Advocate Dies

A long time sign language interpreter in Wisconsin has passed. Doris Nyquist is remembered for playing a prominent role as an advocate for the deaf community from the 1950s onward. Read about her bridging two words here.

Graduate of School for the Deaf aims to break barriers

Read profile of an Iowa school for the deaf grad who has interned for a Senator and at the White House here.

Protests Lead to Changes in Funds for Deaf Services

Israel's government is dropping plans to cut deaf services. Israeli parliament member Stav Shaffir organized protests through Facebook outside the Welfare and Social Services Ministry building in Tel Aviv this morning. The budget cuts would have put an end to interpreting services, captioning and other services.

The DeafNewsToday.com 2012 Year in Review

Here is our yearly video review of major news events in the deaf community (it looks better if you watch it fullscreen).

Music for the Deaf

A Norwegian pianist and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra are trying to bring music to the deaf. Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer reports the story from Cologne, Germany in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

Hearing Dogs

A UK charity is doubling its fundraising goal after response soared past its initial effort. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People aimed to raise £30,000 but has increased the goal to £60,000 when more than £55,000 came to the charity.  The project called Merlin’s Mission is named after springer spaniel Merlin, who worked for years as a demonstration dog and finally retired this month. Find out more about the effort here.

Hope for hearing

CNN takes a look at the impact of cochlear implants on those who have age related hearing loss in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com. Or read the story here.

Homicide Suspects in Court

Three teens accused of killed a deaf man in NC made their first court appearances separately yesterday. Prosecutors say Aveance Bryant, Davonta Turner and Ashley Owens stabbed 21-year-old Michael Shull last Friday during a robbery. The trio will remain behind bars until they are back in court next month. Owen and Turner already have criminal records. Bryant and Turner are related to the victim's girlfriend.

Opening lines of communication

Students from a Pa. high school visit a Pittsburg-area school introduce ASL. Here's what happened.

From Extra to Star

A deaf Minnesota man has gotten his shot at a major role in the ABC Family show Switched at Birth. Read about how he went from standing in the background to a starring role here.

Memphis principal promotes closed captioning

Watching closed captioning is helping hearing students read better. You'll find the story here.

Your Air Rights under the Air Carrier Access Act

Info and reservation services must be accessible. If an airline offers phone reservations and info, the same service must be given to hard-of-hearing passengers, whether through TTY or other technology.

Info at the airport must be accessible once you identify yourself as deaf.

Communication on the aircraft must be effective after self-identification.

Service animals are allowed aboard as long as the animal doesn't obstruct the aisles.

Those who are deaf-blind are entitled to safety assistants and they may be required by airlines.

You have a right to complain if the airline fails to provide assistance File a complaint with the Department of Transportation at 800-778-4838 (voice) or 800-455-9880 (TTY). You also can make a complaint online here.

Source: The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network

NC Murder Arrests

Three people are behind bars for killing a deaf many in Charlotte. Michael Victor was found on the front lawn Friday night, stabbed to death. Police arrested three teenagers: Davonta Turner, Aveance Bryant, and Ashley Owens. Here's a video report from WSOC-TV with captions.

Young Deaf Man Murdered

A 21-year-old man was attacked and left to die on the front yard of someone's home in Charlotte, North Carolina Friday night. Michael Shullc's sister told the Charlotte Observer that he was supposed to pick up his girlfriend that evening to see Christmas lights with his family. Shull was born deaf and graduated recently from the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton. Police aren't saying why they think he was assaulted. If you have information, you are asked to call 704-432-TIPS.  Here's a video report from WSOC-TV with captions.

Americans in China

A Gally prof moves to Shanghai to help the deaf in China. Read about the effort here.

Christmas comes early for School for the Deaf

It was an early Christmas for some students at the East Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson. A video report from WNCT-TV is posted below on DeafNewsToday.com (no captions).

Signing Santa Brightens Boy's Day

WCVB-TV in Boston has a video report on a trip to see Santa that surprised a little boy (no captioning).

Deaf Man Attacked on UK Street

Police in northern England are looking for three men who badly beat a deaf man in the town of Worksop, about 20 miles east of Sheffield. Michael Boyle was walking along a street when he was jumped from behind at a roundabout located at Gateford Road and Sandy Lane.  He was punched and then kicked. The men fled the scene. Boyle is not sure why he was targeted.

Deaf Student Appeals Captioning Ruling

A Los Angeles area high school student is appealing a judges ruling against her request for speech-to-text captioning service at her Tustin high school. A judge has ruled that the school district is not obligated under ADA law to provide CART (communication access real-time translation). She's now asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to take a look at the case. The unnamed girl has a cochlear implant and although the case has dragged on so long she would no longer benefit from a winning decision, her hopes are that she can make a difference for other students who are younger than her and will face the same problems. In 2007, another California school was ordered to provide CART for two deaf students. Read more about that case here.

'Swatting' suspect may avoid charges

Police in LA say the 12-year-old who used TTY to summon Swat teams to celebrity homes may not face criminal charges. He used a computer program that allowed him to make the fake emergency calls through the system set up for the deaf. He was able to get SWAT teams to the homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber by saying a gunman had fired shots and was threatening to shoot any police that came to the residents. Even if the boy avoids jail, his parents may be on the hook for bills reaching the tens of thousands of dollars. A video report from KTLA-TV is posted on DeafNewsToday.com or read more from KTLA here.

Effort to get SEE into Seattle Schools

A group is petitioning state officials in Washington to get Signed English taught in the public school classrooms. Read about it here.

Training for shooting scene

An active shooter is killing people in a building filled with deaf students--that's the scenario faced by hundreds of law enforcement officers from five agencies during a five-hour practice drill at the California State University in Northridge this morning. The Los Angeles school has one of the largest deaf student populations on the West Coast. You can read more on the story here.

Man sentenced in deaf girl's death

An Indiana judged gave Derek Dewitt 85 years in prison for killing a deaf teenager. Dewitt hit Dawn Boozer-Carter and her mother (who is also deaf) with his SUV as as they were holding signs for a carwash to raise money for Indiana School for the Deaf. The Indianapolis said he is schizophrenic and hadn't taken his medication. This won't be his first trip to prison. Dewitt also spent time behind bars for stabbing a woman in Atlanta.

Sports Standouts in Alabama

There are six new members of the Alabama School for the Deaf Hall of Fame. The Talladega school welcomed basketball star Roxanne Dawes, Stanley Jordan, Larry Potter, Jerry Smith, Charles Thorn and Tommy White.

