FCC Selects Deaf Lawyer

The FCC has appointed a deaf man to head of its Disability Rights Office. Gregory Hilibok is the first person with a disability to head the office. Hilibok has been an attorney in the office for nine years and was spokesman for the Deaf President Now movement in 1998 at Gallaudet University. He holds a degree in government from Gallaudet with a degree and J.D. from Hofstra Law School.

Questions Raised About State Deaf & Blind School

A former employee of the Colorado School For The Deaf And The Blind speaks out on the school's direction for the future. Here's a video report from KRDO-TV. Read the story here.

Courage in Sports Awards

Motocross Champ Ashley Fiolek was honored at the annual Courage in Sports Awards on CBS television yesterday. Since joining the MotorcycleUSA.com Women's Motocross Championship three years ago, the deaf teen has earned two titles along two X Games gold medals. Fiolek was honored along with former USC football star Stafon Johnson, NBA Hall of Famer and Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing, and the Wingsuit Pilots, a group of daredevil skydivers. The Courage in Sports Awards recognizes athletes who demonstrate extraordinary courage, spirit, and perseverance in the face of adversity in order to succeed in their chosen sport.

Lego Robotics League

A teenager in Huntsville, Alabama helped to create his team's science contest submission based on the knowledge of hearing he has gained through having a cochlear implant. Read about it here.

Deaf in Africa

Here is a video report from TV2 in Sierra Leone about the education of deaf children, explaining why one school does not use sign language. (no captioning)

Learning 2 Languages

An Idaho newspaper takes a look at how deaf immigrants are learning two languages at once here.

Hotel to Make Changes

Hilton has cut a deal with the feds to make its hotels more ADA friendly. The hotel chain will make changes to about 900 Hilton-branded facilities including Hampton Inn and Doubletree. Hilton will also pay $50,000. According to government attorneys, Hilton failed to build its hotels in compliance with the ADA, doesn't offer enough ADA compliant rooms and has not offered its disabled guests a way to book what rooms are available. This is the most sweeping changes required by the Justice Department. The company has agreed to better train its employees and improve its website.

Undefeated!

The Maryland School for the Deaf football has ended its season with a perfect record.
The Orioles beat the California School for the Deaf at Riverside in its last game by a whopping 80-0 score. The win may give Maryland an 8th consecutive National Deaf championship. The Orioles keep 9 teams scoreless over the course of the season. The team loses 14 seniors after this season.

Tackling Sports with Gusto

The Los Angeles Times takes a look at how deaf students at one high school are embrasing sports in this article.

Fatal Bus Accident

The driver of a green Suburu was killed yesterday when she ran into a bus from the North Carolina School for the Deaf on Highway 109 near Wallburg. Two adults on the bus were injured. The last student had already been dropped off before the accident. Police say the driver was Nancy Griffin of Kernersville.

Love Language

You can increase the funding for The American Society for Deaf Children simply by viewing the video belo called Love Language, produced by the Jubilee Project. Funding increases for the group each time it is viewed during November.

Scam Charges Tossed

A judge has thrown out charges against a man for alledgedly scamming an roofer despite the testimony of an elderly deaf woman. WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh has a video report.

Film Wins Award

A movie about a deaf ultimate fighter has won a Hollywood award. The American Film Institute (AFI) gave Hamill its Breakthrough Award, along with $5000. The film was inspired by the life of fighter Matt Hamill. AFI FEST 2010 includes 97 films from 3000 submissions representing 31 countries.

Mobile Captions Service

Hamilton Relay and Mobile Captions Company are launching a Mobile Captions Service with help from Wireless provider Consumer Cellular. Like closed captioning on TV, the service will let the deaf and hard of hearing to read typed captions of what is being said on a wireless phone display as the conversation is taking place. The service is only availabe on a Nokia E5 phone. When customers place a call, the Nokia E5 automatically connects to Hamilton Relay Service. A live operator types the information in real time.

ASL Comedy Tour

The ASL Comedy Tour is coming to Las Vegas. The show will take place November 13th at Alexis Park. Comic Keith Wann will make an appearance at the Vegas show and he'll later perform in Broadway’s upcoming West Side Story for the deaf. You'll find more information about the ASL Comedy Tour here and a complete listing Keith's tour here.

