American Girl Doll with Hearing Aids

You can buy an American Girl with hearing loss this Christmas. The toy maker says on its site "our experts will perform a permanent piercing behind her ear to ensure the hearing aid is expertly fitted—in one or both ears." The hearing aids are removable and cost $14. Another American Girl doll comes with a service dog. Rather than looking like stereotypical models, American Girl dolls look more like the children who own them. And, they can be fitted with glasses, braces, crutches a wheel chair, or even without hair for those who have lost hair to cancer. Find out more here.

New NAD Leadership

Shane Feldman is the new RID Executive Director. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf announced his selection today. Feldman has served as the organization's COO for the last three years.

Shut Up and Sign!

KABC-TV talks to Bob Hiltermann who says it is his mission to make sign language fun and easy to learn. He has a series of DVD's to prove it called Shut Up and Sign! You can read the story here.

Red Sox players visit to deaf children

Three player took part in the Red Sox Holiday Road Trip. Read the story here.

Football Program Honored

The California School for the Deaf at Fremont has been named National Deaf Prep Football Champion by the National Deaf Interscholastic Athletic Association. Athletic directors at deaf schools select the winner. Last week, Deaf Digest Sports gave Fremont the same honor. The Eagles had their best record this year - 10 wins against 2 losses and giving them the top spot in the North Central II/Bay League.

Growth of viral video leaves deaf in the dark

Viral video are leaving millions of deaf and hearing-impaired people out of the loop. Read the story here.

Fremont Wins Big

KNTV reports on the California Deaf Football Team in Fremont in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

Report: Parenting bias, loss of kids

There are many barriers and bias when it comes to being a parent supposedly protected under ADA law, finds a report by an independent federal agency in the U.S. "I have had parents with paralysis be threatened with removal of their children, deaf parents punished for using sign language with their hearing children, and blind parents told that a social worker can't possibly fathom how they could parent a newborn," Lucas said. "When families do need intervention, it is often because the services they need are not available outside a punitive social services case." Read more here.

We're being left out of the big society, say the deaf

Thousands of deaf people are socially excluded because of a lack of adequate services for sign language users, campaigners say. Read more here.

Keep the School Open

A special committee says the Iowa School for the Deaf should stay open. The Iowa Board of Regents wanted to know whether it should be combined with the Iowa School for the Blind and moved to Des Moines or shut down. Besides keeping the school open, members of the committee are recommending that the state give deaf students the option of three regional centers. The findings will be formally presented next week.

Best season ever

Great year for the California School for the Deaf Football Team at Freemont. Read the story here.

On this Date, 4 Years Ago

On November 25, 2008, the man who wrote the 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 Sullivan and Keller, respectively. They went on to win Academy Awards when repeating the parts for the film version in 1962. Mr. Gibson was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay. Twenty years later, he wrote a sequel about Sullivan called The Monday After the Miracle but it flopped on Broadway. Gibson died at the age of 94 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Contest to meet Leclerc

Switched at Birth star Katie Leclerc is offering a 10-minute Skype call to someone who helps Dogs for the Deaf. A donation of $35.35 gets you automatically entered. The reason the group is asking for that specific amount is that it is celebrating its 35th anniversary. The offer runs through the end of the month. Leclerc herself owns a deaf Australian Cattle Dog named Gus. You'll get a personalized, autographed photo from the actress just for entering the contest.
Find out more here.

Sign Language: It's Not Just About The Hands

NPR asks its listeners "What do you look for in an interpreter?" Read or listen to the story here. The news organization sets up the story this way:

Over the past few weeks at news conferences and speeches, we've seen sign language interpreters who appear far more animated than the politicians in front of the microphones - Lydia Callis, for example, who stood beside New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg before, during and after Superstorm Sandy. The gestures and facial expressions she used to relay the mayor's remarks to the deaf and hard of hearing drew wide attention. And some of the deaf community took offense at exaggerated spoofs they saw on "Saturday Night Live," "The Daily Show," and on "Chelsea Lately."

