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Greensboro, NC
JANE FERNANDES NAMED PRESIDENT OF GUILFORD COLLEGE
Guilford College’s new president will come from UNC-Asheville. Guilford’s trustees announced last Tuesday that they had chosen Jane Fernandes, the UNC-Asheville provost, to be the college’s ninth president. Fernandes is Guilford’s first female president. She’s also the second non-Quaker leader of the liberal arts college founded in 1837 by the Religious Society of Friends. Kent Chabotar, whom she is replacing, was the first. She’s also deaf. / News & Record
See Also DEAF COLLEGE PRESIDENT? FERNANDES CAN FIND AN INSPIRING EXAMPLE / News & Record
Romney, WV
WORKERS BEGIN PICKETING OUTSIDE WV SCHOOLS FOR DEAF AND BLIND
Child care workers and union reps began picketing outside the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Tuesday morning. “We weren’t satisfied with the meeting we had with Dr. Boyer,” one worker said. More than a dozen workers walked up and down the sidewalk next to the schools along U.S. Route 50 in Romney. / Cumberland Times-News
Bakersfield, CA
DEAF MAN FILES CLAIM AGAINST CITY AFTER HE'S ALLEGEDLY INJURED BY POLICE OFFICER
A deaf man allegedly tackled by Bakersfield police who believed he'd been trying to break into an apartment has filed a claim against the city alleging civil rights violations, assault and unlawful arrest. Jesus A. Trevino suffered a fractured wrist in the encounter, his attorney, Daniel Rodriguez, said Thursday. The claim, a required step before pursuing a lawsuit against a public entity, was filed April 15. / The Bakersfield Californian
New Orleans, LA
KENNER AND RAILROAD NOT LIABLE IN 2009 DEATH OF DEAF WOMAN, LA. SUPREME COURT RULES
Kenner and the Illinois Central Railroad Co. are not liable for a 2009 crash in which a train struck and killed a deaf woman who was trying to cross the tracks at an unguarded intersection, the Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled. The high court, in a 6-1 decision last week, called the death of 58-year-old Cynthia Tuckson “a tragic accident,” but it dismissed a wrongful-death lawsuit that claimed the crossing was unreasonably dangerous and, given its history, should have been equipped with crossing gates and flashing lights. / The New Orleans Advocate
Tacoma, WA
HEARING TO DETERMINE FATE OF SERGEANT ACCUSED OF KILLING 2 DEAF IRAQI BOYS
Two high-profile attorneys will clash on Wednesday when a military hearing begins to determine whether Sgt. 1st Class Michael Barbera should face court-martial in the shooting deaths of two deaf, unarmed Iraqi youths in March 2007. The so-called Article 32 hearing, similar in ways to a preliminary hearing and a grand jury proceeding in civilian courts, will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near here. / TribLIVE
Indianapolis, IN
DEAF WOMAN, 76, RECOVERS AFTER BEING ATTACKED, MUGGED IN DRIVEWAY
A 76-year-old woman is recovering after being attacked and mugged in her own driveway by a man who she said tricked her by asking for directions. “It wasn’t until I saw the blood when I started screaming,” said JoAnn Green in an exclusive interview with FOX59. After four stitches and bruises across her face, Green said she is angry. / fox59.com
Pittsburgh, PA
DISMISSAL OF FACULTY MEMBER SPARKS DEBATE OVER ADJUNCT
When Sandra Saba found out the University of Pittsburgh did not rehire her favorite professor, Bobbie Jo Duffy, she began demanding answers from Pitt’s administration about transparency. Saba asked for better treatment of adjuncts and, above all, the return of Duffy to the American Sign Language department. The University informed Duffy in November 2013 that her contract would not be renewed for the spring semester. Duffy, however, is not alone in this position. / The Pitt News
Phoenix, AZ
JOURNALISM STUDENT CREATES DEAF AND HEARING NETWORK FOR PEOPLE IN DEAF COMMUNITY
“I see this need, and I think that I can fill it,” Peyton Gallovich said. “So, I got together with people who thought this was a necessary thing too, and here we are.” Gallovich told her sign-language professor Dyan Sue Kovacs about her plan, and the two of them created the Deaf and Hearing Network, which they describe as a meld of the three types of television currently available. / Downtown Devil
Danville, KY
KSD TURNS GREEN SPACE INTO FARMLAND AGAIN AFTER 40 YEARS
It’s been about 40 years since a student worked the farmland at Kentucky School for the Deaf, but the land will soon be productive again . “It’s a dream come true,” said Bethany Yance, a sophomore and vice president of the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter, which was formed in 2009 and is only the second deaf chapter in the United States. On Friday, students, staff and alumni gathered with state officials to break ground on the school’s farm and research center — 23 acres located on campus behind Kerr Hall. / The Advocate-Messenger
West Lafayette, IN
FAMILIES SHOULDER BURDEN OF CHILDREN'S HEARING AIDS
Nine-year-old Zain Hafeez was diagnosed with moderate-to-profound hearing loss in both ears when he was 3. Still reeling from the shock of Zain's diagnosis, his mother, Shireen Hafeez, was forced to absorb a second blow — the family's health insurance company refused to cover the cost of hearing aids. The insurer said his hearing loss was "not a medical condition" and that hearing aids are "more cosmetic," Hafeez said. / Indianapolis Star
Portland, OR
CLOSED CAPTIONING NOW AVAILABLE FOR MULTNOMAH COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETINGS
Viewers who tune into public access television on Thursday mornings to watch the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners' weekly meetings may have noticed a change to the broadcasts. Last month, they began appearing with closed captioning. The move, meant to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, allows deaf residents to participate in the public process by simply tuning into channel 30, rather than requesting special accommodations and attending the board's meetings. / The Oregonian
St. Louis, MO
SOUND CANNONS A TONE-DEAF APPROACH TO WORK ZONE SAFETY
Nobody questions that drivers need to remain alert while zipping through highway construction zones. But the idea of shooting a potentially startling warning message toward oncoming drivers using a so-called sound cannon had “backfire” written all over it. The Missouri Department of Transportation last week wisely canceled its plan to roll out noisy devices to warn drivers to slow down near moving work zones in the Kansas City area. / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Atlanta, GA
ATLANTA LAUNCHES COMMUNICATION PARTNERSHIP
City of Atlanta officials say public workers in more than 20 departments have been trained to receive and place calls using a program to help them communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing. Officials say the city joined the Georgia Relay Partner Program in 2013 and all non-profit organizations that apply for city funding will be required to also become Georgia Relay partners. / The Associated Press
Internet
MARLEE MATLIN: WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Actress Marlee Matlin, who is deaf and the wife of a police officer, teamed up with ACLU and advocacy group HEARD, on an ASL video to ensure deaf people know their rights when interacting with law enforcement. / ACLU
Los Angeles, CA
RUSH LIMBAUGH TAKES TIME OFF TO GET A SECOND COCHLEAR IMPLANT
Rush Limbaugh took some time away from his show last week to undergo a second cochlear implant surgery. The surgery, announced on his show April 8, added an implant to restore hearing in his right ear; he received an implant in his left ear 13 years ago. He said that the current implant has caused his hearing to deteriorate over time, with over half the electrodes in the device detached because they were causing him to develop a facial tic. / AllAccess.com