Deaf Women Rights - No Means No

Deaf women have something to say to you in sign language.

Thank you to all the Deaf women who took part in this, you are all amazing and should be proud of what we have made today. The goal of sexual violence prevention is to stop it from happening in the first place. Learn how to deal with the trauma and regain your sense of safety and trust. When you see something that doesn't seem right, there are simple ways to step in and help a friend.

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Know our names, we are the ones who will make history.

Cheyenna: https://youtube.com/channel/cheyennaclearbrook
Syra: https://instagram.com/thesyrafactor
Alexandra: https://instagram.com/sassyalex21
Lucy: https://instagram.com/scottishlassie81
Maryannie: https://instagram.com/iammaryannie
Charlotte: https://instagram.com/laylaid
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Eimer: https://youtube.com/channel/firehippie
Rachel: https://instagram.com/ukbluebook
Georgie: https://instagram.com/xgeorgie_leighannox
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Amy: https://instagram.com/_mummaburns
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Rikki: https://youtube.com/rikkipoynter
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Lydia: https://chroniclesofablossom.com
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Joanne: https://youtu.be/lvR1RtgPa3w
Sheena: https://instagram.com/msdeafqueen
Shaynen: https://youtube.com/channel/shaynenjones
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Lily: https://instagram.com/deafjourney

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YouTube Hashtag: #AgainstSexualAssault and #SexualAssaultAwarenessMonth.

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Deaf Hope for Women:
https://youtube.com/deafhope and https://deaf-hope.org

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Deaf Women Rights - No Means No
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Meet China's Deaf Defying Dance Troupe

Meet and interview with the famous Deaf Defying Dance Troupe.

BEIJING -- Asian Boss on YouTube channel share a short story about the Deaf dance troupe. The Beijing Soul-Inspiring Art Troupe is the most famous Deaf dance troupe in China. Asian Boss visited them for a day to get the secret to their perfect dance routines. Special thanks to our Asian Boss reporter, Jerry.

The Beijing Soul Inspiring Art Troupe lining up to form their Thousand Arms Guanyin (千手观音) Bodhisattva performance. The dancers are all hearing impaired. Since they can’t hear the music, instead they watch two instructors at the corners of the stage who guide them while they dance.

Asian Boss's vision is to build a lasting grassroots movement of young people from every country to report on real social and cultural issues. We believe having meaningful discussions with people with different opinions is extremely important. We also believe that any ordinary person can deliver real news and commentary. Through our original and in-depth interviews of real people, we will challenge you - the global youth - to think critically and challenge various cultural and social issues. Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/asianboss.

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Deaf Chinese Is The Best Art Performance
Meet China's Deaf Defying Dance Troupe

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Deaf Working Girls In Thailand

This is a short glimpse into the lives of some of Thailand's Deaf working girls in Bangkok.

Anyone had experience with Deaf women in Thailand? How to shop and deal with prostitutes aka “working girls” while traveling to Thailand as they are working in the red light district in Bangkok.

Patpong is internationally known as a red light district at the heart of Bangkok's sex industry, it is in fact only one of several red light districts with some catering primarily to Thai men while others, cater primarily to foreigners in Patpong.

Related Posts: #DeafThai - #DeafWomen
Irish Deaf Archives: 3 Deaf Prostitutes

Deaf Women Sings On Ireland's Got Talent

Deaf signing choir leaves judges speechless on Ireland's Got Talent.

DUBIN, Ireland -- A choir with seven Deaf members and two Hearing singers are set to wow the audience and judges on Ireland's Got Talent this weekend.

The Deaftones are a choir from Holy Family School of the Deaf in Dublin and among the members are three sisters, two of whom are Deaf and one who is the only hearing member of her family.

They tackle Ed Sheeran's Photograph on the show with the two hearing girls singing and the eleven Deaf members signing.

The group range in age from 13-39 years old and they experience music in a variety of different ways, including sensing sound through vibrations and lip reading.

"They all hear music in different ways," explains their teacher Shirley Higgins. "Some of them hear the music and the words, some of them hear just the music, and some of them hear nothing at all."

Deaf Choir Deaftones performs John Lennon´s "Imagine" - Semi-Final 2.