Gally Women Tourney Results

Gally's women's hoops team lost the championship game of the GU Holiday Tournament yesterday to Valley Forge Christian College by a score of 65-47. Forward Lindsay Stergio was the bright spot for the Bison. The senior got a career high 22 points. Thanks to her outstanding effort, she was picked for the all-tournament team. Gallaudet beat York 57-33 in the first round of the tournament and is now 2-1 on the season. Their next game is their conference opener. It's a week from Friday (Dec. 7) against Penn St.-Berks.

7 Things You Should Know About Sign Language

"Making gestures is quite different from using sign language...When fluent signers have a stroke or brain injury, they may lose the ability to sign, but not to make imitative or non-sign gestures."  Read more here at Mental Floss magazine.

Gally Show

Gallaudet University offers its version of A Christmas Carol starting this Thursday (Nov. 27-Dec 23). Both hearing and deaf actors will perform A Commedia Christmas Carol in the stylized tradition of commedia dell’arte, a method known for its broad physical gesture and comic characters who wear masks. For authenticity, the actors will use home signs and BSL (British Sign Language) along with spoken English. These performances include actors from Faction of Fools, a dramatic troupe now based at the school. Find out more here.

No Terp for Torchbearer

He carried the Olympic torch in June but now says a gym is refusing to provide him a sign language interpreter. Read the story in the Guardian here.

The 'Accidental' Deaf TV Reporter

The crazy, happy accident that gave Karen Meyer a long and fruitful career as a television journalist. Read the story here.

Deaf Memphis minister

"I realized the deaf would understand a Bible story better through comic strips." Read the story here.

The Big Secret Theatre

Canadian theater group presents show through the ears of the deaf. Read more in the Calgary Herald here.

Deaf-blind dog saves family

An Oklahoma family is alive thanks to their deaf-blind dog. The Crosleys cabin burned to the ground over the weekend. And the only one who woke up to alert the family was True, their wailing Dachshund rescue dog. The three-legged dog got the family out, but they lost everything. Here's a video of the dog from KFOR-TV. CBS Atlanta 46

Man says he's hearing music for the first time

The Reddit community has given a man with hearing loss more than 14,000 suggestions and messages of support since he posted that he was able to hear music for the first time with a new set of hearing aids. What did he listen to first? - Mozart’s Lacrimosa (which is posted here). Austin says he is 23 years old. All the buzz started back in August with this post here.

The Matthew Scott Moore Theatre

The Indiana School for the Deaf has named its auditorium after Matthew Scott Moore. The 1977 graduate went on to study social work at NTID in Rochester, New York. After graduating in 1983. he established an independent multimedia company and four years later started a magazine called Deaf Life, which he still publishes today. Moore also has a strong connection with theater. He portrayed Captain Hook in Peter Pan a decade ago and will play Willie Wonk this coming spring at NTID. Moore was born deaf into a hearing family.

Social Gatherings

Deaf community social gatherings are shrinking across the country. Read about one such gathering in northern California here.

Deaf Kids Get Bike Training

Deaf kids get BMX training this weekend in the UK at the Hackney BMX Club. Watch the ITV video here.

UK Couple: No Hospital Terp

A deaf couple in the UK say hospitals have not provided them with an interpreter on 5 occasions in the last couple of years. Paul and Samantha Voisin use BSL (British Sign Language). Their son has had health issues since his birth 5 years ago and say hospital personnel asked her daughter, age, six, to interpret earlier this year. But an administrator at the East and North Hertfordshire Trust, located north of London in the town of Stevenage, says the facility has never refused to provide an interpreter. In fact, she says the Voisins were provided interpreters 60 times in the last three years, at a cost of 8000 pounds. The only time there is a problem, the hospital says, is when the couple arrives in an emergency situation and not by appointment, when interpreters can be scheduled ahead of time.

Far from the Tree

National Book Award–winning author Andrew Solomon tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also find profound meaning in doing so in the book Far from the Tree. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. He dives into the question: To what extent parents should accept their children for who they are? There is a review in the New Yorker here.

The Joy of Communication

A Sidney college celebrates deaf pride day. Read about it here.

