Deafweekly February 20, 2013

deafweekly

February 20, 2013
Vol. 9, No. 17

Editor: Tom Willard

Deafweekly is an independent news report for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community that is mailed to subscribers on Wednesdays and available to read at www.deafweekly.com. These are the actual headlines and portions of recent deaf-related news articles, with links to the full story. Minor editing is done when necessary. Deafweekly is copyrighted 2013 and any unauthorized use is prohibited. Please support our advertisers; they make it possible for you to receive Deafweekly.

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NATIONAL
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Harrisburg, PA
U.S. JUDGE EYEING DEAL TO AID STATE'S DEAF, INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED HUMAN SERVICE SYSTEM CLIENTS
A federal judge is being asked to approve a settlement of a class-action lawsuit that would ramp up the state's responsibility to individuals who are deaf and intellectually disabled. A key provision of the proposed deal would require the state Department of Public Welfare to hire sign language interpreters and other specialists to improve communications with deaf and intellectually disabled clients in the human services system. About 250 such clients have been identified so far in the state's system of group homes and other service providers, according to filings in the case. / The Patriot-News

Urbandale, IA
IOWA BOARD OF REGENTS LOOKS TO RESTRUCTURE DEAF AND BLIND SERVICES
The state Board of Regents is looking to increase and combine services for the deaf and blind students of Iowa. However, some groups are concerned about the potential merger. Currently, the regent institutions are separate. The Iowa School for the Deaf is located in Council Bluffs, and the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired is located in Vinton. But now, a planning committee for the regents made up of representatives from both the Iowa blind and deaf communities are working to combine services for both disabilities and house them in five regional schools. / The Daily Iowan

Fort Worth, TX
FORT WORTH LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP TO SEND EMERGENCY ALERTS TO DEAF, VISION-IMPAIRED
People with hearing and vision impairments have a new means of receiving emergency alerts from the city, under a partnership announced Thursday between Fort Worth and Deaf Link. Anyone living in a Fort Worth zip code can sign up to receive text and email alerts on emergencies such as severe weather, train derailments, industrial vehicle accidents, and chemical fires, the city and Deaf Link said. The service is free, and residents don’t have to demonstrate an impairment to sign up for it. / Star-Telegram

Santa Fe, NM
NEW MEXICO SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF STUDENTS PREP VALENTINE'S TREATS
“Each cookie represents ‘I love you’ in sign language,” Tony McCarty, executive director of Kitchen Angels, said of the 130 heart-shaped confections decorated Wednesday by students from the New Mexico School for the Deaf. The sugar cookies, topped with icing, colored sprinkles and candy, will be delivered to clients of Kitchen Angels, which prepares and brings freshly cooked meals to clients who are homebound with chronic and terminal illnesses. / The Santa Fe New Mexican

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New Delhi, India
PRENATAL TESTING PROMPTS RISE IN ABORTIONS OF DEAF BABIES
Hearing loss can be a curse if it's linked to a revelation as heart-breaking as this. According to a survey conducted by Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital, a majority of would-be parents would opt for an abortion if knew they are going to have a hearing-impaired child. The study was published in a recent issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics. The research-based study was conducted for four years - 2005 to 2009 - on at least 51 families with a history of congenital hearing loss. / Daily Mail

London, England
EVANGELIST BENNY HINN'S SON ARRESTED IN BRAZIL FOR 'BEATING UP DEAF AND DUMB MAN'
The son of American evangelist Benny Hinn was arrested in Brazil after allegedly beating up a deaf and dumb man during one of his father's rallies, it was reported Feb. 18. Hestephenson Araujo, 21, reportedly needed hospital treatment after the incident on Saturday night during a religious crusade in Manaus, northern Brazil. Police detained Joshua Hinn, 21, along with two of Benny Hinn's bodyguards, on suspicion of torture after the three men allegedly locked Mr Araujo in a trailer and physically assaulted him. / Daily Mail

Kent, England
CARER STOLE £13K FROM DEAF MAN, 92, SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING AFTER
A callous carer faces jail after stealing over £13,000 from a 92-year-old deaf man she was supposed to be looking after. Kelly Day, 38, systematically drained vulnerable John Filmer’s bank account to buy food and clothes for herself. Mr. Filmer, who uses a wheelchair, told investigators he had never used a cash machine and didn’t know how to operate one. But police found that mother-of-one Day was repeatedly stealing his bank card to take money out of his account. / SWNS.com

