Deaf School Apologizes for Decades of Abuse

Leaders of The American School for the Deaf are apologizing to dozens of survivors of sexual abuse and physical abuse by former faculty and staff members. The abuse took place from the 1950s through the 1980s. The statement reads in part:

On behalf of ASD and its Board of Directors, we apologize to the survivors of this abuse — this should not have happened to you -– and we promise to continue to devote ourselves to protecting the current and future generations of children who rely on us and this community to enrich their lives,” they said in a statement.

Read the full statement here and watch a vlog summarizing the findings of the investigation.

Deaf sexual abuse victims protest at the Vatican

Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests at a school for the deaf in Argentina staged a protest at the Vatican yesterday, reports Reuters. Two priests and a gardener have already been convicted and more will go on trial soon. Read more here.

Families accuse teacher’s aide of sexual abuse

A former teacher’s aid at a Salt Lake City school for deaf children is facing rape and sexual assault charges. Tyler Jex is "accused of inappropriately touching or contacting their underage daughters through his position with the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf." KSTU-FOX 13 has a video report.

Police: Sex Tape at Deaf School?

Illinois State Police are looking into whether a sex video was shot at the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville. It's reported to have happened in April. The video in questions was, until recently available on an adult website. Read more on the story from the State Journal-Register here.

BSL teacher jailed, 'snared by paedophile hunter'

"A teacher once named 'Britain's sign language tutor of the year' has been jailed after being snared by a female paedophile hunter," reports the Daily Mail. Read the full story here.

Sex Abuse Lawsuit against Deaf School Settled

Update: A family suing the Scranton School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing because their "daughter had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a classmate has settled in the middle of trial." In court papers the school argued "that it couldn’t be labeled negligent for what happened because there was no reason to suspect child abuse." Read the full story at Law.com here.

image by daveynin

Deaf School Counselor Arrested: Accused of Child Molestation

A man who worked with students at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont is facing child molestation charges. Ricardo Tafolla Rose has been a counselor at the school. If you know someone who might have been a victim, you are asked to call the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Special Investigations Unit at 800-835-5247. KRON-TV has a short video report.

Not on the Radar: Sexual Assault of College Students With Disabilities

Sexual assault policies at colleges typically don't address the needs of deaf students, among other groups. That's according to a new federal study from the National Council on Disability. Wendy Harbour, the director of the National Center for College Students With Disabilities, who was part of putting together the report, said:

Sexual assault has become a topic of concern on campuses and with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, but seldom has the conversation included consideration of the needs of college students with disabilities.

The report finds undergraduates with a disability are more likely to be sexually assaulted than their counterparts. The report titled “Not on the Radar: Sexual Assault of College Students With Disabilities” is the very first federally-funded on the subject. It concludes that many school are not in compliance with ADA law, ignoring the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students. For instance, many colleges lack procedures for communicating with assault victims who are deaf or hard of hearing. You'll find the full report on the National Council on Disability website here.

Deaf sexual assault survivor graduates with help from detectives

image from Chicago Tribune video

Chicago sheriff's investigators not only sought the person who raped a deaf teen three years ago, they stood by her until she recently graduated from high school. One of them said, "We went into this thinking here is a victim and let's try to solve her case and it just turned into ... seeing her as a goddaughter." The Chicago Tribune has the story here.

Protecting deaf children from abuse in TN

A Tennessee woman is hoping her effort in schools called The Sign Club will help deaf children not become isolated and more likely fall victim to sexual abuse. WSMV-TV in Nashville has a video report. No captions, but you can read the story here.

WBRC FOX6 News - Birmingham, AL

5 Years for Molesting Teen

A Chicago-area man will spend five years behind bars for sexually assaulting a deaf teen. The Daily Herald has more on the story here.

Talking to kids about sex in ASL

Talking about sex can be awkward, especially in sign language. NPR quotes the director of health and wellness programs at Gallaudet as saying:

The great thing about ASL though is, I can finger-spell herpes and then I can be more descriptive using my hands. So I can provide a visual access to what it looks like, to the symptoms that it might cause by using hands, which is a definite advantage for the deaf community over the hearing community.

Read more of the story here.

Judge: Expect very significant prison sentences

Two sisters from the Herefordshire area of England were told by a judge to "expect very significant prison sentences" when they are sentenced next month. The two were convicted of sexually abusing a boy. The Sun has the story here.

Court Papers: Principal tried to cover up sex assault scandal

Image from HawaiiNewsNow video report

The former principal at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind was told many times about sexual assault allegations, according to newly released court records. But Hawaii News Now reports that she did not act while "dozens of students were robbed, raped and even gang raped by other students." Taxpayers ended up paying nearly $6 million to settle lawsuits linked to the crimes while some students were convicted of crimes. Hawaii News Now has the details. here. Hawaii News Now has a video report

Cali School gets new leader

The California School for the Deaf at Riverside has a new superintendent. Nancy Hlibok Amann will take the role this summer. Amann has worked at Deaf Community Services of San Diego and served as assistant superintendent of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind. Read the press release about the appointment from the California Dept. of Education here. Parents of a student at the school filed a lawsuit in 2015, accusing administrators of allowing a sex club to exist on campus. The school denied that accusation. Read more about the suit here.

$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.

Leader at Deaf Church accused of Sexual Battery

The treasurer at a Deaf church in Kasnas is facing charges that he sexually molested another church-goer. KCTV-TV has a video report. No captions but you can read the story here.

Victims of sexual abuse at deaf school speak out

Students at an east London school for deaf children "tried to tell people they were being sexually abused without success." Students were punished for signing at this oral school, according to a BBC report here.

Parents: Sex Club at Deaf School

The parents of a deaf student are suing the California School for the Deaf in Riverside. They claim their son was raped as part of a sex club at the school. KABC-TV reports the "ringleader" is now at a difference school.

Man charged with sexual assaulting deaf woman

A man broke into the home of a deaf Florida woman and sexually assaulted her before stealing money from her. WFTS-TV reports police caught the man and he is now behind bars.