Another Denial but Life Goes On
deafinprison On August 19, Felix had his 5th parole hearing, this time held over a conference call. I did not have to travel to Florida to appear before the Parole Commission. The outcome was a denial. The next hearing will be in Aug. 2022. When a sentence is handed down, the inmate is given a PPRD. […]
Thu, Oct 01 2020

Teaching ASL in Angola
deafinprison Through Facebook, I had the opportunity to meet a really great person. Jasmine Walker is the young woman who sat down with Ronald Reynolds, a hearing former inmate at Louisana’s Angola Penitentiary. Mr. Reynolds found himself intrigued with ASL, and after learning enough began to teach to other hearing inmates. He soon became aware that […]
Sun, Apr 19 2020

Again, Justice denied for Felix
deafinprison As I mentioned in my last post, there has been an investigation underway, on Felix’s case by the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County, Florida, for the last 14 months. They created a special unit to look at cases where there is a claim of innocence. His case is now closed. In other words, Felix […]
Sun, Feb 23 2020

Happy 2020 from Felix and Pat
deafinprison There has been an investigation and a review on Felix’s case regarding due process violation by the court not providing Felix with a sign interpreter at his 1983 trial. Hopefully, soon I will be able to share more about it.
Sun, Jan 26 2020

Perils of the Pen: Note Writing Not Fair Communication For...
deafinprison Many police, criminal justice and court officials assume the since a deaf person asks for a paper and pencil or a computer screen that they can communicate through writing. This seldom is the case. They typically ask for paper and pencil or the computer screen because they have no other recourse. Routinely police officers and […]
Tue, May 07 2019

Double Injustice: Deaf on Deaf Crime
deafinprison Over the past few years, I’ve been asked to provide language evaluations in cases that involved crimes involving Deaf people against each other, typically domestic violence cases. In several of the cases, the Deaf person with better speech skills would gain control over the police questioning when the arrest occurred, with police becoming more sympathetic […]
Fri, Apr 12 2019

Let it Snow
deafinprison Right now as I write this (December 12th) Felix is in his glory seeing all the snow that fell over the past weekend. He said he got 9 inches. He loved it. He thought it would be nice if it would snow all the time. Of course, you are looking at a southerner who was […]
Fri, Dec 21 2018

Update on Felix
deafinprison “I like it here.” I hear those words from Felix a lot. He still feels blessed and happy to be in Virginia. I know it has been a very long time since I have written anything on Felix. While it does mean Felix is doing well here in VDOC – thanks in large part to […]
Tue, Aug 28 2018

Author Joanne Greenberg Live Reading
deafinprison
Thu, Jul 19 2018

Watching the Movie, “I Am Not Your Negro” on...
deafinprison We celebrated Rev. Martin Luther King’s birthday by watching the 90-minute PBS special documentary, ‘I Am Not Your Negro.’ The movie was part celebration, part eye-opener, and part sadness-filled and left us wondering, when will racial hatred stop? Why does the color of one’s skin have to matter? Why do we hate people who look […]
Tue, Jan 16 2018

Using a Young CODA as A Sign Language Interpreter: Never a...
deafinprison Consider this scenario. During a domestic dispute, a husband who is deaf hits his wife who is also deaf. This occurs in the couple’s kitchen with their young seven-year-old hearing daughter watching such a horrible incident. The assaulting husband flees out the door. The mother, badly bleeding from a mouth cut, calls 911 on video […]
Mon, Jan 15 2018

Felix Garcia: “We See to Hear.”
deafinprison By Pat Bliss I have pretty well kept you all up to date what has been going on in Felix’s life inside prison. You are aware of his move to Virginia DOC in March 2016. But I want you to know how well he is doing, and bring some insight into Deafness. My last visit […]
Fri, Dec 22 2017

The Language of Light: A History of Silent Voices
deafinprison Book Review: The Language of Light: A History of Silent Voices (2017) by Gerald Shea Yale University Press. New Haven. This is a history of sign language, “the language of light” and how Deaf people have fought for centuries for the right to use their language. The controversy of signing versus oralism has existed for […]
Fri, Dec 08 2017

