The Deaf community in Lewiston, Maine, was shocked when a mass shooter, Robert Card, shot many people at a bowling alley and a bar, killing four Deaf people. Eighteen people in total were killed, and thirteen others got hurt. The names of the four Deaf victims were Joshua Seal, Billy Brackett, Stephen Vozzella, and Bryan MacFarlane. They were at the bar, playing in a cornhole tournament. The Deaf community in Maine and around the world was saddened and affected by this tragic event. This was the worst mass shooting involving the Deaf community in U.S. history. Over 1,000 people attended a gathering to remember the victims.

In India, a widely known brand named Vicks Cough Drops has released a music video in Indian Sign Language (ISL) for their #VicksKholIndiaBol Cheer Anthem. This song encourages millions of Indians to cheer and talk without coughing, throat problems, and discomfort. The new video portrayed Deaf fans and a star cricket player, Yuvraj Singh, using Indian sign language. Vicks partnered with India Signing Hands, an organization that promotes education and awareness, to join in the cheering and show their love for cricket. Deaf members from India Signing Hands directed, performed, and edited this song.

The Deaf Women Association of Nigeria (DWAN) in Bauchi had a meeting to discuss the need for sign language interpreters in hospitals for Deaf patients to be able to communicate with doctors and nurses. Deaf people sometimes feel stressed and have a hard time telling doctors about their health issues, which can result in incorrect medicines, or Deaf patients not understanding what is happening. The chairperson of the DWAN in Bauchi asked for support from the government, schools, and other groups to make life better for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. They also asked for more sign language interpreters everywhere, including on TV

A man named Kubjoza Lugaria became involved in Deaf awareness week in September by biking 961 kilometers from Mbeya to Teyia. He is 34 years old and has garnered inspiration from everyone who followed him. He wanted to promote the idea that individuals with disabilities and hearing loss are capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to. In 2003, he became Deaf after observing his mother consume medication that he mistook for a sweet and proceeded to take himself. He currently works as a chef, and on top of that, he endeavors to encourage others to cycle.

WITS is the name of the university, and the Centre for Deaf Studies debuted in 1998. Since they have turned 25 years old, they are currently celebrating for a month beginning in September. They also directed their attention towards another program, Hi Hope, which provides assistance and support to parents of children with hearing impairments, health conditions, or who have cholera implants. This program instructs parents on how to communicate with their children using sign language.

On October 23rd, three Irish Deaf people made history by becoming the first Irish Sign Language (ISL) user graduates of the Dublin City University (DCU). This achievement was made possible by a program introduced in 2019, which allowed Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who use ISL to be able to study at the university. The three graduates, Kevin Dudley, Aimee Ennis McLoughlin, and Aisling O’Halloran, are now qualified primary school teachers and have already begun working in the classroom as teachers with Deaf children at Holy Family School for Deaf Children in Cabra, Dublin. The trio formed a strong bond while studying together, providing support to each other during their educational journey.

Justin Edgar is a hard-of-hearing British filmmaker who often includes people with disabilities in his films. He recently produced a unique film titled “The Letter,” directed by Sam Dore, which features an entire cast and crew of Deaf artists. This 30-minute film explores the experiences and the impact on the Deaf communities in Germany during World War II in 1933. While the film is based on true stories, fictionalized characters are used to delve into the narrative of a Deaf regiment of stormtroopers and the rise of the Nazi-controlled social organization for Deaf individuals, known as the Reich Union of the Deaf of Germany.

Kampala recently hosted the country’s first festival to provide sign language interpreters. The Bell Lager ObaFest beer festival celebrated the diversity of East African cultures. The idea to make the festival accessible first stemmed when representatives of the festival organizers conducted an accessibility audit at the venue to figure out how people with disabilities could fully enjoy the ObaFest.

In Cochabamba, two deaf individuals Sarah Nina and Juan Pablo Arispe have secured jobs as guards. Sarah works in City Security, while Juan works for the Intendency at the Municipal Office. Over a year ago, they passed both theoretical and practical exams, proving their suitability for these positions. According to Article 2, Paragraph I, of Supreme Decree 29608, dated June 18, 2008, public institutions are obligated to employ people with disabilities, with a minimum requirement of 4%. In addition to these guards, the Municipality employs people with disabilities in various units.

In Callao – Lima, Dann Ticona Cabrera (20) is a young man with a hearing disability eagerly awaited the start of his classes at the Public Pedagogical Higher Institute “María Madre.” His excitement waned, however when he realized there was no sign language interpreter in the classroom to facilitate lesson comprehension. Even though four days have passed since the classes began, Dann and two other young individuals with hearing impairment still lack the tools to access education. Consequently, he and his peers staged a protest today outside the educational institution, demanding the provision of interpreters. The student’s mother expresses her frustration, as it has been disheartening for him and his two companions to watch the rest of the class progress while they struggle to understand the sessions due to their inability to hear.

In Florida, meteorologists are urging those who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing to make preparations this hurricane season. There are more than 800,000 Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in Florida. Meteorologists are warning the public to please prepare for what could come. Florida Storms meteorologist Megan Borowski says there are a number of special needs shelters that Floridians can pre-register in the state that provide food and shelter and care for folks with special needs including Deaf and hard-of-hearing.

On September 21st, Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) collaborated with the Deaf community to host an all-inclusive sign language workshop for hearing people to learn to communicate with Deaf people. The event, arranged by the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination and Culture Tourism Department, encouraged the audience to experience communicating with Deaf people and to think about what an all- inclusive environment would look like. There was also a presentation covering the 300 different sign languages around the world, the history of Deaf people and a summary of what Deaf culture is. This event also included opportunities for the audience to ask questions, which were answered by Deaf people themselves.

A Mexican director, Diego Del Rio, produced a drama film called, “Todo El Silencio”, which translated to English means “All the Silence”. Del Rio released a commercial exhibition for the newly released film on October 23rd at the Warsaw International Film and the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. This film is unique because it has a cast of Deaf actors. One of the Deaf actresses, Adriana Llabrés, experienced otosclerosis as a child, which caused her Deafness, and her experience was the inspiration of the film. Llabrés played the role of a sign language teacher named Miriam. In the development of the film project, a Mexican Sign Language (LSM) interpreter was hired as consultant to advise on the scenes that used sign language to ensure accurate translation and clarity between the Spanish and LSM languages.

In England Deaf people can get information right at the station. Some of the busiest railway stations in the country are adding British Sign Language (BSL) travel announcements. Touchscreens for Deaf passengers are now available at eight stations with interactive displays sharing travel info. The system was first trialed in 2021, with software development costs of 1.1 million British pounds, and now all stations in the northwest and central regions have them.

Deaf people show that there are many ways to enjoy music. According to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a Deaf person is one who has a hearing loss, despite this, there are three ways in which the Deaf can overcome the melodies: 1) Through vibrations, since due to the bones the body is a resonator box capable of capturing the musical pulse. 2) Through visual elements, by appreciating the wide range of body expressions and lastly, 3) Through sign language interpretation. Deaf people can enjoy just as many music genres as hearing people, including classical music, rock, pop and more.

A collaboration between the AT&T telecommunications company and Gallaudet University in Washington, DC has resulted in development of a new 5G network connected football sport helmet. The helmet enables Deaf athletes to communicate with each other in American Sign Language (ASL) using an augmented reality screen built inside the helmet. The Gallaudet University Bison football team players, which competes in Division III, have long faced challenges against teams with hearing athletes, such as crowd noise and inability to hear whistles, signaling the end of a play. On October 5th, the Bisons stepped out onto their football home field and wore the helmet for the first time during their football game against Hilbert College.

A Deaf woman named Sarah Sunny made history by becoming the first Deaf female lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. Sunny, who is 27 years old, has been practicing law for the past two years, advocating for the rights of Deaf people in Bengaluru to help them gain access to education, employment and healthcare. Sunny is part of the Human Rights Law Network which has supported her in her advocacy. To ensure Sunny is able to access information at her workplace, the Supreme Court has appointed an Indian sign language interpreter for the first time in history. This is a step forward in making the Indian legal system more inclusive for the Deaf community.

Chelsea Reinschmidt is an international student from the USA, who may be the first Deaf student studying at the Master of Sciences in Occupational Therapy program at Brighton University in England. Prior to starting the program, Reinschmidt said she informed the university that she would need interpreters in all of her classes. After she was accepted, she was later required to withdraw from her Masters programme after the university realized they could not fund the cost of sign language interpreters. Reinschmidt was devastated by the news because she already paid more than $10,000 USD for fights, accommodation, and visa costs. Reinschmidt had the goal of becoming a trained occupational therapist in the UK. She has submitted a formal complaint to the university for breaching its duty to adapt to Deaf students since all university courses require accessibility for disabilities, including international students, under the Equality Act.

During International Week of the Deaf, an important holiday for Deaf people in September, the Vaata festival was held in Estonia. This year’s theme was based on the courage to be different. There were many lectures about feminism, LGBT, mental health, immigration from Ukraine, life in deaf and hearing worlds and translations. The end of the festival was a big party to celebrate. This festival is held every 2 years. This was the third time.

Due to the political situation in the world, Turkey has refused to issue residency permits to Russian immigrants, including Deaf people. Some Russian immigrants have even bought an apartment within the Turkish state a long time ago. Many tried to get the residency permit with the help of a lawyer, but to no avail. Russian immigrants have been forced to leave Turkey.

Jason Wong Yiu-Pong is a Deaf dancer who studied at Hong Kong Design Institute. At first there were no sign language interpreters for him. He advocated and advocated, and finally, sign language interpretation services were arranged. He first found his love for dance at 20 years old. Although he could not hear music, he felt it through vibrations. He won third place at the Beauty Pageant in Thailand in 2022 where he also prepared outfits and performances within a short time and learned International Sign.

Fukushima Satoshi is the first Deaf-blind professor in the world. He studied in a university, which had never happened before in Japan. Then, he became a full-time professor. His mom, Reiko, who has always been there for him, wrote a book, ‘Satoshi wakaru ka’ about their life together. A movie was made about Fukushima’s life. Fukushima is currently head of the Japan Deafblind Association and represents Asia in the World Federation of the Deafblind and advocates for a world where everyone is treated equally, no matter if they are a woman or belong to a minority group.

Miracle Afele becomes the first Deaf young woman to compete in the 2023 Miss Samoa Pageant, a historic milestone for the Deaf Community in Samoa! In her day job, Afele runs the Miss Samoa Association of Sign Language Interpreters organization and teaches Deaf people and their families how to communicate using sign language in Samoa. Many people have said that Afele was inspirational for being a Deaf role model who has broken barriers to be part of the pageant. However, others have criticized the organizers of the pageant for letting a person with a disability participate. Some have even used mean and degrading comments towards Afele, but this has made her even more determined to win the pageant.

Amsaan Accessible Tours (ATT), a touring company in Dubai that promotes inclusivity and equal opportunities for Deaf tourists traveling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is collaborating with The First Group of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to encourage and promote accessible hospitality across transportation, accommodation, healthcare, recreational entertainment and visa support. ATT has developed a mobile application that is accessible in sign language to allow Deaf tourists to travel with comfort. Their aim is to allow Deaf tourists to connect and explore in a supporting environment with 24/7 access to interpreters for effective communication and fast solutions.

A digital avatar, Xiaomo is a virtual sign language interpreter created by Alibaba Cloud who interprets spoken Mandarin to Chinese Sign Language. An upcoming event, the Asian Para Games, will be hosted during the last week of October in Hangzhou, China. Xiaomo will provide interpretation during the game to make the event accessible to Deaf people. Xiaomo is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deaf people can simply use the Alipay app on their devices to ask Xiaomo for information, including directions, event schedules, and even to seek medical help. Zhang Bang, an engineer with Alibaba Cloud says that it took nearly two years to develop the algorithm for Xiaomo and to build the dataset that contains 25,000 signs.

The Tesla Brandenburg Gigafactory in Berlin which officially opened last year recently hired 60 Deaf workers out of 11,000 workers to work in its facilities. Many Deaf workers are refugees who escaped the war Russian invasion of their homeland in Ukraine. The process of hiring Deaf workers began when they asked if they could combine five Deaf individuals into the Berlin Giga team. From one Deaf worker to sixty Deaf workers, word spread, and more Deaf people were encouraged to join the Berlin Giga team.

On Tuesday, 19th September, at the National Media Center at a press conference during Deaf International Week, Mr. Robert Nkwangu, executive director of Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) demanded the government solve issues about policies for professional sign language interpreters because of increased entries of fake interpreters privately entering the job market through computer processes and having people pretend to be someone teaching sign language. The 2023 Deaf International Week from 17th to 23rd September 2023 is the celebration of the annual 50th of the Struggle for the Human Rights of the Deaf People, where they can sign anywhere.

On International Sign Language Day which was September 23rd, 13 episodes of the TV childrens program “Sisimpur” incorporated Sign Language for Deaf children’s access. It was created by Sesame Workshop Bangladesh (SWB). An organization named The Society of the Deaf and Sign Language Users (SDSL) is working on the growth of using sign language in Sisimpur’s special episodes. Signing will also be included in an upcoming TV cartoon show soon. Sisimpur Managing Director Mohammed Shah Alam says his goal is to make connections with every child in Bangladesh.

Hello, my name is Gwendoline, this is my sign name, and I am from Zimbabwe.
This workshop assists me in promoting the deaf community in Zimbabwe by
assisting them with everything. Hello, my name is Theodora and my surname is
Fauna, and this is my sign name. I have an association in Zimbabwe because we
want to promote people there. This programme is to promote for people with
disabilities, and we have the motivation to encourage people in Zimbabwe to
stand up for themselves and to encourage their Deaf children to do the same.

There have been positive actions in the country. The Rwanda Deaf Blind Association is working alongside with Deaf groups so they can begin to assist the Deaf Blind. One family member who benefited from this initiative and the training they received stated that they are now able to move forward with their lives. We would like to acknowledge the work that the Deaf-blind Association does for the deaf in Rwanda.

In 1988, an American Deaf man got a letter from then US president Ronald Reagan. The Deaf man was Lee Brody, who helped make communication by TTY possible for more people. The military and Western Union was upgrading their communications system and had many older TTY machines to retire. A Deaf electrical engineer and a Deaf dentist recognized a golden opportunity to repurpose these machines by adding electronics that could convert sound to text. A box could be connected to phones to send text between TTY machines, which was not wide available before. Now Deaf people could connect directly with important services, like schools, hospitals, libraries, and local police, fire and emergency call departments. The letter from Ronald Reagan congratulated Brody for his contributions to the Deaf community. “Your good efforts…have helped countless Deaf and Deaf-Blind people gain renewed ability to communicate with others, greatly enriching their lives.” Improvements continued – light flashers were added to alert Deaf people to incoming calls, then code and electronics bridged the gap between TTYs and computers.

At the 7th Deaf World Wrestling Championship in Kyrgyzstan on September 10-11, Iran’s wrestlers did well but placed second in the competition. The Iranian team won three gold medals, one silver medal, and four bronze medals. Turkey did even better and became the champion. Kazakhstan got third place.

Elias Mardini, a Deaf Lebanese individual, established a tour guide agency in 2019 with the aim of showcasing the beauty of Lebanon. Elias initially worked as a cook, then a carpenter at a hotel, then a gas attendant, and lastly at a ski resort in Lebanon, which provided him with valuable opportunities to explore Lebanon’s various attractions. Elias recognized a unique opportunity. There were no other Deaf tour guides in Lebanon.

In Montevideo, 32-year-old Deaf youth named Rodrigo Couto requested a sign language interpreter from the Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay (BHU) in January to complete a procedure, but BHU initially refused to provide one. Through the Ministry of Social Development (Mides), he eventually obtained an interpreter, but Couto filed a complaint with the National Institution for Human Rights (INDDHH). INDDHH concluded that BHU violated the right to equality and non-discrimination by denying him an interpreter. BHU argued that it wasn’t obligated under the Uruguayan Sign Language Law, but INDDHH interpreted differently, stating that the law required reasonable accommodations to ensure accessibility. INDDHH’s resolution recommended that BHU offer sign language interpreter services. However, INDDHH emphasized that the violation wasn’t the lack of an interpreter at the institution but the refusal to make a reasonable accommodation for Couto. Rodrigo Couto shared that this wasn’t an isolated experience, as he had encountered accessibility issues in other public organizations in the past.

The international World Deaf Swimming Championships tournament will take place at the Roca Olympic Park in Buenos Aires with 120 athletes from 26 countries participating. Juan Daniel López Maccio, president of the Argentine Sports Confederation for the Deaf (CADES) says “We are working very hard to make a championship that will be remembered. It will be an event with high visibility, an unprecedented tournament for everyone, and we will show the world that deaf people can also excel in sports.”

On August 8th, wildfires swept across Maui, forever changing the lives of the hundreds of thousands residents on the Hawaiian island, including Deaf people. Maui used to have a lot of wetlands, areas with a lot of water and plants, but over time, these lands became dry because they were turned into farms, baseball fields, and places for houses. Also, because of strong winds and no rain, the fire was able to spread quickly. When the fire came, many people did not know because the warning systems, like sirens and text messages, did not work properly. People tried to leave, but the roads were blocked because of dangerous live wires on the roads. So, they had to find other routes. H3 World TV reached out to Scott Cohen, a member of Maui Deaf Friends, a grassroot organization in Maui.

A project at University of Edinburgh’s Scottish Sensory Center involves creating an online glossary of the terms with video to show the signs clearly. These terms are then shared with the community for review and adoption. BSL, like other languages, changes over time, growing in some directions, shrinking in others. Since 2007, the University of Edinburgh has been busy inventing new science signs in British Sign Language, and have added over 7,000 signs to date. The project is partly funded by the Royal Society, a long-established, widely respected scientific organization that recognizes the value of science communication in the Deaf community. Some of the people working in the project are scientists who became frustrated with the lack of BSL vocabulary in their work, and the tedious work of fingerspelling terms with no signs.

A company, Sign Now is expanding interpreting services to sporting events, including soccer. The CEO of Sign Now, Timer Levy, wants Deaf Israelis to have access to 24/7 on-demand sign language interpretation through the Sign Now app. Sign Now’s new service is estimated to reach 90 million Deaf people. In August of 2022, Tomer Levy met with FIFA executives in Europe. After a successful meeting, Sign Now provided sign language interpretation for 64 games on streaming service “FIFA+”. That went so well that Sign Now wants to expand to all major sporting events by giving companies that host sports the opportunity to provide Sign Now services to Deaf viewers. Sign Now provides interpretation in American Sign Language (ASL) and International Sign. In Israel, they interpret using Israeli Sign Language (ISL).

In 2016, a report was released in England by the United Nations that said there were “grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s rights due to austerity and welfare reform.” Austerity and welfare reform are when government spending is cut to help balance England’s national budget. The report said that those spending cuts are impacting the lives of Deaf and disabled people in the UK. Despite clear evidence that things are getting worse for Deaf and disabled people, the UK government did not prioritize spending on programs that assist living standards for Deaf and disabled people. According to a recent report, 20% of Deaf and disabled people in the UK do not get enough food or water, and don’t have adequate access to bathing. Some don’t have the help they need to go to the bathroom. Welfare has been cut so deeply that according to a recent BBC investigation, 60,000 Deaf and disabled people found themselves in debt when they didn’t get the support they needed. Another 632,000 Deaf and disabled people in England are at risk if the government is unable or unwilling to reverse the cuts they’ve made to public services.

Scriptwriter and director Jevon Whetter is Deaf and worked with the production of “Flash Before the Bang” which is about an all-Deaf track and field team that won the Oregon State Championship in 1986. Joined by Jevon’s brother Delbert as producer, the cast includes Daniel Durant of CODA fame, Russell Harvard from Fargo and Jessica Alba, who will also serve as executive director together with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The world has changed in the 37 years since the Deaf Oregon team won a state championship, and this movie will help show how much.

Most Deaf children are born to hearing parents who don’t know sign language. The incidental learning that is very important for picking up language often doesn’t happen. In Kenya, a program called Lugha Ishara was developed to deal with that problem. Lack of access to language hurts growth. It affects social and emotional learning, impulse control, brain development, confidence, self-esteem, education. With so much impact, early intervention can make a big difference. Lugha Ishara gathers information from local hospitals and clinics to reach parents with Deaf children. Then they work to educate parents or caregivers about their child’s options for learning language. Those who agree to use sign language as part of their children’s experience begin a program with the Language Development Centre to expose children to Kenyan Sign Language.

Data Lead Africa in central Nigeria is hosting a Deaf Tech Summer Camp titled Digits and Signs as part of their larger Deaf in Tech program, which teaches advanced data analytics, data visualization, and how to use research tools. Dr Arowolo Ayoola, a partner at Data Lead had a Deaf roommate in university. His familiarity with Deaf people disturbed him that after graduation, his roommate struggled to find work while he was soon hired. Starting January 2022, Ayoola hired 30 interpreters, including those who interpreted for hearing trainers and others who became trainers themselves. The first class of thirty students completed their courses in August, and another class graduated in September. Ayoola reported each students’ training costs as around US$156 (N$120,000) and training focuses on Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI software. The children’s summer camp program will be a first for Data Lead Africa. The entire Deaf in Tech program is intended to model Deaf diversity, equity and inclusiveness for other Nigerian businesses.

Athletes from about 30 countries participated in 21 sports at the “Summer Games of the Deaf” in Ufa for 10 days at the end of August. Having beein deprived of the opportunity to participate in various international competitions due to international sanctions, Russia took on itself to organize its own competitions at home.

The 5th World Deaf Bowling Championship was held August 1-12 in Munich, Germany. 200 athletes from 27 countries arrived. Despite the fact that Germany is considered the birthplace of bowling, and representatives of Asia and Oceania have the largest number of medals: South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Only a few athletes from Europe managed to take prizes.

The British Columbia Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness did not have ASL interpretation when wildfires raged through B.C., resulting in an uproar from the Canadian deaf community. In a statement, the Canada Deaf Grassroots Movement said it’s relieved that at least 12 people with hearing loss were evacuated from Kelowna, despite “the glaring omission of American Sign Language from the B.C. government’s live streamed updates on the crisis. While closed captioning was available during public announcements, CDGM says that is not sufficient for Deaf people who use ASL as their primary language. The uproar resulted in the B.C. Ministry providing ASL interpreters the next day. Dr. Joseph Murray, president of the World Federation of the Deaf, who wrote on social media earlier this month saying that “access in national sign languages must be built into official government emergency preparedness plans.”

The 5th World Deaf Orienteering Championships were held in Stockholm, Sweden during 29 August to 05 September 2023. Although anticipated, the 1st World Deaf Junior Orienteering Championships were canceled because not many people signed up. Because of the low number of registrations from young people, there was a meeting between Mr. Jarosław Janiec of ICSD, Mrs. Olga Dula from ICSD, and Mr. Frej Freedman from the Organizing Committee to review this and plan on how to improve this for future championships. Athletes from countries Ukraine, Denmark, Czech, Brazil, Estonia, Finland, Ghana and many more participated in this international sporting event.

Leslie Footscray is a man from the First Nations, and he cannot hear. Leslie didn’t know about a big vote called the “Voice referendum” until he saw a T-shirt. The shirt had the word “yes” on it with symbols on it reflecting the process of voting. At an event, he asked his advocate, Sue, about the shirt. Sue explained that on referendum day, Australian adult citizens will be asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the proposed law altering the Constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. It will ask “do you approve this proposed alteration?” If the answer is “yes,” the constitution would be rewritten to state that the Voice “may make representations” to the Parliament and executive government “on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” Leslie is worried because other people who are Deaf might not know about the vote either. He thinks they should get the chance to vote too. He uses Auslan to communicate with others.