Roxanne Dawes led the Lady Warriors in scoring every year with more than 1600 total points, a school record, during her time at the school. She worked at the Texas School for the Deaf for two decades.

Stanley Jordan was selected as a First Team All-American and All-County in 1976 and 1977 for his football play. He led the nation’s schools for the deaf in the most total tackles in 1977.

Larry Potter was a basketball standout. He was named to the Deaf All-American Second Team in 1958 and voted to the All-Tournament Team twice

Jerry Smith scored 10 touchdowns and 10 two-point conversions for a total of 80 points in just two seasons of football. He earned a Deaf All-American honorable mention in 1972.

Charles Thorn was one of the greatest nose guards ever to play for the Silent Warriors. He earned All-Southern First Team and All-American First Team honors in defense in 1951. Charles passed away in 2002.

Tommy White was named to the Deaf All-American First Team in 1966 and 1968 in basketball. He was on the All-County Team in 1968 and the Mason-Dixon All-Tournament Team three times.

Communicating with a Deaf Employee

A deaf REI employee in Seattle shares tips based on her experience for dealing with store employees who are deaf. Read her tips here.

The world’s only hard of hearing hypnotist

Scot George Wood says he is a self-taught hypnotist. Read how he discovered his talent here.

New Prez for School

A Massachusetts deaf school will soon have a new man at the top. Robert Carter will take over as president in June of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow this coming July. He serves as president of the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing right now and is involved in the administration of the Austine School for the Deaf in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Sign at Any Age

Residents at a retirement home in Sacramento are taking sign language classes. Read about it here.

Speeding Driver puts two in Hospital

Two deaf women are in a North Carolina hospital after an SUV ran into them while they were standing on a street in Gastonia. Police say the driver, Andra Marcus Davis, was speeding when he slammed into another vehicle head-on. He then veered on the sidewalk where he hit JoAnn Stone and Barbie Lee Putnam. Stone is in critical condition. Davis has not been charged with a crime yet.

Trying to create a " deaf-friendly campus"

Utah State is bringing back its deaf education program. Read the story here.

Legal Aid Cut

The legal aid of Royal Asssociation for Deaf people explains in BSL the cuts made to Legal Aid in the UK in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

Keen Basketball Sense

A deaf basketball player in Maine is successful "because he so much understands sports" according to his coach. The teen is also a high school standout in baseball and football. Read his story here.

ASL Ballet

ASL is seamlessly worked into the production Amahl and the Night Visitors tonight and tomorrow at the Houston Ballet Center for Dance. The 45 minute ballet is a retelling of the three kings’ journey to find baby Jesus. The Houston deaf communtiy get half-off the price of a ticket. For more information, click here.

TEDx: Hearing Parents with Deaf Children

Psychology professor Karl White spoke at the Utah State TEDx event in November about newborn hearing. He's the founding director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management. Posted on DeafNewsToday.com is a video of his talk.

Court Victory in Wa State

Owners of movie theaters in Washington state are discriminating against deaf moviegoers, according to a state appeals court. A panel of the Washington Court of Appeals in Seattle agreed with a legal challenge by the Washington State Communication Access Project, calling on Regal, AMC, and Cinemark to do more to provide closed captioning for deaf patrons. The court said it is a violation of state law to not make closed captioning technology more available.

Tears for children killed in school shooting

Here is President Obamas reaction to the shooting at a Connecticut school today. Click here to get to a captioned version of the speech.

Deaf Salvation Army bell ringer

WTEV-TV in Jacksonville, Florida tell the story of one man whose live is better this holiday season, thanks to the Salvation Army. Watch the video below or read the story here.

Changes in Canada

How new technology is helping deef university students at the Western University of Ontario here.

"Too Many Deaf People"

The deaf residents at a senior living complext in Tempe, Arizona are concerned they may lose their homes. That's because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says the Apache ASL Trails is in violation of the Fair Housing Act - by having too many deaf people in the same complex. KPHO-TV has this video report posted below or read the story here.

CBS 5 - KPHO

What I Learned From the Deaf About Speaking

"ASL isn’t about using you hands. It’s about using your whole body." Learning sign language not only helps you communicate with the deaf, it helps hearing people become better public speakers. Read a post about that here.

Implant surgeon dies

Dr. William House, who championed the cause of cochlear implants, has died at 89 in Aurora, Oregon. He led the House Research Institute in Los Angeles, famously developing a surgery for an ear disease that had prevented astronaut Alan Shepard from returning to space after being grounded by vertigo. But he was most known for advocating implants at a time when the medical establishment did not share his enthusiasm. He was criticized in 1961 for his published work on his experiments on the device. The FDA eventually approved his implant for use in adults in 1984 - a quarter of a century after he performed his first implant surgery.

Scam Awareness in BSL

An online scam has targeted the deaf in the UK. In response, the East Lancashire Deaf Society is offering some advice in a new BSL video. It's posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

I King Jordon

Read a profile of former Gallaudet president I King Jordon here.

Book author encourages students

Her parents were told by doctors not to sign with her as a child. But now she's written a book about her family to encourage the deaf. Read the story here.

A gift from a stranger

After a number of personal setbacks, a Utah woman took to social media to vent her frustration at not being able to afford a hearing aid. That's when a stranger stepped in. Read the story here.

Pleas from Hurricane Victim

A woman losing her home because of hurricane Sandy says she's frustrated at not getting the help she needs. The deaf woman explains her situation in the video below or you can read her story here.

Students Help Rescue Center

Students from the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind landed a hand to a dog rescue group yesterday. Watch the video report from KRDO-TV on DeafNewsToday.com or read the story here.

TEDx video on Sign

The video posted below on DeafNewsToday comes from TEDxAmsterdam 2012. Lissa Zeviar, a CODA and owner of a company focused on baby signing called Babygebaren in the Netherlands, is the speaker. Find out more about her company here.

Retired Gallaudet Professor Dies

Carol Garretson had died at the age of 86 at her home in Summerfield, Florida from complications related to diabetes. She was an assistant professor of communications for two decades until 1987. Her family never understood why she became deaf as a child. She attended Utah State University and then Gallaudet College.

