Deaf News Today

Happy Birthday, Russell Harvard!
Deaf News Today Russell Harvard was born on this day (April 16, 1981) in Pasadena. The 37 year old has already made his mark in both film and stage. The Austin, Texas native grew up deaf, communicating in ASL and lip reading. Harvard’s mother was born deaf and did not learn sign until she was six years old. After playing roles in stage productions at Gallaudet such as Shakespeareâ€...
Tue, Apr 16 2019

Netflix Film uses ASL incorrectly
Deaf News Today Prominent members of the Deaf community are criticizing a new Netflix horror film called The Silence. Deaf model Nyle DiMarco, among others, say some of the sign languages in the film is gibberish and a deaf person should have been cast in the role of the deaf person in the film. That comment comes after the director claimed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter...
Mon, Apr 15 2019

This Day in History: the first public school for the deaf...
Deaf News Today It was on this day (April 15) in 1817 that the American School for the Deaf, the first public school for the deaf, opened its doors. Founded by Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet, the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut is more than 200 years old. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Apr 15 2019

State School for the Deaf Loses Principal
Deaf News Today The Michigan School for the Deaf is looking for a new principal. Natalie Grupido abruptly resigned from the post she has held since 2016. She had worked at the school for 13 years. Her departure has fueled rumors about shutting down the school, but it released a statement denying that to be true. Read more on the story here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Apr 14 2019

Deaf Syrian Refugee Gets Starring Role
Deaf News Today A Syrian refuge who is deaf is staring in a Netflix series. Mustafa Alabssi takes the lead in Black Summer, a spin-off of Z Nation. Global News has a video report or read the story here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Apr 13 2019

7-Year-Old Gets Surprise
Deaf News Today A San Francisco-area first grader had her hearing aids stolen from her school. But she got a surprise this week. ABC-7 has a video report or read the story here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Apr 13 2019

Deaf & Blind School Celebrates Birthday
Deaf News Today The Colorado School For Deaf and Blind is celebrating its 145th birthday. KXRM-TV (Fox 21) in Colorado Springs has a video report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Thu, Apr 11 2019

Judge: Captioning Suit can go Forward
Deaf News Today A judge has rejected an attempt by Harvard and MIT to dismiss a lawsuit over video captioning on their MOOC (massive open online courses) offerings and guest lecture videos hosted on the school's YouTube channels. The National Association of the Deaf filed the lawsuit in 2015, saying the captioning was so bad on these videos they were pretty much useless. The recent a...
Wed, Apr 10 2019

The Stand-up Comic Bringing Deaf Culture to Hearing People
Deaf News Today Greek-born but Edinburgh-based comedian Leah Kalaitzi uses British Sign Language (BSL) and an interpreter to spread Deaf Culture. In a video called Silent Laughs, the Scottish Documentary Institute follows Kalaitzi to the stage. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Apr 08 2019

On this day in 1864..
Deaf News Today It was on this date, April 8, 1864, that President Abraham Lincoln signed the charter to establish Gallaudet University. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Apr 08 2019

NTID marks Half a Century of Deaf Education
Deaf News Today It's been 50 years since Rochester Institute of Technology welcomed its first class of 70 deaf students. It was 1965 when the National Technical Institute for the Deaf was born. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a bill into law that created a national advisory group which led to the creation of an institute of technical training for the deaf. In 1974 Lyndon Bain...
Sun, Apr 07 2019

Terp conference is sign only
Deaf News Today Pennsylvania's Mount Aloysius college is holding an ASL interpreting conference this weekend. It's a silent conference because everyone attending has been asked to turn their voices off. WTAJ-TV has a video report (or read the story here). Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Apr 06 2019

This is the day that Helen Keller made her breakthrough
Deaf News Today It was on this day, April 5, during the year 1887 when Helen Keller grasped the meaning of the word “water” as spelled out in the manual alphabet with the help of teacher Anne Sullivan. Her blind and deaf pupil had learned to memorize words but failed to connect the words to their meanings. When Anne took Helen to an old pump house Helen on that fateful day, she f...
Fri, Apr 05 2019

