Do States Need Schools for the Deaf?

The New York Times offers an opinion piece on the topic "Do we need state deaf schools?" written by a history professor. Read her view here.

Destroyed in the Terror Attacks

Letters written by Helen Keller were among the historical items destroyed in the 9/11 attack. The offices of Helen Keller International, located just a block from the World Trade Centers, were destroyed by a fire started by debris from the terror attack. The only items to survive from the organization's archive were two books and a bust of Keller.

It's a Record!

Action on Hearing Loss broke the air guitar world record at the UK's World of Music and Dance festival. 2227 people joined together to play Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. UK air guitar champion Thom Wilding led the attempt. The previous record of 1883 was set in Australia two years ago. Action on Hearing Loss says it went after the air guitar record because "it's one of the few instruments that doesn't damage your hearing." The Guinness Book of Records is expected to verify the new record in the next few weeks.

Sports Team Back at Gally

Gallaudet is relaunching its cross country programs for both men and women. The cross country program was shut down a year ago over a lack of participation by students. Mikaela Gardner will serve as the new coach. She also coaches the men’s and women’s track and field programs. The addition gives Gallaudet 14 varsity teams. The first meet is set for September 10th at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. The school earned its only cross country title in 1942 when the Gallaudet men's team won the Mason-Dixon conference championship.

Award-winning Film

A film about a deaf man in Cuba has won an award at a New York film festival. Habana Muda earned director Eric Brach a Special Jury Prize at NewFest. Habana Muda is the story of Chino, who struggles to raise two children with his wife, but also has a wealthy boyfriend in Mexico who works for a Deaf organization.

Deaf Holocaust

After finishing a four-month fellowship at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, Mark Zaurov is speaking about the Deaf Holocaust in talks around the U.S. Zaurov is deaf himself and is a Ph.D candidate at Germany's University of Hamburg. Besides looking into what life was like in Germany for the deaf before WW II, he has researched newspapers published by and for the Deaf, the relationship between Deaf Jews and Deaf Germans, and the changes that occurred with Hitler's rise to power. Read more about Zaurov and his work here.

1000 Protest in the Streets

Deaf people living in the island nation of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India, held a demonstration today demanding equal rights. Some 1000 protestors in the capital of Colombo said they needed, among other things, qualified interpreters. Only about a quarter of the interpreters working in the country are considered qualified. There are more than 70,000 deaf Sri Lankans.

Club May Close

An era may be coming to an end. The Toledo Deaf Club may close its doors after 75 years of providing social and support services to the deaf community of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The club will meet Saturday and talk about the options for trying to meet its financial obligations. Since 1936, the club has held bowling tournaments, basketball games, and pageants. Read more about it here.

Race Car Driver Gets Boost

A deaf NASCAR car driver has just joined a team that will put him in a better car and add to his marketing potential. Canadian Kris Martin has signed with Annamarie Strawhand’s Motorsports Consultant Services. The 24-year-old stock-car driver out of Burlington, Ontario, has a cochlear implant, which allows him to use a radio to stay in touch with his team. On the side, Martin is a motivation speaker. Find out more about him here.

Is ASL "on the Brink of Extinction"?

A Boston radio talk show today talked about whether "ASL is on the Brink of Extinction." The show is called The Takeaway and it is a service of the BBC, The New York Times and WGBH radio in Boston. Guests for this segment included Monica Davey, Chicago bureau chief for The New York Times and Marvin Miller, president of the Indiana Association of the Deaf. Listen to this discussion by clicking on the player below or read the text of the discussion here.

Alleged Rape at Motel

Police arrested a man in East Boston for allegedly raping a deaf woman. The woman claims emergency medical technician Mark David Tritto lured her to a motel in Northboro through a Craigslist ad that asked for women “who have skeletons in their closets to be in a documentary film." Bail was set today at $50,000. Tritto will appear in court again August 18th.

Tensions Over Teaching the Deaf

“Speaking and listening classrooms across the nation are known for their forced exclusion of A.S.L. and expressly forbid any contact with the culturally deaf adult role models. We view this as inflicting violence upon thousands of innocent deaf and hard-of-hearing babies — taking away their language and pinning their hopes on dismal success rates of cochlear implants." That's a quote from Marvin Miller, president of the Indiana Association of the Deaf, in a New York Times article about drops in funding for deaf education due to state budget cuts. Read the full article here.

Air Guitar Record Attempt

Action on Hearing Loss will attempt to break the air guitar world record Sunday morning at the UK's World of Music and Dance festival. The current festival record is 1883. The charity will play Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze and singer Justin Adams will lead the crowd from the main stage of the festival. For more on the event, click here.

ADA Research

ADA is celebrating its 21st birthday today. But has the civil rights legislation really grow up? A new study by the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York finds ADA enforcement falls short in providing education and job opportunities in the state. Researchers say it did not matter the person's sex, race, or age: people with disabilities are half as likely to have a job and three times more likely to live in poverty and 20% less likely to have graduated from high school. Read more details of the study here.

ADA Signing.. 21 years ago

You can see a video of George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the South Lawn of the White House in 1990 here

Presidential Proclamation

The President has issued a proclamation that says in part: "The Americans with Disabilities Act (is) one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation in our Nation's history. On this day, we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the ADA and the progress we have made, and we reaffirm our commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, July 26, 2011, the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I encourage Americans across our Nation to celebrate the 21st anniversary of this civil rights law and the many contributions of individuals with disabilities.

Read the whole proclamation here.

Suit Against MassHealth

A disabilities group is suing Massachusetts' health care system for allegedly failed provide adequate communication options. Two of the plaintiffs are deaf and claim the Medicaid agency MassHealth did not offer materials in American Sign Language, and that the agency made it hard for them to reach someone on the phone who can help them. Two blind customers and two other people with disabilities are also part of the suit. MassHealth is still reviewing the complaint. The Disability Policy Consortium filed the suit.

Attacked in Seattle

A Seattle deaf teen was nearly beaten to death not far from the airport. He suffered a severe head injury, his hearing aid broken. He remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Police have not released his name. Investigators say homeless 18-year-old man was sleeping outside a middle school when he was attacked.

RIT Leader Passes

A former dean at RIT has died. Joan Stone served the Rochester Institute of Technology in a variety of positions over the course of 35 years. In 1976, she started her career teaching math at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. She endured a long battle with cancer. A memorial service is planned for the fall.

Leclerc "gives voice to deaf community"

The Boston Herald takes a look at how the deaf community is responding to the ABC Family show Switched at Birth here.