Deaf News Today

Deafness in Three Movements
Deaf News Today A new documentary about deafness premiered on HBO last night. Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements is the story of Jonas Brodsky who began losing his hearing at the age of two like his grandmother. Only in Jonas case, his parents had the choice of giving him a cochlear implant. Read more about the film here or watch the trailer below. Read More at DeafNews...
Thu, Dec 12 2019 · 10 hours ago

It's OK to Point!
Deaf News Today The CDC offers a video explaining some differences between hearing and Deaf culture. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. spoke with Jack Volpe, who is an ASL instructor and director of a play, which brings together both Deaf and hearing actors in Montreal. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Thu, Dec 12 2019 · 13 hours ago

ASL Program Proposed for Univ of Memphis
Deaf News Today The University of Memphis is planning to become the only college in West Tennessee offering a degree program in ASL by the fall of 2021. The school only started offering undergraduate courses in ASL during the fall of 2015. Administrators expect to serve 40 majors each year and graduate 15 to 20 students each year. The only college in Tennessee with such a degree prog...
Wed, Dec 11 2019

$2 Million Grant Goes to Cochlear Implant Research
Deaf News Today A National Institutes of Health grant of $2 will be used by a researcher at USC toward a "project aimed at helping the formerly deaf with cochlear implants regain their appreciation for music." Ray Goldsworthy (who uses a CI himself) will study: The role pitch perception plays in music comprehension. The ability to determine pitch — to distinguish if one sound is ...
Wed, Dec 11 2019

In 2013: the fake interpreter at Mandela’s memorial...
Deaf News Today During Nelson Mandela’s memorial service in Johannesburg on this date (Dec. 10) in 2013, a man pretending to interpret for the dignitaries that spoke was declared a fraud by South Africa's deaf federation. U.S. President Barack Obama was among the heads of state attending the service at the 95,000-seat football stadium when Thamsanqa Jantjie took to the stage. The i...
Tue, Dec 10 2019

Happy Birthday, Thomas Gallaudet!
Deaf News Today Born - Philadelphia on December 10, 1787 Family - Oldest of 12 children College - Attended Yale at age 14, graduating with highest honors at 17 Ministry - Ordained in 1814, sometimes preaching at church Deaf Interest - Became interested in deaf issues when he met a 9-year-old deaf neighbor School - Founded The American School for the Deaf during 1817 in Hartfo...
Tue, Dec 10 2019

The Ottoman Empire used a Secret Sign Language
Deaf News Today Ottoman court signer from a  17th-century costume book (via Wikimedia Commons) "In the 1600s, the court of the Ottoman Empire employed some 40 deaf servants," professor Sara Scalenghe writes. "They were chosen not in spite of their deafness, but because of it. The deaf servants were favored companions of the sultan, and their facility in nonverbal communication made...
Mon, Dec 09 2019

Getting to Know Dr House
Deaf News Today It was on this date (Dec. 7, 2012) that Dr. William F. House died in Oregon at the age of 89. Dr. House is credited with installing the first cochlear implant in 1961. He was told by experts the electric current he was using would destroy the ear, but that didn't stop him. He believed in what implants could do to change someone's life. Here's a little about him. Know...
Sat, Dec 07 2019

Looking back at Kitty O'Neil's Record
Deaf News Today It was on this day (Dec. 6) in 1976 that professional stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil set a record for land speed by a female driver. It was in Oregon's Alvord Desert that Kitty hit 512 miles per hour.Childhood diseases left her deaf and nearly killed her. She became a champion diver at a young age. Her work later as a Hollywood stuntwoman was featured in TV shows like Quinc...
Fri, Dec 06 2019

Deaf Actor plays characters not defined by his being Deaf
Deaf News Today Russell Harvard, a third-generation Deaf man, is playing the roles of Link Deas and Boo Radley in Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird. It's the "first time the actor had played a character not defined by being Deaf." He tells Playbill I think it simply means I’m good at what I do. It makes sense with Link Deas and Boo Radley because they share similar qualities. B...
Thu, Dec 05 2019

On this Date: Dimarco Wins Top Model
Deaf News Today Nyle Dimarco(image from ANTM video) Nyle Dimarco won America's Next Top Model contest on this date (Dec. 4) in 2015. He was the first deaf contestant to do so. Afterward Dimarco told People magazine, "Being a deaf person on a television show alone is pretty groundbreaking, so it felt incredible just to be on the show – but to win it was amazing!" Read more of that ...
Wed, Dec 04 2019