Deaf People Answer Oddly Common Googled Questions
Deaf News Today Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Apr 03 2019

Minor League Baseball team to honor the Deaf community
Deaf News Today The Rochester Red Wings will have a special day to honor ASL. The minor league team and Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, will wear special ASL jerseys on April 28 when the team plays the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Rochester jerseys will have "Red Wings" spelled out in ASL and the players will wear hats with the capital “R” in ASL. The game will also feature ...
Tue, Apr 02 2019

Seattle may Require Captions at Bars and Restaurants
Deaf News Today Seattle is considering a city law that would "require closed captioning to be activated on all TVs in public spaces." KUOW-TV reports that the "proposed legislation would require closed captioning be turned on during business hours in a range of settings where TVs are present, including places like waiting rooms, restaurants and bars." Read the full story here. Read M...
Mon, Apr 01 2019

Some Cities Removing Online Documents over ADA lawsuits
Deaf News Today The Orlando Sentinal is reporting that three cities in Florida have removed many public documents from the websites because city officials are worried about getting sued over ADA violations. Many officials say they were unaware that the federal law requires government agency accessibility also applies to the web. But since "Nearly 2,000 suits were filed in 2018 allegi...
Mon, Apr 01 2019

Sign-friendly restaurant opens in Arizona
Deaf News Today Sign of the Thymes in Glendale, Arizona is sign-language friendly. Chris and Ann Colston own the restaurant. Ann Colston tells KTBS-TV, "My husband, whose sister is deaf, has been signing since he was six years old, and so we started putting some things together and talking about opening up a restaurant where deaf people can have a place to come and feel comfortable p...
Sun, Mar 24 2019

Deaf parent Suit: No Terp at Meetings
Deaf News Today The father of a middle schooler in San Antonio is suing the public school district. Cleto Rodriguez says in the suit "he requested sign language interpreters for multiple parent-teacher conferences but was never provided them as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws." The San Antonio Independent School District refused to comment on the lawsui...
Sun, Mar 17 2019

This day in history: DPN
Deaf News Today image from Gallaudet University  It was 31 years ago today (March 13, 1988) that the Deaf President Now movement succeeded when I King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Mar 13 2019

Let's visit Work & Woof
Deaf News Today A freshman at the Texas School for the Deaf (with the help of his teacher) is learning how to help take care of dogs at a place called Work & Woof. Here's a video about Fabian Davenport and his teacher Alexis Roland. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Fri, Mar 08 2019

Texas Hoops Team Undefeated
Deaf News Today image from tsdrangers.com The girls' basketball team at the Texas School for the Deaf is undefeated. The team's 33-0 record is on the line again Friday when the Lady Rangers face a team from Houston Lutheran. Find out more about the team's effort from CBS-Austin here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Thu, Mar 07 2019

A Program for Deaf-Blind Independence
Deaf News Today The Iowa School for the Deaf has a special programs to help deaf-blind students gain independence. A dozen students in the program have jobs and one "just completed a seasonal position." Read more in The Daily Nonpareil here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Thu, Mar 07 2019

CVS Pharmacy is getting out of the hearing aid business
Deaf News Today CVS is going to shut down its 49 standalone audiology centers at the end of the month. The move comes ahead of FDA changes to hearing aid regulations. CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the US but Costco dominates the hearing aid retail market. The website "Hearing & Health Technology Matters" quotes a CVS spokesman as saying, "The FDA is preparing to approve lower-...
Thu, Mar 07 2019

Discrimination Lawsuit Settled with Parking Service
Deaf News Today USA Parking Services is settling an EEOC lawsuit for "refusing to hire a deaf applicant for a valet attendant position based on the assumption that a deaf person could not perform the essential functions of the job rather than conduct an individualized assessment of his abilities." The valet and parking services company will pay $150,000 and recruit deaf and hearing-i...
Wed, Mar 06 2019