The choir began seven years ago and recently brought the two hearing members on board, because "we wanted to show how hearing and Deaf communities can mix, how they live in two worlds and how they can be the same as anyone else."

Judges Denise Van Outen and Louis Walsh are particularly affected by the performance.

Ireland’s Got Talent airs on Saturday 17th February at 7.30pm, followed by Ireland’s Got Mór Talent at 8.30pm on the Ireland’s Got Talent from TV3.

SOURCE - Independent

Related: #DeafTalent
'America's Got Talent' Deaf Singer Mandy Harvey
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Korean CODA Sings For Parents Goes Viral

Deaf Women In Engage Street Fight

Watch the raw footage of two Deaf women fight after an argument in sign language in Bronx, New York.

The following video contains footage of graphic violence which may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewers discretion is advised.

The raw footage of a group of Deaf friends filming two Hispanic women fighting in shameless-style on the street in Bronx, New York, the video has gone viral on social media platform in Deaf community.

Responses has reacted to a video showing on Liveleak.com/#Comments

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Sign 'ILY' Pins Support For The Women's March

These pins support human rights just in time for the Women's March in the United States and across the globe.

WASHINGTON, DC -- With thousands of pins, a couple from Michigan are hoping to bring a little love, compassion and support to America in time for the Women's March in Washington, D.C.

Kate Lind, 32, and Nate Stevens, 30, are behind Pincause -- a $5 pin they designed with artist Penelope Dullaghan that features the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for "I love you." Their goal is to raise $200,000 by giving $2 of each sale to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood ($1 to each organization).

Since launching after Christmas, they've sold more than 7,500 pins and raised more than $15,000 for the causes. With only a week and a half until Inauguration Day and the march, the pair is pushing for a last-minute rush of orders to get to rally-goers in time.

In a conversation with Mashable Tuesday from their 500-square-foot Ann Arbor, MI apartment, which is overflowing with pin orders, Lind and Stevens said they wanted to show support for women's issues and and civil liberties.

"Something about the symbol and design is so evocative," Stevens said about the pin. "It starts conversations."

And that's what they want. When Michigan went "red" in November, the two realized they needed to understand more about their Donald Trump-voting neighbors.

The pins, Stevens said, "create more of a loving way to start conversation," rather than throwing around hate and anger.

Campaign and election pins are nothing new, but the couple wanted to design something that connected people and "something that anyone can wear no matter where they are in the country."

Lind said she wanted to create something with a colorful hand from the start. An artist friend came up with a fist, which Lind said felt not quite right. "We've seen a lot of hate spewed in every direction," but she believes "compassion and love will bring people together."

She remembered learning ASL in middle school and how perfectly succinct and effective the "I love you" sign was.

They decided to go with that symbol, and even though they weren't directly connected to the Deaf community, they've received touching feedback from people with Deaf relatives. "We have more of a connection to that community now," Stevens said.

Just a few weeks later, momentum is picking up and more people are posting pictures wearing the pins, including many shots of mothers and daughters flashing the "I love you" sign.

"It's cool to be raising money through beauty and love," Stevens said.

Start looking out for the pins -- the couple hopes they'll be worn at the main march and at rallies all over the country. They said the pins are about creating a community.

SOURCE - Mashable

Deaf Women More Likely to be a Victim of Abuse

Deaf individuals are more likely to experience domestic violence than hearing individuals in the United States.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Newsnet5: Deaf individuals are one and a half times more likely to be victims of relationship violence than hearing individuals, according to research out of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

"He would grab me, push me down, kept pushing me down, hitting me," said Dawn Marie Fucile, a Cleveland resident who is Deaf. She spoke through an interpreter.

Fucile recalls her three-year abusive relationship which she says happened in Parma two decades ago.

"He got a hold of me and threw me physically, coffee table," she said of her ex-boyfriend who is also Deaf. "I missed it by just an inch."

Fucile, who is 48 years old, said she finally mustered up the strength to call the police. Twice, officers came to her house. Twice, they left without arresting the man.

"Both of the officers that were there, I could understand them, but they were being like 'oh poor you. You can't communicate," she added.