Keith Wann's ASL Comedy Tour DVD - demo from Keith Wann on Vimeo.

125 Years

The New Mexico School for the Deaf celebrated its 125th anniversary yesterday. In 1885, a deaf couple by the name of Lars and Belle Larson, started the school in a small adobe house in Santa Fe. Two years later, the New Mexico Territorial Legislature officially established the New Mexico School for the Deaf at the same site you will find the school today. It serves some 120 students on the campus and 50 others throughout the state by satellite. Its outreach program serves 270 students. There are four buildings on campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

New Evidence in Girl's Disappearance

There are reports in the media that police have found human remains in a creek during their search for Zahra Baker, a missing deaf girl. Authorities are only saying they have discovered new evidence. She's been missing from her home in Hickory for more than a month and police have indicted that they believe the 10-year-old is dead, after finding her artificial leg. Her stepmother, Elisa Baker, has been charged with obstruction of justice for writing a fake ransom note. Her father, Adam Baker, has arrested been on other charges.

School hires PR Firm

The Lexington School for the Deaf has hired a public relations firm to promote its brand among families of deaf children and professionals. Harrison Leifer DiMarco will provide marketing services for the Jackson Heights, New York school and its three service centers. The school offers educational programs through high school age students. Lexington service centers provide audiology, speech, vocational, and mental health services.

Improving Captioning

Broadcast Engineering magazine discusses the technical aspects of how captioning can be improved here.

Teacher Trouble

A deaf public school teacher says she faced discrimination during her time in the schools of Loudoun County, Virginia before she was let go. Adonia Smith started working at Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School in Leesburg three years ago, after having earned a doctorate in deaf education and working for 13 years as a teacher. According to Smith, administrators regularly refused to provide a qualified interpreter in order to save money. Instead, she was expected to carry around a whiteboard and type out messages on a laptop.

MIT Research

Read about how new findings from MIT researchers may improve hearing aids here.

Deaf Prof at UF

The student newspaper at the University of Florida profiles a professor who teaches ASL at the school here.

Man Sentenced for Attacking Deaf-Blind Woman

A Tampa, Florida man has pled guilty to charges related to holding a deaf-blind woman against her will. The 40-year-old woman thought she was getting a ride from a friend and says Luis Alberto Mendez tried to kidnap and molest her. Mendez claims she was trying to bum a ride. A judge sentenced Mendez to 364 days in jail. Since he had remained in jail since his arrest, Mendez was released because he had already exceeded the jail term.

Video Relay Service Gets 1/2 Million

Deaf-owned Convo Communications is borrowing a half of a million dollars from a Southern California bank to expand its services. Convo provides video relay services, having recently launched Convo Anywhere, a cloud-based Web application. Founded in March 2009, Convo has since grown to four call centers and gross revenues close to $4 million for 2010. The CEO of Convo, Robin Horwitz, is deaf. Read more at the company website.

New Zealand Teachers to Gather

The New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association holds it 11th National Conference in Wellington, New Zealand November 27-28. For more information go here.

Deaf Research Convention in Brazil

The 5th International Deaf Academics and Researchers convention takes place November 21-24 in Florianopólis, Brazil. For details, click here.

Govenor Steps In

There's good news for the New Mexico School for the Deaf. As we reported earlier this week, voters narrowly rejected a state ballot measure that would have given the school $3 million for renovations. But now, Governor Bill Richardson has announced that he is making $100,000 in stimulus funds available to help finish the financing for a new heating and cooling system. The money is coming out of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act discretionary funds.

World Deaf Poker Tourney

The 6th annual World Deaf Poker Tournament will take place tomorrow at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The tourney will include two Texas hold’em tournaments for the deaf and friends of the deaf. Proceeds will go to the American Society for Deaf Children, an advocacy group, and the Southern Nevada Silver Knights which is an organization run by people who are either deaf or hard of hearing.

Gally Film Fest

The WORLDEAF Cinema Festival is underway at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. It's the first deaf film festival to be held at the school. There are movies by deaf filmmakers and movies by hearing filmmakers about the deaf experience. Oscar winner Marlee Matlin will stop by tomorrow.

