Suit: Police Denied Motorist an Interpreter

A deaf woman is suing the city of New York because she says police refused to provide her with an interpreter. Tanya Ingram was in a minor car accident in 2013 when the problem began. Read the full story at the New York Post here.

Deaf Schools Closing in Ontario

There's a plan to close deaf schools in the Ontario area due to falling enrollments. Ann Carr, a former counsellor at the local schools, told parents at a Friday meeting, “If you don’t do it now, at the end of June you guys are going to have nothing. At the end of June they’re going to say goodbye. This is for real, you have to start moving today,” reports the Intelligencer.Read more here.

Tattoo means Deaf in One Ear

Elisa Menzel

A woman in Germany Berlin got a unique tattoo behind her left ear. Elisa Menzel says its to let people know she is deaf in that ear. A photo of it has gotten several million views on the social media sharing site Imgur. Another person who is deaf in one ear decided to get a microphone instead of a speaker.. you can see pawsed in the second photo. Read more from ABC news here and Metro here.

pawsed

Weekend Conference

Educators for deaf and hard of hearing students have gathered at Fresno State this weekend for a statewide conference. The CAL-ED Conference (CAL-ED stands for California Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) includes workshops and presentations aimed at parents, interpreters and teachers working in the field. For a look at the schedule of events, click here.

"Disrespect" during traffic stops

Deaf drivers say they've been mistreated by Winnipeg police. Jenna Irwin told the CBC, "I think sometimes the police officers just don't want to take the time or make the effort to communicate with us. I think we all want to be treated equally. We want to feel as though we're the same as everybody else, and communication is very important. Eye contact is very important. I'm not too sure why they would assume we should be treated any differently just because we're deaf." Below is a CBC News video report.

Post about coffee shop employee learning ASL goes viral

A Starbucks employee in Virginia learned some sign language because of one of his frequent customers is deaf. The customer, Ibby Piracha was so appreciative, he posted a note of thanks on Facebook and it has since gone viral. KTRK-TV has a video report. No captions but you can read the story here.

New Captioning Rules

The FCC has issued new captioning rules for television. It's part of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act rollout. The commissioner has voted to keep primary responsibility for captions squarely on the shoulders of programmers (like TV broadcasters and cable operators) while shifting some of the burden to video programming owners and producers. In effect, programmers will be responsible for captions on their television shows, while distributors (cable companies) will still be expected to handle the delivery and technical aspects of captioning. Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said:

“Today’s Commission action on closed captioning is about responsibility. Those who produce and distribute video for television have a shared responsibility to ensure that closed captioning is both available and accurate. Likewise, this agency has a responsibility to seize on this moment in time which, for the first time in human history, offers us real opportunities to address the communications challenges faced by tens of millions of Americans with disabilities. We are making significant progress on this front and I thank my fellow Commissioners for joining me in this important work.”

There's also an updated complaint proceedure.  Read more here.

Robbery at Gunpoint in Broad Daylight at Gally

Three men robbed another man right outside of Gallaudet University Sunday afternoon about 12:30pm, according to DC police.  Read more in the Washington Post. and Hill Now.

Possible Changes in Texas' Deaf Services

Texas lawmakers are considering outsourcing the state's Independent Living Services for the deaf in North Texas. KXAS-TV in Dallas has a video report. No captions but you can read the story here.

No Terps at Aussie Disney On Ice

The Disney On Ice Facebook page "has been besieged by upset comments from deaf families" for a decision by Disney Australia not to providing sign language interpreters at its shows. One mother is quoted as saying, "We have to fight for everything. We have to fight for equal access and equal opportunities for our children, from education to after-school care." Read more in The Sydney Morning Herald here.

Former inmate gets award reversed

Robert Ovens was awarded damages for not being given a qualified interpreter and other issues related to accommodations while he was in a Deleware prison by the State Human Relations Commission. But a judge has reversed that decision, saying "prisons are not places of public accommodation." You can read the entire ruling here. The decision runs counter to the Supreme Court decision in Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskley. The high court found correctional facilities are obligated to follow ADA law.