Living with Usher Syndrome
Deaf News Today Shannon Reyenga explains a difficult decision in Huffington Post article titled, "Why I Didn’t Tell My Boyfriend I Was Going Blind Until I Absolutely Had To." She writes, "After I learned I had Usher syndrome, I thought I lost any chance of finding love. I struggled with the idea of finding someone willing to face this challenging diagnosis with me. I could hardly f...
Wed, Mar 06 2019

What Do Cochlear Implants And Hearing Aids Sound Like?
Deaf News Today Science Friday has a lesson for middle schools students about how hearing aids and cochlear implants including sample recordings of.. "..what it’s like to hear sound through a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. Unless you wear one of these devices, it is impossible to know exactly what it is like to experience sound through them. In fact, people who have normal he...
Tue, Mar 05 2019

A TV first on this date
Deaf News Today It was on this date (March 4, 2013) an episode of Switched at Birth was aired that made history. The dialogue of the entire show was in ASL. Producers of the ABC Family program (now known as Freeform) say this was the first time a scripted series on mainstream television used only American Sign Language. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Mar 04 2019

On this date in history..
Deaf News Today On this date (March 3, 1887) Anne Sullivan arrived at the Keller's home in Alabama to work with their deaf and blind daughter, Helen. Through their work together, Helen Keller would go on to become one of the most influential people in history. Below is a video about Helen Keller from Biography.com. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Mar 03 2019

How 11 Deaf Men Helped NASA Leave Earth
Deaf News Today Why were 11 deaf men selected by NASA to help it understand space sickness? The key here was in how each of these men lost their hearing, according to Discover Magazine. These men ultimately played a significant role in getting the first astronauts off the ground in the 1960s. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Mar 03 2019

Hospital accused of not providing interpreter as deaf...
Deaf News Today Mary Davidson’s family says she went weeks at a time with no sign language interpreter at the Canadian hospital where she died, according to the Hamilton Spectator. Her sister-in-law, Catherine Soplet, is quoted as saying, "The hospital was relying on family members to be the translators despite repeated requests for the use of translation services." Read the full s...
Sat, Mar 02 2019

Wheel of Fortune appearance
Deaf News Today Lori is deaf and Lorraine has been her friend and interpreter for more than 50 years. They appeared together recent on Wheel of Fortune—and won some money! Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Feb 27 2019

"Our sign language romance"
Deaf News Today The BBC Arabic followed a deaf couple from Lebanon as they prepared for their wedding. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Fri, Feb 22 2019

Implant just in time for Wedding
Deaf News Today A Baltimore teacher got a cochlear implant to restore his hearing last week—just in time for his wedding. David Alianiello works with deaf students in Baltimore's public school system. He told People Magazine, "It was the first time I had ever heard clapping. It was fun to be able to experience the different sounds." Read the full story here or watch a video from WB...
Fri, Feb 22 2019

On this date in 1875.. a sports legend was born
Deaf News Today Luther "Dummy" Taylor Luther "Dummy" Taylor was born on this day (Feb. 21) in 1875. Taylor joined the Giant's pro baseball in 1900 when they played at New York's Polo Grounds before moving to the West Coast. He was on the team until 1908, helping the Giants win their first World Series in 1905. Taylor was 16-9 that season. Overall, Taylor had 115 wins and 103 loses w...
Thu, Feb 21 2019

Implant Stolen
Deaf News Today A mother had part of her son's cochlear implant stolen. It was inside Kimberly Blodgett's purse when she dropped off her children at daycare. KFOR-TV has a video report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Feb 17 2019

Community Learns Sign for 2-year-old girl
Deaf News Today A deaf toddler in Massachusetts got a wonderful gift from her community. CBS News has a video report.
Sun, Feb 17 2019

Deaf baristas: Starbucks discriminated against us
Deaf News Today Two deaf baristas are suing Starbucks, claiming discrimination. They say the manager at the store in Seattle where they worked put them in positions for long hours that were especially difficult for deaf workers and that they were excluded from conversations with other employees, among other things. KIRO-TV has a video report below. There is a captioned video here. ...
Sat, Feb 16 2019