Getting a lot of attention are the two stars of the soon coming indie flick called Hamill. It's about a deaf ultimate fighter. Shoshannah Stern is best known for her recurring roles on shows like Lie to Me and Weeds while Russell Harvard played Daniel Day-Lewis's grown son in There Will Be Blood.

Voters Reject Money for Schools

New Mexico voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have given $155.5 million to schools like the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Had the bond passed, the school would have gotten $3 million for renovations. The bond was defeated by fewer than 2,500 votes statewide.

Helping the Deaf to Speak

WGHP-TV reports on teaching the deaf in Greensboro, North Carolina. (no captions)

Pond Searched for Missing Girl

North Carolina investigators says they've found a bone that might belong to a missing 10-year-old deaf girl. Zahra Baker also lost a leg to bone cancer. She was reported missing several weeks ago by her father. Meanwhile, her stepmother, Elisa Baker, faces charges for admitting that she wrote a phony ransom note. Searchers are now focused on a pond, which is being drained as police looked for more evidence.

Deaf Robbery Victim Dies

An elderly deaf man has died in Columbus, Ohio from injuries he suffered when he was beaten and robbed last month. 83-year-old Paul Earhart had been in a coma since the attack. Prosecutors say DNA from under his fingernails and eyeglasses could put his assalant behind bars. Police have already arrested one man for the crime: Jason Frost. They say Frost drove the getaway car, but another man was also involved in the attack. Earhart lived in an apartment complex for the deaf after having worked for many years at the Ohio School for the Deaf.

RTID Record

A record 1,521 students now attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)in Rochester. More than 1,300 of them are deaf or hard-of-hearing. NTID was first established by Congress in 1965.

New Prez for RIT

The new president of RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf is Gerard Buckley. He will be the first graduate from the school to serve in the position. He starts his new job at the beginning of the year. The search for a new president began a year ago. The search committee looked at 18 applicants. All three finalists are deaf or hard of hearing. The 54-year-old Buckley has worked as chairman of the Department of Educational Outreach at NTID, Associate Dean for Student Services and is currently Assistant Vice President for College Advancement. Besides a bachelor's degree in Social Work from RIT's College of Liberal Arts, he holds a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Missouri in Columbia and a doctorate in Special Education from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. His wife, Judy, is a sign language interpreter.

Time Traveler on Film?

A rumor on the Internet speculates that a woman captured on a 1928 film was a time traveler. She appears to be talking into a cell phone in a piece of film shot at the Hollywood premiere of a Charlie Chaplin movie called The Circus at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It is included on a new DVD. The folks at LiveScience point out the woman was likely hard of hearing and holding what is called an ear trumpet. The woman appears to be talking and was perhaps she was yelling at the man who quickened his pace ahead of her. Watch the video and decide for yourself or read more about it at LifeScience here.

Deaf Job Applicant Gets $184K

A Texas woman was awarded $184,400 because a company refused to take her application or interview her because she is deaf. The woman was applying for a stock clerk position at Smith Personnel Solutions has four outlets in the state. She was allegedly told her that she could be “dangerous” because she “couldn’t communicate" even though she had 3 years of experience as a stock clerk without any history of communication problems.

Cash for Research in Iowa

The University of Iowa is getting a $225,000 grant for biological research related to deafness and communicative disorders. The money comes from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Everyone Has a Story

A young South African talks about her experiences in the country as a deaf woman here. Vicky Fourie has become a successful writer and crowned 2nd Princess in the Miss Deaf International contest earlier this year.

Parents Appeal Ruling

A legal fight over the South Dakota School for the Deaf is not over. A group of 8 parents filed a lawsuit but lost in court are now appealing. The lower court ruling allows the state to close the Sioux Falls main campus and just offer outreach programs and services in local schools.

Marlee Goes Extreme

Marlee Matlin talks about her part in helping the Extreme Makeover project at the Oregon School for the Deaf in this video.

Help from Hollywood

Famed horror movie director Rob Zombie helped to design the haunted house for the Oregon School for the Deaf. Here's a video interview with him about it.