A member of Taiwan’s Deaf Bowling Team encountered severe breathing complications during a flight returning from Dubai to Taipei after a successful stint at the 2023 World Deaf Bowling Championships in Munich, where the team clinched two golds, two silvers, and four bronzes. The situation escalated when the team member lost consciousness inside the plane’s bathroom. Although immediate first aid was rendered by a flight attendant, and assistance of a doctor from Cathay General Hospital who happened to be on the same flight, after a relentless 40 minutes of emergency medical care, the bowler showed no signs of life. In an official statement, Sports Administration Deputy Director-General, Fang Jui-wen, expressed his profound sadness over the incident, stating that both he and the Chinese Taipei Deaf Sports Federation Secretary-General, Chao Yu-ping, met the team upon their return to provide immediate support.

Minister of Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, spoke at the launch of the Kuching Starbucks Signing Store in Vivacity Megamall in Kuching. She said this partnership with Starbucks Malaysia and Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD) aims to empower the deaf community, giving them equitable opportunities and recognizing the differently abled. She emphasized that community empowerment is vital for local development. Fatimah lauded the collaboration, saying it goes beyond government assistance, calling for more local and non-governmental entities to intensify their support towards the differently abled. This is the first Starbucks Signing Store in Borneo, third in Malaysia, and the 20th worldwide. This powerful collaboration sends a clear message about the importance of inclusivity in society.

In Northern Ireland, a hearing mother of a Deaf baby, Janice, is determined to learn BSL to communicate with her son – but there are no affordable options nearby to learn. There are generally two kinds of sign language courses – those run by local charities and another set by private classroom courses. Private classes are usually offered in the evening and are expensive. Charity-operated courses struggle to find money to support their courses, and currently donations are low, with some programs closing out. Yet on the other hand, 10-month-old Mason has hearing aids and is scheduled for a cochlear implant. Janice is not confident the implant will give Mason full access to language, so she remains intent on learning to sign and teaching it to Mason. But she remains frustrated with the lack of local resources and points out that hearing children are given access to schools and spoken language, but that same access isn’t available for deaf children who aren’t exposed to BSL at home and school.

Code for a Cause is a movement that encourages computer programmers to help community development projects. Starting with this idea, UNICEF in Serbia supported building a Serbian Sign Language mobile phone app. Unicef partnered with the Elder Creative Agency, the Belgrade Organization of the Deaf and Vega IT software development to design an app that gives Deaf Serbian children early access to language. This is a helpful tool in a world where many hearing parents of Deaf children do not learn to sign and the child may live in an area with little to no sign language access. The app provides children with another way to learn language early. The app is free and available for Apple and Android phones.

Deaf citizens in the state of Punjab celebrated a win with interpreting access for a local leader’s Independence Day speech. With about 300,000 Deaf people in the region, Patiala Association of the Deaf president Jagdip Singh hailed it as “a big step toward accessibility for us.” Singh now works with the state advisory board of the Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development with the goal to organize a state association of the deaf.

The Centre for Deaf Studies has taken a big step to help the Deaf community. There’s been a problem where Deaf people do not get good access to counselors who understand them and get help with their feelings. They started the SafeSpace program and chose three Deaf people who really wanted to help. These three people learned how to be good counselors by taking the LifeLine Counseling Course which taught how to talk to people and help them feel better. After many months of hard work, these three people became certified Deaf Counselors. Now, these new counselors can help other Deaf people with their feelings. They have their own experience of what it’s like to be Deaf and are now equipped with the skills on how to give the right advice.

A young woman, Nasike Robai who is a student at Karen Institute studied hairdressing, body therapy, sign language, and food production and service management. Her passion is fashion design saying “I am taking a course in fashion design, I want to own a fashion shop and sell clothes to trainees and trainers of this institute, and celebrities.” Growing up, Nasike’s parents struggled to send her to school because of their poverty, so they enrolled her in primary school while living in a rural, impoverished area of western Kenya. The Africa Development Bank and the Kenyan Ministry of Education provides funding to the Karen Institute to encourage people to get training to help their country to create more job opportunities.

The Maryland Deaf Community Center (MDCC) has purchased land, completed a design and $3.5 million in the bank to complete the work. However, they need to raise another $1.5 million before construction can begin on a Deaf community center in Frederick. The new center will have 11,000 square feet of space to be used for a gym, offices, a lounge and kitchen. The center will connect with outdoor spaces for fair-weather gatherings and host community education programs. This project has been in progress for several years and the Deaf center is expected to open up opportunities to recreate the sense of in-person community.

An American urban farmer, DeVonne Jackson Perez, was recently chosen to travel to Uganda as part of Catholic Relief Services’ “Farmer To Farmer” educational program. Devonne traveled to St. Anthony School for the Deaf, located in a rural area on the equator, just 3 miles northeast of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Widespread poverty in the region has led some families to abandon their Deaf children. 95% of the students at the school are orphans. Some Ugandans also view Deaf people as cursed, leading to attacks by family or neighbors. DeVonne’s goal was to give Deaf farmers in rural Uganda the ability to feed and support themselves through small-scale farming.

The 8th Indian Deaf Expo will be held in Pune January 26 to 28, 2024. There will be three days of exhibits, festivals, speakers, awards and pageants. The Expo is hosted every 2 to 3 years in a different Indian city. Expo organizers, Deaf Leaders Foundation says “India has about 10 million Deaf and about 40 million Hard of Hearing people.” The event aims to “create a platform where Deaf individuals can showcase their skills and connect with each other.” The main goal is to raise public awareness about Deaf people, its rich and varied culture, the development of sign language in India and to stimulate new opportunities.

The first Chilean short film to be made in sign language created, performed and managed by deaf people, “La carta de 32 años”, produced by Pupa Studio Creativo was hosted by Centro NAVA in Santiago. The film which is signed with audio description and subtitled, is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Valentino, a young doctor who is about to become a father and, at the same time, his mother is sick of cancer. In the midst of this, Valentino learns that his father is not his biological father, but another man whom his mother has not seen for 32 years, when she was pregnant with him. Desperate, Valentino decides to go in search of that man, increasingly anguished and in an existential crisis that will confront him with the disturbing truth he is looking for.

Architects and ambassadors San Lorenzo Barbara Biglieri and Marcela Vazquez created the La Librería space, a special place to connect all the senses, where empathy and inclusion are the impulse to offer a room adapted for reading. in braille and sign language. The sensory room took place at Casacor 2023. The design of La Librería, in addition to being functional and inclusive, contributes to the creation of an aesthetic and spatial sensation, generating a balance between materials, shapes and nature. Children with hearing disabilities enjoyed the interactive screen where they learned about various books adapted to their way of communication.

Christian Miranda is on the team as a chef at one of Disney’s major attractions, the Star Wars’ Galaxies’ Edge. Miranda began working at the Dock 7 restaurant there during the summer of 2021 as a busser, clearing and cleaning tables. He moved up from there through food preparation to cook and chef, all while working with hearing staff. Most recently Christian worked as Steward and had to apply for another position to move up. An ASL interpreter was provided for his interview and he got the job! His skills expanded, his confidence grew, and he learned enough to be promoted to chef. His co-workers are picking up ASL while working together and they’ve devised a creative system using photos and a whiteboard to make the workplace accessible. He hopens to move onto fine dining.

A new app in Calgary now allows emergency services workers to communicate through sign language interpreter. This allows police officers who can now communicate with Deaf people.

The European Union recently advanced a proposed EU-wide law that aims to combat violence against women. Some parts of the proposal are specifically inclusive of those who identify as Deaf. The proposed law criminalizes 1) rape based on lack of consent, 2) female genital mutilation and 3) a variety of online crimes – “revenge” porn, stalking, harassment, and incitements to violence or hatred. It also improves access to justice for victims with disabilities. It would also ban any form of sterilization without consent.

A Deaf man named Prince Nahimana was successful in getting an Arts degree. He looked around, saw his Deaf peers were struggling to find work and decided to do something about it. This led him to create the Kigali Deaf Art Gallery four years ago. As he put it, “I started the gallery to show that disabled persons have talents.” Today the gallery employs 13 people who produce products that are artistic and useful, including beaded pots, jewelry, ornaments, multimedia, fashion, paintings, drawings, murals and sculptures.

During the National Forum of Mexican Sign Language Interpreters, Mayor Enrique Francisco Galindo Ceballos announced that it has been his goal since he became Mayor to teach Mexican Sign Language (LSM) in basic education schools. He also thanked staff members who prepared the proposal and that “you are a vehicle for the city council to be more inclusive, in this case with Deaf people.”

An American teacher named Deanna Glasser won a case against the Kentucky School for the Deaf. She reported problems at the school – not enough staff who sign and not following students’ special education plans. Glasser said the principal, Toyah Robey, held meetings with Deaf staff present without sign language interpreters. Glaser says that her contract wasn’t renewed because she spoke out against discrimination. A jury agreed the school didn’t renew her contract because she spoke up, and awarded her $240,000 in damages.

Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, near King’s Cross station in London received another outstanding rating for the fourth time in a row from Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The school teaches both British Sign Language and English. The headteacher, Mr. Sive said that he is proud of the school and its dedicated staff, and attributes the school’s success to the hard work of the staff, students, parents, and governors.

One couple in Jamaica is offering Jamaican Sign Language classes through PAH! Bridging the Gap to emphasize the relationship between JSL and culture. As PAH founder Stephanie McIntyre-Groves explains: “…we teach Deaf culture along with Jamaican Sign Language because we believe that you can’t know one without the other; they are almost married.” Stephanie’s Deaf husband Kamar is the main teacher of the courses. They have taught 139 hearing and 2 Hard of Hearing people, and the number continues to grow.

In early July, Warsaw, Poland hosted the Deaf Championship Football League. Twelve teams from around Europe participated. After the competition, there were awards for the best player, best goalkeeper, best coach, most honest player, and the youngest player.

A major Deaf talent show was part of Musikfest, an annual event that runs over 11 days. This year it was held August 4th-13th in Pennsylvania. CJ Jones, a Deaf Hollywood veteran, was executive producer for Deaf talent. Deaf model, performer and author Nyle DiMarco appeared as Master of Ceremonies for Deaf and Hard of Hearing singers, singers, and rappers.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) Congress in 2027 will be hosted at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Some concerns have been raised about the safety of LGBTQIA+ people attending the event. In the UAE, there are laws against same-sex relationships. There are also laws prohibiting any workshops or presentations on LGBTQIA+ topics. During the recent WFD Congress in Jeju, South Korea, Ordinary Members (OMs) voted on the location, and it was initially tied between Norway and the UAE, with Nigeria behind. WFD initially recommended the UAE, but later they changed their recommendation when they found out that LGBTQIA+ topics couldn’t be discussed there. Despite the concerns, the UAE won the bid to host the Congress, beating out Norway and Nigeria. The UAE bid sparked concerns among some organizations and individuals, both at WFD and in the global Deaf community. A petition was started to challenge the decision, gaining thousands of signatures. The WFD board is in talks with the UAE to iron this out.

South Africa has become the fourth country in Africa to recognize sign language as an official language after Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda. A bill supporting recognition passed the South African National Assembly by a vote of 306-0. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the legislation official in a Pretoria ceremony that makes South Africa Sign Language recognition part of the country’s Constitution. The president noted that this addition to the Constitution is an expression of the country’s Bill of Rights, which bans discrimination. As the President says, “Official recognition is just the beginning, much more still needs to be done to support this language and we, on the government’s side, are going to make sure that it is implemented properly.”

Deaf German runner Tom Eller completed six marathons in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series whcih is held in major metropolitan cities around the world, including Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Eller began running marathons at the age of 38 after someone offered him a spot in a marathon. Eller’s training routine includes running every day, usually at 4 a.m., to ensure he feels safe running alone in the dark. In addition to training 7 to 9 times a week, Eller also works as a teacher.

Keivonn Woodard, a Deaf 10-year old, was nicknamed by his hockey teammates and coaches, “Hollywood” for his goal celebrations. Now Keivonn is in Hollywood for real, and was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in the TV series The Last of Us. The production team say that Keivonn has a lively sense of confidence that comes through in his scenes. CJ Jones, a successful Black Deaf actor and the Director of ASL for the show, said, “Seeing a young, Black Deaf actor appearing in this role and working on set is the greatest honor, because I had the privilege to show how much talent he has on-screen.”

During the recent World Federation of the Deaf Congress in Jeju, South Korea, General Assembly members discussed selection of a “Deaf flag”. Three designs for a Deaf flag were proposed, and Deafblind French artist Arnaud Balard’s Sign Union flag was chosen. The design was first shared with the public when the Deaf French National Federation approved the flag in May 2014. Nine years later, the flag is now officially recognized by the WFD as the Deaf flag. The design uses three colors to form the outline of a hand, symbolic of the central role that sign language holds in the cultural and linguistic lives of Deaf people worldwide. Balard said his biggest dream was to create a flag that people would identify with immediately as a strong symbol. Why a flag? As Balard put it, “when you see one, you can feel at home, “ he explains, “Finding a Deaf flag in the crowd, instantly you would know that there is another person like you who will accept who you are!

Earlier this year, the Philippine School for the Deaf was recognized by the National Museum of the Philippines as an important cultural property. In a ceremony attended by the mayor, local officials, a Japanese embassy official and National Museum representatives, the mayor noted the concrete and wood-framed school built in 1907 was the first Deaf school in the Philippines and one of the first Deaf schools in Asia. It has stood the test of time, surviving falling trees, several typhoons, earthquakes and political revolutions. The school is now semi-residential and instruction is provided via SimCom.

In Chile, the Deafness Institute released its first digital collection, which is called “Our education is in your hands.” The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness and collect funds that allow continuity in the educational project that the Institute has through its Jorge Otte Gabler school. The school has more than 100 Deaf students from early stimulation to fourth grade. In addition to the work level, training tools are provided for students with special needs in order for them to achieve development and autonomy that allows them to go out into the world. The educational project has an Intercultural Bilingual component, where Deaf and hearing adults coexist in the encounter between different cultures and there is the presence of two languages permanently: Chilean sign language and Spanish.

In Medellín, a company called Filarmed has set up a “Soy Músico” musical project to offer music workshops to Deaf people. The Royal College of Music in London is also parterning on this project along with support from the Musical International Network. The program creates spaces for people with disabilities to participate in musical experiences and concerts.

Artist and illustrator Yiqiao Wang has designed a special collection of vibrant mugs and mugs for sale at Starbucks’ Signing Store in Washington, D.C. The design pays tribute to the Deaf community thorugh use of determined, brave, daring and colorful hands framed by coffee cherries that spell out the word “connect” in ASL.

The Graffiti Tejido Campaign which is now underway to increase and make deaf blindness visible, through art. Woven paintings measuring 20 by 20 cm is being displayed. It has tissue squares to demonstrate that deafblind people can pass, touch and know. This is an effort for the community in Guadalajara to become more aware of Deaf people.

People of the Hindu faith celebrate a 9-day holiday called Navratri four times each year. They are celebrated differently in which part of India. For example feasting, dance and stories takes place in Mumbai, a city of 12 million people. Hindi Deaf people have met every year for 31 years to celebrate the fourth and most popular of the four Navartri, called Shardiya Navrati which begins on October 15 and continues through October 23. Organizers say it has become one of the largest gatherings of Deaf people in the Mumbai area, and possibly in all of India. The center of this celebration is the Hindu goddess Durga, a warrior. In the Hindi faith she is considered a powerful destroyer of evil.

The Laura Quinkan Indigenous Dance Festival is held every 2 years in a tiny northern Australia town and attended by over 4,000 people. Indigeneous residents, including Deaf dancers compete. Ity is one of the oldest regular indigenous events in Australia, running since the early 1980’s. For 25 years, the Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (DIDG) has participated in the competition. Created by Patty Morris-Banjo, it is one of the few events that brings Deaf Aboriginal people together regularly. The Aboriginal people of Australia number between 300,000 and 1,000,000, and the number of Deaf Aboriginals is even smaller.

There is growing concern about the gap in educational progress between Deaf and hearing students in Ireland. . In all of Great Britain, Deaf students are behind hearing students by about one grade in each subject. Because Ireland is very short on teachers specializing in Deaf education – 40% fewer than Britain – the education lag among Irish students may be larger than Britain’s. Britain has stricter requirements for Deaf education, so quality of instruction in Ireland may also lag. Mainstreamed education is the standard in Ireland, so many Deaf students experience isolation at school and often at home.

Chris Morton, a Deaf man from the United States, recently completed his walk across the USA, a journey that began from Venice Beach, California in August 2022 and ended July 6 in Ashbury Park, New Jersey. His 11-month adventure included doubts, tears, two side trips to an ER, resilience and determination. As Chris tells it, he was running with a bad crowd in California and realized he needed to get away from toxic people and a toxic social environment. During his journey, he developed other goals – to promote mental health awareness, inspire others who doubt their abilities, and show what Deaf people can do.

A group, DigiDeaf was formed in Islamabad with goal to promote an inclusive society through capacity-building programs and excursions. Capacity-building through training in digital and business skills – graphic design, web design, e-commerce, business and financial management. It also includes English lessons, yoga classes, and training teachers and parents in medical and linguistic needs of Deaf children and soft skills – entrepreneur mindset programs and communication. More recently it organized a trip to Dino Valley, an education and amusement park in the hills northeast Islamabad.

Vanessa, a DeafBlind woman has begun working for ABC News Digital, proofreading stories and sharing corrections with the writing team. Impressed with her skills after asking her to organize and run a live blog on the International Day of People with Disability, ABC moved her up to subeditor, an ongoing role. She says the key to her work and daily life is her Brailliant device, a keyboard that translates text to braille.

The “European Capital of Deaf Youth”, a major event for young people aged 18-30 was held in Nantes, France between June 27 to July 2. Held every two years, there are lectures, a conference, visit to a museum, master classes, a city tour, computer technology workhsops, discussions about the future of Deaf Youth, and a party.

Erwan Nomade is a Deaf traveler, teacher, coach, actor, blogger in France. His main work is Visual Vernacular (VV) where he not only performs but also teaches and encourages brave people to try VV through Instagram. It gives everyone the opportunity to look at the world more broadly.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) estimates the global Deaf population to be around 70 million. The World Health Organization says 430 million people worldwide have some level of hearing loss. Most people in this group are those who slowly lose their hearing as they become older. 80% of them live in low and middle-income countries and can’t afford hearing aids. If these 70 million people had their own country, with the ability to create a complete linguistic and cultural community, it would be the 20th largest country in the world – smaller than Germany, larger than Thailand. It could easily support large cities of over 1 million Deaf people. It can be argued that the world’s Deaf population is the largest community on the planet without its own country.

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in New York received $35,000 to send students and faculty to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a four-week intensive program titled European Deaf Culture: A Pilot Program in Community Engaged Learning. This program is funded by the US State Department and the Pilot programs are intended to test ideas. During the program, students are exposed to European Deaf cultures – local sign languages, regional history, and Deaf education practices. They will connect with local leaders and advocates to learn about local policies and strategies for social acceptance and integration. Students will also visit important history sites and visit regional schools and organizations.

Deaf Reach, an organization in Rabat, Morocco was awarded the Hamdan-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic world. The award is given to people and organizations that excel in leading charitable and voluntary education programs. Deaf education is limited in Pakistan, so Deaf Reach is one of the only educational choices for Pakistan’s rural and urban Deaf community. Deaf Reach provides education and skills training for Deaf children and youth, training for teachers and interpreters, Pakistan Sign Language programs for parents and communities, advocacy, job placement, and creating Deaf-related educational resources. The award was presented to Deaf Reach founder and director Richard Geary who has lived in Pakistan for over 30 years.

Sharon Mulenga and Klizzie talk about Deaf life in their country. If there is an event, we invite all of our Deaf friends and we all come together to ensure that everyone benefits. All Deaf women who have good education also have a good job. The government uses sign language, for example on TV. There are interpreters on TV. At the same time, we do have challenges. Many old people and some Deaf people cannot get a job to earn money and empower themselves. We in Zambia are working hard to uplift the lives of Deaf women by providing them with grants to help them start a business or undergo training to get employed. There is also free education that greatly benefits the Deaf community and we tried to encourage Deaf people to go Deaf schools to develop their language skills, including writing and reading.

An organization named Alaso is responsible for promoting indigenous languages used in indigenous communities – whether spoken or signed. Recently they organized a gathering at a church where 200 people gathered to learn sign language. The reason they organized this is because they know that many people want to learn different languages. So they established language classes to teach Tsonga, Swazi, French, German, Chinese, and Zimbabwe Sign Language. People can go online and choose which language they would like to learn. The organization noticed that Deaf people were facing communication and language barriers so they set up this course to teach 200 people sign language since 2021.

Xrai Glass has been getting a lot of buzz lately over their captioning glasses which incorporates voice-to-text functionality and displays text inside the glasses so the user can watch real-time language translation directly within the glasses. The manufacturer claims their technology can translate between at least 76 leading languages. They say the user must be in a quiet space and the technology works only if one person speaks at a time. The cost? All the software and hardware adds up to around $900-$1,000 USD and subscribing to their service is required. They expect the price to come down eventually. In July, they will introduce the “Beam”, a key accessory to connect the glasses to different devices – laptops, phones, desktop computers and game systems.

The Deaf community in Montreal were surprised by a sudden freeze on interpreter services. Funding from the Quebec government for interpreters ran out before the end of the budget year. It has happened before. The agency that manages interpreters, Metropolitan Montreal Deaf Community Center (MMDCC) had $200,000 funding through April 1, 2023 but came up short. This prevented Deaf people needing interpreters for medical care. Canada has universal health care, so anyone who needs a doctor can visit one. But interpreters are not part of the national health care program. Doctors, public officials and community advocates are calling for the government to do better and fully fund the interpreting program going forward.

A proposal by The Commission on Women and Family in Peru to amend a law requiring the National Police of Peru to provide Peruvian Sign Language interpreters for any Deaf person that makes a complaint within the legal process. This amendment to Law 30364, the Law for the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Womenand Family Members was approved unanimously. If the police officer knows sign language, they can accompany the Deaf person but if they do not, an interpreter must be provided regardless of cost. The aim is to make it easier for police officers to provide access to Deaf people when they are involved in legal situations. This helps prevent abuse against Deaf people, as well as women and family members.

During a tour of Latin America in Montevideo by Camilo, a famous Columbian singer, musican and songwriter, a Deaf fan named Nacho wanted to meet the singer and managed to enter the backstage to meet Camilo. Nacho spoke with the singer through a sign language interpreter, and Camilo was touched by how he was able to interact with a Deaf person. Nacho shared with Camilo how inspired he was by his song lyrics. Camilo was grateful to the young man for showing him the world “from a different perspective.” He said, “This encounter touched my soul in a very profound way.”

Local education officials in the Solomon Islands are working with the Australian Catholic University to provide sign language classes through the Iumi Tugeda Helpem Solomon Aelans Def Komiuniti: Inclusive Education project. The program aims to address three issues between Deaf and hearing people in the Solomon Islands; bullying, ignoring and neglect. Better communication in both directions would help to resolve these problems.

Three companies are working together in July to offer training for Deaf Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) actors, filmmakers and screenwriters in Atlanta, Georgia. Jane Bryan, a Deaf BIPOC filmmaker and her Deaf Talent Media and Entertainment Consulting firm is leading the project in collaboration with Amazon and AMC Network to host two residential programs.

Students in the United States won an American Sign Language (ASL) competition. Three students at the Bloomfield Hills Schools Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Oakland County are national winners in a competition championing the use of ASL. Three students, eighth graders at East Hills High School submitted videos performing an original piece in ASL for the Marie Jean Philip Competition.

The Pope hired Indigenous Sign Language interpreters to interpret his message. Three indigenous women interpreted the Mass of Pope Francis in ASL at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. Christopher Wells, a reporter from Vatican Radio, explained the importance of communication and how language is key to understanding. The interpreters also explained their personal experiences as indigenous women, and one of these 3 women recalled the abuse she suffered growing up in a residential school. The three women appear in the following order (from left to right): Marsha Ireland, Crystal Wolfe, and Rae-Marie Richardson.

