Deaf Entertainer Teaches Students With Comedy Act

VIDEO: Deaf entertainer teaches students with comedy act. Internationally renowned entertainer performs for Temecula ASL students.



Utsandiego.com - Decades ago, CJ Jones walked into a St. Louis, Mo., public school and was told he was not allowed to sign. The Temecula Valley High School students that the Deaf entertainer performed for Tuesday live in an entirely new and accepting world.



“It’s amazing to see the change,” Jones said through an interpreter. “It makes it a lot easier for Deaf kids to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m not alone. I’m not strange. I’m not different because I’m Deaf and everybody’s hearing.’



“If they see hearing people sign, they feel confident and empowered.”



For more than 30 years, Jones has been spreading that word through one-man shows like the one he delivered Tuesday for more than 200 American Sign Language students in Temecula Valley’s newly minted performing arts center.



Afterward, the school’s ASL club participated in a workshop a series of non-verbal acting, gesturing and miming exercises aimed at giving many of the students their first real opportunity to learn the nuances of sign language from a Deaf person who’s learned to live in a hearing world.

Video by HooplaHaChannel



“He’s inspirational for anybody whether you know sign language or not,” ASL teacher Darcy Calas said. “A lot of these kids have never had exposure to a Deaf person. To see him here and interacting with hearing people, to see how he’s able to communicate with the hearing world, it’s something that we just can’t teach in a classroom. You can’t learn that from a book.” ...READ MORE: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/12/education-jones-asl-deaf-students/



Official website visit at http://www.cjjoneslive.com

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Related Article: Signs of Laughter

Facebook Opens Worlds For The Deaf

VIDEO: (Subtitles) - Facebook opens worlds for the Deaf.



Nbcbayarea.com - One billion people use Facebook around the world. Its reach is undisputed and unparalleled, but its impact on one specific community has opened up doors to a new world for the Deaf.



Christina Teani, 34, of South San Francisco is a teacher for special needs students. She understands putting in that extra bit of effort because she was born with what she calls “an invisible disability” unable to hear without wearing a hearing aid.



“You can often feel like that sometimes you are not good enough, you don’t feel like you’re part of a group,” Teani explained. “Human relationships are all about intimacy, getting to know people, feeling like you belong in a group and if you’re not able to connect, you emotionally feel left out.”



But her life has changed, much like it has for her Deaf friend, Sarah McBride of Palo Alto.



“With Facebook, I’m able to communicate with my friends through chat,” she said.

These women say the social media site has opened up a whole new world to them, offering up not only quick chats with friends, but the ability to share memories through pictures and videos especially satisfying for them because it’s one of the first times they’ve been able to communicate the same way the hearing community does.



So when the opportunity came up to visit the company that made it happen, they didn’t hesitate. Together with friends, they took tour of Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park to celebrate the changes they’ve experienced in their lives.



“That’s what I like about Facebook," Teani said. "We’re all on the same playing field we haven’t had before.” ...READ MORE: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Facebook-IOpens-New-World-For-Deaf-186194282.html

Anti-Bullying Policies at Florida School for the Deaf

VIDEO: (Captioned) - Florida School for the Deaf and Blind takes anti-bullying stand.



Firstcoastnews.com: ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FL - Since the implementation of the Jeffrey Johnston "Stand up for All Students" Act, which was passed in 2008, all schools in the state are required to have anti-bullying policies in place.



The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine is just one district working to eliminate bullying. Students from elementary through high school are learning about the importance of being respectful, responsible and cooperative.

Video by fsdbvideos



"She was teasing me like 'I didn't know the words, I didn't know the English language," said student Julia Kadzis.



"In my last school, I had no friends. No one would talk to me really," explains freshman Gracie Delong.



"I've had lots of experiences with bullying here and in the world, and I've tolerated it," said senior D.J. Snell.



Students at FSDB recall their own personal experiences with bullying. "They kept bullying me because I'm a Deaf person," Snell said.



"No one would talk to me really, no one would sit next to me at the lunch table," said Delong. "And the same group of girls would bully me because they didn't think I could see certain things." ...READ MORE: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/302077/3/FSDB-takes-anti-bullying-stand

Deaf Adopted Chinese Girl Hears For The First Time

Watch Video: BBCWorld - Heartwarming moment Deaf girl hears mom's voice for the first time.



Moment Deaf girl, 5, who was abandoned in Chinese town square hears for the first time after she was adopted by American couple.