Makeover at Deaf School Airs Tongiht

The work done by the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on the Oregon School for the Deaf will be unvieled on tonight's show. It airs at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central on ABC. See a video preview with Marlee Matlin here.

Clarke Selling Buildings

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Northampton, Massachusetts is looking for someone to buy or lease some of its buildings. The oral school started in 1867, but has gone from more than 40 students living on campus in 1995 to only 7 now. The real estate has some value because the campus is close to Smith College and downtown Northampton.

The Sound of Music

The Oprah Winfrey Show featured a Sound of Music reunion this week. Members of the movie cast gathered to reflect on the hit film and Oprah spoke with people who say their lives have been changed by it. One of these was Kaitlyn. She was born profoundly deaf, but at age 5, she received her first cochlear implant. "The very first music I ever heard was Julie Andrews singing 'The Hills are Alive,'" Kaitlyn says. "It was an awakening experience for me. It was as if someone put a 30-piece orchestra and stuck it inside my head. I was overwhelmed after living in a life of silence." When it comes to her favorite things, Kaitlyn's is music. She's now mentoring sign language interpreters who work in the theater. "The Sound of Music changed my life," she says.

Hospitals Agree to Make Changes

Federal prosecutors say Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New Hampshire has agreed improve its services for deaf clients. Two people had filed complaints about not getting proper medical help at the facility because they were not provided sign language interpreters. They will receive a $35,000 settlement from the hospital. In September, Nashua's St. Joseph Hospital made a similar committee wiht prosecuters. In July the city’s other hospital, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, did the same thing following complaints about a failure to provide interpreters. None of the hospitals are admitting liability.

Film Festival

The first WORLDEAF Cinema Festival will take place at Gallaudet University from November 4-7. New films with connections to the the deaf community, workshops for aspiring filmmakers and actors and an awards night involving a competition of more than 170 films. Marlee Matlin will be a presenter. One of the keynote speakers will be Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Other speakers include the stars of Hamill, a film that's based on the life of deaf wrestler Matt Hamill.

Deaf Agency Owners Plead Guilty

The owners of a deaf service agency in Maryland has plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud yesterday in a New Jersey courtroom. John T.C. Yeh and brother Joseph Yeh owned Rockville-based Viable. They admitted trying to defraud the FCC's Video Relay Service program by paying people to make fake calls. They submitted about $55 million in claims to the federal agency, asking for reinbursment. Other charges were dropped in return for the guilty pleas. The brothers face 20 year prison sentences at their February 9th sentencing. 24 other people from around the country also faced charges. At least 11 pleaded guilty in the past year. John Yeh has been a part of National Asian Deaf Congress and National Deaf Business Institute. A trustee of Gallaudet University, he was selected by Deaf Life magazine as Deaf Person of the Year in 2008. New York's Snap!VRS agreed to aquire Viable last year, pending the outcome of the investigations and prosecutions.

Switched at Birth

A new pilot TV show in production for ABC Family will featured a deaf character. The drama called Switched at Birth tells the story of two teen girls who discover that they were accidentally switched at birth. One grew up in a wealthy family while the other lost her hearing as a child due to meningitis and grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. The families meet and try to learn to live togehter. ABC Family put out a wide casting search for the role of the deaf gilr, looking for deaf and hard of hearing actors for the part. Newcomer Katie Leclerc was selected. She has a rare disease that affects hearing and balance. She is fluent in American Sign Language. The network is currently casting two more deaf or hard of hearing actors for other roles in the series.

School Gets Large Cash Gift

The Kentucky School for the Deaf is getting more than $50,000 from several funds to provide new programs and equipment for the campus. Contributors include the Perkins Reserve Fund, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, the Hudson-Ellis Foundation and the Kentucky Humanities Council. Middle and high school students at the school will get job training in visual communication arts with an academic focus on language arts. Some of the funds will go to the audiology department for a state of the art digital hearing aid analyzer.

New State Deaf School Opens

Deleware's governor attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Rhode Island School for the Deaf. Construction began two years ago on the new facility. The 23 classrooms will house students from preschool through 12th grade. attend the school which now has 23 classrooms. There are two science labs and a newly renovated gymnasium.