Caught in the Web of Parole
deafinprison For many Deaf individuals the parole process is a complex web. And for those Deaf persons who have poor English and sign skills and are not aware of their Constitutional Rights, the stakes are particularly high. What creates this web of confusion? For one, the rules and regulations of the parole process are presented in […]
Tue, Dec 05 2017

Summer Update on Felix
deafinprison Hello to all of Felix’s followers and supporters! It has been many months since my last post, not much had changed except for the fact Felix got a job cleaning the bathrooms and a class opened up in horticulture. It was something new, he enjoyed learning to plant seedlings and take care of his little […]
Sat, Sep 16 2017

Jan Update on Felix
deafinprison By Pat Bliss It has been a while since I have posted anything, and I am certain that many of Felix’s supporters are wondering what has happened to him. I understand those thoughts so here, I will fill you in. Since Felix received his transfer from Florida to Virginia last March, he left an environment […]
Sun, Jan 29 2017

ASL Interpreters at the Doctor’s Office
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Mrs. T., a single mother who is deaf, made a medical appointment when her hearing son complained of headaches and earaches. As a native Signer, Mrs. T. requested a qualified ASL interpreter for the doctor’s office visit. She was informed that a staff audiologist interpret. But the Audiologist was busy with […]
Sat, Oct 15 2016

What July 4th Means to Me
deafinprison By BitcoDavid Next week, July 12th is a very important anniversary for me. 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. In fact, I almost died. Now, I realize that this post has nothing to do with our stated topics on DeafInPrison.com, but I had to put it up, somewhere. And this seemed […]
Tue, Jul 05 2016

Deaf Culture in the Classroom
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Is Deaf culture an important tool in the literacy classroom in Deaf education? Many who work closely with Deaf colleagues – and many reading teachers – say “Yes.” These people utilize this tool, when building their practical instructional models. Deaf culture serves as a strong support mechanism in teaching both ASL […]
Sun, Jun 05 2016

A New Life for Felix
deafinprison By Pat Bliss It took me 5 1/2 hours to drive to Jarratt, VA to see Felix at his new prison camp, Greensville Correctional Center. I spent the night on Friday May 6th, and visited on Saturday, May 7th. He was very excited because it was not only our first Virginia visit, but also Mothers […]
Wed, Jun 01 2016

Language learning and Deaf Children in Morocco
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Embed from Getty Images In his book, Literacy, Culture, and Development : Becoming Literate in Morocco, Professor Daniel Wagner (1993) describes the complex language learning contact situation of hearing boys and girls in Morocco. Deaf children are no different. They too are born into a complex language contact situation where their  […]
Sun, May 29 2016

To Felix’s Supporters
deafinprison By Pat Bliss There are more restrictions about mail coming into Greensville CC, than there were in FL. Felix told me mail is being returned to the senders. All mail and email that Felix can get goes through JPay. JPay is a private company that handles communications between inmates and their friends and families on […]
Sat, May 14 2016

To Felix’s Supporters
deafinprison By Pat Bliss There are more restrictions about mail coming into Greensville CC, than there were in FL. Felix told me mail is being returned to the senders. All mail and email that Felix can get goes through JPay. JPay is a private company that handles communications between inmates and their friends and families on […]
Thu, Apr 14 2016

Why I Sign Video
deafinprison By BitcoDavid For a long time, I have been wanting to add more ASL videos to this site. I have done a few, and have also uploaded a few from other Signers. This is part of a Hashtag Program called “#Why I Sign.” I have left it uncaptioned, because I want to see how legible […]
Thu, Apr 14 2016

When Should Deaf Babies Learn Sign Language?
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Deaf babies should learn sign language just as soon as their hearing loss is diagnosed, at birth, 3 months, 6 months or before the age of two.  Recent research in Neuroscience and Psycholinguistics has shown that when a baby’s brain is exposed to two languages between the ages of 6 and […]
Wed, Apr 13 2016

Important Update: Felix Garcia Transfered to Va.
deafinprison "I am so happy to be in Virginia. These people are real respectful and these guys are huge. I am probably the littlest guy here. I cried because I have never experienced such kindness from security. They treat me like a person."
Wed, Apr 13 2016