Dailymail.co.uk - A Tulsa family is celebrating after the Deaf little girl they adopted from China was able to hear for the first time - a moment they described as 'breathtaking'. Gifted a cochlear implant, Jayde Scholl now squeals and laughs with delight as she listens to the sound of her adoptive mother Jaque Scholl's voice.



On Tuesday the implant was switched on, marking the end of a two adoption process for Jayde after she spent the first four-years of her life in a Chinese orphanage after being abandoned in a town square at the age of eight-months.

Video by BBCWorldExclusive



Luckily for Jayde, the Scholl's were looking to adopt and saw her on trip to China two-years-ago, but international adoptions take longer than domestic ones.



Once the paper-work was complete, the Scholl's brought Jayde to the United States just before Christmas.



However, Jaque, who is a doctor of audiology at her own School Center for the Deaf in Oklahoma, noticed something was wrong with her new daughter on the plane home.



She realized that Jayde wasn't paying attention or watching the in-flight video, even when the volume on the headphones was switched up to full. ...READ MORE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2289388/Moment-deaf-girl-5-abandoned-Chinese-town-square-hears-time-adopted-American-couple.html

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HEARS For The First Time Video Is FAKE ?

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.

Prince Harry Learns Sign Language

VIDEO: Sky.com - Prince Harry learns sign language: Prince Harry gives a nod to his late mother's fundraising work during his own charity mission to Africa.



LESOTHO - Prince Harry has made a visit to an African community to take a lesson in sign language at a school for Deaf and Blind children. The Prince mentioned Diana, Princess of Wales, as he gave a speech at a gala dinner for his Sentebale charity.



Earlier in the day, he met youngsters at a school for Deaf children in Lesotho, where he learned sign language and took part in a kneeling dance.



The royal hopes to raise £2.5m to build the Mamohato Centre, which will provide psychological care and offer mentoring to children with HIV/Aids.



"It seems only right that it should be named after His Majesty (of Lesotho) and Prince Seeiso's mother, Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso," he said in his speech in Johannesburg. "She was so loved as the mother of the nation. I hope she would be proud of what we are trying to achieve in her name.

Video by 7NEWS



"I hope that my mother will be proud, too. Maybe, just maybe, they are together somewhere up there, with blueprints and sketches already mapped out. I can only hope we put the swings in the right place."



Harry told guests that the Mamohato programme was already "transforming the lives of children living with HIV". He said: "I have met some of the children who have attended the Mamohato Camps, and they have so much more confidence and knowledge of how to live healthy lives."



During his visit to the Kananelo Centre for the Deaf on the outskirts of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, the Prince was seen writing on a blackboard and laughing with the children. He joined the country's Prince Seeiso for a cookery class, making a kind of doughnut known in the local Sesotho language as makoenya.



Sky News' special correspondent Alex Crawford, in the capital, said: "He interacts incredibly beautifully with young people, even those who are Deaf, when communication is obviously an issue.



"But he was learning and asking them through sign language experts what their favourite subjects were at school and they were all really straining to talk to him, obviously overwhelmed by him." ... READ MORE: http://news.sky.com/story/1057572/prince-harry-i-hope-diana-is-proud-of-me

Creating Music Accessible For Deaf Children

VIDEO: BBC News - Creating music accessible for Deaf children. (Captioned)



Lying on a sound box: Deaf children listen to music.



The National Orchestra of Wales has staged a series of workshops and concerts for Deaf people, many of them children, to explore how it is possible to experience music without being able to hear it fully.



The National Orchestra of Wales has been staging unique workshops and concerts for Deaf people. Radio 4 reporter Andrew Bomford discovers children listening to music in a very physical way and speaks to those behind it. Here he blogs about his emotional day.

Video source bbc.co.uk/news/uk



I'll admit that I am a bit weepy sometimes. I cried at the end of Les Miserables, so the moment that the Welsh National Orchestra string section got started, and Katherine Mount stood there, signing and singing to her profoundly deaf - but clearly enraptured - ten year old son Ethan, I wasn't surprised to feel myself choking up again. Watch Katherine Mount singing Ethan's Song on YouTube



It was towards the end of a long, joyful, but emotionally draining day with the orchestra and children from The Ysgol Maes Dyfan special school in Barry near Cardiff. Some of them are almost completely deaf and others have serious hearing problems, but the joy and enthusiasm shown by the children in their appreciation of the music they were experiencing was wonderful to see. ... READ MORE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ouch/2013/02/lying_on_a_sound_box_deaf_chil.html

Technology Helps Deaf Students at Gallaudet

VIDEO: Technology Helps Deaf Students at Gallaudet University. (Captioned)



VOA - Gallaudet University in Washington is the world's only university with programs designed for Deaf students and those who are hard-of-hearing. But hearing disorders do not keep students from learning because of the university's heavy use of technology.