Extreme Makeover Tonight

An Extreme Makeover show featuring the Oregon School for the Deaf will air tonight on ABC. The special Halloween-themed show focuses on the school's popular annual haunted house. The Makeover team renovates the 12,000 square foot basement where the Nightmare Factory is usually held. Marlee Matlin also surprises the students during their free trip to the Starkey Hearing Foundation in Minnesota.

Big Apple = Big Noise

A new study shows New York can damange your hearing. Researchers checked noise levels at 60 places and most of them reached above 70 decibels. Sound levels over 85 decibels can lead to hearing loss, but even lower levels can harm hearing if these levels persist. And low, but steady noise levels can lead to other health problems, including stress, risk of heart disease and sleep disruption. Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is presenting the study at the International Conference on Urban Health at The New York Academy of Medicine.

Student Drop Off Mistake

A deaf 5th grader in Omaha, Nebraska was dropped off at the wrong bus stop. Jayman Washington's family had moved to a new place three miles from the old location. School policy requires bus drivers to wait until the student is inside the house before leaving, but the bus driver took off as soon as Jayman was out the door. School authorities are refusing to say whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the driver.

Hospital Refuses to Help Deaf Woman

A deaf Chicago woman says a local hospital is refusing to keep its promise to provide her with cochlear implants. The hospital calls it a misunderstanding. Here's a video report from the Chicago Fox station. Read the story here.

Cruise Ship Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed against Norwegian Cruise Line has been settled. Five deaf and four wheelchair-bound passengers who took cruises in the Hawaiian Islands accused the cruise line of ADA violations. If a judge approves the deal, Norwegian will pay $100,000 in damages and $40,000 in civil penalties to the U.S. Government. Plus, the Cruise Line will offer sign language interpreters and written transcript of the emergency drill. Wheelchair-bound passengers will get accessible bus transportation to the cruise ship and on shore excursions.

Football Champions

The Wisconsin School for the Deaf has won the 8-man football championship for Great Plains Schools. Wisconsin beat Oklahoma 46-42 with an last minute interception deciding the outcome.

Interview with Deaf Fighter

Ultimate Fighter Matt Hamill is interviewed in this video after beating Tito Ortiz.

Jury Duty Challenge

A Syracuse, New York man had to fight for his right to serve on a jury. David Branfield was dismissed from duty a few months ago when Oswego County court officials found out he is deaf. After Branfield complained, court officials acknowledged his dismissal was a violation of ADA law. Branfield was put into a new jury pool last month. He wasn't selected, but had he been picked, court officials say Branfield would have been accomodated by letting him read the transcript on a laptop as it is written by the court reporter.

The Nightmare Factory

The Oregon School for the Deaf's Haunted House is now open. Read more about The Nightmare Factory here.

Deaf Fighter Triumphs

Deaf Ultimate Fighter Matt Hamill decisively won his match tonight and may be headed for a shot at the championship. He easily won a unanimous decision and may have put an end to the career of Tito Ortiz. Ironically, Ortiz was at one time Hamill's teacher. Ortiz recently made controversial comments about Hamill being an easy to beat opponent because Hamill has a "soft head" and lacks balance because he is deaf. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Hamill who improves to a record of 10 wins against 2 loses.

TV Show at Deaf School

Read details about what happened when ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition visited the campus of Oregon School for the Deaf here. The Halloween-themed episode of the show is scheduled to air next Sunday.

Anit-vertigo Implant

A Seattle man has become the first to receive an anit-vertigo device. Doctors at the University of Washington implanted it into his head yesterday. The vestibular prosthesis has a balance disorder called Meniere's disease that causes vomiting, vertigo and tinnitus. The device resembles a cochlear implant, but while a cochlear implant uses only one electrode to stimulate the auditory nerve. This device uses three shorter arrays to stimulate the vestibular nerve, which is crucial for balance. While it is not a cure, it is intended to relieve the symptoms of patients. The processor goes behind ear and is activated it when someone is overcome by symptoms.

