New Orleans now offers emergency texting

The deaf and hard of hearing in New Orleans can now communicate with first responders using video and texts when they call 911. You can read more here or watch the video below:

Louisiana School for the Deaf Gets New Director

Heather Laine is the new Director of Louisiana School for the Deaf. She earned a degree at Gallaudet University and later earned an advanced degree in deaf education at Cal State Northridge. She worked as a teacher of the deaf in Los Angeles before eventually becoming principal at Arizona's Sequoia Deaf School. Here is the official announcement.

State Deaf School being Reorganized

The Superintendent of the Louisiana Special School District is reorganizing the Louisiana School for the Deaf. Critics say Ernest Garrett III is "dismissing experienced leaders and replacing them with people who are either unfamiliar to the community or lack the experience of their predecessors." Read more about the changes in WBRZ-TV website here.

University Sued over Failure to Provide Interpreters

Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is being sued by four students who say the school violated ADA law by not providing a sign language interpreter in their classes. They say the school failed to pay the interpreters for previous work. The four deaf students are from Saudi Arabia. Read more at The Advocate here. You'll find the suit here.

A problem with New Orleans Movie Theaters

Deaf movie-goers in New Orleans say the local theaters don't accommodate them as prescribed by ADA law. The closed-captioning devices are often broken. WWL-TV has a video report below or read the story here.

New Director at School for the Deaf

Ryan Gollner

The Louisiana School for the Deaf has a new director. School Principal Ryan Gollner replaces Donna Alleman on an interim basis. The move comes after a harsh report said the Baton Rouge school suffered from "low morale among students and staff and was implementing changes without a clear plan." Read more in The Advocate here.

Lawsuit Claims School Failed to Accommodate Deaf Students

image from dcc.edu

Two deaf students are have filed a lawsuit against a Louisiana community college for not providing them with interpreters. Lee Em Bruce and Ronneka Smith says they tried to work with officials on campus but were not accomodated, so they've filed a suit against the Delgado Community College. Read the full story here.

This Deaf School "needs an overhaul"

image from lalsd.org

The Louisiana School for the Deaf needs an overhaul, says a member of the state's top school board. The Associated Press quotes, Kathy Edmonston, a member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, as saying, "A couple of issues brought up by the folks that I have been working with from the deaf community feel like the kids are not getting a quality education at the school." Read the full story here.

Louisiana considers the "d" in Deaf

(image from Louisiana.gov)

Louisiana state legislator Pat Smith wants to change how the deaf are referred to in state law. Her bill HB253 would ask the Louisiana State Law Institute to distinguish between lower case "deaf" and upper case "Deaf." A committee endorsed her resolution yesterday. Read the text of her bill and how it is progressing through the legislature here.

Deaf Rights Advocates Rally in Lousiana

Deaf rights advocates gathered on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol this morning. WAFB-TV has a video report.

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Deaf Student: School Discriminated Against Me

A deaf Lousiana college student has filed a lawsuit claiming that the University of Louisiana-Lafayette did not him as required by ADA. Fabian S. Strauss says he requested a note taker but was denied. Read more about it in the Louisiana record here.

Champions on the Football Field

A deaf school's football team is undefeated this season. WGNO-TV has a video report on the success of the the Louisiana School for the Deaf War Eagles and their female coach. No captions but there is some text here.

Deaf School visits College Football Team

The Louisiana School for the Deaf visited the LSU football team during practice Wednesday. SEC Country has more, including a video here.

Deaf man sues Louisiana, Jefferson Parish for discrimination

A Louisiana man is suing for not getting proper accommodations under ADA law while in police custody. The Times—Picayune has the story here.

Report: Wasteful spending by the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf

Money wasted distribution free telephone equipment to deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Louisiana. That's the finding of Inspector General Stephen Street whose just released report details "unnecessary spending on contractors and equipment by the Commission for the Deaf." Read the full story here.

Deaf School Opens Children's Village

Image from Louisiana School for the Deaf

The Lagniappe Children's Village opened last week at the Louisiana School for the Deaf. Among the 13 buildings there is a bank, doctor’s office and a police station. Find out more here.

Finding Beauty in Images from the Bayou

Tate Tullier calls Louisiana his home. "Known for its scenic rural areas and ghostly swamps" it's "the perfect place for an aspiring photographer to grow up" reports the Daily Reveille. LSU's student media profiles the deaf photographer and Gallaudet University graduate here.

Suit against apartment owner settled

A New Orleans apartment owner will pay $75,000 for ignoring deaf renters. A lawsuit filed by Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center said that NOLA Apartments hung up on callers using telephone relay. The company run by Craig Tolbert has hundreds of units. Read more about the lawsuit here.

Deaf man loses ability to Sign

A gunshot wound turned Sterling Everidge into a quadriplegic a few months ago. The bullet "essentially took his voice" says the New Orleans Advocate. Read the whole story of how Sterling, his wife and five young children are struggling to survive  here.

Louisiana Agency Makes Shift

The Deaf Action Center in Shreveport has shifted its focus in the last three years. Find out what the organization is doing in an article in the Shreveport Times here.