Just Communication Ltd

Access to music venues for deaf and disabled people

2012-01-20T12:10:00.001Z

Matthew Hancock MP calls on the government to do all it can to break down the barriers that make live music inaccessible to all writes Matthew Hancock for Politics Home (17/01/12).

For most people, watching live music is a thrill, a joy, and a great way to escape from the day to day. For some it’s a passion. For many disabled people, live music can be all the more important. But it's also that much harder to access.

In the recent past, a new generation of music venues have shown that creative, thoughtful disabled access to venues not only helps the lives of those with disabilities, but is good business too. Research shows that disabled attendance is rising sharply - this is a growth market.

But not all venues are up to scratch. I know well, from personal experience of taking a disabled friend to the theatre and gigs, what a difference is made by putting some thought into access.

It's not just about wheelchair access, but loos and hearing aid loops.

I am the patron of Attitude is Everything - a charity that exists to improve access for disabled music-lovers to see the bands they love. At the end of last year, they released the first comprehensive report into the state of access to Britain's live venues.

The report used the findings of 100 deaf and disabled ‘mystery shoppers’ who visited venues across the country and rated them on their accessibility. Their findings form the basis of their proposals:

First to improve enforcement of existing rules that say that reasonable steps should be taken to improve access, by making access a condition of license.

But perhaps more important, to promote best practice, and sign venues up to the Attitude is Everything Charter that is used by some of the top venues and festivals like Glastonbury and Latitude in Suffolk.

Most of us can enjoy live music just by turning up. We must do what we can to break down the barriers that make live music inaccessible to all.

Matthew Hancock had been Conservative MP for West Suffolk since 2010.

Deaf Crash Victims Should Recover

2012-01-20T12:01:00.001Z

Three deaf people who are mainstays of the volunteer corps at the Deaf Cultural Center in Olathe are recovering after being hit by a car reports KMBC (18/01/12).

The three had just left a meeting at the Deaf Cultural Center, across from the Kansas School for the Deaf on East Park Street.

Police said Robert Garrison, Sue Gordon and Eva Johnson didn't see the car and the driver didn't see them. After the incident, the driver ran into the cultural center to get someone to call 911.
"It doesn't register with you immediately that someone you know and love might be hurt," said Sandra Kelly, a friend of the crash victims. "And (the driver) said, 'They're in the street! They're in the street!' and that's immediately when you kick in to action."

She said that she and others at the center ran out to cover the three victims with coats and blankets until paramedics arrived. While the victims were badly hurt, Kelly said she has heard that all three will recover.

Kelly said it appears the crash had nothing to do with the fact that the three victims are deaf. She said it was likely they were conversing among themselves and never noticed the car on the dark street.

The crash remains under investigation.

Enabling communication is vital in families of deaf children

2012-01-20T11:56:00.001Z

Families need to learn to sign for the sake of their deaf children – yet they are often denied the chance, writes Charlie Swinbourne for the Guardian (15/01/12).

In the last few weeks, a video of a deaf mother and her two year-old daughter Ava having a dinner conversation in British Sign Language (BSL) has gone viral. It has been tweeted, shared and blogged to the extent that the clip now has more than 150,000 views online. The video shows the level of understanding and communication that a child using sign language can reach when they have access to language from an early age.

Ava's parents are deaf, so they knew how to sign with her. However, 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, and at the moment it is incredibly difficult for them to access courses so they can learn to sign. A National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) telephone survey last summer found that 56% of councils did not provide any services or support for parents of deaf children wanting to learn sign language, and the councils that do often require parents to pay for the course – which can cost up to £600.

Gary Morgan, professor of psychology at City University, London, told me that a delay in access to language and communication "can have severe and long lasting effects for a child's cognitive, social-emotional and academic skills. Many deaf children arrive at school with the task of learning a first language rather than learning about the world through already developed language."

Anna Lewis, from Dorset, is learning BSL in order to be able to communicate with her three year-old daughter, Belle, who is profoundly deaf. She told me: "communication with Belle is difficult. Due to her late diagnosis she had two and a half years of a silent, unsigning world. We use a mixture of BSL, speech and pictures with her. Every day is a struggle to communicate."

When Belle was diagnosed as being deaf, their council provided only an introductory course in signing communication. No further support was offered so now, at their own cost, Anna is taking a BSL level one course, travelling 30 miles every week for a two-hour class. The cost of the course is £200 and the family could not afford to pay for her husband to join her.

She said: "We just can't afford for us to both do it and pay for the childcare. My husband feels like he is being denied his fundamental right of being able to communicate with his child. It is disappointing and just plain wrong that we are penalised for Belle being deaf."

There is a huge irony here, in that signing classes for non-deaf children have become hugely popular. Just before Christmas, my three-year old daughter's pre-school was visited by Singing Hands, who perform children's songs using signs. I was amazed at how many children knew how to sign along with them, and it struck me that just as hearing parents across the country struggle to learn to sign with their deaf child, thousands of non-deaf children are benefiting from being exposed to sign language from a young age.

To try and give parents of deaf children everywhere access to a course that gives them the signing skills they need, NDCS has developed a family sign language course, which is specifically aimed at families of deaf children who want to use BSL. It teaches the signs and phrases needed for nursery rhymes, stories, games, as well as tools for practical communication (on topics such as food, sleeping and nappy changing, for example).

After piloting the course in two regions in July 2011, 83% of the 123 families who took part reported that they felt confident communicating with their deaf child, compared to 37% prior to the course. At the end of this month, the charity will submit a proposal that the DfE rolls out the course to all nine regions in the UK. The charity have launched a petition for fair access to the courses which now has over 2000 signatures.

At a time of deep cuts to services everywhere, it is hard to gain extra funding – but nothing could be more important than a deaf child being able to start to build their communication and understanding skills as early as possible. As the video of Ava shows, deaf children are capable of everything a hearing child is capable of, if they are just given the chance.

Deaf not being heard, activists tell MPs

2012-01-20T11:51:00.001Z

APPROXIMATELY 93 percent of deaf South Africans are out of work writes Deon de Lange for Cape Argos (18/01/12).

This came to light yesterday during a parliamentary hearing into the proposed SA Languages Bill. The bill aims to give effect to language rights provided for in the constitution, as according to the National Institute for the Deaf (NID), Deaf people suffer three times the average unemployment rate.

While the constitution requires the government to “promote and create conditions for the development and use” of sign language – as with the Khoi, Nama and San languages – it stops short of recognising it as an official language.

This was despite the fact that users of sign language constituted the fifth-largest language group in SA, surpassing the number of people who spoke official languages such as Ndebele, Venda and Tsonga, according to NID director Ernest Kleinschmidt.

NID executive director Deon de Villiers said on the sidelines of the discussion that there were about 4 million hearing-impaired South Africans, of whom about 1.5 million were “profoundly deaf”.

He complained that last year’s census failed to collect information on the number of deaf people, hampering efforts to improve policies which affect the deaf and hearing-impaired community.

De Villiers said 47 schools for deaf children produced just 17 matriculants last year because most of them could accommodate only primary school pupils. This left deaf and hearing-impaired pupils with the daunting prospect of entering regular high schools which could not meet their needs.

De Villiers said many deaf pupils simply “gave up”, falling out of the education system long before Grade 12.

Kleinschmidt made an impassioned plea for “the oldest language in the world” to be granted its rightful place among the country’s many languages, pointing out that sign language was “not a luxury for those who use it”.

Worlingham couple raise over £100,000 for Norfolk and Suffolk charities

2012-01-20T11:45:00.000Z

A Waveney couple who have dedicated years of their lives to raising money for Norfolk and Suffolk charities are celebrating passing the £100,000 barrier writes Richard Wood for EDP24 (20/01/12).

Michael and Sylvia Porter, of Ellough Road, Worlingham, have spent many hours sorting through countless numbers of postcards as part of an effort to help deaf children across Norfolk. But they have also helped many more charities across the Waveney region with dog shows, talks, videos and books raising money for good causes since 1973.
And at the end of 2011 their annual count-up revealed that they have now raised a total of £101,531.87.

The couple are best known for selling postcards for the Norfolk Deaf Children’s Society. Every week Mrs Porter, 70, spends hours sorting through postcards that are donated at the offices of the EDP, in Norwich, and Radio Norfolk, or dropped off at their house. The postcards are divided into a number of categories, with particular ones kept aside for customers, while others taken to fairs where collectors buy them.
Mrs Porter inherited her father’s sister’s postcard collection in 1973, but the interest was only turned into a fundraising idea when the couple were inspired in 1981 by a friend’s deaf daughter.

They heard about the Norfolk Deaf Children’s Society’s work and started raising money for them by selling donated postcards. They made their first donation of £1.15 in 1981.
Decades later, they have helped to raise over £83,000 for the charity, and their efforts have been recognised with thank-you cards as well as an invitation to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2004 and being awarded the Robert Ellwood Memorial Plate from Beccles Town Council.

Mr Porter, 74, said: “We don’t think about it, we’re just happy to be able to help people. We don’t set a target, we never have. We take life as it comes and do what we can while we can.”

Before this, the couple had already held other fundraising events after being inspired to help others when Mrs Porter’s father was ill. As keen members of the Norfolk and Norwich Canine Society they decided to hold a charity dog show in Beccles, and it proved so popular they continued from 1973 to 1984, raising money for a variety of charities including All Hallows Hospital in Ditchingham, the Friends of Beccles Hospital and the St John Ambulance.

Although they stopped to concentrate on the postcards, they have raised money for many other charities with talks about their postcards and books on Beccles and Bungay. Among the charities to benefit recently are Beccles May Centre, Waveney Stardust, Waveney Enterprise Workshop, Beccles Sea Cadets, Waveney Centre and Beccles Royal British Legion Welfare Fund.

Deaf pupils give AMs an insight into the need for better acoustics

2012-01-20T11:39:00.000Z

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS were given an insight into the challenges facing deaf children in a classroom with poor acoustics writes Gareth Evans for Wales Online (19/1/12).
Two pupils from Cardiff visited the Senedd on Tuesday to talk about how noisy, echoing rooms make it difficult for youngsters with hearing loss to learn.
Politicians were played audio simulations showing what it can sound like for a deaf child in a classroom with substandard acoustics.
It follows a campaign by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) Cymru to make schools more accessible to children with hearing loss.

The charity has so far enlisted the support of 29 AMs who have signed a “New Year’s resolution” to improve provision in new school, college and nursery buildings. It is hoping to encourage more members to sign up.

Pupil Daniyaal Munir, 15, said: “I struggle to hear well and can’t concentrate in noisy and echoing classrooms. I can concentrate better when there is no background noise, and it is a lot easier to hear my teachers and friends.”
“Deaf children are not stupid,” said Kurtis Olding, 15, “they just don’t hear so well and if they are given the right support, then they could get more qualifications and better jobs in turn.”

Research published by NDCS Cymru reveals that acoustic regulations in new school buildings are often ignored, leaving children across Wales struggling to learn in noisy and echoing classrooms. Less than a third of schools built in Wales between 2003 and 2010 received any input from an acoustic expert and just 11% of schools built were tested to check they met acoustic standards.

In last week’s Education Questions, AM for Vale of Clwyd Ann Jones asked what the Welsh Government were doing to ensure schools have the appropriate acoustics for children with hearing impairments. She welcomed a requirement to incorporate provision into all 21st Century School projects and asked Education Minister Leighton Andrews whether he had plans to roll-out acoustics into nurseries and colleges.

Responding, Mr Andrews said: “Obviously, we took the step of incorporating guidance on this into the 21st Century Schools programme and that work continues. We will continue to provide support for that programme and we will also look at the implications of that for buildings in other parts of the education sector.”

Russell George, Tory AM for Montgomeryshire, said the Welsh Government should use its newly-acquired extra powers to ensure building regulations were robust. “We should not allow poor acoustics in the classroom to be a barrier preventing deaf pupils from achieving their potential," he said.

Mr Andrews said capital cuts imposed by the Westminster Government were restricting what the Welsh administration could do. He added: “I think that we provide significant guidance to local authorities to undertake this [acoustics] programme. Clearly, we do not have all the capital that we require to provide local authorities with the support that they need to undertake this programme on a rigorous basis, but at the end of the day we are doing what we can from our resources.”

Jayne Dulson, director of NDCS Cymru, said she was delighted so many AMs had signed up to support their campaign.

Norwich Theatre Royal praised for its signed performances

2012-01-20T11:32:00.001Z

A Norwich arts venue has been praised for its signed and captioned performances that give deaf people the opportunity to enjoy a range of top theatre shows in Norwich writes Emma Knights for Norwich Evening News (20/01/12).

Legally Blonde, Swallows and Amazons, and Oliver! are among shows coming to Norwich Theatre Royal this year which will have performances with translations by British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. Other shows will have captioned performances, where the words of the show’s scripts are displayed on a screen.

Sue Moore, from Deaf Connexions which is based in Norwich, has praised the theatre’s efforts to open up theatre opportunities to people with hearing loss.
She said: “The signed performances give deaf people equal access to the theatre which is brilliant. I know lots of people have really enjoyed the shows, and some people particularly look forward to watching specific interpreters.” She said the number of deaf people watching shows at the theatre was increasing, and this year’s line-up of signed shows was really exciting.

Freelance BSL interpreter Andy Higgins, who last did a signed performance of Avenue Q at the Theatre Royal and will be returning to sign Oliver! in August, explained the interpreter’s role was not always about literal script translations, but also about conveying the subtext and overall meanings. He said interpreters often added an element of characterisation to differentiate between the characters and to direct the audience to watch the actors during visual moments such as slapstick in pantomime. He said: “It is a privilege to interpret for the shows. It is about equality for deaf people, and it really does raise awareness.”

The theatre’s recent pantomime Sleeping Beauty included a sequence where the cast did a signed Abba medley.

Signed performances at the theatre include: Legally Blonde (March 2), Swallows and Amazons (March 17), Propeller (May 12), and Oliver! (August 3). Captioned performances include: English Touring Opera’s Eugene Onegin (April 11), Birds of a Feather (June 14) and Oliver! (July 18).

Headsets to amplify sound and a necklace sound enhancer which taps into the T setting on hearing aids are also available.

For more details and to book tickets visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or call 01603 630000. For details of other signed performances in Norfolk and across the country visit www.bsltickets.co.uk

Blind and deaf runner to get a helping hand

2012-01-10T13:42:00.000Z

A DEAF and blind woman is training for the London Marathon tied to a friend who will be her guide for the 26 miles reports EDF24 (10/01/12).

Caroline Boulding, 40, from Dartford, faces a tougher challenge than most having been born deaf and gradually losing her sight since she was 26.

On Sunday, April 25 she is due to take part in her first marathon, guided by her work colleague friend Kerry Southwick, from Swanley.

The couple, who work at Acacia Fitness Centre in Dartford, will raise money for the deaf and blind charity Sense.

Caroline Boulding said: "I'm really pleased to be braving the London Marathon for Sense as it offers a vital lifeline to deaf and blind people, offering them support and skills to live as independently as possible. I would like to thank all of my friends who have sponsored me for my marathon run so far and I am still appealing for sponsorship for my run so please dig deep and support me today."

With very limited vision she can see only in a restricted form of tunnel vision. She suffers from a condition called Usher type 2 syndrome, meaning people are often born without hearing and gradually begin to lose their sight.

Acting as her eyes and ears during the race, her guide revealed the pair have been become quite an eye-catching sight in during training.

A spokesperson for Sense said: "They have both been training hard around Dartford and are getting a lot of attention. Kerry tells us they are turning a lot of heads and getting a lot of support during their training around Central Park."

Click here to sponsor them or to find out more about the charity visit Sense.

Deaf and blind man Roger Mulholland in Duke award

2012-01-10T13:37:00.002Z

A man who is deaf and blind was among 109 young people in Devon who have been awarded Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards reports the BBC News (07/01/12).

Roger Mulholland, 24, from Tiverton, walked 24 miles of coastal path in Pembrokeshire, Wales, over two days.

The award offers people aged 14 to 25 the chance to serve others and acquire new skills and takes an average of two years to achieve.

Mr Mulholland was among 50 people who received their awards at County Hall in Exeter on Saturday.

His walk raised money for the charity Sense, which made him the Deafblind Person of the Year in 2011.

He also volunteers as a waiter at Cafe 55, Sense's cafe in Exeter, which is staffed by volunteers who are deaf and blind.

The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are run in Devon by the county council, along with 70 schools, colleges and voluntary organisations.

Each participant has to cover five different areas of achievement, a volunteering project, skills, physical recreation, expedition and residential experience.

Coffee shop: a new project for the deaf is launched

2012-01-10T13:33:00.002Z

In Hawaii, there is a new coffee project which has many benefits for the local community reports World Coffee News (10/01/12).

As we all know, the world has fallen in love with coffee and the DiB Coffees has a range of gourmet coffees which will give the visitors a good cuppa when they pop in for a drink.
But this coffee house is different from regular coffee houses. What is this difference? The DiB (Deaf in Business) Coffees outlet is run by those who are hard of hearing. The project is designed to empower this section of society and allow them to develop the business. This will encourage many different skills – it will build confidence in those who run the business successfully, as well as teaching many business skills in the process. The coffee house is intended to empower the deaf staff and also to allow them independence.