Fucile said the lack of communication services and education among police at that time contributed to a lack of help.

"We know that there are more victims that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing that don't have access to information or services, and that's a big problem," said Linda Johanek, CEO of the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center in Cleveland.

Johanek, with help from the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center and Cleveland Police, are trying to reverse the problem, which Johanek and Fucile said is only exacerbated by the fact that the Deaf community is tight-knit. For a member, it is difficult to break away, no matter the circumstance.

Through a federal grant, the domestic violence center, its shelter and all five police districts have iPads equipped with video remote interpreters. Officers can take the iPads with them on calls.

Fucile said the technology is a big step in the right direction.

"Do not be afraid to ask for help," she added. "I got help because I decided to move on."

Parma police said they now use a text messaging service to communicate with Deaf Individuals. For in-depth interviews, Parma and Cleveland police said they bring in live interpreters.

Fucile said her ex-boyfriend was eventually charged and convicted of domestic violence.

SOURCE - NewsNet

Related Posts: #DomesticViolence

METRAC Campaign Aims Toronto Deaf Women

The METRAC campaign and program is aimed at making justice more accessible to Deaf women in family breakup situations.

TORONTO, Ontario -- MetroNews: A new campaign in Toronto aims to help Deaf women facing family breakdowns navigate the legal system.

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Through its Family Law Education for Women program, METRAC has partnered with Springtide Resources and members of the Deaf community to create two videos being launched Thursday.

The videos were produced in American Sign Language, with closed captioning, and contain detailed information about child custody rights and information about support services for survivors of domestic assault.

METRAC has for years provided sign language services for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing women through direct translation, but feedback from the Deaf community showed it “wasn’t very helpful,” said METRAC’s legal director Tamar Witelson.

“This is about increasing access to justice. There’s a lot of concerns when women are separating from their partners, and it’s even harder for Deaf women,” she said, noting that having a multimedia element in the resources will go a long way.

The challenges facing Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing women during family separation battles can stretch beyond just access to justice. If a family is breaking up due to intimate abuse in relationships, for example, the woman is less likely to even seek legal help because of stigma around such cases, Witelson said.

“We still have many women in this situation who don’t even understand what their legal rights are,” she said. “Many even end up going in court without a lawyer to represent them.”

According to Canadian Hearing Society, there are over 530,000 people in Ontario who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. That’s almost 5 per cent of the population.

SOURCE - MetroNews

Related Posts: #DomesticViolence

Interview With Angela Maria 'Off The Grid HAITI'

WATCH [CC] - Exclusive interview with Angela Maria 'Off The Grid HAITI'

The Daily Moth is a new ASL radio show, delivers news in video using American Sign Language. The Deaf host, Alex Abenchuchan, covers trending news stories and topics.

Abenchuchan interview with Angela Maria Off The Grid about her work with the Leveque Deaf Community in Haiti and the grisly murders of three Deaf women in Haiti last April 2016.

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Related: Angela Maria 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary and Protest Demands Justice For Slain Deaf Women.

International Deaf Emergency - Watch the documentary: http://bit.ly/2aosn8Y To get involved: http://ideafe.org -- http://takemeoffthegrid.org

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Deaf, Sex, and Communication - Rikki Poynter

Deaf, Sex, and Communication with Rikki Poynter.

A Deaf activist, vlogger Rikki Poynter would like to sharing and educating hearing people how to relationship with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people about sex issues, viewer discretion may be advised if sex makes you plug your fingers into your sex.

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Angela Maria 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary

WATCH [CC] - A movement on and off the grid, founded by Angela Maria Nardolillo to provide sustainable resources and empowerment for groups within a larger culture.

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- A former Gallaudet University student brings relief to Deaf Haitian communities, Angela Maria Nardolillo is the interactive creative/art director & humanitarian, what it means to be Deaf in one part of the world, has a completely different meaning elsewhere and these stories do not just happen in Haiti, but after witnessing the abuse, violence and the struggles of those Deaf, Blind...etc with limited resources in various parts of the world, is how Angela Maria got there the city of Port-Au-Prince.