Texting to 911 Coming

Texting to 911 should be here by 2014. The FCC says the 4 big wireless carriers have agreed to push the service through next year with full coverage for it by May 15, 2014. The Commission is calling the effort Next Generation 911. Users will gett a text message back from the carrier if their attempt to reach 911 fails. AT&T and Verizon are already testing 911 services. AT&T has a statewide trial effort going on in Tennessee. Next year, the FCC will look at making it possible to send photos and videos to 911 centers.

Adopted 8-year-old's hear their parents voice for the first time

A Tulsa, Oklahoma TV station reports on two adopted girls from Ethiopia with implants in the video below. Or read the story here.

Feds Shut down Investment Firm

Back in August we told you about a California man accused of taking money from deaf Christians(you can read more here). Prosecutors say Marc Perlman made false promises, and instead of investing the funds people gave to him, he used most of it to pay personal expenses. A judge has now placed a permanent trading ban on his iGlobal investment firm. Perlman has been ordered to pay a penalty of $1,794,537 and restitution of $598,179.

Signing Science

Watch an ASL video featuring interpreter Lydia Callis (known for her work with New York's mayor) about the use of scientific terms by ASL interpreters here.

School Worker Charged with Sexual Abuse

A teacher's aide at a deaf school is behind bars, accused of sexual abuse of minors. Clarence Taylor worked at the Maryland School for the Deaf. Prosecutors says he inappropriately touched three girls when they were students. They are now 15 and 16. One girl says Taylor would hug her and rub his hand across her breast when she was 12 and 13 years old. Two other girls claim he kissed them and brushed their backsides and breasts. The incidents came to light when one of the girls moved to another school and reported Taylor. The Maryland School for the Deaf has suspended him until the charges are resolved.

Self-powered Implants

Self-powering cochlear implants may be on the way. MIT researchers say they've created a self-sufficient chip by taking advantage of a natural battery inside the ear. Using electrical signals from the inner ear, these researchers say their device will power itself which could eliminate the need for external power for some implants and make it possible for the implant to be permanently inserted. The implant has worked well in experiements on guinea pigs (these animals have inner ears that work in a similar fashion to human ears). Read details about the research in the journal Nature Biotechnology here.

Suit over Firing Deaf Prof

More than a year ago we told you about the ASL professor who was fired because of classroom comments (you can read that story here). Peter Quint told his class about a time in Pakistan when a gun was pointed at his head by a tribesman. The deaf professor said he was able to deal with the dangerous situation by his method of communicating with the man. The story was a way to explain to the students why he requires them to use ASL in the class to ensure everyone is included in the conversation. Later, during the same class, after several students repeatedly ignored his request to not use spoken English, Quint grew frustrated and told one of the students, "Do you want me to take a gun out and shoot you in the head so you understand what I am talking about? I had to practice being respectful in Pakistan otherwise I would have been shot. Can you practice the same respect here?" Other students in the class at the time later told the school newspaper that they understood Quint was not saying he was "actually going to shoot anyone.” His comment was clearly a reference to the story he had just told. Quint even apologized to the class. And a video tape of the class backs up Quint's story. But that didn't stop a student from filing a complaint, which led to Quint's dismissal. Now, a judge is considering a motion to dismiss the discrimination lawsuit Quint filed against the University of Oregon. Quint says the disruptive students took advantage of his inability to hear the remarks, creating a hostile work environment and then violated his free speech rights by firing him. The school's attorneys say it doesn't matter if Quint was mistreated because they school administrators can't be sued because they are state employees and you can't sue the government. The judge in the case hasn't said when he will rule on the move to dismiss.

Deaf Teacher, Hearing School

A deaf teacher in Houston is making a difference in his ASL class. One of the students says, “Mr. Martinez is definitely one of my favorite teachers. The way he teaches gives a more in depth idea of the language, rather than just remembering vocabulary words like in other foreign language classes.” Read the story here.

Gallaudet Show Review

In a Washington Post review of the holiday show A Commedia Christmas Carol, now playing at Gallaudet University, readers are told:

If you’re in search of a new take on the old story, head to Gallaudet and be assured that once the action hits the stage, “A Commedia Christmas Carol” crackles and amuses with abandon over a swift 90 minutes. If one gag misses, the next one hits.

Read the review here.

College and the Deaf

Here's a video with some tips on understanding how to help deaf students on college, showing a Trinity College graduate. If you'd like more information on this Dublin school, click here.

Another Treaty Vote?

The US Senate may take another vote on that UN disabilities treaty in the coming year. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities lost by a vote of 61-38. Below is a list of the 38 Senators who voted against it. However, treaties can be brought up again in a new Congress without going through all the motions, unlike bills and other legislative measures. Since 36 senators signed a letter saying they would not agree to passage of any treaty during a lame-duck session of congress, it's possible some of them might switch their vote next time since it would be during a regular session of the legislative body. Here is a list of the Senators who voted against it:

• Alexander (R-TN)
• Blunt (R-MO)
• Boozman (R-AR)
• Burr (R-NC)
• Chambliss (R-GA)
• Coats (R-IN)
• Coburn (R-OK)
• Cochran (R-MS)
• Corker (R-TN)
• Cornyn (R-TX)
• Crapo (R-ID)
• DeMint (R-SC)
• Enzi (R-WY)
• Graham (R-SC)
• Grassley (R-IA)
• Hatch (R-UT)
• Heller (R-NV)
• Hoeven (R-ND)
• Hutchison (R-TX)
• Inhofe (R-OK)
• Isakson (R-GA)
• Johanns (R-NE)
• Johnson (R-WI)
• Kyl (R-AZ)
• Lee (R-UT)
• McConnell (R-KY)
• Moran (R-KS)
• Paul (R-KY)
• Portman (R-OH)
• Risch (R-ID)
• Roberts (R-KS)
• Rubio (R-FL)
• Sessions (R-AL)
• Shelby (R-AL)
• Thune (R-SD)
• Toomey (R-PA)
• Vitter (R-LA)
• Wicker (R-MS)

Science and Sign Language

Finding ASL and BSL signs for scientific terms is sometimes difficult. But that's beginning to change thanks to the Internet and crowd sourcing projects at universities. Read more about the effort in a New York Times article here.

Sign language an advantage for deaf student athletes

The NBC Today show takes a look at the football program at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UN treaty falls short

The GOP stopped passage of a disabilities treaty today in the Senate. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities needed 67 votes, but only got 61. There are 126 other countries that are already party to the treaty, which was modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Republican Senator Mike Lee led opposition among conservative senators, arguing passage of the treaty could make the US fall under United Nations sovereignty--even though only US law can be the basis for litigation in American courtrooms. Meanwhile, former Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Bob Dole, both of whom suffer from disabilities as a result of their military service, supported the treaty.