Officer uses sign to talk deaf teen off bridge

A police officer in North Carolina spent about a half hour convincing a deaf teen not to jump off a bridge on Tuesday. WNCN-TV has a video report.

$30-million settlement for Deaf students abused by priests

The Roman Catholic religious order Clercs de Saint-Viateur agreed to pay 150 deaf victims of sexual abuse $20 million--and $10 million more will come from the Institut Raymond-Dewar (once known as  the Montreal Institute for the Deaf).  It's the "largest settlement for sexual assault in Quebec history" according to the Montreal Gazzette. The abuse "spanned from 1940 to 1982." Read the full story here.

Arrested for Attempted Murder of Deaf Man

Keith D. James 

A Florida man is facing charges he tried to kill a deaf man. Keith D. James of Orlando was arrested when police found him hiding in a bedroom at his mother's apartment, reports the Orlando Sentinal. Read the full story here.

Gally Hoops Success

The men's basketball team at Gallaudet have a 10-3 conference record and a 13-6 record overall this season. The Bison are second place in their division and will take on Wilson College Saturday. A strong finish could propel the team into the playoffs. Read more about how the team has come together this season in a PressBox article posted here.

More on the man killed after knocking on a door

We're now learning more about the man shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas when he knocked on the door of a woman who is now in police custody. William Farr was from Spartanburg, South Carolina where he attended the attended the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. WECT-TV has this video report on Farr's background.

WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather

Implant Maker reports profitable year

The largest company making coclear implants says profits are up almost a third higher than last year at this time. Cochlear, based in Austrailia, now looks for its profits to increase as much as 30% over the previous year. The comapny reports making $67 million during the last six months of 2015. Cochlear's current best-seller is the Nucleus 6 and it expects sales of the device to remain strong for the next few years. Read the full company statement here.

Marlee Matlin signing at the Super Bowl

If you watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, expecting to see Marlee Matlin signing the national anthem as Lady Gaga sing it, then you were among the many who were disappointed--including the Oscar winner herself. Matlin tells ET she was "genuinely surprised" to find out she was cut from the TV broadcast, but says, "ultimately, that decision was not mine to make." Here's what she had to say about Lady Gaga:

When she finished the national anthem, I turned to her and signed, "I love you," and she signed it right back. Later in her dressing room, she and I had a chance to speak, and I told her my kids were big fans of hers. She couldn't have been nicer. I told her anytime she wanted to learn to sign to give a call, and she said, "Yes!"

Read more from ET here.

Scam hits Seattle nonprofit for the deaf

The Seattle Hearing, Speech, and Deafness Center (HSDC) were cheated out of nearly $10,000. Executive director Lindsay Klarman told KING5-TV, "I was in shock, and my stomach just dropped."

Kids at the American School for the Deaf feel the beat

A dance workshop at West Hartford, Connecticut's American School for the Deaf brought out some great moves by the students. WTIC-TV has a video report (no captions but you can read the story here).

Proposal to put college on campus of state deaf school

A plan that would create a four-year college on the campus of the New Mexico School for the Deaf got a lot of attention when the state legislature held a hearing on the topic Tuesday. Find out what happened in an article published by the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Mickey D's drive-thru problem

A Deaf McDonald's customer in Omaha says he's outraged by the treatment he received at an McDonald's restaurant. WOWT has a video report (no caption but you can read the story here).

Deaf man shot and killed after knocking on door

A woman in San Antonio shot and killed a deaf man who did nothing more than knock on her door. When his body was discovered, police found a note next to his body with the word "sorry" written on it. WOAI-TV has a video report (no captions but you can read the story here).

Captioned video ads

Facebook is now offering captioned video ads--and because they've proved helpful toward increasing the number of viewers, you are likely to see more of them soon. Read the full story at Ad Week.

Bosnian classmates reach out to deaf student

A Bosian 6-year-old started school deaf and did not know sign language. His first-grade class decided to learn along with him. Read the story from Associated Press here.

No Qualifications For ASL Interpreters in Florida

Florida is considering raising the level of requirements for sign language interpreters because "Florida is one of only five states that has no standard for sign language interpreter qualifications in K-12 programs.” Read the story at WFSU Radio/TV here.