Deafweekly December 5, 2012 deafweekly December 5, 2012 Vol. 9, No. 7 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 2012 and any unauthorized use is prohibited. Please support our advertisers; they make it possible for you to receive Deafweekly. SIGN UP HERE for a free subscription. Be sure to open the confirmation email and click on the link to activate your subscription. It is required by law and prevents others from signing you up without your permission. ADDRESS CHANGES are self serve. Simply unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of every newsletter, then sign up for a subscription with your new address. Last issue's most-read story: SANTORUM'S NEW CAUSE: OPPOSING THE DISABLED / The Washington Post Last week's website page views: 7,277 Deafweekly subscribers as of today: 4,975 ADVERTISE IN DEAFWEEKLY FOR $20 OR LESS PER WEEK +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NATIONAL +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Houston, TX HOUSING AUTHORITY TO PAY FEE FOR DEAF RESIDENT The Houston Housing Authority has agreed to pay rental assistance and to change its policy in a settlement of a complaint by a deaf resident who said the agency refused to provide a sign language interpreter at her eligibility hearing. The authority paid $4,251 in rental payments for the time when the woman's assistance was denied, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The agreement also requires the housing authority to offer sign language interpreters for tenants who are deaf or hard of hearing. / Houston Chronicle Beachwood, OH http://www.deafweekly.com/backissues/120512.htm[12/19/2012 2:25:27 PM] Deafweekly December 5, 2012 DEAF/HARD OF HEARING PROGRAM'S END NOT IMMINENT Beachwood City Schools halted immediate plans to end their administration of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Consortium Program at Monday's meeting. "In the absence of an immediate, viable replacement for the Beachwood D/HH Consortium Program, we suspend our earlier plans to recommend the termination of Beachwood's role as manager and fiscal agent" of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consortium Program at the end of the 2013-2014 school year, Superintendent Rich Markwardt recommended to the Board. / Patch.com Watertown, NY WATERTOWN GIRL GETS CLASS TO HELP SUPERSTORM SANDY VICTIMS She may be young, but 8 year old Arianna Stottlemire still wanted to lend a hand following Superstorm Sandy. "I felt really sad for the people," she said. There were people like Arianna, deaf students, who could use some kindness. With the help of an interpreter, Arianna explained how she reached out to Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf on Long Island. "We sent candy, bags of candy. I sent a dollar and I drew a picture on the paper for them," said Arianna. Teacher for the deaf Louise Scanlon said Arianna is just one of more than a dozen deaf students from Jefferson-Lewis BOCES who sent care packages to the school. / WWNY TV 7 Jacksonville, FL HOPE FUND: DEAF, MUTE JACKSONVILLE MAN STRUGGLES TO BE HEARD For Chris Stockman, a deaf and mute Jacksonville man, many of his days began and ended with anger and frustration. His was a world of silence and loneliness. Stockman uses sign language but is unable to find a job and lives in a sparse apartment with very little financial support. / Jacksonville.com Staunton, VA DEAF AND BLIND STUDENTS RUN NEWS SHOW Faithlyn Robinson, a photography teacher, teaches students at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in a unique. “That's very valuable, especially for deaf students to develop their self-esteem. Remember the phrase, 'Deaf can solve anything.' They can do anything except hear,” said Robinson. Deaf students, like Hannah Mills, learned how to run their own news show and to build confidence. / WHSV Palm Coast, FL MATANZAS STUDENTS ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO SIGN Frankie Short and her teacher Michelle Czarnecki turned a recent trip to a local grocery store into a social experiment. The two shopped without using their voices because they wanted to experience the errand as if they were deaf. While picking up doughnuts in the bakery department, a couple asked Frankie if she'd tried the treats before. The 17-year-old didn't respond, and the couple called her "rude." "I felt bad for deaf people because they don't even know if people are talking about them behind their back and people probably do it all the time," she said. / The Daytona Beach News-Journal ++++ADV+++++ADV+++++ADV+++ Storewide Savings at Harris Communications Last minute shoppers you are in luck! Starting December 10, Harris Communications has a 15% off sale --- storewide!