UN Treaty Vote

The US Senate is expected vote soon on a disabilities treaty. Majority Leader Harry Reid is moving forward with the United Nations-drafted Convention on the Rights of Persons and bringing it to the Senate floor today--even though 36 conservative senators’ say it's the wrong time to do so. Senator Mike Lee of Utah is leading the opposition while the treaty enjoys the support of rights advocates in the deaf community and editorials in newspapers like the Washington Post, which say the measure doesn't require the US to change any laws. Not all Republicans oppose the measure. Former Senator Bob Dole will speak on behalf of the legislation and it was orginally negotiated by the George H.W. Bush administration. While the US government signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons, it has not be ratified by the Senate. Although a procedural vote on the treaty last week passed 61-36, there will need to be 66 votes for it to pass the full Senate.

Treaty Runs into GOP wall

A equal rights bill supported by many in the deaf community may not survive. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a United Nations treaty that is right now stuck in the Senate. Republicans say it will give authority to the U.N. over the U.S. government. Supporters of the international treaty say it is modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act and will not require any change in U.S. law.

Parents with Disabilities Are Losing Custody of their Kids

Many parents are running into outright discrimination, according to a 445-page report issued by the National Council on Disability. Find out what the report says in a TIME magazine article here.

TV Star: 'I was accused of abuse'

A soap star defends her decision to have her young daughter undergo surgery for a cochlear implant. She says, "I totally respect their point of view. But when a 19-year-old girl told me that I was an 'abuser' to let my child have a cochlear implant, I was horrified and deeply hurt." Read more at the Daily Mail here
.

YouTube Captioning

YouTube is expanding its automatic video captioning by adding six more languages. German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Russian and Dutch are now part of the company's automatic-captioning services. YouTube engineer Hoang Nguyen writes:

"Captions are important to make sure everyone—including deaf, hard-of-hearing, and viewers who speak other languages—can enjoy videos on YouTube. In 2009, you first saw a feature that automatically creates captions on YouTube videos in English, and since then, we've added Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Today, hundreds of millions of people speaking six more languages—German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Russian and Dutch—will have automatic-caption support for YouTube videos in those languages."

Just click the red closed-caption button (CC) that you find on the task bar of a YouTube video and pick which language you want to use. The service is not perfect, but is improving.  More than 200 million YouTube videos have automatic or human-created captions.

College... By the Numbers

There are more than 30,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing students studying at US colleges, according to the Center on Access Technology at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

American Girl Doll with Hearing Aids

You can buy an American Girl with hearing loss this Christmas. The toy maker says on its site "our experts will perform a permanent piercing behind her ear to ensure the hearing aid is expertly fitted—in one or both ears." The hearing aids are removable and cost $14. Another American Girl doll comes with a service dog. Rather than looking like stereotypical models, American Girl dolls look more like the children who own them. And, they can be fitted with glasses, braces, crutches a wheel chair, or even without hair for those who have lost hair to cancer. Find out more here.

New NAD Leadership

Shane Feldman is the new RID Executive Director. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf announced his selection today. Feldman has served as the organization's COO for the last three years.

Shut Up and Sign!

KABC-TV talks to Bob Hiltermann who says it is his mission to make sign language fun and easy to learn. He has a series of DVD's to prove it called Shut Up and Sign! You can read the story here.

Red Sox players visit to deaf children

Three player took part in the Red Sox Holiday Road Trip. Read the story here.

Football Program Honored

The California School for the Deaf at Fremont has been named National Deaf Prep Football Champion by the National Deaf Interscholastic Athletic Association. Athletic directors at deaf schools select the winner. Last week, Deaf Digest Sports gave Fremont the same honor. The Eagles had their best record this year - 10 wins against 2 losses and giving them the top spot in the North Central II/Bay League.

Growth of viral video leaves deaf in the dark

Viral video are leaving millions of deaf and hearing-impaired people out of the loop. Read the story here.

Fremont Wins Big

KNTV reports on the California Deaf Football Team in Fremont in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

View more videos at: http://nbcbayarea.com.

Report: Parenting bias, loss of kids

There are many barriers and bias when it comes to being a parent supposedly protected under ADA law, finds a report by an independent federal agency in the U.S. "I have had parents with paralysis be threatened with removal of their children, deaf parents punished for using sign language with their hearing children, and blind parents told that a social worker can't possibly fathom how they could parent a newborn," Lucas said. "When families do need intervention, it is often because the services they need are not available outside a punitive social services case." Read more here.

We're being left out of the big society, say the deaf

Thousands of deaf people are socially excluded because of a lack of adequate services for sign language users, campaigners say. Read more here.

Keep the School Open

A special committee says the Iowa School for the Deaf should stay open. The Iowa Board of Regents wanted to know whether it should be combined with the Iowa School for the Blind and moved to Des Moines or shut down. Besides keeping the school open, members of the committee are recommending that the state give deaf students the option of three regional centers. The findings will be formally presented next week.

Best season ever

Great year for the California School for the Deaf Football Team at Freemont. Read the story here.

On this Date, 4 Years Ago

On November 25, 2008, the man who wrote the play about Helen Keller called The Miracle Worker died. William Gibson's story of Helen Keller’s relationship with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, won the 1960 Tony Award for best play and is still regularly performed around the country in community theaters. Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, played the stage roles of Sullivan and Keller, respectively. They went on to win Academy Awards when repeating the parts for the film version in 1962. Mr. Gibson was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay. Twenty years later, he wrote a sequel about Sullivan called The Monday After the Miracle but it flopped on Broadway. Gibson died at the age of 94 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Contest to meet Leclerc

Switched at Birth star Katie Leclerc is offering a 10-minute Skype call to someone who helps Dogs for the Deaf. A donation of $35.35 gets you automatically entered. The reason the group is asking for that specific amount is that it is celebrating its 35th anniversary. The offer runs through the end of the month. Leclerc herself owns a deaf Australian Cattle Dog named Gus. You'll get a personalized, autographed photo from the actress just for entering the contest.
Find out more here.

