Sign Language With Cats Video Goes Viral

VIDEO [CC] - Kim Silva teaches Deaf cat and two others in sign language has gone viral on the social media.



TECH TIMES - In the cats vs. dog debate, many pet owners believe dogs are superior because they know how to perform tricks. But never let it be said that cats can't learn a thing or two.



Take for example this one woman who taught her cats how to communicate by using sign language. Signing cats? Yep, this is probably one of the best cat videos we've seen in a while.



Kim Silva, a retired teacher from the American School for the Deaf, wanted to adopt a cat after losing her feline friend in 2009. Silva and her husband John fell in love with a white Siamese cat named Bambi on Petfinder who was Deaf.

Since the couple, who are both hard of hearing themselves, already have two cats, Silva decided to teach her pets sign language so that they all would be able to communicate with her when Bambi would arrive at her Connecticut home from a rescue shelter in Texas.



"Guess I missed the kiddies so I began teaching the kitties," Silva says.



Silva started teaching her two cats named Bobcat and Bear sign language, which resulted in opposite outcomes. Bobcat learned the language quickly, going from a cat who only communicated with other cats to becoming an extrovert who loves showing off his skills. Bear, on the other hand, was older and since you can't teach an old dog new tricks, he did not pick up the skills at all... Read more: techtimes.com/articles/woman-teaches-cats-speak-through-sign-language.htm



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Cat Saying 'Feed Me' In Sign Language

Sign Language With Cats Video Goes Viral

Sign Language Telephone - Documentary Film

VIDEO [CC] - 1979 Bell Labs project for the Deaf to communicate over telephone lines using American Sign Language.



This 1979 film examines a Bell Laboratory research project conducted by Kenneth Knowlton and Vivien Tartter. The team devised a way of using 27 points of light placed on an individual’s hands and face to allow the hearing impaired to use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate remotely. The goal was to find a way to take images of the points of light at each end of a conversation so the images “could be coded to the capacity of one telephone line.” Thus ASL, the primary language for most Deaf people, could be used to conduct conversations over standard telephone lines, without requiring any greater capacity than a regular phone call.

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Knowlton was a prominent figure at Bell Labs for many years and is well represented in other videos on the AT&T Archive Channel. At the time this film was made Tartter was a linguist at Rutgers University and continues today as a professor at City College in New York.



In 1981, two years after this video, Tartter and Knowlton published a paper in the scientific journal Nature detailing their work and findings at Bell Labs. The article, “Perception of Sign-Language from an Array of 27 Moving Spots.” details the methods and results of the project, including a transcript of a sign language conversation conducted via television using their method. The paper concludes that the “demonstration suggests the possibility of developing a sign language telephone.” A New York Times article about the published piece soon followed and the subject drew attention in newspapers across the country.



While the system the team conceived was never developed into a final, usable technology, it is a fascinating step in the long procession of efforts to find ways for the Deaf to use the telephone for communicating, as in 2009 when AT&T received the TDI James C. Masters Promotion Award “for providing innovative products and services that address the needs of people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.“

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Girl & Deaf Grandparents Killed In House Fire

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.”



Seman has not been charged in connection with the fire, but his bond was revoked and he was taken to jail. If convicted on the rape charges, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison... Read more: pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/03/30/fire-officials-3-dead-in-youngstown-house-fire/

Deaf Gay Man's Video Project 'I’m From Driftwood'

VIDEO [CC] - A Deaf man has shared his story of learning to embrace his identity, to encourage others to come forward.



Richard Mesich, from Portage, Indiana, shared his story via American Sign Language for LGBTQ video project "I’m From Driftwood"



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.”



He added: “That’s the reason why I want to tell my story. If someone out there is Deaf and gay, I want them to know that there are other people who are Deaf and gay... Read more: pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/29/watch-deaf-gay-man-shares-his-journey-to-find-acceptance/