Why I Sign Video
deafinprison By BitcoDavid For a long time, I have been wanting to add more ASL videos to this site. I have done a few, and have also uploaded a few from other Signers. This is part of a Hashtag Program called “#Why I Sign.” I have left it uncaptioned, because I want to see how legible […]
Wed, Apr 13 2016

When Should Deaf Babies Learn Sign Language?
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Deaf babies should learn sign language just as soon as their hearing loss is diagnosed, at birth, 3 months, 6 months or before the age of two.  Recent research in Neuroscience and Psycholinguistics has shown that when a baby’s brain is exposed to two languages between the ages of 6 and […]
Fri, Apr 08 2016

Important Update: Felix Garcia Transfered to Va.
deafinprison "I am so happy to be in Virginia. These people are real respectful and these guys are huge. I am probably the littlest guy here. I cried because I have never experienced such kindness from security. They treat me like a person."
Sun, Apr 03 2016

Phone Justice for Deaf Prisoners: TTY or VP?
deafinprison "While they DO have a TTY machine here, but it doesn't work properly -- AND the only time we are able to use that machine is when someone is available to "monitor" it. What that means is my "counselor" has to take time of her work to sit beside me and read our conversation" (email to HEARD, January 10, 2013). And still another prisoner complained there was no power ou...
Sat, Mar 19 2016

A Look at Felix Garcia’s Life
deafinprison By Pat Bliss In order to recap the events of 2015  I need to first start with Felix’s parole hearing in  November of 2014. The results of the hearing were very favorable in contrast to what others received that day. No, Felix was not granted his well deserved parole, but nor was anyone else. He […]
Tue, Feb 02 2016

We’re Back Online!
deafinprison By BitcoDavid During the past week, DeafInPrison.com experienced a technical problem with our Domain name and our DNS Name Server. It resulted in a period when many of you could not locate us in search engines, and culminated in 2 full days where the site wasn’t visible to anybody. You have my sincerest apologies, and […]
Tue, Feb 02 2016

2015 in Review
deafinprison By BitcoDavid Happy New Year to all our readers, supporters, friends, Supporter Contributors and authors from BitcoDavid. 2015 was a great year for DeafInPrison.com, and I sincerely hope that 2016 will be even better. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times […]
Tue, Feb 02 2016

Merry Christmas to Felix’s Supporters
deafinprison By Pat Bliss Hello to Felix’s Supporters… Christmas day is creeping up fast and my annual trek to spend Christmas with Felix will be soon. I am going to write a post in January and will highlight the events of 2015.  I just wanted to let you all know, even though communication has been sparse […]
Tue, Feb 02 2016

Book Review by Jean Andrews
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Backspace by Steve C. Baldwin, published by Savory Words Publishing (2015) Set in southeast Texas, Dr. Steve Baldwin crafted a briskly paced murder mystery filled with family violence, addiction, bullying, blackmail, deceit and greed, murder, and incest.  In the early 1950’s, stuck in an unsympathetic hearing world filled with ignorance, misinfor...
Tue, Feb 02 2016

2015 in Review
deafinprison By BitcoDavid Happy New Year to all our readers, supporters, friends, Supporter Contributors and authors from BitcoDavid. 2015 was a great year for DeafInPrison.com, and I sincerely hope that 2016 will be even better. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times […]
Thu, Dec 31 2015

Merry Christmas to Felix’s Supporters
deafinprison By Pat Bliss Hello to Felix’s Supporters… Christmas day is creeping up fast and my annual trek to spend Christmas with Felix will be soon. I am going to write a post in January and will highlight the events of 2015.  I just wanted to let you all know, even though communication has been sparse […]
Thu, Dec 24 2015

Book Review by Jean Andrews
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Backspace by Steve C. Baldwin, published by Savory Words Publishing (2015) Set in southeast Texas, Dr. Steve Baldwin crafted a briskly paced murder mystery filled with family violence, addiction, bullying, blackmail, deceit and greed, murder, and incest.  In the early 1950’s, stuck in an unsympathetic hearing world filled with ignorance, misinfor...
Wed, Nov 25 2015