The coffee shop was launched in Damansara Perdana. As well as selling gourmet coffee, the shop also has a selection of cakes and pastries. The project is owned by Allen Teh, who has more than 25 years’ experience in working with the deaf. He has been quoted as stating that the new coffee house, if successful, is intended to be a platform for more DiB outlets.

Once the initial project has a series of well-trained and experienced coffee owners, they can work on spreading their skills to a wider consumer base in other coffee shops.

Partially deaf BBC dancer gets breakthrough underwater hearing aid

2012-01-10T13:29:00.001Z

A partially deaf dancer is one of the first in the UK to wear a new waterproof hearing aid reports the Sutton Guardian (10/01/12).

Kirsty Swain, 30, from Hackbridge, finished fourth in the BBC talent show, So You Think You Can Dance, this summer.

She has now been unveiled as one of the first people in the UK to wear the Siemens waterproof and shock resistant hearing instrument, Aquaris.

The hearing instrument has opened up a whole new world to the jazz dancer who has spoken out against the stigma associated with hearing loss.

As a child she was excluded and embarrassed to wear her hearing aids and her active lifestyle as a dancer, teacher and performer has posed a number of issues.
Unable to find a hearing aid that could withstand the sweat and rigours of dancing, she preferred to dance without.

As a result, her dancing career has been shaped by the struggle to hear rhythm and she has learnt to dance by music vibrations and copying others to pick up routines.

She said: “I have had trouble in the past with hearing instruments getting sweaty, slipping and being uncomfortable when exercising, but with the Aquaris I can run along hearing everything, without the slightest problem. “I’ve been swimming with it and couldn’t believe how amazing it was. I could hear people standing beside the pool chatting as I swam underwater, more than most people, which made me feel quite special.

“Aquaris is absolutely brilliant. It adjusts to any situation I am in whether it’s the bar, the studio, on stage or watching TV on the couch. I can also swim, dance, run and jump in the shower without thinking. When I’m in the studio, I am able to hear the music and teacher’s voice clearer than ever before.”

She was also fitted with a miniTek, which uses Bluetooth technology to wirelessly communicate sound between her Aquaris hearing instrument and television, mobile phone and MP3 player.

Deaf football player sent off after missing whistle

2012-01-08T15:32:00.000Z

A DEAF footballer ended up being sent off in a Lothians cup tie because he kept playing after the referee had blown his whistle reports The Scotsman (05/01/12).

Philip John Dolan – known as PJ – went on to score a goal, not realising that he had been ruled offside during the Armadale vs Kilsyth match on Hogmanay.

As he turned to celebrate he was immediately given a yellow card for failing to stop playing.

The card stood despite protests that he could not have heard the whistle and, when PJ picked up a second yellow for allegedly diving just moments later, he was sent off, leading to a probable two-game suspension.

The 24-year-old’s father told the Evening News he is furious at the decisions taken by referee Gavin Duncan during the Scottish Junior Cup third-round replay at Albyn Park in Broxburn.

He said the referee was told the Kilsyth player – who also plays for both the Great Britain and Scottish deaf football teams – was deaf before the first game and should have been aware of the issue.

Mr Dolan, 64, said: “The whistle went and Philip carried on. The linesman put the flag up but he didn’t see it and he kept going and scored the goal but he was offside.

“He is profoundly deaf and usually plays further back in right midfield, where he can see what’s going on but on this occasion he was brought on as a sub and was playing up front for the centre forward.

“Before he got his first yellow card, it was explained to the ref why he hadn’t stopped playing but the ref obviously didn’t care and gave him it anyway. Everybody was raging.”

Mr Dolan, who lives in Chryston, said PJ had been left “upset” by the incident. He added: “He’s a good player but would be an even better player if he wasn’t deaf. All he loves in life is football. I was upset by what happened at that game and so was he.

“He will be suspended now for about two games so that’s making him worse.”

A whistle is rarely used in games between all-deaf teams, with referees using a bright flag.Mr Dolan said the Kilsyth manager, Eric Sinclair, always explained to referees that PJ was deaf. Mr Sinclair told Mr Duncan – who is understood to be part of the SFA Referees Edinburgh and District – about PJ during the original tie four weeks ago, but did not mention it again before the game on Hogmanay, which Kilsyth won 2-0, as he thought he would remember. It is not known whether the club will appeal the decision but the SFA declined to comment. Referree Mr Duncan could not be contacted for comment.

Canadian deaf fear loss of video relay service

2012-01-08T15:25:00.001Z

A deaf woman is campaigning in Canada to prevent closure of a video relay service reports Shaheed Devji for CTV News (08/01/12).

For the last year and a half, Lisa Anderson-Kellett has been able to speak to her mother over the phone by sitting in front of a camera and communicating in sign language with an interpreter. The interpreter then verbalizes what she is saying to her mother, and also signs back to Anderson-Kellett what her loved one is saying.

"I could visualize her emotion, her excitement and facial expression through the interpretation, and she then also received that energy from me," Anderson-Kellett told CTV News with the help of an interpreter.

The U.S. has been using a similar system for about a decade, but Canada is still in a trial run commissioned by the CRTC that ends Jan. 15. The CRTC will then study the impact of the video relay system, or VRS, and decide within a year whether if should continue.

Anderson-Kellett is very concerned about the service ending and being forced to use a text-based system for making phone calls.

"To go back would be difficult; it's just not as easy," she said. "Even for the hearing person."

Ryan Ollis, who is also hearing impaired, fears he will lose autonomy after the testing phase ends next week.

"I think if VRS stops, then I'll be back to the old ways of depending a lot on hearing people for communicating," he said. "Having VRS makes me independent, and I much prefer that."

Anderson-Kellett says being able to speak to someone through sign language and face-to-face enhances her ability to have a conversation because she isn't forced to rely on other people.

"I consider it a basic right for equal access; a human rights issue for in terms of equality," she said.

New films released to help deaf people in area

2012-01-08T15:17:00.001Z

A NEW series of short films have been produced to break down communication barriers and improve access to information about mental health services for deaf people reports the Doncaster Free Press (08/01/12).

The Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) South Yorkshire has made four short films for deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users.

Presented using sign language and with subtitles, the films provide mental health information for professionals, service users and carers.

They also feature information about the Care Programme Approach (CPA) and how to access mental health services.

THe films are available to view via a link on the RDaSH website, and are also in DVD format from the RDaSH service for deaf people with mental health needs.

RDaSH specialist mental health lead for the deaf Rebecca Walls said: ”The average reading age of a deaf person is nine.

“This is because BSL is different linguistically and structurally to English.

“BSL is not a written language so English is a second language to BSL users.

“This may provide a barrier to services, as the majority of information and communication is via written means.”

Fundraisers and four-legged friends get ‘waddling’

2012-01-05T12:02:00.001Z

A CHRISTMAS “waddle” has raised more than £200 for charity reports the Spalding Guardian, Linconshire Free Press (04/01/12).

Organised by June Spouncer, who is a fundraiser for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the two-mile walk at Frampton, attracted more than 100 people and their dogs.

It raised £220, which will be split between Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and Macmillan Cancer Support.

June said: “It was the first time that we have done this and it was fantastic.

“The support we got was brilliant and we are delighted with the amount of money raised.

“People came from all over South Holland with their dogs which ranged from a little pug to a huge Irish wolfhound.”

School For The Deaf records 100% fail rate

2012-01-05T11:57:00.001Z

In their first Junior Certificate examinations, the School for the Deaf High School recorded a 100 per cent fail rate writes SIBONGILE SUKATI for the Times of Swaziland (04/01/12).

Their motto is ‘be the best you can be,’ however due to a some challenges the school faced, it struggled to perform to its best.

Interestingly in the Swaziland Primary Certificate the School for The Deaf Primary School attained a 100 per cent pass rate.

Fourteen pupils sat for the JC examination but none passed yet in the primary certificate six had sat for the exams with one of them getting a first while two got second class passes and three managed to get third class passes.

Explaining the outcome of the results, Director of Education Dr Sibongile Mntshali-Dlamini said there was still a lot of work to be done in order for the school to achieve better results.

"Some of the teachers we have are not properly trained in the Sign Language that the pupils use and, in some instances, you find that they only have one translator so we have a challenge there," said Dlamini.

She said they further had a lot of work to do with the Examinations Council of Swaziland in order to structure the exams in a manner that was more suitable.

"However, we are not too worried. This was the first year in which we had introduced the exams at the high school and we shall have to conduct more training and engage better-qualified teachers in order for the school to perform better," said Dlamini.

There was no immediate comment from the principal of the school Zodwa Thwala as she was reportedly not at the school yesterday and her phone rang unanswered for the better part of the day. The school is situated at Matsetsa.

Deaf couple launch pizza place in the Mission

2012-01-05T11:50:00.001Z

There's a full house during the dinner rush at Mozzeria, a month-old Italian restaurant and pizzeria writes Paolo Lucchesi for the San Francisco Chronical (04/01/12).

Every one of the 45 or so seats is full. There's a slight hint of smoke in the air, thanks to the huge wood-fired oven in the middle of the narrow dining room. Music is playing, but the din is noticeably muted.

A waitress carrying two full plates meanders through the crowd, stopping short of a standing patron blocking her path. With both hands full, she can't tap him on the shoulder. And before sidestepping and successfully swiveling by, she can't ask him to move, because the diner is deaf. And so is she.

Mozzeria may be the first restaurant run by a deaf couple in a major city. The owners, the husband-and-wife pair of Melody and Russell Stein, were both born deaf. Their children, 10-year-old Rylan and 12-year-old Taysia, can hear and are frequent presences in the restaurant. Russell Stein's mother helps out, too.

Yet Mozzeria is more than an endearing family effort. It's already become a beacon for the Bay Area's close-knit deaf community.

Melody Stein was born in Hong Kong and moved to Fremont at age 6. She attended Washington, D.C.'s Gallaudet University, where she met her future husband. He was from a similar big-city background, the pizza mecca that is New York.

After spending nearly a decade in South Dakota, working for a nonprofit organization serving deaf people, they decided it was time for a change. (Though one of their innovations would come in handy in their second careers.) When they moved to San Francisco, a restaurant wasn't in the plans. But that quickly changed.

"I couldn't see myself working at (nonprofit organizations) for the next 10 years, and traveling wasn't good for my family," Melody Stein said in an interview conducted by typing side by side on laptops. Instead, she decided to take after her parents, who are in the restaurant business. "Since I was a kid, I always wanted to run a restaurant," she said.

For training, she attended hospitality school, and went on a gastronomic tour of Italy. Both Steins are self-trained in the kitchen.

After two years of planning, fundraising, real estate bidding wars and the usual construction adventures, Mozzeria opened on Dec. 9, on 16th Street near Guerrero.

Opening a restaurant is never easy for anyone, but the current tech age made the bureaucratic process easier for the Steins, with tools like e-mail and iPhones. Melody Stein has chronicled the entire process, from the chimney installation to the health inspection, on her blog at mozzeria.com.

Technology is key to relating to customers, too. For deaf patrons who call the restaurant for takeout, Mozzeria uses a video relay service, a groundbreaking system that Russell Stein helped develop in his South Dakota career. It features an American Sign Language interpreter relaying a conversation between the two callers.

But for Melody, the biggest surprise of the opening process - aside from the difficulty of getting a small-business loan - was getting feedback from the hearing customers, some of whom have complained on Yelp about the lighting and the music. The Steins say the early reviews have been helpful in figuring out what people want.

The Mozzeria staff consists of eight rotating servers. All are fluent in ASL, and three are deaf. In the kitchen, two dishwashers are deaf, and the third knows ASL.

Most cooks can hear, and the ones who don't know sign language use creative ways of communicating, often jotting quick notes on a dry-erase board in the back kitchen.

There haven't been any major hiccups so far.

"Communication is not a problem, period," said line cook Franklin Grammar, who believes the universal language of restaurant kitchens trumps any potential hurdles. "With the dishwashers, you can look into each other's eyes and know."

The attitude extends to the entire restaurant. The goal is simply to be a great restaurant that all people - hearing and deaf - can enjoy.

"I want Mozzeria to be known for its pizzas and other Italian food, not for deafness," said Melody Stein, noting that they've already established regulars of all sorts.

Still, it's hard to ignore that, on many nights, the clientele is predominantly deaf.

"We are always the only deaf people in restaurants, always," Russell Stein said. "Now it's sometimes the reverse."

Yet the feeling at Mozzeria seems primarily one of locals enjoying a communal setting.

"It's simple cooking, which I love," Grammar said. "There's an aspect of family here. It's a lot bigger than any individuals."

Mozzeria, 3228 16th St. (near Guerrero Street), San Francisco; (415) 489-0963. mozzeria.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday; brunch Saturday-Sunday.

Anne Diamond: Thirty years of wearing an earpiece for television has made me deaf

2012-01-03T21:21:00.001Z

She’s one of Britain’s best-known television presenters, but Anne Diamond has admitted that using earpieces for nearly 30 years has left her deaf in one ear writes Ted Thornhill for the Daily Mail (03/01/12).

She made the startling revelation on a video she recorded for the website of charity Action On Hearing Loss.

She describes how having her ‘talkback’ devices – through which directors communicate with hosts – turned up too loudly have taken their toll on her hearing.

The 57-year-old, who rose to fame in the 1980s presenting Good Morning Britain for TV-am, said: ‘I have some form of hearing loss right now, after 25, nearly 30 years of wearing a television earpiece. It’s what we call a talkback and I’ve always had it rather too loud.

‘While I don’t need to wear a hearing aid right now, I have been warned that I probably will need one quite soon.’

She explains that around four million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss and would benefit from a hearing aid – but don’t do anything about it.

She said: ‘I can’t possibly imagine not being able to do the job I love, or even the simple everyday things like sitting round a family table and enjoying a meal and being able to listen to the conversation around me.’ Ms Diamond explained that the charity can be a huge help to those suffering from deafness.

She added: ‘They provide a simple, free hearing check that you can do in your own home, explain what to expect from your doctor, and make the whole world of hearing aids so much simpler.’

Ms Diamond was recently embroiled in a row with comedienne Dawn French, who she accused of having gastric band surgery to lose weight.

Diamond herself had the procedure in 2006 and speculated that French's 'astonishing transformation' could have been the result of undergoing the operation.

However, French simply told Diamond to 'shut up'.

There are also video messages on the charity’s site from One Foot In The Grave stars Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie, EastEnders' Rita Simons and Genevieve Barr, an actress who was born deaf.

Ms Crosbie uses two hearing aids and said: ‘I know what it’s like to go slowly deaf.’

She emphasises that Action On Hearing Loss is working hard to remove the stigma attached to the wearing of hearing aids.

Deaf teens relate to characters in 'Switched at Birth'

2012-01-03T20:23:00.000Z

Olivia Stein, a 17-year-old student at California School for the Deaf in Fremont, can probably count on one hand how many times she has seen someone like herself beaming from a television screen writes Chuck Barney for Contra Costa Times (03/01/12).

It's no wonder, then, that she has become hooked on "Switched at Birth," a feel-good family drama pegged, in part, to multiple deaf characters who have brought some prime-time exposure to an underrepresented segment of society.

"It allows us to be more involved. We can relate. We're finally seeing people like us," she said through a Sign Language Interpreter. "And it's showing the world that deaf people are cool. We rock."

"Switched at Birth" debuted on ABC Family last summer with a sensationalistic premise: A couple of teen girls -- one of whom is deaf -- discover that, due to a hospital error, they wound up with the wrong parents. Now their families, from two different worlds, are struggling to get to know each other.

The show, which resumes its first season on Tuesday, became an instant ratings hit for ABC Family. Moreover, it sparked wide interest among the deaf community for its frank and respectful depiction of people with hearing loss.

The teen girl who is deaf, Daphne Vasquez, is played by Katie Leclerc, who in real life has Meniere's disease, a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance. Also among the cast are deaf actors Sean Berdy and Marlee Matlin. The series was created by Lizzy Weiss, who took courses in American Sign Language (ASL) while attending Duke University.

"Switched at Birth" doesn't focus solely on deafness -- the soapy twists and turns cover a wide terrain. But it does explore several pertinent deaf issues, including communication and societal barriers, speech therapy and the debate over cochlear implants. It also makes extensive use of sign language, subtitles and something very rare in this era of pop-cultural clatter: Moments of utter silence.

Anna Schumacher, a Berkeley native who served as an on-set interpreter for "Switched at Birth," calls the show an important step forward because it doesn't isolate its deaf characters "into a novelty category" or portray them as disabled.

"While Daphne's life is by no means easy, because of many variables, she is seen as just as bright, capable, insightful and full as any teenager," she said. "Yet she experiences the world in a different way and has a wonderful language at her fingertips."

Leclerc, 25, says that the show is dispersing an important message.

"People tend to be afraid of what they're unfamiliar with, so communicating (with the deaf) can be somewhat intimidating," she said. "If we can come into people's homes and show that it's not that hard -- and that we all have similar struggles -- it's a good thing."

The actress, who is enjoying her first breakout role in a 10-year career, says that the feedback she has received from viewers is especially gratifying.