* Plus, for all orders of $75 or more, receive free shipping! Select from hundreds of products while shopping in the convenience of your own home. We have sign language books and DVDs, novelty/gift items and assistive equipment of all kinds. From amplified phones, to loud clocks, to signaling systems, you will find quality products in every price range. Need help selecting a product? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide or contact us for assistance. http://www.deafweekly.com/backissues/120512.htm[12/19/2012 2:25:27 PM] Deafweekly December 5, 2012 Don’t let your luck run out! Take advantage of these exceptional savings while you can. Sale ends December 14, 2012. *Certain product restrictions may apply. Free ground shipping in the US only. To find out more, go to http://bit.ly/HarrisComm_DW120912 or contact us at mailto:[email protected]. ++++ADV+++++ADV+++++ADV++++ ALASKA BY TRAIN, BUS AND CRUISE Kerstin’s Deaf Travel July 6 - 19, 2013 The best time of the year to travel in Alaska Book by December 30, 2012 as long as we have space Celebrity Cruises, Millennium with sign language interpreters Train & Bus: Fairbanks – Denali – Talkeetna – Anchorage – Alyeska – Seward Cruise: Seward – Hubbard Glacier – Juneau – Skagway – Icy Strait Point – Ketchikan – Inside Passage - Vancouver Inside cabin cat. 10: $2,778.00 per person Outside cabin cat. 7: $2,958.00 per person Balcony cabin cat. 2A: $3,408.00 per person Visit our website for more details www.kerstinsdeaftravel.com or contact us at [email protected]. www.facebook.com/kerstinstravelinc ++++ADV+++++ADV+++++ADV++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERNATIONAL +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany TWITTER BULLIES PUSH DEAF POLITICIAN TO RESIGN Julia Probst, 31, was elected to the Baden-Württemberg state parliament for the Pirate Party last year, after gaining the public's attention by blogging what she lip-read footballers and trainers saying to each other during the 2010 World Cup. Her microblogging feed, under the handle @EinAugenschmaus, was so popular that she was named one of the most important people on Twitter by US broadcaster ABC in 2011. But like many people who are deaf, her voice is different from a person with full hearing capacity -- and for some viewers, this warranted ridicule. / The Local http://www.deafweekly.com/backissues/120512.htm[12/19/2012 2:25:27 PM] Deafweekly December 5, 2012 London, England EASTENDERS' RITA SIMONS OPENS UP ON HER DECISION FOR DEAF DAUGHTER MAIYA TO HAVE AN EAR IMPLANT Soap star Rita Simons was horrifed when she was accused of child abuse for deciding her deaf daughter should undergo an operation to enable her to hear. The EastEnders actress, 35, and her husband Theo Silveston have decided their six-year-old Maiya will have a cochlear implant fitted, to give her hearing in both ears. However, their decision has been met with a negative reaction by some people, including one young woman who accused her of abuse. / Daily Mail London, England DEAF THEATRE: 'WE REALIZED WE CAN BE POLITICAL WITHOUT A CAPITAL P' It's lunchtime at Heathlands, a school for deaf children and young people in St Albans – rows of primary pupils are staring, wide-eyed, at a witch with a great bulbous nose, a dress made of rags, and a love of tall tales. This is Baba Yaga: the pint-sized puppet star of the latest show by Krazy Kat Theatre Company – one of a small but determined number of theatre groups making work for and by deaf and hearing-impaired audiences and performers. / The Guardian London, England COMMUNICATION BARRIERS IN SEX EDUCATION PUT DEAF PEOPLE AT RISK There is a telling moment in a documentary called Snapshot: Dicing with Sex when a group of young deaf people are shown cards with different words on them. They all instantly recognise the words Facebook, Wii and YouTube, but the words syphilis, genital warts and hepatitis ABC are met with blank expressions. Broadcast in sign language on digital TV in 2010, the documentary revealed a remarkably uninformed attitude to sex, with several young deaf people saying they preferred not to use condoms, despite experiencing sexually transmitted infection or pregnancy. / The Guardian Gloucestershire, England VIDEO DELIVERS NEWS FOR GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S DEAF PEOPLE For many deaf and hard-of-hearing people, it can be difficult to find out what is going on in the county because of communication barriers. But now a weekly video is being created by the team at Gloucestershire Deaf Association to help overcome this isolation. In it, they give out news and events from the county in British Sign Language. Project co-ordinator Reg Cobb is the man in front of the camera. / This is Gloucestershire Rotherham, England DEAF TEENAGER INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN A teenage girl was taken to hospital after being hit by a van as she waited to cross the road.