An Implant First

The world's first single unit processor for cochlear implants has gotten FDA approval. Med-El's Rondo will be available to users this coming Spring. The new design puts everything - the mic, battery and coil into a single processor. There's no ear hook and the coil and cable are connected together, rather than coming separately. There is also a remote control that adjusts the volume and other aspects of the sound collected by the devise. Med-El is an Austrian company founded in 1989 with U.S. offices in Durham, North Carolina. It's the third largest implant maker, behind Cochlear Limited of Australia and Advanced Bionics which is owned by a Swiss company, Sonova Holding. There's more information here.

Video interview with Bloomberg Terp

New York Mayor's interpreter, Lydia Callis, visited CNN for an interview.

WA Suit: $4.5 million

LaShonn White is suing police in Tacoma, Wash. for $4.5 million. The deaf woman was attacked and called 911. When officers arrived on the scene, they mistook her for a suspect. She was tased and left in jail for three days. Prosecutors never charged her with any crime. The responding officers ignored her requests for a sign language interpreter.

Portland Police Suit

A deaf man is suing the Portland police dept. for violating his ADA rights. Philip Wolfe says there's no system in place for how officers are supposed to deal with deaf people even though the Justice Department has created a list of recommendations for law enforcement agencies. Wolfe points to what happened to him during the Spring of this year. He left his apartment to get away from an abusive partner and had a friend call 911. His friend told police that Wolfe would need an interpreter. When officers arrived with no interpreter, Wolfe asked for one. They did not honor his request and then misunderstood his desire to report domestic abuse for wanting to get into his apartment. His partner broke in the apartment that evening and attacked him. Again, Wolfe asked his friend to call 911. Again, his friend asked for an interpreter. Police arrived without an interpreter. Once again, Wolfe asked for an interpreter. Instead of calling for an interpreter, another officer was sent to the scene who knew some ASL. But she was only a beginner and was unable adequately interpret for him. Police eventually arrested his partner, but the charges were dropped when the partner committed suicide. Wolfe's suit asks for $5000.

Handling of sex abuse

Reuters takes a look at a new docu on abuse of deaf boys by a priest here.

Best Prof in the US at NTID

The Carnegie Foundation has picked NTID professor as its nationwide professor of the year out of 300 finalists. Todd Pagano is director of the Laboratory Science Technology program. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching working with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education said Pagano is “a leading scholar of science education for deaf students and an advocate in the professional chemistry community for students, scientists and technicians with special needs.” A decade ago, when he first arrived at NTID , Pagano didn’t know sign language — and relied on an interpreter. But he quickly learned ASL in order to be able to better communicate with the students. Pagano is the first RIT faculty member to receive the prestigious award. He is married to Susan Smith Pagano, an assistant professor at RIT’s Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Science. To read more about Pagano's work, click here.

Fest Saturday

The Maryland Deaf Festival takes place this Saturday (Nov 17) at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Friendship, Maryland. The all-day event (9am to 6pm) is open free to all. There will be entertainment for both adults and children in the 40,000 square foot building. The Maryland Deaf Senior Citizens is hosting the festival and expects to have more than 100 booths and exhibitors.

ASL Degrees

There are 78 colleges offering a degree in ASL interpreting and 40 schools offering bachelor’s degrees, according to Nataly Kelly, author of book, Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World. She also says there are three offering master's degrees in sign language interpreting.

Jail time for school sex abuser

A residential adviser at a Catholic deaf school in Cincinnati is going to jail for a year for molesting two boys. Joshua Bort worked at the St. Rita School for the Deaf last year until a student told a school counselor about the abuse. Bort has plead guilty to sexual abuse charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping two other similar charges. St. Rita says it makes its employees and volunteers who work directly with children to go through a background check. They are also required to attend meetings on child protection.

Found in Translation

There's a new book about the work of interpreters called Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World. It's written by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche. Kelly says, "This book was inspired by the work that interpreters and translators do every day." She is the Chief Research Officer at the market research firm Common Sense Advisory which focuses on global business and language services issues. Zetzsche works as a translator from English into German in Oregon and helps other translators embrace technology.  Find out more here.

Interpreter points way to growing career

Without uttering a word, Lydia Callis had the nation eating out of her very expressive hands. Read more about a sign language interpreter career from NBC News here.

