deafweekly

November 30, 2005
Vol. 2 No. 7

Editor: Tom Willard

Deafweekly is an independent news report for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It is mailed to subscribers every Wednesday morning and available to read at www.deafweekly.com. For information, contact mail@deafweekly.com.

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NATIONAL
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ON 8TH DAY, MICHIGAN MAN ENDS HUNGER STRIKE

Ryan Commerson ended his eight-day hunger strike outside the Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint on Monday after meeting with Jeremy Hughes, deputy superintendent of the Michigan Department of Education. Commerson, 30, said he will start eating again after losing almost 20 pounds. However, he will remain outside the school to protest its educational philosophy. He wants MSD to adopt a bilingual-bicultural education method with more emphasis on teaching American Sign Language and more staff who sign well in ASL. He is also demanding the school hire a deaf person to replace MSD principal Cecelia Winkler, who can hear. Hughes did not agree to the demand, but said he would form an advisory committee to study the issues raised by Commerson and others - including Survivor’s Christy Smith, who visited for two days last week.

MICHIGAN COUPLE, BOTH INTERPRETERS, DIE IN CAR CRASH

A couple who worked as sign-language interpreters died on Thanksgiving Eve in a car accident in Flint, Mich. Connie Carpenter, 55, died at the scene and her husband, Louis Carpenter, 67, succumbed to injuries at a hospital later in the day. According to the Flint Journal, the accident occurred around noon when the Carpenters’ car slid into the path of another car on a slippery, snow-covered overpass. The other driver, a 21-year-old man, was not injured. Louis Carpenter was retired from General Motors but stayed busy interpreting for deaf people, a skill he learned while growing up with a deaf parent. Connie Carpenter was also an interpreter, and the couple worked with the Michigan School for the Deaf and Mott Community College. They also provided interpreting at area Baptist churches, including their own, the Cornerstone Baptist Church. “It’s such a tragic loss,” said Connie Carpenter’s son-in-law, George Hoffsinger. “It’s surreal for all of us to have them here one minute and gone the next.”

INDIANA MAN HIT AND KILLED BY TRAIN

Curtis Anderson, 24, died last Wednesday in Muncie, Ind. after walking in front of a moving freight train. Anderson was pronounced dead at a hospital about two hours after the 1:30 p.m. accident, police told the Star Press. Muncie police Sgt. Brad Arey said it is unclear whether Anderson’s hearing impairment played a role in the accident. A train operator blew a whistle but Anderson “stepped right onto the track as they were approaching him,” said Arey. Delaware Coroner James Clevenger said nothing indicated Anderson, who was holding a bag of McDonald’s food and a soft drink, had intentionally stepped into the train’s path.

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER RULED LEGALLY DEAF

A judge in Chattanooga, Tenn. ruled Monday that a 29-year-old man facing a first-degree murder charge is legally deaf. Alex Smith is charged with walking up to Desmond Foster as he got out of his car and opening fire, killing Foster on the scene. Smith confessed to Det. Kenneth Freeman, reported The Chattanoogan, but the defense is contesting the confession. An audiologist from the Speech and Hearing Center testified that Smith can hear only loud noises, not conversation. The witness said a hearing test given to Smith while he was employed at DuPont, showing he had perfect hearing, was invalid. Judge Rebecca Stern ordered a new hearing test be administered by a neutral examiner, and the matter was delayed until February 6.

SIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUAL ASSAULT

A deaf sign language teacher in Utah accused of sexual assault accepted a plea deal Monday. Roger Wilkins, 38, of Lehi was charged with sexually assaulting a then-18-year-old deaf student at Salt Lake Community College. Wilkins, a professor at the school, reportedly assaulted the woman on two occasions in January 2004 when she was staying with him and his wife and children. Wilkins’ lawyer, Ron Yengich, said Wilkins believed the incidents were consensual, reported KUTV in Provo. Wilkins pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts of attempted rape and forcible sodomy. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two similar first-degree charges that would have carried a sentence of five years to life in prison. They planned to recommend 60 days of jail time with work release, while the victim and her mother plan to ask for 365 days.