"I've heard from people who tell me they now have a better understanding of a deaf relative," she said. "Others have said they're changing their college major to sign language because they want to be an interpreter. That's pretty cool."

Several teen students interviewed through interpreters at the school for the deaf in Fremont find "Switched at Birth" to be pretty cool, too. Though they have quibbles with the show -- they'd prefer it, for example, if Leclerc was more fluent in signing and if her character had more interaction with other deaf kids -- they're drawn to it because it reflects pieces of their world.

Gurpreet Rai, 20, especially admires a plot line in which Daphne balked when her wealthy biological parents pushed to move her from an all-deaf school to a mainstream private school. In an emotionally powerful scene, the character recalled a previous stint at a "hearing" school, where she was treated like an outcast.

"That part of the show applies to my experience," Rai recalled. "I went to five hearing schools in Hayward, and it was a constant struggle. I felt lost -- like I had no future for myself."

Stein can also relate.

"Life was hard (at a mainstream school). I never had a friend. It was awkward," she said. "I finally went to my parents and told them, 'I'm done. I need a change, now.' "

Alexandria Brinkley-Green, 18, gets a kick out of the fact that Daphne is a basketball player, just like her. And she likes the way the show captures the ups and downs of romantic relationships between the deaf and hearing.

"What is the point of dating a hearing person if that person does not know sign language?" she said. "However, if that person was fluent in ASL, I'm open to the idea."

Several students applaud the show's casting of Berdy, a charismatic 18-year-old actor who attended CSD's sister school in Riverside. To them, he's a "cool role model." They even like the way he signs.

"We can pick up on his irony -- something hearing people can't," said Conrad Baer, 17.

But Berdy's casting also represents a sign of hope, according to Brinkley-Green.

"Some deaf people want to be actors, too," she says. "Maybe this will open a few doors to new possibilities."

As Greece slashes costs, the deaf are left unaided

2011-12-16T12:16:00.001Z

Evanthia Plakoura's life recently became a lot more complicated reports CBS News (16/12/11).

Conversations with her boss switched to email only. Visits to the doctor require additional planning. She feels helpless in Greece's bureaucratic labyrinth.
"It's like someone flicked a switch and turned off your voice," said Plakoura, a deaf woman who works at the Education Ministry.

Plakoura joined some 2,000 disabled demonstrators at a rally in central Athens this week to protest sweeping benefit cuts imposed in Greece's economic crisis that have deprived her of sign-language translation.

In August, a five-year-old program providing deaf people with interpreters was suspended after the government abruptly cut its funding to less than half. Overnight, 15,000 deaf people around Greece were left without help to report a crime to the police, rent a house or go to a job interview.

Funding cuts have opened up gaps across welfare services, with slashed services and longer waiting times for vulnerable groups including the blind, recovering organ-transplant patients, autistic children, and paraplegics in need of physiotherapy.

"This program is very important to us. It's our bridge to the outside world and it's vital for our education," Plakoura said in sign language, her speech relayed by one of the very translators whose help is being cut off.

"People have gone back to writing things down, or taking a relative, but it's not the same thing," she said. "It makes things very difficult for us, and especially for elderly deaf people."

The axed program is the latest casualty of Greece's draconian austerity measures that have battered social services as demand for help by the recession-hit public increases.

Independent welfare programs that rely on grants from the state offer a tempting target to a government fighting the threat of bankruptcy. Unlike state-run programs, which enjoy strong legal protections, the government can simply turn off the money taps.

As a result, independent programs to assist the disabled, the elderly, psychiatric patients and recovering drug users have all suffered steep cuts, occasionally with dramatic consequences.

An alarming rise in HIV infections in 2011 has been blamed in part on problems with needle exchange programs for drug users. Between January and October this year, 190 new infections of the deadly virus were reported among intravenous drug users, compared with 14 in the first 10 months in 2010, according to the Health Ministry.

Groups representing the disabled and other vulnerable Greeks have held several demonstrations outside the Finance Ministry, on Athens' main Syntagma Square, but getting attention is difficult in a city where between four and five protests are held every day.

At his suburban headquarters, Costas Gargalis, who heads the National Association of the Deaf in Greece, is struggling to keep his 60-member network of interpreters together, hoping to restart the program sometime next year.

"Since the program was suspended, it's been really chaotic," he said. "Some people can pay for interpreters on occasion, but others have simply postponed their tasks forever."

Gargalis, who is deaf, spends his working day in hectic silence: swiftly thumbing text messages on his cell phone, poring over fax requests from around Greece, and making video calls over the Internet.

His interpreters program started with an annual state grant of euro250,000 ($333,200) in 2006; that was steadily reduced to euro180,000 ($240,000) this year, before being suddenly slashed to euro80,000 ($106,600) in August.

"We were immediately over-budget and had to suspend the program. And even then, interpreters were left unpaid for two months of work," said Gargalis.

At previous funding levels, deaf people were offered 25 hours a year with interpreters. If the program is restarted next year, they will receive no more than 10 hours, Gargalis said.

"The amount of money we are asking for is laughable," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "This is a matter of survival for us."

Interpreters for the deaf need six years of training to get their license, and are paid below-minimum wage to crisscross Greek cities daily and provide help communicating.

"People generally become interpreters because they are interested in the subject," registered interpreter Costas Christodoulakos said.

"Now they are obliged to look for other work and take on other commitments, often unrelated to their interpreting jobs," he said. "What else can they do?"

Greece's debt-shackled economy has been kept alive by international rescue loans for the past 19 months, and creditors are pressing for more aggressive spending cuts, as the Socialist government continues to miss deficit-cutting targets and heads into a fourth year of recession in 2012.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos promised this week to submit protesters' demands to the country's new prime minister, and invite disabled groups to join negotiations on a major new tax code due to take effect next year.

Health care is facing major cuts this year — down from euro7 billion originally planned to euro5.6 billion ($9.4 billion to $7.5 billion), excluding state insurance subsidies.

Since the debt crisis started in late 2009, store closures have exceeded 20 percent in some commercial parts of Athens, while more than 275,000 people have lost their jobs nationwide, the vast majority in the private sector, pushing the unemployment rate to more than 16 percent.

"The unemployment rate among disabled people is normally more than double the national average ... so there is an urgent need for disabled people to be protected (from the cuts)," Yiannis Vardakastanis, leader of the National Confederation of Disabled People, said in an interview.

"The effects of the initial (government spending) cuts were not immediately obvious. But the cuts being made now have brought parts of the care system to a state of near-collapse."

Deaf MP pushing for tech upgrade

2011-12-16T12:09:00.000Z

Mojo Mathers takes her place in Parliament as New Zealand's first profoundly deaf MP writes Adam Bennett for New Zealand Herald (15/12/11).

She will be relying on the "far from ideal" solution of electronic note taking to follow proceedings but Ms Mathers hopes a more advanced "cap relay" service providing near real time captioning for Parliamentary TV, which would also allow the other 700,000 hearing impaired New Zealanders to follow Parliament better, will be provided before long.

Ms Mathers became profoundly deaf after being starved of oxygen at birth, but has led an active public life as a candidate for the Greens in three elections.

Named for the song Got My Mojo Working by bluesman Muddy Waters, Ms Mathers became the Greens' 14th MP after special votes were counted last weekend.

Since arriving at Parliament for caucus meetings and induction, she has been in discussions with the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk about arrangements to allow her to participate fully in the House.

"In the short term, what's immediately available is electronic note taking," she told the Herald yesterday. It will not be ideal because there's a bit of a time delay and it's not verbatim."

That initial arrangement means Ms Mathers will have a screen showing Parliament TV, enabling her to lip read when the House is being addressed by an MP sitting behind her. At the same time she will receive a text feed on her iPad provided by a notetaker watching proceedings on a video feed.

"My goal is ultimately captioning, because that then becomes a service for all 700,000 hearing-impaired New Zealanders."

She said that could be achieved via a "cap relay" service which is an advanced form of the telephone relay service now available to enable the hearing and speech-impaired to use the telephone.

The current service allows hearing impaired users to receive the other side of a telephone conversation via text, typed out by a relay assistant who listens in.

Ms Mathers said that in a cap relay service, the relay assistant would speak the response into voice recognition software to convert it into text, giving a faster service and therefore an easier conversation.

At present insufficient people have signed up for the service for it to be set up in New Zealand. But Ms Mathers hopes that will happen soon, and that the same technology can be used to provide real time captions on Parliament TV.

Ms Mathers said she had encountered few problems during public meetings when she campaigned for the Greens as other candidates were usually experienced in public speaking "therefore articulate in a way that's easy for me to lip read. At those meetings she was accompanied by a note taker who wrote down questions from the floor.

Deaf burglar failed to hear victim approaching

2011-12-16T12:02:00.000Z

A PROLIFIC deaf burglar was caught because he didn’t hear his victim approaching as he ransacked a house reports the Leyton Guardian (15/12/11).

Marc Kaye, 45, of Radlix Road, Leyton, broke into the first floor of a house in Kew, Richmond, in June this year. But he did not realise one of the occupants, Martin Dean, 41, was upstairs at the time.

On hearing a disturbance, Mr Dean went to investigate and found Kaye in a ground floor bedroom.

Kaye fled when he spotted Mr Dean, who tried to stop him but the thief managed to escape through a window with a stash of jewellery.

When being interviewed by Detective Constable Gary Smith, Mr Dean described the burglar as bald and about 45 years old. He also mentioned his surprise that Kaye had not heard him approaching.

Det Cons Smith then recalled arresting a bald and profoundly deaf man for burglary in 2008 and traced Kaye through police records.

He stood trial at Kingston Crown Court earlier this month after being picked out by Mr Dean from an identity parade.

Kaye initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during the trial. He was sentenced to five years in prison for one count of burglary.

Following the sentencing Det Cons Smith said: "Taking into account Kaye's prolific history of burglary and that within weeks of his release from prison he broke into this house, it was highly likely that he would have gone on to commit many more break-ins if we hadn't caught him. “He was a menace to the public and the sentence given to him reflects this".

"Mr Dean deserves praise for his bravery in confronting Kaye and successfully identifying him in the ID parade. It is also to his credit that he noted the importance of the suspect having not heard him coming, from which I was able to make the connection to Kaye".

Toddlers banned from making 'rude' star sign

2011-12-16T11:57:00.000Z

Toddlers singing along to a nursery rhyme have been banned from making a "star" sign in case the "rude" gesture offends deaf people reports The Telegraph (16/12/11).

The children were making the sign with their hands to indicate a twinkling star as they sang along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, when staff asked them to use a different gesture - prompting a furious response from one parent.

The disgruntled mother said: "It seems a little politically correct. These are innocent little children just making a sign to show a star. No-one would give it a second thought. Now every parent may worry their child may be making an offensive gesture when they're singing this song."

A spokeswoman for City of York Council, who are responsible for the Sure Start mother and toddler group in Acomb, York, denied it was a case of political correctness, insisting it was more "a sensible decision taken to prevent deaf children or deaf parents being offended by the use of the gesture".
She added that staff at the Sure Start group had been on a sign language course at which they were advised that the "star" gesture was very similar to the sign used for female genitalia.

The staff used a language programme called Makaton which uses signs and symbols to help people communicate, she said. Makaton is designed to support spoken language by using sign and symbols use with speech in spoken word order.

She said that staff realised it was a sensitive matter and, using their own discretion, had decided to use the accurate hand sign for a star.

The spokeswoman added: "Parents have not been banned from using the other sign and City of York Council does not have a policy over this matter."

Deaf's signs of music proclaim Christmas joy

2011-12-16T11:49:00.000Z

A group of deaf women ‘sing’ for joy about Christ’s birth in sign language writes Ben Tan for the New Straits Times (16/12/11).

THEY might not be able to hear words or music, but a group of deaf women nevertheless "sung" Christmas carols in sign language at the City Square Johor Baru's shopping centre recently.
For the first time in Johor, the group called Celtic Women entertained the deaf community with a unique rendition of Christmas songs.

"The event showed the general public that sign language can be a beautiful language.

"The event was certainly an eye-opener for many people, especially for parents with deaf or mute children," said Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus spiritual director for the deaf community Father Lionel Thomas.

He said that the event was also organised with the help from several volunteers to boost the self-esteem of the deaf community.

The half-hour event started at 4pm. It attracted a large crowd of afternoon shoppers as they saw the women perform.

The group, dressed in beautiful, flowing gowns, "sang" a rendition of five spiritual and inspirational songs.

They were O Holy Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, You Raise Me Up (made popular by Josh Groban), Fields of Gold (made popular by Sting), and the traditional Have Yourself A Merry Christmas.

Thomas, who is adept in sign language himself, was on hand to bring the music alive by having the deaf express the emotion and spiritual meaning of the songs by using facial expressions.

On the event being the first of its kind in Johor, Thomas said the Celtic Women were thrilled to play a part in helping the deaf community see themselves as useful members of society,

He said the women took about a month to prepare for the event, with him leading the group.

Thomas, who has been working closely with the deaf community and conducting mass in sign language, said that he does not see sign language as a a communication barrier for those who are deaf.

"I see it (sign language) as a different language.

"We should take pride in it as it goes beyond race and religion," he said.

He added that he hoped to organise more of such events in future for the benefit of both the deaf and the public.

The Celtic Women will be performing at the Conrad Singapore Hotel in Marina Bay, Singapore, tomorrow at 7.30pm.

Deaf woman from Letchworth on overcoming her job battle

2011-12-15T12:05:00.000Z

A DEAF woman who was jobless for more than a decade has revealed the barriers she has overcome to find work writes Nick Gill for The Comet (10/12/11).

Jennifer Banton, of Kyrkeby in Letchworth GC, lost her job as a machinist at lingerie and hosiery company Fermark when it closed in the town in 1999.

Since then the 48-year-old had tried and failed to find employment for 12 years but has now secured employment as an online shopper at Sainsbury’s in Coreys Mill, Stevenage.

Comet reporter Nick Gill asked the mother-of-two about her experiences, aided by a BSL Interpreter.

NG: How did you feel when you lost your job in 1999? Were you optimistic you could find work or were you daunted by the task?

JB: Up until that point I’d been in full-time employment or education all my life so it was difficult adjusting to being unemployed. I was bringing up my two children and caring for my mother so there was always plenty to do, but I still missed going out to work.
Looking for work can be challenging anyway, but for me there were the added complications of my disability and family situation. I applied for many jobs but got nowhere, it was very disheartening. I never thought I’d get a job again.

NG: What barriers associated with being deaf have you had to overcome to find employment?

JB: My applications had an ever-growing period of unemployment on them which pushed me further and further away from being employable to some people. Some employers also misjudge what deaf people can do and overestimate the adjustments they’ll have to make. I still communicate quite happily with shoppers and colleagues in the store for instance.

My main barrier though was making initial contact with employers. British Sign Language is structured differently to spoken or written English so I didn’t feel confident using text phones, or even writing applications. I needed advice on how to show my skills and then for them to be properly communicated for me.

NG: Do you think there is adequate support for people in your situation?

JB: I don’t think there’s enough information readily available about how to get help. Some organisations can also be quite inflexible in how they will communicate so it’s easy to get bogged down without the proper help. Once I was referred to Ingeus (a provider of employability services for the government) though, I had all the support I needed. My Ingeus advisor Nii, and Anna, a BSL Interpreter, helped me put together my CV, look for jobs, made phone calls for me and sorted paperwork. Anna then translated for me at the Sainsbury’s interview and induction. Sainsbury’s too has been amazing. One of my deaf colleagues is a delivery driver. If a customer isn’t home, he’ll text the store and someone else calls the customer, then text’s back. Just a simple system like that means he has a fulfilling job – just like me!

NG: How does it feel to be back working again?

JB: I am so happy to be back in work, even with the 6am starts! I’m really proud that my children have seen me overcome my problems and get back out to work – I hope I’m a good role model.

NG: Drawing on your own experience, what advice would you give to someone who is currently in a similar situation to the one you faced?

Don’t give up – I never thought I’d get a job, but I did. Be positive, focus on your abilities not disabilities and use all the help available at the Jobcentre. Don’t be daunted if you’re passed onto a partner like Ingeus because they genuinely have helped change my life.

DR Congo election: Deaf anger at ban on texting

2011-12-15T11:56:00.003Z

Deaf people in the Democratic Republic of Congo say a ban on texting threatens their lives because they no longer receive warnings of violence writes Thomas Hubert for the BBC News (15/12/11).

The government banned SMS messages more than a week ago to preserve "public order" following disputed elections.

President Joseph Kabila was declared the winner, but his main rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, rejected the result.

There are an estimated 1.4 million deaf people in DR Congo, which is recovering from years of conflict.

Last month's elections were the second since the 1998-2003 war which claimed about four million lives.

Four people were killed in the capital, Kinshasa, after Mr Kabila's victory was announced. He is due to be inaugurated for a second term next week.

The official results gave him 49% of the vote against 32% for Mr Tshisekedi.

The opposition says they plan to organise mass protests, alleging the polls had been rigged.
'Disturbing'

"Since 3 December, we've been unhappy," said Pastor Kisangala, the deaf community's religious minister in the capital, Kinshasa.

"We're finding it very hard to communicate. All our communications used to go through SMS messages," he says.

I met him as a centre for deaf and mute people in Kinshasa that I had visited to guage reactions to the election.

