Deaf-Blind Diver Defies The Toughest Odds

Deaf-Blind Heather diver defies the toughest odds.



Baysidereviewlocal.com.au - Heather Lawson is possibly the first Deaf-Blind person in Australia to go scuba diving, and one of only a few in the world to have done so.



The 54-year-old Frankston adventurer, who was born Deaf and gradually lost her sight (as have two of her siblings), has skydived and bungee-jumped, climbed rocks and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, flown in a hot air balloon and skied over snow and water.



Scuba diving has long been on her bucket list. Last week she spent an hour in the shallow waters of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, thanks to a support team of seven including her Auslan tactile interpreters and local dive instructor Mike Letch, founder of the Disabled Divers Association.



Ms Lawson was tethered to a scuba hose, her tank floating separately so she could explore and sign freely. She held starfish, kelp and sea urchins as interpreter Bill Hynes also Deaf, and a qualified diver described everything to her in water up to three metres deep and 200 metres offshore.



Mr Letch said later that Ms Lawson's perception of her surroundings was incredible to witness.



"She was so much more in tune with a whole lot of stuff going on than the rest of us," he said. "She's super switched on, super intelligent. We want her to become a regular next year, now that we know how it can be done."



Back on shore, Ms Lawson - her grin as wide as the harbour bridge she climbed - declared the experience "amazing". "I wish I was a seal, then I could stay in the water all day," she said. "I was pretty nervous before going in, but it was incredible. I was so determined to breathe properly and ignore the waves. ...READ MORE: http://www.baysidereviewlocal.com.au/story/1351254/blind-deaf-diver-defies-the-toughest-odds/?cs=1473



Gallery: Deaf-blind Heather scuba-diving:

- Click here for our picture gallery of Heather's big dive

Mothers of Deaf Children Want Insurance Companies To Pay For Hearing Aids

Jacksonville.com - Mothers of Deaf children want insurance companies to pay for hearing aids.



ATLANTA - A handful of mothers with Deaf children urged legislators Tuesday to require health insurance companies to provide hearing aids.



The women estimated there are fewer than 400 children needing the devices which can run as much as $6,000 for a pair every five years. Medicaid, the state’s insurance for the poor, already provides them, but most private insurance companies don’t because, unlike devices such as pacemakers, they aren’t necessary for survival.



The mothers, who formed LetGeorgiaHear.org, argue that spending $40,000 on hearing aids during a child’s youth avoids tenfold costs for special education.



“It’s going to be hard. It’s not a very popular concept,” admits Kelly Jenkins, one of the group’s co-founders and the mother of 3-year-old Sloane who was fitted with hearing aids before she could walk.



Comer Yates, executive director of the Atlanta Speech School, said 90 percent of Deaf children are born to hearing parents, so they are unlikely to learn sign language from their parents at an age when other children are developing their vocabulary.



“Early exposure to language determines a child’s pathway in life,” he said.



Rep. Ed Lindsey, R-Atlanta, is the sponsor of House Bill 74 that would mandate hearing-aid coverage for children. ...READ MORE: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2013-03-12/story/mothers-deaf-children-want-insurance-companies-pay-hearing-aids

Library Purchases Ohio School for the Deaf Property

Dispatch.com - Buying old Deaf School won’t hinder library upgrades with levy money, Columbus library sticking with plan for new branches.

The old Asylum/Deaf School at 400 East Town St

COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Metropolitan Library’s decision to buy the former Ohio State School for the Deaf won’t interfere with planned renovation or replacement of almost half of its branch libraries.



“These are the libraries that we are committed to,” said Pat Losinski, library director



Two years ago, facing cuts in state funding, Columbus Metropolitan and other libraries cut staff, froze pay and closed doors on Sundays.



But with the passage of a 2.8-mill permanent operating levy in November 2010, the 21-library Columbus system quickly restored services and started planning upgrades of out-of-date or overcrowded branches.



The library makeover has been aided by near-record-low interest rates, said Steve Prater, the library’s director of property management. The library recently issued bonds totaling $98 million.



“That’s allowing us to accelerate the work,” Prater said.



Library officials on Wednesday announced plans to purchase the former Deaf school, allowing access to a parking lot that would be converted into an outdoor patio along the rear of the Main Library.



Renovation costs of up to $11 million, in addition to the $2.1 million purchase price, would be necessary if the library moves its administrative offices into the turn-of-the-century building. More likely, the library would sell the Deaf school portion of the property, possibly to a school. ... READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/27/buying-old-deaf-school-wont-hinder-upgrades.html

A rendering of tentative plans for an expansion of the Columbus Metropolitan Library's main downtown branch shows how it would use the former Deaf School property.