Temporary Layoffs at Michigan School for the Deaf

The Michigan School for the Deaf is cutting its staff down to four days a week. There will work for them on Fridays through July. This includes all academic, office, residential and administrative staff. Read more here.

Hospital Sued: Lawsuit claims no Terp provided

A lawsuit filed against McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital claims a deaf patient was not provided an interpreter last year as required by ADA law. Instead, the staff of the Lansing, Michigan facility used written notes to communicate with Christine Ketola, according to the complaint. Read more about the lawsuit in the Lansing State Journalhere.

Deaf Rapper Making History

Deaf rapper Sean Forbes is close to making history--he's about to become the first deaf artist to break into the Billboard Top 200. He's already the first deaf musician to hit #1 on Amazon music list for all genres as well as #1 in the hip hop category both on Amazon and iTunes. His new release is called Little Victories. Fox-2 Detriot has a video interview with Forbes (or read the story here).

Deaf Football Captain is "true leader on field"

A high school football captain who was born deaf "dominates on the field at Bloomfield High School in Michigan and is headed to play the sport collegiately next year." Read more about Devin Holmes from KXXV-TV here.

Marching Band incorporates ASL into its show

The Ferndale Marching Band from Ferndale, Michigan is using sign language in its halftime performances with help from Detroit-based deaf rapper Sean Forbes. The show is called The Sounds of Silence and about halfway through, the students stop playing their instruments and perform Forbes' song Watch These Hands in ASL. The video below of Forbes and the band practicing was posted by Cars 108, a Flint, Michigan radio station.

Deaf Woman Dies in Arson Fire

A deaf woman and her two-year-old daughter died in a fire—it was intentionally set by a man who said he was trying to get back at his girlfriend. Star Milligan tried to save her daughter by wrapping her in a blanket and using her body to protect her from the flames. The Fox TV station in Detriot has a video report below or read the story here.

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 Couple has a Complaint against Delta

A deaf couple say they were discriminated against by Delta Air Lines while in Detroit and ended up missing their flight. In response to their claims Delta released a statement saying it takes "situations like these very seriously and as part of our culture of continuous improvement, we are using this as an opportunity to learn." Socorro Garcia and Melissa Yingst were in Detroit for the National LGBTQ Task Force's Create Change conference. Read more about what happened in a New York Post article here and the San Francisco Gate here. Below is the couple's explanation of what happened.

ICE wants deaf & disabled man deported after decades in U.S.

photo credit: Diane Newman

ICE said it was planning to deport Francis Anwana by today but has decided to delay his deportation after an outcry from immigration advocates. Anwana came to the US at the age of 13 on a student visa. Anwana "was deaf, couldn't talk, and had cognitive disabilities, enrolling at the Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint." He is now 48 years old. ICE gave him less than a week's notice that he would be sent back to a country to which he has no ties. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center says the decision would be a death sentence for Anwana because of his severe disabilities. The group says Anwana doesn't understand what is happening to him. Read more about him from Michigan's NPR radio group
here.

Billboard campaign aims to connect deaf to religion

A Christian group in Western Michigan has launched a billboard campaign to reach the deaf with their message. But the billboards have caused some confusion. WOOD-TV has a video report.

SCOTUS sides with Service Dog

A Supreme Court ruling could have an impact on students with disabilities across the country, according to the ACLU. The high court has unanimously ruled in favor a Michigan girl who wanted to bring her service dog school with her. Administrators at the Napoleon Community School had told Ehlena Fry's family that she could have human helpers but not her Goldendoodle named Wonder. Her family thought that was a violation of ADA law. The case now goes back to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Police: Video Made of Deaf Man's Beating

A video shows a deaf man being beaten in Detroit by another deaf man.. and "police said the woman holding the camera in the video set it all up," reports WDIV-TV. The three attended the same school for the deaf.

Scam seeks donations for deaf students

Someone is going around several Michigan communities and asking for donations to "help send kids from the Michigan School for the Deaf to play football in Washington, D.C." But "police and school officials say the fundraiser isn’t real and an alleged scammer or a group of people bent on fraud has been raking in the cash." Read more here.

Deaf wrestler wins right to terp during match

(image from WJBK-TV video report)

A week ago we told you about the deaf wrestler in Michigan who wasn't allowed to communicate with his interpreter during matches unless he was looking in her direction--not easy to do during a wrestling match. Now the Michigan High School Athletic Association has settled Ellis Kempf's complaint. Read the story from AP here.

Wrestler sues over terp rules

A high school wrestler is suing "a Michigan athletic association for not allowing him to use the interpreter during wrestling matches." The Detroit News quotes Ellis Kempf's mother as saying, "We aren’t seeking money and he doesn’t want an advantage. He just wants to continue using his interpreter so he can understand what his coach wants him to do during matches.” Read the full story from the Detroit News here or watch a video report from WJBK-TV. No captions but the text of the story is here.

Deaf doctor makes patients feel heard

image from CNN.com video

Dr. Philip Zazove writes, "My clinical years there were hard, because I depend on lipreading. It was especially difficult during rounds where people didn't face me or when I was in an operating room where everyone wore masks. I learned the material by preparing ahead of time and asking many questions after." But not only did Dr. Zazove make it through medical school, he leads a thriving practice today. "A special part of my practice is that I care for many deaf and hard of hearing persons. I understand what they are going through. My research has shown that this community has poorer health, social and educational outcomes. By providing specialized care for them, I try to provide this community with better health care opportunities. Some of my patients drive two or three hours to see me." Read more of his remarkable story at CNN.

the Deaf getting on Michigan juries

More deaf people are serving on juries, according to a WXYZ-TV news report from Detroit. Because of the increased involvement, "the State of Michigan adopted new rules last summer that require additional certification and training for court room interpreters." Watch the report below or read the story here.

Parents fight for kids' program in Michigan

The school system in Dearborn, Michigan is planning to close a program for deaf children. Parents are trying to save it. WXYZ-TV has a video report. There are no captions but you can read some of the information here.

Deaf Woman beaten in Michigan

A Detroit teen attached a 55-year-old deaf neighbor a week-and-a-half ago. The 19-year-old punched her repeatedly and threw her to the ground. Read more in the New-Herald.

Suit: Deaf prisoners treated unfairly in Michigan

Some deaf prisoners are suing the state of Michigan. The lawsuit accuses officials of violating their rights by only giving them old equipment, not letting them have access to educational materials, medical care or proper devises needed for communicating with loved ones. A lawyer for the inmates says, "The Michigan Department of Corrections has failed or refused to provide necessary accommodations and assistance in a consistent and comprehensive manner. As a result, it has violated the prisoners' rights by infringing on their ability to communicate with loved ones, participate in medical and mental health care as well as religious and various other programs." The class action lawsuit was filed by the Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service and you can read more details here.