A group of friends at the centre kept giving their SMS service another try, switching on their mobile phones, typing a message, hitting send... but transmission still failed.

Interior Minister Adolphe Lumanu said he had been "forced to suspend all cellular [mobile phone] text messaging services to preserve public order" because they had been used to "incite ethnic hatred, insurrection and xenophobia" around the 28 November presidential and parliamentary elections.

The measure means deaf Congolese people have been condemned to indefinite isolation.

"Our members are scattered across the city, some are ill in hospital, others are dying. Without communication we don't even know about it," Mr Kisangala said.

"Few of them have been coming here, whereas with text messages, many used to come to church here on a Sunday."

As electoral violence spread across Kinshasa in the days following the election, deaf people could not hear gunfire and were dependent on family and friends to tell them when it was safe to go out.

"When shooting started in the city I wanted to contact those who were sleeping here and tell them not to go out," said Freddy Mata, the co-ordinator of a cultural centre for deaf people.

"I tried to contact them but messages didn't go through. Then I remembered text messaging had been suspended. It was very disturbing."

Essential tool

The community groups who support deaf people have been losing touch with each other.

The president of the Deaf People's Association in Kinshasa, Ngoy Mwanza, said he only heard about a deaf person being beaten up during electoral turmoil several days after the incident.

Mananga Biala, the head of Kinshasa's main educational centre for deaf people, said as only a few people had access to email, the deaf community currently had no alternative means of staying in touch.

According to the Kinshasa-based African Association for the Defence Human Rights (Asadho), the texting ban has affected all Congolese people.

It said text messages were an essential tool for communities to maintain security, as they could spread alerts cheaply, quickly and discreetly to a large number of people who may be in danger.

Other human rights groups have warned that the ban could cost human lives in isolated regions with poor mobile phone reception, as emergency services could only be alerted to rebel attacks via text message.

Mr Mwanza says deaf people are considering what they should do to get the ban lifted.

"Let's enforce democracy and free up SMS messaging," he said. "If it continues, we may stage a protest march."

Deafblind girls' guide dog banned from dining hall

2011-12-12T11:25:00.000Z

A deafblind girl refuses to go to school after teachers ban guide dog from dining hall because another pupil has allergy writes Jessica Satherley for the Daily Mail (12/12/11).

Molly Watt, 17, says she was left to eat lunch alone in a separate room because another pupil who uses the canteen is allergic to the dog.

She has since been signed off sick by a doctor after suffering a panic attack when she was separated from her black Labrador-retriever cross named Unis.

The A-level student, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, has not attended classes at Mary Hare School in Newbury, Berkshire, since November 3.
And the pupil, who has been nominated by deafblind charity Sense to carry the Olympic flame, says she will not return until the ban is lifted.

Her mother Jane, 46, said Molly is ‘besotted’ with her dog and becomes ‘distressed’ when her companion is not by her side.

Jane, a charity worker, said: ‘The school has banned Molly from taking Unis into the dining room. ‘The dog gives her independence and freedom and means everything to her.
‘She has been left to eat alone in a separate room and that stress has left her feeling incredibly down.
‘She should be able to socialise with friends at lunchtime like everybody else.
‘She was shaking, having panic attacks and was unable to sleep after being asked to leave Unis in a sideroom. Her doctor has signed her off sick.

‘My main concern is Molly's well-being and education. She doesn't deserve what is happening to her.’
Molly - who is studying English, textiles and performing - was born deaf and lost her sight aged 14.
That prompted her to move from mainstream education to the specialist boarding school for deaf children.
She initially relied on a cane or a friend to guide her between rooms but was ‘embarrassed’ to be seen with the stick.

She was given Unis in July and returned to school before the start of term in September so the two-year-old dog could learn the layout of the buildings.
But concerns were raised about the welfare of another pupil who has a ‘hyper sensitivity to allergens’ - particularly animals.
It means he is at risk of a fatal anaphylactic shock if he comes into contact with the dog.
Her mother said: ‘Molly used to bump into things and be covered in bruises.
‘She is a young girl who is fashion conscious and did not like to be seen with a cane. She would rather fall over.
‘The alternative arrangements the school has put in place are not good enough.’
School principal Tony Shaw says he consulted medical experts and charity groups before making alternative arrangements, which included re-timetabling lessons and banning the dog from the dining room.

He said it leaves Molly without Unis for less than two hours a week and he believes she could use alternative support - such as a stick or friend - to guide her during this time.
Mr Shaw said it was ‘regretful’ that restrictions were necessary but stressed they had the backing of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
He added: ‘One pupil has recently been provided with a guide dog to ensure her safe mobility and the school has been working hard to accommodate her needs.
‘Another student has a current medical diagnosis of hyper sensitivity to allergens and in particular to the allergens from animals, including dogs.
‘Mary Hare has an equal duty of care to both students and a duty to ensure that any adjustments affecting the use of a guide dog are reasonable and proportionate.
‘The solution has involved re-timetabling and changes of class locations to avoid use of the same rooms and two restrictions on the movements of the guide dog.

‘These restrictions involve the hall used for weekly assembly and the main dining hall.
‘The expert medical advice has been that if the dog enters either room, the other pupil cannot use them.’
Molly was named Young Deafblind Person of the Year 2010 by deafblind charity Sense and was nominated to carry the Olympic flame.

A petition called Justice 4 Deafblind guide-dog Owner Molly Watt has been signed by more than a thousand people, including former alumni.

NDF congratulates NZ's first profoundly deaf MP

2011-12-12T10:11:00.001Z

NZ Green Party's Mojo Mathers becomes New Zealand's first profoundly deaf Member of Parliament reports Voxy.co.nz (12/12/11).

"It's a fantastic achievement," says Louise Carroll, CEO of The National Foundation for the Deaf. "We are looking forward to working with her over the next three years."

Ms Mathers is one of over 700,000 New Zealanders who are deaf or hearing impaired. She is a wonderful role model, a shining example of how people who are deaf or hearing impaired can be positive, active members of their communities" says Ms Carroll.

The National Foundation for the Deaf hopes that the appointment of Ms Mathers may help make parliamentary information and debates more accessible for people who are deaf and hearing impaired.

"New Zealand has the lowest amount of captioning on TV in the western world," says Ms Carroll. "This is a good opportunity for parliament to make some much needed changes."

Workshop busts myths about deaf culture

2011-12-07T12:39:00.000Z

People who are deaf often have to face challenges that those who aren't would never have to even consider writes Kim Writer for Daily Campus (07/12/11).

However, in the words of the former president of Gallaudet University, Irving King Jordan, "Deaf people can do anything, except hear" says Lambda Alpha Upsilon who hosted an interactive workshop titled "I am Not Disabled" at the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center, facilitated by UConn's American Sign Language Club President Christopher O'Rourke.

"What interests us in doing this workshop is that we have brothers in our fraternity that are deaf, and they are still individuals capable of communicating," Bryant Dominguez, president of Lambda Alpha Upsilon, said. "We wanted to bring more awareness to their culture and the misconceptions associated with it."

O'Rourke said he wanted to "bust myths" about the deaf culture by showing an appreciation for the language and what the deaf culture embodies.

"We want to show you what it's like to be on the receiving side of any language,' O'Rourke said. "Just because they speak a different language and come from a different background, they're not really that different from us."

O'Rourke taught some relevant sign language vocabulary and how to provide some background information when conversing with a deaf person to those in attendance.

"Deaf people are very proud of their culture and they love to know background information," O'Rourke said.

Facial expressions are key in ASL (American Sign Language). For example, when you signal the word stress, you must emphasize the meaning of the word by puffing your cheeks. Similarly, the eyebrows must be lowered when a question is signed.

"You really play around with your emotions when signing," O'Rourke said.

O'Rourke asked everyone in attendance to play a fingerspelling version of the game "telephone." Fingerspelling is the process of spelling out words using the American Sign Language alphabet. In the game, everyone had to fingerspell a word to the next person until it reached the last person. O'Rourke began the game by signing PRLACC, because the event was hosted there, but the word had transformed to "apples" by the end.

O'Rourke then explored the disparities between the deaf and hearing cultures and how misconceptions about deaf people arise in the hearing community.

"One of the biggest questions I get asked is ‘isn't sign language just like English?'" O' Rourke said. "The answer is no. It has evolved to borrow some English, but it still stands on its own."

O'Rourke explained the different methods of sign language, including the Rochester Method, which includes fingerspelling every word and British Sign Language, which uses both hands.

"Hearing people tend to think that deaf people are broke," O'Rourke said. "And that is not the case. They can do everything just as well, and in some cases, better than other people."

O'Rourke said deaf people actually have a lower occurrence of car crashes than hearing people, which he attributes to their heightened awareness of their surroundings.

He also gave some advice to understanding deaf culture. As in hearing culture, O'Rourke said, pointing to get a person's attention is rude, whereas gentle wave in the person whose attention you wish to have will suffice.

Everyone in attendance participated in the program with enthusiasm and learned to sign his or her name and a few complete phrases.

"I think it's an enjoyable program and is something people don't normally think about or try to get educated on," attendee Jamal Catoe, the assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at UConn, said. "I think it would be nice to do more with this to learn to really effectively communicate. As far as learning the basics, I think this was a really good program."

O2 store provides help for blind and deaf customers

2011-12-07T12:32:00.000Z

Operator’s Workshop store in central London fitted with hearing loops and ‘personal listeners’ as it hires its first deaf member of staff writes Jasper Jackson for Mobile News (07/12/11).

O2’s new concept Workshop store in Tottenham Court Road has hired its first deaf member of staff. Abigail Gorman has been trained in sign language and dealing with deaf and blind customers.

O2 hired “deaf-led” consultancy, training and communications service Positive Signs to help with its accessibility programme. It has fitted the store with hearing loops and ‘personal listeners’ to help deaf people hear conversations more clearly while moving around the store.

The O2 Workshop, which is run by O2 franchise operator Telenomics, has worked with the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) to provide ‘Sight Loss Awareness’ training for its staff, who have been given training by RIM, Apple and app developers Code Factory on devices and apps to help the blind. A second member of staff, who is not deaf but is fluent in sign language, has also been hired.

O2 head of corporate responsibility Simon Davis said: “It is sometimes difficult for older or disabled customers to find the right mobile phone for their needs. By offering expert advice at our Tottenham Court Road store we’re looking forward to providing a better experience to our customers with sensory needs.

“Smartphones and apps can increase independence and confidence for those with sensory needs”, Telenomics founders Amar Radia, Adarsh Radia and Asad Hamir said in a joint statement. “We want to make these devices as accessible as possible to the sight loss and deaf communities.”

RNIB has lent its advice on making the store more accessible for blind people. The institute is also running monthly events to familiarise partially sighted and blind people with new mobile technologies and products.

The O2 Workshop store opened in September to offer free and connected work space and meeting rooms for public use. O2 says it is the only store where all staff have been trained to handle business customers.

Police 'killed deaf cyclist with stun gun after he failed to obey instructions to stop'

2011-12-05T09:18:00.000Z

A police officer killed an elderly, deaf and mentally disabled man riding his bicycle by shooting him with a Taser stun gun after he failed to obey instructions to stop writes Daniel Miller for the Daily Mail (24/11/11).

Roger Anthony, 61, was killed as he made his way home in Scotland Neck, South Carolina, after officers responded to a 911 call about a man who had fallen off his bicycle in a car park.
The caller told dispatchers that the man appeared drunk and that it looked like he had hurt himself.

Officers said they repeatedly told Mr Anthony to get off his bike, but when he didn't respond, they shocked him. The state Office of the Medical Examiner hasn't yet determined a cause of death.

Family members claim Mr Anthony had hearing problems and suffered from seizures. Now they're considering whether to file a lawsuit against the town.

His brother Michael said: 'What did they tase him for? It's hurting me. It's really hurting me.'

Scotland Neck Mayor James Mills said he wouldn't blame the family for suing.

'There has been no information that this man was a threat to anybody,' he said.
'If I was a family member, I'm sure I'd be thinking the same way.'

Mills said he has tried to get information from the police department about what happened to Mr Anthony, but they have turned him away.

Police Chief Joe Williams says the officer is on administrative leave while the SBI conducts its investigation.
He declined to comment further. Anthony's family said they hope the case is resolved soon.

Mr Anthony's niece, Porsha Anthony said: 'I'm sad. I lost an uncle.

'Hopefully it will be rectified so that not another family in Scotland Neck has to go through this'.

The State Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina said they are looking into Mr Anthony's death.

Judge tosses DUI conviction for deaf man

2011-12-02T12:03:00.000Z

A local attorney is heralding Thursday's dismissal of a five-year-old DUI conviction as a victory for deaf people reports Tri City Herald and The New Tribune (02/12/11).

William M. Kral, 33, of Snoqualmie, who is deaf, was arrested in December 2005 in Benton County on suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended license, said attorney Moe Spencer of Kennewick.

But when Kral was arraigned, no sign language interpreter was available in the courtroom. When he signed a paper waiving his constitutional right to a speedy trial, the interpreter who explained the document to him was unqualified, Spencer said.

Kral was convicted and served a nine-month sentence that included three months in an alcohol treatment program. He paid more than $4,600 in fines.

In the next five years, Kral went through appeals and several court-appointed attorneys whom he claims ignored or mishandled his case or had to step aside because of conflicts.

Then in August, Kral won his argument that his constitutional rights had been violated because of the lack of a qualified sign language interpreter. Judge Robert Swisher ordered the case back to District Court to be dismissed, and the conviction overturned.

The end of what Kral described as a "very long battle" came Thursday when District Court Judge Dan Kathren officially threw out Kral's conviction and ordered the $4,600 in fines returned to him.

"I certainly agree Kral is entitled to money he paid as a result of a conviction that is no longer a conviction," Kathren said.

But despite the crux of the case being the court's lack of a qualified interpreter, Spencer had to bring in a professional sign language interpreter Thursday because there still isn't one employed by the court.

Kral told the Herald through interpreter Shelly Hansen that the person who interpreted for him on the day he signed the speedy trial waiver told him he was agreeing to a continuance -- basically a temporary delay of his hearing.

"I never found out I had signed a waiver for speedy trial until two weeks or a month later," he said. "About the same time, I found out the interpreter did not have formal training or a (sign language) certification. The way he translated, I thought it was clear it was a continuance. I didn't have a reason to doubt."

The interpreter in the courtroom that day was actually a Spanish-language interpreter who knew a little sign language, according to Spencer's appeal brief.
The brief said Kral asked several times for a court-certified interpreter because he wanted someone who could accurately explain complicated legal issues. Kral also told the court that the interpreters used were signing incorrectly or that he didn't understand them.

The brief said Kral's then-attorney also communicated with him using handwritten notes, but Kral couldn't understand what his attorney was writing.
Swisher agreed that Kral's agreeing to waive his right to a speedy trial was "unintelligent and not knowing," Spencer said.

Kral lost his hearing when he became ill with spinal meningitis when he was 9 months old. Spencer's brief said research shows people who become deaf before age 3 have difficulty with language and tend to have a median of a fourth-grade reading level, mostly because written English is based on translating symbols into sounds -- sounds they never have learned.

Kral said he lost his construction job in the Tri-Cities and his then-girlfriend because of the DUI conviction. He now operates heavy equipment in the Seattle area, is married and has a 2-year-old son. But Kral said the years since his conviction have been "very tough."
"I just kept on fighting," he said. "This issue is not about money and not about me personally. It's about making sure deaf people get equal access and to try to raise that awareness."

Deaf man wins award for outstanding contribution

2011-12-02T11:56:00.000Z

A DEAF man from Stoke Park who led groundbreaking training and research in sign language has been presented with a national award in recognition of his work reports This is Bristol (02/12/11).

Clark Denmark was presented with the Joseph Maitland Robinson Award for outstanding contribution at the 2011 Signature Annual Awards.

Mr Denmark, 57, learned to sign from a young age after being born deaf and into a deaf family. He first became involved with British Sign Language teaching and research in Edinburgh in the 1980s. He was later instrumental in developing Durham University's groundbreaking sign language course, launching the first formal qualifications for BSL teachers that became a template for future learning. As director of Education and Training at the British Deaf Association he introduced training opportunities for deaf people and those who work with them.

In 1992 Mr Denmark joined the teaching staff on the newly- established degree course at Bristol University's centre for deaf studies, teaching sign language, sign language teaching, deaf history and deaf politics. He has since joined the deaf studies team at the University of Central Lancashire, splitting his time between Lancashire and his home in Bristol.

Mr Denmark said: "I am honoured that, as a member of the deaf community who endeavours to make BSL stronger, and the deaf community a better place to live in every day, I am able to contribute to achieving this in a small way for deaf BSL teachers and BSL learners so that we can make it happen through the empowerment of deaf people. To receive the Joseph Maitland Robinson Award for outstanding contribution is an absolute privilege."

Jim Edwards, chief executive of Signature, said: "Clark's contribution to the deaf community cannot be overstated."

Founder of Rockville deaf services company gets nine years for fraud

2011-12-01T13:47:00.001Z

Joseph and John Yeh guilty of conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program writes Kevin James Shay for Maryland (USA) Community News Online (01/12/11).

