EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Girl and Deaf grandparents killed in house fire hours before rape trial in the small town of Ohio.
YOUNGSTOWN, OH - A northeast Ohio prosecutor says a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire early Monday morning, hours before a man suspected of raping her was scheduled to go on trial.
A total of three people were reported dead by the Youngstown Fire Department after the blaze on the city’s south side.
Neighbors in the 3600-block of Powers Way say they heard a loud explosion around 3:30 a.m.; moments later, they saw flames rip through the two-story home. “I looked out the window and the fire broke out from the bottom of the basement, just whoosh. And it was totally on fire.”
Dozens of firefighters were needed to control the flames. When it was out, firefighters found the bodies of two adults and their 10-year-old granddaughter. The adults are identified as Billy and Judy Schmidt, both in their 60s.
“Everybody who knew Billy loved him. He had friends all over the United States, he could probably go anywhere in the country and probably run into somebody that he knew,” said Connie Glozier, the victim’s sister.
The Schmidts, who were both Deaf, were raising their granddaughter. Neighbor Pamela Jones says the girl played with her grandchildren.
“I just can’t believe that something like this would happen,” said Jones. “I’ve been crying all day.”
Adding to the tragedy of this fire, the 10-year-old girl was the victim of an alleged sexual assault. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Robert Seman, appeared in court this morning.
“On literally the eve of trial, hours before this trial was supposed to begin, this victim dies in a fire under suspicious circumstances, at the very least,” said Mahoning County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie McLaughlin. “Only 10 years old, somebody who did not deserve these things that happened to her.”
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: A Father was called 'deaf and dumb' before being shot by other father in the neighborhood of Florida.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - The victim in a neighborhood shooting, a Deaf man, said the shooter mocked his disability before firing the gun. The victim is recovering after his neighbor shot him Sunday evening, police said.
The man's wife said she was watching from her window when everything unfolded. She said her husband got shot and fell on the ground. Surveillance video recorded screams in the Hunter's Way Apartments Sunday evening.
"I mean, instantly everybody was in panic mode," said Richard Royal. Royal was one of of the neighbors who rushed in to help 50-year old Allen Zogleman after a bullet grazed his head. His cameras captured the moments leading up to the shooting. "I don't think no one expected he was going to pull a gun out," said Royal.
It started with some sort of incident between Zogelman's and the suspect's children arguing. When Zogleman tried to explain he's Deaf, he was shot. Neighbors say the bloody sight unfolded in front of dozens of children. One of those kids was Zogleman's 4-year-old daughter.
Action News' Brittany Jones went to talk to them and exchanged notes. His wife said the suspect's son struck her daughter in the head with a pole, and Zogleman yelled to her through their apartment window and went downstairs to talk to the boy's dad. She said that then, the man got into her husband's face, yelling. She said the suspect said her husband was "deaf and dumb," then shot him and left.
The neighbor's surveillance video shows a white car speeding off right after the shooting happened, but no one has seen the suspect since.
Their separate carrying out due to the fact that the competition among Deaf athletes are conducted in full compliance with the rules of international sports federations for ordinary athletes, while Paralympians compete in the special rules designed for varying degrees of disability.
First Soviet athletes participated in these prestigious competitions in 1971, and since 1995 in the Deaflympics team acts of the Russian Federation. Winter Deaflympics Russians consistently (except for the Games in 1971 and 1987) took first place in the unofficial team standings.
At the XVI Deaflympics Winter Games in Salt Lake City (USA) in 2007, the Russian team won the team event, winning 18 medals (10 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze), taking part in two disciplines (cross country skiing and ice hockey hockey) from four possible.
In the upcoming XVIII Deaflympics Winter Games in Khanty-Mansiysk and Magnitogorsk will be attended by about 450 athletes from 27 countries, which may be a record result in the history of the Games. The program of the Games competitions in five sports will be played 31 sets of medals: ten of them - in alpine skiing, ten - in snowboarding, eight - in ski racing, two sets - curling and one set - in ice hockey.