This documentary is based off of actual events from #offthegridHAITI missions in an effort to shine light on the realities, provide access to tangible solutions, and to pay tribute to the precious lives lost along the way.

Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Trailer.

The 'Off The Grid HAITI' documentary premiere released on June 30th, 2016.

Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary (Episode 1)

Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary (Episode 2)

For more information: http://www.takemeoffthegrid.org.

Produced & Directed by the Founder of "Off The Grid HAITI" Angela Maria Nardolillo, http://angelagraphix.com.

One World Futbol QALO The Shoe That Grows Because International Deaf Emergency Association des Sourds de Lévèque, Haïti - ASLH Friends Of Montfort, Inc Whistles For Life Phoenix Deaf Women Organization One World Futbol Foundation. The A Team: http://takemeoffthegrid.org/a-team.

Music by Mounds of Earth: http://moundsofearth.com.

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Related: #Haiti - #DeafTravel

Protest Demands Justice For Slain Deaf Women

Deaf News: Haiti protest demands justice for three slain Deaf women.

PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI -- Wednesday, March 30 at a press conference several organizations defending the rights of the disabled: the Haitian Society for Aid to the Blind (SHAA), the National Associative Network for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (RANIPH), the National Federation of the Deaf of Haiti (FNSH) and the Association of Deaf of évèque, Haiti (ASLH) came together to denounce the triple murder of three Deaf women, lynched after being taken for "witches", while they sought only a place to sleep in the zone of Haut Damier, area near Cabaret on March 18 in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

These organizations who for a long time struggle to enforce the rights of the disabled, launched an appeal of distress and sadness to the authorities to ensure respect for the rights of disabled people in the country. They require government: justice and compensation for the families of 3 women cowardly murdered (Jésula Germain, mère de six enfants, Vanessa Prévil and Monique Vincent).

Upset, Gérald Oriol Jr., Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities, strongly condemned these crimes "This is unthinkable in our society that such crimes be committed" recalling that one of the three victims was pregnant three months. Gérald Oriol Jr believes that society should say no to violence, no to discrimination.

For Dr. Michel A. Pean, coordinator of the SHAA "it is time to question the customs and outdated traditions of certain elements of Haitian culture..."

In addition, in a statement, the Board of Directors of the Arche Haiti, points out that "these odious crimes, remind that committed on our revered dumb musician Ti-Pierre in the 1990s. They challenge our conscience. It is time that the judicial authorities take into account, as well as all other citizens of the country, the needs of disabled victims. It is worth remembering that any person affected by intellectual disabilities and / or physical is a full persons that deserves the consideration of everyone."

Friday, April 1, to honor the memory of the three victims a march is planned in Port-au-Prince, the gathering and departure will take place at 8:00 am in front of the St. Vincent Center and will end in sit-in front of the Ministry of Justice.

Memorial Fundraiser For 3 Women Brutally Killed in Haiti:

Deaf community of Leveque in Haiti. Three Deaf women were waiting at a bus stop yesterday (because a bridge was out) and were brutally murdered. The whole community is crushed and in mourning. These women need a proper burial and the children who have lost their mother's are in need of food, shelter and a little bit of comfort. Your support is greatly appreciated and will help their families out immensely, HERE.

SOURCE - Haitilibre

Deaf Lesbian Couple Recovering & Being Helped

Deaf lesbian couple who were attacked with a bat: 'We're sacred to walk the streets' in California.

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA. -- The Deaf lesbian couple who were beaten with a baseball bat in Desert Hot Springs on March 22, have come forward to SDGLN to voice concerns about their safety and to thank the community for their support.

Deanna (Dee), 37, and Cathren (Cat), 30, are recovering from injuries they received on Tuesday when suspect Shaunda Lane allegedly became upset because she didn’t understand the women’s sign language.

Dee and Cat used hand signing to ask Lane to leave their property, but were attacked by Lane with a baseball bat according to a police report.

Lane is currently behind bars facing attempted murder charges. Local police say they are not investigating the case as a hate crime.

Since the attack the women have been trying to get their lives back in order and the community has rallied together to help them. A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help the couple recover financially.