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NEWSPAPER NOTES ‘SLOWER PACE’ TO BUILD TOWN

It has been six weeks since a zoning ordinance took effect that will allow the proposed sign-language town of Laurent, S.D. to be built, but the town’s co-founders have yet to submit a rezoning application. “The slower pace to build the town is a virtual about-face from the momentum and enthusiasm” of earlier in the year, noted the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Laurent Co. CEO M.E. Barwacz said company officials were looking at their options, but would not elaborate. “We have no timeline” on a groundbreaking date, she said. Ralph Dybdahl, a member of the McCook County planning commission, said town organizers might be waiting for the next construction season. “There’s not much you can do this time of year,” he said.

STAUNTON SCHOOL SUPPORTERS PUSH HOUSING PLAN

In Virginia, “the push to consolidate the two state [deaf school] campuses rages on,” reported the News Leader last week. Plans are on hold after estimates for a consolidated school came in at more than $20 million over budget, but Staunton supporters have come up with a plan that they hope will tip the balance in their favor. They want to build affordable housing for deaf Virginia seniors and locate it near the Staunton campus. The proposal, still in its early stages, comes from Ben Jackson, president of Deaf Senior Housing, who presented his plans at a housing conference in Richmond. His company has already established housing for deaf seniors in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, and each time the housing was intentionally located near schools for the deaf. “Staunton is the center of deaf culture in Virginia,” said Jackson.

SPRINT SAYS IT, TOO, WILL ALLOW OPERATORS TO SPEAK UP

Sprint last week became the second relay provider to announce that it is allowing its operators to speak up in an effort to cut down on fraudulent business conducted through the relay service. Last Tuesday, Sprint joined CSDVRS in implementing what it called “a more robust solution” to the problem of inappropriate use of Internet Relay services. Operators will now watch for signs based on specific criteria “and alert their supervisor if they are concerned about the validity of the call,” said Mike Ligas, director of Sprint Relay. A supervisor may issue an advisory to the recipient of the call, said Ligas, “and then it is the recipient’s decision whether or not to continue the call.” The new policies have been adopted in spite of concerns that such involvement in relay calls may be considered a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NEW WEBSITE CREATED TO RATE RELAY PROVIDERS

A new website has been created to allow relay users to rate their satisfaction with relay providers. Relay Review (www.relayreview.com) is an independent consumer review forum that allows relay users, deaf and hearing alike, to enter feedback immediately after placing a call. An easy-to-use interface allows callers to enter the relay provider they have just used, the operator number, and their opinion of the service. Visitors may also post their overall thoughts about the relay providers they have encountered over the years. Relay Review is a service of TaylerInfomedia, a Los Angeles web development and Internet ventures company owned by Tayler Mayer, who is deaf. “Feedback is not synonymous with criticism,” said Mayer. “If you have a wonderful experience with a relay operator, others will appreciate knowing about it.” Next on Mayer’s drawing board: www.Fomdi.com, a website listing captioned films nationwide.

GALLAUDET STUDENTS TO PRESENT SAFETY PLANS

Five Gallaudet University students will present their plans for improving safety for pedestrians and drivers outside their campus at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 85th Annual Transportation Research board meeting on January 24. It will be the first time that any students have been invited to present at the meeting, and Gallaudet is one of a few colleges chosen from about 50 schools whose students who have received scholarships through a DOT fellowship program. Each of the students - Seung-hyun Kim, Andres Peidrahita, Michael Kennedy, Saba Hussain and Kristina Burke - received a $5,500 scholarship for their project, which calls for improvements in lighting, traffic flow and sidewalks outside the Gallaudet campus and in two other Washington, D.C. areas heavily frequented by Gallaudet students and other deaf people.

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INTERNATIONAL
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INDIA BEATS ENGLAND TO CAPTURE WORLD CUP

In what Express News Service called “a victory that went unnoticed,” the cricket team from India beat a team from England to win the second World Cup Cricket for the Deaf. Three celebrities who were expected to show up for the closing ceremony did not appear. “Iqbal” director Subhash Ghai and Bollywood star Sunil Shetty “apparently forgot about it,” reported Indo-Asian News Service. Pop singer Rageshwari did show up and basked in the attention. India beat England by 79 runs at K. D. Singh Babu Stadium in Lucknow, India, capturing the first deaf cricket World Cup since 1995. In a Times of India interview, Kashmir Singh, chairman of the International Federation of Deaf Cricket, said the series will be held every three years and Pakistan will host the next event in 2008.