The principal of Kahilipara Deaf School and two others in the northeastern India state of Assam were arrested along with nineteen students in seven cities as the police investigated a leak of a state exam answers paper. The investigation began after a handwritten version of a general science exam answers paper began circulating on WhatsApp. Although the exam was for Class 10, most students sharing it were in Class 11 and 12.

One hundred and forty three years ago today, Helen Keller was born in Alabama. She is known worldwide as a DeafBlind celebrity. Her fame was fed by international speaking tours, a Broadway play and later a film called “The Miracle Worker”. She gained many famous friends, including Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and several presidents. In 1999, Keller was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.

Google recently hosted a competition with the goal of using artifical intelligence (AI) to recognize American Sign Language (ASL). The competition attracted nearly 1,000 individual programmers and 175 teams. It ran for a month. Hoyeol Sohn, a single programmer from South Korea, won the top prize of $100,000. In a discussion with Sohn, he explained that he believes the AI code would be able to recognize EEG signals, which is the pattern of brain activity that appears while fingerspelling.

The Institute of British Sign Language (iBSL) announced it is closing down as result of governmental policy changes and decreased income during the pandemic. iBSL is a Deaf-owned and Deaf-led certification-awarding organization that began as an idea during the British Deaf Association in 2004, and became a company in 2007. In 2009, it was accredited by a government agency to certify BSL skills qualifications.

In northern New Zealand, over 20 students at the Moerewa School in Northland participate in “Language Days” which is a big deal for Deaf children in a rural area and is often the highlight of their month! Some people drive two hours to attend so their Deaf children get a chance to meet their peers, play and learn together. The meetups are trilingual, a mix of English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language, creating a fully accessible Deaf community comfort zone.

The EUD 2023 General Assembly was held recently in Stockholm where they discussed the 2022 Annual Report, 2022 Financial Report, their plans and programs for attaining employment and funding in 2023. There were also proposals on different topics such as minor sign languages, personal assistance for the Deaf, the rights of Deaf children, the rules of conduct in International Sign. There were lots of discussions and new ideas presented. The next conference will be in Estonia.

In May, Germany hosted the European Ninepin Bowling Championship which was attended by participants from Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia and Germany. Croatia brought home the most medals. Also in May was the European Judo Championship held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ukraine and France received the most medals.

Deaf American activist Kelby Brick in U.S. introduced the concept of “Deaf Ecosystem” which advocates an economy among Deaf professionals. Deaf businesses can grow by working together. Mutually supportive business-to-business trade between Deaf companies creates another source of income. Deaf businesses can build relationships with professional, social and recreational organizations, schools and governments. This network helps new and existing Deaf businesses grow markets by offering goods and services to hearing customers. The concept began in the USA, but it is now a global idea. The Deaf Ecosystem concept has reached Canada, Australia, the Philippines, Europe, India, New Zealand and beyond.

In the Netherlands, out of its 17 million people, just 1.7% of the population can sign. To address this, a group of local artists have created a new video on TikTok that combines music, dance and Netherlands sign language (NGT). The video begins with Court, a 22-year-old Deaf man, who collaborated with T-Mobile Netherlands, a mobile data provider, and musicians Sor and Sigourney K to create a music video titled “Body Language” that entertains and teaches at the same time. They chose TikTok, which is one of the fastest growing social media platforms.

The Ntinda Tech Buzz Hub, a business startup center in Kampala, Uganda, hosted the first-ever local debate done entirely in sign language, with Deaf and hearing signers and interpreters. More than seventy people – both Deaf and hearing sign language students, Deaf professionals, local Deaf community leaders and hearing citizens – discussed the value of technology in Deaf education, with Deaf debaters arguing in favor and hearing debaters opposed. But the event was not limited to debate – contests in poetry and storytelling were also included. Organizer Alex Agwal, head of Uganda’s Deaf advocacy organization Signs for All, worked with the Tech Buzz Hub, the National Debate Council, United Persons with Disabilities and others to make it happen. Alex is a student majoring in physics and math who operates three centers where sign language is taught.

Two Deaf women Lina Mweyalala and Bata Armas talk about their lives in Namibia. Namibia is a beautiful country because it has sand/desert and different kinds of animals. It is very hot and doesn’t rain much. The Namibia government is very good because Deaf education is accessible is free. They also provide funding for sign language interpreters, and promotes the inclusion of Deaf people in the economy to ensure they have access to opportunities. The Deaf community in Namibia consists of Deaf-owned businesses such as hairdressing, and creating jewelry from glass and stones.

Olatunji Rebecca, a hearing person founded the ”I Can Sign” project. Why did she set up this project? Her family is Deaf and they use sign language to communicate. At first, she withdrew from the family and avoided signing with them until her sister confronted her to ask why she was ashamed of them. This was the beginning of her journey. She set up the project for four reasons. Firstly, in Nigeria, over 90% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents with no communication between them. Secondly, when there is domestic abuse, Deaf children are unable to communicate this. Thirdly, if a Deaf child enters school with no communication, this delays primary education. Fourthly, the lack of communication and access to information results in a poor life. As a part of the “I Can Sign” project, Rebecca taught 25 parents how to communicate in sign language. In 2020, the pandemic forced them to move online. Rebecca’s dream is to train at least 500 parents by 2025

On Thursday May 18th, a Deaf climber from Malaysia, Muhammad Hawari Hashim, summited the tallest peak in the world – Mount Everest. However, as Malaysians celebrated the country’s first Deaf Everest summit, Hawari went missing during his descent to Camp 3. After a long, intense search that has been ongoing since May 19th, Muhammad Hawari Hashim remains missing after official search and rescue efforts have ended. His wife, also Deaf, and two young children are hoping for an extension of the search.

Internet access costs in Canada are among the highest in the world. That cost hurts the Canadian Deaf community because many affordable plans have limitations on data use. People who go over the limit get bumped down to slower speeds that don’t support video calls. This impacts Deaf customers who rely on video calling to connect with people. Video uses more data than texts or voice, so Deaf customers who rely on video calling often exceed their data limits quickly. On June 1, the CRTC, a Canadian telecommunications agency, will receive new accessibility reports from companies that offer Internet access in Canada.

Kabernet School for the Deaf, a rural Deaf and Blind school in Kenya for about 75 students that has endured years of hard times has now closed down. Staff say they have not been paid for nearly two years and are calling on the Kenyan government’s Ministry of Education to fully fund the school and provide for repairs and upgrades. The school was built in 1995. Today, the electricity has been disconnected, the water well needs to be redrilled and buildings are in poor condition.

In Lima, a young student who is Deaf passed her tests and was accepted into a university. She informed the university officials that she was Deaf and needed sign language interpreters. However, on the first day of classes, she was told that there were no sign language interpreters. This is happening at the María Araoz Pinto Higher Institute, an entity attached to the Ministry of Education and which has more than 40 years of service. A lawyer took on her issue and made the case of the applicant known through social networks and demanded that the university authorities provide a solution as soon as possible to the problem.

BibloRed, an organization in Bogota that focuses on ensuring that the general population has access to reading skills has created and released 40 different courses, two of which are beneficial for the Deaf community: 1. A Colombian Sign Language course to promote the acquisition of the language, including Deaf culture and basic signs, and 2. a course that focuses on caregivers and family members of Deaf individuals.

Eric Shear, a Deaf man, has had many experiences – getting his masters degree in Planetary Science and a second masters degree in chemical engineering. He lived in a simulated Mars habitat where he did astronomy surveys, flew twice in zero-g flights, and toured the the Biosphere 2 in Arizona which is the first attempt in creating a sustainable closed ecology. He has also written two published papers, one exploring Saturn’s rings, and the other exploring ice caps on Mars. On the AstroAccess program that Eric joined, teams went on zero-g plane flights. The program remains active and aims to put a disabled astronaut in space, possibly in orbit.

Syler Pizzolato, 16 years old of Billings, is now in training to represent Team USA. He was selected to compete with Team USA at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in Argentina this summer. He says “My hearing impairment actually helps me stay focused because I don’t have distractions.”

Six Deaf graduates have graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Information Technology at an ITversity campus near Pretoria. Itversity is the first higher education institution in South Africa to offer a dedicated bachelor’s degree and IT diploma for Deaf students. The Deaf education program began in 2015 with eight Deaf students. Now it has 30 students. The program is challenging; the first 3 years are focused on an IT diploma that requires 2 ½ years of courses and six months of workplace training. Successful students go on to another 3 years of coursework for the ITversity degree.

Efforts to create sign language avatars are usually driven by hearing engineers who don’t fully understand the needs and perspective of Deaf end users. In Australia, a Deaf-centered project has taken a different approach. They made an effort to build an avatar in a team effort with about 15 Deaf consumers. One of the first goals was to survey the Australian Deaf community to determine what they want.

Mexican Sign Language (LSM) is now available in a soup! Moderna, who created and launched the pasta in the shape of signs commercially, won the Clio 2023 Awards which they received in at Gotham Hall in New York on April 23rd.

The Kentucky School for Deaf which opened for students in 1823 is celebrating its 200 years. During the school’s history, the dorm was used by soldiers fighting in different armies of the American Civil War at different times. Faculty, staff, students and alumni came together to celebrate. At one time speaking and lipreading classes were required! Festivities included a speech from the Mayor, the theatrical performance of the school’s founding, an art center and museum exhibit, a time capsule, a gala with silent auction which was sold out, and “Deaf Education Day” with state senator Donald Douglas.

A musical “Lorelei. Maid of the Rhine”, a German work premiered in St. Petersburg with hearing artists using sign language. It is a story about a mermaid’s love for a young prince. In an underwater world, they communicate in sign language. Hearing artists learned sign language in just 4 months and plans include doing a tour in Russia.

Unlike many, many museums in the world with very few offering accessibility for Deaf people, the Deaf Museums project helps achieve maximum access in terms of information. They make video guides, share tips on working in the museum with Deaf visitors. Soon more places with accessibility may become available to us.

In 2001, Guo Rui joined the first Deaf undergraduate class anywhere in China – at Beijing Union University. She graduated in 2005 and moved south to Sozhou near Shanghai. After working as a warehouse manager and volunteering at the Suzhou Association of the Deaf for five years, she became its chairperson where she created the Sign Language Public Service Center Center to improve accessibility through high quality interpreters and sign language teachers. Then she began work on her next big project – Deaf employment. After a year of working with image retouching businesses, in 2019 she was ready to open a training center to build teams of Deaf professionals in image editing. The business venture now has over 20 employees and four locations.

The School of Deaf Education and Applied Sciences (SDEAS) in Manila partners with businesses in the Philippines to create employment opportunities for Deaf workers. During the pandemic, PayPal’s office was struggling to find staff. They connected and agreed to work with SDEAS to create a technical training program with an interpreter. After three months of training, the Deaf team started working at PayPal doing customer support. It is the first time PayPal has tried this anywhere. If successful, they hope to expand the program.

One Deaf player, Anaya Lall, took on seven challengers and finished undefeated to win the Under-14 Girls Chess Championship title during an international all-girl student competition in India which attracted over 2,000 players from 120 countries. She is 12 years old which makes her the youngest person ever to play for Guyana at a FIDE Chess Olympaid! She says she didn’t go in expecting to come out a champion, but feels good about winning. Team Guyana defeated teams from Laos, Central African Republic, Timor-Leste and Libya. Players of any age and any disability from 120 countries compete to determine who are the best players.

The 4C Preschool Program at a private Catholic school in St. Augustine’s is the only option for pre-K ASL education in Saskatoon, a farm state in midwestern Canada. Public schools in the city do not offer ASL instruction at any grade. Parents drive from miles around to give their children an opportunity to learn ASL from a Deaf teacher while also learning English. The program accepts both Deaf and CODA students. The school has ASL story time, play time, monthly themes, gym activities,lessons, field trips, and local events. These give children access to both ASL and English which results in better emotional, social and communication growth, lower anxiety and frustration, earlier and better quality reading skills.

There is a new restaurant and plant nursery that hires people with disabilities on a beach in southern Nicaragua. They did not plan at first to hire Deaf staff but after hiring one Deaf person, they have hired more Deaf staff who work at both the restaurant and thenursey! Edwin, the hearing head chef and restaurant manager, learned enough sign language in 10 days to communicate with and train the cooks and servers. Since Nicafé opened, Edwin’s NSL has continued to grow along with his bond with the Deaf staff. All management and staff have learned some Nicaraguan Sign Language to communicate as a team. Having two businesses in one reduces the business’ dependence on tourism. The restaurant is in San Juan del Sur, a tourism city with a population around 15,000. All the local Deaf people grew up together, attended the same school and know each other well.

Fanni Singini and her friend Edna Makonyola talk about training and employment for Deaf women that also covers Gender Based Violence and other training on issues that women face and problem solving. They also provide training on developing businesses and help Deaf people get jobs. thewy with with the government to train teachers for Deaf children but are challenged with finances. “Malawi is a happy place… beautiful mountains and rivers with beautiful animals. We in Malawi are happy that we are here to learn and bring positivity to the country.”

Emmanuel was born Deaf but was unable to attend an university because of his academic proficiency and knowledge of Kenyan Sign Language. One day after observing how many hearing and Deaf people were unable to communicate with one another, he founded the Deaf Association and teamed up with Tiko to build a classroom to teach Kenya Sign Language from 6 to 7 every day for three months. those interested in learning to become sign language interpreters should study for 1.5 years.

A Deaf couple, both born into Deaf families, have plans to climb Mount Everest in the spring of 2023. They met as teenagers and when they began their careers, they began serious mountain climbing. Their first big climb happened in 2015, at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania. They also climbed mountains in South America, Mexico and the French Alps, then went on to the Aconcagua in the Andes mountains of Argentina and climbed Mt. Denali in Alaska. Now they want to climb the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.

A new position paper by World Federation of the Deaf, WFD states that “Deaf people and deaf communities must stand at the forefront of all activities related to sign languages”. It goes on to say that Deaf people must be given the opportunity to teach their own sign languages, their national sign languages. WFD explains that signing Deaf people have everyday lived experience with the language. Languages evolve continually and the people who use it everyday as their first language are most current in practice.

A Chief in Zambezi donated farmland to the Deaf community to support development. The Zambia National Association of the Deaf is now handling the property where Deaf people work to become self reliant by trying out different ways to farm and overcome discrmination from people who think Deaf people are witches, diseased and contagious, lazy and unskilled. They use agroforestry – mixing trees and food plants together – and use biochar – burned plants and trees as fertilizer with leaves from particular trees. As more Deaf Zambians learn how to farm, more opportunities open up for independent living.

Dr. Karina Muñoz Vilugrón, from the Institute of Pedagogical Specialties of the Puerto Montt Campus of the Austral University of Chile is doing research on the “Characteristics of the educational experiences of Deaf people for the construction of an inclusive education proposal based on Deaf epistemologies”. The project will be under Fondecyt of Initiation in Research 2023 of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) in Santiago. They hope it will result in inclusive education proposal, empower the Deaf community, a guide book for teacher training, and an e-book with life stories to use in classrooms with Deaf students.

In Caracas, Venezuela, the jury for the second season of “La Voz Chile” was impressed with Jeremy Romero, a Venezuelan migrant who sang the theme Colors, while interpreting it through sign language. The 32-year-old singer appeared at a Blind Audition and at the end of the presentation, chose to be part of Beto Cuevas’ work group, who assured that he would become his coach for life. Primera Edición Colombia reported that Romero wanted to pay tribute to his Deaf friends and promote inclusion of Deaf people.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) are hosting the ‘Shaped by the American Dream’ exhibit. The showing ‘Shaped by the American Dream’ shows art of the 100 years of Deaf American experience. More than 140 pieces of work are featured – Deaf identity, citizenship, sociality, education, and movements for equality. This display in the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at RIT/NTID ran until April 21, 2023.

The impact of the 1880 Milan Conference, which endorsed oralism in Deaf education, was felt globally but has lasted longer in some countries. Deaf education in India today is primarily oral. There are around 18 million Deaf people in India, yet public understanding of Deaf abilities are low and expectations of students are low. Education begins late. Delayed access to language is common. Two Deaf Indians, Neha Atique and Sana Sheikh, are advocating for increased ISL exposure for Deaf children.

Jenelle Rouse, who lives in Canada, is the first Deaf Black person to receive a Ph.D. She completed the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program in 2008 in Canada, received her Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics in Education from the Western Ontario University in 2016. Then she went on to complete her Ph.D in 2020. Jenelle has worked as an educator in a bilingual school for the Deaf in Ontario for more than 10 years. During that time, she also worked as a Canadian applied linguistics researcher and art artist. She is a body movement dancer and tells stories through movements of contemporary bodies.

About 5,000 Deaf residents, mostly from Eastern Ukraine, have left the country since the war began, and around 33,000 remain. They rely on mobile phones for news, warnings and communication with work, friends and family. But often missiles and bombs strike suddenly without notice because mobile phone networks are down or damaged. One Deaf woman was trapped under the rubble of her bombed apartment building for 20 hours in cold weather, and was rescued after she signaled she was alive through her smartwatch.

Access to democracy for Deaf citizens is still not complete. Abdullah Tani Konateh, a Deaf advocate at the Liberia National Association of the Deaf is demanding sign language interpreters for the voter registration process. Without a clear understanding of how to register to vote, Deaf Liberians are unable to enjoy their rights. Konateh wants the government to do more outreach to Deaf voters at schools and community centers and partner with Deaf organizations. He considers providing interpreters for voter registration as “a fundamental step in promoting social inclusion and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.”

The TV show on NBC, “Accident, Suicide, or Murder” had an episode about Mavrick Fisher and the murder of Grant Whitaker. Both Deaf young men shared a vision about building a Deaf community around a communal farm project that resulted in a violent disagreement that ended in Whitaker’s death. Fisher fled to Mexico and one week later, Whitaker’s body was found. Fisher was extradited to the United States. The autopsy ruled the death a homicide. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicle theft. He was sentenced to four years and served 19 months before he was released on March 24, 2021.

The Ukrainian Society for the Deaf (UTOG) has created channels on the Telegram messaging platform to inform people of air raid alerts which Deaf people can receive on their smartwatch. Deaf people face many challenges during the war including audible air siren alerts. Residents evacuating from the southern Kherson and the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions told UTOG they struggled at checkpoints as they could not hear orders on loudspeakers at railway stations. UTOG says they are vulnerable to shelling because they cannot hear air sirens sounded over loudspeakers or on phone applications. In January, a 27-year-old Deaf woman was pulled out from the rubble after she used her smartwatch to tell her mother she was alive following a Russian missile strike which killed 45 people. UTOG has been asking the government to help improve access to the smartwatch which can cost up to a few hundred dollars.

Brent Phillips, 43-year-old Deaf father of two in Victoria was selected for jury duty in 2014. He was excited but the courts excluded him when they found out he was Deaf. Evidence shows that people with disabilities can participate effectively as jurors with proper support in place, but most Australian courts don’t allow an Australian Sign Language (Auslan) interpreter in the jury room. The United Nations has also found the failure of Australian courts to provide Auslan interpreters violated the rights of Deaf people.

Eight women and eight men competed for the crown at the Miss and Mister Deaf England 2023 contests in London. In one competition, they wore designer outfits made of jeans. Deaf model and soccer player Jamie Clarke was one of the hosts.

Timo Roviesa was a deaf delegate at the 49th Statutory Meeting of the European Youth Advisory Council in Strasbourg. He presented his perspective on the rights of persons with disabilities and a report on ensuring and strengthening accessibility and rights of youth with disabilities. He met with several heads of the Council of Europe departments on topical issues including the rights to sign language.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will require all prison phone companies to provide video communication services for Deaf and hard of hearing prisoners as of January 2024. This new order also applies to people in jails, immigration detention, juvenile detention, and secure mental health facilities nationwide. A call using a videophone may be their only chance at conversation with lawyers or advocates about appeals, abuse they may be experiencing, or plans for their return home.

Nathan Young, one of the fastest Deaf swimmers in the United Kingdom (UK) has accused the agency “UK Sport” of discrimination over the lack of funding for elite Deaf athletes. He is ranked fourth in the world in some of his swimming events, but he is not eligible to receive any Government or National Lottery money to fund his pursuit of gold. The agency is said to focus solely on Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Young is determined to go to the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo and will not let his campaign for funding stop.

With support from the European Union in Egypt and the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) a new streaming platform Cinema Deaf was recently launched and is freely accessible for any viewer based in Egypt to watch films professionally translated into sign language. Egyptian actor Wagih Ellaqani is founder of this platform and collaborated with Deaf community organizations and Deaf individuals and children of Deaf parents.

The Botswana Corporation (BICA) has adopted the Deaf Education Center as a three-year project to improve human and social elements, education and skill development, and wellbeing of children.

The government provides funding to enable Deaf students to attend Gallaudet University in America and other countries. They are also raising awareness of HIV and AIDS and also Deaf women’s human rights. We want our country to develop so more women can hold leadership positions, and receive training – like the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). There is one Deaf school in Botswana with the expectation that there will be more in the future.

Sorenson, a major provider of video relay services in the United States, has partnered with Zoom Video Communications to create the first app that facilitates Zoom conference hosts in incorporating ASL interpreters during a Zoom meeting. The Sorenson for Zoom app can be downloaded from the Zoom App Marketplace. The app allows meeting hosts to request an ASL interpreter on-demand without having to make arrangements in advance. Both hosts and participants can invite the ASL interpreter to the zoom meeting. With this app, Deaf parents can conference with teachers, and Deaf individuals in two different locations can participate in video conference with other family members.

The Khamovnichesky Court of Moscow has sentenced Valery Rukhledev, former president of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG), to seven years in prison. The sentence was made on March 22, 2023 and Rukhledev, who is 78 years old was found guilty of embezzling VOG’s funds during renovations and sale of the VOG building in the center of Moscow. In a civil ruling, the court ruled in favor of VOG and ordered recovery from Rukhledev of 106 million rubles (around $1.3 million USD). He is one of several past VOG employees to get jail sentence.

Around 30 children at the Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Australia had their cochlear implants programmed incorrectly. It was discovered more than four years later. The families of those children are demanding the state government investigate the cause of the problems as their children could not hear sounds properly for more than four years. This issue was first discovered when an audiologist noticed the same problem in nine of her patients and alerted the hospital and health regulators. The South Australia government has apologized for the error and agreed that an independent review by experts outside of the hospital should be done and that the report would be made public.

Grupo Destino wotj the Department of Electronics and Computer Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali who is partnering with the Institute for Blind and Deaf Children have been working on a project called SATReLO for several years. The goal of this project is to improve the therapy process for children with partial hearing loss who are beginning to develop spoken language. They have created video game apps to motivate children to accept therapy in a positive way, increasing the time they spend with it, especially at home. They say “The results of the preliminary tests on the impact of video games on the therapeutic process have been very positive and that it is valuable for families because children can use video games from home and continue online therapy the rest of the week.

The Green Squad of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), General Corps of Volunteer Firefighters of Peru (CGBVP), and Cultural Association for Deaf People have beem traomomg the night watchmen of Miraflores in Lima on various topics that will allow more quality and care. The night watchmen learned in depth regulations that govern their work, including the laws of the municipal Serenazgo service and its regulations. Different classes of fire extinguishers, their uses, maintenance and proper handling were also demonstrated, and they also participated in a workshop on the basic use of sign language to allow better assistance to people with hearing disabilities.

American Sign Language interpreters were included on the red carpet at the 95th annual Oscars Academy Awards for the first time. A team of ASL interpreters helped actors, talents, and reporters to be at ease in engaging with Deaf viewers at home. Members of the media also received guidelines on how to make their pre-show coverage more accessible. The Oscars also arranged free ASL Livestream through the Academy’s YouTube Channel where Deaf viewers could view the entire telecast with full access through the ceremony’s “second-screen approach”.

Keivonn Woodard hopes to become the first Deaf black player in the National Hockey League. He currently plays for the Bowie Hockey Club under-10 team in Maryland and in February attended Hockey practice facilities of the Washington Capitals team in Virginia where he met Alexander Ovechkin, a well known NHL player and taught Ovechkin how to sign his name in ASL. Keivonn said Ovechkin was a dream.