Deaf Student: I want to be a doctor

Michael Argenyi is suing Creighton University Medical School because the school refuses to accommodate his hearing loss. Argenyi says he wanted to become a doctor but the Nebraska school won't give him interpreters or CART (the captioning process provides real time text and is often used in classrooms). The school claims it has done enough- giving him a note taker and access to power point slides. Despite the limitations, Argenvi has determined to get through the program, passing all his classes. But he wants, what he says are full accommodations under ADA law. And the Justice Department agrees. It has filed a friend of the court brief on his behalf. Argenvi is from Seattle but the case is being heard in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Deaf Cheerleader Shines

Watch a video about her on DeafNewsToday.com or read the story here.

Where are the UK Teachers?

The Guardian looks at why there are few teachers who are deaf in the UK here.

Warning Deaf Israelis

For deaf Israelis, rocket warnings come only at home because pagers are only activated when owners are in their hometown. Read the story here.

Opening the World in Jakarta

Learn about sign language in Indonesia here.

Why some Parodies aren’t Funny

Marlee Matlin writes in the Chicago Sun-Times about why some parodies about the deaf are simply not funny here.

Being Deaf Has its Perks

Marlee Matlin appeared on the Jeff Probst show and explained one of the things she likes about being deaf.

Captioning at SC Stadium

The University of South Carolina showed off its new stadium captioning boards for the first time at this past Saturday's game against Arkansas. It's a way for football fans with hearing loss to know what's being announced on the public address system. The ribbon board at Williams-Brice Stadium is about four feet wide and three feet high and located just below the new video scoreboard. It cost $100,000 to get it installed.

Man hit by Police Billed for Damages

The city of New York wants Jesse Zorski to pay for the damages done to a police car that ran into him. The car hit his leg then he was struck by the car's side-view mirror and he was taken to an area hospital. An NYPD now says the bill should not have been sent. Not only did he get a $1200 bill for medical treatment, but a notice from a law firm representing the city that he owed $1028.08 to cover the cost of repairs to the patrol car. Zorski says he had the right of way though police dispute that. Zorski works as a tailor in the fashion district of Manhattan and wears a hearing aid because of a childhood ailment. Zorski says his hearing loss did not have anything to do with the accident.

ASLHA in ATL

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention starts this coming Thursday (Nov 15–17) in Atlanta. For more info, click here.

In defense of deaf voices

Following the criticism of a deaf soccer player for using his voice, a CODA offers a defense of deaf voices in The Guardian here.

Let's Hear it for Almigal

Wendy Kupfer's children's book, Let's Hear it for Almigal, was inspired by her daughter's hearing loss and her work at the University of Miami Cochlear Implant Center. The Florida resident hopes to help other families who are coping with deafness. Illustrated by Tammie Lyon, the book has been recognized by Mom's Choice Awards. It tells the story of Almigal, who has just gotten pink cochlear implants. Her friend, who is black, brings another aspect of diversity into the picture. Find out more here.

UK Train Accident

A woman was hit and killed by a train in the Yorkshire area of England. Police say the deaf woman had been drinking and she did not hear the approaching train. Surveillance footage shows 27-year-old Billie-Jane Coulton trying to get away once she realized the train was nearly on her. She died from injuries next to the platform as her boyfriend called for help. Coulton lived in the Sheffield suburb of Woodhouse.

Changes for MI Oral Program

Parents fight planned change in Grand Rapids Oral Deaf Program. Read the story here.

Record-setting Game for football team

The football team at California School for the Deaf football set a school record today for the most wins in a single season. By beating Tomales 26-6 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division V playoffs, CSD is now 10 and 1 on the season. The most the team had ever won previously was nine games in 2002 and 2009. Carlos Lopez threw for four touchdowns while on defense, he had two interceptions for the Eagles. The team next plays St. Vincent in the semifinals in one week.

Player Clocked going 112mph

A deaf soccer player in the UK won't be able to drive for a couple of weeks. Police say Jamie Clarke was going 112 mph near Evesham, England. Clarke was driving a Vauxhall Astra. He is a striker for Littleton Football Club and was part of the St John’s Arsenal team that won the Deaf Champions League this year. Clarke's license has been temporarily suspended and he had to pay a fine of more than £100.

