce M. Rosenberg, Associated Press Business Writer
Deaf News: Deaf Greek protests shouting "Give money to Providence Education, go get them from the plutocracy".
ATHENS - Thousands of disabled, chronically ill, parents and guardians with disabilities from across the country of Greece, and teachers in special education and mainstream schools gathered early in the afternoon in the center of Athens, participating in nationwide pananapiriko rally.
The mobilization involved the Coordination Committee Struggle Disabled, the Single Parents Association, Guardians of Disabled Attica, the Association of Workers Unit, Foundations, Schools Special Education, and the Deputy Initiative, demanding "No more mockery, teachers in all schools" as wrote their banners.
The demonstration was attended by the KKE MP Christos Katsotis.
The disabled and chronically ill gathered at Omonoia Square and made protest to the Constitution, shouting slogans such as "Give money to Providence - Education, go get them from the plutocracy" and "euro sacks to bankers, the Special schools were doing warehouses.'
The third memorandum the lowest disability pension is 87 euros, the retirement age for disabled workers go to 67 years and 50% reduction in the state budget expenditure on Welfare, leading to the closure of institutions by loading higher cost care to families. Moreover abolished and cut disability benefits and chronic sufferers and Special Schools close, imposed alimony.
Among other claims, the SEAAN: No cut in benefits and disability pensions, extending them to groups who do not get benefits, such as Deaf, Alzheimer. No pension below 600 euros unemployment benefit of 600 euros to all unable to work disabled, chronically ill and massive recruitment with constant work. No payment for drugs and treatments. Open all Special Schools in full operation, massive recruitment of permanent staff, to repeal the alimony. Source
Lauren Hostovsky: As you may or may not know, only two percent of Deaf people worldwide have access to education in sign language. How are Deaf children supposed to learn?
Many Deaf and Hard of Hearing children the world over do not have access to education, often because they are viewed as mentally challenged, unimportant, mute. This appeal is about making the world a better and safer place for Deaf children everywhere, but specifically in a very special place called Monze, Zambia.
In the village of Monze, Zambia, we are trying to build a school for over 60 Deaf and Hard of Hearing children whose parents and guardians have no resources to give them the proper education, health care and adequate living conditions needed to ensure their survival. We want to build a school in which to instruct and house these children, but also to create the kinds of self-sustaining projects that will be necessary to keep the school up and running once it has been constructed.
The Zambian government does not care about these children, and their parents are often uneducated and helpless. There is currently only one teacher working with the children of Monze, Zambia. Her name is Lisa Zahra, and she has been working tirelessly to provide appropriate education and protection for these Deaf and Hard of Hearing children.
Mr. McGann shares his life experiences, his work to improve the lives of Deaf and Blind people, new technologies available for the Deaf and Blind, and his thoughts about the positive impacts of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Mr. Richard McGann, who is Deaf-Blind, He shared his story with the students and demonstrated some of the accommodations and technology that help him every day. The students were captivated! We are #wpsdproud.
VIDEO [CC] - Why don't Deaf people believe in bisexuality...? Sexuality is more about just being gay or straight.
This post is purpose for awareness and education in bisexuality. New research shows that many Deaf and Hard of Hearing people ignore or don't believe in bi and a sexuality - this despite the fact there's scientific evidence supporting the existence of both. The research looks at why this is, and the groups most likely to hold this line of thinking.
Considerable gender, racial and sexuality differences in attitudes toward bisexuality - "Men who identify themselves as heterosexual are three times more likely to categorize bisexuality as "not a legitimate sexual orientation," an attitude that can encourage negative health outcomes in people who identify as bisexual, according to an analysis led by University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researcher Mackey Friedman, Ph.D., M.P.H." View Article Here.
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Study: Straight Guys Don't Believe in Bisexuality - "Straight men are three times more likely to categorize bisexuality as "not a thing," according to a University of Pittsburgh study." View Article Here.
Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men revisited - "Men who identify themselves as bisexual report feeling sexually aroused by both men and women. However, past research has not demonstrated that such men exhibit substantial genital arousal to both male and female erotic stimuli, suggesting that they identify as bisexual for reasons other than their genital arousal pattern." View Article Here.
How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? - "Increasing numbers of population-based surveys in the United States and across the world include questions that allow for an estimate of the size of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population." View Article Here.
DNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily. Watch More DNews on TestTube http://testtube.com/dnews
VIDEO [CC] - Exclusive: Paris terror attacks, at least 153 killed in gunfire and blasts, French officials say in Paris.
CNN PARIS - On a night when thousands of Paris residents and tourists were reveling and fans were enjoying a soccer match between France and world champion Germany, horror struck in an unprecedented manner.
Terrorists - some with AK 47s, some reportedly with bombs strapped to them - attacked sites throughout the French capital and at the stadium where the soccer match was underway.
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Scores were killed in the coordinated attacks late Friday, leaving a nation in mourning and the world in shock. CNN will update this story as information comes in: [Latest developments, posted at 11:59 p.m. ET]
• Paris Prosecutor spokeswoman Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre said eight extremists are dead after attacks. Seven of them were killed in suicide bombings.
• U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with French President Francois Hollande to offer condolences and assistance in the investigation, the White House said. Earlier, Obama said, "This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on the people on France, but an attack on all humanity and the universal values we share." He called the attacks an "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians."
• A total of six locations were attacked in and just outside the capital, Paris prosecutor François Molins told reporters Saturday.
“Paris has been hit again by terror tonight,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman said on Twitter.
• Five suspected attackers have been "neutralized," said Molins. It was unclear whether that term meant the terrorists were dead.
• A witness tells Radio France that attackers inside the Bataclan concert hall entered firing rifles and shouting "Allah akbar."
• At least 153 people were killed in the Paris and Saint-Denis shootings and bombings, French officials said. Saint-Denis is home to the national stadium where the soccer match was being played.
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• The worst carnage occurred at Bataclan, with at least 112 left dead. A journalist who was at a rock concert there escaped and told CNN: "We lied down on the floor not to get hurt. It was a huge panic.
The terrorists shot at us for 10 to 15 minutes. It was a bloodbath." Julien Pearce didn't hear the attackers speak, but he said one friend who escaped heard them talk about Iraq and Syria. Later, he said the men were speaking French. Two men dressed in black started shooting and after wounded people fell to the floor, the gunmen shot them again, execution-style, he said ... Read More: http://cnn.com/2015/11/13/world/paris-shooting/
Deaf News - Exclusive: Canadian protesters say Deaf students’ new superintendent who can hear must go - but not everyone agrees.
TORONTO STAR - A loud campaign advocating for a Deaf Superintendent circulated online and around the world, then didn’t get what it was fighting for.
The Provincial Schools Branch (PSB), which oversees the provinces four schools for the Deaf, announced last week it hired a hearing superintendent, Jeanne Leonard.
The announcement also said the branch hired Heather Gibson, who is Deaf, in a new position called “assistant to the superintendents.” Though that brings a Deaf person to an administrative level previously dominated by hearing people, some in the Deaf community say that’s not what they were asking for.
“It totally doesn’t make sense - there are qualified Deaf candidates,” Rose Etheridge, said through an interpreter at a protest Monday in front of the Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf in Milton. “They’re trying to pacify us,” added Etheridge, whose Oct. 22 video calling for a Deaf Superintendent has hit 20,000 views. (The hashtag #PSBsuperintendent2015 followed the video and generated hundreds of posts from across the continent.)
However, two of the community’s most outspoken advocates - Barbara Dodd and Zak Smith, who was arrested last year for staging a protest over concerns about learning conditions in Ontario’s Schools for the Deaf - say they are satisfied with the appointments as a first step toward more Deaf leadership ... Read More: http://thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2015/11/09/protesters-say-school-appointment-is-tone-deaf.html
Petitioning Deaf Superintendent Now:
We are protesting against PSB's decision to appoint a hearing person to superintendent position because we are a cultural and linguistic minority group who should be led by our own. We are also protesting for changes in their superintendent selection process, to ensure that it will be transparent, fair and inclusive. Sign up petition HERE.
VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf small business owners thrive after overcoming obstacles and prejudice of hearing people in the United States.
NEW YORK (AP) - Soon after customers arrive at Mozzeria for the first time, they notice something's different about the restaurant: Virtually every staffer is Deaf.
Owners Russ and Melody Stein are also Deaf, and have run their San Francisco restaurant since 2011. The business is thriving because customers love the food and the Steins have overcome obstacles Deaf people can face when they become small business owners - particularly lingering stereotypes and prejudice, and fewer resources than hearing entrepreneurs have.
"We have the same skills as a hearing individual," Russ Stein says. Running Mozzeria comes naturally to Melody Stein, whose family is in the restaurant business. "It's something I've always wanted to do," she says.
Deaf people have the same ambition and ability to be entrepreneurs and business owners as those who hear, says Tom Baldridge, director of the business administration program at Gallaudet University, the largest educational institution serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There's a growing interest among Gallaudet students in entrepreneurship, matching the increase in business schools across the country. The university is expanding its entrepreneurship offerings beyond courses, and giving students experience in running businesses like campus coffee shops.
"A lot is happening right now beyond a few courses in entrepreneurship. We've hired a consultant who's going to guide us (and) infuse corporate entrepreneurship into all the academic disciplines," Baldridge says.
MIXED REACTIONS
The hearing world is still catching up to the idea of Deaf business owners. The Steins have encountered discrimination from people who hear and don't want to make accommodations to help those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
The couple has run into resistance when they asked for help at local government offices, including times when they were trying to get permits required for running a restaurant.
"We have had our rough moments," Russ Stein says. "There have been times when I had to ask for interpreters, and I was made fun of; I was looked down upon."
Vendors and other business owners who can hear are often startled or feel awkward when they first meet the couple. Some have assumed that because the Steins are Deaf, they didn't know what they were doing, Russ Stein says. Some have been impatient about using pen and paper to communicate, or have said offensive or inappropriate things.
"People ask, 'how do you drive?'" Stein says.
But most vendors adapt to working with the Steins. Mozzeria's wine vendor has become a true colleague, helping them learn more about the restaurant business.
And customers, most of whom can hear, seem happy to write their questions about items on the menu. Some seem awkward when they first come in, but they soon relax and enjoy their meals.
"They learn to overcome their fear," Melody Stein says.
OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES
Many Deaf owners have dealt with prejudice, including hearing people believing that the best careers for Deaf people are teaching or counseling other Deaf people.
Mara Ladines, who owns By Mara, a clothing manufacturer and store in New York wanted a career in fashion design, but some counselors in college tried to steer her toward being a graphic designer, a job that would require less communication with others.
"They believed a Deaf individual can't get a job in the fashion industry." she says.
Ladines insisted on taking design courses and got jobs in retailers including clothing store H&M. In 2008, she began designing T-shirts and other clothes with a logo that shows the American Sign Language sign for "I love you." She started the business online and it has grown to the point where she could open the store last spring; many of the people who walk in are hearing, and Ladines is able to communicate with them and make sales. By Joyce M. Rosenberg, Associated Press Business Writer
VIDEO: Deaf News - Austin, Texas A Top City For Deaf-Owned Businesses.
KXAN AUSTIN - The number of Deaf-owned businesses in the country is growing, and Austin is leading the pack.
Convo, a Deaf-owned telecommunications provider, reports there are more than 200 Deaf-owned businesses in the country, and counting. In the Austin-area there are 30 Deaf-owned businesses.
One of them is Silent Automotive, an auto shop that provides services to both Deaf and Hearing customers. The owners pride themselves on integrity, honesty and quality of service.
“Sound is caused by vibrations, sound doesn’t come out of its own. So we go to the car and feel the vibrations,” said part-owner, Joel DeChristofaro. “We have to be hands on and find exactly where the sound is coming from. Does take a little more time I assume, but I feel it gives us a clearer picture of what happens with the car.” Danny Blalock first started the business back in 2008.
