Deaf woman concerned over note from Portland drive-thru

A deaf Dunkin' Donuts customer in Maine says she was told not to use the drive-thru, even though she had done so many times. Read the story from WMTW-TV here.

image from WMTW-TV video

A First for a Deaf Person in Maine

Regan Thibodeau will soon become the first deaf person from Maine to earn her PhD in the state. She will graduate from the University of Southern Maine with a PhD in Public Policy. Thibodeau already holds a Masters from Columbia and teaches classes at USM in ASL, Deaf culture and interpreting. WCSH-WLBZ/TV has a video report.

Deaf High School Mascot

Deaf from birth, 15-year-old Freshman Kamron King "has mastered sign language and how to lip read and speak." As his high school mascot, King says he "uses his eyes and his energy to get the crowd fired up." He's affectionately known as "Kam the Ham." Here is an NBC News video report.

Film fest this month in Maine

The 12th annual Maine Deaf Film Festival is taking place on April 25 and 26. Find out more here. It takes place at the University of Southern Maine’s campus in Portland and sponsored by the school's American Sign Language Club. Find out more here.

Terp's moves a concert hit

ASL interpreter Holly Maniatty work at music venues is profiled in an Associated Press story here.

Film Fest looks for Entries

The Maine Deaf Film Festival is accepting entries for the 12th annual Festival taking place on April 25 and 26 of next year. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 1, 2014. There is no required genre or length. The only requirement is that the film must be made by a deaf or hard of hearing filmmaker, it must feature at least one deaf character, or it must be about the Deaf experience. It takes place at the University of Southern Maine’s campus in Portland and sponsored by the school's American Sign Language Club. Find out more about the festival here.

Maine Woman: I was fired for being deaf

Kennebec Valley Community Action Program
Photo: Google maps

After 17 years, a worker in Maine says she was fired because she is deaf. And the Maine Human Rights Commission agrees with Agnes Farnsworth, according to the Lewiston Sun Journal. Farnsworth drove her car to transport clients for the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program. Two years ago she was mailed a letter unceremoniously letting her go. The nonprofit says it was due to Farnsworth's performance problems--but those problems seemed to be tied to a decision to no longer send her text messages to inform her as to when to pick up and drop off passengers. Read more at the Lewiston Sun Journal here.

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.

Maine Film Fest

The 10th Annual Maine Deaf Film Festival takes place this Thursday (April 12) through Saturday, (April 14) at the University of Southern Maine. There is more information here.

Maine Event

The 13th Biennial Deaf Women United National Conference starts in Portland, Maine tomorrow. There's more information here.

Commission Rules on Rights Complaint

The Maine Human Rights Commission says police in Oxford, Maine violated a deaf man's rights in 2009. David Brown was a witness to a fatal accident involving his daughter. Oxford Police say he never asked for an interpreter and his daughter interpreted for him at the scene. But Brown and his attorney told the commission his daughter was too upset to interpret and she asked officers to provide her father an interpreter, but was never provided one. She was only 17 years old at the time and her insurance for the car she was driving was on her father's policy. A similar complaint against the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department was dismissed by the Rights Commission on a split vote, since deputies of that agency did not interview any witnesses at the scene.

Maine Conference

The National Hands and Voice Conference 2011 starts today in Portland, Maine.

Hearing Aid Charity

The Rite Aid Foundation has donated $10,000 to a charity hearing aid center in Bangor, Maine. The Warren Center in Bangor gives away free hearing aids by reconditioning used hearing aid donations.

Police Refuse Interpreter

A deaf man in Maine claims Augusta police twice refused to provide him with an interpreter after he requested one. An investigator for the Maine Human Rights Commission has sided with Wayne Draper in his case against Augusta. The Commission next meets two weeks from today. This could be grounds for a lawsuit against the city which claims there was no harm done because Draper was able to communicate in other ways to officers.

Police stopped Draper in 2007 for taking someone's vacant hunting stand. He showed the investigating officer card that said he wanted an interpreter but Draper claims the officer refused and wrote a note to him. Draper was never charged with a crime and the tree stand owner physically threatened him. Police again refused his request for an interpreter, eventually providing one for him at the police station later after Draper was insistent.

Maine Deaf Film Festival

The 7th Annual Maine Deaf Film Festival will be held in Portland this Saturday. Hosted by the University of Southern Maine Sign Language Club, all the films shown during the event are created, directed and produced by deaf or hard of hearing individuals. It starts at 1pm.