Tecnológico de Toluca became the first engineering school for the Deaf in Mexico when the Technological Institute of Toluca (IT Toluca) offered classes to raise awareness and create job opportunities for Deaf people in Computer Systems. Hugo Ernesto Cuellar Carreón is director of IT Toluca. All classes will be accessible by LSM – Mexican Sign Language. The director said it was an outcome of a community conversation three years ago on the Tecnológico Nacional de México, Iztapalapa II campus.

Jaber Al-Kandari, vice-president of the Deaf International Football Association (DIFA) said he was trying to work with DIFA to host the first World Cup for the Deaf in Kuwait this year or next year with 24 countries participating and that Kuwait has infrastructure including fields and facilities that qualifies them to host this major event. He hopes to get support from the government through the Public Authority for Sport and Kuwait Olympic Committee, as well as the private sector.

Kazakhstan won 46 medals at the 1st Asia Pacific Deaf Championships of Taekwondo, Judo, and Wrestling in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek in March. Three hundred athletes from eight countries including Kazakhstan participated. Team Kazakhstan placed at the top of overall standings followed by the Iranian squad in second place, and the Kyrgyz hosting team in third place in the medal tally.

A Sydney game studio, Vercidium, is developing a first-person shooter called Sector’s Edge with a feature that might appeal to Deaf players. The studio uses “Ray Tracing” as a way to visualize sound cues in colors to communicate the player’s proximity to their source. The result is an incredible new accessibility feature for Deaf players or those that may be hard of hearing. When the players turn on the “Deaf Mode” during the game, all sound output is disabled, meaning both hearing and Deaf players will have exactly the same experience playing the game. For now, the feature remains in testing phase and will be released to the live version of the game soon.

Alok Kejriwal is a Deaf businessman who is using his deafness as a superpower with a mission to make the news, movies and other forms of content more accessible to the 18 millions Deaf people in India. Kejriwal, who runs an export business with a presence in over 60 countries, set up Indian Signing Hands (ISH) News in 2018. He said the idea arose from his frustration with how most mainstream news channels are not accessible to Deaf community. Kejriwal and his team are collaborating with famous Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh to start a conversation about having more representation and better opportunities for Deaf people in the media industry.

Twenty soviet women from different European countries and one small Deaf refugee girl from Ukraine took part in International Women’s Day of Awareness in Brescia on March 8. They organized a “Pink Run” to reflect on working and conscious achievements that women have accomplishments through work and commitment over the years. They have also navigated the struggle for health prevention and fight against discrimination and violence that still occurs today.

Frontrunners is known for teaching young students. Now they have launched a new program, “Frontrunners+” where people over 35 years old participated in the first Zoom seminar to gain new knowledge, better understand themselves, the world around them and create new connections with Deaf people around the globe. Frontrunners talked about what it’s like being a student at Frontrunners, embracing diversity, inclusion and identity in the European Deaf community.

A Deaf girl, Mila Davis-Kent appears in “Creed III”, the third film of the “Creed” series which is already the number one movie in the world, raking in $58 million domestically and crossing $100 million worldwide. She plays the role of Amara Creed, daughter of Jordan and Thompson’s Adonis and Bianca Creed. On her Instagram page, Mila posted, “It’s been a humbling experience. I am so honored to be part of the historical film representing inclusiveness and diversity that made the world feel like it’s normal to be Black and Brown, Deaf and use American Sign Language.”

A Japanese court awarded 16.5 million yen ($123,000 USD) damages to a Deaf woman who underwent forced sterilization under a now-repealed eugenics protection law. The court found the 1948 law unconstitutional. The plaintiff filed the lawsuit in 2019 claiming she underwent sterilization surgery in 1970. Between 1948 and 1996, the eugenics protection law authorized the sterilization of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses or hereditary disorders, even without their consent. About 25,000 people were sterilized, according to government data.

Richard Webb Stevens, a Deaf motorcycle paramedic with London Ambulance Service (LAS) for 24 years, was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Ambulance Medal by King Charles III during a ceremony at Windsor Castle. He was one of the first ambulance responders to arrive on-scene at the Westminster terrorist attack in 2017. He also met with designers, audiologists and hearing aid companies to work on a new design for in-helmet earpiece to be compatible with his hearing aid. These updated communication systems are now being used by police forces, medical professionals and military personnel around the world. He also supported launch of a 999 British Sign Language (BSL) app for people with hearing or speech loss to connect immediately to a video call with a BSL interpreter when they need life-saving help.

The government did not respond to a budget request for the fiscal year 2022-2023 by the Malawi Deaf Association to promote the use of Sign Language. They had requested funding to provide to train 300 sign language interpreters, renovate a Deaf school, and create a Malawi sign language dictionary andsay the government has made empty promises to the Deaf community but does not follow through.

The Egypt Health Ministry recognizes that 4.5 million infants are born every year and wants to promote early detection of Deaf children and encourage parents to seek assistance from hospitals. Approximately 250,000 babies are tested, but only 20,000 are taken to one of the 3,500 centers where they can receive hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other assistance to prepare the child for a future with hearing loss.

Topher Avila, a Deaf passenger, filed a complaint with the US Transportation Security Administration regarding TSA’s treatment at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. prompted changes in the ways the agency treats travelers with accessibility needs. He was pulled aside by a TSA agent but no interpreter was made available for assistance. After about 20 minutes, Avila was allowed to clear the checkpoint. However, just after crossing he was stopped again by TSA who took his backpack and cell phone, leaving him unable to communicate or understand why he was being detained. When he asked for his phone back, Avila said an agent “put their finger in my face.” After more than an hour, Avila’s possessions were returned to him. When he asked the agent who returned the items what had happened, the agent wrote him a note that simply said “policy.” Avila requested to file a formal complaint but the agent would not allow him so Avila posted his experience on social media and it was seen by the airport’s CEO Ghizlane Badawi who contacted TSA. They have apologized and made changes to their internal processes.

Karla Honorio and Giannina Honorio, two Peruvian engineers, got a “Sustainable Cities” award during “KUNAN 2022” competition in Lima hosted by a company, KUNAN which assesses companies and businesses that contribute to the social development of the country. They were recognized for developing a mobile application that can translate voice to text, and vice versa to encourage inclusiveness using technology. Winner Giannina said “That our work is awarded and recognized by them motivates us to move forward, confirms that we have been doing a positive and correct work; but, above all, it allowed us to see that we are not alone, that there are many people who support our vision of improving the conditions of people with disabilities and that together we can achieve a better country”.

The head of the Communications Regulation Commission, CRC is collecting data on Deaf and disabled people around Colombia and their access to TV. Through Econometría consultancy, the survey was done with 1,245 Deaf and Hard of Hearing people with 23 focus groups in parts of the country. There are 459,784 Deaf people in Colombia. Results show 84% of the people interviewed preferred closed captions (CC), followed by Colombian Sign Language (LSC) with 67%. Further research also indicated issues with the size of LSC interpreter on the TV screen and the quality and clarity of the video.

A young Deaf refugee, Lawand, who fled to the United Kingdom (UK) from Iraq, where his family feared his life was under threat, is the subject of a documentary film. The family said they had escaped from northern Iraq after learning that ISIS had threatened to kill disabled children. The family settled in Derby and Lawand was enrolled at Royal School for the Deaf Derby (RSDD) which his family has described as “life-changing”. The feature-length film, “Name Me Lawand” premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and is showing in movie theaters.

Four female chess players from Saudi Arabia competed for the first time at the 1st Asia Pacific Deaf Rapid and Blitz Championships for Open and Women 2023 in Amman, Jordan from February 21st to 28th. The Saudi team were among more than 100 competitors from 20 countries participating in the event which was organized by the Jordanian Deaf Sports Federation and the Asia Pacific Deaf Sports Confederation in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Miguel Luna Pérez, a Deaf student sued the public education system in New York for providing inadequate education. Miguel’s lawyer, Román Martínez, said that for 12 years, the system of public schools in Sturgis, Michigan, denied Miguel an education by not accommodating to his needs and lied to his parents about Miguel’s progress in school. . Judge Elena Kagan said that she believed in the argument that Miguel had done “everything right” by continuing his case.

The American Sign Language (ASL) Community Housing, a residential building has opened at University of Connecticut for the 2023-2024 school year. Deaf, DeafBlind and hard-of-hearing students, as well as hearing students who know ASL can apply to live in the building. It was co-founded by a 4th-year ASL major Lauren Gobler and Donna McNeill, a UConn alumni who currently works at the American School for the Deaf (ASD).

The Inclusive Center for Regularizations, Advice and Workshops (CIRAT) has been giving Mexican Sign Language (LSM) workshops since 2018 and graduated over 100 graduates of San Luis Potosi. Interest in LSM has been increasing since 2020. Daniela Aranda said it is because of further dissemination of LSM and Deaf characters appearing in more films and film and television series.

Bury Deaf club in Greater Manchester has been renamed Bury Hearing Hub which caused confusion and frustration amongst the local Deaf community. Emma Memoirs, a CODA content creator, tweeted her feelings and is upset that the name of a local Deaf club has been changed to the Hearing Hub by hearing people. The post received over 350,000 views. The charity’s trustees are all hearing and cannot communicate in British Sign Language (BSL). The charity defends itself citing its financial struggles for six years and the need to rebrand to support people with different degrees of hearing loss and Deaf people of all ages.

Four Deaf baristas from Cape Town started new jobs in February at I Love Coffee, a cafe in London. Gary Hopkins, 58, who hails from Cape Town, South Africa, founded a cafe named “I Love Coffee”. which recruits and trains Deaf individuals to become baristas. Since 2016 when Hopkins founded I Love Coffee in Cape Town, the business has govem more than 100 Deaf individuals “the confidence to reach their goals and explore other job opportunities”, including computer science and project management courses.

Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, Colin Denny, a Deaf Native American, and Justina Miles, a Philadelphia born performer now living in Maryland participated at the Super Bowl LVII this year. There was singing of the National Anthem through a blend of ASL and North American Indian Sign Language, an ASL rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and performing Rihanna’s greatest hits in ASL during the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Justina’s energetic performance went viral worldwide. The Dream Foundation granted the wish of Kellirae Cox, a former cheerleader and alumni of California School for the Deaf Riverside, who was diagnosed with melanoma to attend the Super Bowl.

As of February 18th, over 46,000 people were killed in the earthquake that hit southern and central Turkey, and northern and western Syria. The earthquake, which occured on February 6, measured 7.8, and the death toll is expected to increase. More than 84,000 buildings in Turkey were destroyed and many people are missing. Among them are many Deaf people who either experienced or have family members who were at the earthquake sites. H3 World TV is working on gathering information about Deaf survivors of the earthquake. If you have any information or know anyone who has survived the earthquake please share with us at deafwire@h3world.tv.

The Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation announced that after years advocating for disabled people’s rights among government, police, and traffic authorities, the Ministry of Public Security now allows people with hearing loss to apply for licenses to “drive small-sized cars if they can meet a certain hearing standard with hearing aids.” Two coaches from the Shanghai Anting Driving School who are fluent in sign language will train the new Deaf drivers. Data from the Shanghai Association for the Deaf showed that there are more than 80,000 certified Deaf residents in the city, and hundreds of them have an urgent desire to drive.

The ONT television channel is collaborating with the Association of the Deaf in Belog to show news translation in sign language on its local morning news. This is the only opportunity for thousands of Deaf people to access information.

Jamie Clarke, a Deaf footballer and model who received a cochlear implant at the age of six, has not only represented Great Britain and England in football, he has also played in the World Cup for the Deaf and the Deaflympics. Although Aston Villa was one of the clubs who showed interest in Jamie as a youth, he never made it to the top level of professional English football.

Eight Deaf students from the New Mexico School for the Deaf are attending sessions at My Little Horse Listener, a non-profit therapy organization that encourages people to connect with horses through activities to strengthen relationship-building skills. The founder of My Little Horse Listener, Liz Delfs explained that horses live in a nonverbal world, so they depend on hand signals, saying it is fascinating how the horses and children interact with one another in sign language. During the therapy, Liz taught Deaf students how to get comfortable with horses and how they communicate with people without using words, as well as how each of the animals has its own unique personality.

Starbucks Corporation, an American multinational chain of coffeehouses, opened its first signing store in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 2, 2022. More than 150 people applied to work at this store. Customers can order food and drinks by either signing or on a writing tablet. This signing Starbucks store in Jakarta marks the 17th signing store around the world, and it is filled with the signature artwork by Deaf artist Indira Natalia, who painted a 4m high mural art on the wall titled “Inclusion and Diversity Community Spirit”.

More than 500 refugees from Ukraine have come to Iceland since the beginning of this year including an unexpectedly high number of Deaf or hard of hearing. The Hlíðarskóli school in Reykjavík has received several of the Deaf and hard of hearing refugees and reports that of its 602 students, 28 are refugees and 8 of these refugees are Deaf or hard of hearing children, and five of them are from Ukraine. Eyrún Ólafsdóttir, a teacher in Hlíðarskóli’s sign language department says Icelandic and Ukrainian sign language differ greatly but these are not the only languages spoken – there are students who also use Arabic Sign Language, Russian Sign Language, Lithuanian Sign Language, and Spanish Sign Language. Gylfi Þór Þorsteinsson, Director of Refugee Reception at the Icelandic Red Cross does not know why a higher proportion of Deaf and hard of hearing refugees are coming to Iceland than other countries.

Convo South Africa has teamed up with MTN South Africa, the largest mobile network operator in Africa on a four month telecommunications pilot with 100 Deaf and hard of hearing people. With 2.8 million Deaf people in South Africa, Braam Jordan, the co-founder of Convo International who received the Silver Award from the president of South Africa in 2019, hopes the MTN project will be expanded and implemented across South Africa so Deaf people can have access to telecommunications.

Although research has been done on variety of disability and barriers that disabled people face, there is a concern of the trend of abusing Deaf women who are shut out of labour markets and excluded from society. Half of them are victims of sexual abuse. Some non profit organizations are offering Deaf women a lifeline by training them in cooking and sewing to empower them to start their own businesses.

The person in charge of Miss Peru’s wardrobe at the Miss Universe 2022 event in the U.S. is fashion designer Humberto Cachay Pinedo, professionally known known as Beto Pineda who was born with a hearing disability in Atumplaya, Moyobamba. Now 34, he owns a store in Nueva Cajamarca and has worked with national and international models. “From a very young age, I have always liked to create and design. I didn’t study Design, and I don’t listen or speak, but that hasn’t impeded getting ahead. I am not ashamed, I have always had the support of my family. There are no excuses, we are all the same”.

A proposal by Legislator Laura Villalba from the Federal Neighborhood Union to create a provincial registry of Argentine Sign Language (LSA) interpreters was approved in the Córdoba Legislature. This law would require an official list for all government agencies to look up when arranging for a sign language interpreter. Villalba said that like health centers which has trained personnel, Deaf people also need interpreters in person or through technology in ASL.

After the receptionist at the Britannia Hotel had difficulties in communication with Paul Scott, a Deaf British Sign Language user, the receptionist asked for the manager who come and told Paul his booking was cancelled “because they did not want people like Paul there.” Paul said the experience was frightening as he had nowhere else to stay in Manchester and he was far from home without a safe space. The issue arose when he was informed by the hotel that the hotel’s Wi-Fi costs £7 per day. Paul explained he needed access to Wi-Fi to access video relay services and BSL999, as well as being able to watch TV on his tablet since he cannot see very far. The hotel asked Paul to fill out a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan form so that they could contact Paul in case of an emergency, but Paul explained that in order to receive a call from the hotel via video relay services, he would need Wi-Fi. H3 World TV contacted Paul after learning about this ordeal on Facebook and he said he had sent two emails to the hotel and after replying that they were investigating the matter, there has been no further contact. H3 World TV also tried to reach Britannia Manchester Hotel but received no response.

Mohamed Barghachoun, a Deaf Lebanese man, was forced to leave his wife Jihan, and three children in Australia. The family had provided enough evidence and spent more than $1,500 AUD on this visa only to find out the immigration agent had never properly submitted the application and ignored letters from the immigration department causing Mohamed’s visa to expire. A letter from the Australian immigration office states the decision has been finalized and it is not possible to consider additional information, or reconsider a visa application. Mohamed would have to return to his homeland in Lebanon before he can reapply for the visa. At first Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said they had no jurisdiction to intervene but then later his office said they are now considering intervention.

Lily Goh grew up isolated as the only Deaf person in her life and was excluded and rejected by the hearing world. She now sells products online on the Mdada live-streaming platform and earns approximately S$70,000 each week. The products that she sells include BE@RBRICK collectibles, fashion clothes, skin care products, and luxury bags. Lily has brought in sales revenue of S$200,000. She prepares for her livestream sessions by getting familiar with each of her products beforehand, through searching and using information about them on Google. Although she faces some communication barriers while co-hosting with a hearing person, she has continued to improve her livestreaming skills, progressing from selling one to three products in an one-hour livestream to selling up to 10 products in a two-hour session.

Gallaudet University President Roberta J. Cordano has shared stories about her life, innovation for the Deaf, and the importance of sharing light and guidance for millions. Her father, Waldo, was a teacher and sports director at the school for the Deaf. Cordano’s mother, Jean, was honored as the first Deaf woman to be chief of medical technology at an American hospital. She also studied law to fight for the rights of people with disabilities and graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Law in in 1990. She became president of Gallaudet in 2016 becoming the university’s first female president and first member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Douglas College, which has the only sign language interpreting program in the province of British Columbia, has cancelled its program for 2023. They claim there are not enough students applying for fall 2023. the Western Association of Visual Language Interpreters, there are just over 250 interpreters in the province for thousands of Deaf and hard of hearing people. In a statement to CBC, Douglas College said that it intends to return to the said program in 2024, however it depends on whether there are enough students enrolled at that time.

Shirley Wilson, a Deaf employee at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) was recently awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to the Deaf community. Shirley works on improving access and development of resources to protect Deaf children, did the DeafZone and BSL PANTS projects and organized the first national multi-agency conference on protecting Deaf children in 2016 at the University of Manchester.

Sid Nouar, a former teacher, became the first Deaf person to open a Moroccan restaurant in Paris, France to offer jobs to Deaf people and educate hearing people about French Sign Language (LSF). The restaurant, named 1000&1 offers different dishes from couscous to Moroccan briwat and is run by a team of all-Deaf staff. Sid grew up working in a restaurant with his parents as talented cooks with a love for Moroccan food. Sid’s mother taught him to teach Moroccan recipes to their staff. At his restaurant, customers can sign the name of a dish which is illustrated on the menu in LSF, or simply point out what they would like to eat.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) says 74 countries currently recognize Sign Language as an official language. WFD says the lack of meaningful sign language legislation on the national level is a grave violation of Deaf people’s fundamental rights and it is part of WFD’s 2020-2030 Strategic Direction to support legal recognition of sign languages. WFD encourages those in countries that do not yet recognize sign language contact them and can provide legislation language to include in lobbying local governments in their countries for recognition.

A Text-to-911 service in Nebraska, USA allows users to send a text SMS to 911 with important details about the situation they are in. Text-to-911 was developed and first used in Lincoln, Nebraska, and now is used nationwide. Lincoln Police Capt. Mayde McGuire said that in 2019, Nebraska’s 911 center received its first emergency text from a woman who reported domestic abuse. Communications Manager at Lincoln Police, Jessica Loos said that in the future it is hopefully possible for Deaf or hard of hearing people to use a video call service if they, for some reason, cannot text.

The signs for sexual identities in Korean Sign Language as shown in the official KSL dictionary made activists Deaf Woo Ji-yang, and CODA Kim Bo-seok feel uncomfortable. With support from Seoul Human Rights Film Festival and sponsorship from the Daum Foundation, the activists formed the “Korean Deaf LGBT” avocacy group to create new signs that are respectful and appropriate and can be used with pride.

A study in Norway on how Deaf people experience health services found Deaf people’s communication needs were rarely accommodated which resulted in misunderstandings about diagnosis, treatment, and medication, leading to serious consequences for the patient. There is insufficient coverage of this topic in health-related study programs and varying attitudes of healthcare personnel towards Deaf people. The study says healthcare personnel need more knowledge regarding communication with Deaf people, and this needs to be addressed by health services and educational institutions that train healthcare personnel.

Martin Kulda teaches about animals in the whole animal world. He has a blog, 30,000 followers on Instagram and travels around Europe to give presentations to adults and children. These presentations are interesting and exciting, and shares amazing facts.

The first all-Russian forum of Deaf bloggers took place in Moscow in January. There were about 100 bloggers and 300 participants with lectures on various topics over three days, their experiences of vloggers, their work, blogging ethics in social networks, history, business, and education. They also voted for the best male and female Bloggers.

Immy Nunn, a Deaf TikToker and content creator, passed away in early January at 25 years old leaving many fans and followers in shock. Immy Nunn, known as “Deaf Immy”, posted content related to Deaf awareness and mental health and had 723,000 followers on TikTok and 15,000 on Instagram. The reason for Immy’s passing has been announced to be due to struggles with her mental health.

Dawlat Khan was sentenced to prison for life for raping a Deaf woman who ended up giving birth to his child. The court then later changed freed the rapist in December 2022 with the condition that the rapist would marry the victim. They married in early in December 2022 following a settlement made by the local jirga, a council of elderly men who make decisions based on Sharia law, also known as Islamic law. This has outraged activists and rights groups who say it legitimizes sexual violence against women in Pakistan where the majority of rape isn’t reported.

Microsoft’s Accessibility Blog reported on local Japanese TV stations working together to subtitle live broadcasting using Artifical Intelligence called “Al-Mimi”. After trials, it went live in ecember 2021 and received high ratings from the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Mr. Ichise with SI-com said he was surprised to get such positive feedback from so many people commending the tech innovation that plays an important role in promoting the use of subtitles across all live broadcasts and ensuring accessible experiences for the communities.

Ariel K. Cambell went to court against Transportation Network III LLC doing business as Todd Judy Ford East (TJFE) for forching her to buy a car that she couldn’t afford. The company submitted credit application for Ariel without her knowledge. Ariel is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, full restitution, attorney fees, court, and other costs.

Israel hosted its first Deaf festival in December. The event, called “Ahla”, was held over three days with performances, shows and even the World Cup with interpreter standing next to it. Sign language students practiced sign language in the cafe. Eti Swchwerzberg, who organized the festival, hopes to host it again in October 2024.

After the father discovered his six months old son was deaf, he and the Deaf boy’s grandma did everything to encourage him.He attended Deaf school and completed his education to become a teacher to teach Deaf youngers. After overcoming numerous obstacles, he was admitted to Stellenbosch University who gave him access to an interpreter. After ten years, Imran Bodalaji obtained his degree. He hopes to collaborate with another Deaf educator to make Deaf children’s dreams a reality.

The Ghana Association hosted a workshop with 18 young and older Deaf people to learn of safety and dangers of using social media. The aim was so that the youth can protect themselves and ensure that information is shared appropriately. In the training, it was observed that the majority of men own smartphones, however the majority of women do not, and it was intended to empower the women to use social media safely.

ZanDraya Pollock dreamed of becoming a truck driver. In May 2022, they received their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) which allowed them to drive a large tractor and trailer. Not only did they achieve their dream, but they also became the first Deaf associate at Amazon to do so.

The Finnish Deaf Sports Association (Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto, SKUL ry) shared their concerns about lack of appreciation and support for Deaf sports. They gave as example Sara-Elise Ruokonen, a Deaf Finnish woman who won two gold medals in the Deaflympics in Brazil this year in the 5000m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase events wasn’t getting much recognition. Many municipalities follow the Olympic Committee’s awarding system but does not mention Deaflympics. In grant applications, only those practicing for the Olympics and Paralympic Games are considered.