“I really would like to thank the supporters who are my family and Deaf friends, even Deaf teachers, even hearing friends, also hearing families…who already knew who we are, for rest of our lives,” said Dee in the letter to SDGLN.

Both Dee and Cat suffered severe injuries; Dee a broken hand and concussion.

A Good Samaritan who only wishes to be identified as Team Mom has stepped in to help the couple as they recover from shock.

Dee is grateful to Team Mom and her continued support, “Team Mom (has) been checking on us almost every day to see if we (are) doing ok, and bring everything that we need. We love her so much. We thank…GOD every day for her,” wrote Cat.

After the attack, the couple’s apartment was broken into and their cellphones and other items were stolen or vandalized. Dee expressed some of the things that the donations will go toward. She says they are very scared of living in Desert Hot Springs now and they need money to move.

Additionally they need help with, “medical bills which my Medi-Care isn't good; have to transfer from Indiana to…California. Transportations; with no car which during night time is not safe to walk and things were missing at home when it was robbed.”

Team Mom opened up her apartment to the couple after their attack and Dee is very grateful for her kindness.

“Team Mom has made sure that we have food, clothes money etc... we love that there are people like her in the world,” she writes. “Team Mom lives in a small apartment and still took us in for our safety. She does so much to have so little. Thanks Team Mom for accepting us for who we are. I'm honored to have my Team Mom. Many thanks.”

Team Mom is asking for help within the Deaf and LGBT communities to aid these women in getting their lives back in order.

“My city has two Deaf females that were beaten within inches of their life with a baseball bat and robbed,” Team Mom writes to SDGLN. “They don't have anything now! Can you help make them feel beautiful again? Contact the community and a few others you may know. To help support the deaf victims to get back on their feet.”

Dee says they are still anxious about their assailant, and worry about her getting released from jail.

"We are still not feeling safe completely because we heard Shaunda (Lane) is trying to act like she is not guilty for attempted murder," she writes. "Need (to) talk to detective this Monday to make sure she stays in prison with no bail."

Help Deanna and Cathren with donations through their Go Fund Me page HERE.

SOURCE - SDGLN

Related Posts:
#DeafAmericans - #DeafNews - #DeafVictims - #WTF

It’s Why Deaf People Don’t Report To Police

When it comes to domestic abuse and sexual assault reporting, Deaf women are underserved by police in the United States.

NEW YORK CITY -- International Business Times: The abuse started with a few insults. When Wendy, a Deaf woman, met her college boyfriend, he was popular and attractive, so she put up with the harsh way he spoke to her. Then he gave her a black eye.

“I thought it was normal, and that that was love; that it was just a part of when you care about somebody,” Wendy, 38, who didn’t want to be identified by her real name because she has yet to go public with her story, said through a sign language interpreter. “Then the insults became a little bit physical, and then a cycle began.”

The cycle included her boyfriend holding her hostage in locked rooms after arguments, once almost forcing her to go to the bathroom in a bucket because she couldn’t leave. He beat her up on her 27th birthday, but she didn’t report it at least partly out of fear no one would believe her. She tells the story of a fellow Deaf friend who was abused by a significant other, and when police came to investigate, they didn’t believe the Deaf friend was abused.

“It’s why Deaf people don’t report to police,” Wendy, a Deaf community advocate in the central New York area, said. “It’s always ‘they won’t believe me.’ ”

Deaf women experience sexual and domestic abuse at much higher rates than women who hear, but are unlikely to report it. A new initiative announced last week from the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York City-based nonprofit, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime aims to change that by training police officers to facilitate communication with Deaf victims, such as teaching them how to find legitimate sign language interpreters. Activists say many law enforcement officials don’t know the best way to communicate with Deaf victims, discouraging the victims from reporting abuse.

“Now, they don’t have equal access to get the help they need,” Erin Esposito, a Deaf woman and executive director of the Rochester, New York-based Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims, said of Deaf victims. “The goal is to create an atmosphere where Deaf people can feel confident to go into a police station and get help.”

