England Cuts Deaf Services

Almost one in five councils in England have cut services for deaf children, according to The Guardian. Read the story here.

Bright Student Rejected

Oxford University has rejected one of Britain's best students for a place at the school. Deaf since birth, Anastasia Fedotova earned six A grades in math, physics, chemistry, biology and general studies. The 19-year-old communicates with help from hearing aids and by lip-reading. Born in Russia, she grew up in Germany and came to England in 2005. Her sponsors are demanding an explanation from the school, though she plans to now apply to Cambridge University.

Signing and Talking

When someone moves their mouth while signing, is that a part of sign language or a part of English? A British study found that hands and mouths seem to be doing different things, suggesting that the lip movement isn't part of the sign. University College London researchers watched users of British Sign Language, all of whom grew up signing with deaf parents. The subjects seemed to be processing two languages at the same time. Details are in the journal Psychological Science.

The Silence

BBC officials were so impressed with a new thriller called The Silence, they decided to give it during a primetime broadcast slot. It will run in four parts sometime later this year. Filmed on location in Dublin, the drama was lead by Dearbhla Walsh, an Emmy award winning Irish director. Deaf actress Genevieve Barr plays the lead role of a young woman who has recently been fitted with a cochlear implant. A graduate of Edinburgh University, she was teaching in an inner London secondary school, giving up her career to take on the role. Barr had to learn sign for some scenes with deaf actors who do. Adding to the complications, the interpreter on set came from Britain and used BSL rather than Irish sign. In the film, the girl witnesses the murder of a policewoman. The Silence attempts to show what cochlear implant users hear and Walsh made that experience central to the story.

Teen Faked Deafness

A teenager in England is going to jail for posing as a deaf charity worker. 18-year-old Humovia Tansase even used sign language as she and a friend went door-to-door in Stretford asking for donations. A judge handed the Romanian a 10 month sentence but she will only spend a few weeks behind bars because she has already served four months waiting for the sentence. Prosecutors say her accomplice stole jewelery and other valuables from homes where the owners allowed them inside.

Growing Hair Cells

Scientists at England’s University of Sheffield say they’ve come up with a way to grow hair cells using stem cells. The researchers were able to grow these stem cells in the laboratory and encourage them to turn into hair cells. They hope this will lead to cell transplants for those with sensorineural hearing loss – one of the most common forms of deafness. We’re about a decade away from seeing human patients receive stem cell transplants, though new drugs may be developed sooner based on these findings.