Students use interactive technologies in and out of the classroom, technologies such as webcam interactions on Skype. More than 90 percent of Gallaudet's classes use some form of online communication. Professor Gene Mirus says technology is important in the learning process. "So there are, you know, televisions and webcams and things like that. Students are able to record themselves doing projects in sign language, and do that at home. We use a lot of computer technologies, and webcams and things like that."

Video by VOALearningEnglish



Sonam Jain, a student from Sri Lanka, says his years at Gallaudet have offered experiences different from his childhood. "Sri Lanka has states. And they don't have one standardized sign language. So, in the United States, for example, there are signs for almost everything that you would ever want to talk about.



In Sri Lanka, there isn't. And so there are many things you find it very difficult to talk about in Sri Lanka." Another student says Gallaudet has helped him with his communication skills, especially with ASL - American Sign Language.



"When I grew up, I was signing in a way that was more English-like. Here at Gallaudet, I sign more like I sign in ASL - more visual and the communication is much easier, and the social life is wonderful here." That increased ability to communicate helps many students. "A lot of networking and reaching out to people and I've learned from - I've had role models that I've learned from here.



They provide workshops, there are a lot of sporting activities, intramural events that I've been involved with." "Most students increase their self-confidence, and improve their communication abilities and they leave Gallaudet ready to face the world." I'm Jeri Watson.

Source http://learningenglish.voanews.com



Similar article at Medical Research: Dual Adaptation in Deaf Brains

Aussie Teen Dodges Jail For Bashing Deaf Man

VIDEO: Watoday.com.au - Western Australia teen dodges jail for bashing Deaf man.



A teenager has dodged a jail term after pleading guilty to bashing a Deaf man at a Perth train station, but he will face imprisonment if he offends again in the next year, a judge has warned.



Joshua William Bignell, 18, bashed Seow Oh, 28, fracturing his eye socket, in the eastern Perth suburb of Carlisle in June last year.



Bignell bashed and kicked Mr Oh from behind as he was walking to his car parked at the station. Bignell was originally charged with assault occasioning bodily harm but the charge was later upgraded to grievous bodily harm.



On Monday, in the District Court of Western Australia Judge Phillip Eaton handed Bignell a pre-sentence order, subject to three reviews over the next 12 months. Judge Eaton decided not to imprison Bignell immediately because he was young, had a troubled childhood and mental health problems and was "now in a stable situation".



If Bignell committed an offence in the next 12 months, it was likely he'd be sentenced to an immediate term of imprisonment, Judge Eaton warned. "You can just about bank on that," he said.

Video by 7NEWS



"If you're going well, I'll allow the order to continue. "If things are falling apart, then I won't hesitate to bring it to an end. "If you fail, Mr Bignell, then the consequences will be grim."



Judge Eaton said the maximum penalty for the offence was 10 years' imprisonment, meaning Bignell was "in the big league" after "fairly relentless offending" in recent years. ... READ MORE: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/wa-teen-dodges-jail-for-bashing-deaf-man-20130225-2f1zl.html



 Related Article: Vicious Attack on Deaf Man in Australia

$5.75 Million Settlement Awarded To Deaf & Blind Students

VIDEO: Hawaiireporter.com - $5.75 Million Settlement Awarded to Deaf and Blind Students Sexually Assaulted by Gang at Hawaii Public School.



HONOLULU - A young girl is forced to perform oral sex on an older boy while he films her with his cell phone camera and students at their school look on, another young girl becomes pregnant after she is raped by a male student at her school, a young boy is sodomized in the bathroom by an older student, but school administrators don’t penalized the perpetrator, another child is sexually assaulted by five boys on campus, and nothing is done to stop them or punish them after the fact.



These are not scenarios from an NBC’s Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode, they are actual events that parents say took place at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, the state’s only public school for children with these disabilities.