Happy Birthday, Linda the Librarian!
Deaf News Today Linda Bove was born on this day (Nov 30) in 1945. She’s remembered as the deaf lady on Sesame Street. Bove was a regular on the show from 1971 to 2003 as Linda the Librarian, introducing thousands of children to sign language and deaf community issues. In 1991, she and her husband founded DeafWest, a resident sign-language theater in Los Angeles which has produced s...
Sat, Nov 30 2019

NAD wins settlement against Harvard over captioning video
Deaf News Today Harvard has settled a lawsuit over captioning. The school has agreed to make its website and online courses "friendlier" to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. The National Association of the Deaf filed the suit four years ago, saying "many of its videos and audio recordings lacked captions or used inaccurate captions." NAD CEO Howard Rosenblum said, "This lawsuit ...
Fri, Nov 29 2019

Oldest Terp Dies
Deaf News Today The woman believed to be the oldest working sign language interpreter in the country has died at the age of 97. Norma Lewis worked with deaf people in the Kentucky court system. Read more about Norma in the Courier-Journal here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Nov 27 2019

Priests who abused deaf children get 40-year jail terms
Deaf News Today "Two Roman Catholic priests were each sentenced to more than 40 years in prison in Argentina for the sexual abuse, including rape, of deaf children" reports AFP. The victims were living at a Catholic boarding school and ranged from between four and 17 years of age. "Some burst into wild celebrations when the sentence was read out in court. Some of the victims' mothers...
Tue, Nov 26 2019

11 years ago today: William Gibson died
Deaf News Today On November 25, 2008, the man who wrote a famous play about Helen Keller called The Miracle Worker died. William Gibson's story of Helen Keller’s relationship with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, won the 1960 Tony Award for best play and is still regularly performed around the country in community theaters. Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, played the stage roles of Sulliva...
Mon, Nov 25 2019

NTID partners with Beijing school
Deaf News Today The National Technical Institute for the Deaf is partnering with a Chinese university to create student and faculty exchange programs. A delegation from Beijing Union University visited the Rochester campus where they signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday. Read more about the agreement here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Nov 23 2019

First Deaf Player in Youth Hockey League
Deaf News Today The Madison Gay Hockey Association has its first deaf player. Stephanie Schwartzkopf is from Colorado but moved to Wisconsin a couple of years ago and she is among the 70 players. Read more about her in an Isthmus article here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Nov 23 2019

Happy Birthday Mojo!
Deaf News Today This is Mojo Mathers birthday (born Nov 23, 1966). She became the first member of New Zealand's parliament when she ran as a Green candidate in 2011. She was born profoundly deaf and is a lipreader. She began to use sign language in the late 2000s New Zealand became the first country to adopt sign language as an official language in 2006 and now, some 25,000 people ...
Sat, Nov 23 2019

A Deaf Dancer Lands Her Dream Role
Deaf News Today As the Lady in Purple in “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” Alexandria Wailes finally has a part that reflects her just the way she is: deaf, mixed race and a dancer." Read more in the New York Times here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Nov 20 2019

Hospital reaches agreement in civil rights probe over terps
Deaf News Today Detroit's William Beaumont Hospital has settled a civil rights complaint over its violation of ADA law. The facility was accused of failing to adequately provide interpreters for deaf patients. Beaumont refused to admit any wrongdoing, denying it violated ADA law. And yet, it agreed to provide ADA training and enforce policies related to interpreters. The agreement ap...
Sun, Nov 17 2019

Historic marker unveiled for Rochester’s School for the...
Deaf News Today A roadside marker was unveiled yesterday to honor the role of Rochester’s School for the Deaf in the community. The school was established in 1876. RochesterFirst.com has a video report (or read the story here). Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Fri, Nov 15 2019

On this day in 1966
Deaf News Today It was on this date in 1966 (Nov 14) Congressman Hugh Carey announced that Rochester, New York would be the site of a new college. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) admitted its first students in 1968. It is one of nine colleges located at the Rochester Institute of Technology. There are now more than 1500 students and about 600 faculty and staff. M...
Fri, Nov 15 2019

Deaf actor finally gets his wish: Not to be defined solely...
Deaf News Today Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has just started its second season with a new cast. Academy Award nominee Ed Harris is taking on the role of Atticus Finch while deaf actor Russell Harvard has joined the cast as well. It was Harvard's wish not to be defined "solely by deafness." The Washington Post says he's getting that wish with...
Thu, Nov 14 2019