Sign Language: It's Not Just About The Hands

NPR asks its listeners "What do you look for in an interpreter?" Read or listen to the story here. The news organization sets up the story this way:

Over the past few weeks at news conferences and speeches, we've seen sign language interpreters who appear far more animated than the politicians in front of the microphones - Lydia Callis, for example, who stood beside New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg before, during and after Superstorm Sandy. The gestures and facial expressions she used to relay the mayor's remarks to the deaf and hard of hearing drew wide attention. And some of the deaf community took offense at exaggerated spoofs they saw on "Saturday Night Live," "The Daily Show," and on "Chelsea Lately."

Gally Women Tourney Results

Gally's women's hoops team lost the championship game of the GU Holiday Tournament yesterday to Valley Forge Christian College by a score of 65-47. Forward Lindsay Stergio was the bright spot for the Bison. The senior got a career high 22 points. Thanks to her outstanding effort, she was picked for the all-tournament team. Gallaudet beat York 57-33 in the first round of the tournament and is now 2-1 on the season. Their next game is their conference opener. It's a week from Friday (Dec. 7) against Penn St.-Berks.

7 Things You Should Know About Sign Language

"Making gestures is quite different from using sign language...When fluent signers have a stroke or brain injury, they may lose the ability to sign, but not to make imitative or non-sign gestures."  Read more here at Mental Floss magazine.

Gally Show

Gallaudet University offers its version of A Christmas Carol starting this Thursday (Nov. 27-Dec 23). Both hearing and deaf actors will perform A Commedia Christmas Carol in the stylized tradition of commedia dell’arte, a method known for its broad physical gesture and comic characters who wear masks. For authenticity, the actors will use home signs and BSL (British Sign Language) along with spoken English. These performances include actors from Faction of Fools, a dramatic troupe now based at the school. Find out more here.

No Terp for Torchbearer

He carried the Olympic torch in June but now says a gym is refusing to provide him a sign language interpreter. Read the story in the Guardian here.

The 'Accidental' Deaf TV Reporter

The crazy, happy accident that gave Karen Meyer a long and fruitful career as a television journalist. Read the story here.

Deaf Memphis minister

"I realized the deaf would understand a Bible story better through comic strips." Read the story here.

The Big Secret Theatre

Canadian theater group presents show through the ears of the deaf. Read more in the Calgary Herald here.

Deaf-blind dog saves family

An Oklahoma family is alive thanks to their deaf-blind dog. The Crosleys cabin burned to the ground over the weekend. And the only one who woke up to alert the family was True, their wailing Dachshund rescue dog. The three-legged dog got the family out, but they lost everything. Here's a video of the dog from KFOR-TV. CBS Atlanta 46

Man says he's hearing music for the first time

The Reddit community has given a man with hearing loss more than 14,000 suggestions and messages of support since he posted that he was able to hear music for the first time with a new set of hearing aids. What did he listen to first? - Mozart’s Lacrimosa (which is posted here). Austin says he is 23 years old. All the buzz started back in August with this post here.

The Matthew Scott Moore Theatre

The Indiana School for the Deaf has named its auditorium after Matthew Scott Moore. The 1977 graduate went on to study social work at NTID in Rochester, New York. After graduating in 1983. he established an independent multimedia company and four years later started a magazine called Deaf Life, which he still publishes today. Moore also has a strong connection with theater. He portrayed Captain Hook in Peter Pan a decade ago and will play Willie Wonk this coming spring at NTID. Moore was born deaf into a hearing family.

Social Gatherings

Deaf community social gatherings are shrinking across the country. Read about one such gathering in northern California here.

Deaf Kids Get Bike Training

Deaf kids get BMX training this weekend in the UK at the Hackney BMX Club. Watch the ITV video here.

UK Couple: No Hospital Terp

A deaf couple in the UK say hospitals have not provided them with an interpreter on 5 occasions in the last couple of years. Paul and Samantha Voisin use BSL (British Sign Language). Their son has had health issues since his birth 5 years ago and say hospital personnel asked her daughter, age, six, to interpret earlier this year. But an administrator at the East and North Hertfordshire Trust, located north of London in the town of Stevenage, says the facility has never refused to provide an interpreter. In fact, she says the Voisins were provided interpreters 60 times in the last three years, at a cost of 8000 pounds. The only time there is a problem, the hospital says, is when the couple arrives in an emergency situation and not by appointment, when interpreters can be scheduled ahead of time.

Far from the Tree

National Book Award–winning author Andrew Solomon tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also find profound meaning in doing so in the book Far from the Tree. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. He dives into the question: To what extent parents should accept their children for who they are? There is a review in the New Yorker here.

The Joy of Communication

A Sidney college celebrates deaf pride day. Read about it here.

An Implant First

The world's first single unit processor for cochlear implants has gotten FDA approval. Med-El's Rondo will be available to users this coming Spring. The new design puts everything - the mic, battery and coil into a single processor. There's no ear hook and the coil and cable are connected together, rather than coming separately. There is also a remote control that adjusts the volume and other aspects of the sound collected by the devise. Med-El is an Austrian company founded in 1989 with U.S. offices in Durham, North Carolina. It's the third largest implant maker, behind Cochlear Limited of Australia and Advanced Bionics which is owned by a Swiss company, Sonova Holding. There's more information here.

Video interview with Bloomberg Terp

New York Mayor's interpreter, Lydia Callis, visited CNN for an interview.

WA Suit: $4.5 million

LaShonn White is suing police in Tacoma, Wash. for $4.5 million. The deaf woman was attacked and called 911. When officers arrived on the scene, they mistook her for a suspect. She was tased and left in jail for three days. Prosecutors never charged her with any crime. The responding officers ignored her requests for a sign language interpreter.

Portland Police Suit

A deaf man is suing the Portland police dept. for violating his ADA rights. Philip Wolfe says there's no system in place for how officers are supposed to deal with deaf people even though the Justice Department has created a list of recommendations for law enforcement agencies. Wolfe points to what happened to him during the Spring of this year. He left his apartment to get away from an abusive partner and had a friend call 911. His friend told police that Wolfe would need an interpreter. When officers arrived with no interpreter, Wolfe asked for one. They did not honor his request and then misunderstood his desire to report domestic abuse for wanting to get into his apartment. His partner broke in the apartment that evening and attacked him. Again, Wolfe asked his friend to call 911. Again, his friend asked for an interpreter. Police arrived without an interpreter. Once again, Wolfe asked for an interpreter. Instead of calling for an interpreter, another officer was sent to the scene who knew some ASL. But she was only a beginner and was unable adequately interpret for him. Police eventually arrested his partner, but the charges were dropped when the partner committed suicide. Wolfe's suit asks for $5000.