Russian athletes for the first time in its history, will compete in all events of the Winter Games: Alpine skiing (men, women), curling (men, women), cross-country skiing (men, women), snowboarding (men, women), hockey (men).
Vladimir Putin sends greetings to participants and guests of the XVIII Deaflympics Winter Games in Khanty-Mansiysk and Magnitogorsk.
In welcoming the head of state, in part:
"Russia for the first time takes these prestigious international competitions, which are considered to be unique both in its scale and for inspiring creative force. We are a conscientious approach to the issues related to the organization and conduct of the Games. Strive to ensure that each participant felt in Khanty-Mansiysk and Magnitogorsk comfortable, able to adequately perform and achieve their goals. " SOURCE
Mr Mesich explained how he “felt like the only Deaf Gay in the world” after coming out and struggled to find a place where he could fit in.
He explained how he came out to his mother over instant messanger, saying: “Before my 21st birthday, I was talking to my mum on AOL instant messenger. We were talking and my mum asked me, ‘Are you gay? Are you interested in boys?’
“I was thinking and realized it is time for me to open up, so I told my mom, ‘Yes, I am gay.’
“She said, ‘Okay, that’s good I am happy to hear that from you. I knew you were gay since you were a little kid’.
He continued: “Years later, after college, I started dating. I dated a few guys on and off. It was good and enjoyable.
“I met this one person and he was hearing. We went out for dinner, and we could communicate a little but sometimes it’s hard with a hearing person. Mostly I would text on my phone to communicate.
“It was a very nice time, as he was very patient and understanding. But I realized that being Deaf and gay can be difficult with gay hearing people that I had dated.
“Sometimes they don’t understand about Deaf Culture or know about Deaf Culture. Also they don’t know that sign language is my first language. Some of them understood, but some of them didn’t fit in with Deaf culture.
“Comparing high school to where I am now, I used to feel lost and isolated. I didn’t know who I was.
“Now I feel confident, happy and know who I am. I’m comfortable with hearing and Deaf people, it doesn’t matter to me.
“Now I know who I am but I am not in a rush to look for love. All that matters are my family and friends who I enjoy being with.
“Whoever is out there will be very supportive and love who I am. I want it to be something that lasts.”
The sexual abuse of Deaf women: a human rights scandal in the provinces of Philippines.
MANILA - According to the former Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC), one out of every three Deaf women in the Philippines is sexually harassed or raped. Half of the cases happen in the victim’s own home, with neighbors and even family members being the most common perpetrators. Despite the general decrease in rape cases throughout the country, rape remains the most widespread crime against Deaf women.
Imagine living in a home that is also, strangely, a foreign country, where you can neither fully understand what is going on, let alone be understood. Now imagine your life was like that 24 hours a day every single day. This is the plight of women like Anica and Diane, two Deaf women in their 20s, who like many other Deaf women have been sexually abused.
Anica, born Deaf, is a petite woman with a bubbly disposition. But behind the sunny demeanor lies a deep scar. During her teenage years, she was sexually molested by an uncle. The case remains unreported because she is too afraid to file a report.
Living in the same compound as her uncle, she harbors a terrible fear not only of family retaliation but also of being misunderstood by the police, given a lack of trustworthy interpreters. She has little motivation to push through with her case.
Many abused Deaf women share Anica’s plight. Desperate, they feel there is nowhere to turn for help. Most are hesitant to confide in family members because of long-standing communication barriers.
Diane, both taciturn and mercurial, is another survivor. Linguistically isolated since early childhood, she can only communicate through gestures and drawings. Her chronicle is heart wrenching: she was trafficked from her rural hometown to a large city, where she was forced to work in the sex trade, from which after several harrowing experiences she finally escaped.
Then she went through what the system had to offer: Diane was shuffled from one government agency to another; lived in a shelter for women and children; was put into foster care for one and half years before her family was found and she was eventually returned home.