Texting 911 (hopefully) coming to New York City soon
Deaf News Today It has been more than two years since New York City officials announced plans to offer 911 texting. It was supposed to happen last year--but now the city says it may actually have it in operation by summer. Deaf advocates say it can't come soon enough. Margaret Arnold, an ASL interpreter, is quoted by the New York Daily News as saying: I texted 311 services for New ...
Wed, Nov 13 2019

A Deaf CEO’s Perspective
Deaf News Today The CEO of the world’s largest deaf-led social impact organization says the disability rights movement has been around a lot longer than many people think. According to Christopher Soukup of Communication Service for the Deaf: For most people, the disability rights movement’s inception seemingly occurs after the civil rights movement in the mid-20th century, whe...
Mon, Nov 11 2019

A Plan to give D.C. its first Office Dedicated To The Deaf
Deaf News Today There's proposed legislation that would create the first government office for people with hearing loss in DC. It's called the “Office on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Establishment Amendment Act of 2019” is designed to ensure members of the deaf community have access to all District services. You can see the proposal here and read about why some in the Deaf community ...
Mon, Nov 11 2019

Is There a Right Way to Be Deaf?
Deaf News Today Sarah Katz penned an op-ed piece for the New York Times addresses whether it is possible to embrace both ASL and cued speech. She writes, "I’ll never know definitively whether my parents made the right decision...Throughout my life, I’ve felt like the object of a constant tug of war between the deaf and hearing communities." Read the full article here(paywall). R...
Sun, Nov 10 2019

ASL Prof Apologies for Class Guest Speaker
Deaf News Today A Baylor ASL professor apologized to his students this week. A pastor from a deaf church in Chicago was a guest speaker who talked about and endorsed conversion therapy. Jari Saavalainen was supposed to talk about missionary work, not counseling designed to try to turn gay people straight. Read more from NBC News here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Nov 09 2019

Deaf Football Captain is "true leader on field"
Deaf News Today A high school football captain who was born deaf "dominates on the field at Bloomfield High School in Michigan and is headed to play the sport collegiately next year." Read more about Devin Holmes from KXXV-TV here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Nov 06 2019

Woman says she was fired for Being Deaf
Deaf News Today Katrina Hearn is suing Helia Healthcare, a company that runs the Four Fountains nursing home of Belleville, Illinois. Hearn claims she was fired from her position as director of nursing because of her disability and her race. Helia Healthcare let her go "the day she came back from taking two days off to treat an infection of her cochlear implant." Read the full story ...
Mon, Nov 04 2019

Marching Band incorporates ASL into its show
Deaf News Today The Ferndale Marching Band from Ferndale, Michigan is using sign language in its halftime performances with help from Detroit-based deaf rapper Sean Forbes. The show is called The Sounds of Silence and about halfway through, the students stop playing their instruments and perform Forbes' song Watch These Hands in ASL. The video below of Forbes and the band practicing ...
Mon, Nov 04 2019

One Year Ago: Kitty O'Neil Dies
Deaf News Today Professional stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil died one year ago (Nov. 2, 2018 from pneumonia) at the age of 72. Among other things, the deaf daredevil set a record for land speed by a female driver in 1976. It was in Oregon's Alvord Desert that Kitty hit 512 miles per hour.Childhood diseases left her deaf and nearly killed her. She became a champion diver at a young age. Her ...
Sat, Nov 02 2019

Maryland woman gets nearly $5K water bill
Deaf News Today Denise Sansonese got a water bill of nearly $5,000. A "water pump tube in her toilet malfunctioned. Because she cannot hear, however, she was unaware that the toilet was running continuously." Read the full story at the Frederick News-Post here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Oct 30 2019

Deaf woman was rejected from a jail program
Deaf News Today A deaf woman in Virginia tried to enroll in a program to serve her time during daytime hours on the weekend, as a judge recommended. But the Sheriff’s Office in Chesapeake turned her away because she is deaf. The Virginia Pilot explains why he reversed that decision here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Tue, Oct 29 2019

Celebrity mades Appearance at School Anniversary Celebration
Deaf News Today Nyle DiMarco visited the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf for its 150th-anniversary celebration. KDKA-TV has a video report below or read the story here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Oct 28 2019

Families accuse teacher’s aide of sexual abuse
Deaf News Today A former teacher’s aid at a Salt Lake City school for deaf children is facing rape and sexual assault charges. Tyler Jex is "accused of inappropriately touching or contacting their underage daughters through his position with the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf." KSTU-FOX 13 has a video report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Oct 28 2019