A 17-year-old Deaf dog Max, looked after a 3-year old girl, Aurora for 15 hours while she was lost. The little youngster went outside of her home at a rural estate in Queensland, Australia with their pet Max at 3 pm. More than 100 State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers helped to search for Aurora overnight. Finally they found her with no serious injuries. It was the dog, Max who stayed and kept Aurora warm and safe!

Gabriella Della Morte Pålstam is now manager of sign language editorial office for Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company ‘Utbildningsradion’ (UR). UR says it is the first time they have a manager who is Deaf. Gabriella said, “It feels incredibly good to receive this acknowledgement from UR. I cannot emphasize how important and groundbreaking this is for Deaf people in the media world.”

Amy-Lee Joyce, a 25-year-old Deaf woman who is jobless and has been homeless has been on the social housing waiting list for three years. She has stayed at five different hostels and found them unsuitable for a young person. She suggests it would be helpful if there were more support for Deaf people and that it is hard to communicate as people do not understand her which affects her mental health and overall wellbeing. She hopes to become a tattoo artist and is studying graphic design in college.

Movistar prepaid and postpaid mobile customers do not have to pay for their mobile plans. Fabián Hernández, President CEO Telefónica Movistar Colombia says, “Connectivity is the great ally that allows guaranteeing access to digital life, this of course includes our clients with hearing disabilities, we offer a free application so that they can connect with the rest of the country, added to the specialized attention and advice in our 35 Movistar Experience Centers, our accessible sites, terminal catalog, commercial offers such as Movistar Without Barriers, among others”. This includes the Relay Center of the ICT Ministry.

For the third consecutive year Samsung Peru has won the “Equality and Inclusion” award for customer as a priority in its customer service processes. To participate in the “Equality and Inclusion” category of the contest, Samsung presented the expansion of its inclusive services for 2022. One of them is customer service in sign language in person through videoconference modules installed in stores and centers of authorized service of Lima and province.

Amelia, a Deaf avid hiker fell 213 meters down a mountain when one of her trekking poles suddenly snapped. A wolf-looking dog approached her but Amelia recognized the animal as a white husky who wore a collar around its neck. Nanook, a 7 year old Alaskan Malamute dogis trained to rscue lost hikers and pulled Amelia’s backpack with his teeth out of the water. Amelia says she is lucky to be alive and it is all thanks to Nanook who saved her life.

In September 2022 which is “International Day of Sign Languages”, 276 Deaf people lodged complaint against the UK government with the Royal Courts of Justice in London regarding absence of British Sign Language interpreters during two televised COVID-19 briefings. On December 7th, a second court session was held to discuss whether to proceed to trial. The UK government claimed that the complaint did not follow Civil Procedure Rules. This issue is being discussed with no update at this time.

A 38-year old homeless gardener while drunk and under influence of drugs, nearly killed their 83-year-old Deaf customer. Scott Waters took a knife from their kitchen and stabbed the Deaf person in the chest. This occured in Wales and Waters was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

In September, President Biden announced plans to recruit five people to serve on the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency that advises the President, Congress, and other federal agencies on addressing disability issues. A Deaf woman, Claudia L. Gordon was selected as one of these five people. Gordon was previously Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and Associate Director of Public Engagement of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Meetings will be held quarterly.

Argentinian Sign Language (LSA) has been recognized as a language after a 229 vote. The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) says Argentina becomes the 62nd country to officially recognize sign language and is one of only two countries being in South America: Guyana and Argentina.

A Deaf French street artist, Zabou travels across Europe, Asia and America to paint murals, unusally on a large-sized wall realistic looking portraits to make cities a more colorful place. Zabou has painted 236 murals, in 22 countries and uses mostly spray paints to create black and white portraits with some color in the background or some parts of the portrait.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the R.J.D Williams Provincial School for the Deaf in Saskatoon, Canada for emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Tony Merchant, lead counsel in the filing which covers former students who attended the school between 1955 and 1991, says many students who lived at school during vacations.

The National Audiology Centre researched how many Deaf children identify themselves as Māori, the indigenous tribe in New Zealand. They found that 49% of Deaf children aged 0-14 are Māori. The Deaf Education Centre, Ko Taku Reo has built a marae, a communal or sacred place for religious and social activities which just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Google has opened its first accessibility research and development center in the UK to develop new technology for people with disabilities. They are consulting with various constitutent groups including the the Royal National Institute of Deaf People (RNID), the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and disability charity Everyone Can.

A dispute between two Deaf-owned businesses regarding the design of “I Love You” (ILY) sign went viral. One business accused the other of design patent infringement on their design. Social media comments included “How can you patent a whole language, Deaf artists should support other Deaf artists.” while another commented, “So sad. Deaf business owners should support each other, not drag each other down.” Many said they would purchase items from the second business to show their support.

The football team at California School for the Deaf, Riverside celebrated a major victory with a parade in Southern California on Monday. The team won the 2022 CIF football eight-player state championship getting the school their first CIF title in any sport!

Portugal won the bid to host the European Union of the Deaf Youth’s (EUDY) Youth Camp and General Assembly (GA) in 2023. EUDY is an European non-profit organization of 30 youth national associations of the deaf in Europe that works together to foster the personal development of Deaf young persons with sign language in Europe and to further mutual understanding to advance and protect the rights of and opportunities for the Deaf Young Europeans.

On November 30th, the Mexican Deaf Community celebrated their 155th anniversary and hosted two major events: the National Congress of Education for the Deaf, and Mexican Sign Language 2022. A video called “Struggle and Success: Importance of Education of the Deaf in Mexican Sign Language” based on research was shown.

Sign language is not widely used to teach and for children to learn. The World Bank states there are 116,000 Deaf children in Vietnam who are dependent on lip-reading or use hearing aids. In September 2022, Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training established a project “Quality Improvement of Primary Education for Deaf Children” to train Deaf teachers, mentors and caregivers in sign language in mainstream and special education, and may also include older students. It is funded by Global Partnership.,

The highlights of all 64 FIFA World Cup matches in sign language are streamed for the first time ever on FIFA+, FIFA’s new digital fan experience app and website. Qatar is currently hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 from November 21 to December 18 wherein 32 teams compete across 64 matches.

On November 24, Deaf people in Paris traditionally celebrate the birthday of Abbé Charles-Michel De l’Epee, founder of the first school for the Deaf and French Sign Language. Aftr observing two Deaf twins communicating in sign language, l’Epee decided to study and develop sign language, which further contributed to the spread of other sign languages around the world.

Tim Van Goethem is in 9th generation of shoemakers and continues to make wooden shoes which is the national shoes of Belgium. He explains that wooden shoes first appeared in France, then in Belgium, and became popular in Holland, and he hopes to continue the family business.

A Deaf dog named PeeWee went viral on TikTok and other platforms showing PeeWee could understand ASL. Nikki Engleman found the dog on the streets and decided to adopt him . She realized the dog could understand some ASL and picks up new signs quickly! Nikki’s TikTok page has 173,000 followers and she has also created a YouTube page!

Deaf and disabled people around the world have expressed concern about the recent cutbacks in Twitter’s accessibility team. Oscar-winning Deaf actress Marlee Matlin called out Twitter’s new CEO, Elon Musk, via a tweet saying that during the 12 years she has been on Twitter, she has advocated for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility on behalf of millions of people who are Deaf, hard of hearing or disabled. Upon purchasing Twitter, Musk has dismantled Twitter’s accessibility team.

Deaf children from New the ‘Ko Taku Reo’ school of Deaf recently had the opportunity to meet with members of the French women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 team. Students played with several rugby stars including Maëlle Filopon who is also hard of hearing. Rugby star Filopon said growing up, she had not met many people who were Deaf, and said she liked being around the Deaf students and hoped that some would grow up to be rugby players too.

The Rights of People with Disabilities group came up with the title “Most Beautiful Deaf Girl” to promote the most beautiful Deaf women and girls in Nigeria who have hidden talents such as hairdressing, makeup artistry, and clothing design. We celebrate that a Deaf woman has been acknowledged and won the title, and that her goal with the title is to empower Deaf women to stand up for themselves, not stay at home, and seek employment opportunities.

Fargi Moosa, a member of the Alg-Waagh – Muslim Deaf Institute – where he studies Islam and teaches sign language has become the first Deaf person to lead the Muslim prayer at at a mosque.

The Filipino Deaf community, while dealing with COVID-19, was able to put on the delayed “28th Deaf Festival” at the School of Deaf Education and Applied Sciences (SDEAS). Run by students, the first Deaf Festival was held in 1995 and it has become the biggest celebration of Deaf culture and identity in the country.

The Association of the Deaf in Israel is planning its first Deaf festival in the country. Called “Achla Festival”, it will be held in Tel Aviv on December 8-10th. It will include events and performances, Visual Vernacular (VV) workshops, an escape room game, a cafe and a photo corner.

Keith Wann, a sign language interpreter sued a non-profit organization, Theatre Development Fund (TDF) for terminating his contract because of his skin color. Wann was contracted to interpret the “Lion King” performance which he accepted. Then several days later, he received another email cancelling the contract after they realized it was not appropriate to have a white interpreter represent Black characters. This story went viral with angry responses from Deaf and hearing people saying Wann should not have accepted an assignment for an all-Black performance. Wann and TDF have since come to settlement.

When Ramandeep Kaur and her partner found out their daughter, Jaisman, was Deaf, they decided to move from Melbourne, Australia to Batala, India to be closer to other family members. After unsuccesfully enrolling their Deaf child in private schools, Ramandeep learned sign language and has opened a school in their home to welcome other Deaf children. The name of the school is “Jaisman’s School for the Deaf Kids” which currently has 30 students.

Kara Technologies which creates content accessibility using a sign language avatar, has raised $1.3 million NZD ($815,000 USD) in seed funding to further develop use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), motion capture and neural network algorithms to present sign language more accessible to Deaf people in the media.

A Deaf person named Bridge in Chicago posted on her Instagram account when her local council hung up on her relay interpreting service phone call. “I feel broken into little pieces,” she shares, “This happened to me today; truthfully, this happens almost every day in most of the places I need to call. It’s extremely hard to be on a video call trying to explain myself through an interpreter, and we still need to deal with certain people telling us to “speak”. The relay interpreting provider informed the Chicago Council (CC) of this situation. The City of Chicago has not responded to our request for comment on this situation.

Two Deaf people in Groningen who have known each other since high school, decided to turn their love for coffee into running a coffee business. With 105,000 EUR raised on a crowdfunding platform, they launched “Luhu” on 1 October 2022. The café is inside the Deaf Clubhouse on Munnekeholm Street.

New law allows Deaf people to process complaints with help of sign language interpreters. Bill 2075/2021 CR was approved unanimously by the Commission of Social Inclusion and People with Disabilities. Now Deaf people will have less barriers when they need to make a complaint.

Teatro Colón, the country’s National Theatre celebrates its 130th anniversary. It provides accessible cultural spaces including free guided tour with sign language interpreters. Sara Luengas, advisor for Training and Mediation of Audiences of the theater has said “Through exercises, games, discussions, conversations, active listening and sensory explorations, participants can approach opera, dance, music, and theater in this type of space.

Matthew Morgan was interviewed by VoyageSTL about his success as a magician. It all started when he learned a coin trick from his grandfather who worked at a carnival at one time. Matthew’s first paid jig was performing at a church when he was just 11 years old! He has performed in all 50 states and 45 countries and met his wife at 2002 World Deaf Magicans Festival in Moscow, Russia! He says it hasn’t been a smooth road and the biggest challenge recently has been the COVID-19 pandemic where his magic business suddenly was all shut down. He and his wife Liliana, who also performs, are still trying to finetune online activities on Zoom.

Zoom, an online video-calling platform, has added a new accessibility feature that allows users to assign sign language interpreters by clicking a “Sign Language Interpretation” button which informs all users that sign language interpreters are included in the meeting or webinar. The zoom user then clicks the button to see the interpreter.

Vodafone, a telecom company has reintroduced a customer support line for Deaf students at Mampong Senior High Technical School for the Deaf. It is part of Vodafone’s strategic plan to make their platforms inclusive and accessible.

The guardian of Reece, a 11-year-old Deaf student is demanding action from the police after Reece was attacked by two students from another school, Blythe Bridge High School which has taken ownership of this situation and taken disciplinary action. Since that incident, Reece feels unsafe going to the bus stop and is experiencing panic attacks.

Another fake sign language interpreter has emerged in South Africa! It occured during South Africa POlice Minister Bheki Cele’s presentation where the interpreter signed unintelligibly and used fake gestures. This went viral. There will be regulations that punish someone who falsely interprets when sign language becomes an official South African language (SASL). This proposed amendment was published in May 2022 for public comment.

Richard Webb-Stevens, a Deaf motorcycle paramedic works for the London Ambulance Service. He says users of British Sign Language (BSL) can access 999 emergency services anywhere in the UK by downloading the “999 BSL” app which can connect to emergency servicesincluding ambulance, police and fire services. It can also connect to an emergency sign language interpreter.

A Deaf woman, Claire, whose name is changed for safety reasons, was taken away from her 16-year-old mother at birth in Apia, Samoa. After staying at different homes and experiencing abuse, household slavehood and being denied education, she reunited with her biological family in New Zealand. She appealed an deportation order after her NZ visa expired. The tribunal ruled Chloe can remain in New Zealand to live in a safe and loving environment.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments from Deaf Michigan Miguel Pérezman who is suing his former school district for failing to give him a proper teacher who knew how to use sign language during the 10 years of teaching and for passing his subjects when he had no knowledge of the subjects itself.

After the dental clinic in Washington state failed to arrange a sign language interpreter as requested by a Deaf patient who had an emergency dental appointment, the dentist removed 7 teeth removed without fully understanding the dental treatment she needed. She filed a complaint and the clinic agreed to make improvements to make sure their Deaf customers have access to interpreters and to pay $45,000 USD to the woman for her suffering.

Kish Island in Iran will host the 5th annual Asia Pacific Deaf Games in 2024. They are expecting at least 3,000 athletes in 20 different sports including soccer, futsal, volleyball, basketball, martial arts, chess, Greco-Roman wrestling, and freestyle wrestling.

A Deaf Auslan tutor, Nobou Hara, who lives in Perth, WA is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the local rugby team, and the Deaf community in Australia. He was born into a hearing family in Japan before moving to Australia 14 years ago. On November 24, he will give a 45-minute presentation at Beechboro Public Library about his experience as a Deaf gay man at work, rugby and more.

The Royal Canadian Mint arranged American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) interpreters for four boutique and facility tours to the general public on October 15th. Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint said, “We are committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors and customers.

Bridge06, an advocacy organization, and Hot Coals Productions co-hosted “About Time!” event to bring attention to broadcasters, commissioners, casting agents, producers and other key roles to improve and give opportunities for the Deaf and disabled community. Corporate guests accepting the invitation had to commit to either cast a Deaf as a lead or co-lead actor, develop a new title around a Deaf, and improve the opportunities for Deaf talent.

In Ufa, Russia, the “Deafskills” championship from October 20-22 was attended by over 500 people. For 3 days hearing and Deaf experts judged entrants in areas including medical analysis, tourism and an adaptive sports coach. The motto of the championship is “Deaf people can do everything”.

The city council in Orebro is known as the sign language capital. Many people including hearing people actively using sign language including professionals in various fields. Out of the city’s population of 156,000 people, 13,000 can use sign language – almost 10% of the residents! There you can see a policeman, a librarian, a salesman, a builder, who all know sign language.

The Association of Deaf People of Arrecife and Lanzarote (APSAL) in Spain are teaching police officers sign language. These members of the Arrecife National Police force work on the island of Lanzarote, Spain. More than 100,000 people living in Spain use Spanish Sign Language (LSE), and for 20-30% of them it is their second language.

XRAI Glass has launched dark glasses with built-in microphones for Deaf people to “see” words spoken to them in real-time. Augmented reality technology is used to convert audio sounds into captions and voice recognition identifies who is speaking and translates different spoken languages in to subtitles. . XRAI Glasses plans to add more features to the glasses, like detecting voice tones and accents.

Kellyanne Rosalion, a hearing mother of a 7-year old Deaf child is disappointed there i no where for her and her husband to improve their Auslan skills. The lack of Auslan support means that Auslan becomes less used in households with Deaf children. A petition is currently underway to improve current access to Australian Sign Language in the city of Canberra. Last reported, it had 536 signatures.

Deaf people in UK are feeling anger and frustration and not willing to sit back and allow hearing people to misrepresent or abuse sign language. They are angry with the “Makaton signing system” being labeled as British Sign Lnaguage (BSL). akaton is a language program that combines signs, symbols and speech to give different options for children and adults with different range of communiation difficulties. Deaf twins Hermon and Heroda posted a video criticizing the Makaton signs British singer Olly Murs used in a video. This prompted Olly to take the video down from his social media account and apologizing.

Deaf athletes, coaches, sports leaders and volunteers have estanblished an exhibit to celebrate 100 years of Belgian Deaf sports. which was hosted i Mechelen from Otobet 16 to November 2n. The Belgian Deaf Soports Committee also released a book on 100 yers of Belgian Deaf sports which is available for 50 euros.

Rwanda is one of 48 countries that agreed to the United Nations document supporting Disability Rights. Many of these countries have succesfully had theri sign language recognized by their countries except Rwanda. The Rwanda Deaf Community and Rwanda Deaf Association continues to lobby the governent to recognize their sign language. In a country with statistics that indicate 70,000 Deaf people in Rwanda!

The Challenge Futura Foundation has trained a group of Deaf people in mushroom production. They hope that these Deaf people will go on to train others within the mushroom farming industry and earn money for themselves. Trainers have claimed that the Deaf people put in a lot of effort in growing mushrooms, a work ethic that will lead to being successful business owners. Mushrooms thrive in hot weather.

In October, Deaf people gathered in Bentonville, Arkansas for the 2nd annual Bikeboom Deaf cycling event. This three day event also raises funds to support Deaf athletes in mountain and road race events. Bentonville is known as the Mountain Bike Capital of the World.

Dr. Anthony Alexander Chong has contributed to the Malaysia Deaf Community for 40 years in various capacities as activist, advocate, educator, facilitator, speaker and researcher. He said most Deaf organizations in Malaysia provide welfare services but do not contribute to development of Malaysian Sign Language (BIM). He has made it his goal to get involved and wants to see BIM used in both everyday life and in the formal education system.

A Deaf couple in Nashik runs a small food stall serving panipuri – water and fried puffed crisp dough balls which is a popular street food in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. They prepare the food at home and serve them at their food stall. After posting a clip of their food stall got nearly 4 million views, their Instagram account grew to 427k followers!

The governemnt of Cordoba province says they plan to extend their support for the next Rugby World Cup Championships which will be held in April 2023 in Cordoba. Both the Official World Deaf Rugby Facebook page and the ICSD website has not yet listed the dates of this Championship.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has fined University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust £8,000 for its inadequate treatment of a Deaf patient. The UBH staff did procedures on the Deaf patient over a five month period without permission from the Deaf patient or his family as the staff thought the Deaf man was not able to make decisions himself. Bernadette Hanney, the CQC’s Head of Hospital inspection said, “They should have made much more effort to communicate with him in a way that he understood, every time”.

The Deaf community in India have expressed outrage at a report “Literature Review on Sign Language Generation” which says “The deaf and dumb community use sign language to communicate. Sign languages have a very limited set of words.The grammar is difficult to understand.” Sibaji Panda, Director of Happy hands School for the Deaf feels the authors have no understanding of sign language and Deaf people and felt very disheartened to read it.

A Deaf couple, Joel Alfaro and Yusela Silvente were denied a marriage license when they showed up at a courthouse on their 10th anniversary. The staff at the Clerk of Court said the couple needed to bring a sign language interpreter. They have filed a lawsuit for discriminating under the Americans with Disabilities Act even though Clerk of Court’s website states interpreters are provided!

Yasmine Young, a Deaf transgender was born a boy but always knew that something wasn’t quite right with her identity and came to terms. She credits the internet as a godsend and that the world has become aware of transgenders. She is the first Deaf openly transgender woman in Ireland and started her YouTube channel to share her experiences after her friends kept telling her. She said it was societal attitude that made her move to London where she feels transgender people and transitioning re more socially accepted.

Convo Relay, a Deaf-owned sign language interpreting business in the U.S. has expanded their services to South Africa where they will operate a National Relay Service. Convo also has services not only in the U.S. but in Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.

Religious extremists often threaten to kill disabled children so the family of a 6-year old Deaf boy, Lawand Hamad Amin escaped from Iraq and spent one year in a tent at a refugee camp in France before arriving in the United Kingdom. The UK however did not grant asylum so the family returned to Germany where a lawyer launched a petition which gathered 10,000 signature and eventually was told they could stay in the UK. Lawand is learning British Sign Language (BSL) at the Royal School for the Deaf.

Deaf chef Yvonne Cobb appeared in the studio kitchen on ITV’s “This Morning” program to make chimichangas, her favorite dish. “I’ve been very honored over the years that many young children and older Deaf people are feeling more confident in the kitchen as a result of my cookery school classes”. The Daily Mail news website says the segment got positive feedback for promoting inclusivity and awareness.

Coldplay, a British rock band is working to make their concerts accessible and are giving out SubPacs to Deaf fans. SubPacs is a bass system that uses tactile audio for the user to feel the beat. It is described as hugging your body while transferring deep bass to create a physical, full-body experience. It costs $300-$350 USD each. The idea came from Coldplayer lead singer Chris Martin when he got a SubPac as a Christmas gift from his actress girlfriend Dakota Johnson.

Deaf author Becky Gage has prepared a book that uses pop-ups to display eight Deaf jokes/Zap jokes visually. Illustrations will be done by Sal Sanchez. a Deaf illustrator. The book has QR codes showing Deaf ASL signers. They are trying to raise the remaining money through Indiegogo needed to produce 1,000 books. More information can be seen at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pre-order-book-how-much-do-you-know-about#/

Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, the first Deaf contestant to win “Dancing with the Stars”, made a powerful speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival about being a Deaf person working in television. She is fed up with being the token Deaf character and believes that Deaf stories are ready to go mainstream and can be done together. She also urged TV broadcasters and streamers to add subtitles to all their programs.

Filip Skovin was shocked when an ambulance arrived after a car accident without an interpreter even though his manager called SOS Alarm to have an interpreter on site. The regional council, Västrä Götalandsregionen responded to the complaint and outlined their procedures which would be via video remote call so that an emergency interpreter could be sent if necessary.

Susan Mujaawa worked with a team of Deaf African journalists to set up Signs TV Uganda. Witha studio in Kampala, they made their first broadcast in April 2022 admist the COVID-19 pandemic and currently operate on Saturdays due to financial, technical and staffing constraints. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 136 million people in Africa have some degree of hearing loss.

Several short movies made by Deaf filmmakers in British Sign Language (BSL) with English subtitles were shown in Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Inverness, and at the Filmhouse Edinburgh. One of the movies was “Scotland, Forgive Me” which was shortlisted for a prize at DeafFest 2022, “Kilmarnock, Their Story” highlighting the Ayshire Society for the Deaf, and “Deaf Creatives” portraying Scotland’s Deaf artists. Creative Director and Chief Executive at Solar Bear, a theater company, Jonathan Lloyd, said, “Deaf Heritage is a celebration of stories from the past, present and future of Scotland’s Deaf community.

Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) has partnered with INOX Leisure Ltd (INOX) which manages film theaters in India to show IDCA’s “Dare To Dream” film on their screens and lobby displays. INOX’s CEO Roma Balwani said INOX Leisure’s partnership with the IDCA marks a key milestone in their endeavor to maximize the potential and provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities and increase visibility for Deaf cricketers.

The Argentine Confederation of the Deaf (CAS) and more than 53 associations and institutions of Deaf people across the country gathered in front of the National Congress to claim the official recognition of the Argentine Sign Language (LSA) as natural language of Deaf people. The Disability Commission of the Chamber of Deputies agreed that recognition of Argentine Sign Language would be sought according to what was proposed during the meeting by deputies Dina Rezinovsky (PRO) and María Masin (Front of All).