Tragically, these are not anomalies. Indeed, the numbers in this context are genuinely disturbing: according to the former Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC), one out of every three Deaf women in the Philippines is sexually harassed or raped. Half of the cases happen in the victim’s own home, with neighbors and even family members being the most common perpetrators. Despite the general decrease in rape cases throughout the country, rape remains the most widespread crime against Deaf women.
To press charges against her traffickers, Diane would have needed an accredited interpreter to give her testimony (otherwise, the authorities might deem it hearsay), but she was not provided with one. Indeed, throughout her entire stay at the shelter, she had no access to any interpreters at all.
Diane also appears to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but has never been diagnosed or treated because her deafness makes communication a constant challenge.
In a 2012 report by the PDRC, it was noted that a lack of awareness and sensitivity in dealing with disabled persons continuously bogs down our legal and judicial systems. For example, the inappropriateness of assigning male interpreters for female victims of rape and sexual violence may cause further trauma... Read more: philstar.com/sexual-abuse-deaf-women-human-rights-scandal
If you wish to participate, support, help, or volunteer and please contact us at AudismFreeAmerica@gmail.com. We would be appreicate for your participate and support to value our sign language in our Deaf world. Hope to see you there. Let Freedom Roll!
Greetings AFA thrills to share with all of you about ASL and Deaf Pride Parade! We hosts the event for celebrating our beautiful language and sharing our Deaf pride includes Deaf People of Color, Deaf Women, DeafBlind, Deaf LGBT, Deaf Dogs, Deaf children, Parents of Deaf children, Teachers, Friends, Family, Interpreters, Interpreters students, Community, and more!
We take a stand to cherish ASL as linguistic rights and Deaf Pride as human rights. We believe what we can change for future and our childrens' future. This is our mission of ASL & Deaf Pride Parade. On Friday, April 10th - We would be meeting at front of Gallaudet University at 11am to set up our parade. We will start march down at noon toward to Lincoln Memorial Park and it will takes about 3.5 between 4 miles to march. Once we arrives at Lincoln Memorial Park and we would opening to celebrate ASL & Deaf Pride at 2:30pm. There will have variety presenters, skits, chants, spirits, and sharing our stories to inspire our ASL & Deaf Pride as Human and Linguistic rights.
On Saturday evening, April 11th, we hosts an event as candlelight vigil at 7pm. We cherish to honor all Deaf people and Deaf children who survive to face Audism which a group who would oppress our human and linguistic rights. We take a stand to resist an oppression and grow our roots all together to light our soul. We have a vision to believe for us to take a stand to change for future and children future.
People who wishes to join our parade could hosts this event in your local, Deaf club, or any groups to celebrate ASL and Deaf Pride and also light the candle for candlight vigil. If you want to support and donate, you may check on: http://www.gofundme.com/ASLSTAR-AFA2015
ASL and Deaf Pride Parade starts at Gallaudet at 11 am On Friday April 10, 2015, we start marching at 12 noon, and can bring your cars/motorcycle. Wear black or blue shirts, comfortable shoes, bring water and food in backpack and bring (cardboard) signs too. Impact of last time - taking kids to see this was awesome Cj was there with Carol her mother - and it impacted her understanding of what Deaf is!
Cj was a young child at the last ASL Deaf Pride parade and she remembers seeing people in tall buisness buildings and people on the road watching with smiles and some signing ILY hand shape.. She was surprised to see that as she usually sees people being wrapped in their own world as she is in her Deaf world so that was really wonderful experience
APril is also the month that President Abraham Lincoln signed Gallaudet College into being in 1864. That weekend will have Gallaudet Charter celebration plus Early Childhood Education summit on bilingualism.
March is 4 miles from Gally to Lincoln Memorial. Can take taxi, or subway to Metro and change to Smithsonian. past the Monument and you'll be there.
April 11, 2015 will have a VIGIL for all the Deaf and HOH children in the past and future.
ASL Abstract - 4 people showing up in various combination or alone:
Carol Hirsch - White woman with long brown hair,
Cj Hirsch - white woman with brown hair pulled up in a bun
David Ennis - white man with long grey hair pulled back.
Jenny Witteborg - white woman with messy pony tail and green glasses on top of head.
