Terps Laid Off in Conn.

The state of Connecticut is laying off sign language interpreters working with the Department of Rehabilitation Services. The switch to private interpreting services starts July 15. Dozens came to protest the change today in Hartford at the department's offices. Read the full story at the the Hartford Courant.

Lawsuit: Deaf woman wrongly arrested, no terp

A deaf women is suing the sheriff's office in Shawnee County, Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Carolyn Hans called 9-1-1 and deputies ended up arresting her and putting her in solitary confinement in the jail’s psych ward-all without providing an interpreter, a phone, or explaining why she was arrested, according to the lawsuit. Read the full story here.

Supreme Court will hear case about deaf students

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case involving deaf people this fall. They sued because Texas driver instruction schools refuse to allow them to take classes. An appeals court ruled against them but the deaf group is appealing. The case is Ivy v. Morath (Ivy Donnika is the main plaintiff). Read details of the case here.

Private schools and ADA law

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) 

Should private schools that take federal money be required to follow the ADA law? They won't have to if this senator gets his way. Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has proposed legislation "would prohibit the Justice Department from enforcing key provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act at private schools," according to the Washington Post. Read the full story here.

Tech in the Deaf World

"The impact of video relay services, or VRS, has been titanic for businesses owned and operated by the deaf. VRS has grown into a half-billion-dollar-a-year industry as more and more deaf Americans gain access to speedy mobile data and sophisticated phones," reports Wired magazine. Read more about the technology here, including a look at San Francisco's deaf-owned Mozzeria pizza. Below is a Wired video that comes with the article, but Wired chose not to caption it.

Watch this on The Scene.

Profile of Deaf race car driver

Chris Kennedy and most of his pit crew are deaf. He's won dozens of titles as a kart and sprint car driver. WHTM-TV has a profile.

Deaf Teacher's Quest Inspires Student

image from Maryland Governor's office
of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Students at the Maryland School for the Deaf are silently marking Keith Nolan's attempt to join the armed services. He's been told "no" for more than a decade because he is deaf. His determination has led to passage of a House bill bearing his name — the Keith Nolan Air Force Deaf Demonstration Act of 2015, which called for a demonstration program, according to the Associated Press. Read the full story here.

Scam seeks donations for deaf students

Someone is going around several Michigan communities and asking for donations to "help send kids from the Michigan School for the Deaf to play football in Washington, D.C." But "police and school officials say the fundraiser isn’t real and an alleged scammer or a group of people bent on fraud has been raking in the cash." Read more here.

Police fail to provide Terp

Minnesota cops refused to provide an interpreter after making an arrest in 2013. Alan Read, who was born deaf, wanted one but Oakdale police would only write notes to him. Now they will pay $30k to settle his complaint, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Read the full story here.

What’s it like to be deaf in the workplace?

TotalJobs, a UK employment site, spoke to two deaf people about their employment experiences. One said she tried an experiment where she rewrote her resume "to remove any references or clues about my deafness and to appear as if I was hearing person who just happens to know sign language." This "resulted in immediate success with getting through to the second stage/interviews." Read the full story here.

Bride Signs Lyrics to Father-Daughter Dance Song

An Ohio bride "decided to sign the lyrics to the song she chose for the father-daughter dance." The CODA told Inside Edition, "I think I was signing before I was talking. When I am at a loss for words in English, I know exactly what to sign. I even dream in sign language sometimes." There's more in the video below. No captions but you can read the story here.

A young Syrian girl is left deaf and hopeless

Maram Lahham is going deaf but "a government siege of her home town of Darayya has prevented the seven year old from receiving medical care and enough food to eat," reports the New Zealand Herald. Her mother is quoted as saying, "You can't imagine how hard it is to watch this happen to your daughter and not be able to do anything about it." Read the full 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

Body of Deaf Mother of 4 Found

(image from Scotland Police)

The body of Kirsty Aitchison has been found in the River Clyde in Scotland after an intense search. The deaf mother of four disappeared after leaving a Glasgow bar a week ago. Police say they are not treating the death as suspecious. Read more from the BBC.

Pharmacy Program Graduation

Not only is Samantha Hert the first doctor in her family, and the first to attend graduate school, she's the first deaf person to graduate from South College’s School of Pharmacy in Knoxville. WATE=TV has a video report.

ex-NFL Deaf Player Pleads not guilty to hit-run, vehicular assault

Former Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman pleaded not guilty today to felony hit-and-run and vehicular assault, reports the Seattle Times. After an October car crash, Coleman fled barefoot down the block and did not call 911. Read the full story here or watch the video report below from Seattle's KIRO-TV.

Cuts at State Schools for Deaf and Blind

The Mississippi schools for the blind and deaf are facing major budget cuts for this coming year. The Clarion Ledger reports state lawmakers are cutting $332,264. Read more details here.

Woman pleads guilty to attacking deaf lesbian couple

Shaunda Lane pleaded guilty to attacking a deaf lesbian couple with a baseball bat in California a few months ago. KESQ has more on the story here.

North Dakota woman sues police over arrest

Christine Stein says police in Jamestown, North Dakota wrongly put her in jail last year. She called 911 using a relay service to tell officers about a suicidal man. When police arrived, they arrested her and she was denied an interpreter, according to the suit. WDAy-TV has a report here.

Equipment returned

A four-year-old in Indianapolis got the equipment back for his cochlear implant after the items were stolen. WTHR-TV has a report.