Deaf students at Arizona school: virtual with obstacles

Sequoia Deaf School in Mesa, Arizona has more than 50 students in grades K through 12 and is offering them distant learning starting next month. KTAR radio news takes a look at some of the issues they face here.

Arizona state schools start the fall with online learning

Students at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind are learning to navigate through online classes. "We're all longing for that day when we can see the faces and hear those voices and see those smiles," the principal at the ASDB Tucson campus told KJZZ. Read the full story here.

Deaf Man Shot & Killed in Phoenix

A father and member of the deaf community was shot and killed outside of a Phoenix apartment complex this past Monday, reports KNXV-TV (ABC-15). Police are looking for the culprits even as friends of Gary Herrera try to raise money for his funeral by holding a car wash Saturday. Below is a video report. For captions, go directly to the TV station website here.

Undercover testers find discrimination

The Southwest Fair Housing Council is suing more than a dozen assisted living and nursing home operators in Arizona for discrimination against prospective deaf residents. The nonprofit advocacy group says they sent out undercover testers to see what kind of treatment they would receive. Read more about it here.

A proposed law to punish fake service animals

An Arizona State Senator is introducing a bill that would punish anyone who claims their pet is a service animal-but only if the owner confesses to faking it. KPNX-TV (News 12) in Phoenix has a video report.

Football is Helping Deaf Students to Grow

Phoenix Day School for the Deaf is prepping students for life through its football program. Athletic director Jesse Bailey tells The Arizona Republic:

Sports gave us a way to learn to fight, and it absolutely helps us in the real world. I played football, basketball and ran track for four years, and these sports taught us that we have to communicate and trust each other. All those qualities help you grow as a person and improve your social skills.

Read the full article here.

Accused of preying on elderly deaf man

ABC-15 in Phoenix has a short video report about a woman accused of taking advantage of an elderly deaf man.

Arizona: Anger over state budget cuts

Deaf Arizonans marched on the state Capitol this week. Their message: Don't shortchange a program designed to help the deaf find work. "After years of budget cuts followed by no additional funding, there are hundreds on a waiting list for assistance," reports KTVK (channel 3 in Phoenix). The full video report is below.

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Learning about Deaf Culture in Mesa

Arizona's Mesa Community College offers sign language classes and the school's student newspaper takes a look at what's being taught here.

Deaf pressman retires

James Krakowiak has worked at the newspaper plant that publishes the Arizona Daily Star for 42 years. It all started when he took a printing class at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. Krakowiak found his vocation. But now "Jimbo" is retiring. Read about the legacy he leaves here.

What it sounds like to have an implant

Ever wondered what it would be like to have a cochlear implant? An Arizona State University has created a video that contains audio simulating the experience for hearing people. Michael Dorman is director of Cochlear Implant Research Lab.

Deaf man arrives on flight--in the wrong state!

Kenneth Brown was on his way to visit his brother in a Seattle hospital last week. But instead he wound up in Phoenix. Details on what happened on his flight from KNXV-TV here.

ASL program growing at UA

The popularity of sign language classes at the University of Arizona is bringing some changes to the program, according to the school's student newspaper. The Educational Interpreting Program has been adding a couple of dozen students each year, so administrators are getting more selective about who gets into it. An essay and ASL test will be given to applicants and a practicum requirement is being added to the program. Learn more about it here.

Journey to Bilateral Cochlear Implants

Sue Vardon says, "Bilateral hearing gave me: a fuller sound; improved location of sound; increased discrimination of sound especially in noise; more enjoyable music; reduced frustration; fewer mispronunciations; the ability to always have one working ear; and two ears working together." Vardon made a presentation about her journey to Desert Cochlear Connections recently. It's detailed in the Arizona Daily Star here.

Federal Government Threatens Housing complex for deaf

A deaf facility in Arizona that the federal government help to build--and then turned around and declared the complex discriminatory. Fox News has a video report on the project which we first told you about back in April here.

Comedian promises "curse words" in sign

Comedian Craig Gass will appear at the Rialto Theater in his native Tucson tomorrow tonight (Sept 14). The show will be interpreted for his family members who are deaf. He told the Arizona Daily Star in an interview “If you want to learn how to sign any curse words or god awful phrases, I will be repeating curse words and saying horrible things all night long. There will be at least 100 different opportunities." His voice has been a part of shows like Family Guy and American Dad while Gass has made appearances on HBO’s Sex in the City and King and Queens. There's more information on his appearance here.

Arizona schools for deaf, blind in upheaval

This spring, students at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind gathered rubber ducks and a coffin and staged elaborate protests with a goal of forcing a face-to-face conversation with Superintendent Robert Hill. Hill has become a lightning rod of controversy. He faces accusations of sexual harassment, disability discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation. The conflicts have thrown the school system into chaos that has drawn in the governing board, several state agencies and Gov. Jan Brewer. At the protest, the students, many of them deaf, took to the sidewalks with signs urging passing cars to “honk loud.” They made masks of Hill’s face and held a pseudo-funeral, “burying” the administrator who they said had buried them with his disregard. They placed rubber ducks throughout the campus, a gesture suggesting Hill was a lame-duck superintendent. Read more at Arizona Central here. Or watch this video report on the Spring protest from KGUN-TV.

TV reporter's daughter get implant

A traffic reporter at KTVK-TV in Phoenix tells about her daughter's cochlear implant surgery in the video below. No captions but you can read the story here.

Investigations and Board changes at state school

While a state investigation is underway into the use of funds at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, along with a conflict of interest investigation, the governor appointed five new people to the board of directors today. Governor Jan Brewer allowed three of the previous members to remain on the board, so that in all, there are eight people serving on the board. The new members include:

Former dean of the Laurent Clerk National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University, Kathy Jankowski.

Pima Community College faculty member Taralynn Petrites--who leads the ASL and Interpreter Training program at the school.

Foundation for Blind Children former director of children’s service, Elaine Baldridge.

Southern Arizona Association for the Visually Impaired executive director Michael Gordon.

Arizona Ear Center otologist Mark Syms.

Reverse Discrimination?

A senior living complex is facing charges--for favoring deaf residence. We first told about the problem back in December, that Federal official are investigating Apache ASL Trails in Tempe, Arizona for possible discrimination. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says it is a violation of the Fair Housing Act to have so many deaf people in the same complex. Nearly all of the 75 Apache ASL Trails units are occupied by deaf residents. A deaf architect designed it to fit the unique needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. There are flashing lights, video phones, and an interpreting service has an office in the complex. Ironically, it was the Arizona Department of Housing that put federal money into helping pay for its contraction. Last week, the National Association of the Deaf sent a letter to the federal housing secretary, which read in part:

In a nutshell, your agency, HUD, is forcing deaf and hard of hearing individuals to only live according to an ideological vision of forced integration. The tragic irony is that such an ideology has punished deaf and hard of hearing individuals seeking a higher quality of life and a safer place to live and has actually resulted in the forced isolation of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

More than 70 advocacy groups have signed the document. You can read the letter here. HUD officials have responded by saying they will put its efforts on pause. No one has filed a formal complaint about the facility, and it owners say no one has been excluded in the advertising.