VIDEO: Hilarious movie clip - How to call to phone sex if you are Deaf.
“The Little Death” does have one terrific ace up its sleeve: a fifth story, almost completely unconnected to the others, featuring Monica (Erin James, a bit of a Sally Hawkins lookalike), who works at a Skype-like video service translating phone calls for the Deaf.
On a slow night, she winds up on a call with Sam (T.J. Power), only to find that he wants her to mediate his conversation with a phone-sex operator (Genevieve Hegney). What ensues is a perfectly timed, beautifully structured verbal and gestural farce that manages to be at once raucously funny, sweetly touching and genuinely romantic.
Rife with awkwardness and miscommunication, and keenly attuned to the reality of what a mixed blessing technology can be, the story would work well as a stand-enough short; as such, it’s easily the most promising evidence here that Lawson the writer-director may yet have bigger and better things ahead of him... Read more variety.com/2014/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-the-little-death
The Little Death Official Trailer - Directed by and starring Josh Lawson also with Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman.
The Little Death is a truly original comedy about sex, love, relationships and taboo. In a multi story narrative, we peer behind the closed doors of a seemingly normal suburban street. A woman with a dangerous fantasy and her partners struggle to please her. A man who begins an affair with his own wife without her knowing anything about it. A couple struggling to keep things together after a sexual experiment spins out of control. A woman who can only find pleasure in her husband's pain. A call centre operator caught in the middle of a dirty and chaotic phone call. And the distractingly charming new neighbour who connects them all. The little Death explores why do we want what we want? How far will we go to get it? What are the consequences of that fleeting moment of sexual ecstasy?
Exclusive: Deaf woman pilot gets license that not going to stop her from taking to the sky.
LANCASTER, OH - Learning to fly is no easy feat, but Lancaster native Jenny Hurst was not going to let being Deaf stop her from taking to the sky.
From a young age, Hurst dreamed of being a pilot like her grandfather, a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. She has always been drawn to flying, she said, and before 9/11, one of her favorite things to do was to watch planes take off from Port Columbus International Airport. In her younger years, she went as far as telling boyfriends plane-watching was her preferred way to spend a date.
Aware of that desire, Hurst’s husband of 17 years, Adam, looked into flight lessons at Sundowner Aviation at the Fairfield County Airport for his wife, who has been Deaf since the age of 2. Officials there agreed to take her on, and one year later, after fitting in two to three hours of flight instruction per week, Hurst got her pilot license. She took her first solo flight July 18.
On Sunday, Hurst took her family up in the plane for the first time, although the family of six could not all fit in one flight. Hurst hopes to become registered in instrument flight rules so she can be allowed to fly larger planes that will fit her entire family.
Another use for the pilot license may be flying materials from suppliers to Hammock Gear, the backpacking outfitter the Hursts own in Lancaster. While Hurst would love to be a pilot for hire, she said she is still exploring her limits as a Deaf pilot and her abilities with communication... Read more: lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2015/03/24/deaf-pilot-gets-license-lancaster/
Exclusive: Teaching assistant gets 10 years for sexually assaulting Deaf student in Hawaii.
HONOLULU - A state judge sentenced former Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind teaching assistant Alfie S. Lumabas to 10 years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student at the school.
State Circuit Judge Rom A. Trader declined the city prosecutor's request to impose restitution to pay for the girl's counseling because that expense is covered by a settlement to a separate federal lawsuit.
Lumabas, 38, agreed to serve a full 10-year prison term when he pleaded guilty in January to two reduced counts of second-degree sexual assault in a deal with the prosecutor. Ten years is the maximum penalty for second-degree sexual assault.
A September 2013 indictment charged him with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, which each carry a mandatory 20-year prison term.
Lumabas is legally Deaf. Through a sign-language interpreter, he declined to make a statement Tuesday before Trader handed down his sentence.