Alejandro Gaviria, Minister of Education, has appointed Geovani Meléndres as the new director of the National Institute for the Deaf (Insor). Gaviria, who is a linguist with a Mater’s degree in intercultural communication, ethnic education and diversity, becomes the first Deaf person in Insor’s 67-year history! He says “It is a great pride and responsibility to assume this challenge that constitutes an enormous advance for the country’s Deaf community.”

Kunguru Ni Kukiwa, sister of Deaf actor Jahmai Davis accused on Facebook that a sign langage interpreter who interpreted her brother’s audition was “robbed” of an acting role. One person started a petition on Change.org which had collected 362 signatures by press time. Jade Bryan, a Deaf filmmaker said on Facebook it was unprofessional and a violation of the Interpreting Codes of Conduct.

My Way Access, a Deaf organization in the United Kingdom says economic crisis hits Deaf and disabled people the hardest. Many are facing choice between electricity for warm home or having food to eat. Research shows they spend an average £585 pounds more than hearing people. The agency says the UK government needs to revise the benefits system.

The conference theme was “Deaf people in the shadows of the breaks and ruptures of the 20th Century: 1917-2000”. It was held at first in Slovenia then moved to Crotia. Many stories about Deaf people were told in person and via zoom.

One track for auto racing passed the European Championship (EDKC) among the Deaf in karting. Sixty participants representing 7 different countries took part. Most of the victories went to the German participants.

Different organizatons, agencies, businesses and clubs hosted events to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month and International Deaf Week in September. The Internatonal Day of the Deaf which was first observed by the World Federation of the Deaf in 1958, grew to become a week-long Deaf Awareness Ceelbration now called “International Week of the Deaf” celebrated annually during the last full week in September.

There are 13 Deaf clubs across New Zealand. One of the oldest clubs, the Deaf Society of Canterbury which was founded with 8 members in 1922 celebrates its 100th anniversary. The club currently has 400 members! One of the biggest changes in the club over the years was the drop in sports groups with the focus now being more on inclusive social and craft events.

On September 23, the International Day of Sign Languages, 276 Deaf people sued the UK government for not providing sign language interpreters during televised COVID-19 briefings. Campaigner Lynn-Stewart-Taylor says the lack of accessibility during the pandemic made the Deaf community feel “excluded” and “like an afterthought.”

Dancing With the Stars, DWTS, a reality TV dance competition, announced that Daniel Durant, a Deaf actor from “CODA”, will be one of the contestants in the upcoming season 31. Daniel is the third Deaf contestant to appear on DWTS after Marlee Matlin (2008) and Nyle DiMarco (2015). 

Daniel will be dancing with Britt Stewart and their team name is “Team Sign to Shine.” Daniel said he has a little bit of dance experience from when he performed on Broadway in Deaf West Theatre’s “Spring Awakening.” Dancing with a professional is a whole new world, he explained. DWTS is currently running weekly on Disney+.

Dr. Jenelle Rouse is the first Black Deaf Canadian to receive a Ph.D. She studied Applied Linguistics in Education at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Rouse is an educator at a bilingual school for the Deaf and an advocate for the broader acquisition of sign language.

Dr. Rouse said after she defended her thesis, the committee said “Congratulations, Dr. Rouse!” She was in disbelief and shock but was so proud she finally accomplished this milestone. She added it took her about three weeks to get used to her new salutation as Dr. Rouse.

The National Deaf Children’s Society has called on the UK government to use its review into Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, SEND, to improve long-term support for Deaf children, including an investment in more Teachers of the Deaf. An analysis of last year’s General Certificate of Secondary Education, GCSE, revealed that Deaf children received a grade lower than all the children for at least the seventh year running.

A lack of Deaf awareness in school created barriers for students accessing their lessons. Teachers refused to switch their cameras on for online lessons during lockdown, which meant Deaf students were unable to hear or lipread. There is a legal requirement for qualified teachers to hold relevant mandatory qualifications when teaching classes for students who are Deaf. The ‘SEND’ proposal aims to change the culture and practice in mainstream education to be more inclusive.

In Tzaneen, South Africa, a Deaf school called “Yingisani” is immersed in the wilderness where the area is prone to fire. Hearing schools are prepared to evacuate quickly if there’s a fire alert, but that’s not the case for Deaf students at Yingisani. Santam, a financial services group, supported the school by installing smoke alarms attached to sirens, control panels, and strobe lighting systems. The school is advocating for learner’s access to safety and evacuation alerts.

Kenyan entrepreneur, Luke Kizito, created an “assistALL” app that will help Deaf people connect to the digital world. It’s a sign language interpretation mobile app to facilitate with the click of a button communications between Deaf people with businesses, banks, employers, and hospitals. So far the company has seven people working directly on the project and wishes to expand to 500 interpreters.

ConnectHear, an app that provides sign language interpretation services, already has more than 10,000 users around the world. It is seen as an innovative accessible technology that can support and empower the Deaf community in Pakistan. The app received positive feedback – many said their call was picked up within a minute and is helping eliminate communication barriers.

Azima Dhanjee, CEO and co-founder of ConnectHear and a Child of Deaf Adult, CODA, said she was the interpreter for her parents and when she was not available to help, her parents faced barriers, leaving them missing out on opportunities. It bothered Azima to see her parents being left out and not able to communicate independently – this inspired her to create ConnectHear.

Adeline Goh, a 40-year-old Deaf woman from Malaysia, said she didn’t receive much education when she was young. She didn’t know how to sign or understand the words written by her teachers on the blackboard. When she did her homework, her mother would help her correct words and sentences but wasn’t able to explain it in sign language. Adeline decided she didn’t want Deaf children to struggle the way she did so she became a preschool teacher.

Not all preschools in the country have teachers who know sign language, causing many Deaf kids to be left out. The school now may be closing down due to lack of financial support. Teachers at Taska Jaya use their free time to attend courses and workshops to improve their skills in educating and guiding Deaf children. The school hopes to raise RM200,000 ($45,000 USD) to keep it running.

Cadbury, a British chocolate manufacturing company, and the National Deaf Children’s Society, NDCS, partnered up to raise awareness about Deaf culture and British Sign Language, BSL. Many hearing people don’t know how to communicate and include a Deaf person in everyday conversation. Cadbury created finger-shaped chocolate-covered biscuits as part of their campaign.

Cadbury plans to release short video clips of how to sign phrases in BSL, for example how to ask someone if they would like a cup of tea. All of their videos are captioned. The campaign is called, “For Fingers Big and Small” – it aims to encourage the nation to learn BSL.

Pratigya Shakya, a Deaf artist from Nepal, incorporates sign language and his Deaf experience into his artwork to show Deaf culture, inspiration, and belonging. He works with his own hands, adding hand shapes and visualisations that represent the barriers that the Deaf community faces. His artwork spotlights communication issues Deaf people face with hearing people.

One of Pratigya’s art pieces is of a doctor placing his hand on a little boy’s forehead, thinking he has a fever when it was actually his stomach that was hurting. Pratigya also created a visual handbook to teach sign language. He drew facial expressions using eyes, ears and noses, to help hearing people learn some basic signs. Pratigya received positive feedback from the Deaf community.

International Week of Deaf People is celebrated annually across the world during the last full week of September. This year’s theme was, “Building Inclusive Communities for All.” In the same week, International Day of Sign Languages was celebrated with the theme, “Sign Languages Unite Us.”

Since 2016, the United Nations General Assembly recognises September 23rd as the International Day of Sign Languages. Some countries organise celebrations while others host training and workshops to raise awareness about the Deaf community and its culture. The World Federation of the Deaf said, “this event aims to unite the world, its citizens, communities and societies through shining a blue light on sign languages.”

September 8th 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral in Scotland at the age of 96. This has deeply affected the United Kingdom as the country is mourning the monarch’s death. Elizabeth’s death has also impacted the Deaf community and many Deaf organizations have paid their tributes to Queen Elizabeth II.

The British Deaf Association released a statement in sign language saying that Her Majesty served the crown and country for more than seventy years with selfless and steadfast dedication, earning the respect and affection of the Deaf community in the UK, the Commonwealth, and around the world. The Royal Family has a historically strong association with the Deaf community. Queen Elizabeth’s mother-in-law, Princess Alice of Denmark and Greece, was Deaf from birth.

The Ghana National Association of the Deaf, GNAD, called out the Ghana Health Services for the absence of sign language interpreters in government hospitals because they are denying Deaf people access to quality health care. When Deaf people face barriers in communicating with doctors or nurses, they are not able to fully explain their health conditions and end up receiving inadequate care.

Without sign language interpreters, some Deaf patients have been wrongfully diagnosed or prescribed the wrong medicine. During a workshop on drug and substance abuse prevention for the Deaf community, participants brought up the issue; some of them struggled with drug addiction because of miscommunication and abandonment. This needs to be quickly fixed to ensure the Deaf community does not feel neglected.

Rachel Miles and Rebekah Schumacher from the United States of America and Canada spent a few weeks in Port Vila working on several projects to support Deaf people living in Vanuatu. They are experts in sign language and education for Deaf students. They have been supporting the Ministry of Education and Training, MoET, on the creation of a digital dictionary with signs gathered from adults in each province of Vanuatu.

Rachel and Rebekah also spent two weeks at Pikinini Playtime working with their seven Deaf students and special needs teachers. This was the first time the group of Deaf children was educated together. Now they have teachers in each classroom able to sign with the Deaf students. Rachel said that this newly recorded Vanuatu Sign Language will be a gift to all the people of Vanuatu.

Algonquin Area Public Library in Illinois, United States has started a new diversity program series covering Deaf sensitivity training. The series will focus on communication access, cultural sensitivity, and respect of identities. Zaineb Abdullah, the Vice President of Deaf Planet Soul, says the lack of high-quality Deaf education is the reason for low literacy rates among Deaf people.

Zaineb hopes to remove the stigma against hiring Deaf people and to encourage people to learn American Sign Language, ASL, at Deaf-centric events. She will explain that learning ASL from hearing social media influencers should be avoided as some of them are incorrect.

Netflix’s popular British comedy-drama TV series “Sex Education”, recently announced that their upcoming season will feature a Deaf actress named Alexandra James. She will play the role of Aisha. She previously starred in BBC “Three’s the Break.” The show is about the lives of high school staff and students as they contend with various personal dilemmas.

Alexandra went to drama school in Manchester where she received a degree in Acting for Live and Recorded Media. The actress posted on Instagram about her new role, sharing her excitement, “I am so honored to be joining the Sex Education family.” The next season is speculated to come out sometime in 2023.

The New Zealand government is taking further steps to protect the New Zealand Sign Language Act, NZSL. Deaf people living in New Zealand have the opportunity to consult on reviewing this Act. At the moment, there are about 23,000 NZSL users and 5,000 Deaf New Zealanders.

New Zealand’s Disability Issues Minister, Poto Williams, hopes this action will reflect the Government’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the Deaf community. It is expected Deaf people will take leadership roles. She also wants input from Deaf Māori and their family about how the Act could better reflect their culture.

The family of a Deaf Ukrainian girl, Elizabeth, fled the Ukrainian-Russian war and have been waiting for a visa to enter England. The UK Home Office has finally made a decision about their visa application and they were granted permission to  move to the United Kingdom to stay with their sponsor, Georgia Stuart.

The UK Government announced that Ukrainian refugees will have access to the National Health Service. Georgia prepared the house for the family – her friends chipped in and donated toys and clothes. She is a former English teacher and is prepared to help the family learn English.

Dayeon Jeong from Korea was diagnosed with deafness at the age of two. She recently graduated with a certificate in web design and moved to a new city in hopes to find a career. She submitted her resume to 250 companies and only heard back from one. Once the company found out Dayeon was Deaf, they cancelled the interview. 

Dayeon felt angry and powerless. She said she felt dumbfounded and offended, pointing out the unfairness in the job market for disabled people in South Korea. Most jobs for people with disabilities are part-time or at minimum wage. Disabled women are the most affected – only 22% are employed.

Karin Janeth Quijada Lovatón from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences of the National University of San Marcos is the first hard-of-hearing person to complete her thesis and obtain her doctorate in administration. She studied education with a speciality in hearing in language to be able to teach Deaf children. She explained she received a lot of support from the teachers which made it possible for her to graduate.

A Carlo Chile company in Santiago, Chile, opted for technology to improve its service channels and implemented a video call system for people with hearing disabilities. They aim to contribute to the digital inclusion of the Deaf community and have already trained 120 executives to learn sign language throughout the country at its virtual branch. 

Researchers at two universities in the United States said that an average of one in ten mistakes in auto-captions are found in many leading video conferencing and social media apps. The number increases if the speaker’s first language is not English due to their accent. Hearing people wouldn’t accept unintelligible audio. Deaf people who rely on captions need equal access.

One of the researchers, Dr. Christian Volger, built an auto-captioning system called GoVoBo. The GoVoBo website states it delivers accessible, equitable communications for all. They collaborated with a non-profit project to get volunteers to speak in second languages, teaching the technology how to understand other accents.

Lillouie Barrios, a Deaf man, and his hearing husband, Victor Covarrubias, opened a restaurant named “Pah!” at the end of June in the United States. Pah is an ASL slang term meaning “finally” or “successful.” The restaurant serves pub grub with a twist. Lillouie said, “I want to share our culture with people who listen, but it’s also something that other people can recognize.”

In Canada, inaccessible education is the reality for Deaf students like Allison Chandler, who rely heavily on the support of educational interpreters. Allison’s mother, Heather, said that if arrangements aren’t made before school starts, Allison will stay home. In grades 2, 3, and 4, Allison had an educational interpreter but not a Deaf professional, restricting her from gaining full access to the classroom. The educational interpreter only filled in the blanks for Allison as she learned the language.

After escaping from war, a family with a six-year-old Deaf girl is struggling to live a normal life. They’re stuck in a refugee complex in Italy because of visa issues with the United Kingdom government. A woman offered to sponsor the family after they contacted her through social media.

Oksana, the mother of the six-year-old Deaf girl Elizabeth, wants to move her daughter to safety so she can get quick access to medical health. Elizabeth was about to get a second cochlear implant but had to leave before that happened because of the war. Oskana expressed frustration, saying the family might move to Switzerland if they don’t get a response from the UK government soon.

New Zealand Sign Language, NZSL, is one of the two languages officially recognised in New Zealand. In April 2006, NZSL joined the language of the country’s indigenous population – Māori. A Deaf resident, Eddie Hokianga is developing sign language teaching programs in 20 different marae locations with the Deaf Action New Zealand organisation. A marae is a communal and sacred meeting ground.

Kim Robinson, the Chairperson of Deaf Action New Zealand, stated that she thinks by placing sign language classes in maraes, they’re feeding the language back to the community. There are approximately 4,600 Deaf New Zealanders and 20,000 people use NZSL as a form of communication.

Roberto Enrico Wirth, a Deaf man who owned several hotels, died this summer. He was 72 years old. He is the founder and president of the Centre for Help for Assistance Centre for Deaf and Deafblind Children. Since 1992, Roberto has collaborated with the American-Italian organisation to provide annual awards to Deaf educators of the Deaf-blind.

In Lithuania, Kaunas Deaf Sports Club “Tyla” organised a sports camp in August for children between the ages of 3-8. Parents accompanied their children and participated in lectures about psychology. The campers performed various fun tasks and were congratulated with medals and presented with gifts.

Deaf Women Association of Nigeria, DWAN, is demanding more recognition for their community from the Federal Government. DWAN requested for the Disability Act to be reviewed and access through sign language interpreters be provided in public places. DWAN said that Deaf women need support for health care facilities, schools, businesses owners, and to create an inclusive community for Deaf women.

Hellen Anurika Beyioku-Alase, from DWAN, stated that Deaf women in general face violence and subjugation from men, discrimination in employment, and zero/poor access to health care and education. The Disability Act review would force every office of government to implement what is in that law, which would ensure that Deaf women are rightly represented.

A disabled woman, Jade, is a host on Airbnb, an online vacation rental marketplace. In a TikTok video, she said she has a doorbell with flashing lights and when the guests arrived at her home, they refused to touch the doorbell. The guests demanded Jade remove all disability aids from her home or that she leaves. Jade offered a refund but the guests refused because she didn’t warn them about her disability.

Airbnb replied to the host saying that she had two options, “One: no longer be disabled, no longer use a disabled doorbell…or, the second option is to fully refund the guests, let them stay here for free, and sincerely apologise for my disabled doorbell.” Jade said the TikTok escalation team told her not to publicly share any more updates about the situation.

Rose Ayling-Ellis, first Deaf contestant and winner of “Strictly Come Dancing”, shared that Mattel will release a Barbie doll with hearing aids. When Rose was a little girl, she would draw hearing aids on her dolls so they would look like her. The United Kingdom sells a variety of inclusive dolls – Barbie with a prosthetic limb, another in a wheelchair, and a Ken doll with vitiligo.

The Deaf Barbie dolls were released on August 18th. Mattel, Inc. said the Barbie brand believes in the power of representation and they are committed to continuing to introduce dolls that reflect the diversity kids see around the world. The company also mentioned the importance of encouraging children to play with dolls that don’t resemble them to help them celebrate inclusion.

In Uganda, the Maskaka School for the Deaf’s football and netball players are preparing for an upcoming national tournament. The school’s sports department received 8 million shillings (around $2,000 USD) in donations. The school opened its doors in 2005 and provides primary school education to 122 Deaf students.

The school focuses on one activity per year due to financial limitations. This year, they are pritorising the football and netball teams. ICEA LION Assurance Company Ltd donated new shoes and socks. They’ve been supporting the school since 2018 because they believe such activities boost children’s confidence and the donor believes in their talent.

The British Deaf Association, BDA, celebrated their 132nd anniversary on July 24th. In 1980, Francis Maginn founded the BDA in Leeds under the name of The British Deaf and Dumb Association, BDDA. In 1971, BDAA removed the word “Dumb” from its name. 

BDA works directly with Deaf BSL users, promoting and protecting British Sign Language, campaigning for equal rights on a national level, and they empower Deaf people to achieve access to their local public services. In celebration of BDA’s 132nd anniversary, they asked their supporters to run, walk, or dance for 132 minutes, climb 132 steps, bake 132 biscuits, or fingerspell the alphabet backwards 132 times.

Wissam Alli, a Deaf businessman from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said growing up in the hearing world was difficult but used that as a motivation to start a business to improve accessibility for the Deaf community. Wissam and his business partner, Ahmed Yahya, created an educational platform that helps Deaf people improve their technological skills.

Wissam believes that coding is an essential skill and wants to get Deaf children familiarised with programming. His business will provide different levels of courses suited for beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners. Wissam and Ahmed are currently in the process of opening an office in Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai.

The Deaf association in South Africa is concerned that over 70% of Deaf people of the population are unemployed. They decided to contact hearing companies to ask them to hire Deaf people and trained them how to accommodate Deaf people into their workplaces. Many Deaf people lack education which creates barriers. The Deaf association wants the hearing community to stop demeaning Deaf people and provide them with opportunities. 

In Congo, a Deaf woman, Kerean Miygolo, had a difficult life because of the war. Growing up, she always kept to herself, however her teacher recognised her ability to write and encouraged her to write poetry. She wrote a poem, describing how repressed her life has been in Congo and was applauded for sharing her life with the public.

A 61-year-old Deafblind cyclist, Dick Hagan, completed the TransAmerican Bicycle Trail. He rode nearly 5,000 miles from Virginia to Oregon in 85 days, from April 29 to July 22. Hagan rode over 50 miles per day, taking breaks in hostels or tents. He said the overall experience was more mentally draining than physically challenging. 

Hagan didn’t ride to spread awareness about Deaf-blindness; he rode because he’s passionate about cycling. He was diagnosed with Deaf-blindness at 10 when he realised he couldn’t see in the dark; his vision deteriorated and he became officially blind in 2017, at age 55. Hagan hopes to do a few more cycling tours, but might have to move to indoor cycling if his vision worsens.

In 2016, Nyle DiMarco, a Deaf model and activist won “Dancing with the Stars.” This year, Finnish rapper, Marko Vuoriheimo, known as Signmark, is hoping to repeat this victory. He is the first Deaf dancer in the “Finnish Dancing with the Stars” competition and his partner, Anniina Koivuniemi won last season with Ernest Lawson.

Marko said his biggest challenge will be his lack of dancing skills and will have to rely on Anniina for guidance. He added that he is competitive and hard-working. They currently use a sign language interpreter to help them communicate but Marko hopes that he and Anniina will be able to figure out how to communicate on their own.

Pilar Biolog, a teacher and founder of the La Fe school for the Deaf children in Equatorial, Guinea, a Central African country, said that there are no state-run Deaf schools in the country. There are also no official resources, guidance, specialised units for Deafness, or mental health services for Deaf people. Instead, there are three Deaf centres that are either run by a charity organisation or privately initiated. 

The lack of government support worsened La Fe school’s struggles – no money for building repairs and water leaks; and they are no longer able to provide school bus services, which leads to children staying home because parents can’t afford a taxi ride. Biolog also took seven children into her home because of parental abandonment and isolation. A mother of a Deaf student donated land and Biolog hopes to build a boarding school.

Edinburgh, Scotland hosted the Edinburgh Deaf Festival from August 12 to 19th. It celebrates Deaf culture, language, and heritage through performances, Deaf karaokes, stand-up comedy, and BSL book club discussion. DeafRave provided entertainment with laser lights, music, and deaf DJs.

Philip Gerrard, one of the festival organisers, said there has been a huge shift in societal attitudes and increased Deaf awareness. Historically, access for Deaf people at Edinburgh’s festivals has not been great. Troy Kotsur’s Oscar win, Rose Ayling-Ellis’s Strictly Come Dancing win, and Tasha Ghouri from Love Island normalised sign language and paved the way for progress.

The Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Network, DiDRR Network, in Vietnam, is demanding access to emergency information to make sure that no one is left behind when natural disasters happen. In 2020, Tropical Storm Linfa hit Vietnam, hearing people were alerted through radio, news, and text messages and were able to protect themselves. Deaf people were left behind.

After the storm, there was more information about financial support for older people, poor people, and those with disabilities, but many Deaf people were unaware of this. Deaf Vietnamese are often overlooked because they don’t have the same resources as hearing people. In January 2022, the government organised a meeting to promote inclusivity for disabled people in natural disasters but didn’t invite any Deaf-led organisations to participate.

David Pocock, a newly appointed Senator in Australia, delivered his first federal speech with an Auslan interpreter, Mandy Dolesji, interpreting behind him on a large TV. Senator Pocock said it was important for everyone to be more inclusive. Originally, he wanted the interpreter to stand next to him on the floor in the Senate but the government and opposition denied his request.

Disability advocates criticised the government and opposition; Deaf Australia said the refusal to have an interpreter next to the Senator is very concerning and lacked proper accessibility. They pointed out inclusion and accessibility is never a certainty in political settings. In the Senator’s speech, he stated his strong intentions to make the Australian parliament more inclusive.

Since 2003, DeafNation Expo has been hosting trade shows for, by, and about Deaf people. This year, they held their world expo event in Las Vegas. DeafNation showcases a variety of programs like exhibitions, workshops, entertainment, sporting activities, presentation, and networking.

DeafNation believes that free entry tickets bring a diversity of participants who can share the culture, needs, language, and information of the Deaf community. 2022 Expo events will take place in different cities: Kansas City, Austin, Atlanta, Rochester, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Las Vegas. 

Troy Kotsur, an Oscar-winning actor, will star in a new Disney+ series. The show is based on the true story of the California School for the Deaf, CSDR, Cubs’ 2021 football season – the team went undefeated and got all the way to the California State Championship. Troy will play the team’s coach.

In this new series, the cast, writing, and production team will include artists from the Deaf community. Troy will also be the executive producer along with Marlee Matlin. Several other Deaf people, including John Maucere and CSDR alumnus, will be part of the production.