Indicted for Sexual Assualt

Dallas prosecutors believe they've finally got the right man in two sexual assault cases involving children - crimes for which a deaf man (Stephen Brodie) went to jail and was only recently exonerated. A Texas grand jury indicted Robert Warterfield today. The fingerprint of the convicted child molester was found at the scene of an asault that put Brodie behind bars.

Deafness & Equilibrium

Are deaf fighters more susceptible to knockouts in boxing and in the Ultimate Fighting ring? That was the recent opinion expressed by Tito Ortiz, who'll take on Matt Hamill, who is deaf, this Saturday in a UFC competition taking place in California. Dr. Johnny Benjamin had this to say about it in a medical column:

Deafness, equilibrium and concussions (knockouts) have little, if any,
significant relationship. Deafness is a loss of hearing, not balance. The inner
ear has some function in both hearing and equilibrium, but they are very
separate issues. urthermore, what any of this has to do with an athlete's
ability to withstand a blow to the head is difficult to understand. Concussions
are an issue involving brain function and not the inner ear and/or vestibular
apparatus. There is not a shred of reputable medical literature that even
suggests that deaf athletes are more susceptible to concussions than any other
athlete.

Dr. Benjamin is a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions' MMA Medical Subcommittee.

Audit: Problems at School

An audit team says the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Romney aren't doing their jobs. The state Department of Education group found problems with teaching materials, buildings, technology, food preparation, and weak security at the facility. The school is technically governed by the Legislature, but is expected to follow the same rules as public schools.

Fighter Apologizes for Comments

Ultimate fighter Tito Ortiz is apologizing to the deaf community for comments he made about his next opponent, Mat Hamill, who is deaf. Ortiz said:

"I've noticed he's deaf, so he has a soft head, you hit him with more and more shots. You hit them with soft shots because their equilibrium, they don't have no equilibrium. He's been babied his whole life coming from being deaf of course and he's going to be babied after when I knock him out."

Ortiz later said in a Twitter post, "I want to apologize to the deaf community for the remarks I made about Matt it was uncalled for. He is a good fighter and I was out of line." The two will meet in the ring this Saturday in California.

Dad: Kidnappers Set Fire

The father of a deaf girl, missing in North Carolina, says kidnappers set fire to his yard to distract him while they abducted his 10-year-old daughter. But police are treating the disappearance of Zahra Baker as a homicide case. Over the weekend, her father called 911 and told a dispatcher that someone set fire to his care and left a ransom note saying kidnappers had taken his boss' daughter. It turned out that she was safe. Zahra's stepmother is now in jail for writing the note, facing charges of obstruction of justice.

Suit Not Over Yet

An update on a story posted earlier: A civil rights groups now says a settlement has not been reached, as it indicted earlier, between deaf prison inmates in Virginia and the state's department of corrections. The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs says inmates at Powhatan Correctional Center near Richmond are still working on a deal.

Inmates Score a Victory in Virginia

A lawsuit against the state of Virginia by deaf inmates has been settled out of court. Inmates at the Richmond-area Powhatan Correctional Center had sued the Department of Corrections for failing to provide equal access to information and technology. State officials have agreed to install a videophone for visitors, provide sign language interpreters, and visual notifications about events.

The FCC Wants Nominees

The FCC is looking for people to serve on two new advisory committees it is creating to help with emergency services for the deaf and blind. One committee is called the Emergency Access Advisory Committee and the other is called the Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee. The committees will help the Commission implement the recently passed 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act which is intended, among other things, to bring more video captioning to the Internet and other media. The Commission wants nominees who either have disabilities or else have serves as advocates for the disabled.

Gene Study on Hearing

A new study of mice points to proteins in two genes as key players in the ability to hear. University of Minnesota Medical School researchers looked at how mutations in the genes can lead to hearing loss. Knowing which proteins in which genes relate to hearing can lead to developing drugs to save it. Details of the NIH-funded study are in the online edition of the journal PLoS Genetics.

