Katie Irwin becomes the first deaf person to give UAA Commencement Speech

Katie Irwin delivered the commencement address to fellow students at the University of Alaska Anchorage in December. She becomes the first deaf person to give the commencement. KTVA-TV has a video report.

Husky Saves Deaf Hiker

A deaf hiker who fell nearly 700-feet down snowy mountain says a trail guide dog saved her life. Amelia Millin was some nearly 30 miles outside of Anchorage when her trekking poles broke and she plunged down the mountainside. But a husky found Millin, who attends the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester. Watch an ABC video report here.

Arrest After Standoff

An Alaska man is behind bars and facing charges of killin two police officers. John Marvin Jr. was arrested yesterday following a standoff with police. One of the officers he is accused of killing was deaf. Police Sgt. Anthony Wallace was a graduate of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute for Technology in upstate New York.

Policeman Killed

A graduate of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf was shot and killed in southeast Alaska yesterday. Tony Wallace, who was hard of hearing had been a security guard and an All-American wrestler at the Rochester school where he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He graduated in 2003. Wallace was working as a police officer in the town of Hoonah when he and a fellow patrolman were killed by a man who later barricaded himself in his home.

Ride to Alaska for Kids

A group of 14 riders will make a charity motorcycle ride to Alaska starting Saturday. The 11,000-mile round-trip the World’s Longest Group Motorcycle Benefit Run. The ride has been made for 9 years in order to raise funds for the SKI-HI Institute which is part of Utah State University and helps children who are deaf and those who are blind. The institute partners with the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine.

Mixed Martial Arts

When Josh Ofiu isn't attending classes at Gallaudet University, he's battling at the Alaska Fighting Championship bouts. Josh never gets nervous from the buzz of the crowd because he's deaf - which he considers an advantage. Four years ago he was charged with assault. Police said he was part of a mob who came back from to get revenge after being kicked out of a party. That's when Ofiu tried his hand at mixed martial arts. But he hopes to pursue a career as a counselor for deaf children when he graduates.

Charity Ride

Dr. Mike Tuccelli will lead a group on a charity motorcycle ride to Alaska next month. The University of Florida professor who is deaf has been making the11,000-mile round-trip for eight years in order to raise funds for the SKI-HI Institute. The group helps children who are deaf and those who are blind.

Teen's Battle to Get to School

A family in Alaska has won a judgment against the Anchorage School District. A judge has ruled the school district must provide transportation for 13-year-old Katelyn Reese to get to her school. She is the only middle-school student needing a ride from the Mat-Su school district to her classes at the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Anchorage. The Anchorage district school refused to give her ride in 2007, saying the Mat-Su district or the state should pay the bill. Katelyn Reese has been deaf since the age of three. The Anchorage district plans an appeal.