News - United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries

The United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Ministries with logo

Events

The Syracuse University Summer Institute on Communication and Inclusion will be July 15-17, 2013, at the Syracuse University Sheraton. Click here for more information.

Deaf Culture and People To Know

Article about Gerry Hughes first Deaf man to sail around all five capes while circling the world.
Teresa Burke and Brenda Nicodemus, "Coming out of the hard of hearing closet: Reflections on a shared journey in Academia" Disability Studies Quarterly (33, 2013): an article about the life of Deaf people in academics.
Article about The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf at Disability.gov.
"Many UM worshipers still waiting for a sign," Florida Conference Connection, March 21, 2013: Deaf inclusion in the UMC.
Brian Stelter, "Teaching Viewers to Hear the TV With Eyes Only", New York Times, March 8, 2013: the all-ASL episode of "Switched at Birth."
"Russellville woman known for 'talking with her hands'", The Courier, September 4, 2012.
President Obama Engages with Youth with Disabilities: captioning available and some ASL.
"Why some People Do Not Want to be Defined as 'Hearing Impaired,'" Carola Finch, Deaf Network of Texas.
Deaf Rap: Signmark, the first deaf with a recording deal.
"Hearing Aids a Nice Fit for American Girl" from AbledBody.
"The Quiet Life: How different the world is without hearing," an interesting nuance of the Deaf and deaf worlds from Gizmodo.
"Why Fight Disablism? A Global Perspective: Blogging Against Disablism Day 2012" from We Can Do.
A view of the struggle to find a place, portrayed through the eyes of the Deaf experience: John Liberty "Deaf Rapper Sean Forbes" Michigan Live. Where is God in this video? As a start on reflecting what it means to be Deaf (or different in any way): overturning expectations, getting beyond "you can't," and finding identity as Deaf and one of God's people.
News about captioning:
- "New Closed-Captioning Glasses Help Deaf Go Out to the Movies": story from NPR with transcript.
- "CNN Access . . . " Courthouse News Service, March 12, 2013
- "Growth of viral video leaves Deaf in the dark" Washington Times, November 28, 2012
- "New FCC rules on closed captioning fall short, deaf say" Washington Times, October 8, 2012
- "Netflix and National Association for the Deaf reach historic agreement from NAD.
- "Web TV needs to have captions starting next month, the FCC rules" from Gigaom.
- "Netflix experiments with crowd-sourced captioning" from Gigaom.
- "Netflix seeks permission to appeal order to comply with ADA" from The National Law Journal.
- "Netflix may have to provide closed captions online," information about the recent court decision that the ADA and related laws cover on-line business.
- Captioning has come to YouTube! Read an article about the changes and then the instructions.
- On January 13, 2012, the FCC issued a Report and Order that requires captioning for on-line television programs, as well as mandating captioning capabilities for a variety of devices. Short video clips extracted from full-length programs are not covered under the order. Small televisions, computers, smart phones, tablets and similar devices will be required to display captions. Claude Stout of TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) welcomed the rules, saying "These new rules represent the greatest advancements in captioning since the rules for captioning on television were developed." For more information, click here to read a report from Deaf Network of Texas.
- In response to requests from a coalition of Deaf and hard of hearing groups, the Federal Communications Commission has rescinded exemptions from closed-captioning regulations. This will effect about 300 small or medium-sized religious broadcast originators. The exemptions have been in place since 2006, and those effected can reapply for a new exemption. For more information, read this article at Politico or this more technical article at Ed's Telecom Alert, or this article from the Deaf Network of Texas.

Deaf News You Can Use

In a historic victory for deaf and hard of hearing truckers, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on February 1, 2013, after decades of prohibition, that deaf drivers can operate commercial motor vehicles such as large trucks. Read more here.
The four largest wireless carriers have committed to making text-to-911 available by May 15, 2014. Beginning June 30, 2013, 911 call centers that are unable to accept text messages will have an automatic bounce feature that will send an error message. (NFPA e-Access Newsletter). For more information about text-to-911, click here for the FCC web page.
Fort Worth, Texas has started an Accessible Hazard Alert System that can send warning messages to Deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, and Deaf-blind people who may not be able to detect outdoor warning sirens. The alerts are available in ASL, captioned and verbal text for iPads, smart phones, e-mail, and Braille readers. Residents of Fort Worth may sign up here. Residents of other areas can learn about the system and encourage public officials to adopt a similar system.
NPR Labs, cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, is developing a system to deliver accessibility-targeted emergency alerts through 25 public radio stations in the Gulf region. Click here to read the story.
From the Deaf Network of Texas: H3 Network Media Alliance, an internet broadcasting network, has started providing cultural, news, and educational programming in International Sign (IS). IS allows Deaf people using any of 130 languages to communicate, and is the official language of the World Federation of the Deaf. Click here to see the release, which includes a video.
Texas DARS will discontinue its TTY line on May 1, 2013, in favor of relay service (711 or 1-800-RELAYTX).
The 2012 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium has been released by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. Topics include population, labor and poverty, health care and coverage, education, and veterans. Click here to view the website.
Elizabeth Flock, "Petition to Officially Recognize American Sigh Language Reaches Threshold for White House Response" U.S. News and World Report, December 11, 2012.
Georgia Fisher, "Deaf School Thrives at Lovers Lane UMC" Preston Hollow People, October 26, 2012. Article is on lower right side.
"Deaf man realizes boyhood dream to become firefighter", article and uncaptioned video from FireRescue News. There is some ASL conversation within the video.
"Extreme-weather text alerts set to begin": Wireless Emergency Alerts service will be able to reach 97% of cell phone users, and there is no additional charge. Although no sign-up is required, you may need to activate this feature on your phone. Click here for further information, including a list of compatible phones.
The Federal Communications Commission announces the start of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program on July 1, 2012. This program is funded by the Telecommunications Relay Service Fund. For more information, pdf: click here for a PDF document, or click here for a text file.
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) has an app "DisAbilityConnect" that provides contact information for organizations and agencies providing information and support on disabilities. It's available for the iPhone and for Android.
Read about how designing for Deaf communication needs can help hearing people improve their communication and interaction, much as designing for wheelchair accessibility benefits everyone: Kim O'Connell "Designing a City for the Deaf" The Atlantic, March 27, 2012.
BBC News, "Sign Language turned into text by Aberdeen scientists". The article does not cover concerns about the nuances and variety of signs within a language.
Pamela Brown, "New Gallaudet building to be model for deaf architecture", WJLA. An inspiring example of architecture that is sensitive to Deaf needs.
ESPN: Mom, I can do this!: a blind marching band plays at a game between two Deaf football teams. This report includes text and a non-captioned video. Note that the video may continue to another report automatically.
"Can you hear me now? 1 in 5 in U.S. suffers hearing loss" (MSNBC)
Gallaudet Finds Deaf People Don't See Better, They See Differently: report on research about "visual attention."
Daniel de Vise, "Gallaudet University adjusts to a culture that includes more hearing students" Washington Post, September 24, 2011.
Story about a dog who learned sign language from Southern Daily Echo, and a different story on YouTube (uncaptioned).
An interesting article about firefighters in U.K. using cards for communication.