His victim, now 24, and who is also legally Deaf, had plenty to say through her own sign-language interpreter. SOURCE
VIDEO: Family of Deaf child sues football association for discrimination in Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - A Fridley family filed suit this week against the Spring Lake Park Panther Youth Football Association over their Deaf son’s participation in the league. They believe the nonprofit should’ve paid for interpreters and allowed the family to use a special drum to signal the start of play.
Nine-year-old Dov Nathanson says he loves to play football. “I just think it’s cool. I love to tackle people it’s exciting,” he said.
Dov and and his brother Galvin are both Deaf, and they’ve played football with hearing children for years. But last year, the football association said he and his brother Galvin could no longer use a special drum that helps them know when the play is starting.
“Without it, I couldn’t feel it i couldn’t feel the vibration,” Dov said. “I was never ready for the play.”
Parents David and Gloria Nathanson are also upset that the association said they wouldn’t pay for an interpreter for their son’s last year. They say it’s the association’s responsibility.
“We were very frustrated nobody would listen,” David Nathanson said. “It was like we didn’t have a voice.”
Phil Richard, President of the Spring Lake Park Panther Youth Football Association, says the drum made it interfered with the game for other players, and that the family should be responsible for providing their own interpreter.
“It really just comes down to funding. It’s expensive,” Richard said. “We finished out year with $4,000. The cost of an interpreter is double that, and the law, we feel, protects us from that.”
Both Dov and Galvin plan to register for football again this year. The family says they want the policy changed–to allow Deaf players fair play.
“We’re just hoping that in the future that we will feel included,” Gloria Nathanson said.
Also mentioned in the lawsuit is a claim that David Nathanson was denied the opportunity to coach either of his sons teams last year, which he believes is because he’s also Deaf. He had coached three previous years. SOURCE
VIDEO: Deaf immigrant jailed for stealing iPad that wasn't stolen and no access to interpreter service in Virginia.
ARLINGTON, VA - He knew he was in jail, but he didn't know why. Eventually, Abreham Zemedagegehu learned that he'd been accused of stealing an iPad, an iPad whose owner later found it. He spent the next six weeks in jail, unable to communicate with his jailers because he is Deaf. He described a frightening, isolated experience in which medical procedures were performed without his consent and he feared for his safety.
"I felt like I was losing my mind," Zemedagegehu said through an interpreter in an interview at his lawyer's office. "I thought Virginia would give me an interpreter and they said no. That's why I felt lost."
Zemedagegehu, who is homeless, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Ethiopia. He grew up using Ethiopian Sign Language. He has learned American Sign Language, but he has never learned more than rudimentary written English.
Maj. Susie Doyel, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, which runs the jail, declined to comment on the specific allegations. She generally defended the jail's ability to handle Deaf inmates and others with disabilities, and said several deputies in the jail are proficient in sign language.
But she also acknowledged that communication with a Deaf inmate is more problematic in cases where the inmate can't communicate in written English.
In court papers filed Monday, lawyers for the sheriff ask a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that even if Zemedagegehu's allegations are true, they fail to show intentional discrimination because they attempted various different ways to communicate with him, including handwritten notes.
And even if the discrimination were intentional, the lawyers write that it would not violate federal law because there is a rational basis for the discrimination: "it takes extra resources and creates additional security considerations to bring in an ASL interpreter," they write... Read more: abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/deaf-immigrant-jailed-weeks-access-interpreter
VIDEO [CC] - Deaf and Hard of Hearing community call YouTube online video for closed captioning.
YouTube videos are not accessible to everyone, adding closed captions to videos will make them accessible to millions of more people. Share this video on social media, tag your favorite creator and help make your favorite videos enjoyable for everyone! #withcaptions
Captions and Subtitles are essentially the same and typically used as a transcription of the audio portion of a program as it occurs (either verbatim or in edited form), sometimes including descriptions of non-speech elements. Other uses have been to provide a textual alternative language translation of a presentation's primary audio language which is usually burned-in (or "open") to the video and not selectable (or "closed")... Read more: Closed Captioning From Wikipedia
How To Create Captions and Subtitles For YouTube Videos.