The Translating Justice Initiative is a three-year program, funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Justice Department that will go toward virtual and in-person training sessions of police officers, prosecutors and court administrators to help them better communicate with the Deaf, as well as the hard of hearing and those with limited English proficiency. The training is intended to enable police agencies to look at their policies regarding Deaf victims, revamp them to better facilitate communication and show officers how to better use resources already out there to help the Deaf, said Susan Shah, one of the co-leaders of the initiative.

Officers will be instructed in telephonic interpretation services, finding interpreters in the community and ways to avoid outdated technology, Shah said. Another major part of the training is teaching police to reach out to the Deaf community so Deaf victims of domestic and sexual abuse can feel more comfortable coming forward.

There is no cookie-cutter training for every police agency as every one has different levels of how well they interact with Deaf people, Esposito said. While there have been localized efforts to fund programs for Deaf victims, this is one of the only national initiatives providing this type of training, activists said.

No one event spawned the project, which has been in development with the Justice Department and other agencies, such as Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims and the National Center for Victims of Crime. The Office for Victims of Crime said in a statement that inroads had been made in recent years to serve victims who have disabilities or limited English proficiency, and that the program came about to bring together local efforts to help Deaf victims.... Read More.

Related:
CPD Gets New VRS Equipment To Assist Deafies
Deaf Victims Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested
Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested
Deaf Woman Sues NYPD For Denying Interpreter
Deaf, Gay and Angry - Do Not Call Cops

American Deaf Women For Bernie Sanders

WATCH [CC] - Deaf Women for Bernie Sanders in ASL.

#FeelTheBern... Deaf women across the United States Bernie Sanders on women's rights. A video showing experiences as a woman in America. Sanders' quotes "When it comes to the rights of women, we cannot go backwards. We have got to go forward".

Sanders is an enthusiastic advocate for women. He has long fought to protect women from domestic violence and sexual abuse, and promotes equal pay in the workforce.

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According to a campaign website: Despite major advances in civil and political rights, our country still has a long way to go in addressing the issue of gender inequality. Many of the achievements that have been made for women’s rights in the 20th century have been under attack by the Republican party - denying women control over their own bodies, preventing access to vital medical and social services, and blocking equal pay for equal work Fighting for Women’s Rights.

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2016 election.

Huffington Post: 25 Reasons I'm Voting for Bernie Sanders Over Hillary Clinton and the GOP Nominee

The 2016 primaries and caucuses have begun. Candidates will seek to win delegates in each state’s contest to capture their party’s nomination for the presidency - 2016 Primary Results and Calendar.

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Related: American Deaf People For Bernie Sanders

CPD Gets New VRS Equipment To Assist Deafies

Deaf News: Cleveland Police Department gets new video relay service equipment to assist Deaf community.

CLEVELAND, OH -- The Cleveland Police Department has invested in new equipment to help its officers better serve the Deaf community.

The department announced Wednesday that all officers have been trained to use video technology that gives them instant access to an American Sign Language interpreter.

Officials from the police department and local advocates for the hearing-impaired demonstrated the new equipment Thursday.

"The reality is there are barriers in place for some members of our community," Cleveland police Capt. James McPike said. "This grant was intended to try to remove those barriers for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community."

Each of the city's five police districts is stocked with an iPad equipped with the ZVRS video interpreter application. The application gives officers dealing with a Deaf crime victim, suspect or witness access to an interpreter within seconds.

The technology was purchased using a portion of a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women that was awarded to the department in 2011, Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.

The Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center and the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center helped train the police force.

Deaf women in the U.S. experience domestic and sexual violence at rates twice those of hearing women, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for fairness in the justice system. Yet they often encounter barriers when seeking help, from a phone-based 911 system to having their credibility as witnesses in court questioned.

The police department purchased the equipment after getting feedback from the Deaf community, said Maria O'Neil Ruddock, coordinator of training and outreach services for the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.

"The reason it's here is because the Deaf community has told us, 'We want access to the police, we want to be able to communicate, but it's difficult,'" O'Neil Ruddock said.

Cleveland is only one of two large police departments in the country using this technology, she added.

The department is also updating its general police orders to include a policy about communicating with the Deaf, McPike said. A draft of that policy is still in the approval stage.