“Because of communication. A lot of my [Deaf] friends have had bad experiences at auto shops, they felt they were getting ripped off,” said Blalock. “Our goal for our business is to keep growing; we’d like to hire more mechanics, Deaf mechanics, to give them opportunity to grow their resume.”
Blalock says the Deaf community continues to grow in Austin, Texas and is becoming more friendly for the Deaf community. Source
VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Petitioning Closed Caption Accessibility Act Bill to Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
TORONTO - Can you hear me? I cannot hear you. I am Deaf. Hearing is the only thing we can’t do… We can do anything else - and not hearing doesn't make us any less Canadian that everyone else! We love our beautiful country as much as you do. We love the quality of life here that is afforded to every Canadians, both citizens and newcomers.
Unfortunately, life for Deaf people in Canada is without many of the things you take for granted. We face much hardship, discrimination, inequality in employment, and poverty. We are not even able to enjoy our internet or technologies or facilities or events or anything you see and use in daily life. Sign up petition HERE.
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Canada has not enacted a law similar to the US “21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act” which would provide an entitlement for Deaf citizens to access media online with mandated closed captioning. Without captioning, online content remains mostly inaccessible for us. In Canada, we are left out, falling behind the times in terms of modern accessibility; Technology changed and the rules didn’t. We have no clue what politician may say on videos or ads online. We are unable to watch any video online even ESPN, HBO, Netflix, MTV or our national new sites (CTV.ca or CBC.ca) because they choose not to provide closed captioning for some or all of its contents and are not required to do so.
Even more importantly, on the employment side, with all of the technological advancements available, communication barriers have been broken down. Today’s technology has revolutionized the workplace in terms of communications. With such a wealth of technology, incorporating the Deaf into a workplace environment should be fairly easy to do. You'd be thinking that it should have solved some of the unemployment issues, so did we!
In federal election 2015 that Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party won the majority, we the Deaf note that none of the parties have addressed the issues of accessibility; none have developed any remedies for the issues facing the Deaf communities across this great country with exception of promising Accessibility Act but falling short of mentioning anything on our issues.
VIDEO: Campaign: Canadian Film 'Ice & Quiet' A Deaf Hockey Documentary.
TORONTO - Imagine living without hearing. You'd miss the sounds of the world - music, laughter, traffic noises as you try to cross the road, a friend shouting out in the street behind you, the roar of a crowd at a hockey game.
Even the whistle of the referee or call of your teammates as you tried to play. Would you even try to play?
But what if there was a way you could despite this? What if Deaf hockey was a thing?... Oh wait, it is. And it's got an exciting story we want to share with the world.
The Ontario Deaf Hockey Association was founded in 2011 to bring Deaf and Hearing individuals and athletes together and provide pathways in sport and hockey for Deaf athletes in the province. As our athletes prepare for the Deaflympics (yeah, that's also a thing), we're putting together a documentary about Deaf hockey to help build awareness of the sport and garner support for the love of the game.
And also just because it a fascinating topic, right?
As part of the documentary, we've partnered with many different organizations including the Hockey Hall of Fame, Glide, Karbon Sports, CrossIceHockey, Epic Toronto and Kobe Sportswear.
It's going to be an intriguing and arousing short documentary with game footage along with some fan interviews. But before we can put it all together, we need your help Raising CA$3,000 to cover things like equipment, location and interpreter costs. The remaining amount will be put back into the Ontario Deaf Hockey Association to ensure that the program's success to help athletes accomplish their dreams of playing hockey and representing their province and later, Team Canada at the Deaflympics. Sign up to donate HERE.
So if you love hockey, are curious about a different version of the game or just want to be involved in an exciting documentary that will score goals at film festivals, here's your chance to get involved. We've got some great perks for all your generous support and because we're still in production there's even opportunity to be interviewed on screen... Read More: https://indiegogo.com/projects/ice-quiet-a-hockey-documentary#/
VIDEO: A short comedy film 'You & Me' now in pre-production.
