From Deafness at Birth to the Ivy League

A new book coming out this month tells the story of a deaf boy whose skill at basketball led him to an Ivy League school. The book was written by the father of Christopher Caulfield. Titled Ephphatha (which means "to be opened"), the subtitle sums it up: "Growing up Profoundly Deaf and Not Dumb in the Hearing World: A Basketball Player's Transformational Journey to the Ivy League." Thomas Caulfield explains the ignorance he and his wife often encountered in education as they advocated for their son. Ephphatha is available on Amazon here. To learn more about the family, click here. Below is a video featuring Chris and his experience at RIT's NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf).  He's now a graduate student at Cornell and getting some experience at Microsoft.

Closed captioning Becomes Seattle City Law

Closed captioning will be the law in Seattle for TVs in bars, restaurants and other places starting tomorrow (May 1). The City Council voted unanimously for the new city ordinance earlier this month and the mayor signed it into law last week. Councilmember Lisa Herbold sponsored the law and says in a press release:

It’s important to shift the onus from having to request closed captions as a public accommodation to instead create the expectation that folks have it in advance. I especially want to thank Seattle Commission for People with DisAbilities for bringing this issue to my attention, and for making this a top priority in their workplan to support development of this ordinance.

While the law goes into effect on May 1, enforcement won't begin until November. The city will send an advisory letter to businesses not in compliance. After that, businesses face a possible $125 fine, rising to $300 if violations continue. Read the full story from the Seattle Times here.

Minor League Baseball Team Holds Deaf Culture Day

The Rochester Red Wings' Deaf Culture Day got some attention on ESPN's SportsCenter over the weekend. It was featured as the Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Week. Rochester wore uniforms spelling out "Red Wings" on their jerseys. To purchase a ASL Red Wing cap or jersey, click here.

Deaf Man injured in Hit & Run

A deaf man was injured by a hit and run driver in North Carolina. Police have arrested a suspect. FOX-8 in High Point has a video report.

Brain implant surgery in the UK

A four-year-old boy in the UK had brain implant surgery recently. The BBC has a video report.

Deaf School Teacher Under Investigation

The Illinois State Police are investigating a teacher working at the Illinois School for the Deaf. Police say there are accusations that Charles Hicks, Jr. had sexual contact with students. The State Journal-Register has more details here.

Mayor Pete Gets Sign Name

Pete Buttigieg, who is running for president as a Democratic, was given a sign name.

Cop Saves Elderly Deaf Man

A quick-thinking subway cop saved a 70-year-old deaf man from an oncoming train.

Girl Gets Apology from Hearing Aid Thief

Alicia Lyding had her hearing device stolen from her San Francisco-area elementary school. Now the man who stole it has written a letter of apology. KGO-TV has a video report or read the story here.

The 1904 Deaf Film Festival

The 1904 Deaf Film Festival will take place in St. Louis this Thursday through Saturday (April 25-27). There is more information here.

Gally Grads Building a Tiny House Resort

Three Gallaudet University graduates are starting a vacation rental business, offering tiny houses deep in the West Virginia woods. Lost River Vacations will hold a launch party at a deaf-owned brewery at the end of April. Read details in a Washingtonian here.

Netflix Film uses ASL incorrectly

Prominent members of the Deaf community are criticizing a new Netflix horror film called The Silence. Deaf model Nyle DiMarco, among others, say some of the sign languages in the film is gibberish and a deaf person should have been cast in the role of the deaf person in the film. That comment comes after the director claimed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that the teen who signs in the film, Kiernan Shipka, is "flawless" and, even though she is not deaf, Shipka has an "innate sense of what it’s like being a deaf person." DiMarco tweeted that the ASL "is not grammatically correct" in the film and that sometimes characters seem to understand sign language without looking at the person signing. 

State School for the Deaf Loses Principal

The Michigan School for the Deaf is looking for a new principal. Natalie Grupido abruptly resigned from the post she has held since 2016. She had worked at the school for 13 years. Her departure has fueled rumors about shutting down the school, but it released a statement denying that to be true. Read more on the story here.

Deaf Syrian Refugee Gets Starring Role

A Syrian refuge who is deaf is staring in a Netflix series. Mustafa Alabssi takes the lead in Black Summer, a spin-off of Z Nation. Global News has a video report or read the story here.

7-Year-Old Gets Surprise

A San Francisco-area first grader had her hearing aids stolen from her school. But she got a surprise this week. ABC-7 has a video report or read the story here.

Deaf & Blind School Celebrates Birthday

The Colorado School For Deaf and Blind is celebrating its 145th birthday. KXRM-TV (Fox 21) in Colorado Springs has a video report.

Judge: Captioning Suit can go Forward

A judge has rejected an attempt by Harvard and MIT to dismiss a lawsuit over video captioning on their MOOC (massive open online courses) offerings and guest lecture videos hosted on the school's YouTube channels. The National Association of the Deaf filed the lawsuit in 2015, saying the captioning was so bad on these videos they were pretty much useless. The recent attempt to get a dismissal is the second time the schools have tried and the second time they've been turned down. Read the decision here.

The Stand-up Comic Bringing Deaf Culture to Hearing People

Greek-born but Edinburgh-based comedian Leah Kalaitzi uses British Sign Language (BSL) and an interpreter to spread Deaf Culture. In a video called Silent Laughs, the Scottish Documentary Institute follows Kalaitzi to the stage.

NTID marks Half a Century of Deaf Education

It's been 50 years since Rochester Institute of Technology welcomed its first class of 70 deaf students. It was 1965 when the National Technical Institute for the Deaf was born. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a bill into law that created a national advisory group which led to the creation of an institute of technical training for the deaf. In 1974 Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall was created as a main hub for NTID students. The first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, visited the school for the dedication and opening ceremonies. WROC-TV has a video report on the re-dedication of the Hall on Friday. You can read more about the event on the NTID website here.

Terp conference is sign only

Pennsylvania's Mount Aloysius college is holding an ASL interpreting conference this weekend. It's a silent conference because everyone attending has been asked to turn their voices off. WTAJ-TV has a video report (or read the story here).

Deaf People Answer Oddly Common Googled Questions

Minor League Baseball team to honor the Deaf community

The Rochester Red Wings will have a special day to honor ASL. The minor league team and Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, will wear special ASL jerseys on April 28 when the team plays the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Rochester jerseys will have "Red Wings" spelled out in ASL and the players will wear hats with the capital “R” in ASL. The game will also feature a "silent inning" with no announcements or music. Instead, sign language interpreters will be stationed throughout the park. Read more about it on the Red Wings website here.

Seattle may Require Captions at Bars and Restaurants

Seattle is considering a city law that would "require closed captioning to be activated on all TVs in public spaces." KUOW-TV reports that the "proposed legislation would require closed captioning be turned on during business hours in a range of settings where TVs are present, including places like waiting rooms, restaurants and bars." Read the full story here.

Some Cities Removing Online Documents over ADA lawsuits

The Orlando Sentinal is reporting that three cities in Florida have removed many public documents from the websites because city officials are worried about getting sued over ADA violations. Many officials say they were unaware that the federal law requires government agency accessibility also applies to the web. But since "Nearly 2,000 suits were filed in 2018 alleging website accessibility issues," it is an increasing concern. Read the full story here.