Members of the Rwanda National Union of the Deaf, RNUD, requested healthcare providers to learn sign language to help reduce communication barriers and ease access to seeking medical services. Lack of privacy is also an issue because of a third person involved – the sign language interpreter.

There are over 70,000 people in Rwanda with hearing and speech loss. Deaf women and girls are at higher risk for adverse health outcomes compared to their hearing counterparts. Studies show that because of communication issues, Deaf patients visit their healthcare providers less. RNUD is working on getting at least 80% of midwives and nurses to take sign language classes.

Abhijeet Gotani, a Deaf artist from Assam, India painted Prime Minister, PM, Modi’s journey starting from when he was a young boy. Abhijeet travelled to Guwahati to meet with the government officials; he explained he wanted to gift his artwork to the PM in person.

Abhijeet and his mother went to Delhi to meet PM Modi in person. His mother interpreted for him. When the PM patted Abhijeet’s back, thanking him for the amazing artwork, his mother saw his eyes shining with happiness. Abhijeet said that this was a dream come true.

A dance group in Singapore called “The Redeafination” was formed in 2008 and is currently made up of five Deaf dancers.  The Redeafination participated in a music video of the National Day Parade, NDP, showing that being Deaf is challenging and rewarding in equal measure. The dance group was founded by two hearing dancers but over time it became Deaf only.

One of the dance group members, Sharifah, explained that the public thinks that Deaf people don’t enjoy music because they can’t hear it when it’s actually the opposite. She said that the lack of awareness about Deaf culture in the country pushed the group to educate the public about Singapore Sign Language and the barriers Deaf people face.

Muhammad Yusuf Muran, a 55-year-old Deaf man from Kashmir, India, carves special sculptures out of luxury walnut wood, continuing a 200-year-old family business. He works for 9 hours almost everyday in his small workshop. He marks the wood with a pencil first, then uses a chisel and hammer to carve.

The length of time for each piece varies; a traditional hookah sculpture took him three weeks to complete, but the status of Saint George of Lydda took him 5 years. Muhammad’s son, Saqlin, said people used to take advantage of his father, paying so little, so he and his cousins opened a shop to sell to customers directly, profits increased and the family’s finances improved.

Gregory O’Connell, an American Deaf motorcyclist, was injured after a truck collided with his motorcycle in 2018; he had a broken leg that required many surgeries and a punctured lung. Gregory sued the trucking company for $20 million; however, the company disagreed and said $750,000 would be sufficient.

Bob Simon, one of Gregory’s lawyers, said the trucking company initially offered $50,000 to close the case then later offered $1.6 million before the trial. The jury in California listened to both sides, heard testimonies from experts, and analysed evidence before deciding to award Gregory $3 million. 

Lewis Roles, a 32-year-old caregiver from Norfolk, England was arrested for stealing more than a total of £16,283.30 from his 74-year-old client between June and September 2021. The client is Deaf and Blind with limited mobility. 

The client trusted Lewis with his bank account PIN number. When the client expressed concern that his account balance was going down, Lewis helped him change his PIN number; and afterward, Lewis would creep into the client’s bedroom while he was in bed to misuse his bank cards. The court sentenced Lewis to prison for 20 months.

Patsy Palmer, a 60-year-old Deaf woman was in the Royal Free Hospital in London, England for six days without a sign language interpreter. She had no way of communicating with doctors, nurses, or anyone; and she had no access to information about what’s happening to her, her health, or her treatment. 

On her second day at the hospital, a remote interpreter was booked but a weak internet connection caused the video feed to freeze. On Patsy’s last day there, she was supposed to have a meeting with the medical staff, but the interpreting company said bookings must be made two weeks in advance. Patsy’s daughter said this is a breach of basic human rights.

An Israeli start-up company, “Sign Now” is aiming to make the FIFA World Cup 2022 accessible to the Deaf community. The company became widely known after providing sign language interpreters for the Eurovision Song Contest. Sign Now has evolved into an app that connects Deaf people to sign language interpreters. The app offers a variety of video call options and is free for the Deaf community.

Tomer Levy, the CEO and founder of Sign Now, said they want to help Deaf people to be a part of society. Accessibility will be provided for thousands of people attending Qatar from all over the world and about 50 million Deaf people watching the World Cup on TV. Currently, the company is helping Deaf Ukrainian refugees.

Jessica Rodriguez, a Deaf woman from Puerto Rico, owns a business named JeZoe, which offers all-natural beauty, cosmetics, and personal care products. JeZoe specialises in handmade soaps. They have a wide variety of products to fit each individual person’s skin needs.

Before opening JeZoe, Jessica took classes to learn how to make soaps, lotions, and lip balms; there were no sign language interpreters and she had to make do with writing, gesturing, and visual aids. After a successful booth sales at Gallaudet University, she decided to create an Etsy shop. Jessica said her goal is to teach Deaf young people about business and to foster confidence.

The only organisation in Cambodia that serves the general needs of the Deaf population suffered from funding cuts and had to let go of 11 staff members. Starting in 1997, the Deaf Development Programme, DDP, set up three centres to work with Deaf people and their families to assist them with integrating into society and achieving independence.

There are more than 51,000 Deaf people in Cambodia. DPP’s mission is to empower Deaf people to develop education, language, employment, and their community. One of the co-directors of DPP said there are prejudice and discrimination toward the Deaf community and that there is almost no help from the government.

Tasha Amber Ghouri, a British Deaf woman, first Deaf participant in the British version of Love Island – a reality dating TV show, received a lot of hateful comments about her Deafness. Ellen Keane, an Irish Paralympic swimmer and a Dancing With the Stars, DWTS, participant, said “there’s so much ableist hate.” Based on her experience with DWTS, everything is staged and edited by producers to create drama.

Tasha is a model and a dancer; she has a cochlear implant. On the first day of the Love Island show, she informed everyone else that she’s Deaf and wears a cochlear implant. A contestant said if she didn’t say anything about it, he wouldn’t have known. Viewers speculated whether Tasha was really Deaf since she could hear and speak well.

A beauty competition in Nigeria, ‘Most Beautiful Deaf Girl in Nigeria’, MBDGN, received support from The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, NCPWD. Janet Fasakin, the event organiser, said that after about 20 years, Nigeria will finally participate in World Deaf Pageants for the first time – Miss and Mister Deaf World and Miss and Mister Deaf International.

MBDGN wants to bring public awareness about the Deaf community while spotlighting Deaf women and girls around the world. They aim to promote Deaf rights through fashion, beauty, and glamour. Janet thinks that the exposure would promote the recognition and adoption of sign language as an official language. The NCPWD and MBDGN are collaborating to make this happen.

In Montréal, Canada, a Deaf man from New York, Tom Williard, was denied live captioning at the Just For Laughs festival. He put in a request for accommodations three months in advance but was turned down. The festival offered an interpreter, which Tom felt wasn’t good enough. Just For Laughs blamed logistical and technical issues for their failure to provide accommodations but Tom said the technology is readily available. The festival refunded Tom’s ticket and will reimburse him for hotel costs.

Ten weddings have recently been celebrated in Mexican Sign Language at the offices of the General Directorate of the Civil Registry of Atizapán de Zaragoza in Mexico. In 2019, the State of Mexico Civil Registry started a project and trained 15 officials to perform weddings in Sign Language; the goal is to train all 245 officials in the State for full inclusion.

Roland Grant, a 16-year-old Deaf student in Jamaica, is one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a pilot; he received flying experience from one of the country’s leading flight institutions. Roland initially struggled at first due to lack of teachers competent in Deaf education.

Christopher Gooding, the Director and Co-founder of the Aeronautical School of West Indies, learned about Ronald’s story and decided to give him the opportunity to experience co-piloting a flight. Roland said that he was nervous. Before the flight, his instructor guided Roland through checking the oil, flaps, and brakes by using hand signals to communicate. Gooding wanted to make sure Roland’s experience went as smoothly as possible.

England Deaf Futsal, an indoor soccer league, announced the Football Association, FA, decided not to fund the Deaf Women’s Futsal Team without notice. The team is completely devastated and will have to self-fund if they want to take part in future futsal competitions; they created a GoFundMe – they hope to raise £15,000. The women and men’s teams plan on going to Italy in October to represent England.

A spokesperson for FA said they decided to refocus its funding on Deaf football to formalise the 11-player team competition pathway because it ensures there are three major competitions every four-year-cycle, a World Cup, European Championships, and the Deaflympics.

In Belarus, the President recently approved a package of laws on the social protection of disabled people. One of the laws included the adoption of a new status for the Belarusian Sign Language at the legislative level. This is the first time this has happened in Belarus and it was achieved by the support of the convention of persons with disabilities.

In Stavanger, Norway, a festival of the Scandinavian culture of the Deaf was held from July 26th to 31st; the theme was “Sign Language – Here, There, and Everywhere.” This was in conjunction with the Day of the Deaf in Scandinavia, which started more than 100 years ago. At the festival, there were lectures on various topics including the rights of Deaf people, LGBTQIA+, theatre, and master classes.

Walmart, an American operator of discount stores, was accused of violating a disability rights law when refusing to provide a work coach to a DeafBlind employee, Paul Reina of Beloit, Wisconsin. When a new manager was appointed, Paul, after working for 16 years, had to start from scratch and resubmit all the necessary paperwork. Walmart cut him off.

The jury awarded Paul $200,000 in compensation and $5 million in punitive damages. Walmart, however, still denies they were wrong and claims that the employee could not perform the essential duties of his job either with or without reasonable accommodations.

Patrick Rader, Gallaudet University’s Field Manager, announced that the University broke the law. Since October 2021, Gallaudet’s Department of Public Safety, DPS, did not have an active licence to provide security on Gallaudet Campus. While waiting for a renewal, campus officers cannot wear uniforms or badges or drive marked vehicles. 

The DPS will work with the Metro Police Department to provide support in the event of incidents. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, DCRA, will fine Gallaudet for not having the proper paperwork and they should not be providing any type of security services at all.

Giselle Nissenbaum, a 23-year-old Jewish-American Deaf teacher in Israel, shared that face masks have caused communication barriers at work. Due to COVID-19 regulations, they had to wear face masks at school, which made it impossible to read lips which made teaching difficult. She decided to teach her students Israeli Sign Language to solve the issue.

Giselle volunteers at the Community Centre for the Deaf in Rishon Lezion where Deaf seniors teach her sign language and she teaches them American Sign Language. Giselle became a teacher as part of the Masa Teachers program with Israel Experience, which offers a 10-month fellowship for college graduates who want to make a difference.

Between June 30 and July 3rd, more than 20,000 people gathered in Reims, France to attend the 10th Clin d’Oeil Festival. The festival was first started in 2003 by Rémois David de Keyzer. Clin d’Oeil is currently the only major festival in the world that celebrates sign language with all the diversity of its culture and art forms.

This year, South Korea was selected as the guest country to showcase Deaf culture. In 2019, Canada was the guest country. There were educational and artistic workshops, street entertainment, theatre and music performances, film competitions, professional and artistic exhibitions, and a Deaf party. Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur from “CODA” was also in attendance.

Deaf-owned business Employ & Empower Deaf (eDeaf) connected a Deaf woman, Phumzile Mazibuko, with Ciro training to help her become a professional barista at the Hilton Hotel. She went through training for three months and was immediately offered a job. Phumzile said she gets along great with customers and the sign language chart to order drinks have helped.

Nicky Bezuidenhout of eDeaf said over 80% of Deaf people in South Africa are unemployed and the company seeks to change that alarming statistic. There are many government incentives on offer to sponsor training for Deaf people and it’s eDeaf’s role to ensure the integration is smooth and placements are set up for success.

In Ireland, a bank refused to communicate with Sofiya Kalinova, a Deaf woman, through a sign language interpreter when she contacted them about having difficulties with her online banking password. The bank manager said the bank cannot do anything because the interpreter was a third party and told Sofiya to come into the bank with proof of ID to resolve the issue.

Sofiya wrote several complaints to the bank which were unsuccessful. Her argument was that a sign language interpreter is an essential aid to the Deaf person in the same way as a guide dog is for a blind person. The Free Legal Advice Centre represented Sofiya in the matter. She won the case and was awarded  €8,500 in compensation.

See our spokesperson Anselmo DeSousa discuss “Social Media: Linking the Deaf World”!

WHEN: Thursday, August 4

TIME: 10.30am EST

WHERE: Bally’s Hotel & Casino, DeafNation World Expo Exhibit Hall
3645 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

H3 World TV is parent organization of DeafDigest. We hope to see you there!

Hayden Kristal, a Deaf comedian and queer activist, is on America’s Got Talent, AGT, as a contestant. AGT is a reality show where contestants compete on live broadcast for $1 million dollars USD; acts range from comedy, dancing, magic, stunts, and other genres. Hayden did comedy and had an ASL interpreter with her.

Hayden was born into a hearing family in Auburn, California and she faced communication barriers. Her comedy was inspired by Drew Lynch and DJ Demers. Hayden has been a fan of AGT for a long time, so having the judges send her to the next round was a dream come true; she said she feels like she has already won. 

Sign-Speak is a real-time American Sign Language, ASL, translation software on your smartphone or laptop that recognizes sign language and translates it into spoken language, and vice versa. Companies can communicate with their Deaf and hard of hearing clients and staff. The software was invented by Nicholas Kelly and Yamillet Payano, and Nicholas Wilkins.

Sign-Speak was tested in a New York zoo and a pizzeria in Washington, D.C.. About 90 people a day used the software at both locations and this allowed the businesses to better serve the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Customers didn’t have to write back and forth. Payno hopes Sign-Speak will be launched at some businesses this year.

Social media pages and websites for fake British Sign Language, BSL, training courses teach inaccurate signs. “Signalong” posted numerous videos in gibberish sign language, causing an outrage in the British Deaf community. Signalong responded to the complaints, saying they received advice from members of the Royal Association of the Deaf, RAD.  

RAD posted a video, stating that the organisation never endorsed or is in any way affiliated with Signalong. As a result, Gavin Lilley established a “BSL Watchdog” group – they posted a video on its Facebook page, explaining that their intention is to share and report fake/scam sign language training, fake charities, and organisations that claim to teach BSL. 

In 2014, Joe Monteleone, a 60-year-old Deafblind artist was forced to retire from working in public service after 32 years because his Usher syndrome got worse, so he turned to art. Joe has tunnel vision and cannot see in the dark. He creates linocuts – a design carved on a block of linoleum. He tried painting and drawing but found it difficult since he cannot feel it, linocut is tactile. 

After only 5 years of creating art, Joe received a grant from the City of Melbourne to create a linocut of a local landmark. He chose Flinders Street Station – a regular meeting point for Deafblind people. It took him more than 800 hours to complete the artwork and it will be on display in Federation Square in January 2023.

After a funeral, a Deaf woman, Sally Arathoon, her husband, Scott, and some family members  visited the Wheatsheaf Wetherspoon pub in Ellesmere Port, England. Sally has Ménière’s disease – an inner ear disorder that causes vertigo. When she went to the bar to order a second alcoholic beverage, she was denied service and accused of being drunk since she “spoke too loud.” 

Scott said Sally had an anxiety reaction from the accusation even though she tried to explain to the staff that she’s Deaf and cannot hear the volume of her voice. They left, humiliated and upset. The pub’s spokesman said they cannot comment on the incident since it’s currently being investigated but they would be happy to speak to Sally and Scott directly.

In Bogotá, Colombia, after three years of collaborative work between leaders of six organisations, Deaf people are now able to get a driving licence. The Deaf community is thrilled. The decision was based on a study that found hearing limitations have no impact on the rate of driving accidents and skills, however Deaf drivers need to have a sign on their car, informing others that they’re Deaf. 

In Lima, Peru, the Ministry of Culture successfully carried out an accessibility project that allowed Deaf people to attend a concert at the Gran Teatro Nacional. Daniela Prado, the national singer, used a combination of Peruvian Sign Language, LSP, and a series of visual tools to enhance the experience for the Deaf community. The new practices and sensations were created so that all people can enjoy music together and the emotions it generates.

The Australian Deaf community brought up concerns about the lack of accessibility during government press concerns. Sign language interpreters at press conferences aren’t visible on social media and that needs to change. The Prime Minister’s office stated they’re committed to providing accessibility to all Australians.

Sheri Beaver felt that the Prime Minister shouldn’t have to be reminded to be accessible to all Australians, including those who use Auslan. She also said that if accessibility doesn’t come automatically, they will remain behind other nations such as the United States and New Zealand where there are sign language interpreters at leaders’ daily press conferences.

Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) was developed in 1998 and accepted as an official language in 2008 by the Malaysian Government and they use BIM to communicate with the Deaf community. There are around 60,000 BIM users. Government staff members will undergo three-month sign language training.

Earlier this year at the Deaf Empowerment Workshop 2022, where there were 50 participants from over 20 associations and government agencies, advocates urged the government to make BIM an elective subject in school. In September 2001, the government asked early childhood education institutions to provide early exposure to sign languages at a workshop ‘Voices to be Heard.’

A Deaf organisation, UEDY – Ubuntu European Deaf Youth – celebrates its one year anniversary. They raise, educate, and empower BIPOC Deaf youths from all over Europe. UEDY hosts seminars, teaching about anti-racism, and other motivational topics for BIPOC  people.

Earlier this month in Reims, France, the Clin d’Oeil Festival took place at a new venue. Everything was nearby, including a theatre, cinema, exhibition, an open-air stage, dance floor, lecture room with master classes, a food court with Deaf chefs, and a swimming pool. More than 10,000 Deaf people from all over the world attended.

Brian Gubb, a 63-year-old Deaf-blind man built an “Earthship” house for himself, his family of five children, and grandchildren. It cost Gubb $28,000 USD to build the house; he used natural and recycled materials, such as an old car and a large truck tires filled with soil, and walls made from coloured glass squares from old bottles. His house also has recycled hot tubs filled with spring heated water. The house is named, “Kan do it.”

In 2007, Gubb lost his sight from an optic nerve stroke. He can only see shapes and lines; to use his smartphone, he needs to pull it close to his eyes. Gubb works full-time building custom wooden crates and pallets and does additional work as a ground-keeper.

A student at Brunel Design School in the United Kingdom created a new device, “Sonear”. It uses ultrasonic sensors to monitor traffic, letting the user know when a vehicle is in their proximity by delivering small vibrations to the back of the head. As cars get closer, the tingling vibration increases, allowing the cyclist to “feel” the car’s proximity to them.

Divine Okoroji, a 22-year-old, was born deaf in one ear. He stated that he never used to cycle on the road because he felt like he was getting into positions where he was having near-misses. He hopes the device will give Deaf and hard of hearing people more confidence on their bike. Okoroji hopes to work with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf to develop it into an attractive commercial product.

Mexican Sign Language (LSM) became official in 2005 and is commemorated every year on June 10th. In Quintana Roo, the municipality of Benito Juárez was the first to provide LSM interpretation during live broadcasts of government official announcements as well as training of LSM for citizens and public servants. There are around 85 people in the government who have been involved in this. The goal is to improve communication and accessibility in the area.

Students in Canada created art based on their Deaf and hard of hearing experiences. The “Deaf Shame to Deaf Same” exhibition is at the Regina Public Library, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their art is presented in many different ways – through a series of dioramas, photographs, and written descriptions. The art illustrated their feelings of isolation and humiliation to acceptance and belonging they found in the Deaf community.

Greg Kellison has recently stepped down from his role as Executive Director of Deaf Services Centre in Worthington because of the organisation’s toxic culture and back-stabbing staff members. In March this year, many Deaf people went to the office to protest against Kellison’s hiring since he refuses to learn sign language or meet the community; they wanted a leader who knows sign language and is from the Deaf community.

Before Kellison became the Executive Director, he was the CEO and board’s assistant, focusing on growing revenue and stability of the organisation. He resigned only after four months on June 30, 2022. His resignation letter stated, “ no amount of financial finesse or managerial leadership can fix an agency determined to do itself in. The culture is toxic, many of the staff are petty and vicious, and no amount of financial or managerial leadership can fix the culture”

The charity office of the Cumbria Deaf Association in England has been damaged by intruders who threw rocks into the window, broke the metal shutter into pieces, kicked in doors, and attempted to burn it down. Additionally, computer equipment was stolen, and rooms that they had rented out now cannot be rented out due to the damage, which will cause a loss of income. 

Caroline Howsley, the General Manager, said “ “You can imagine our shock and disbelief that someone would go to so much effort to break in and cause so much damage. We are insured, however, that doesn’t cover the emotional cost to our staff and Deaf community, many of whom consider the Kendal centre their second home”. The association is working to recover from this setback.

Ruvanya Ramiah and her husband Ayush Rambally were found guilty of fraud and theft charges after they stole a total amount of R13 million – almost $800,000 USD. Ruvanya was a financial officer at the Deaf and Blind Society from March 2012 to February 2019. She had access and control to the society’s bank accounts; some of her duties included paying salaries and general payments.

Ruvanya would pay herself large amounts of money from time to time, sometimes twice a month. She was accused of making fake payments to suppliers and created fake receipts, but the money was going to her husband’s account. At court, Ayush admitted he knew his wife was breaking the law and he took the money anyway. The fraud case was sent for review which will take place on the 4th of August. Until then, the couple will stay in custody.

A 28-year-old Dutch soccer superstar, Memphis Depay, recently went on a vacation in Ghana. While vacationing, he helped with renovating the bathroom facilities at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind. He also donated sporting equipment and other items to the Deaf students. 

He created the Memphis foundation to provide support for Deaf and blind children and to establish more schools for them. Memphis Foundation says on their website that they picture a world in which Deaf and blind young people can fully participate and are completely welcome in their community, where they can show their talents and dream their dreams. Memphis’s connection to Ghanda is through his father, who was born there.

In Germany, Deaf people still face barriers in employment, study, equal access, and political participation. Steffen Helbing, a Deaf German politician, and his fellow campaigners protested for more inclusion and participation in front of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament. He said that according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Deaf community should receive equal participation in society and that German Sign Language should become a recognized language.

Multiple protests by Deaf Germans fighting for their fights include 10,000 Deaf people protesting in 2013 in Berlin, in front of the Federal Parliament. In 2021, one man participated in a hunger strike for almost a week – he sat outside his tent in front of the Federal Chancellery throughout the duration of his protest.

Hope Cotton, a 17-year-old student activist from New Zealand, started a petition to get media companies include closed captions on videos. There are 880,000 New Zealanders with hearing loss who are struggling with inaccessibility. Hope said captions should include transcription of dialogue, sound effects, and any other important audio information.

When the “Dancing with the Stars” finale was advertised, it stated that the episode would be captioned, unfortunately it wasn’t. Hope and her family were disappointed; she ended up reading a book instead. New Zealand is one of the few countries where closed captioning is not required. Hope has gathered more than 500 signatures for her petition so far.

Sorenson Communications, one of the United States’ largest communications product and service providers, announced a strategic partnership with Gallaudet University. Sorenson donated $3 million USD that will support the growth of the Centre for Black Deaf Studies, a vibrant hub for education, research, and support for our Black Deaf students and the community.

The CEO of Sorenson said, “we intend to demonstrate how integrating these values is intertwined with financial outcomes that are mutually beneficial to everyone in the ecosystem – students, employees, customers, suppliers, philanthropic supporters, and partners. We are fully invested in training the Black Deaf leaders of tomorrow.”

In Chhattisgarh, India, a 10-year-old Deaf boy, Rahul Sahu, was playing in his backyard and fell into an 18-metre deep well. He was trapped for 104 hours. Over 500 people, including the police and armed forces, tried to rescue him. The rescue process was difficult because they struggled to communicate with Sahu since he was Deaf; the bad weather, dangerous snakes, and scorpions didn’t help either.

