Deaf Prof Wins in Court

A jury says a former Texas Tech professor should get half-a-million dollars because the school for discriminating against him because he is deaf. Michael Collier was hired to teach American Sign Language and other courses relating to deaf culture, but was dismissed in October 2006 without a reason. The Lubbock County jury decided his deafness was a motivating factor in Tech's decision not to reappoint him. A school spokesman says Tech was surprised by the verdict.