A young Deaf woman meets a recently blinded man at a cafe. What follows is a funny and moving love story about life’s universal challenges and joys. This short is an excerpt from the feature-length screenplay.
Written by Hillary Baack & Alexander Baack
Produced by Alexander Baack & Hillary Baack
Directed by Alexander Baack (Hollywood Musical!)
Starring Hillary Baack (The East)
Music by D.D. Jackson
You & Me - Indiegogo Intro: The introduction of our Indiegogo campaign as well as the short film of the big meet cute!
VIDEO [CC] - Exclusive: Chris Wagner, president of National Association of the Deaf's board of directors, to resign from his position immediately!
This petition is to demand for Chris Wagner, president of the board of directors with National Association of the Deaf (NAD), to resign from his position since his views & special interests doesn’t align with the NAD’s mission statement along with the Deaf Civil Rights. Sign up petition HERE.
If Chris Wagner refuses to resign, with your support by signing this petition, we as the Deaf community of United States of America will demand for the NAD’s board of directors to take action against Chris Wagner and impeach him from his position. We need a leader who will support Deaf Civil Rights and take a stand against Deaf Schools, being dominated by audists who refused to respect Deaf children’s rights to education with American Sign Language.
Ever since the Hunger Strike started against Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) for oppressing against Deaf people and taking away ASL from the rights of Deaf children, Chris Wagner has made it clear that he’s supporting Donald E. Rhoten, the superintendent of WPSD, over the Deaf community, which is a conflict of interest with NAD’s mission statement.
We have suffered oppression for over 200 years. We have had enough! Now is the time to stand up and make sure our voices are heard with support from NAD to empower the Deaf community and enable Deaf people with greater access to employment, to preserve ASL as a primary language for the Deaf children. The NAD needs to work with the Deaf community, not against itself, like Lincoln said, “A divided house cannot stand!” Sign up petition HERE.
NAD President Asks Community to Become Unified - National Association of the Deaf (NAD) President Chris Wagner asks the community to stop attacking each other and to work together.
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Chris Wagner's description and transcript: This is probably one of the most difficult messages that I have ever had to give. It is evident that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community is not unified, with all the different individuals and groups making strong comments against each other. There have been bullying incidents on social media as well. This breaks my heart. This kind of hostility is what gives hearing parents concerns about sending their children to a Deaf School.
We all know that these schools are the heart of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Though I didn’t go to a Deaf school myself, I discovered my Deaf identity and American Sign Language through my journey as I became an adult. I know that Deaf schools are important. It is true, I envy people who grew up attending a Deaf school. And I am convinced that we must focus our energy on supporting these Deaf schools... Read More: https://youtu.be/oLBUT0xMVmY
If some of you not agreed with Chris Wagner's statement, then sign up petition HERE.
The abuser was allowed to prey on the school's pupils even after he was convicted of indecently assaulting two of them, and barred by the Department for Education from being a proprietor of the school. His victims, who fought and failed to win justice, tell their story to Erika Jones.
When Deaf children are abused, they can have extra difficulties in letting people know what has happened. One incidence of abuse from an east London school for Deaf children has demonstrated the problem in a See Hear and Newsnight investigation which has named the perpetrator for the first time.
With limited vocabulary and lack of awareness, many children at Woodford School for Deaf Children tried to tell people they were being sexually abused by the husband of the headmistress, without success.
"There was a busy road with a playground and there'd be people walking past but we had no communication because we couldn't speak, we couldn't sign and they couldn't understand our voices," says James, not his real name, a pupil at the school in the early 1960s. "We'd try and write notes but our vocabulary was limited. The only word we knew was 'rude'."
It is difficult for a child to tell an adult that they have been touched inappropriately, sexually assaulted or raped. If that child is Deaf and can't speak well, or if they use sign language, then communicating even the simplest things can be a challenge... Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/disability
NOTE: Woodford school for the Deaf' social media is shutting down include a web-site as well. What a shame, hearing Brits!