Handling of sex abuse

Reuters takes a look at a new docu on abuse of deaf boys by a priest here.

Best Prof in the US at NTID

The Carnegie Foundation has picked NTID professor as its nationwide professor of the year out of 300 finalists. Todd Pagano is director of the Laboratory Science Technology program. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching working with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education said Pagano is “a leading scholar of science education for deaf students and an advocate in the professional chemistry community for students, scientists and technicians with special needs.” A decade ago, when he first arrived at NTID , Pagano didn’t know sign language — and relied on an interpreter. But he quickly learned ASL in order to be able to better communicate with the students. Pagano is the first RIT faculty member to receive the prestigious award. He is married to Susan Smith Pagano, an assistant professor at RIT’s Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Science. To read more about Pagano's work, click here.

Fest Saturday

The Maryland Deaf Festival takes place this Saturday (Nov 17) at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Friendship, Maryland. The all-day event (9am to 6pm) is open free to all. There will be entertainment for both adults and children in the 40,000 square foot building. The Maryland Deaf Senior Citizens is hosting the festival and expects to have more than 100 booths and exhibitors.

ASL Degrees

There are 78 colleges offering a degree in ASL interpreting and 40 schools offering bachelor’s degrees, according to Nataly Kelly, author of book, Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World. She also says there are three offering master's degrees in sign language interpreting.

Jail time for school sex abuser

A residential adviser at a Catholic deaf school in Cincinnati is going to jail for a year for molesting two boys. Joshua Bort worked at the St. Rita School for the Deaf last year until a student told a school counselor about the abuse. Bort has plead guilty to sexual abuse charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping two other similar charges. St. Rita says it makes its employees and volunteers who work directly with children to go through a background check. They are also required to attend meetings on child protection.

Found in Translation

There's a new book about the work of interpreters called Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World. It's written by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche. Kelly says, "This book was inspired by the work that interpreters and translators do every day." She is the Chief Research Officer at the market research firm Common Sense Advisory which focuses on global business and language services issues. Zetzsche works as a translator from English into German in Oregon and helps other translators embrace technology.  Find out more here.

Interpreter points way to growing career

Without uttering a word, Lydia Callis had the nation eating out of her very expressive hands. Read more about a sign language interpreter career from NBC News here.

Deaf Student: I want to be a doctor

Michael Argenyi is suing Creighton University Medical School because the school refuses to accommodate his hearing loss. Argenyi says he wanted to become a doctor but the Nebraska school won't give him interpreters or CART (the captioning process provides real time text and is often used in classrooms). The school claims it has done enough- giving him a note taker and access to power point slides. Despite the limitations, Argenvi has determined to get through the program, passing all his classes. But he wants, what he says are full accommodations under ADA law. And the Justice Department agrees. It has filed a friend of the court brief on his behalf. Argenvi is from Seattle but the case is being heard in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Deaf Cheerleader Shines

Watch a video about her on DeafNewsToday.com or read the story here.

Where are the UK Teachers?

The Guardian looks at why there are few teachers who are deaf in the UK here.

Warning Deaf Israelis

For deaf Israelis, rocket warnings come only at home because pagers are only activated when owners are in their hometown. Read the story here.

Opening the World in Jakarta

Learn about sign language in Indonesia here.

Why some Parodies aren’t Funny

Marlee Matlin writes in the Chicago Sun-Times about why some parodies about the deaf are simply not funny here.

Being Deaf Has its Perks

Marlee Matlin appeared on the Jeff Probst show and explained one of the things she likes about being deaf.

Captioning at SC Stadium

The University of South Carolina showed off its new stadium captioning boards for the first time at this past Saturday's game against Arkansas. It's a way for football fans with hearing loss to know what's being announced on the public address system. The ribbon board at Williams-Brice Stadium is about four feet wide and three feet high and located just below the new video scoreboard. It cost $100,000 to get it installed.

Man hit by Police Billed for Damages

The city of New York wants Jesse Zorski to pay for the damages done to a police car that ran into him. The car hit his leg then he was struck by the car's side-view mirror and he was taken to an area hospital. An NYPD now says the bill should not have been sent. Not only did he get a $1200 bill for medical treatment, but a notice from a law firm representing the city that he owed $1028.08 to cover the cost of repairs to the patrol car. Zorski says he had the right of way though police dispute that. Zorski works as a tailor in the fashion district of Manhattan and wears a hearing aid because of a childhood ailment. Zorski says his hearing loss did not have anything to do with the accident.

ASLHA in ATL

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention starts this coming Thursday (Nov 15–17) in Atlanta. For more info, click here.

In defense of deaf voices

Following the criticism of a deaf soccer player for using his voice, a CODA offers a defense of deaf voices in The Guardian here.

Let's Hear it for Almigal

Wendy Kupfer's children's book, Let's Hear it for Almigal, was inspired by her daughter's hearing loss and her work at the University of Miami Cochlear Implant Center. The Florida resident hopes to help other families who are coping with deafness. Illustrated by Tammie Lyon, the book has been recognized by Mom's Choice Awards. It tells the story of Almigal, who has just gotten pink cochlear implants. Her friend, who is black, brings another aspect of diversity into the picture. Find out more here.

UK Train Accident

A woman was hit and killed by a train in the Yorkshire area of England. Police say the deaf woman had been drinking and she did not hear the approaching train. Surveillance footage shows 27-year-old Billie-Jane Coulton trying to get away once she realized the train was nearly on her. She died from injuries next to the platform as her boyfriend called for help. Coulton lived in the Sheffield suburb of Woodhouse.

Changes for MI Oral Program

Parents fight planned change in Grand Rapids Oral Deaf Program. Read the story here.

Record-setting Game for football team

The football team at California School for the Deaf football set a school record today for the most wins in a single season. By beating Tomales 26-6 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division V playoffs, CSD is now 10 and 1 on the season. The most the team had ever won previously was nine games in 2002 and 2009. Carlos Lopez threw for four touchdowns while on defense, he had two interceptions for the Eagles. The team next plays St. Vincent in the semifinals in one week.