Coventry, England
TELEGRAPH HEALTH REPORTER GOES 'DEAF FOR A DAY' TO EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF HEARING LOSS
When the Coventry and Leamington Hearing Centre offered me the chance to experience being ‘deaf for the day’, curiosity won out. Essentially the experiment involved flooding my ear canal with a quick-setting solution that drowned out the sounds of the city. As the cold gel dribbled into my ear, the world around me retreated. It was quickly apparent I had not been plunged into total silence. / Coventry Telegraph

Stockton, England
DEAF STOCKTON CHEF TO PRESENT NEW TV SHOW 'PUNK CHEF'
A Stockton chef is sharing his expertise in a new TV show helping people who are deaf improve their cooking skills. Dad-of-one Scott Garthwaite, who is deaf, will present Punk Chef, starting on Film4 next month. The former Beverley School pupil said: “What the deaf community are very passionate about are programs that feature deaf people. “They also appreciate programs that include sign language and will hopefully see someone like myself as a role model.” / Gazette Live

Lurgan, Northern Ireland
THREE-YEAR-OLD DEAF BOY IS REUNITED WITH FAVORITE DOG
A three year old deaf boy had a happy reunion thanks to the ‘Mail’ and an Aghalee family in 1983. A one year old Labrador dog, named Jill, had been missing for five weeks. It was the boy’s favourite companion and he was heartbroken when Jill went missing. However, the dog was found by a woman in Aghalee who remembered the story in the ‘Mail’. “The dog just turned up on the doorstep out of the blue,” she said. “It was a Labrador and in very good condition. “I noticed it was very good with children and then I remembered the story.” / Lurgan Mail

Taranaki, New Zealand
DEAF COMMUNITY WELCOMED TO WOMAD FESTIVAL
WOMAD New Zealand, recipient of the Big ‘A’ Creative New Zealand Arts For All Award 2012, is providing sign language interpreters for Deaf and hearing impaired festival-goers at this year’s festival in New Plymouth from 15 to 17 March. For the first time, Deaf festival-goers will be able to book sign language interpreters at the festival’s information centre for stage performances, workshops and cooking demonstrations. / Scoop News

Shanghai, China
GIVING A VOICE TO THE DEAF
One of the innovations for this year's city two sessions, the Shanghai People's Congress and the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was the use of sign language. Two experienced signers, Zhang Lijun and Ge Yuhong, had the responsibility of being the first to translate these key events for the more than 250,000 deaf people that live in the city. / Global Times

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LIFE & LEISURE
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Amarillo, TX
FAMILY FLIES DEAF CHILD TO ITALY FOR SURGERY NOT APPROVED IN US
Amy Burch is a single mother of three adopted girls. Burch adopted Anna from Anyang, China, just a few weeks before her fifth birthday. Debra Burch, Amy’s mother, said she and her husband Mike were with her daughter when she made the decision to adopt Anna. “We knew she was deaf,” said Debra. The disability didn’t hinder the family’s excitement to adopt her and figured Anna’s deafness could be treated with a hearing aid or cochlear implant. The extent of Anna’s condition was unknown until the family had her hearing assessed. / Amarillo Globe-News

New York, NY
HELPING HANDS?
American Sign Language is rapidly spreading to mainstream American culture. As ASL spreads, volunteers with varying levels of ASL travel abroad to help the Deaf (the capital D signifies Deaf culture, not simply a medical condition). That is noble, and good for Deaf people in the world. But I have found that these volunteers, even the most well-meaning, can often do harm as well as good. / The New York Times

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WORKING WORLD
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Internet
THE DEAF MEDICAL STUDENT: WHY TECHNICAL STANDARDS NEED UPDATING
A technical standard is a formal document establishing requirements in several aspects of medical care which all physicians-in-training candidates must possess. Most medical schools require that all candidates meet these requirements in order to receive their doctor of medicine (MD) degree. Some schools require students to sign that document when applying to a program or as a condition to matriculate into medical school. I took a closer look at different technical standards established by several medical schools in the US. As a deaf medical student, I wanted to look for any discriminatory language in the technical standards document that might exclude individuals who are disabled, but otherwise qualified candidates. / KevinMD.com

Washington, DC
CAPTIONED TELEPHONE SERVICE SURVEY
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telecommunications Access at Gallaudet University is conducting a survey to learn about the experiences of adults with hearing loss in their use of Captioned Telephone Service. Our goal is to use the responses you provide to this survey to help inform the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the use of captioned telephones by adults with hearing loss. To take this survey you must be an adult (18 years or older) and have a hearing loss. / Survey Gizmo

Internet
IGNORANT THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT DEAF PEOPLE
I've spent some time searching on the Internet for deaf topics and found some ignorant comments made by hearing people about deaf people. I collected those comments and posted them here. Because hearing people have never met deaf people before, I was curious to know what they would really think about deaf people, and I am sure you would be, too. / Deaf People Can't Get Jobs