Step by step, how created Closed Captions / Subtitles vlog for the videos on YouTube, and how to translate Captions to different languages, made easy!
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Talk-Show producer arrested in connection with death of Deaf, partially blind sister.
LOS ANGELES - Television producer Jill Blackstone was released from custody Wednesday after her arrest in connection to the death of her Deaf, partially blind sister, authorities said.
About 12:40 p.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to a home in the 12000 block of Landale Street in Studio City, said Los Angeles police Lt. Bob Toledo.
Blackstone’s sister Wendy Blackstone, 49, was found unconscious in an enclosed garage where carbon monoxide had filled the room, Toledo said. A dead animal also was found in the garage.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate Wendy Blackstone, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of her death has not been determined pending further investigation, including toxicology tests, according to the coroner’s office.
Jill Blackstone, 52, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to arrest records.
A suicide note recovered at the home was believed to have been penned by Jill Blackstone, not her late sister, according to the website TMZ, which first reported the arrest.
Blackstone was released from custody about 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records. Prosecutors have not filed charges against her, Toledo said.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office did not respond to an after-hours request for comment. Jill Blackstone also did not immediately respond to several requests for comment.
VIDEO [CC] - World Federation of the Deaf - A Voice for Deaf Refugees in American Sign Language by Isidore Niyongabo.
This video is about the first initiative to promote proper identification and humanitarian services for Deaf people in refugees camp, particularly those in developing countries.
The purpose of this video if to raise funds for the first phase of this project.
Friends, colleagues and future unknown donnors, could you imagine being a Deaf person in living in refugee or displaced camps or striving through natural disasters or war zone in developing countries? Well, I have lived half my life through and I know first-hand how hard it can be. During my Graduate studies at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, I was given the provileges to explore the current situation faced by other millions of Deaf men, women and children in developing countries.
There are unnacounted millions of Deaf refugees all over the world and currently, the United Nations High Commissariat on Refugees (UNHCR) and almost all international humanitarian organizations do not possess any system or procedures to properly identify refugees who are Deaf and provide them with proper humanitarian services or protections... Read more: http://www.gofundme.com/deaf-refugees
Storyline of the Switched at Birth show, a one-hour scripted drama, tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls - Switched at Birth Episodes, Blogs and News
‘Switched at Birth’: ABC Family’s The teen soap Switched at Birth explores self-expression and the communication gulf between the hearing and Deaf communities. List of Switched at Birth characters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Switched_at_Birth_characters
VIRAL VIDEO: Sweden's Eurovision finalist was chosen at the weekend but for many it was the bespectacled 48-year-old who signed the songs for Deaf people who stole the show.
Sweden's Tommy Krangh's silky dance moves quickly became a huge hit on social media with millions watching his video on Facebook and YouTube.
It takes a lot to steal the show from the notoriously flamboyant Eurovision entries, but this Swedish sign language interpreter's energetic moves and expressive gestures have managed to do just that.
Tommy Krångh has become an overnight sensation in Sweden after putting on the performance of his life, interpreting pop singer Magnus Carlsson's attempt to enter Eurovision.
But while Carlsson's upbeat tune may have failed to impress audiences in the Scandinavian country, being voted ninth out of 12 entries vying to represent at the annual competition, many are now calling for 48-year-old Krångh to take the stage for Sweden in Vienna this May.
The video of Krångh's exuberant interpretation has been shared thousands of times in Sweden, and across the world.
The delighted interpreter has told Swedish newspapers he was 'thrilled' with the reaction and has been 'love-bombed' on Twitter by people who enjoyed his energetic performance, even getting the odd marriage proposal.
'It´s been absolutely amazing,' he told MailOnline. 'I´ve been love-bombed from a thousands of people. People are even proposing to marry me. This is something I could never imagine.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Under Fire: ASL and Cued Speech at the Illinois School for the Deaf.
JACKSONVILLE, IL - A few months ago, Michele Westfall tagged me and a few other people about the Illinois School for the Deaf's website on "Cued Speech Myths." What I saw there was heartbreaking. This is my response to the situation, sharing observations on their video series. Please support the Illinois Deaf Community's efforts to improve conditions at the school.