A Show of Hands—An Evening with the National Theater...
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews On Friday, November 13, 2015, at the University of Houston’s Jose Quintero Theater on campus, the National Theater of the Deaf entertained a mixed audience of hearing and Deaf members. They presented a show called “A Show of Hands.” Behind a bright green vertically slotted curtain, you could only see the […]
Fri, Nov 20 2015

Prevalence of False Confessions in the US
deafinprison By Supporter Contributor Carli Leavitt In 2010, Stephen Brodie, who is deaf, was exonerated after serving 20 years in prison for child sex abuse. The 5-year-old victim explained that her attacker had a “strange voice” which eventually lead police to Brodie. He was interrogated for over 18 hours, oftentimes without a sign language interpreter present. […]
Thu, Nov 19 2015

ASL Immersion Learning at Northeastern
deafinprison By BitcoDavid My Sign tutor recommended I watch the following video. It offers a unique insight into Deaf culture and the problems associated with intercommunication between our two languages, English and ASL. I had hoped to embed the video, but the original publisher blocked embedding on their YouTube page. Below please find the link to […]
Sun, Nov 15 2015

An ABC Story
deafinprison By BitcoDavid There are two essential reasons why it is harder to learn ASL as a second language, than spoken languages. First, Sign is a conceptual language rather than a symbolic one. The word table, in English, doesn’t mean a thing with four legs that sits in your kitchen. That would be your dog or […]
Fri, Oct 23 2015

First Digest Post in a While
deafinprison By BitcoDavid We haven’t had a digest post in quite a while, but when enough news happens in a short period of time, it becomes necessary to cover it in a single post. First off, this past Thursday, October 1st was Felix Garcia‘s birthday.  Pat Bliss sent me the following: October 1st is Felix’s birthday. […]
Sat, Oct 03 2015
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A Quick Update
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews Recently, I covered the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf, in Greece. Here’s an update on that story. In the Maryland Bulletin (Spring, 2015, p. 12), James E. Tucker, Superintent of the Maryland School for the deaf  in Frederick, Maryland wrote about the recent lack of sign language interpreters […]
Thu, Sep 17 2015
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!!!100,000 Views!!!
deafinprison By BitcoDavid I made this graphic to commemorate our 100,000 views. It’s taken us almost 4 years to do. In that time, our 7 authors and numerous supporter contributors have created 573 posts. We’ve reached 43,000 individual visitors, and our message has been seen at least once in every country on Earth. Now, we’re officially […]
Wed, Sep 02 2015

Another Move Another Home For Felix
deafinprison By Pat Bliss You sometimes wonder – will the moves, the accusations, the disruptions ever end for Felix?  Well, here we are again having to have Felix moved from his home camp of Marion Correctional to protect his life. We had to move him fast, when he was at Tomoka C.I., because he divulged to […]
Wed, Aug 19 2015

An ASL Video by Me
deafinprison By BitcoDavid BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related […]
Sun, Aug 09 2015

Deaf in Jail – Mistreatment of the Deaf.
deafinprison By Supporter Contributor Melisa Marzett Deaf people belong to one of the most vulnerable layers of society for obvious reasons. They cannot hear. Deaf people in jail are even more insecure. Some might say that if a person is in jail, this person deserves it and deserves the mistreatment, despite any physical disabilities like Deafness. […]
Mon, Jul 27 2015

Jill’s Dilemma
deafinprison By Jean F. Andrews In a southern state in a Federal prison, Jill is serving a 10-year term.  While sign language interpreters are provided for her when her attorney comes to visit or during her hearings with the judge, she does not get interpreting services within the prison. For example, she does not fully understand […]
Thu, Jul 23 2015

Inmate Speaks Out on Prison-Dog Program
deafinprison By BitcoDavid An attorney who has written for us in the past, informed me that he recently acquired a canine graduate of the prison-dog program in his home state. He tells me that he couldn’t be happier with the dog, who’s well  behaved and well mannered. Further, he relayed to me that not only was […]
Tue, Jul 21 2015