Player Clocked going 112mph

A deaf soccer player in the UK won't be able to drive for a couple of weeks. Police say Jamie Clarke was going 112 mph near Evesham, England. Clarke was driving a Vauxhall Astra. He is a striker for Littleton Football Club and was part of the St John’s Arsenal team that won the Deaf Champions League this year. Clarke's license has been temporarily suspended and he had to pay a fine of more than £100.

Bison Stats

The men's football team at Gallaudet is in the Top 25 nationally in five different categories:

• #5 in punt returns 
•  10th in tackles for loss 
•  12th in sacks 13th in rushing offense 
•  24th on kickoff yardage defense

There are four Bison in the Top 25 nationally:

• Running back Tony Tatum is fourth yards per punt return
• Defensive lineman Adham Talaat is sixth in forced fumbles per game
• Defensive lineman Jared Pearce is eighth in sacks per game ranks eighth, while his tackles for loss per game ranks 24th. 
• Jaris Alleyne is 22nd in solo tackles per game 

 The Bison have averaged 369.1 yards of total offense per game and have scored 43 touchdowns and two field goals.

Gally Football Today

Gallaudet's football team takes on Maritime College this afternoon in Throggs Neck, New York. The Bison are 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in the conference, while the Maritime football team is 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the conference. It's the final home game of the 2012 season for the Privateers. Maritime has won three of the five games in which the teams have played previously. Last year, the final score was 21-14. That's the same score in 2010 - and the Privateers won both games. The two previous games were Bison victories. The Bison are coming off a 29-22 home victory over Mount Ida - the team's first win over the Mustangs.

Update on man found in a Burning Taxi Cab

A few feet from Gallaudet's dorms, a dead man was discovered behind the wheel of the tax cab. Watch the news video posted below on DeafNewToday.com or read the story here.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

Implant Anniversary

Fox News reports on the anniversary of the company Cochlear Limited here. The writer blurs the line between the cochlear implant device and the Cochlear Limited, which is an Australian implant maker. Read more about the companies that make implants here.

Microsoft: Translation Breakthrough

Microsoft is unveiling new software that translates spoken English into spoken Chinese almost instantly - with few errors. The company says a breakthrough took place when it switched from its early translation work, based on speech patterns to statistical models based on how our brains work. Researchers say this has cut down on mistakes by making better use of voice inflections. At the same time, they say about a quarter of the errors have been eliminated just through the use of faster computer technology. The development could have a major impact on creation of ASL translation devices. A video of the Microsoft presentation is posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

Teaching language to the deaf in the 17th century

A linguist is offering details of a centuries-old book that explains attempts to teach the deaf to communicate. David Cram of the University of Oxford is giving a lecture at the Royal today in London. The 300-year-old, leather-bound manual was found at an old house five years ago. It was owned by Alexander Popham, a deaf teenager, who was taught to speak in the 1660s by his tutors, William Holder and John Wallis. They apparently understood the need for the deaf to have their own language - making use of a early version of sign language. Popham became a bit of a celebrity for his effort to speak, eventually marrying the daughter of 17th century intellectual. The talk will be interpreted by a BSL interpreter. You'll find more information here.

Hard Man in Dallas

ASL Films' Hard Man will be shown in Dallas this Saturday (Nov 10). An alcoholism struggles when his estranged daughter decides to place him in a nursing home. For more information, click here.

Crash near Gally

DC police are looking are looking for anyone with information on a taxi driver found dead near Gallaudet University. He was discovered in a burning car after an accident last night on Brentwood Parkway, just south of New York Avenue. An autopsy should provide police with more information.

Subway Kicks out Service Dog

An Oklahoma woman has filed a complaint against a Subway restaurant for refusing to provide service to her because of her service dog. Watch the video report below on DeafNewsToday.com or read the story here. News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Gally's Metro Stop

The Gallaudet Metro stop has the biggest increase in ridership of any stop in DC since 2008. That's according to the Metro's PlanItMetro blog. The NoMa-Gallaudet U Red Line station saw 3,363 more passengers this year from five years ago. Ridership is up 2% overall.

Apology for Slamming Deaf Player

The head of a mini cab company in the UK is apologizing for criticizing the sounds of a deaf soccer player. John Griffin sent a note to a newspaper saying Daniel Ailey grunts like a girl when he plays, making a reference to female tennis stars, such as Maria Sharapova. Ailey plays for Potters Bar and fans of an opposing team started making loud noises, mocking Airley. Police were called in. That's when Griffin, a big donor to the Tory Party, commented that police should have make Ailey stop grunting, not the fans. He wrote:

"Do I read it correctly that a deaf footballer makes a grunting sound to attract team mates attention. I long ago gave up watching women’s tennis due to the loud level of grunting. I note that the police were called and I hope they demanded that the footballer should discontinue making noises that could be misinterpreted by members of the crowd. Yours in amazement John Griffin."

Airley later wrote, "I regret any offence caused by my comments. This was certainly not my intention and I apologize."

John Griffin

Canadian Implants

Vancouver hospital marks the 30th anniversary of the first implant in Canada performed there in 1982. Read the story here.

Implants and ASL study

The first study looking at how ASL helps cochlear implants recipients gets underway in December at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Funded by more than $2 million grant of federal money, researchers will take four years to test students who have implants and those who don't regarding how they perform in class, the quality of relationships, and their ability to problem solve. The main focus is how well the students who have implants and use ASL are doing compared to those without implants and students who are hearing.

NAD protests Comedy Show

An open letter to Chelsea Handler complains about her mocking of sign language. It was sent by the National Association of the Deaf. The letter complains that the group is disgusted with "for the despicable manner in which you mocked American Sign Language (ASL) and the profession of sign language interpreters" because ASL interpreters “served a valuable purpose in communicating the critical and urgent information during an emergency to everyone including those who are deaf and hard of hearing.” The skit was a “totally offensive mockery of American Sign Language.” NAD is demanding an apology from the Chelsea Lately Show. You can read the full letter here. A group of deaf and hard of hearing have started an online petition which you can see here.

Marlee Matlin: ASL Skit insulting

Marlee Matlin is speaking out about a Saturday Night Live Skit (see it below on DeafNewsToday.com) in which actresses pretending to interpret for the mayor of New York and the Governor of New Jersey. Instead of funny, the Oscar winning actress says it was just "dumb". Matlin wrote, "Millions of deaf people use sign (language). Why poke fun/fake it? Poke fun at ME but not the language. Sign is not mime; it is a legit language... I don't mind fun poked at me, as I poke back. But at the language, that millions use? It feels childish and insulting. Deaf people HAVE a sense of humor... But faking signs that we use isn't the same. Imagine if a show started making fun of Spanish (using fake Spanish) or Japanese. Do you think they'd actually get away with it? Uh, no..."

