Parents and teacher settle their lawsuits

Parents who claimed their children were abused at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the youngsters' former teacher have settled the lawsuits they brought against each other. In a suit filed last year in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, the parents of five students who are deaf accused Jacquilyn M. Shasky of yanking the children by their arms, slapping them and calling them names. Shasky, who denied all allegations, filed a countersuit accusing the parents of defamation and fraud.

The two sides reached an agreement to drop their suits - with no one admitting any fault - and the case was dismissed this week by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell. The details of the agreement are confidential. Shasky, who had been a first-grade teacher at the Ogden school, no longer teaches for USDB.

The parents in December reached a settlement with the state on their claims that two school officials ignored the mistreatment, which they claim began around 2004. Each family received $10,000 and the group got attorney fees, for a total of $67,000. The officials did not admit any wrongdoing.
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Deaf role model scheme extends to the province

The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) has extended its unique Deaf Role Model Project. The free service will now enable deaf children aged 0-18 and living in Northern Ireland the chance to meet successful deaf adults who will share their personal experiences of growing up deaf.

The NDCS project has recruited and trained deaf adults who are successful in all walks of life to work as role models. To date, deaf role models have only been able to visit families in their homes. With the extension, they will also be able to visit local groups, NDCS family weekends, schools, colleges, and youth clubs to talk about their experiences.


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Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Organization Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Activity Meeting
Date of Activity Tuesday, 08/21/2007
Time of Activity Meeting starts at 2:00 PM Central
Last Updated Wednesday, 12/20/2006
Location Omaha State Office Building 1313 Farnam on the Mall Omaha NE
Interpreter for deaf provided upon request
Please contact lincoln.office@ncdhh.ne.gov to request an interpreter.
Details Mental Health Advisory Meeting
Meeting Agenda http://www.ncdhh.ne.gov/mhac_committee_mtgagenda.htm
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Deaf Tidbits As Always

What’s New With DeafNation? This is cool. DeafNation is now open for anyone to register and post their own videos on its servers, just like youtube.com. The benefits of you having an account with DeafNation is attractive, to say the least. Check this out! Not only that, the registration is free.

Deaf Judge In Texas: Before people could say, “See? RT was wrong! There is Deaf judge out there!” Actually, I was right. He was hearing before he got in an accident which rendered him as deaf. Prior to his accident, he already built and secured his reputation. The article said that he is learning ASL and he is using the CART system. Good for him.

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Dublin Noticeboard

HEARING: Drop into the National Association for Deaf People Tallaght Resource Centre (Exchange Hall) and have your questions answered about hearing loss, deafness, tinnitus and other hearing related issues. Get information regarding entitlements, aids and appliances, family support service, support groups and upcoming activities. Sign language and hearing help classes start this month. Further information from Pauline Scott at Unit G/H, Exchange Hall, Belgard Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Phone 4620377 or email tallaght@nadp.ie

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For Your Information

Party time: The Windy City Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf ( WCRAD ) will celebrate the opening of its Center on Halsted office with a party at Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, on Sat., Aug. 18, 8-11 p.m. General admission is $15, and cover for WCRAD members and Center staff is $12. E-mail chris@livingtolaugh.org .

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Stylish hearing aids make going deaf cool again

With portable music players with headphones being all the rage these days, it's no wonder people are losing their hearing at younger and younger ages. I blame rock music! It's the tool of the devil, I tells ya. But if you don't want to listen to reason, you can at least continue to hear my ranting and raving even after you've lost most of your natural hearing.

These slick hearing aids are almost invisible they're so small, so you won't look like an out-of-touch old timer when you wear them. Made by the Phonak Group in Switzerland, they're equal parts style and science, providing you with top-notch hearing help while looking cool. Of course, for $1,500 to $3,500 a pair, I'd expect that kind of quality. — Adam Frucci

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Local athlete not fazed by handicap

Dale was born on June 29, 1991. In his early toddler years, his hearing was normal. But when he turned two and a half, something changed. During a three-month period, his ability to hear was drastically reduced.

Doctors told the McCords that the official diagnosis was a "fluke of nature," meaning they had no idea what the exact cause for the hearing loss was. Five years later in 1999, Rod and his wife Audrey brought their son to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, who re-examined Dale's CT scan. The real reason for his hearing loss, said the doctor, was a phenomenon called Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA).
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Kevin McHale Instrumental in Forming the 'Help Me Hear Foundation'

SAINT PAUL, Minn., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kevin McHale is one of five board members to start the Help Me Hear Foundation("HMH"),a non-profit organization incorporated in Saint Paul,Minnesota.McHale will also act as the spokesperson.HMH was created to gift cochlear implants to impoverished deaf children who would otherwise never be able to obtain one. Dr.William House,the "true" inventor of the cochlear implant,also sits on the Board of Directors.

While the burden of deafness on an individual of any age is substantial,the burden on infants and developing children is debilitating.The first three years of life are considered the "critical period" of normal speech development. Children who cannot hear sounds during this critical period experience deficits in speech development and academic achievement.
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We owe a duty to persons with disability (II)

Even though, Helen Keller was blind, deaf and mute from childhood, she became an enviable prolific writer and educationalist. Franklin Roosevelt D, the president of United States of America between 1933 and 1945, was severely handicapped by polio. Although he was totally deaf, Ludwig Van Beethoven composed musical masterpieces. Inestimable physically challenged persons out there participate and emerge triumphantly in weight lifting, horse race, marathon race in wheel chairs and other challenging sports. Indeed, PWDs do not lack the ability to think, learn, create and perform. We therefore owe a sense of duty to PWDs since they are co-actors in our development.

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Japan Pulls Funding For Nude Channel For Deaf

The Japanese government has dropped subsidies for an X-rated show for the hearing impaired.

In a version of the Canadian show Naked News, a Japanese anchorwoman strips off while reading tabloid news in sign language.

But the raunchy program has angered Japan's communications ministry which said last week it would halt funding for the cable show, which was part of its budget to support programming for the hearing impaired.

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