An Illinois Deaf Community member has stated that the superintendent is leaving in June 2015 and the pro-Cued Speech principal, Angela Kuhn, is a candidate for the position. The community does not want her to take the job.
Description of Adrean Clark, a Deaf white woman wearing a black and silver ASL Bat t-shirt appears against a dark blue background. Her narrative is interspersed with footage from the Illinois School for the Deaf's video series featuring the superintendent and classroom situations.
Summary: The Illinois School for the Deaf released a series of videos intended to dispel doubts about their "bilingual" program. I was heartbroken by what I saw in the footage and would like to show you what I noticed.
- The school's mission is to provide a bilingual ASL - English environment. The actual practice is far from bilingual. The example footage shown takes place during an English composition class. The teacher asks (with Cued Speech) what "to conclude" means. Two students respond - one with ASL/fingerspelling and another by oral English only. The teacher winks at the speaking students. This is common to oral environments that try to "share space" with ASL. Speaking English tends to come first. The student that spoke got special treatment while not signing at all.
- The superintendent claims that the thousands of words in science and social studies have no ASL equivalent, therefore must be fingerspelled. That is a false claim, since ASL has built-in systems for developing new words. The choice to depend on fingerspelling actually robs students of full access to ASL - as an example a video from the ASL THAT! group is posted. In the video Joseph Wheeler differentiates between deer, moose, and elk by following ASL handshapes and structures. The result is a rich natural sciences education that all Deaf students should have access to.
- The superintendent states that Cued Speech provides an alternative for long-term retention of English information that doesn't involve English print alone. That statement shows that speaking is considered superior at the Illinois School for the Deaf.
- In a mathematics classroom, the teacher interrupts teaching to show students how to speak the word "proper." An assistant is called in to display proper mouthing and cueing for the students. When she tries to fingerspell the word, she gets a slap on the hand. It is disconcerting that so much time was spent on that one word - and on top of that, even daring to use English fingerspelling was considered "bad." That is not an ASL-English bilingual environment at all!
The Illinois School for the Deaf is an oral program that uses manually-coded English as the primary mode of instruction. It is not a bilingual program. Footage Sources: Myth 1, 2, and 5 at http://illinoisdeaf.org/FactOrMythASL.html
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Entire neighbourhood learns sign language so they can talk to Deaf man and it moves him to tears.
This video shows the heartwarming moment a Deaf man realised an entire neighbourhood has learned sign language just for him.
Muharrem is shown wandering through his neighbourhood with his sister Ozlem meeting strangers who surprise him with their communication skills.
In the footage, filmed in Instanbul, Turkey, the siblings set out for for what Muharrem thinks is just going to be a normal day. But when they come across a man in a local shop who unexpectedly greets him with sign language, he knows the day is going to be anything but ordinary.
In one scene Muharrem bumps into a woman who apologises to him in sign language, and when they get into a cab, the driver signs "hello" to them. They are then dropped off in a public square where a group of neighbours greet the pair in sign language. Eventually Muharrem is moved to tears at the number of people willing and able to communicate with him.
The video was filmed using secret cameras for an advert organised by Samsung to promote its video call centre for the hearing impaired. The firm teamed up with an ad agency and spent a month setting up cameras around his neighborhood. SOURCE
Exclusive: How do you sign "new" words? The Deaf community works as a network, collectively brainstorming new sign language term over the web, until dominant emerge.
Hope&Fears - As language evolves, the powers that regulate language tend to shift. Just look at the Oxford English Dictionary, who added terms like “duck face,” “lolcat,” and “hawt” to their prestigious lexicon this past December. For the English-speaking world, these additions are anywhere from ridiculous to annoying but at the end of the day, the terms are accepted and agreed upon.
But how do these new, internet-laden turns of phrase enter the sign language community? Was there a way of expressing “selfie” in ASL, was there a sign for “photobomb?” Our simplistic question turned into a larger conversation about the nature of communication.