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced John T.C. Yeh, former CEO of Rockville deaf services business Viable, to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $20 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar government fraud case.
His brother, former Viable vice president Joseph Yeh, received a prison sentence of 55 months on Wednesday and also was ordered by Judge Joel A. Pisano to pay $20 million in restitution.

In November 2009, John and Joseph Yeh were among 26 people nationwide to be indicted for conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program, which helps deaf people communicate, by billing the government for millions of dollars in illegitimate calls. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in October 2010.

John Yeh is eligible for a credit of his prison term when he was held during revocation of bail, according to records from U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J.
Paul F. Kemp, a partner with Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger of Rockville who represented John Yeh, noted that prosecutors were asking for 15 years in prison and the maximum prison sentence the brothers faced was 20 years. He said Wednesday that he does not plan to appeal the sentencing.
“I wish [the prison term] had been shorter, but the judge tried to be fair,” Kemp said. “He was trying to find a middle ground.”

Stanley J. Reed, a principal with Lerch, Early and Brewer in Bethesda who represented Joseph Yeh, also said Wednesday he does not plan to appeal his client’s sentence.
“The judge did a superb job of balancing all of the issues and factors,” Reed said. “Joseph and John are grateful for the amazing outpouring of support they got from the community and the deaf community.”

About 100 people, many from the deaf community, traveled from across the country and even from overseas to support the Yehs at the sentencing hearing, Reed said.
About eight character witnesses testified on the Yehs’ behalf Wednesday, which likely helped their case, Kemp said. “We were grateful to the witnesses who came forward,” he said.

Pisano recommended to the Bureau of Prisons that the Yehs be incarcerated together in a federal prison camp in Cumberland, to be close to family members and be provided with all services they were entitled to under federal disability laws.

During the four-plus-hour hearing Wednesday, the Yehs were “remorseful, somber, scared and very focused on listening to everything the judge said,” Kemp said. The Yehs are not eligible for parole but can receive five days of “good time” per month credited against their prison terms, he said.

Pisano also sentenced both Yehs to three years of supervised release.
“It was a long journey to get here,” Kemp said. “We are glad that we had a thoughtful, considerate judge.”

Two other former Viable executives, Anthony Mowl and Donald Tropp, are among those who have pleaded guilty in the case. They are scheduled to be sentenced by Pisano on Dec. 14 in New Jersey, according to court documents.

John Yeh has long been involved with organizations that advocate for the deaf community, such as the National Asian Deaf Congress and National Deaf Business Institute. He was a trustee of Gallaudet University, a Washington, D.C., institution that specializes in education for deaf people, for more than a decade. Deaf Life, a monthly national magazine founded in 1987, honored him as its Deaf Person of the Year in 2008.

Yeh founded Viable in 2005 to develop and market real-time transcription text and video relay services to help deaf and other hard-of-hearing people communicate. Within three years, Viable had shot up from a handful of workers to almost 200 full- and part-time employees, while annual revenues exceeded $7 million.

But prosecutors said in court documents that Viable charged the government for millions of dollars in illegitimate, or “run,” calls.

A previous business that John Yeh formed, software engineering and integration company Integrated Microcomputer Systems, in Rockville with the help of his brothers, reached $40 million in revenue in 1995 before he sold it in 1996.

Musical magic for Peterborough deaf children

2011-12-01T13:02:00.000Z

DEAF children are able to experience the magic of music at special sessions reports the Peterborough Evening Telegraph (01/12/11).

Youngsters as young as eight with hearing impediments were invited to take part in a monthly session at Jack Hunt School in Walton.

The children from across the city learnt how to play a number of instruments, as well as taking part in other activities.

Matthew Gunn, head of music services at Cambridgeshire County Council, which helped organise the session, said: “We have held the sessions in Cambridgeshire for a while, but in Peterborough only for this year. They give children the chance to get individual or small group tuition, that they would not normally get.”

The next free session will be held after the Christmas break. It will be held at Jack Hunt School on January 14 between 10am and noon.

To book a place email cm@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Deafblind photographer London exhibition

2011-12-01T12:58:00.000Z

An artist from Essex who has limited sight and hearing hopes his work will act as an inspiration to others reports the BBC News (01/12/11).

About 25 photographs by Ian Treherne, from Rochford, are to feature in an exhibition in London organised by the deaf-blind charity, Sense.

The 33-year-old has Usher Syndrome, meaning he has deteriorating eyesight and a hearing impairment.

He said: "I see less than most people, but I think in some ways it actually makes me see more in life."

He added: "It is a bit ironic that I need to use my eyes for my photography, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I have to think about everything I am doing and am constantly looking 10 times as hard where I'm going”

"I like to show people who take their eyesight for granted the simple views they walk past every day and do not notice."

Mr Treherne, who has been photographing seriously since he was in his late 20s, explained the genetic condition "affects me in every possible way".

He said: "I've got tunnel vision, so have very limited eyesight, especially at night time when I can't see very much.

"I have to think about everything I am doing and am constantly looking 10 times as hard where I'm going."

'Passion and enthusiasm'

Among his images of people, buildings and landscapes which will be displayed at the "Secret Window" exhibition in Soho from 13 December is a shot of the Southend Borough Council offices.

Mr Treherne said: "People do say how ugly it is. But for some reason, I've got an ability to see some beauty in something not particularly nice.

"With busy lives, you come and go to your work place. I tend to take time out and try to appreciate some of the beauty in our streets and towns."

A particular admirer of photographers David Bailey and Brian Duffy, who rose to prominence in the 1960s, Mr Treherne hopes his work will help inspire other people who had impaired sight or hearing.

He said: "I hope people enjoy the pictures, appreciate them and maybe be surprised that someone with an eye condition can take good pictures.

"And [I hope it] shows that with a bit of willing, passion and enthusiasm, no matter how hard things are you can get somewhere in life if you try a little bit harder."

Deaf man held without Interpreter sues Police

2011-11-28T10:01:00.000Z

Adams County (USA) sued by a deaf man held for 25 days without access to an Interpreter reports Monte Whaley for the Denver Post (28/11/11).

When Adams County sheriff's deputies knocked down the motel-room door of a deaf couple, slammed the man to the ground and locked him in jail for 25 days without providing a sign-language interpreter, they violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, a federal lawsuit says.

Lawyers for Timothy Siaki claim the man was not provided an interpreter until he went to court on domestic assault charges last year. Siaki eventually was cleared of the charges, said Kevin Williams, an attorney who filed the suit on behalf of Siaki and his fiancee, Kimberlee Moore.

"There were 25 days of his life that he had access to nothing — no information on why he was being held, no information about his case or what was going to happen to him," Williams said.

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition advocacy group is also a plaintiff in the suit. Adams County Sheriff Doug Darr is named as the defendant.

An Adams County Sheriff's Office spokesman on Friday did not have any comment on the lawsuit, saying officials needed to review it first.

The suit asks for damages for Siaki and Moore and to find that Adams County is violating the ADA by not providing an interpreter nor auxiliary aids for deaf suspects during their arrest and booking process.

The suit claims Adams County also does not provide aids and services to deaf inmates to communicate with people outside the jail while the same privileges are provided for those with normal hearing.

"They need policies and procedures for folks who are deaf," Williams said. "People just assume that a deaf person understands what they are saying."

Williams said the coalition recently settled a similar case against the Lakewood Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The settlements require very specific policies for compliance with the ADA to ensure deaf people can communicate with police officers and jail deputies.

According to the lawsuit, Siaki and Moore were staying at a Super 8 Motel at 5888 Broadway on May 14, 2010, when they began arguing.
Both communicate by American Sign Language, as Siaki does not speak, read or write English. He also does not read lips. Moore has a limited ability to speak, read and write in English and can occasionally read lips, the suit said.

Like many deaf people, Siaki and Moore both "verbalize sounds which, to a person who is not deaf or who is unfamiliar, may sound like the deaf person is speaking loudly or abruptly," according to the suit.

Their fight resulted in a noise complaint. Two Adams County deputies broke down the motel room door, entered with their guns drawn and ordered Siaki to the floor, the suit said.
Both deputies learned after their arrival that Siaki was deaf. But since he was unable to understand the deputies' commands, one of the deputies grabbed Siaki's left arm and forced him to the floor.

The deputy also said Siaki refused to write down his version of the events. Moore, meanwhile, tried to tell the deputies that Siaki did not hurt her but could not because she was not provided an interpreter or any aids.

The two were separated, and Siaki was evaluated by medical intake personnel at the jail. Still, he was not provided a sign-language interpreter.

Siaki stayed in jail from May 15 until June 10, unable to comprehend jail policies and procedures, the suit said.

He was eventually assigned a public defender, and he was cleared in the criminal case, Williams said.

"To this day," he said, "we don't know why he was held for 25 days."

Plea to save the Middlesbrough Deaf Centre

2011-11-21T12:25:00.000Z

THE closure of a deaf centre in Middlesbrough would have a devastating effect on the lives of its users, it has been claimed writes Linsay Bruce for the Gazette (21/11/11).

Middlesbrough Deaf Centre has been earmarked for closure as part of the council’s wide-ranging cost-cutting plan. More than 80 people attended a highly-charged public meeting at the centre in Park Road South yesterday to discuss the proposal.

Dave Walker, a user of the facilities, speaking through signing, said: “I was born and bred in Boro - for over 65 years and what people need to realise is that there are two worlds.
“There’s the hearing world and the deaf world. Moving us out of our world and just telling us to get around in the hearing world is not simple. It’s not helpful and it’s not what we want.
“Splitting us up would be like you moving to Nepal and just when you started feeling part of the only English speaking club, finding out the club could close or move to another part of the country - and without any language skills you have to find your own way there.”

Brenda Moore, whose 93-year-old aunt, Marjorie Johnson, uses the centre, said: “Shutting this centre will shut people out of the only world they know.”

Last month Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon unveiled a package of 78 proposed cuts. They aimed to contribute £10m of the £13.8m of cuts the council has to make in its budget next year. The proposed cuts range from the closure of council buildings to staffing and management restructures and increased charges.

The public meeting was attended by service users, their families and centre staff.
Pauline Stevenson, strategy and delivery manager for adult care at Middlesbrough Council, pledged that the authority remained committed to providing services to the deaf community.
She said “I must stress that at this stage it is only a proposal to close the Middlesbrough Deaf Centre building.”

A meeting of the full Middlesbrough Council will be held next month when the Mayor, Ray Mallon, will present final proposals for making the required savings.
He will also make a further statement regarding the remaining £3.5m that has to be found.

Deaf charity’s Cumbria contract

2011-11-21T12:19:00.000Z

A NATIONAL deaf charity has been awarded a contract to provide mental health services for people with hearing problems in Cumbria writes Pamela McGowan for the News & Star (21/11/11).

SignHealth won the tender to offer the first British Sign Language ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services for the deaf community in the north west, including Carlisle.

Steve Powell, chief executive of SignHealth, provides services across the country, said: “IAPT is a government initiative aimed at improving emotional and psychological wellbeing, and getting people into work or back into work. The service is available for the general population, including black and ethnic minority groups, but until now it has not been appropriately accessible for the deaf population.

“We will be providing the first specialist IAPT service for deaf people in England, which will be piloted in the North West, including Cumbria, and will be known under the name of ‘BSL Healthy Minds’. If successful, it is envisaged it will be extended throughout the country.”
The pilot will employ psychological wellbeing practitioners fluent in sign language to provide one-to-one support and group therapies for deaf people experiencing common mental health problems.

Mr Powell added: “Until now the communication needs of a deaf person seeking support have been managed by having an interpreter in the room or by not accessing any treatment at all. To provide an interpreter is not only costly and time consuming, but more importantly, is not effective.

“Having a third person in the room is intrusive and doesn’t encourage the relationship between the therapist and client to develop to its full potential. In many cases the client will feel closer to the interpreter and develop a trusting relationship with them rather than the therapist, which can lead to less successful treatment.”

Deaf teen stabbed 12-year-old boy

2011-11-18T10:52:00.000Z

A deaf teenager has admitted repeatedly stabbing a 12-year-old boy in an attack in Ayrshire reports the BBC News (15/11/11).

Gareth Young, 16, pleaded guilty to attempted murder after the attack on the boy - who cannot be named for legal reasons - in Kilwinning in June.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Young - who also comes from Kilwinning - wrote his confession on his phone and showed it to police.

Sentence was deferred until Monday 12 December.

Advocate Depute Andrew Brown QC, prosecuting, told the court that Young pounced on the victim and his friend after they had sneaked out of a house in Kilwinning just after midnight on 19 June.

As Mr Brown addressed the court, a sign language expert stood in court translating the proceedings for the benefit of Young.

Mr Brown said the boy will face lifelong psychological trauma as a consequence of being attacked.

The prosecutor said the boy had six stab wounds to his body.

One wound led to a loop of intestine extruding from his abdomen and another wound to his chest led to a collapsed lung.

Young was taken to Saltcoats Police office at 04:50 and he typed a message on to his mobile phone which he then showed to the police officers.

The officers noticed that the accused had typed the message: "I hide my knife and shoes and jacket cupboard in my house."

The police then went back to Young's house and found the weapon used in the attack.

World Deaf Futsal Championships Begin in Sweden

2011-11-18T10:40:00.000Z

Sweden will host the World Deaf Futsal Championships in Orebro reports Yahoo Sports (18/11/11).

Sixteen men's teams and 11 women's teams will compete from Nov. 18 to Nov. 26 for the right to be called the best futsal nation in the world where all of the players are hearing impaired.

Sweden and Brazil are favorites to win as both countries have men's and women's teams in the mix. Futsal has world cup competitions on a regular basis, but this special competition is hosted by the Swedish Deaf Sports Federation.

Futsal is a cross between basketball and soccer. The rules are very similar to outdoor soccer except the game is played on an indoor or outdoor basketball court. There are only five players to a side including one goalkeeper on each end. The ball is smaller than a regulation soccer ball as are the goals.

There are no boards on the side. When the ball goes out of bounds there is a "kick in" instead of a throw in. There is no offside rule and no slide tackles on the hard surface. Goalies cannot throw the ball over the halfway line to start a play.

FIFA governs international rules of futsal and will host the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand. The history of the game is as colorful as South American soccer. When Uruguay hosted the 1930 World Cup, it started a tradition of countries gathering together to play soccer every four years. Local gym teachers wanted a mini version of the game kids could play indoors, so they invented futsal.

Brazilian teams dominate the men's game as they won the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup as hosts. It was their sixth futsal title overall which is one more than Brazil owns in regulation association football. Falcao was the legendary player at the 2008 version. Simply watching Brazil's 12-1 demolition of Japan in 2008 is a thing of wonder. The ball stops very quickly on the floor surface as opposing players fly by trying to block shots that don't happen. In the very same tournament, Brazil beat the Solomon Islands 21-0. There are no mercy rules at that level.

Futsal is fast-paced. Like soccer, it can be played indoors or outside, all you need is a basketball court and some fancy footwork.

195 deaf students complete vocational training course

2011-11-14T13:18:00.001Z

One hundred and ninety-five young deaf adults recently passed a six-month vocational training course reports the International News (14/11/11).

The course, offered by the Deaf Reach Training Centres (DRTC) in association with the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP) lasted from April 2010 to October 2011.

The graduates from Karachi, Sukkur, and Hyderabad completed vocational courses in basic IT, stitching, and embroidery, English, Urdu, culinary arts, and teachers training, said a press release issued on Saturday.

The training programme has empowered young deaf adults to become knowledgeable, self-reliant, and diverse in their talents and abilities and provided them with the means to enter the job market and find gainful employment, thus improving their quality of life as well as having a positive impact on their communities.

The graduation ceremonies were held on Deaf Reach campuses in Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Karachi and were attended by the participants’ families, government officials and dignitaries from the Sindh government. Many of the attendees expressed their appreciation and admiration for the progress these deaf youths have made through this programme. It was a touching sight to see these students receive their certification amidst much applause from the attendees.

This is the second year running that Deaf Reach has collaborated with the Sindh
government’s BBSYDP programme to provide quality vocational training for young deaf adults. Previously, in 2009 – 2010, 100 deaf students graduated in the same programme and have had increasing success in finding gainful employment. Deaf Reach is one of the only two institutes for the disabled selected to participate in the BBYSDP.

Deaf Reach schools and training centres are run by FESF, a non-profit organisation operating in Pakistan since 1984 with the aim of enhancing the quality of life for all members of the community, especially those who are disadvantaged. Deaf Reach is the only school for the deaf in Pakistan with a branch network – having schools located in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore, and a large new school upcoming in Tando Allahyar. They provide quality education to areas where education for the deaf is virtually non-existent.

Emphasis is placed on academic and vocational training, as well as assisting the older students to find gainful employment via the “Financial Inclusion and Micro-enterprise Programme.” Sign language and deaf awareness are taught on a regular basis to parents and family members of the children, as well as to hundreds of volunteers via the FESF Volunteer Training Programme.

Werrington community rallies to save local pub from Tesco development

2011-11-14T12:21:00.000Z

A disabled man who claims he would have nowhere to go if his at-risk local pub closed down was at the heart of a protest to save it over the weekend writes Matthew Reville for the Peterborough Evening Telegraph (14/11/11).

