from August 15, the Mumbai police have launched a special SMS service, where deaf and mute people can SMS their complaints.
Once a person sends his complaint here, an officer will then contact the nearest police station or wireless van, and dispatch help. He would also SMS a reply to the complainant telling them help is on the way. The phone is connected to the police's computerised complaint logging system. read more
Monday, August 20, 2007
camp brings smiled to the deaf children.
The isolation of being deaf in a world of hearing kids can be crushing. Just ask Allison Goodright.
"It made me feel really lonely because I couldn't understand any of the kids. And I didn't have any friends," she said.
Mental health therapist Susan Sidman developed a summer program at Seattle Children's Hospital. There are the usual camp activities, such as swimming and art projects, but kids connect another way too. read more
"It made me feel really lonely because I couldn't understand any of the kids. And I didn't have any friends," she said.
Mental health therapist Susan Sidman developed a summer program at Seattle Children's Hospital. There are the usual camp activities, such as swimming and art projects, but kids connect another way too. read more
Best Buy reaches out to deaf customers
When Kathryn Cannon first learned sign language, she couldn't have known it would help her change the way the nation's largest electronics retailer serves deaf customers.
Over the past year, changes at the Best Buy in Frederick have spread into stores across the country. These include how Best Buy collects customer data and how customers interact with workers.
As an elementary student, Cannon learned basic sign language, such as how to describe family, count and spell words. When she got a job at Best Buy in 2000, she still remembered how to introduce herself and finger spell. She was promoted to assistant manager in 2004. read more
Over the past year, changes at the Best Buy in Frederick have spread into stores across the country. These include how Best Buy collects customer data and how customers interact with workers.
As an elementary student, Cannon learned basic sign language, such as how to describe family, count and spell words. When she got a job at Best Buy in 2000, she still remembered how to introduce herself and finger spell. She was promoted to assistant manager in 2004. read more
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. read more
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. read more
Landscape Language uses visual to help children grasp grammar
Landscape Language, as it has been named by two local teachers, will be used by educators in Clear Lake and Temple during the 2007-08 school year to determine its true effectiveness.
Spyhalski added that deaf students who were taught by Landscape also had a tendency to move into mainstream education more quickly.
"We had not been placing (deaf) students into mainstream classes until junior high school, on average," Spyhalski said. "But I have students going into regular reading classes as early as first grade. We've made progress."
The two said other teachers took notice of their progress during a statewide conference of deaf educators in 2006, which prompted the Landscape experiment in Temple and Clear Lake. Teachers from those districts took training on using the program last week in Longview.
"English is one of those abstract things and I think our kids need a visual system to learn it," said Alison Chappell, who teaches kindergarten through eighth grade in Temple. "That's one reason I think this program will be very successful in our school." read more
Spyhalski added that deaf students who were taught by Landscape also had a tendency to move into mainstream education more quickly.
"We had not been placing (deaf) students into mainstream classes until junior high school, on average," Spyhalski said. "But I have students going into regular reading classes as early as first grade. We've made progress."
The two said other teachers took notice of their progress during a statewide conference of deaf educators in 2006, which prompted the Landscape experiment in Temple and Clear Lake. Teachers from those districts took training on using the program last week in Longview.
"English is one of those abstract things and I think our kids need a visual system to learn it," said Alison Chappell, who teaches kindergarten through eighth grade in Temple. "That's one reason I think this program will be very successful in our school." read more
Saturday, August 18, 2007
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.
read more
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.
read more
Hearing Loss Association plans walk
Eleven years ago, Warren suddenly became deaf -- the result of surgery to successfully remove a brain tumor.
"I came back to Odessa, and there was nothing in the Permian Basin to help me," she said. " I spent a couple of years not really functioning, until an audiologist in Houston told me about the Hearing Loss Association of America.
"I wrote them and through correspondence found out there were chapters functioning in Texas and that there was going to be a five-state conference in Amarillo. I flew to Amarillo, even though I couldn't understand what was happening on the flight because I couldn't hear announcements about my stop or about connections. When I got to the hotel, I realized I didn't know how I was going to get up in the morning because I used to rely on wake-up calls."read more
"I came back to Odessa, and there was nothing in the Permian Basin to help me," she said. " I spent a couple of years not really functioning, until an audiologist in Houston told me about the Hearing Loss Association of America.
"I wrote them and through correspondence found out there were chapters functioning in Texas and that there was going to be a five-state conference in Amarillo. I flew to Amarillo, even though I couldn't understand what was happening on the flight because I couldn't hear announcements about my stop or about connections. When I got to the hotel, I realized I didn't know how I was going to get up in the morning because I used to rely on wake-up calls."read more
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