Minnesota Office Shutting Down

A part of Minnesota's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center is closing next month. The Department of Human Services is shutting down the Rochester service center due to budget reductions. Employees may move to the Mankato office.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate fighter Mat Hamill will fight again this Saturday. The deaf, one-time wrestler has nine wins against 2 losses and puts a four fight win streak on the line. He'll enter the cage against future hall of famer Tito Ortiz (15-7-1). The event will be pay-per-view from Anaheim, California. If Hamill manages to win, he may get a shot at the title. A moie about him called Hamill will be out soon.

Made in China

A greeting card business based in Idaho employs a dozen deaf women in China where education and job opportunities are minimal for those with hearing loss. The women make handmade mini-quilts for the cards designed by Kim Cheeley, owner of Itty Bitty Witty Knitties. It's part of a training programs designed by the Asia Project Grace in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in south-central China. Asia Project Grace is a humanitarian mission effort that helps the workers learn Chinese sign language among other things. Find out more about the card company here and Asia Project Grace here.

Team Gets Win 200

The Maryland School for the Deaf football team earned its 200th win yesterday. The Orioles shut out the Baltimore Freedom Academy by a score of 47-0 in their homecoming game. The decision for the team's to play each other was only made this week, when the Indiana School for the Deaf cancelled a planned contest with Maryland (more on that story is below). Fortunately, Baltimore had an open date and the team was willing to make a last minute change.

Hazing and Bullying

School administrators say the incident that got players and coaches of the Indiana School for the Deaf football team resulted from "roughhousing and horseplay." School superintendent refused to go into detail about the incident that led to the cancellation of today's scheduled game against Maryland School for the Deaf. Apparently, the hazing and bullying was so severe that two assistant coaches lost their positions and the legal authorities had to be notified. The incident took place after last weekend's game against the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.

Matlin on the Apprentice

Marlee Matlin will be a part of the Celebrity Apprentice cast next Spring. The actress will attempt to avoid hearing "You're Fired" from Donald Trump each week. Matlin will be joined by La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, and Star Jones among others.

NBA Signers

Students from the University of Central Florida will sign the national anthem for every Orlando Magic home game this season. They will work in teams, with one student standing beside the singer and another giving cues from the sidelines. Some of the signers are deaf or hard of hearing. Few NBA teams provide ASL interpretation at their basketball games.

Deaf Schools Cancel Game

There will be no football game tomorrow between the Maryland School for the Deaf and the Indiana School for the Deaf. The Indiana school has withdrawn from the contest, taken disciplinary action against some of the players and fired two assistant coaches. While administrators have not gone into detail, there was apparently an incident that took place during their their trip to Austin last weekend to play Texas. Someone was involved in valdalism and there was an accusation of sexual assault, but the school says an investigation showed there was no assualt. Indiana Deaf has has lost 20 consecutive games while the Maryland team, hasn't lost any games this season. Baltimore Freedom Academy has agreed to play Maryland as a replacement game tomorrow.

Why No ASL Classes?

UCLA and San Diego State University offers classes in all sorts of obscure languages, but not sign language. UCLA's student newspaper has looked into why and was told by administrators that it's "because no one has lobbied us for it." Yet no one at the large school demanded to have Mixtec, Aymara, Quechua, and Zapotec taught and yet they are. Read the full story here.

Unemployed Father Volunteers

Warren Miller of Indianapolis is looking for work. In his spare time, the deaf graphic designer is doing volunteer work. Read about his situation here.

Volleyball: Deaf National Team

A deaf high school volley ball player is profiled in Florida's Naples Daily News here.

Celebrating 10 Years of Education

The Moog School of Columbia, Missouri is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony today in celebration of a decade of serving deaf children and their families. The facility focuses on kids up to age six. There are 16 students enrolled now. It is the only oralist program in Central Missouri. KOMU-TV in St. Louis has a video report here.

Bluetooth for Hearing Aids

Siemens has created a Bluetooth box that sends music right to hearing aids. The new Simens miniTek is about the size of an iPod Nano. It receives audio from any Bluetooth device, such as a phone. It will even work with hearing-aids that are completely in the ear canal.

Taking the Plunge

A high school swim team with two deaf swimmers is profiled in this Fargo, North Dakota news site. Read it here.