Deaf-blind Alex McNeill (31) was one of 620 people who signed a petition to protect The Ploughman pub in Staniland Way, Werrington, during the protest.
They want Tesco to re-think its plans to bulldoze the pub as part of a £40 million overhaul of the Werrington Centre that would expand the supermarket.

The spirited protesters, which included Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson stood in the pub’s front garden - in direct view of Tesco staff and shoppers - from noon until 5pm on Saturday.

The supermarket’s slogan is ‘Proud to be supporting our local community’, and protesters mocked up signs parodying the Tesco logo that read “Save our community local”.

Mr McNeill, who is totally blind but has some hearing, lives in Rainbow Court, Paston Ridings. He is a popular local in the pub and gets a taxi there at least twice a week to meet with friends.
He said: “If it was to close, how would I see all my friends? Where would I go to meet up with them? I would have nowhere to go.
“This pub has to be saved. Why would anyone want to replace what this pub offers just to get a bigger Tesco.
“The Tesco is already big enough. Nobody has called for Tesco to get bigger, but as people turning out today showed, everyone wants the pub to stay open.”

The Ploughman was recently named 2011 Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Peterborough and District Branch.
It has also raised just under £5,000 for charities since Andy Simmonds became landlord two years ago.

Mr Simmonds said: “I was really happy with how many people joined in, it was exactly what I wanted. It was a show of local support for the local pub.
“Tesco are showcasing themselves like a peacock. They want us out of sight and out of mind. The pub is in a prominent position, and they don’t want people to see it before seeing the store.
“I would love to work with Tesco as partners in the regeneration of the Werrington Centre. I hope they talk to us about co-existing in the future.”

MP Stewart Jackson joined the protesters for an hour on Saturday after signing the petition, and plans to personally discuss the groundswell of public opinion against the proposal with Tesco bosses.

Mr Jackson said: “I will be meeting with people from Tesco in the next week and talking to them about the concerns I, and all the people here, have got.
“If they are committed to the people of Werrington they must understand it has to have a community pub. We should try to persuade Tesco to give The Ploughman and its supporters a fair hearing.
“Since Andy took over it is really flourishing as both a pub and a community centre.”

Peterborough City Councillor for Werrington North Judy Fox also joined in the protest. She said: “Me and my husband (Cllr John Fox) are regulars in the pub, we would both hate to see it go.”

Pensioner June Firas (75), from Gatenby, Werrington, said: “I come down here to play darts once a week. Where will I go if the pub closes?”

Tony Keen (50), from Canwell, Werrington, said: “How can the Werrington Centre be a community centre if there is no pub here? It’s a contradiction.”

Nobody from Tesco was available to comment.

More than 200 people have signed an online petition: www.savetheploughman.com.

Deaf alcoholic stole boy's bag to carry drink

2011-11-11T08:29:00.000Z

Deaf alcoholic caught on CCTV writes Andrew Phelan for the Herald (10/11/11).

A DEAF alcoholic burglar trespassed at a school and stole a child's bag to keep his cans of drink in, a court heard

Fergus Gannon (42) went to the changing rooms while the boy was out training and stole his bag, along with his uniform and golf shoes.

Gannon, who was drunk, had seen the door open and the student's bag was "attractive for him to put his cans into", Dublin District Court was told. A judge adjourned the case against Gannon for the production of a probation report.

The accused, with an address at Glen Aulin Road, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty to burglary at St Michael's College, Ailesbury Road, on April 1.

Garda Liam McGraynor told the court it was reported that a man had entered the grounds at 3pm and stolen a black bag with a school uniform and shoes in it.
Gannon was identified on CCTV footage and gardai searched his flat with a warrant on April 19. The bag was found, but the contents, worth €150, were not recovered.

He has 16 previous convictions for offences such as burglary, possession of weapons, breach of the peace and assault.

Gannon had "profound hearing difficulties in both ears", Shalom Binchy, defending, said.
"His deafness has been something that is very difficult for him to come to terms with.
"He has some sign language and some rudimentary ability to speak but communication has been a problem throughout his life," she told the court.

Gannon had been drinking since he was 15 and alcohol had also been a problem for him throughout his adult life. The defendant's disability had also been a stumbling block to getting help for his drink problem. He had been unable to attend AA because he would have needed a sign interpreter with him at meetings.

The court heard the changing room had been 200m away from the training area and the accused had stated at the time that he was watching a basketball game.
Judge Aingeal Ni Chonduin said Gannon had a previous conviction for a similar offence and there "has to be some form of deterrent".

She adjourned the case to January 17 for the preparation of a probation report.

Deaf woman scammed over Facebook

2011-11-10T15:26:00.000Z

New Zealand Deaf Woman defrauded by Facebook scam writes Nicola Murphy for Auckland Now (10/11/11).

Roi Stephens usually ignores messages telling her she's won an international lottery draw.

But she thought information about a sweepstake from someone who appeared to be her Aunt must be genuine.

Now the hearing-impaired Henderson resident is almost $1300 out of pocket after being told she'd ''won'' $20,000.

She received a message through Facebook last month from a fraudster who had hacked into an Aunt's account and sent messages to her contacts suggesting they enter the lottery draw.

The email was written with poor spelling and grammar but Stephens didn't think anything of it because English is her Aunt's second language.

She entered the draw and was notified she had ''won'' but was required to send money for supposed fees for a man to travel from Nigeria to deliver her winnings.

The man called, texted and emailed Stephens regularly to make sure she was sending the money.

She had already sent him $1280 when she read an article about online scammers and the penny dropped.

''I just thought 'oh my God, what am I going to do?''' she says.

Stephens had sent the man money she had been saving for a new hearing aid.

The mother-of-three says the situation has been difficult and emotional for her and her family.

''I feel bad but it's been a learning curve.''

When Stephens went to a dairy to transfer the money via Western Union, the owner warned her it was a scam.

He comes across such cases like Stephens' at least once a month.

''I try not to enter into customers' business but if they are regulars I know them well, I ask them if they know the person they're sending the money to.''

Stephens recommends social media users keep their sites private so only approved parties can see their profiles.

Henderson community constable Debi Leahy says the people behind the scams are getting more creative.

''With the deaf community, if you look at what's on their Facebook pages and you read their conversations, it's obvious that they're deaf.''

She says the scammers take advantage of this, as they do with older people or those on dating sites who they perceive as lonely and therefore easily drawn in.

Leahy says money transferred through Western Union is impossible to trace and recommends people only transfer send money to those they know.

She receives at least one call a week about scams, both before and after money has been sent.

''It's nothing to be ashamed of,'' Leahy says.

''Sometimes you're just caught at the wrong moment and you've got a load of bills to pay or you're feeling the recession and you're not thinking rationally,'' she says.

Tough times for Caithness deaf charity

2011-11-10T08:47:00.000Z

A CAITHNESS charity which helps people with hearing problems is facing “worrying times” because of budget cutbacks and reduced staff hours reports the John O'Groat Journal & Caithness Courier (10/11/11).

But Deirdre Aitken, the co-ordinator for Caithness Deaf Care, yesterday said she hopes the present funding difficulties will be overcome in the next few years.
She explained that about half of the organisation’s core costs – salaries, heating, lighting and rent – are met by the Highland Council and NHS Highland.
In the past the remaining funding of between £16,000 and £20,000 has been provided mostly from trusts but they, too, are having to make cuts as a result of the current economic downturn.
Mrs Aitken told the Caithness Courier the cutbacks are happening at a time when the charity’s workload is increasing. She pointed out that there are over 1000 people in the Far North registered with the organisation and said around a fifth of them are under 60 years of age.
“We are seeing more people now in the their forties and fifties whereas in 2000 most of the people we dealt with would be retired,” she said.
“They still account for about 80 per cent of our workload but around 20 per cent are people of working age.”
Speaking personally, Mrs Aitken thought that could be a result of people working noisy machinery in the past and not wearing proper ear protection or listening to loud music through headphones over a long period of time.
“Our workload is increasing as our budget has been cut but we are managing to keep going by utilising our volunteers. They have been fantastic and are very conscientious, dedicated and hard-working,” she stated.
Mrs Aitken has had her hours reduced from 21 to 15 a week while another member of staff now works 20 hours instead of 25.
“We have cut the hours and have been using our reserves to keep going but that cannot continue in the longer term,” she said. “These are worrying times but we are managing to make the service work for people. The budget cuts are not impacting too much on the public although some things may take a bit longer to get done.
“We are facing a difficult time but we are hoping the problems will be overcome in the next few years.”
Mrs Aitken explained that in Scotland one in five people are likely to experience some form of hearing loss during their lives.
The charity helps people with hearing problems and gives advice on hearing aids and specialist equipment. It also liaises with NHS audiology which is based in Inverness.
Caithness Deaf Care covers Caithness and Sutherland and has offices in Wick and Thurso.
The latter opened in 2002 with the help of funding from the National Lottery. The offices are open three days a week from 10am to 2pm.

Partner’s anger after Letchworth deaf woman attacked by dogs

2011-11-07T15:05:00.000Z

THE partner of a deaf woman who was attacked by two dogs and left bleeding in a field has hit out at those responsible writes Mick Gill for the The Comet (07/11/11).

Peter Johnson, of Denby in Letchworth GC, contacted The Comet after his partner of five years Denise Gatler and her dog Lennox - who is being trained as a hearing dog - were both attacked by two other dogs while walking in fields off Quinn Way on Letchworth GC’s Jackmans Estate.

Ms Gatler, who was born deaf, was bitten as she tried to stop the dogs, who were off their leads at the time and described as Staffordshire bull terrier types, attacking Lennox, a collie cross who used to be a rescue dog.

The two owners of the dogs, a man and a woman, left the scene without attending to the 47-year-old, who was taken to Lister Hospital in Stevenage to be treated for bite wounds.
Eighteen-month-old Lennox, who has been unable to attend his hearing dog training classes since the incident, suffered a broken leg and has had 10 screws and a plate at a cost of £3,000 inserted by Cambridge Veterinary Hospital.

“She was walking the dog in the fields and a dog came towards her and appeared to be running around playing,” said Mr Johnson.
“It suddenly came towards our dog and attacked it. Denise tried to get the dog off and got bitten, and as she’s deaf she didn’t hear it but the other dog came in from behind and attacked.
“The playing fields are right next to a primary school and normally she has her five-year-old granddaughter with her so who knows what could’ve happened.
“She’s still trying to recover from it as it’s destroyed all her confidence. She’s a nervous wreck at the moment. She took me back to the field to show me where it happened and she broke down in tears.
“I was so annoyed because apparently all they did while Denise was in the field covered with blood was get the dogs on the leads and go off in different directions.”
The 62-year-old added: “I say to other dog owners to be on the alert and watch out for these guys.”

The incident, which occurred between 6.15pm and 6.45pm on Thursday, June 16, has been reported to the police with investigations on-going.
The female dog owner has been described as white, aged in her mid-20s to early 30s with brown shoulder length hair which was in a ponytail at the time.
She is around 5ft 5in tall, of slim build, and was seen wearing jeans and a white and black top.

The male dog owner was described as being around 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with short dark brown hair.
One of the dogs has been described as a short-haired brown Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with bulky shoulders and the other as a black Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with a white smudge on its chest.

A police spokesman said: “Anyone with information about this incident, or if anyone can identify the owner of the dogs described, is asked to contact PC Baker via the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222, quoting crime reference G2/11/1294.”

Deaf People from the UK to Volunteer at Deaf School in Sri Lanka

2011-11-03T13:17:00.001Z

In January 2012, a group of deaf volunteers from the UK, will be travelling to Sri Lanka to volunteer at Deaf Schools and Special Needs centres reports PR.com (03/11/11).

From November 2011, the volunteers will begin learning Sri Lankan Sign Language at the SL Volunteers office in London. The lessons are run by Sophie Allen, a BSL sign language interpreter, who has been volunteering at deaf schools in Sri Lanka since 2001, and is fluent in Sri Lankan sign language. Sophie has great love for Sri Lanka and is dedicating her time to ensure that the team are adequately trained before they arrive.

Aliya Gulamani, a recent graduate from Goldsmiths Uni will be joining the team, "Being profoundly deaf myself I am lucky to have had access to an excellent education in the UK, and I believe that everyone, deaf or hearing deserves the right to an education."

The Volunteers will be assisting staff at a Deaf school, in Colombo and the staff have specifically asked SL Volunteers to support the older children with their computing skills to increase their chances of securing employment when they leave the school.

This project follows on from the already established SL Volunteers teaching projects, that offer free-spoken English lessons to people in Sri Lanka that would otherwise not have the opportunity. Since being established in May 2010, SL Volunteers has sent over 100 volunteers from the UK, to teach English in Orphanges and Youth centres.

SL Volunteers are looking for more volunteers to join the team, both deaf or hearing people who have an interest in teaching or working with people with Special Needs. Applications for the January projects are still open.

Aliya: “This trip has a personal significance for me as I want to pass the message on. The message that, even with deafness you can be anything and you can do anything you wish for the world is yours.”

Give deaf people the chance to use video relay service

2011-11-02T10:29:00.000Z

Deaf people need a video relay phone service that translates sign language into speech – but not for just half an hour a month writes Charlie Swinbourne for The Guardian (02/11/11).

In July, Ofcom published a review of relay services, proposing the introduction of a video service that would enable phone calls in sign language. Deaf people would sign into a device incorporating a video camera, with an interpreter in a remote location translating their signs into speech.

On the surface, Ofcom's consultation offers a massive improvement to deaf people's lives. In the UK, there are estimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000 people who use British Sign Language as their primary form of communication. BSL has a different structure, grammar and syntax to English, with an emphasis on body language, facial expressions, and gestures.

Because of this, deaf people who use sign language as their first language can find it harder to use text-relay services which depend on a high level of written English (where they type on a keyboard, with an operator voicing their words to a hearing person on the other end of the phone line). The VRS Today campaign estimates that sign language users would be able to use video relay services four times faster than text relay.

But there's one catch. While in America, deaf people (who have had the service since 2002) can make phone calls on an unrestricted basis, at any time of day, any day of the week, Ofcom has proposed that in Britain, deaf people will be given a quota allowing them to make just 30 minutes of calls a month. Worse, the service will only be available between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.

Imagine being restricted to 30 minutes a month – would that be enough time to organise your life, speak to friends and family, your work or your utility company? What if there's a call you need to make in the evening? What happens if a company puts you on hold? Or if you haven't finished your call as your time runs out? Then, even if a deaf person has a great call and finds the service really useful, they are left waiting for a month for the next chance to use it.

If there is a need for a video relay service for deaf people – and Ofcom agrees there is – then making it available in such a limited way makes little sense. It would make it hard for deaf people to get into the habit of using it, and would make using video relay a frustrating experience, which would in turn have a knock-on effect on its take-up by the deaf people it is aimed at. Thirty minutes a month amounts to a half measure, giving with one hand while taking away with the other.

Deaf organisations, including groups specifically focused on telecommunications like TAG and DAART have campaigned for years for improvements to relay services (with improvements to text relay services being high on the agenda as well as video relay). One major irony is that many deaf people (including my mother) have for years paid for packages incorporating free voice minutes on both mobile phones and landlines which, due to their deafness, they cannot use.

The UK telecommunications industry was worth £40bn in 2009, while Ofcom's proposals estimate that offering deaf people an unrestricted video relay service – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — would cost just over £40m. Ofcom's proposals were described as "outrageous and highly unacceptable" byDavid Buxton, chief executive of the British Deaf Association.

The deadline for responses to Ofcom's consultation passed last month. Just days earlier, a petition with more than 2,500 signatures, supported by nearly every major deaf charity in the UK, was delivered to Downing Street calling for unrestricted access to video relay. That same day, a roundtable meeting was held between deaf organisations, telecommunications companies and the government, including Ed Vaizey, the communications minister. Deaf people now face an anxious three-month wait before finding out whether they will have the same freedom to use the telephone as their hearing counterparts.

Ironically, in advance of Ofcom's decision, a pilot project part funded by the European Commission called myFriend is offering deaf people the chance to try out video relay services as part of a concept calledTotal Conversation. From 1 November, deaf people who take part will be able to make phone calls using a BSL interpreter for up to four hours a day. However, when the pilot ends in June 2012, deaf people face going from over 100 hours of potential use a month, to a quota of just half an hour a month if Ofcom's current proposals remain unchanged. That's a reduction of over 99.5%.

It's no exaggeration to say that introducing video relay with huge limitations would mean that a massive opportunity to transform sign language users' lives for the better could be squandered. The communications industry has seen huge technological advances in the last decade, but sign language users have been left trailing far behind. Equality should mean freedom, choice, and independence, and only offering video relay services without imposing a harsh time limit can truly offer that to deaf people.

Edinburgh MP tables early day motion in support of access for deaf and hard of hearing

2011-11-01T10:35:00.000Z

The Edinburgh West MP praised the online interpreting service, which is available throughout the UK for deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users reports STV Edinburgh (01/11/11).

Deaf Action was delighted with the support in promoting the use of SignVideo. Striving for equality of access and opportunity has always been central to Deaf Action, including access to elected officials.