Bison Stats

The men's football team at Gallaudet is in the Top 25 nationally in five different categories:

• #5 in punt returns 
•  10th in tackles for loss 
•  12th in sacks 13th in rushing offense 
•  24th on kickoff yardage defense

There are four Bison in the Top 25 nationally:

• Running back Tony Tatum is fourth yards per punt return
• Defensive lineman Adham Talaat is sixth in forced fumbles per game
• Defensive lineman Jared Pearce is eighth in sacks per game ranks eighth, while his tackles for loss per game ranks 24th. 
• Jaris Alleyne is 22nd in solo tackles per game 

 The Bison have averaged 369.1 yards of total offense per game and have scored 43 touchdowns and two field goals.

Gally Football Today

Gallaudet's football team takes on Maritime College this afternoon in Throggs Neck, New York. The Bison are 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in the conference, while the Maritime football team is 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the conference. It's the final home game of the 2012 season for the Privateers. Maritime has won three of the five games in which the teams have played previously. Last year, the final score was 21-14. That's the same score in 2010 - and the Privateers won both games. The two previous games were Bison victories. The Bison are coming off a 29-22 home victory over Mount Ida - the team's first win over the Mustangs.

Update on man found in a Burning Taxi Cab

A few feet from Gallaudet's dorms, a dead man was discovered behind the wheel of the tax cab. Watch the news video posted below on DeafNewToday.com or read the story here.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

Implant Anniversary

Fox News reports on the anniversary of the company Cochlear Limited here. The writer blurs the line between the cochlear implant device and the Cochlear Limited, which is an Australian implant maker. Read more about the companies that make implants here.

Microsoft: Translation Breakthrough

Microsoft is unveiling new software that translates spoken English into spoken Chinese almost instantly - with few errors. The company says a breakthrough took place when it switched from its early translation work, based on speech patterns to statistical models based on how our brains work. Researchers say this has cut down on mistakes by making better use of voice inflections. At the same time, they say about a quarter of the errors have been eliminated just through the use of faster computer technology. The development could have a major impact on creation of ASL translation devices. A video of the Microsoft presentation is posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

Teaching language to the deaf in the 17th century

A linguist is offering details of a centuries-old book that explains attempts to teach the deaf to communicate. David Cram of the University of Oxford is giving a lecture at the Royal today in London. The 300-year-old, leather-bound manual was found at an old house five years ago. It was owned by Alexander Popham, a deaf teenager, who was taught to speak in the 1660s by his tutors, William Holder and John Wallis. They apparently understood the need for the deaf to have their own language - making use of a early version of sign language. Popham became a bit of a celebrity for his effort to speak, eventually marrying the daughter of 17th century intellectual. The talk will be interpreted by a BSL interpreter. You'll find more information here.

Hard Man in Dallas

ASL Films' Hard Man will be shown in Dallas this Saturday (Nov 10). An alcoholism struggles when his estranged daughter decides to place him in a nursing home. For more information, click here.

Crash near Gally

DC police are looking are looking for anyone with information on a taxi driver found dead near Gallaudet University. He was discovered in a burning car after an accident last night on Brentwood Parkway, just south of New York Avenue. An autopsy should provide police with more information.

Subway Kicks out Service Dog

An Oklahoma woman has filed a complaint against a Subway restaurant for refusing to provide service to her because of her service dog. Watch the video report below on DeafNewsToday.com or read the story here. News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Gally's Metro Stop

The Gallaudet Metro stop has the biggest increase in ridership of any stop in DC since 2008. That's according to the Metro's PlanItMetro blog. The NoMa-Gallaudet U Red Line station saw 3,363 more passengers this year from five years ago. Ridership is up 2% overall.

Apology for Slamming Deaf Player

The head of a mini cab company in the UK is apologizing for criticizing the sounds of a deaf soccer player. John Griffin sent a note to a newspaper saying Daniel Ailey grunts like a girl when he plays, making a reference to female tennis stars, such as Maria Sharapova. Ailey plays for Potters Bar and fans of an opposing team started making loud noises, mocking Airley. Police were called in. That's when Griffin, a big donor to the Tory Party, commented that police should have make Ailey stop grunting, not the fans. He wrote:

"Do I read it correctly that a deaf footballer makes a grunting sound to attract team mates attention. I long ago gave up watching women’s tennis due to the loud level of grunting. I note that the police were called and I hope they demanded that the footballer should discontinue making noises that could be misinterpreted by members of the crowd. Yours in amazement John Griffin."