Rally at Utah State Capitol
Deaf News Today A protest at the Utah state capitol brought out dozens of deaf people yesterday. They say there is a lack of communication options that "hinder them from getting access to quality care at hospitals and medical facilities." Find out more in this ABC-4 video news report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Oct 27 2019

One year ago today: The First US Signing Starbucks
Deaf News Today Starbucks opened its first "Signing Store" in the U.S. one year ago today (Oct 23, 2018). It's in Washington D.C. less than a mile from Gallaudet University. Everyone working there is fluent in ASL and wears aprons that display the fingerspelling of "Starbucks." Here's a video report from Radio.com. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Oct 23 2019

Deaf father and his newborn
Deaf News Today 💛 Sweet and loving moment. https://t.co/RpHzCBhu9P — Annie Yu (@AnnieYuTV) October 19, 2019 Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Oct 21 2019

Signmark in Hong Kong
Deaf News Today Image from https://twitter.com/signmarkmusic Finnish deaf rapper Signmark is preparing for his second performance in Hong Kong next month. He was born deaf and says: My family is deaf, but my grandparents are hearing, so they didn’t know any sign language. I watched as my grandfather was playing the piano and my grandmother was singing. I began lip-reading what s...
Sat, Oct 19 2019

Deaf students sue over decades-old sexual abuse
Deaf News Today A dozen women "who attended the New York School for the Deaf decades ago are suing the school, claiming they were sexually abused by the man who supervised their dorm." One of the women said, "He abused all of us in our early childhood... That's a scar and trauma that stays with you. We were little girls... We didn't know how to take care of something that needed (to ...
Thu, Oct 17 2019

New finding about Deaf infants and their Parents
Deaf News Today A new study finds that deaf infants exposed to American Sign Language are especially tuned to a parent's eye gaze and "at a more advanced level than hearing infants." The study "stems from broader research into early learning and finds that Deaf infants of Deaf parents may be more attuned than hearing infants to the social and visual signals of others." It was recentl...
Wed, Oct 16 2019

A deaf congregation grows in New Jersey
Deaf News Today "What started with one interpreter has grown into a church for the deaf and hearing" in Newark, New Jersey. Read about what's happening at Chosen Generation Ministries in NJ.com here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Oct 14 2019

Deaf Woman Dies in Arson Fire
Deaf News Today A deaf woman and her two-year-old daughter died in a fire—it was intentionally set by a man who said he was trying to get back at his girlfriend. Star Milligan tried to save her daughter by wrapping her in a blanket and using her body to protect her from the flames. The Fox TV station in Detriot has a video report below or read the story here. Read More at DeafNews...
Sun, Oct 13 2019

DeafBlind Art
Deaf News Today DeafBlind writer John Lee Clark talks about art he can touch in a Poetry Magazine post. He poses the question: We have DeafBlind artists, but do we have DeafBlind art? Read his entire piece here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Thu, Oct 10 2019

An Emergency System for Deaf Beach-goers
Deaf News Today An emergency system for deaf beach-goers called Beach Emergency Evacuation Lights System (BEELS) will get its first workout in Torrance Beach. There will be a ribbon-cutting and day at the beach for the deaf community next month. Within two years BEELS is expected to be in place along LA's coastline. Read more about it in the LA Times here. Read More at DeafNewsToday....
Thu, Oct 10 2019

Young Deaf Fan Joins Carrie Underwood on Stage
Deaf News Today Carrie Underwood invited 9-year-old Savannah Dahan to perform The Champion with her during a concert stop in Washington, DC over the weekend. Access Hollywood has a video report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Oct 09 2019

The history behind RI School for the Deaf
Deaf News Today The Rhode Island School for the Deaf was started by Mary Ann Lippitt who was born on this date, Oct. 7,  in the year 1823. Her daughter became deaf after contracting Scarlet Fever in 1856. "Lippitt created her own program and founded the Providence Day School for the Deaf in 1876. Her husband Henry Lippitt, who had become governor in 1875, used his own influence to i...
Mon, Oct 07 2019

Suit in Utah over Terps Dismissed
Deaf News Today A lawsuit filed by deaf students against the Utah Shakespeare Festival was immediately dismissed. The festival refused to provide sign language interpreters for their performance of Hamlet. At issue is whether offering captioning was adequate accommodations. Read the full story in the Salt Lake Tribune here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Oct 05 2019