JAPANESE MAN SPENDS 10 YEARS IN ‘LEGAL LIMBO’

A deaf man in Japan has spent 10 years in legal limbo because of his inability to communicate, reported the Asahi Shimbun yesterday. The unidentified man, now 58, is accused of illegally entering a house and trying to rape a girl in 1994. Police say he confessed, but when his trial began he seemed barely able to understand what was going on. The trail was halted and never resumed, and no communication help was given to the man, who does not understand sign language. He was paroled on bail in 1995, but 10 years later he remains accused. In October, his lawyer filed to have the indictment cancelled, saying, “It is an infringement of the right to a speedy public trial guaranteed under the Constitution.”

SIGN LANGUAGE GUIDE UNVEILED IN TAIWAN

“The world’s most comprehensive sign language reference book” was unveiled last Thursday in Taiwan, reported the MyeGov. A meeting of the National Science Council was the setting when a group of doctoral candidates from the National Chung Cheng University introduced the results of their four-year project - the first “Taiwan Sign Language Reference Grammar” book and online TSL digital dictionary. Recent statistics show that nearly 100,000 people in Taiwan are deaf or hard of hearing. “Our project has attracted international attention,” said Professor Jane Tsai, “because never before has there been such a complete reference guide on sign language.”

GOLFER DONATES WINNINGS FOR GIRL’S HEARING AID

The winner of the Nelson Mandela Invitational golf tournament in Cape Town, South Africa, pledged to donate his earnings to a deaf girl he met who needs a hearing aid. Tim Clark met the girl on a visit to the Carel du Toit Centre for hearing impaired children in Cape Town, reported the Herald Eastern Cape. “I’m hoping to win this week for a girl named Siobhan,” he said. “If I win, I would like all my money to go to helping her buy that hearing aid.” His earnings will account for about 80 percent of what is needed to purchase the aid.

HELICOPTER TO TAKE WINNERS ON VICTORY TOUR

A special treat is in store for the winner of Miss Deaf and her runner-ups, reported the Swazi Observer in Mbabane, Swaziland. A Siteki businessman named Lincoln has offered to take the three to different places with his helicopter as part of the fun. Ten contestants from the School for the Deaf in Siteki are competing in the pageant, and the winner will have the chance to represent the region in an international competition in the Czech Republic if funding can be obtained. “We were lucky last year as His Majesty King Mswati III financed the winner,” said one observer.

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LIFE & LEISURE
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NEW YORK TIMES FUND ASSISTS CANCER SURVIVOR

“It’s too difficult to explain about the cancer, and how I lost my hearing,” 16-year-old Aileen Wu told a New York Times reporter during a recent interview at the Lexington School for the Deaf in Flushing, Queens. Aileen had a cancerous tumor removed when she was 1, and three months of chemotherapy damaged her hearing. Doctors wanted to amputate her arm, but Aileen’s mother refused, taking her home and consulting Chinese doctors for homeopathic therapies. Aileen has gone on to excel in school and looks forward to going to college and finding a good job, perhaps in graphic design. Assistance from the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund has allowed Aileen to participate in a deaf academic bowl in Massachusetts and visit Gallaudet University to explore her future options.

GEORGIA WOMAN FINDS NEW HOMES FOR DEAF DOGS

Cathy Miller Saye has made it her mission to find homes for deaf dogs who otherwise might be euthanized. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Saye was unaware of the obstacles faced by deaf dogs until she volunteered to help transport three deaf dogs from Georgia to New England. The only hope, she learned, was to transport the dogs out of the South, where there are few safe havens. Since then, Saye, 42, has found homes for almost 50 deaf dogs. The Kennesaw, Ga. resident credits her success to the ability to teach basic hand signals to both dogs and owners. “A deaf dog is just like a hearing dog,” said Saye, “only you talk with your hands and your body language instead of your voice.”