Airley later wrote, "I regret any offence caused by my comments. This was certainly not my intention and I apologize."

John Griffin

Canadian Implants

Vancouver hospital marks the 30th anniversary of the first implant in Canada performed there in 1982. Read the story here.

Implants and ASL study

The first study looking at how ASL helps cochlear implants recipients gets underway in December at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Funded by more than $2 million grant of federal money, researchers will take four years to test students who have implants and those who don't regarding how they perform in class, the quality of relationships, and their ability to problem solve. The main focus is how well the students who have implants and use ASL are doing compared to those without implants and students who are hearing.

NAD protests Comedy Show

An open letter to Chelsea Handler complains about her mocking of sign language. It was sent by the National Association of the Deaf. The letter complains that the group is disgusted with "for the despicable manner in which you mocked American Sign Language (ASL) and the profession of sign language interpreters" because ASL interpreters “served a valuable purpose in communicating the critical and urgent information during an emergency to everyone including those who are deaf and hard of hearing.” The skit was a “totally offensive mockery of American Sign Language.” NAD is demanding an apology from the Chelsea Lately Show. You can read the full letter here. A group of deaf and hard of hearing have started an online petition which you can see here.

Marlee Matlin: ASL Skit insulting

Marlee Matlin is speaking out about a Saturday Night Live Skit (see it below on DeafNewsToday.com) in which actresses pretending to interpret for the mayor of New York and the Governor of New Jersey. Instead of funny, the Oscar winning actress says it was just "dumb". Matlin wrote, "Millions of deaf people use sign (language). Why poke fun/fake it? Poke fun at ME but not the language. Sign is not mime; it is a legit language... I don't mind fun poked at me, as I poke back. But at the language, that millions use? It feels childish and insulting. Deaf people HAVE a sense of humor... But faking signs that we use isn't the same. Imagine if a show started making fun of Spanish (using fake Spanish) or Japanese. Do you think they'd actually get away with it? Uh, no..."

Why are ASL Terps So Animated?

Read the story at Mental Floss here.

SNL Mocks NY Terp

NBC's Saturday Night Live offered its take off of New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg's expressive sign language interpreter Lydia Callis last night. SNL newcomer Cecily Strong imitated Callis, followed by Nasim Pedrad who pretended to be New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s signer. See the viode of the opening below on DeafNewToday.com.

NY Terp Video with Music

Some interpreting by Lydia Callis for New York's mayor is combined with some related Tweets and set to music in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

In the Loop

Hearing loops are becoming more popular, but is the technology being used? An article addressing the topic in an Arizona paper here.

Getting to Know.. Lydia Callis

Lydia Callis because an internet sensation when videos and gifs of her began circulating after she served as the interpreter for New York's mayor during his news conferences related to the recovery effort from Hurricane Sandy. Here is a little background on her:

Age: 30

Home: Westchester, New York

Family: Her mother is deaf and so are her three siblings

Job: ASL interpreter

Education: 2010 alumna of NTID's ASL Interpretation Program

Experience: Worked for RIT as an interpreter on campus for a year after she graduated

A video is posted below on DeafNewsToday.com showing her in action.

Comedian Mocks ASL Interpreter

Chelsea Handler took time during her late night comedy talk show on the E! Network to mock the interpreter for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the video posted below on DeafNewToday.com.

SC School for the Deaf and Blind students work on Habitat for Humanity homes

Read about how they are contributing here.

Vocabulary Study

Limited vocabulary is the greatest cause of reading problems among deaf children, according to researchers in the Netherlands. Karien Coppens of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research has developed a vocabulary test to be given to elementary school students based on the results of her study. She found weakness in the vocabulary of deaf Dutch children is greatest when confronted by complex words that are long and abstract. Read more about the study here.

Fire near Gallaudet

A fire in Washington, DC started at a produce store near Gally and quickly spread to several other businesses and buildings. A video report from WJLA-TV is posted on DeafNewsToday or read the story here.