Video by KHONNewsHawaii



For more than a decade, some of the school’s administrators and students covered up a terrible secret young children between 12 and 16 years old were being terrorized - robbed, raped, sodomized and even gang raped on campus and on the school buses – not by employees, but by other children. There are just 80 children enrolled in the school, which is located on the edge of Waikiki, Hawaii’s main tourism hub, and just across the street from the Honolulu Zoo.



One student heading a gang calling themselves the “Ringleaders” orchestrated the attacks, and students were ordered to participate as attackers or retaliated against.



Michael Green is one of five attorneys who successfully secured a $5,750,000 settlement last week from the state and a school counselor. ... READ MORE: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/5-75-million-settlement-awarded-to-deaf-and-blind-students-sexually-assaulted-by-gang-at-hawaii-public-school/123



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Gallaudet Professor Creates Historical Change

VIDEO: Gallaudet Professor Creates Historical Change. (Captioned)



NBC 4 WRC. Dr. Carolyn McCaskill, a professor of Deaf studies at Gallaudet University, has seen firsthand the pressures of being black in America pressure made worse because she is Deaf.



But even without a voice she's spoken out, in a book she co-authored with Dr. Ceil Lucas, Robert Bayley and Joseph Hill. News4's Seth Lemon reports.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

Source: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/multimedia/Gallaudet-Professor-Creates-Historical-Change/192601211

Thieves Steal Deaf Man's Scooter

Thieves steal Deaf man's scooter caught on video.



7NEWS - Here's a raw video clip of a 64 year old Deaf man has been beaten by thieves who stole his motorised scooter.



A 64-year-old Deaf man had a bottle smashed in his face after his scooter was stolen from Swan View last weekend. Detectives are appealing for the public’s help to catch the three young thugs involved in the assault.



About 9:30pm last Saturday night, the Swan View man noticed his electric scooter was missing from the back patio of his Patterson Drive home. The 64-year-old walked across the road to look for his scooter in a park, where he had found it abandoned once before. He was then approached by three teenage boys, who walked towards him from a nearby lake.

Video by 7NEWS



Two of the boys pushed and shoved the man before one of them smashed a bottle in his face. The victim dropped to the ground then managed to run home. He sustained a cut and swelling to his cheek.



The scooter was later found damaged and partially submerged in the lake. ... READ MORE: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/16208285/thugs-steal-scooter-and-bash-deaf-owner/

Harlem Reacts To 'Harlem Shake' Videos

Viral Video: Harlem Reacts to 'Harlem Shake' Videos (Captioned)



Street interviews with members of the Harlem community, and their views about the popular 'Harlem Shake' video trend and infamous music by: Baauer's Harlem Shake



For the Record, only 2 people interviewed did not make the final cut. One because the microphone was off. And the other because they only spoke for 30 secs. No one was omitted because they did not fit the 'mold'. This is what the people who stopped to talk with us had to say. We did not 'target' anyone. All pedestrians walking by were welcome to stop and talk. These are the people who stopped to talk with us.



Videos shown to participants included versions from DizastaMusic, TheSunnyCoastSkate, & PHLOn NAN.

Video by SchleppFilms



Shot & Edited By Chris McGuire

Sound by John Farmakis



Song 'Headspin Long'

Licensed by Apple Garage Band.



About 'The Harlem Shake' (Wikipedia):



The Harlem Shake is a dance that originally began in Harlem, New York. Since its beginnings it has spread to other urban areas and became popular in music videos.



The announcers at the Entertainer's Basketball Classic at Rucker Park will tell you that the modern day Harlem Shake was started by a man by the name of "Al B" (nickname Sisqo or Cisco). Al B was an alcoholic that would do the dance upon request. Because of its founder, the dance was originally called the "albee" in Rucker and Harlem, but then later became known as the Harlem Shake. ... Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_shake_%28meme%29

Deaf Stockton Chef To Present New TV Show Punk Chef

Gazettelive.co.uk - Deaf Stockton chef to present new TV show Punk Chef.



A STOCKTON chef is sharing his expertise in a new TV show helping people who are Deaf improve their cooking skills. Dad-of-one Scott Garthwaite, who is Deaf, will present Punk Chef, starting on Film4 next month.



The former Beverley School pupil said: “What the Deaf community are very passionate about are programmes that feature Deaf people.



“They also appreciate programmes that include sign language and will hopefully see someone like myself as a role model.”



Hartlepool-born Scott, who lives in Stockton with fiancee Jessica and their son Rocco, four months, qualified as a chef in 2011 after study professional culinary art and patisserie at Newcastle College in partnership with Leeds Metropolis University.