City Council Drops Use of Terps at Meetings
Deaf News Today If you live in Cleveland, your City Council meetings will not include sign-language interpreters anymore. The Council thinks it's too expensive, according to a letter one of the members sent to a man who is hard of hearing and had requested interpreters. The city provided them for a while, but the letter to Rico Dancy now offers him the use of headphones instead. Read...
Fri, Feb 15 2019

On this date in history...
Deaf News Today image from Green Party NZ  The New Zealand Parliament made history on this date (Feb. 15) in 2012. Mojo Mathers, the first deaf member of the body, gave her first speech. Since Mathers' speech was translated into sign language, the 13 other members of the Green party who spoke had their speeches translated into sign language as well. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Fri, Feb 15 2019

Mom Remembers Daughter
Deaf News Today A video posted on Facebook shows a deaf mom with dementia remembering her daughter. Watch it here. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Feb 13 2019

Mother Gets ASL Lesson After Using the Wrong Signs
Deaf News Today A mother wanted to teach her one-year-old child some sign language. She shares on Reddit how she accidentally taught her daughter some wrong signs. Fortunately, two deaf women saw them trying to sign in a restaurant and they graciously showed the mother the correct way to sign the words. Read the story here. Some of the comments of other mistaken attempts at signing a...
Tue, Feb 12 2019

How Murder Shattered a Quiet College Campus
Deaf News Today A murder took place during the year 2000 at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. An episode of People Magazine Investigates is dedicated to the crime. "The Sound of Silence" will air Monday at 10 pm, Eastern on Investigation Discovery. An article published by the magazine this weekend describes the crime that shook the campus. You can read it here. Read More at De...
Sun, Feb 10 2019

The missing sign from the Super Bowl
Deaf News Today Did you see the national anthem signed by Aarron Loggins during the Super Bowl? You didn't if you were watching the CBS broadcast of the game. That's because the network only showed Loggins for a second at the end of America the Beautiful. A video posted by the National Association of the Deaf of Loggins from the Super Bowl has been viewed more than one-and-a-half mil...
Sun, Feb 10 2019

Two New Apps Related to Hearing
Deaf News Today Google has two new Android apps aimed at the deaf and hard of hearing. Live Transcribe is a speech-to-text app that works in real time and Sound Amplifier does what you would expect it to do based on the name—it makes sounds louder. The user with hearing loss puts on a set of headphones and can adjust the app's settings for voice clarity, decreasing the ambient nois...
Wed, Feb 06 2019

BBC Captioning History
Deaf News Today 1979 - A documentary is the first program to be subtitled on the BBC 1986 - Blue Peter becomes the first live program to be subtitled on the BBC 1990 - The first live BBC broadcast is captioned by a stenographer 1990 - The BBC begins subtitling its news 2001 - Respeaking is used for subtitling for the first time by the BBC Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Wed, Feb 06 2019

Helen Keller video
Deaf News Today Here is a Newsreel showing Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan recorded in 1928 with Open Captions and Audio Description. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Mon, Feb 04 2019

Security guard attacked by deaf Uber driver
Deaf News Today A Houston security guard is recovering after being attacked by a deaf Uber driver. The confrontation was caught on camera. ABC-13 has a video report. Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sun, Feb 03 2019

America's First Female Deaf Mayor
Deaf News Today Amanda Folendorf became the mayor of Angels Camp, California just a year ago. The little town is located east of San Francisco. Amanda was born with a rare birth defect called diaphragmatic hernia. The medications she had to take as a baby ultimately damaged her hearing. Folendorf pick up some low-frequency noises and has some skill at reading lips. But the former Mis...
Sun, Feb 03 2019

Gallaudet's Motion Light Lab
Deaf News Today The PBS Newshour profiles Melissa Malzkuhn and her work at Gallaudet's Motion Light Lab in the video below. Malzkuhn says her "early access to sign language allowed her to connect with humanity." Read More at DeafNewsToday.com
Sat, Feb 02 2019