School to caption sports videos

The University of Maryland will caption new videos on its websites and YouTube channel. It's part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed three years ago. The school has agreed to also caption old videos more than 10 minutes long. Read the full story from the Daily Record here.

First deaf woman to win gold at martial arts championship

Safarri Jessop "is the newest world champion in Hosinsul Weapon, which involves self-defense with swords, winning a gold medal at the 2016 PanAm Mulimpia Championships in Las Vegas" reports KSL-TV. She says,"I went to the USA Haidong Gumdo (Korean sword fighting) championship in 2011 and I never met anyone who is deaf and is completing in it." Below is a video of her at the competition and read the full story here.

First deaf woman to win gold at martial arts championship

Safarri Jessop "is the newest world champion in Hosinsul Weapon, which involves self-defense with swords, winning a gold medal at the 2016 PanAm Mulimpia Championships in Las Vegas" reports KSL-TV. She says,"I went to the USA Haidong Gumdo (Korean sword fighting) championship in 2011 and I never met anyone who is deaf and is completing in it." Below is a video of her at the competition and read the full story here.

Home Invasion

Three men broke to into a couple's home, robbing and beating them. Now the elderly Mississippi couple is speaking out. WCMH—TV has a video report.

Deal cut in Deaf School Aide’s Sex Assaut Case

A former Maryland School for the Deaf aide is out of jail after facing sexual assault charges. Read the details from the Associated Press here.

Sound Processing nearly identical in hearing and deaf people

The part of the brain that processes sound is virtually identical in profoundly deaf and hearing people," according to a new study reported in the Harvard Gazette. One of the study's authors says:

One reason this is interesting is because we don’t know what causes the brain to organize the way it does. How important is each person’s experience for their brain development? In audition, a lot is known about [how it works] in hearing people, and in animals.. but we don’t know whether the same organization is retained in congenitally deaf people.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Auditors: $67K Stolen from School

A former employee at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind is being accused of stealing more than $67K, according to a report released by the Office of the Utah State Auditor. KUTV has a video report but the TV station did not caption the story.

Home Invasion: Couple Assaulted

Three Mississippians are behind bars for breaking into a home and assaulting a deaf couple. WMC-TV has a video report.

WMC Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

Rushed to a Hospital but no Terp Available

A teenager responded to the pleas of a deaf woman on Facebook last Friday. Mark Toner was taken to the hospital with a suspected heart attack but there was no interpreter available. So his wife reached out on social media. 14-year-old Kelci Adams responded. Read about why it happened from CBC News here.

The Stars Come out for Starkey

Last night celebrities came to St. Paul, Minnesota to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Each year the organization holds a Gala to raise money for hearing aids. Millions of dollars are given as a result. Among this year's celebrities were Johnny Depp, Jennifer Garner, Alice Cooper, John Mellencamp, and Jay Leno among others. KARE-TV has this video of celebrities arriving.

Gally Presidents Signing

Ever wonder how well the presidents of Gallaudet University signed? Here's a video put together by Robert T. Sirvage and Paul K. Simmons showing all but one of the Gally presidents from 1864 to 2016.

The Struggle for Medical Care

The lack of adequate interpreter services is an ongoing problem for the Deaf in the U.S. when it comes to getting proper medical care. Complaints and lawsuits are all too common. The Sacramento Bee quotes the NAD's Howard Rosenblum as saying that Hospitals, medical centers and doctors’ offices are the “worst in failing to provide effective communications to deaf and hard of hearing individuals." Read the full story here.

Deaf Customer Sues Taco Bell

A New Jersey woman is suing Taco Bell. Gina Cirrincione is "claiming she had difficulty being served at the drive-thru window at two locations because she is deaf." You can see what happened in the video below (no captions) or read the story here.

What it's like for a Couple to host a Deaf Orphan

The man with Usher syndrome, his wife the sign language interpreter and the hosting program that brought a deaf orphan from Eastern European their way. Read their story in San Diego's local newspaper here.

Former Major Leaguer Wows in Celebrity Game

Curtis Pride
(image from Gallaudet.edu)

Curtis Pride took part in last night's MLB Celebrity Softball game in San Diego along with Hall of Famers and Oscar winners. The deaf former major leaguer hit a two-run homer and also saved an extra base hit with a spectacular catch in left field. He was mobbed by teammates after his heroics. Pride helped his American League team beat the National League team by a score of 8-7. If you want to see for yourself, ESPN will broadcast the game after tonight's Home Run Derby.

deaf-blind lawyer speaks out about apps

The first deaf-blind person to graduate from Harvard Law is on a mission to get more developers to design software with people with disabilities in mind. Haben Girma spoke with CNN about apps and says, "I try to always have a keyboard, braille display, Apple Watch, iPhone and guide dog with me at all times, but it doesn't always work out." Read the full story here.

Nyle DiMarco Slams Fox News

Nyle DiMarco took to Twitter to complain about a Fox News opinion piece titled "When It Comes to Hillary Clinton, American Justice Is Blind, Deaf and Dumb." The Dancing with the Stars celebrity wrote: "Fox News, I don't appreciate 'Blind, Deaf, and Dumb. I'm Deaf and I'm not ignorant at all." Read more about it here.

Deaf baristas in TX

KHOU-TV featured a Starbucks in Houston with several deaf employees.

Deaf Player taking Part in MLB All-Star Festivities

image from MLB.com 

One of the few deaf player in major league baseball will play in Major League Baseball's All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game this Sunday in San Diego. Curtis Pride spent more than a decade in the majors. When he retired, Pride became the head coach at Gallaudet University, also serving as the
MLB Ambassador for Inclusion.

Driver's License Rules Have Changed in Ohio

The Deaf and hard of hearing can now get a commercial driver’s license in Ohio. It's one of the first states to use a waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. At least 10 people have started the process, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Read the full story here.

Canada's first deaf Priest

Canada's first deaf Roman Catholic priest was ordained in 2012. Raised a Baptist in Michigan, Hysell made the decision to become a priest as a teenager after reading about the priesthood in school. He graduated from City University in New York, then earned a master's in theology from a California program. He next moved to Edmonton to study at Newman Theological College. Hysell celebrates mass using sign language.

Instructor at deaf school killed in crash

A Utah teacher for the deaf was killed in a Salt Lake City car accident last week.  Ellen O'Hara-Hanna taught for Utah Schools for the Deaf Blind at Jean Massieu School in Salt Lake City. Here's a video report KSTU-TV.