SCOUT INSTALLS SMOKE DETECTORS IN FIVE HOMES

For his Eagle Scout project, Stafford (Va.) High School sophomore Josh Covington, 15, installed a visual smoke detector in the bedroom of Juan Jacob, 19, a deaf senior at Massaponax High School. Josh and two members of his troop also installed one in the foyer where it could be seen from several rooms of the Spotsylvania County home. “I’m happy because I’ve never had a smoke detector like that,” Jacob told the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star. The detectors, which plug into an outlet and have a battery backup, don’t require hard wiring and can be taken with him when he moves out on his own. Josh will install eight more detectors in four homes to complete his project. He bought 10 detectors online for $170 each and sought donations from his church and local businesses to cover the cost.

MISSIONARIES OFF TODAY TO TRAIN IN KENYA

The Grand Rapids Press reported that two members of a church in Allegan, Mich. are leaving today for Nairobi, Kenya, where they will work with a ministry that trains deaf religious leaders and helps establish churches. Christ Community Church members Cory Kernoodle of Grand Rapids, a firefighter, and A. J. Newman, an employee of a land surveying firm, will be working with Deaf Opportunities OutReach International (DOOR). The Raleigh, N.C.-based ministry has a deaf church training center in Nairobi, and Christ Community Church will sponsor the two missionaries’ enrollment in the center.


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WORKING WORLD
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RESEARCHERS SEE FUTURE WEB IN SIGN LANGUAGE

Researchers in Toronto want deaf people to experience the Internet in sign language. They’re working on new web technology called “sign-linking” and they hope it will give the deaf community its own “signed web.” The technology would allow users, when viewing video content on various websites, to open a second box that would contain a sign-language interpretation of the video. It would allow deaf people to learn new things “without seeing any text at all,” reported the Eyeopener Online. The project is a partnership between Ryerson’s Learning Technology Centre, the Canadian Hearing Society and the University of Toronto’s Adaptive Technology Centre.

BE AN INTERN, LEARN TO FLY, SEE THE WORLD

A California researcher who develops training and products for airplane pilots is seeking a deaf intern. Mel Futrell, a hearing graduate student at the California State University in Northridge, has a multicultural audience that includes deaf pilots and “needs someone to help me attend the deaf interests, as well as train to help me research and develop the company.” In return, he offers flight training - “for free, when able, and at cost, when not” - and the chance to “ingratiate with the aviation community” at aviation conventions and on other levels. Applicants must be deaf and ASL proficient and live in the Los Angeles area. There is no deadline, as “I will look until I have the right person,” said Futrell (mfutrell@aviatechconcepts.com).

RETIRED DEAN WRITES HISTORY OF IOWA SCHOOL

Ron Sutcliffe has remained hard at work following his retirement in 2001 as Dean Emeritus from Gallaudet University, reported the Daily Nonpareil of Council Bluffs, Iowa. After writing a history of the University of Maryland at College Park, where he received his master’s and Ph.D., he came out with a new book over the summer that tells the history of the 150-year-old Iowa School for the Deaf. Sutcliffe knows his subject, for he’s a 1954 graduate of the school and served as editor of the yearbook and manager of the football and basketball teams. Former ISD superintendent Bill Johnson commissioned Sutcliffe in the fall of 2002 to write the history of the school partly to show how the deaf community has changed. “When I was in school, we had to communicate through lip-reading,” said Sutcliffe. “It’s so different today, seeing students signing to one another. It’s very inspirational.”

NEW PANTS FOR CRAWLERS HELP DEAF LEARN TO HEAR

Every time a star like Courtney Cox Arquette, Angelina Jolie or Liv Tyler - or anyone, for that matter - purchases a baby item from the new company Bee’s Knees, it helps a foundation that teaches deaf children how to hear, listen, talk and sing. Bee’s Knees founder Tammany Atkins, the mother of a deaf son, is donating a portion of sale proceeds to the Learning to Listen Foundation, an organization that stresses auditory verbal therapy. Atkins invented Bee’s Knees, pants for little crawlers that contain padding in the knees, after seeing her own son’s chaffed knees. She drew upon a love for fashion and upscale retail experience to launch the company earlier this year, and already, said a press release from New York, the stars are “buzzing.”

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