MD Deaf man Sexually Assaulted

Image from
 Wicomico County Detention Center

A deaf man was sexually assaulted in Salisbury, Maryland this past Saturday "by a woman who carjacked and robbed him," according to Delmarva Now. Salisbury Police have charged Tina Marie Graham "with kidnapping, carjacking, first-degree sex offense, perverted practice, false imprisonment and other offenses." Read the full story here
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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.

Graduation performance at Deaf School

Here's a taste of what went on today at the Delaware School for the Deaf as the class of 2013 celebrated getting their diplomas.

Deaf School Evacuated

Police evacuated students from the Delaware School for the Deaf this morning when a suspicious case was discovered. Explosives experts determined that suitcase was not dangerous and contained only personal items. An alert custodian at the Newark school noticed the unattended case.

New Laws in Delaware

This morning Delaware's Governor will sign two bills into law at the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington. Both will have an impact on people with hearing and speech difficulties in the state. One bill requires health officials to keep up with children who've been identified as needing services related to hearing. It also creates a board to oversee the effort - the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Board. This is the state's update of the Universal Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening Act. The other bill provides more "telecommunications services for the deaf and those with hearing loss or speech disabilities."

Complex offers latest technology for Learning

A look at the new facilities for the Delaware School for the Deaf here.

New Children's Rights Law

Delaware's governor signed the Deaf of Hard of Hearing Child’s Bill of Rights into law yesterday at the Delaware School for the Deaf in Newark. It gives certain rights for children who are deaf or hard of hearing in the Delaware school system. The legislation acknowledges the need for a comprehensive statewide program serving deaf and hard of hearing children.

Implants Threaten ASL Education

Here's a video from WHYY-TV about the new school for the deaf in Delaware that's under construction and how cochlear implants are affecting the educational process and the threat it posses for ASL. The text of the video is here.

New Delaware School

Delaware's state legislature is releasing funds to build a new school for the deaf near Newark. A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday. The $43 facility will take a year and a half to complete. The current Delaware School for the Deaf is operated by the Christina School District, serving 129 children. Of particular concern is the rising number of students with cochlear implants who need different instruction and accommodation than those without the implants. The new school willl be built a few hundred feet from the current facility and will handle 250 students. Construction is set to start in November and finished sometime in the spring of 2011.

Court Interpreters

A seminar will be held in Delaware for sign language interpreters who work in the court system. Widener University School of Law's Legal Education Institute is offering the program over the course of two weekends at Widener's Brandywine Hundred campus. The court system presents special challenges for interpreters especially regarding liability. And court interpreters are not permitted to speak with witnesses outside the courtroom. The National Center for State Courts is working to come up with proficiency tests for court interpreters. Sign language court interpreters already must pass RID’s certification test. There are only about 200 people specializing in interpreting ASL in courts around the country. Here is more infomation on the seminar.