He was asked to front the TV show after starting up cookery blogs spotted by London-based Deaf-run production company Remark!



“They see me as the perfect person to front Punk Chef due to my unique character - I have a pink and black Mohawk which I have had for years,” he said.



The 32-year-old proved a big hit with executives at sign language broadcasting organisation BSLBT when the programme was trialled on Sky and Virgin Media last year. He has since been working on the new series. ... READ MORE: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2013/02/20/deaf-stockton-chef-to-present-new-tv-show-punk-chef-84229-32844031/



The pilot of Punk Chef can be viewed at www.bslzone.co.uk. The first episode of the new series will be shown on March 4 at 8am on Film4.

Pope Resigns Without Apologizing To Milwaukee’s Deaf Victims

VIDEO: Pope resigns without apologizing to Deaf victims from St. John’s school.



SNAP: MILWAUKEE (WITI) – The spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI, surprised the world Monday, February 11th by saying he will resign at the end of the month “because of advanced age.” It’s the first time a pope has stepped down in nearly 600 years. Many on Monday, reacted to the news including SNAP, the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests.



In a statement, entitled “Pope resigns without ever apologizing to Milwaukee’s Deaf victims from St. John’s school,” John Pilmaier, SNAP Wisconsin Director said: “It is difficult today, with the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI is retiring this month, not to think of the many victim/survivors of sexual abuse from St. John’s School for the Deaf.”



According to SNAP, it was Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger in his previous post running the powerful Doctrine for the Congregation of the Faith CDF), who was in charge of the fate of the notorious Fr. Lawrence Murphy.



Murphy, Ratzinger knew, had sexually assaulted at least 200 children at the boarding school in Milwaukee. Ratzinger ordered that Murphy be left in ministry, unpunished and unprosecuted, undetected to the public, and remain a priest, with all the rights, honors, and power which the church grants only to ordained clerics, right up until his death.



In its statement, SNAP says: “Benedict never once contacted, spoke to, or apologized to the Deaf victims from St. John’s.” ... READ MORE: http://fox6now.com/2013/02/11/snap-pope-resigns-without-apologizing-to-victims-from-st-johns-school/

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MILWAUKEE, WI - Movie about Catholic priest sex abuse scandal makes US premiere in Milwaukee. The controversy over the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal hits the big screen. Five Deaf men who led the first known public protest against clerical sex abuse in the United States.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House Of God.

Not only that, but Friday night is the US premiere of the film. It's called Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House Of God -- a documentary focused on the sexual assaults within the church right here in Milwaukee. With bright lights, ticket lines, even a red carpet, the event had all the trimmings of a blockbuster premiere. READ MORE: http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2012/10/mea-maxima-culpa-silence-in-house-of-god.html

US Deaf Hockey National Team Looks To Inspire Younger Generation

VIDEO: NESN - US Deaf hockey national team looks to inspire younger generation. (Captioned)



NESN's Jamison Coyle takes closer look at the hockey team that will be representing the United States in the Deaflympics.



The U.S. Olympic hockey team won’t get to avenge its gold-medal game loss to Canada until next February, but another group will be representing the nation against some of the best in the world much sooner than that.



The World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships begin on March 30 in Finland, and NESN’s Jamison Coyle brings you an inside look at the U.S. squad that will be competing.

Video by NESN



The players, which include several New England natives, discuss the non-verbal tactics they employ to allow them to compete at a high level, as well as their desire to introduce the sport to hearing-impaired children around the country. Source: http://nesn.com/2013/02/us-deaf-hockey-national-team-looks-to-inspire-younger-generation-video/



Visit The 2nd World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships http://wdihc2013.com for more information.

CODA Tried To Kill Deaf Parents In House Fire

VIDEO: South Carolina Sheriff: Gaffney man tried to kill Deaf parents in house fire.



GAFFNEY, SC - FOX Carolina: A Gaffney man was arrested after investigators said he tried to kill his Deaf parents in a house fire Monday morning after stealing from them. A Gaffney man who is a child of a deaf adult, often known by the acronym "CODA", is a person who was raised by Deaf parents.



Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said 22-year-old Fletcher Edward Blanton removed a lighted fire alarm system in the home before setting the Ford Road house ablaze.



Deputies said Blanton reported the fire after he awoke to smoke inside the home, then woke up his parents, who were able to get out of the home safely.