Matthew Pocci, 47, faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 11. Jurors deliberated a little more than a day before finding the defendant guilty.
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"I'm disappointed. Matthew's extremely disappointed and hurt," defense attorney Ashby Sorensen said after the verdict. "He felt like he was a victim that day and he feels like he's a victim again for simply trying to protect his family."
Pocci testified that he was "very nervous" while waiting for pedestrians to move out of the way near Second and Island as he left the Comic-Con convention with his girlfriend and others on July 26, 2014. The defendant said he started to worry when a crowd surrounded his car and people sat on the hood.
"It's clear that they were very scared there at the end," Sorensen told reporters. The attorney said Pocci who has no prior criminal record could get probation at the time of sentencing.
Deputy District Attorney Anthony Campagna told jurors the defendant stopped for several minutes on Second Avenue, and even turned his engine off for a few moments, before honking his horn "loudly, aggressively" and driving into the group of onlookers.
Jurors saw video footage from three different angles.
"Starbucks! This is what I'm talking about! Share it away! We can change the world!" King wrote as the caption. “I think more people need to know about what we’re doing because it moves customer service to a whole new level,”
Wyble said. “I hope it helps make more people aware of what they can to do serve others in their communities.” Source
VIDEO [CC] Deaf News: The phrase "deaf-mute" is problematic, and it is not an appropriate way to discuss a person.
Huffington Post by Lydia Callis - An unusual tale about a young Indian woman named Geeta has been making its way around the internet after a Bollywood film helped spark interest in her story. As a child, Geeta accidentally crossed the border into Pakistan all alone. She lived there in the care of a social welfare group for more than ten years years until last month, when she finally returned to India.
Geeta is Deaf and uses sign language to communicate, and the way the mainstream media has chosen to portray her is quite revealing. Major news outlets from CNN to CBS to Al Jazeera all decided to utilize the outdated terms "deaf" and "mute" in their stories about the woman.
For centuries, people with different abilities, intellectual skills or physical features were forced to live on the fringes of society. They were labeled "defective" or "freaks" by the mainstream, and their families were shamed by their existence.
These labels kept people isolated, and they opened the door for abuse and neglect. People who were Deaf were never even given the opportunity to learn or socialize. They were denied humanity just because they were a little bit different... Read More: http://huffingtonpost.com/lydia-l-callis/how-the-media-mutes-deaf-voices.html
VIDEO: Deaf News - Deaf Albuquerque girl uses American Sign Language to communicate with pet dog.
KRQE ALBUQUERQUE -- A Deaf New Mexico girl is using sign language to communicate with her pet dog. “She does everything with him,” said Neeva’s mom Chelsea Goff. While Neeva, 4, eats, her dog Baxter cleans up her crumbs. When it’s time to go outside and play, he is by her side.
“He is just always with her. If she’s asleep in bed, we can guarantee that he is in her room with her,” said Goff. Neeva and Baxter aren’t your average pair.
“We found out right away after she was born that she didn’t have hearing,” said Goff. Neeva goes to the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe. She communicates using sign language. “So really that is our primary language with her, therefore it’s her primary language with our animals,” said Goff.
Goff went to Animal Humane of New Mexico in August to find a dog that could fit in with her family, particularly one that had enough patience to care for Neeva.
“They had some animals that they thought would fit with our family and sure enough Baxter was one of them,” she said. “It was kind of that love at first sight kind of thing, so we brought him home and things have been great.”
Neeva has taught Baxter how to sit, stay and even go using sign language. Goff said Baxter listens most of the time especially if there is a treat involved.
“To watch them interact and really have active communication is really spectacular to watch,” said Goff. She also said the constant communication between the two has helped Neeva with her signing.
“In the Deaf community you get a sign name and it is usually assigned to you by another Deaf community member, so Neeva gave Baxter his sign name,” she said. Goff said the pair’s relationship is a silent one, yet powerful. Neeva’s family got Baxter for free from Animal Humane after another family who fell in love with him at the shelter, but couldn’t have him paid for his adoption fee. Source