Mr Crockart recently became the first elected member in the UK to make SignVideo available at his constituency office in Edinburgh, and in an early day motion he has called for other MPs to do likewise. Mr Crockart is also pushing for the Government to ensure that all public information and services are accessible to everyone suffering from hearing loss.

Mr Crockart said: “As parliamentarians, we are here to represent all of our constituents in the political process. However, nine million people in the UK are being disenfranchised by the fact that they face great difficulties in accessing the information they need.

“All MPs should be working with Deaf Action and other organisations to ensure that each and every one of their constituents is able to clearly and easily understand information in their constituency offices.

“I am delighted that Deaf Action will be pioneering this new online interpreting service throughout Scotland, and to do my bit to improve information access for my constituents who suffer from hearing loss.”

Liz Scott Gibson, chief executive of Deaf Action, added: “With Mr Crockart’s early day motion we hope to encourage more MPs to think about accessibility in their constituency.
“Introducing a service such as SignVideo is a simple and cost effective way to enhance inclusion. We call on more MPs to follow Mr Crockart’s lead by signing the early day motion and making their constituency offices more welcoming to deaf people.”

Police challenged by deaf suspect’s case

2011-10-31T13:28:00.000Z

The police in Dong Nai Province are finding it difficult to handle a deaf and illiterate man who allegedly hit a man with an iron bar on October 4 who subsequently died one day later from a severe brain injury, writes Phap Luat & Thoi Dai for Tuoitre News (31/10/11).

The suspect, 29-year-old Nguyen Van Duc from Long Thanh District was arrested on October 8 in a rented room. The police said Duc didn’t know sign language for the deaf and could only communicate through gestures.

The police thus had to ask two sign language specialists to help questioning him.

Duc told the specialists he had wanted to steal from a phone shop and hit the man who tried to catch him.

However, a lawyer from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar has warned the police about the accuracy of such questioning.

“No one can know for sure if Duc and the specialists fully understood each other,” he said.
“It is likely that only Duc’s mother or father can fully understand him through his gestures.”

The lawyer also said Duc should have a legal representative during the questioning process and advised the police to invite somebody who is close to him to act on his behalf.

A source told the police that Duc had a girl riend who took him to the hospital to treat his injuries caused in his fight with the two men who tried to catch him.

After Duc was hospitalized, the girl disappeared.

Duc and the girl have been living as husband and wife, the source said.

However, Duc refused to talk about the girl with the specialists.

In the early morning of October 4, Nguyen Van Tang, 43, a resident of Hiep Phuoc Commune, caught Duc using an iron bar to force open the door of a mobile phone shop next to his house.

Tang rushed toward him and shouted for help.

While fighting with Tang, Duc struck him in the head with the iron bar.

Tang then fell to the ground and passed out. Another resident then showed up to fight with Duc, who later ran into an alley where he had parked his motorbike and drove away.

Tang was taken to Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC but died one day later.
The police launched an investigation and suspected Duc, who has previous convictions and had left his residence, which had lived in for years.
The police then sent wanted notices for Duc to many hospitals and health centers since they thought Duc could need medical treatment for his injuries.

They also asked all boarding houses to report any suspicious guest. Three days later, a hospital called the police.

But when they arrived, the suspect had escaped.

On October 8, after being informed by the owner of a boarding house, the police rushed to the scene and arrested Duc in his rented room.

At present, they are searching for Duc’s girlfriend.

Pointing the way to a successful campaign in challenging times

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000Z

The director of communications at the National Deaf Children's Society reveals how they built and launched an effective media campaign against government cuts writes Victoria Shooter, for The Guardian (25/10/11).

Charities are preparing themselves for challenging times. Vital support services for the vulnerable people we represent are in danger of being reduced and in some cases completely eradicated, due to government spending cuts. At the same time charities are in competition with one another to raise awareness of extremely important issues. The challenge for us all is how to stand out from the crowd and galvanise our supporters to act.

In May, the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) launched its Save Services for Deaf Children campaign in response to local government cuts to specialist educational support for deaf children. We reached more than 16 million people with our message and made local authorities sit up and take notice. Here we share with you how we built and launched the campaign.

Saving services

At the beginning of this year, we began to get reports from parents of deaf children about rumours of funding and job cuts to specialist support. Particularly concerning were cuts to specialist teachers of the deaf, who are crucial in deaf children's success, helping them to develop good communication skills and making sure that classroom teachers know how to teach a deaf child.

A very important part of our role at NDCS is to help deaf children and their parents to get the support they need, whether this is working on individual cases with councils, or campaigning nationally and regionally for change. As soon as these reports began to emerge, we began planning to protect these services.

We knew that to build our battle plan, we needed to get detailed information on what was happening on the ground. So, we ran an online survey of parents, promoting it through our e-newsletters, on our website and our online forum Parent Place.

740 parents responded with details that enabled our local teams to dig deeper and find out what was really going on.

Clearing the smoke

Despite some excellent intelligence from parents, we soon encountered significant resistance from local authorities reluctant to share details of their plans and even the cuts they had already begun to make. We needed more robust information to get an accurate, national picture of the cuts - and the clock was ticking. We issued 45 local authorities with detailed Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, using our expertise to craft questions that would generate the clearest answers.

We wanted to know about the current level of support being provided to deaf children, whether this had been reduced recently, or if there were any plans to cut it. This meant being very specific with our questions to avoid ambiguous answers. Once the FoI requests were issued we could establish a timeline for the launch of a national campaign: all councils would be legally required to respond to our requests within 28 days.

Building our case

Although 11 councils failed to meet the FoI deadline, when combined with written correspondence from other local authorities, we had enough data to create a national picture of cuts to support for deaf children.

We were shocked at the results: almost one in five of the local authorities we had data for (141) had made a cut to educational support for deaf children. Quite simply these cuts should not have been happening – central government had ring-fenced the education budget it gave to local authorities. This gave us a clear call to action for the secretary of state for education Michael Gove to launch an investigation into these cuts.

We also wanted to create a number of ways for the public and members to get involved. We created a static map depicting the cuts with the Office for National Statistics and created an interactive online map where parents and other members could report cuts to deaf children's support in their area.

We created template letters for people who wanted to support the campaign to send to their MPs and councillors asking them to challenge local cuts decisions. We also created a guidelines booklet for parents to fight cuts in their area, downloadable from our website.

Bringing the campaign to life

Our regional teams had already begun to work closely with parents in areas where we knew cuts had been made, such as Stoke-on-Trent, where the number of teachers of the deaf has been halved in two years.

Many parents had compelling stories, including one mother whose two-year-old son was having support from his teacher dramatically cut. He is at a crucial stage of developing his speech and communication and support for his teacher of the deaf is now vital. His mother Katy says she will consider moving to get her son the support he needs.

Stories like these not only galvanise MPs and councillors into action, but are essential to secure effective media coverage, bringing the experiences of deaf children, young people and their families to life.

Lift off

With our statistics, case studies, visuals and calls to action in place, we launched the campaign in May.

The results:
• Our findings made national news, prompting calls and emails to pour in from local authorities keen to talk to us about the future of support for deaf children.
• Our spokespeople were interviewed from Cumbria to Cornwall, appearing on TV, on the radio and in print.
• The campaign has reached 16 million people so far.
• Two local authorities have subsequently reduced the severity of cuts to deaf children's services and we are continuing to push for more councils to urgently review their decisions and protect this vital support.

This is a live campaign, with more reports of cuts coming in from our beneficiaries. We are continuing to lobby councils, galvanise our supporters and get media support for our cause.

Top five tips to build a strong media campaign

• Be very clear about why people should be concerned about your cause. Let them know why it is so important.
• People power. Our power comes from the people we support and represent. Their experiences, stories and passion are invaluable to any campaign. It is also crucial that we provide the tools, confidence and support that empower our beneficiaries to speak out.
• The devil is in the detail. Be thorough, challenge the information you are given and be prepared to stand by your findings.
• Don't pull your punches. Decisions are being made now that will have a huge impact on the people we support. If someone isn't playing fair, don't be afraid to name and shame them.
• Take people with you. Be clear how your activity fits with your organisational strategy. Clarify what you are trying to achieve, who should to take action and what they need to do to help you achieve your goal. Know how you will measure the success of your campaign.

Victoria Shooter is the director of communications at the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)

Fresh CCTV appeal in hunt for man who raped deaf woman in Lincoln

2011-10-28T10:52:00.002+01:00

Police today made a fresh appeal to the public to trace a man in connection with the rape of a disabled woman in Lincoln city centre reports This is Lincolshire (28/10/11).

Officers want to speak to the suspect about the attack, which happened behind a pub in Broadgate between 1.30am and 3am on December 18 last year. The victim was a profoundly deaf woman in her 20s.

The CCTV was filmed inside Sippers, which is now known as Scotty's Bar. Today police say they are stepping up their search and have issued fresh pleas for information. They are urging anyone who recognises this man to come forward and not protect him.

Detective Inspector Dave Swann of Lincolnshire Police said:
"This is a disgusting crime against a particularly vulnerable young woman. We are talking about a suspect implicated in a horrific attack on a profoundly deaf member of our community. This offender deserves absolutely no loyalty. He may be a threat to other women and needs to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Since the attack we have worked closely with the victim and her family to help her through the difficult and harrowing process of reporting a sex crime. Reliving an ordeal like this can be a vivid, terrifying experience and it requires huge bravery to see it through to this stage. Over the last 10 months we have gradually pieced together what happened with the victim and carried out an enquiry involving CCTV analysis, witness trawls, searches and appeals within the community. Our initial press appeal did not reveal the true horror of this attack. It is only the bravery of the victim in allowing personal information about her disability to be released that has enabled us to share this with the community. We now need people to respond. Please take a close look at this picture. Do you know him? Please call me and help us bring this potential offender to justice."

Contact Lincolnshire Police on 0300 1110300, alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Film about deaf wrestler winning audiences

2011-10-27T15:46:00.001+01:00

Having grown up both an athlete and a movie fan, Eben Kostbar knew when he heard the story of wrestler Matt Hamill that something cinematic was possible writes DAN BENNETT North County Times (27/10/11).

Kostbar, a producer, writer, director and sometime actor, had grown up inspired by underdog films such as "Rocky," "Rudy" and "Hoosiers." A former wrestler and fan of mixed martial-arts, Kostbar liked what he saw in Hamill's story. Here was an athlete who was deaf, and managed to overcome a low-income, high-risk background to find fame and success in sports.

Hamill is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling, and earned a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling and a gold medal in freestyle wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics. Hamill was later a contestant on the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television show.

The movie Kostbar co-produced and co-wrote on Hamill's life is called "The Hammer." The film is opening for short runs at dozens of theaters across the country today, including the Vista Village Metroplex 15 and UltraStar Cinemas Mission Marketplace 13 in Oceanside. It is directed by Oren Kaplan and co-written and produced by Joseph McKelheer.

"I heard Matt's story and thought, 'Wow, that's remarkable,'" Kostbar said in a telephone interview. "He's an inspiring guy. He was receptive to meeting and talking about making his story into a film, and it took off from there."

Kostbar says he knows sports films need a hook and some emotional momentum.

"Matt was open to including all of the aspects of his life," Kostbar said. "It's really a perfect underdog story. Here was a deaf person accomplishing something that had never been done by another deaf person. Although I knew American Sign Language, I didn't have a lot of experience with deaf people, but I was fascinated by this. I knew that a movie would draw the interest of hearing people who wanted to know more, and would also inspire the deaf community."

Filming for "The Hammer" happened mostly in New York, as Hamill attended Rochester Institute of Technology. While Kostbar initially considered playing the lead role himself, the filmmakers ultimately decided to hire a deaf actor, Russell Harvard, who had a role in the film "There Will Be Blood."

"We made sure we had deaf crew members, and that people from the deaf community were involved throughout," Kostbar said. "We wanted everything as authentic as possible."

After finishing production, "The Hammer" was submitted for film festivals across the country, and became a festival success story, winning audience-favorite awards almost everywhere it landed.

"The audience simply took the film to heart," Kostbar said. "We were so happy with the festival reaction."

The festival success was so strong, in fact, that "The Hammer" was able to do what most independent, low-budget films rarely do: pick up a distributor for theatrical distribution. The film will have a DVD release early next year, but the filmmakers are encouraging people to see it in theaters for maximum effect, and to show distributors that audiences will support independent films such as this.

"The film will also make wrestling and mixed-martial arts fans happy, because the action is so real," Kostbar said. "It will also bring attention to the deaf community in the best possible way. It's a film that anyone who has struggled will identify with."

Visit thehammerfilm.com

CHARITY EVENT RAISES MONEY FOR CHILDREN’S DEAF SOCIETY

2011-10-26T10:40:00.002+01:00

A FUN day raised money and awareness for a charity close to a nursery’s heart reports the North West Evening Mail (25/10/11).

Happy Tots Day Nursery, in Barrow, hosted an open day full of fun to raise cash for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

The nursery had a bouncy castle, disco and fundraising events including a tombola, face painting and a raffle on Sunday.

A number of other activities at the nursery took place last week to raise money for the society.

The Abbey Road nursery was inspired by one of its pupils, Honor Morton, three, who is partially deaf.

Anna Archer, deputy manager of Happy Tots, was thrilled with the support from parents and businesses.

She said: “It was just generally a really fun day for all the children.

“We have a couple of deaf children in the nursery, so we wanted to build on that and raise money for the charity.

“We have had great support and had a lot of raffle prizes donated, including hair and beauty vouchers, bottles of wine and lots more.

“We decided to use the charity fun day as an open day too so anyone could come.

“And we showed a number of families around, which is great.”

Smiling faces all round proved the day was a success.

The Bay radio station was based in a tent outside, broadcasting from the nursery, while hundreds of children had their faces painted, played in the ball pit and tried their hands at the lucky dip.

Ms Archer added: “We thought it would be nice to give the children something to do on a Sunday.”

Arsonists target Woodside family centre in Kingswood

2011-10-26T10:35:00.001+01:00

A centre for blind and deaf people in South Gloucestershire has been targeted by arsonists reports the BBC News (25/10/11).

Sheds next to the Woodside family centre in Britannia Road, Kingswood, were set alight, and the fire spread to the main building.

Part of the roof has melted, and some of the rooms have been flooded.

The cost of repairs is estimated at £25,000 and the building will stay shut for two weeks while repairs are carried out.

Vandals also sprayed graffiti over the walls. Police are investigating.

Volunteer Alice Walton said the centre supported deaf and blind children and adults and their families.

"It's really unfortunate. It's had such an impact on a centre that's so heavily relied upon in the community," she said.

Avon and Somerset Police have appealed for witnesses and anyone who was in the Woodside Road area on Saturday evening to contact them.

Inquiry day to review services for deaf children

2011-10-24T13:23:00.000+01:00

BRISTOL City Council will hold an inquiry day on Thursday to review work towards improving services for deaf and hearing-impaired children in the city reports Bristol Evening Post (17/10/11)

The day will take evidence from council officers and external experts, with an opportunity for the public to make statements. It will end by making recommendations to the Deaf and Hearing Impaired Development Group, which is due to feed into a report to be taken to cabinet next year.

Currently, 365 children in Bristol access services for the deaf and hearing impaired in a range of settings. This includes early years settings such as nurseries, mainstream schools, resource bases attached to schools, Elmfield School for the Deaf and other special schools.
The development group started work in March this year, to audit current practice and make recommendations for future development.

Councillor Alastair Watson, chairman of the children's services scrutiny commission, which called the inquiry day, said: "Our aims is to give councillors and the public a timely opportunity to contribute to the work of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired Development Group. It is an extra opportunity for engagement on an issue where we need to respond to rapid change, brought about by the use of new technology and changing parental choice.
"I'm delighted that we have a guest speaker from the National Deaf Children's Society and am sure the day will be both lively and productive."

The meeting will be webcast and British Sign Language interpreters will be available.

Bringing art discourse to the deaf

2011-10-21T11:01:00.000+01:00

A dictionary of contemporary art terms in sign language is launched in New York writes Bonnie Rosenberg, The Arts Newspaper (19/10/11)

A panel discussion held tonight at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York explores a new book that bridges the gap between visual art and sign language. The Dictionary of Contemporary Art in Italian Sign Language, edited by the Education Department of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art and the Turin Institute of the Deaf, presents a collection of 80 signs created to guide the hearing-impaired through the contemporary art world.

The book is result of a programme that began at the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Turin in 2006, which aims to create a sophisticated non-spoken language about contemporary art. In the dictionary, each new sign for a term is explained with a written summary and is accompanied by an illustrative work of art.

To celebrate the project, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York is hosting a panel discussion tonight entitled “Silence Speaks About Art”. The four guest speakers include: Luciano Candela, the president of the deaf association “Unione ex-allievi sordi dell’Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Union of the alumni of the Deaf Institute of Turin)”; Enrico Dolza, a professor of sign language at Turin University; Brunella Manzardo from the Castello di Rivoli education department; and writer and art historian Anna Mecugni.

The book is published by Umberto Allemandi Editore (which also published The Art Newspaper) in both Italian and English.

Croydon charity worker shrugs of disability to win employee of the year

2011-10-14T12:25:00.000+01:00

The handicap of being both deaf and blind has not prevented a charity worker winning a national award as employee of the year reports the Croydon Guardian (14/10/11).