Following their investigation, deputies said Blanton intentionally caused a fire that damaged the home and also stole $4,850 of tools and electronics from his dad the same day as the fire. Blanton was charged with third-degree arson, grand larceny and two counts of attempted murder.

FOX Carolina 21

Read more: http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/21198001/deputies-man-tried-to-kill-2-by-setting-family-home-on-fire

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Goupstate.com: Gaffney Man Charged with Arson, Attempted Murder of Parents.



A Gaffney man has been charged with attempted murder after deputies say he set fire to the home he shared with his hearing-impaired parents.



Fletcher Edward Blanton, 22, of 1333 Ford Road has been charged by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office with grand larceny, third-degree arson and two counts of attempted murder, arrest warrants state.



Sheriff Steve Mueller said firefighters and deputies responded to a fire about 1:30 a.m. Monday. An incident report states that Blanton told investigators that he awoke to find smoke inside the home, got his parents out of the house and called 911.



Firefighters, however, found evidence that the fire had been intentionally set, Mueller said. Investigators found that Blanton had disconnected a special fire alarm with a flashing light designed for the hearing impaired and thrown it outside. ... Read more: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130214/articles/302151006

Medical Research: Dual Adaptation in Deaf Brains

The Scientist: Dual Adaptation in Deaf Brains.



The brains of people who cannot hear adapt to process vision-based language, in addition to brain changes associated with the loss of auditory input.



The brains of Deaf people reorganize not only to compensate for the loss of hearing, but also to process language from visual stimuli sign language, according to a study published today (February 12) in Nature Communications. Despite this reorganization for interpreting visual language, however, language processing is still completed in the same brain region.



“The new paper really dissected the difference between hand movements being a visual stimulus, and cognitive components of language,” said Alex Meredith, a neurobiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University, who was not involved in the study.



The brain devotes different areas to interpreting various sensory stimuli, such as visual or auditory. When one sense is lost, the brain compensates by adapting to other stimuli, explained study author Velia Cardin of University College London and Linköping University in Sweden. In Deaf people, for example, “the part of the brain that before was doing audition adapts to be doing something else, which is vision and somatosensation,” she said. However, Deaf humans “don’t just have sensory deprivation,” she added they also have to learn to process a visual, rather than oral, language.



To untangle brain changes due to loss of auditory input from adaptations prompted by vision-based language, the researchers used functional MRI to look at brain activation in three groups of people: Deaf people who communicate through sign language, Deaf people who read lips but don’t understand sign language, and hearing people with no sign language experience.



The researchers showed the three groups videos of sign language and videos that held no linguistic content. The signing videos were designed to allow Cardin’s team to pinpoint which areas had reorganized to process vision-based language, as these areas would only activate in Deaf signers. In contrast, the language-free videos would allow the researchers to identify areas in Deaf brains that had adapted to the loss of auditory input, as these brain areas would activate in both Deaf groups, but not in the brains of hearing volunteers. ... Read more: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34363/title/Dual-Adaptation-in-Deaf-Brains/

HLN: Former NBA Player Runs Camp For Deaf Kids

VIDEO: Exclusive interview with former NBA player runs camp for Deaf kids.



HLN: Mike 'Stinger' Glenn spent 10 years in the NBA playing for teams like the Knicks and Hawks. Since retiring, Glenn has written a book and he makes appearances as a motivational speaker and a basketball analyst. Now, he's returning to the court as a coach and giving back to his own community in a big way.



HLN's Joe Carter sat down with Glenn to talk about his one-of-a-kind basketball camp, designed specifically for hearing impaired or Deaf kids.

Video by HLN



For more informaton please visit http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/02/10/mike-glenn-basketball-hearing-deaf-sports

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Get Social with Mike Glenn Basketball Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Video by getsocialwithme



This non-profit organization is the Nations First Basketball Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Athletes ages 14 to 18 attending Junior High or High School. Space is limited and "Basketball Skills" Visit: http://www.mikeglenn.com/camp.html for more information.

Deaf Demonstration In Kenya

VIDEO: Deaf Demonstration in Kenya.



NAIROBI - As the preparation for the first ever presidential debate in Kenya gathers momentum, Kenyans' excitement and eagerness for this historic debate is very evident.



But unfortunately this is not the case for the Kenya National Association For The Deaf as they held protests yesterday at the Ministry of Information demanding for their right to access information.

Video by Gbs Kenya



Source: http://gbskenya.com/2013/02/deaf-demonstration/