Ciaccia said the interpreting technology is not related to a binding agreement with the Justice Department that requires the Cleveland police to improve the way they interact with citizens. The addition of the technology is the latest in a string of efforts by the department to expand training.

Mayor Frank Jackson announced in December that officers received first aid training and emergency medical kits.

The Cleveland Police Academy class that graduated in October was the first to receive 40 hours of crisis intervention training.

SOURCE - CLEVELANDMETRO

Deaf Victims Sues NYPD For Wrongly Arrested

WATCH [CC] - Deaf News: Interviews: Deaf woman arrested by NYPD settles case against city for $750,000.

NEW YORK CITY -- A Deaf woman who said she was wrongly arrested by cops who ignored her disability settled her case for $750,000 Tuesday, a figure her attorneys say is the largest of its kind.

Diana Williams charged in her suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court that the New York City Police Department officers who slapped her in cuffs ignored police guidelines requiring them to request a sign language interpreter when interacting with Deaf people.

“Deaf individuals have rights, and they do not have to tolerate discrimination and injustices of any kind,” her attorneys Andrew Rozynski and Eric Baum said in a statement.

“Ms. Williams hopes that the settlement will send a message to all law enforcement agencies across the country that they should adopt proper policies and procedures to ensure full communication access for Deaf individuals.”

Two New Yorkers who can't hear or speak and communicate only by sign language claim they were wrongly arrested by NYPD officers in two separate incidents.

Williams’ ordeal began Sept. 11, 2011, when she called 911 for assistance evicting a difficult tenant from her Staten Island home.

Most of the people in the house were Deaf, but cops allegedly ignored training requiring them to request an interpreter.

Without being able to explain to Williams what was happening, Officer Christian Romano arrested her and the tenant for allegedly getting in a fight, and for the next 24 hours police ignored her attempts to communicate, the suit said.

Williams was so panicked she even wrote the letters “HOSP” on the window of a police cruiser in an effort to tell them she needed to go to the hospital, the suit says.

Romano checked the “No” box on the arrest report asking if an interpreter was needed, according to documents. He later checked “No” on different paperwork asking if Williams had a disability.

Williams’ attorneys, who run the Eisenberg and Baum Law Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said they believe their client has received the largest payout ever to an individual alleging Deaf discrimination by a public agency. A Deaf advocate at the firm, Sheryl Eisenberg-Michalowski, also worked on the case.

“Settling was in the best interest of the city,” a Law Department spokesman said.

SOURCE - New York Daily News

Deaf Christian Woman Gang Raped By Muslims

Deaf christian woman brutally gang raped, racially abused by Muslims.

KASUR, Pakistan -- Three Muslim men broke into the home of a Deaf christian woman in a village in the district of Kasur, Pakistan, and took turns raping her while the men of the family were at work.

The incident occurred in the Ganda Singh Wala village in the Kasur district of Punjab, according to the Pakistan Christian Post.

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The woman reportedly screamed for mercy while being raped, but no one came to her assistance. Relatives of the woman have retained the services of christian lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill, who runs an advocacy group offering free legal assistance to Pakistani Christians and other minorities who are victims of abuse and religious persecution.

RELATED: The Violent Oppression of Women in Islam

The lawyer filed the first information report with the police and is trying to reconstruct the facts of the attack, though he admits that it is not easy to get a case like this prosecuted fairly in Pakistan. One suspect, Muhammad Umar, has been arrested while the other two attackers reportedly escaped, and Gill is not optimistic about seeing justice done.

“It’s very difficult to get a punishment for those responsible,” he told the Fides news agency. “Often in these cases the police take no action or, worse, side with the rapists.”

Gill also noted that cases of violence against christians and other religious minorities are far more frequent than is commonly known because of a system that turns a blind eye to religious persecution.

“Christian families or witnesses are pressured to withdraw complaints,” Gill added. “Violence against women and children of religious minorities, the weak and vulnerable, is widespread in Pakistan and is often carried out in silence. The cases and the stories do not come to light and when victims talk about it they are intimidated,” he said.