Why are ASL Terps So Animated?

Read the story at Mental Floss here.

SNL Mocks NY Terp

NBC's Saturday Night Live offered its take off of New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg's expressive sign language interpreter Lydia Callis last night. SNL newcomer Cecily Strong imitated Callis, followed by Nasim Pedrad who pretended to be New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s signer. See the viode of the opening below on DeafNewToday.com.

NY Terp Video with Music

Some interpreting by Lydia Callis for New York's mayor is combined with some related Tweets and set to music in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com.

In the Loop

Hearing loops are becoming more popular, but is the technology being used? An article addressing the topic in an Arizona paper here.

Getting to Know.. Lydia Callis

Lydia Callis because an internet sensation when videos and gifs of her began circulating after she served as the interpreter for New York's mayor during his news conferences related to the recovery effort from Hurricane Sandy. Here is a little background on her:

Age: 30

Home: Westchester, New York

Family: Her mother is deaf and so are her three siblings

Job: ASL interpreter

Education: 2010 alumna of NTID's ASL Interpretation Program

Experience: Worked for RIT as an interpreter on campus for a year after she graduated

A video is posted below on DeafNewsToday.com showing her in action.

Comedian Mocks ASL Interpreter

Chelsea Handler took time during her late night comedy talk show on the E! Network to mock the interpreter for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the video posted below on DeafNewToday.com.

SC School for the Deaf and Blind students work on Habitat for Humanity homes

Read about how they are contributing here.

Vocabulary Study

Limited vocabulary is the greatest cause of reading problems among deaf children, according to researchers in the Netherlands. Karien Coppens of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research has developed a vocabulary test to be given to elementary school students based on the results of her study. She found weakness in the vocabulary of deaf Dutch children is greatest when confronted by complex words that are long and abstract. Read more about the study here.

Fire near Gallaudet

A fire in Washington, DC started at a produce store near Gally and quickly spread to several other businesses and buildings. A video report from WJLA-TV is posted on DeafNewsToday or read the story here.

Deaf girl fitted with bionic ear speaks her first word

The BBC tells the story of a toddler who now wears a "bionic ear" - read the story here.

Police: Con Man Jailed

An Iowa man is behind bars for taking as much as $200k from a deaf woman. Police say Austin McDaniels, who also deaf and went by other names like Randall Rogers and Barry Minter, pretended he was an attorney and convinced the woman that she was in legal trouble for the way she was selling TTY machines. A woman named Chris Story has been charged with being part of the scam. Prosecutors say McDaniels gambled away most of the money he received. He could get up to 20 years in jail.

Bloomberg's Terp

The ASL interpreter for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is getting serious social media attention. The passionate style of Lydia Callis has, according to New York magazine, given "New Yorkers a legitimate reason to smile". Here's a video of her at work.

Accommodations at MIT

A look at what MIT could do to better meet the needs of ASL users among its students, faculty and staff here.

"Inhuman treatment" in Canada

A deaf prisoner is accusing Canada's correctional facilities of inhuman treatment. Michael Mickelson is now out of jail, but he says during his near decade of incarceration the system failed to accommodate his deafness. Mickelson is an ASL user and says his requests for interpreters were routinely denied. This meant, according to Mickelson, he did not have confidentiality with his attorney and was unable to contact his family, and that his parole was denied for not taking part in a rehabilitation program - something he could not do without an interpreter. Mickelson also says he was placed in solitary confinement after he was not able to defend himself against accusations because he did not have an interpreter. The West Coast Prison Justice Society in British Columbia says the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires correctional facilities to treat "offenders with disabilities" with "equitably”. The Correctional Service of Canada has not yet responded to the grievance filed by Mickelson. Read more about the case here.

Deaf Boys Film banned at Film Fests

A sex abuse film that points the finger at the Vatican will be shown in U.S. theaters starting next month (Nov 16). Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney put together Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God. It follows the abuse of deaf boys at a Milwaukee Catholic church to a Vatican coverup. The Venice and Rome film festivals banned the film, due to Vatican influence. Father Lawrence Murphy taught at the St. John’s School for the Deaf in Wisconsin and is believed to have molested hundreds of pupils for more than two decades. Murphy never faced any discipline from the church - even after his abuse became known. The five students interviewed in the film use ASL to explain what they endured. You can see a preview here.

Hearing loss doesn't hold back young singer

11-yearold Elizabeth Sara Merrick will sing this morning at the New England Walk4Hearing in Brighton. She was born with mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears and got her first hearing aids when she was four. The fifth-grader's sister is seven years old and also hearing impaired. Elizabeth got in the public spotlight last year when she testified before state lawmakers in support of a bill that requires insurance companies to cover up to the cost of hearing aids for children. The bill passed and was signed into Massachusetts law by the governor this summer. For more information on the walk, click here.. Here's a video sample of what she can do.

Break the Silence on Hearing Loss

Its a silent problem on college campuses. Read the story about hearing loss among university faculty here.

Deaf football player shines in Florida

A junior varsity football player is featured in this video report from WBBH-TV. The starting cornerback for Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Florida is deaf. Read the story here.

NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral

Deaf police officers fight crime in Mexico

Read about what police in Oaxaca are doing with the help of the deaf community here.

Deaf Runner at TX meet

A cross-country meet in Texas this weekend includes a deaf runner and a blind runner. Cameron Jackson, who is deaf, and Nick Barrera, who is legally blind, both will run for Ryan High School, located in Denton, just outside of Dallas. During tomorrow's District 5-5A meet, Barrera will depend on sounds to find his way rather than a guide rope while Jackson will run without his hearing aids. Several SEC and Big 12 are interested in having Jackson run for their teams. He posted the best 5,000-meter time in nation this summer at the Boswell Pioneer Trail run - nearly eight seconds faster than the previous national best. The second place finisher was nearly 15 seconds behind Jackson.

Protestors Demand Reinstatement

WJZ-TV reports on the Gallaudet protests in the video posted below on DeafNewsToday.com. Or read the story here.

The Gallaudet Mistake

Why do Gallaudet's students resist the idea of immediately returning McCaskill to her previous position? Read one opinion from the Huffington Post here.