Arrest in Wrongly Convicted Case

A Dallas man is behind bars for a crime that a deaf man was wrongly sent to prison for committing. Stephen Brodie spent a decade in jail for sexually assaulting a young girl in 1990 before he was exonerated of the crime last month. A fingerprint found at the scene didn't match Brodie's fingerprint. But police say it does match that of Robert Warterfield who was arrested today in relation to another different sexual assault.

Profile of Football Player

KSHB-TV in Kansas City offers a video report on a deaf high school football player. The text of the story can be read here.

Missing Girl Report

A girl missing in North Carolina hasn't been seen for a month, according to Hickory police. CNN has this report.

Missing Girl Search Becomes Homicide Investigation

The case of a missing North Carolina girl is now being treated as a homicide. 10-year-old Zahra Clare Baker was deaf, was battling bone cancer and used a prosthetic leg. Investigators have filed charges against the disabled girl's stepmother, Elisa Baker, for writing a fake ransom note. No murder charges have been filed. But she also faces charges for writing worthless checks and larceny among other things.

Sudden Hearing Loss

Here is a video from WCBS-TV in New York about sudden hearing loss. Read the story here.

TX School for Deaf Homecoming

A video report from KTBC-TV in Austin about the Texas School for the Deaf homecoming.

New Kid on the Block

A New Kids on the Block member is becoming a major advocate for the deaf. Joey McIntyre's life changed nine months ago, when he found out his son, Rhys, has hearing loss. McIntyre will perform Wednesday at a fundraiser for Massachusetts Eye and Ear in New York for The Center for Hearing and Communication.

Jimmy Carter Helps Gallaudet

Former president Jimmy Carter and his wife were among those who joined Gallaudet President T. Alan Hurwitz to help with renovations of affordable housing units in the Ivy City, a neighborhood next to the Gallaudet campus in Washington, DC. The Ivy City neighborhood was founded in the 1880s, after Gallaudet was established. The event was part of World Habitat Day which starts the Annual Habitat for Humanity Carter Work Project.

Journeys of Identity

A new play about Thomas Gallaudet opens today in Hartford, Connecticut at the Old State House. Journeys of Identity was written by Garrett Zuercher and is presented by the National Theatre of the Deaf, a touring theater group composed of deaf and hearing actors. Besides telling the story of Gallaudet, the founder of the nation's first school for the deaf, the play will focus on its first teacher and its first student.

Child Missing in NC

A ten year old hearing girl is missing in Hickory, North Carolina. Zahra Clare Baker has an artificial leg and has not been since Saturday afternoon. Police arrested her stepmother on more than a dozen charges unrelated to the girl's disappearance.

Deafness Enhances Sight

A new study of cats may explain why some deaf people have great vision. University of Western Ontario researchers found parts of the cats' brain normally dedicated to a lost sense can be used to strengthen another sense. Since cat brains are organized much like human brains, the results may mirror what happens in the brain of a deaf person. Rather than showing better overall vision, the cats showed improved peripheral vision and the motion of objects at very slow rates. Details of the study led by Stephen Lomber are in the journal Nature Neuroscience. He next wants to find out if these benifits hold true whether one is deaf from birth or if she loses her hearing later in life.

Extreme Makeover

An Extreme Makeover show featuring the Oregon School for the Deaf will air October 27th on ABC. The special Halloween-themed show focuses on the school's popular annual haunted house. The Makeover team renovates the 12,000 square foot basement where the Nightmare Factory is usually held. Marlee Matlin also surprises the students during their free trip to the Starkey Hearing Foundation in Minnesota.

Lawsuit over ADA Violations in Arizona

A Tucson company is facing allegations that it discriminates against the deaf. Community Providers of Enrichment Services told two qualified deaf individuals they would not be hired because of their disability, according to the EEOC lawsuit. The suit claims that during one of the interviews, an applicant asked for an interpreter but was refused, which is an ADA violation. The company hasn't responded to the charges.

100k for Agency

An Ohio deaf services agency is getting a $100,000 grant. The funds for The Hearing Speech and Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati comes from Humana Communities Benefit’s Greater Cincinnati program. The nonprofit agency offers services in Eastgate and Mount Auburn. It plans to use the funds for a health information program.