Islam is the official state religion in Pakistan, which has some of the most severe blasphemy laws in the world. Freedom of speech is greatly restricted and “defiling the Prophet Muhammad” carries a death sentence, while damaging the Qur’an is punishable by life imprisonment. “Insulting another’s religious feelings” can result in jail sentences up to ten years, but is applied only to those disparaging Islam...

Read More - Breitbart.

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Deaf Backpackers Travel - Deafying Stereotypes

Deaf News: How can you survive in this world if you don’t know how to communicate or drive? Deaf people can do anything, except hear!

These are the most common questions we get asked throughout our lives. So, you can imagine how people react initially when they find out that we wanted to travel.

“Isn’t it too dangerous for you to travel?” Our parents’ utmost fears. They feared that since we aren’t capable of hearing certain surroundings, that there may be a risk to our lives. For instance, they feared that we wouldn’t be able to hear oncoming speeding cars.

The truth is: Deaf people can do anything, except hear. What people tend to forget or may not realise is that although we cannot hear, our other senses are heightened. We naturally developed other senses more strongly - in particular, our vision. We develop skills such as reading lips, facial expressions and body language.

However, we put off travel for a long time because of the fears that society and the media instil into our conscious. One day, we both decided to face that challenge and prove to others that Deaf people are capable of travel. Thus, our blog, Deafinitely Wanderlust, was born.

Through our adventure, we conquered not only the language barriers but communication barriers as well. In comparison to Hearing people, we naturally picked up their local gestures faster because our voices are our hands. We can also distinguish through body language when locals are nervous, annoyed or even lying... Read The Full Story/Photos.

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The Sexual Abuse of Deaf Women in Philippines

The sexual abuse of Deaf women: a human rights scandal in the provinces of Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines -- According to the former Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC), one out of every three Deaf women in the Philippines is sexually harassed or raped. Half of the cases happen in the victim’s own home, with neighbors and even family members being the most common perpetrators. Despite the general decrease in rape cases throughout the country, rape remains the most widespread crime against Deaf women.

Imagine living in a home that is also, strangely, a foreign country, where you can neither fully understand what is going on, let alone be understood. Now imagine your life was like that 24 hours a day every single day. This is the plight of women like Anica and Diane, two Deaf women in their 20s, who like many other Deaf women have been sexually abused.

Anica, born Deaf, is a petite woman with a bubbly disposition. But behind the sunny demeanor lies a deep scar. During her teenage years, she was sexually molested by an uncle. The case remains unreported because she is too afraid to file a report.

Living in the same compound as her uncle, she harbors a terrible fear not only of family retaliation but also of being misunderstood by the police, given a lack of trustworthy interpreters. She has little motivation to push through with her case.

Many abused Deaf women share Anica’s plight. Desperate, they feel there is nowhere to turn for help. Most are hesitant to confide in family members because of long-standing communication barriers.

Diane, both taciturn and mercurial, is another survivor. Linguistically isolated since early childhood, she can only communicate through gestures and drawings. Her chronicle is heart wrenching: she was trafficked from her rural hometown to a large city, where she was forced to work in the sex trade, from which after several harrowing experiences she finally escaped.

Then she went through what the system had to offer: Diane was shuffled from one government agency to another; lived in a shelter for women and children; was put into foster care for one and half years before her family was found and she was eventually returned home.

Tragically, these are not anomalies. Indeed, the numbers in this context are genuinely disturbing: according to the former Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC), one out of every three Deaf women in the Philippines is sexually harassed or raped. Half of the cases happen in the victim’s own home, with neighbors and even family members being the most common perpetrators. Despite the general decrease in rape cases throughout the country, rape remains the most widespread crime against Deaf women.

To press charges against her traffickers, Diane would have needed an accredited interpreter to give her testimony (otherwise, the authorities might deem it hearsay), but she was not provided with one. Indeed, throughout her entire stay at the shelter, she had no access to any interpreters at all.

Diane also appears to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but has never been diagnosed or treated because her deafness makes communication a constant challenge.

In a 2012 report by the PDRC, it was noted that a lack of awareness and sensitivity in dealing with disabled persons continuously bogs down our legal and judicial systems. For example, the inappropriateness of assigning male interpreters for female victims of rape and sexual violence may cause further trauma...

Read The Full Story.

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