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Boston, MA
BOOK REVIEW: 'SHOUTING WON'T HELP'
When Katherine Bouton was 30 years old she suddenly lost the hearing in her left ear. As she notes in her new book, a mix of memoir and reference guide for the hearing impaired, Bouton was suddenly among the 48 million Americans, or 17 percent of the population, who have some degree of hearing loss. In “Shouting Won’t Help,’’ journalist Bouton puts a human face on these numbers by chronicling her own long, steady descent into deafness — a word that she claims to describe her “invisible disability." / The Boston Globe

Internet
MEET A DJ WHO CAN'T HEAR THE MUSIC
DJ Robbie Wilde lives in a world of rhythm and bass -- he just can't hear it. CNN's Sarah Hoye reports. / CNN

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SPORTS
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Internet
2014 WINTER OLYMPICS: DEAF SPEED SKATER PROVIDES INSPIRATION FOR MANY
Growing up in Texas, Michael Hubbs was not only fighting against the odds by chasing the dream of being a deaf speed skater, but also putting stock in a dream that he probably didn’t share with many friends. Unfortunately Hubbs had to take a 10-year hiatus, according to Fox News in Milwaukee. His father decided Hubbs needed to attend a school for the deaf, and Hubbs was forced to abandon the sport he competed in from ages 12 to 17. He picked the sport back up at 27 and has been preparing for the Olympic trials this December at the ripe age of 30. / Rant Sports

Internet
US DEAF HOCKEY NATIONAL TEAM LOOKS TO INSPIRE YOUNGER GENERATION
NESN's Jamison Coyle takes closer look at the hockey team that will be representing the United States in the Deaflympics. / YouTube

Hyattsville, MD
ANOTHER FIRST FOR DEAF RUGBY
Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the United States and has found a new audience in the Deaf community. The modern growth of Deaf rugby began in 2009 when Mark Burke started a high school program at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. Last year, Burke founded the All Deaf Rugby Football Club. These two programs currently represent the sum total of Deaf rugby in North America. Now Burke is poised to become the first known Deaf rugby referee in the United States. / USA Rugby

Columbus, OH
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: COACH, PLAYER DEVELOP BOND AT SCHOOL FOR DEAF
Coaching a college basketball team that loses 15 straight games can be discouraging. The same applies for a senior whose playing time evaporates as a result. That’s why Saturday’s season finale for the Gallaudet University women’s basketball team was so special for central Ohio natives Amy Bachtel and Stephanie Stevens. / The Columbus Dispatch

White Plains, NY
HOLLY MARSCHKE SPARKS BOYS TEAM AT SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
Holly Marschke sized up the opposing team moments before tipoff of a junior varsity basketball game last week. Every member of the St. Luke’s team from New Canaan, Conn., was taller than every member of her team from the New York School for the Deaf-Fanwood. At 14, Holly, her team’s starting point guard, was the youngest player on the court and easily the smallest — all of 5 feet 2 inches in her Nike high-tops. She was also the only girl. / The New York Times

Deptford Twp., NJ
DEPTFORD SCOREKEEPER SAM VENGELS, WHO IS DEAF, EMBRACES ROLE WITH WRESTLING TEAM
When Sam Vengels came to Deptford High School as a freshman, she worried how she would fit in. After attending a program in Gloucester Township with other deaf children through her middle school years, she made the transition to Deptford, where she was the only deaf student. She wondered how teachers and students would accept her. She wondered if she was in the right place. And she wondered how she would make friends. She found wrestling. / South Jersey Times

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MILESTONES
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Santa Ana, CA
DEAF COMMUNITY LEADER DIES AT AGE 50
Richard Roehm, chairman and a founder of the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center, died Feb. 6. He was 50. Roehm, who lived in the French Park area, suffered a heart attack and died at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, said Beth Koenig, the executive director of the nonprofit. Roehm grew up in Glendale, graduated form Rancho Alamitos High School in 1981 and received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Cal State Fullerton. He worked for Disneyland, left the company and was disabled by the time he helped found the Santa Ana-based Deaf Advocacy Center in 1998, said Koenig. / The Orange County Register

Rochester, NY
JEAN WOLCOTT-BONDI
Jean worked for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for 26 years. / Harris Funeral Home

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EMPLOYMENT
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You can advertise your job openings here for just $20 a week (up to 100 words, 10 cents each add'l word). To place your ad, send the announcement to mail@deafweekly.com.

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VCDHH, Inc. is looking for dedicated professionals to provide support and services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. We are now interviewing all qualified applicants for the following positions:

Austine Green Mt. Lions Summer Camp Director -- Part-Time
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