NATION
Arkansas
Cashier using her disability to inspire others
A local Kroger cashier is using her disability as an inspiration to help others. Heidi Courtway is 20 years old and has had a hearing impairment since she was a toddler.
Colorado
Special smoke alarms installed for deaf and hearing impaired
The American Red Cross of Colorado is working with the Colorado School for The Deaf and Blind by installing 100 special alarms, specifically for families with members who are hearing impaired.
Florida
FSDB girls basketball competes in Clerc Classic for first time
The Florida School for the Deaf girls basketball team was invited to Clerc Classic XX in Indianapolis, the biggest high school basketball tournament for deaf schools.
Inclusion movement at Colson Elementary in Seffner lets deaf and hearing students learn together
Diego was getting “a little bored” at Colson Elementary. The fifth-grader is one of about 50 deaf and hard-of-hearing students at the Seffner school.
Georgia
NAMB HONORS PIONEER MISSIONARY TO DEAF, CARTER BEARDEN
Twelve-year-old Robert Moore couldn’t take his eyes off the dynamic preacher in front of him at his deaf school in St. Augustine, Fla. As Carter Bearden preached the Bible in the spring of 1971, young Moore listened intently.
East Laurens students learn sign language to communicate with classmate
Students at one Central Georgia school are going above and beyond to make sure one of their classmates feels included.
Indiana
Breaking a barrier: Students create menus for hearing-impaired and deaf communities
What began as a school project to help hearing-impaired and deaf communities is gaining traction at local restaurants.
Louisiana
QUIET LEARNING TAKES PLACE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S SIGN LANGUAGE CLASS
One of the hallmarks of a Catholic school is what you don’t hear. More than a thousand students might be packed inside classrooms during the school day, but the sound of silence in the hallways is an unmistakable sign that education is in progress.
Destrehan student signs National Anthem for LSU Championship game
Ten-year-old Logan Fraychineaud had always been told he could do what he set his mind on.
Michigan
ASL advocate helps residents connect to Flint’s silent community
Janet Hughes, 59, works second shift for her retail job but devotes her free Monday evenings to learning sign language on the third floor of the Ferris Wheel building downtown with Linda Bell’s Ring A Bell ASL class.
North Carolina
DEAF DOCTORAL STUDENT ADDS NEW PERSPECTIVE TO UNC AUDIOLOGY PROGRAM
Alexis Nye sits at the low, lightweight kitchen table at her home in Carrboro. It’s the quintessential graduate school apartment: homey, yet transient.
NCSD formally introduces new director
The North Carolina School for the Deaf was abuzz with excitement on Jan. 6 as the school held a welcoming reception ceremony for its new director, Mark Patrick.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican deaf community complains about unqualified interpreter during earthquake briefings
In Puerto Rico there are still earthquakes and aftershocks that have forced thousands of residents in the southern part of the island to leave their homes and seek refuge in shelters or outside in their vehicles or tents.
South Dakota
Students move into new school for the blind
Just like any student in a new place, the students at the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired are taking some time to learn their new surroundings.
Virginia
Deaf activists in Virginia pushing for movie theater open captioning bill
Virginia hopes to become the second state in the nation to have an open captioning bill.
West Virginia
Embracing American Sign Language
The West Virginia Deaf Service Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Scott and April Hottle.
WORLD
Australia
DEAF AUSTRALIAN ACTIVISTS DEMANDS CLEAR VIEW OF AUSLAN INTERPRETERS
ALEX: Here is an interview with two deaf advocates for accessibility to emergency information in Australia — Shirley Liu and Colin Allen.
Cambodia
Grab to partner with deaf drivers
Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing app, announced yesterday the launch of two new initiatives in Cambodia under its ‘Grab for Good’ social impact programme.
Canada
PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF CANADA: THE HISTORY OF DEAF COMMUNITIES IN CANADA
On May 13, 2019, federal Bill C-81 officially recognized American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language, and Indigenous Sign Languages as the “primary languages for communication by Deaf persons in Canada.”
Deaf-blind Ontario woman suing over student loan debt inequality
A disabled woman is in an Ontario court this week seeking changes to Canada’s student loan program that she argues would level the playing field for people with disabilities.
South Korea
INSUFFICIENT SIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR THE HEARING-IMPAIRED
While the hearing-impaired use hand gestures as their main means of communication, or communicate in sign language, recent research found that specialized sign language education is not being conducted properly.
Tanzania
Tanzania: State Urged to Invest in Sign Language Schools
PEOPLE with hearing impairment have appealed for government intervention to invest in schools that cater for only hearing impaired pupils or students which will have specialized tutors for the subjects.
Uganda
18-year-old Masaaba uses sign language to empower deaf girls
Masaaba, now a mother of an 11-month baby; says everything started changing after losing her hearing sense.
United Kingdom
Prince William thanks South Shields TV translator in sign language at MBE investiture
Alex Duguid, from South Shields, picked up the accolade for services to deaf people and British Sign Language education, having spent the last three decades helping communications for deaf people.
Desk of the PIO 