Rescuers inserted an oxygen hose into the well so Sahu could breathe and they also gave him a banana. Typically, people don’t survive a fall in wells in India. After 4 days, Sahu was saved by rescuers when they dug a tunnel 5 metres away, using cranes and earth movers to connect the pit with the well. He was taken to the hospital immediately to be monitored in intensive care.

JR Ueno Station in Tokyo, Japan collaborated with Fujitsu Ltd., an information and technology Japanese company to create a safer environment for Deaf people by converting announcements and even the sound of an approaching train into printed matter or sign language. 

Fujitsu got the idea from Deaf students when they visited a local Deaf school; they expressed the need for improved visual accessibility at train stations. Currently there’s a trial project underway with the announcements and train sounds by collecting microphones that are converted into text and onomatopoeic descriptions in real-time using artificial intelligence.

The 2022 Deaflympics was held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil has resulted in the organising committee not having any money left to pay vendors. Originally, Deaflympics was supposed to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro so they could use the 2016 Olympics facilities and get federal funding. The President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, ISCD, decided to relocate the event to his hometown in Caxias do Sul, losing federal support.

ISCD relied on entry fees since the venue could host up to 6,000 people, however less than 2,400 showed up. Russian and Belaruian athletes were banned from participating because of the war against Ukraine. Other countries did not attend because of the pandemic. This left the committee in $2,350,791 USD debt, owing the hotel and tourism company approximately $780,000. The ISCD committee was informed they would not have the resources to invest in the event but they ignored the warnings and went ahead with it anyway.

Students from Pulwama’s Islamic University of Science and Technology invented a small wearable wrist device called Situational Awareness and Alarming System for the Hearing Impaired, SAHHI, and it won’t cost more than Rs 1,500 ($20 USD). The device can pick up warning sounds and vibrate to alert the user about a nearby emergency.

The leader of the project said that Deaf people are least aware of an occurring emergency near them; they are usually physically hauled out from dangerous situations, but if there’s a speeding car or a violent situation, people first try to save their own lives than think about helping others. This is where the SAHHI device can be helpful.

Vodafone, a British telecommunications company, collaborated with Music Not Impossible to create a vibrating suit for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people attending festivals. The vest consists of 24 vibrating actuators around the wrists, ankles, and torsos. The LED-flashing vest vibrates in time with the beat of the music.

Kyle Springate, a deaf festival-goer said that normally with crowds that big and loud, sounds get drowned out. Wearing the suit meant he could keep up with the songs much easier. When the crowd was going wild, he could feel it all the way up his spine, making him feel like a Superman.

The Maryland Deaf Community Centre (MDCC) received a $2.5 million grant to purchase their own permanent facility. The city of Frederick also donated $500,000, making it a total of $3 million. MDCC will be able to provide activities to Deaf seniors and local Deaf organisations; train care workers and offer ASL classes. 

Alderwoman Donna Kuzemchak advocated for adding the money to the city’s budget. She said that the facility won’t benefit only just the Deaf and hard of hearing community, but the entire community. MDCC has already found a location they like but they’re waiting to receive the money before announcing where it’ll be located.

Renad Al-Hussein, a medical student at the College of Medicine at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia has developed a special sensor adaptor that sends sound frequencies to a device inside a car, identifying and displaying the description, image, and the colour of the sound source, visually, alerting the driver to any danger. 

Renad said that he came up with this invention after learning that some countries prevent Deaf people from driving because they are unable to hear. He says that this invention can help these countries become more open to allowing Deaf people to drive.

Elina Kuduro is a Deaf full-time GrabFood driver who works 11 hours a day, five days a week and is hoping for a career change. She successfully received a heavy vehicle driving licence however, companies that invite her for interviews found that walkie-talkies are a barrier for her.

Kurdo appeared on a CNA show, “Hire Me”; the show aims to help people with disabilities or health conditions to get their dream job.  During the show, she will receive coaching and support to be connected with potential employers. “Hire Me” will run on TV from June to September 2022.

On June 5th, Roberto Wirth, Deaf owner of a luxury five-star hotel in Rome’s City Centre, Hotel Hassler Roma, passed away at the age of 72. He studied at Cornell University in Milano, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Gallaudet University in the USA. In 1982, 

The hotel offers 87 unique and luxurious five-star rooms and suites along with spa treatments and to dine in a Michelin-starred restaurant. The hotel has been visited by Steve Jobs, Tom Cruise, Audrey Hepburn, and Princess Diana. Roberto received many awards and invested a lot in the Deaf community by establishing funds and scholarships.

A service in New Zealand that supports families of Deaf children learning New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) received funding of $2.8 million so that the service can continue for the next four years. This funding will allow the service to support 280 families per year by 2026.

Natasha Cloete, First Signs Team Leader explained that there is a huge demand for the First Signs service, and trying to grow the service is not possible with funding limits. But with this $2.8 million grant, they will be able to recruit more facilitators to support children in areas they have not been able to support, such as remote, rural areas of New Zealand. First Signs service received positive feedback from parents of Deaf children.

Sidney Carolina Bernal, a 35-year-old teacher from Bogota, Colombia was recognised as the best teacher in Ibero-America. She created a project that focuses on technological tools that guarantee the educational inclusion of children with disabilities. Bernal’s project was named “Inclutec,” which is a combination of the words “inclusion and technology.”

Softys, a company in Lima, Peru, develops products and solutions for personal care. They collaborated with the Lima Region Deaf Association (Assoreli) to reduce social gaps for Deaf people and improve their quality of life. Training workshops to learn Peruvian Sign Language and Deaf culture were provided as the first step to make diversity and inclusion a reality. The goal is to improve Deaf people’s employability, social skills, and reduce communication barriers.

A Deaf woman, Ashley Vallejo, visited Dutch Bros Coffee in Waco, Texas for the first time. On her receipt, there was a note from an employee saying “most difficult customer ever.” On TikTok, she shared her hurt and frustration and asked the company to have patience with Deaf people instead of punishing them because they’re trying to order food, just like everyone else.

Dutch Bros coffee said they addressed the issue internally and reached out to Ashley to apologise. They stated that her experience was deeply disappointing, unacceptable, and against everything the company stands for. They also hope to work with her and the Deaf community to ensure they provide accessible service.

An Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, believes that Deaf people should be able to hold a driver’s licence. Gabriela Govea Lopez, PRI’s local deputy, is leading this initiative. The President of the Health Commission shared his full support on the issue, saying that 90% of the information received while driving is visual.

CHEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, now provides access to language interpreters to patients, their families, and physicians through Voyce – a healthcare interpreting service. CHEO’s Patient Experience Manager emphasised the importance of clear and concise communication especially since a growing number of the population don’t speak English or French as their primary language. Canada is one of the most diverse countries globally.

Deaf representation on TV and stage has increased in the U.K. Rose Alying-Ellis won BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2021. Now, a 23-year-old model and dancer, Natasha Ghouri will be on ITV2’s “Love Island”, which is a reality dating show; she is the first Deaf participant of the show. Winner will get £50,000.

With the increased awareness and having a deaf participant on Love Island, Deaf viewers expected subtitles to be added. ITV2 didn’t add subtitles. Deaf viewers took to Twitter to share their frustrations about not being able to understand what was being said. ITV responded on social media, apologising for the disappointment and they will work on adding subtitles.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a non-profit organisation working to ensure equal rights for 70 million Deaf people globally. In 2019, WFD held a general assembly and chose Jeju, South Korea to host the WFD’s 19th World Congress between 11 to 15th of July 2023. The theme is “Securing Human Rights in Times of Crises.”

About 5000 people from 130 different countries are expected to participate in the congress. Official language will be International Sign, Korean Sign language, English, and Korean. Registration opens on July 1st and ends on Sept 1st, 2022.

Daniel Ailey from London, UK is a Deaf bodybuilder; he recently won a silver medal in a FitX competition, hosted by FitX Bodybuilding Federation. He will participate in several more competitions soon. On Instagram, he mentions working out and nutrition are key to achieving the perfect body.

Recently, in Kaliningrad, Russia, there was a Deaf poker tournament. Poker is prohibited in Russia with the exception of two cities – Sochi and Kaliningrad. Even though there are more women players, the number of countries participating in the tournament has dramatically reduced because of political sanctions. 

Dr. Wisdom Kawado Mprah, a University lecturer, is working to remove communication barriers for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Ghana by reforming national and educational policies. He said more than 90 percent of teachers in 17 schools, including a Deaf high school, aren’t able to communicate in sign language.

Dr. Mprah wants adequate training for teachers at Deaf schools. Training would include learning sign language, attitudes toward Deaf children, and how to teach them with a course on Deaf Education. He also said parents should take responsibility and learn to communicate with their Deaf children, along with treating them equally to their hearing children.

On Friday, May 13th, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook visited Gallaudet University in Washington D.C, to deliver a speech at the graduates’ commencement ceremony. During his speech, he told students that his piece of advice is to lead with your values throughout life. Tim had an ASL interpreter standing next to him on stage for the entire time.

 Apple and Gallaudet have a close relationship. In 2020, Apple provided each student and faculty member with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Smart Folio tablet case. The company also offered jobs to Gallaudet students. Cook said that Apple’s purpose has always been to create technology that enriches peoples’ lives and making it accessible to all.

A Deaf woman in Vancouver, B.C. filed a complaint that she was not given access to communication during her arrest; the police made her minor daughter interpret. The U.S. Justice department reviewed the case and offered a settlement – the Vancouver Police Department was required to pay her $30,000 USD and had to update their accessibility policies.

 The Vancouver police also equipped their patrol cars and motorcycles with ‘visor cards’ to help communicate with Deaf people. Visor cards contain words and images so the police and Deaf people can easily communicate by pointing.

Emily Jo Noschese is the first person in her family and at the University of Hawaii to receive a full university education. She received her doctoral degree from the Department of Linguistics specializing in American Sign Language. In her university application, she wrote that ever since she was 10 years old, she dreamt of getting a Ph.D.

Emily attended Gallaudet University, graduating with a BA in ASL and an MA in linguistics. The linguistics department at the University of Hawaii accommodated her; she also created and taught ASL courses, which are now taught by other Deaf instructors.

In South Africa, a Canadian-born woman is the first Deaf Biology doctoral graduate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal; she earned a Ph.D as a zoologist. She grew up with a passion for animals. She studies their lives and examines their muscles. People at her institution in South Africa really look up to her and recognise her accomplishments.

A Zambian man moved to Botswana because there was a child who struggled to communicate or hear because new hearing aid batteries were very expensive. The man decided to start a business, “Deaftronic” that focuses on Deaf technology. The company created a solar charger that comes with four rechargeable batteries. He won an award for the 2022 Builders of Africa’s Future.

The United Kingdom’s first Deaf-Blind medical student, Alexandra Adams is studying to become the first Deaf-Blind doctor in the UK. When she was 16 years old, she was a patient at a hospital for 18-months due to medical reasons, and that was when she was inspired to pursue a career in palliative care or pediatrics after graduating in 2024.

 Alexandra said “My biggest challenges aren’t my disabilities. It is ignorance and stereotyping that make things hard. I’ve been blind my entire life and I’m able to adapt”. She lives alone, is very independent, and just gets on with it whether it be doing triages, taking blood, entering swimming competitions, or skiing. 

Netflix launched a new collection of shows with characters living with disabilities, titled “Celebrating Disability with Dimension.” It features over 50 shows. With over 1 billion people living with disabilities globally, Netflix grabbed the opportunity to share more inclusive stories. 

Netflix is adding Spanish, Portuguese, and French to their language support options for Audio Descriptions (AD) and Subtitles. This expansion only applies to Netflix Originals. Netflix’s Director of Product Accessibility is also a CODA – she said that Netflix partnered with members of the disability community to develop AD guidelines to make the service more accessible and inclusive. 

Deaf Germans have been able to get their driver’s license since the 1950s. It was quickly established that they are very good drivers because there’s no noise distractions. However, Deaf people have to get a certificate that proves they are “physically fit” to drive a vehicle. 

The driver’s license theory test consists of multiple choice questions. For those who aren’t fluent in German, this can be a barrier. Deaf people have to pay for their own sign language interpreter which costs EUR 75.00 per hour; medical examination certificates cost up to EUR 600.00. The German Deaf community feel this contradicts the UN Disability Rights Convention and that insurance should take care of the costs.

A village in Ghana, Adamobore, only 3% of its population are Deaf. In 1975, a decree banned Deaf people from marrying each other to prevent Deaf offsprings. One day, a Deaf woman was selling food in the village and suddenly threw up; a male relative realised she was pregnant and almost started hitting her because he thought a Deaf man was the father.

Now, the ban has been lifted. A team from the Ghana University is studying the village to learn more about how hereditary Deafness works and to remove the myth of Deaf people being cursed.

On April 25th, The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) announced Richard Belzile as the new Executive Director. He did a lot of advocacy work for people with disabilities. The Deaf community expressed anger, confusion, and frustration because it is unclear if he is Deaf, hearing, or late-deafened.

A Deaf advocate, Alvin Witcher, said that when a Deaf organisation or agency hires a hearing person, it sends the wrong message that there are o qualified and capable Deaf Candidates. DeafDots, one of H3 World TV’s programs, contacted Richard for comments. He said that he would be “forwarding media requests to the Board.”

Shirly Pinto, a 33 year old Deaf woman became Israel’s first Deaf lawmaker in 2019, representing 18.8 million of Israelians with disabilities. She uses Israeli Sign Language to communicate and uses an interpreter. She brought in all the issues related to people with disabilities and forced the government to take notice after years of nodding and ignoring them. 

Pinto threatened to take action against the government if they didn’t include disabled people in their budget. She is working on resolving issues related to incoming missiles because Deaf people can’t hear the warning siren and the app that’s supposed to alert them failed to alert right away, putting Deaf people’s lives at risk. Pinto is determined to change the future for the next generation.

A 27-year-old London-born Deaf MMA fighter Thomas Paull secured his first sponsorship deal with Another Round, the Personal Training membership subscription. Max Cotton, CEO of Another Round and former pro-MMA fighter said he rarely has seen anyone train with the same intensity as Paull and thinks he will make big waves globally.

Thomas learned how to fight as a kid to defend himself against bullies who picked on him because of his deafness. He said his fighting will do all the talking in the ring and that’s where he will earn some respect. He hopes to join the UFC and fight Connor McGregor and Paddy Pimblett. Thomas is currently ranked within the Top 10 Pro Men’s Lightweight Fighters in Europe.

Jari Pärgma, a member of the Board of the Estonian Sign Language Society and translator of Estonian Sign Language watched the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 and there was no sign language translation. In 2014, they provided sign language translation for songs only, not commentary. The show still wasn’t fully accessible.

For years, Jari emailed the Estonian Public Broadcasting – ERR -requesting the show to provide signed translations but never heard back. He decided to bring the issues to Twitter and a show called “Being. ERR finally responded and Jari gathered 20 volunteer interpreters to create music videos with sign language translation. ERR realised the project was popular, so they made it fully accessible.

Sorenson Communications, Amazon, and Microsoft are collaborating to support the development of ASL interpreter skills by offering mentoring experience to interpreting students and recent graduates. Experienced interpreters will be the mentors. Participants will experience what it is like to be a professional interpreter at Amazon and Microsoft. They also will get a chance to interpret whilst receiving immediate feedback on their performance.

Ariel Investments announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Sorenson; their first project is “Project Black” which is a strategic initiative to scale sustainable minority-owned businesses. The CEO of Sorenson, Jorge Rodriguez expressed excitement about the collaboration with Amazon and Microsoft to develop the next generation of ASL interpreters, supporting a more diverse and inclusive world.

73 countries participated in the 24th Deaflympics that was held in Brazil from May 1st to May 15th. There were 17 different sports and 209 events. At the end of the Deaflympics, Ukraine came in first place with 62 gold medals, 38 silver medals, and 38 bronze medals, totalling to 138 medals; second place was USA with 55 medals, and third place was tied between 4 countries – Israel, Thailand, Sweden, and Serbia with 1 bronze medal each.

H3 World TV sent its anchor and reporter, Memnos Costi and reporter Esther Vinas Olivo to Caxis do Sul, Brazil to cover the event. Videos of various events, ceremonies, and interviews can be found on H3 World TV channels.

The #DeafTok hashtag has over 1 billion views. TikTok is a social media app centred around short videos. At first, TikTok was not Deaf-friendly but by April 2021, TikTok decided to step up and make the platform more accessible for the Deaf community by adding auto-captions.

A Deaf TikTok creator, Scarlet Watters said she felt that her video “Deaf Ears in a Hearing World” opened people’s eyes to the inaccessibility Deaf users have to face. She also says that #DeafTok brings the Deaf and Hearing worlds together as with this awareness, Deaf people can finally have smoother conversations without barriers, making each other’s lives easier.

The UK celebrated Deaf Awareness week from May 2nd to 8th. The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) arranged for their movie screenings to be captioned for that week. Deaf people in the UK were disappointed that the captioning feature in theatres was only temporary and the UKCA has no plans of making it permanent.

The Deputy Director of National Deaf Children’s Society said, “Deaf Awareness Week is about celebrating deaf people and highlighting the issues they face. It’s not an opportunity for large cinema chains to pay lip service to accessibility with publicity-seeking gimmicks. Real equality is permanent, not temporary, and there’s still no clear plan to increase subtitling long term.”

A Deaf married couple in India got into a heated argument that led to the wife walking out of the house, leaving her phone behind, and she headed to the railway station. A concerned onlooker saw her crying and contacted the Abhayam Gujarat 181 helpline. When the counsellors arrived, they struggled to communicate with the woman.

Police officers showed up to assist the counsellors in helping the wife. Four hours later, the police were able to get ahold of her husband; he immediately showed up at the railway station and his wife was not happy to see him. It took some convincing for her to agree to go home with him.

Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (DIDG) in Australia created a safe space for Deaf indigenous people to celebrate their culture with dances, to communicate freely, and to pay respects to elders, past and present.

DIDG practices their dancing on a wooden stage so they can feel the vibration of the drums and tapping of the sticks. They’ve performed at several events such as the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee week. This was an opportunity to acknowledge the lived experiences, centuries of resilience, and ongoing contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The British Sign Language Bill passed in the United Kingdom. The British Deaf Association confirmed that the BSL Bill received Royal Assent, which means it has become an act of Parliament. This will impact 151,000 Deaf people’s health, social care, and education.

Member of Parliament, Jamie Wallis posted on social media that the BSL Act received cross-party support and will recognize BSL as an official language of England, Wales, and Scotland. This is a step forward toward a more inclusive and accessible society.

In Lima, Peru, a 66-year-old Deaf man named Carlos Suarez Llosa, was awarded recognition from the Labuor Order 2022 of the Public Company. He was recognized for serving 50 years in the Official Journal El Peruano and is the first Deaf person with the longest continuous work experience in a state company. 

In Catfish city, Colombia, a company called Oportunidades Disponibles (Opordis) has hired 8 Deaf people to provide landscaping services. They wanted to let people with “different abilities” come to work with them. This project offers landscaping, spraying, and mechanical cleaning services for green areas in different places. 

In war-torn Ukraine, 5-year-old Deaf girl Alisa and her mom Yelyzaveta are waiting for permission to travel to the United Kingdom. Alisa’s visa was approved but they’re still waiting for her mom’s. They plan on going to the United Kingdom.

The UK Government confirmed that 71,800 visas had been issued to Ukrainians. However just one-third, 21,600 Ukrainians have arrived. Some have been granted permission and some are still waiting. This intolerable confusion and delay is causing extra stress upon the refugees.

Inspired by the movie “CODA”, many authors are publishing books to show children what it is like being Deaf or CODA. In the book, “Proud to be Deaf”, a 7-year-old girl named Ava speaks directly to her classmates and invites them to get to know her community and learn sign language phrases. 

Sian Heder, director for “CODA,” explained that she wants people who have never met a Deaf person or seen sign language, to see Deaf people in a normal, everyday environment, and to break the stereotype that Deaf people approach life in a monolithic manner.

An Australian family is struggling to provide support for their 5 year old Deaf daughter, Tilly to learn Auslan. Her mother, Jane thought once Tilly’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding was approved, things would get easier but it didn’t. 

Teachers from the Deaf community have a minimum of two hours per lesson, which would eat up Tilly’s NDIS budget quickly. Two hours is too long for a 5 year old. Jane’s mother tried to use the Internet to teach Tilly, but is concerned that the signs could be wrong and that would affect Tilly’s ability to sign correctly. Brett Casey from Deaf Connect suggested they learn from a Deaf Auslan user.

Deaf people in Heifei City started a cleaning company after the founder, Hu Min, struggled to find a job. The company is named “Longwei,” which means “Deaf can also make a difference.” They struggle at the beginning due to discrimination from clients, but eventually proved themselves capable with the high-quality service they provide.

A national sample survey of people with disabilities stated about 27.8 million people in China are Deaf and hard of hearing. The country has set up a goal to create 1 million jobs for people with disabilities from 2022 to 2024 to promote disability and equality.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, will deliver Gallaudet University’s 152nd Commencement Address on Friday, May 13th. A Gallaudet student, Molly Feanny, posted a video on Twitter, inviting Tim Cook to speak at the University and he responded, “I’d be honoured! See you there!”

Gallaudet and Apple have had great cooperation to help to increase the value of sign language, equality, and inclusion for the Deaf community. Through their collaboration, “Connected Gallaudet” was established, in which all Gallaudet students and faculty were provided with MacBook Pro M1 notebook computers or iPad Pro tablets.

Lim Anuar is a full-time Deaf artist, born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With more than 25 years of experience, he is now working on a massive wall mural that highlights Kuala Lumpur’s history and heritage. It takes him several hours a day to paint and sometimes has to use a forklift because the wall is high.

He hopes to become a lecturer of Art and Design for Deaf people in academic institutions. His goal is to create public awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities as equal and capable.

Sorenson opened a Spanish and American sign language interpreter service in Puerto Rico. Their goal is to hire 100 qualified interpreters who can work from home or from an interpreting centre in Puerto Rico. Lance Pickett from Sorenson said they look forward to a strong and lasting relationship.

Coldplay, a rock band, performed at a concert in Mexico City and surprised the audience when they invited a Deaf fan, Enory Garcia, to come up and sing in Mexican Sign Language. After Emory’s performance, Chris Martin, the band leader, gave her a hug.

Deaf motorcyclist, Archana Timmaraju has travelled 50,000km throughout India on her motorcycle over 15 years. Since many women have been raped, abused, and kidnapped in India, it makes it harder for women to travel alone; she wanted to show women that even though it’s harder, it’s not impossible.

Archana realised no other Deaf Indians travelled regularly so she wanted to set an example for her community. Unfortunately, in India, Deaf people aren’t allowed to get their motorcycle licence and Archana, who’s hard of hearing, is hoping to change this.

The Florida Association of the Deaf (FAD) has disassociated themselves from the National Deaf Association (NAD) because NAD opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida. Board didn’t even vote. Deaf community expressed disappointment in FAD.

Former FAD Board member, Chris Wagner, spoke out against the organisation. He said the vote doesn’t count. Chris demanded a full apology from FAD and to allow for the full FAD board to have an open dialogue on the topic with full transparency.

Tatjana Binggeli, from Switzerland, is a Deaf woman who left her career as a dentist to go back to University and study ophthalmology (eye care). She became a successful eye surgeon. Tatjana also established the Swiss Association of the Deaf.

In Italy, in the city of Pescara, the KALOPSIA bar has recently opened. It was founded by a young traveler Lillo Petrucci, along with his sister and girlfriend. Deaf and hearing people gather in his bar to relax and enjoy a cocktail. The drinks are made by Deaf bartenders.

Davideo Productions has released a 356-page cartoon book, “THE OLD FOGEYS TREASURY.” The book has over 600 cartoons about the Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing communities. The strips employ humour, social and political commentary, and plain craziness. It features published cartoons from 2001 to 2017, including earlier works by a Deaf creator, artist, and writer David H. Pierce.

The book is available in both paperback and hardcover versions. For information, go to Davideo Productions website at www.davideo.tv.