We turned to Bill Vicars, the president and owner of an organization called Lifeprint, a company who educates through “technology-enhanced delivery of ASL Instruction, excursion-based instruction (trips to amusement parks), and extended-immersion-based program coordination (intense two-week residencies).”
Vicars himself is Deaf/HH, which means he is hard of hearing and culturally Deaf as he has immersed himself in the Deaf community. “In addition to my co workers, the majority of my friends are Deaf… my wife is Deaf,” Vicars explains. (Capitalizing ‘Deaf’ refers to the Deaf community, as noted by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, in Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture (1988), “We use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language - American Sign Language (ASL) - and a culture.”)
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO - ISIS militants are using sign language to show that even people with disabilities can wage jihad for the Islamic State, a report said.
NEW YORK POST - In their latest recruitment video, titled “From Who Excused To Those Not Excused,” a pair of Deaf and mute fighters brandishing machine guns issued threats and urged Westerners to join their campaign of terror, NBC News reports.
The extremists claim to be working as traffic police in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which has become an ISIS stronghold in recent months. They are wearing black jumpsuits and military equipment fitted with handcuffs and ammunition as they speak about their desire to “slaughter” their enemies and radicalize others who will do the same.
Using both Arabic and English subtitles, the video begins with the statement: “We, the deaf and mute, direct our message to the Islamic world.”
“To the Muslims in Europe, both Arab and non-Arab, the way is open before you for you to come to the land of the Kilafah,” one of the militants continues, using sign language.
“The Islamic State is expanding…and we say to America, Britain, Italy and France, who have frantically mobilized against the Muslims, and we say to the rulers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, who have allied with them…the Messenger said, ‘We have only come to you with slaughter,’ and we will surely come and slaughter you, by Allah’s permission.”
Alex Kassirer, a researcher at the global security firm Flashpoint Intelligence, says the video “represents an attempt by the group to recruit other physically or otherwise impaired individuals, as well as demonstrates the multifaceted responsibilities of those in its ranks,” according to NBC News. He added that it now proves “even traffic police in the Islamic State have a dual functionality, also serving in military roles.” ... Read more: http://nypost.com/2015/03/09/isis-using-sign-language-to-recruit-deaf-terrorists/
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO - The Islamic State media branch has released a new video for Deaf Muslims, calling for all disabled Muslims in Europe to join jihad.
Men claim to be Deaf brothers working as traffic police in Mosul, Iraq. They show off their job while urging European Muslims to go and fight and the fighters pledge to 'slaughter' Britain, America and their Arabian allies, at the end of the film they are shown firing missiles at Kurdish troops.
The Deaf militants has released a new propaganda video showing two Deaf fighters speaking in sign language and urging more Westerners to join the terror group.
The video is titled 'From Who Excused To Those Not Excused' - suggesting that disability is no excuse for not serving for ISIS.
In the five minute clip the two men, who are Deaf and brothers, are shown working as traffic police in Iraq's second city Mosul, which has been under ISIS control since last summer.
Speaking in sign language with English and Arabic subtitles, one of the men says: 'I am a deaf mute who works in the traffic police in the Islamic State with my brother Abu Abdur-Rahman.
'As for my message to the apostate peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) we will strike you soon, by Allah's permission. I am living in a land in which Allah's sharia is established.'
Wearing black jumpsuits, ammunition pouches and carrying what appear to be M16 assault rifles, the pair also speak about their desire to 'slaughter' their enemies including Britain, America, France and Italy, saying 'you will not stop our advance'... Read more with photos: http://dailymail.co.uk/news/article
VIDEO [ASL] - DVTV users describe Ridor9th is the king of FOW.
Tayler Mayer, the owner of the DeafVIDEO.TV social networking website for the Deaf and HoH, claims Ricky Taylor aka Ridor9th is calling someone a FOW is self-defeating, therefore the person who says FOW the most is the most FOW of all.
YOUNGSTOWN, OH - A northeast Ohio prosecutor says a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire early Monday morning, hours before a man suspected of raping her was scheduled to go on trial.