Mother of two Emma Boswell has Usher Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that has seen her lose first her hearing with her sight then deteriorating so she had tunnel-vision and no night-vision by the age of 20.
Unperturbed, Mrs Boswell, 38, of South Norwood, joined deafblind charity Sense, and works to support people with her own condition, earning her the title of Employee of the Year 2011 on Tuesday, October 4.

She said: “I feel very honoured to win this award - It’s a privilege to be able to work with deafblind people and their families and to meet new people and learn new skills.”
Meeting with deafblind clients, working with professionals and families, and those affected with Usher, Mrs Boswell also does presentations and attends UK conferences speaking about dealing with the disorder.

“My life with Usher did not stop me from achieving my dream of travelling solo, joining an expedition working at Camp America and achieving a degree in interior design. I have had a adapt and accept my condition.
Supported by her guide dog Drew Mrs Boswell also uses sign language and speech, though she recognizes she is not always easy to understand.
She said: “My speech is not always intelligible but my family and friends understand me because they are used to my voice and how I speak. Strangers may not always understand me.

Having been promoted to manager of the National Usher service Mrs Boswell, who works out of the Sense office in Epsom says she loves working to help people She said: “I used to work as an interior designer but realised I wanted to work with people on a more personal level.”

SignVideo available at constituency office

2011-10-13T10:36:00.000+01:00

Mike Crockart MP for Edinburgh West is the first elected member in the UK to make Deaf Action’s SignVideo available at his constituency office, report STV TV Edinburgh (12/10/11).

The service provided through Deaf Action in collaboration with SignVideo, means that Deaf BSL constituents are able to visit Mike to discuss their concerns without having to worry about a language barrier. The latest technology means that a translator joins the meeting via a webcam and provides simultaneous translation.

The online interpreting service for deaf people will provide instant access to experienced SASLI registered BSL/English interpreters using the most advanced technology in the field.
Commenting Mr Crockart said:

“Throughout the UK there is a shortage of British Sign Language/English interpreters; this is a particular problem throughout Scotland with the ratio of qualified interpreters to sign language users estimated at around 1 interpreter for every 200 sign language users.
“This shortage means that interpreters are booked up in advance and many interpreters are unable to accept bookings at short notice. Commonly, sign language interpreters are booked for a minimum of two hours, even for an appointment that may only last 15 minutes. Clearly, this booking process is not very convenient for deaf users of the service.
“This technology will revolutionise the way that I can communicate with Deaf BSL constituents. I hope other elected representatives across Scotland will think about adopting SignVideo.”

Innovative Solution To Improve Access To Theatre for Deaf

2011-10-13T10:26:00.001+01:00

1 in 6 people are left out of the arts! Innovative solution to improve access to theatre for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing comes to the Isle of Man writes Paul Watson, Manx.net (07/10/11).

As part of Disability Awareness Week (31 October – 5 November) the Manx Deaf Society is delighted to announce that captioning (subtitling) equipment has been purchased for permanent use in the Isle of Man, greatly improving access to theatre entertainment for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people.

Judith Ley, on behalf of the Manx Deaf Society, said “Due to the generosity of a private family trust, the Isle of Man now has portable professional equipment that enables the spoken word to be converted into visible text that provides deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people with access to live theatre performances – and because the captioning unit is portable, it can be used in venues around the Island to benefit the maximum number of people”

Hon David Cretney MHK, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure said, “Improving access to leisure activities is a key policy of the Department. The sign-language interpreted performances of shows has proved to be extremely popular and I am delighted that, in addition to these, a captioning facility is now available. I know that it will greatly improve the experience of visiting the theatre for people with hearing difficulties as well as attracting for the first time those who have never been able to comfortably follow a show at the theatre.”

To demonstrate how the captioning equipment works, there will be a showcase event at the Gaiety Theatre on Tuesday 1 November at 8pm. The general public is invited to attend and entry is free.

As an introduction to how the system works, the Legion Players will be performing a 10-minute preview of their upcoming play – RC Sherriff’s WWI classic ‘Journey’s End’ (the play is on at the Gaiety Theatre from 17-19 November, tickets on sale now priced £10). The Legion Players will also be the first to use the equipment during a fully captioned performance of Journey’s End at 2.30pm on 19 November.

Stephanie Gray, Chairman of the Legion Players, said “The Society is absolutely delighted to support the launch of the new captioning equipment, and to put it to full use in its forthcoming production. Communicating fully the text of a play or musical is vital. This new equipment will enable drama and music groups throughout the Island to engage with those who have previously been discouraged from attending productions and shows. Our sincere thanks to the Manx Deaf Society for making this possible.”

BBC's mangled subtitles anger viewers

2011-10-10T13:35:00.001+01:00

The BBC has been criticised by deaf groups over "ludicrous" computer-generated subtitles which have labelled the Labour leader "Ed Miller Band" and announced "a moment's violence" for the Queen Mother reports Josie Ensor for the Telegraph (10/10/11).

Hard-of-hearing viewers have been left "utterly perplexed" by errors in the live captions – which have also renamed the Ireland rugby team "Island". Deaf people have expressed their shock at being told a town was expecting a visit from the "Arch b**** of Canterbury" during one local BBC news broadcast. In another embarrassing faux pas, a reporter visiting a farm spoke of how the pigs "love to nibble anything that comes into the shed, like our wellies." Unfortunately the subtitles alongside the report changed the last word to to a rather childish homophone. After one viewer captured it on screen the error became an internet sensation.

During the Queen Mother's funeral, the solemn words "We'll now have a moment's silence for the Queen Mother" became "We'll now have a moment's violence for the Queen Mother" in one BBC broadcast.

The blunders have become so regular that a dedicated website has been set up by bemused viewers: http://subtitlespage888.blogspot.com/

One found in another broadcast a BBC announcer said "government making holes for surgeons" instead of "making helpful decisions." While the Labour leader was referred to as "Ed Miller Band" in a news broadcast earlier this year. And in one Daily Politics show, one politician announced to the presenter, Andrew Neil, that he did not believe in “soliciting” himself, when he had actually said “shortlisting”.

Pre-recorded subtitles are done before transmission and appear in time with the programme. Live subtitles, however, are made by a stenographer typing words phonetically as they listen to a show, or with speech recognition, where someone talks into a microphone while listening to the broadcast, and a computer recognises their words. The latter can lead to the use of words that sound similar to the intended one, but give a very different meaning.

Broadcast regulator Ofcom has compiled research which has found that many people who could benefit from subtitles just make do for example by turning up the volume.
They also found that of those who use subtitles, nearly 60 per cent report problems with subtitles on catch-up television services.

Last week, BBC subtitles left deaf rugby fans baffled, thinking that the Welsh side were playing "Island" instead of "Ireland" in the World Cup. The frequent mistakes in the corporation’s live subtitling have now come under fire from deaf groups.

Emma Harrison, Action on Hearing Loss’s Director of Public Engagement said she receives regular complaints about errors in subtitling: "Access to television is really important to people with a hearing loss. We urge all broadcasters to monitor the quality of their subtitling to ensure high standards, and invest in technology to reduce mistakes so people with hearing loss can access television in the same way as hearing people," she said.
"We would also like Ofcom to play a greater role in monitoring subtitling complaints.
"As part of the Government review of the Communications Act, we are calling for new laws to provide full access to television entertainment, and want subtitling to be available on all programmes, regardless of whether it is traditional or catch up TV."

The BBC said: "We recognise that subtitling is a hugely important service, and we endeavour to ensure it is as accurate as possible. There are occasions, particularly during live broadcasts, when mistakes will happen but we do all we can to keep this to a minimum and are constantly striving to improve accuracy."‬

A deaf refugee from Bhutan impresses in Canada with her enthusiasm

2011-10-01T11:49:00.000+01:00

Moving half-way across the world to an entirely new country and culture could seem daunting to a deaf teenage refugee from Bhutan writes Gisï Nyembwe, Alert Net (29/09/11).

But Pabi Rizal says it's the best thing that ever happened to her. And she'll tell you in English and American Sign Language - both of which she learned in an astonishing three months after she, her parents and two deaf siblings came to the Canadian capital just over two years ago, when she was 18.

"I believe deaf refugees can do anything hearing people do, except hear," she says through a sign language interpreter in her Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada classroom at St. Joseph's Adult School in Ottawa. Clearly excited about being interviewed by UNHCR, she's exuberant and outgoing, her face only turning sombre when she recalls refugee friends she left behind in the Beldangi camp in eastern Nepal.

After 17 years in a refugee camp of thatched huts - her parents fled Bhutan soon after she was born - Pabi was enormously impressed by things most Canadians likely take for granted.

"Wow, there is electricity everywhere and all the time," says Pabi, her eyes lighting up at the thought of being able to study at night and use her computer whenever she wants. "Here at school, I keep on being amazed at the flashing fire alarm," she adds.

At first astonished by the high-tech visual learning aids at her new school, Pabi quickly mastered video phoning. She now uses Skype to train other deaf Bhutanese refugees around the world. She is happy to explain how to use the equipment in the classroom, her enthusiasm inspiring visitors just as electricity illuminates Pabi's new world.

Pabi and her family are some of the 5,000 Bhutanese refugees from camps in Nepal coming to Canada under a five-year resettlement programme that began in 2007. More than 50,000 refugees have already left camps in Nepal for eight different countries in one of the world's largest resettlement programmes.

Contrary to public perception, American Sign Language is not related to English, so Pabi had two new skills to learn when she arrived in Canada. But after just three months she did well enough to get a job as a warehouse attendant in a department store in an Ottawa suburb.

She's grateful for the opportunity to study in the morning and work in the afternoon, and has applied for admission to the Belleville School for the Deaf in hopes of becoming a teacher of others with hearing problems.

Pabi clearly sees her future as lying in this hospitable North American country. "I want to stay in Canada," she says. "Canada has given me and my family empowerment, equality and respect."

Deaf miss AIDS messages, say activists

2011-09-23T10:04:00.002+01:00

RIGHTS activists have called for a programme to address HIV/AIDS among persons with hearing difficulties reports Francis Kagolo, of New Vision (23/09/11)

The activists said the deaf stood a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS due to lack of knowledge.

The Uganda National Association for the Deaf (UNAD) advocacy coordinator, Joseph Mbulamwana, said of the over 700,000 deaf Ugandans, only about 10% could read and write.

This, he said, had limited their knowledge about the causes of HIV/AIDS, preventive measures and effective ways to live positively.

Mbulamwana said over 90% of the deaf shunned voluntary counselling and testing services due to lack of sign language interpreters at health facilities.

“There is a lot of information but it does not benefit the deaf. Many of them continue to be infected and miserably live with it unaware,” he said.

Mbulamwana added that the situation was getting worse as sections of the public thought the deaf were safe and run to them for unprotected sex.

Mbulamwana made the remarks in an interview with New Vision about this year’s national deaf week which started on Monday.

The celebrations, which are held every third week of September are meant to boost awareness about the problems faced by the deaf.

This year’s celebrations are going on in Ibanda district under the theme: “Are we Planning for the Deaf?”. They end on Friday.

Vision Group, in support of the deaf, offered UNAD free airtime in form of talk shows on Radio West, TV West and Bukedde TV to debate their grievances and advocate for the rights of the deaf. The talkshow on Bukedde TV, code named Akabbinkano was aired on Tuesday at 11:00pm.

The shows were meant to debate the grievances and advocate for rights of the deaf.

“It is hoped that after these shows, the population will be well aware of the problems faced by the deaf in trying to access their rights and that measures will be put in place,” said Doreen Pachuto Vision Group’s legal officer.

Stella Kentutsi, the executive director of the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS, said the deaf had not received the necessary attention.

Mbulamwana said despite the existence of favourable legislation, a number of institutions were reluctant to offer equal treatment to people with hearing impairment.

He cited the sh3b Government grant given annually to districts meant to help persons with disabilities, that in some cases went unutilised.

Scotland’s Largest Deaf Organisation Expands

2011-09-21T09:37:00.001+01:00

Two of the oldest organisations working with deaf people in Scotland, Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association, were delighted to officially recognise their merger on 16 March writes Andrew Edmundson in the Dundee Messenger (22/08/11).

Between them, the two charities have nearly 300 years of experience in working with deaf
people and providing services to promote independence.

In September 2010, Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association announced their intention to merge; creating the largest deaf organisation in Scotland. On Wednesday 16 March over 140 people, including Councillors, health representatives, organisations and clients gathered at Discovery Point, Dundee to celebrate the launch of Deaf Action in Tayside.

The merger of Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association comes at a very important time; this is a difficult period for the third sector, as it is for local governments, companies and individuals themselves. Budgets are being squeezed that will affect the services many people depend on. In this environment Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association are delighted to be joining their history, resources and experience together to deliver stronger services for deaf people.

At the launch event, Petra Claydon, a Deaf BSL user and young mum spoke passionately of her feelings of frustration at being unable to communicate throughout her education with hearing colleagues and today with young mums at the school gates. "After discovering the Training Services available from Deaf Action and working with their staff, I am delighted that I am now in a position to deliver Deaf Awareness Training and British Sign Language Training to hearing people. It is courses like this that address the very same communication difficulties I have faced in my life," explained Petra who is now working with Deaf Action in Tayside to provide training courses to others.

Bill Nicol, a member of the Perth lip reading group, stressed what the group meant to him; "The lip reading classes cost very little to sustain but they provide members with much more than the skills of lip reading. People diagnosed with a hearing loss can very quickly become isolated; by attending lip reading classes people get valuable support, advice and companionship, it is important that these services continue and develop."

Liz Scott Gibson, Director of Deaf Action commented "We are overwhelmed by the number of people that came out to support our work. We are looking forward to continuing the great work done here and to developing innovative services to meet the needs of deaf people today". The celebrations came to close with an inspiring performance from Claypotts Primary School Signing Choir.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in Scotland are affected by some degree of hearing loss – that approximately 62,000 people in the Tayside region. Deaf Action is the leading provider of services for deaf people in Scotland and has a long history of providing services for and working with Deaf British Sign Language users as well as those who are deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing.

Deaf people march to demand sign language in courts and TV news

2011-09-13T13:23:00.000+01:00

Around 150 deaf people marched to the House of Representatives on Monday to push for the passage of two bills mandating the use of sign language in court proceedings and television news programs.

Members of the Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC) arrived at the Batasang Pambansa compound at 4 p.m. and attended plenary sessions after marching from a mall on Commonwealth Avenue to call for the passage of House Bills 4121 and 4631.

A sign language interpreter was flashed on a large screen inside the plenary hall to accommodate the deaf visitors — a first in the lower chamber’s history.

“The 120,000 documented deaf… Filipinos will definitely benefit from such practices, making it possible for them to [comprehend] timely and relevant information," the group said in a letter to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

The group was also able to gather during the past months more than 100,ooo signatures endorsing their call for the enactment of these measures.

HB 4121, authored by Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares, requires local networks to use sign language insets in their news programs.

Use of interpreters in court

The PDRC lamented how major Metro Manila news programs do not use subtitles or sign language insets, despite provisions in Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

“Although some regional stations have started utilizing sign language insets with the help of non-government organizations, this practice is unfortunately not carried out by their mother stations," the group said.

HB 4631 meanwhile provides for the use of interpreters in all court proceedings and public hearings.

The group said the measure should be immediately passed to address the “high" incidence of criminal cases involving deaf persons.

Casiño said in a privileged speech that Congress should make sure that the rights of hearing-impaired Filipinos are protected.

“Deaf Filipinos need empowerment and charity… They merely demand equal realization of their rights," he said. — VS/HS, GMA News

Hundreds sign petition to bring back teacher of the deaf

2011-09-09T07:59:00.001+01:00

Parents of deaf children in Southampton have collected 1,500 names on a petition calling for the reintroduction of a part-time teacher of the deaf reports the BBC (09/09/11).

Southampton City Council will debate planned cuts to visiting teachers of the deaf on 14 September.

Parents of deaf children, supported by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS), will attend the debate.

The council said it welcomed the chance to "advise them of the service we provide and to hear their views".

NDCS said the city currently has the worst level of school back-up for deaf children in England.

Vital service

Jo Campion, of the NDCS, said: "The success of this petition shows that urgent action is needed."

She added: "Deaf children in Southampton face the worst level of specialist support we have seen in this country and it is absolutely vital that the city's council reverse the cut."

Tracey Pettit, whose nine-year-old son William is deaf, said: "We are overwhelmed at the level of support that residents of Southampton have given our petition to save services for deaf children.

"It shows how much everyone cares about the right of deaf children to thrive in school and beyond."

Deaf children and their families in Southampton faced poor support before the council made its latest cut as one post was frozen last year due to budget constraints, the NDCS said.

There are now two part-time specialists in the city, working the equivalent of one full-time post between them to support 165 deaf children.

The charity is currently involved in a campaign across the country to oppose cuts to educational services for deaf children.

Southampton City Council said it had increased resources for deaf children in mainstream education.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, the city council's cabinet member for Children's Services, said there had been "no cut to service this year and we actually have plans to increase provision in the new school year and every deaf child that is entitled to help will receive it.

"This debate will help show our commitment to the quality of service that the council provides to all children with hearing impairments - which is above and beyond that of many other councils," he added.