Deaf Couple Pleads For Return of Dog Stolen

Deaf couple pleads for return of dog stolen from in front of store.

INKSTER, Michigan -- A metro Detroit Uber driver is hoping you can help reunite her with her dog.

Megan Nairne says her dog, Bruiser, was taken while on a walk with her significant other. They had stopped at Harrison Liquor Store in Inkster, while she was working on Opening Day at Comerica Park.

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The dognapping was captured on video, which Nairne posted to Facebook.

Nairne says she had just dropped a rider off near Comerica when she got word that Bruiser had been taken.

Narine says she and her significant other, James, adopted the 9-year-old Bruiser after James' mother, Linda, passed away in April 2015. Bruiser was originally Linda's dog.

Nairne says Bruiser is very attached to James and will get depressed if he is not around.

James had stopped at the store during their walk to get Bruiser a snack, and left him outside because the store does not allow pets inside.

Nairne says they have filed a police report, but do not feel their case has been given the appropriate priority.

She says she just wants to get Bruiser home.

SOURCE - WXYZ

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Kriston Pumphrey: Super Bowl’s ASL Performer

Royal Oak man to perform Super Bowl LI National Anthem in American Sign Language at Houston's NRG Stadium.

ROYAL OAK, MI -- A metro Detroit man is performing at the Big Game - but he won't be singing, he will be signing. Kriston Lee Pumphrey is set to take the stage in Houston at one of the most watched events in America on February 5.

"To be a part of something that 100 million people watch is amazing and nerve-racking at the same time," Pumphrey said with a sign language interpreter. While country superstar Luke Bryan sings the National Anthem and America the Beautiful, Pumphrey has been given the honor to perform the songs in American Sign Language.

"I am so excited. It is a huge honor and it is a great opportunity to represent my community," he says.

Related Story: Super Bowl LI National Anthem in ASL

With the help of an interpreter, Pumphrey, who is biracial and was born Deaf, says life hasn't been easy. He's learned to navigate his way in a judgmental, fast-moving verbal world, and has been able to overcome his disability. He now works as an online anchor for DPAN-TV, a sign language channel which delivers an internet-based news program.

"One of the reasons why DPAN-TV was established is because we feel Deaf people should have access to information. People don't realize the Deaf community misses out on a lot of things going on in the world and in the news. And, to be on a national stage, this is a huge deal for us," Pumphrey says.

It's also a huge deal for his boss, Sean Forbes, a Deaf rapper who is the cofounder of DPAN-TV.

"Myself and the whole staff at DPAN-TV, is so thrilled for him because we know that he is a skilled performer," Forbes says. "We know he has capabilities to stand in front of millions of people watching him on TV. We couldn't be more excited."

Although grateful for the opportunity, both Forbes and Pumphrey are hoping this year is different and the Deaf are given even more access to the national stage.

"In the past they have only shown a few seconds of the sign language, hopefully they will show more of it," Pumphrey says.

SOURCE - WJBK

Check this out at Hollywood Life:
Kriston Lee Pumphrey: 5 Things About Super Bowl 51’s ASL Performer.

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Deaf Man's 911 Text Saves House From Fire

Deaf News: Deaf man's 911 text went to operators at Oakland County Dispatch Center to saves house from fire.

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI -- WDIV Detroit: It seems as if people text more than they talk in modern days. That's why some communities have started allowing people to text 911.

Residents in Oakland County are allowed to text 911 and a message will appear on a screen for a dispatcher to read. A Deaf Rochester Hills man said the texting system saved his house from burning down.

The fire started when the man's mother, Mary Powers, tried to clean the oven.

"I smelled something and I came out here and the oven was on fire," Powers said.

She ran back in the room to tell her son, Scott Powers, to get help.

"I told him to call 911," she said.

Her son pulled out his cellphone but didn't dial.

"That means text because he's Deaf," Powers said.

"I'm Deaf, I can't talk on the phone, need fire department immediately," the text read.

The text went right through to operators at the Oakland County Dispatch Center.

Oakland County has been equipped with the 911 text messaging for just over a year. They average around 12 emergency text messages a day. Scott Powers owns his house and is thankful the county can accommodate his needs.

"I like to be independent without depending on other people," he said. "I used to think, 'What would I do if my house was on fire?' The first thing I used to think was, 'Run to my neighbor.'"

He's fortunate to live in an area where he can get emergency help. He hopes other communities will get on board with the technology.

"When I'm on the road visiting a friend, sometimes it doesn't work," Powers said. "I'll text 911. I'd get a response back saying it's not available."

This was the first time the Rochester Hills Fire Department benefited from the 911 text. But they realize this will likely not be the last time.

SOURCE - ClickonDetroit

Deaf Wrestler Sues Over Interpreter Rules

WATCH [CC] - A high school wrestler who is Deaf is suing MHSAA to have an interpreter with him on the mat.

DETROIT -- A Royal Oak High School wrestler who is Deaf has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

The senior at Royal Oak High School says he is Deaf, and that shouldn’t be a problem. It has become one during meets because the MHSAA is restricting his use of sign language interpreters.

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“It is not fair,” said Ellis Kempf, of the rule.

Kemp says at meets sponsored by his school his sign language interpreter is allowed to move around the outside of the wrestling mat. At MHSAA sponsored meets that is not allowed. The MHSAA says the interpreter must be in Kempf’s coach’s designated corner. “That’s not going to work. I can’t see,” said Kempf.

“They are saying Ellis can have an interpreter he can’t see. He can have an interpreter if the interpreter stands behind his back. That does Ellis no good,” said Attorney Jason Turkish.

So why does the MHSAA have this rule?

The MHSAA says it is for the safety of interpreters. At tournaments there are often several wrestling mats lined up next to each other. While it is rare for wrestlers to go outside the boundaries and collide with each other as an official can stop the action, the MHSAA says an interpreter circling the mat likely would not see competitors from another mat coming toward her or him.

"The MHSAA allows and always has allowed interpreters for the Deaf in wrestling,” said Geoff Kimmerly, an MHSAA spokesperson. "This student has been competing in high school wrestling with the aid of an interpreter for three seasons. There are some limitations on where interpreters can move during competition, especially at large tournaments with multiple mats in close proximity, so the interpreter does not get in the way of coaches, officials and competitors. This is a safety concern. These accommodations have been used for other Deaf wrestlers without problems in the past."

Ellis says the only person getting hurt is him. He points to the fact his record shows he is more likely to win wrestling tournaments that allow sign language interpreters.

“There have been times I lost first place because I didn’t know what was going on,” said Ellis.

SOURCE - WXYZ

Deaf Justice In Detroit

Deaf people are serving as jurors in courts across the area of Detroit.

DETROIT, Michigan -- Justice is supposed to be blind, but what if it’s also Deaf? The 7 Investigators have learned that jurors who are Deaf are serving on juries.

Judges say in the past, Deaf jurors usually did not make it onto a jury to render a verdict. They’re thrilled that the courts are becoming more inclusive, and as we discovered, Deaf jurors are also changing the dynamics of deliberations.

Inside the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in downtown Detroit, judges hold more than 500 jury trials every year. In this recent armed robbery trial, not everyone inside Judge Timothy Kenny’s courtroom could actually hear the witnesses.

That’s because for the first time in more than 18 years on the bench, Judge Kenny had the opportunity to seat a Deaf juror to help decide this case.

“I think it’s important for people who do have disabilities to think that this is not a segment of their life that they’re shut out from,” said Judge Kenny.

The court had two highly trained and certified sign language interpreters ready to go the day Juror #13 arrived for jury duty. University Translators Services provided the interpreters for the trial.

They are sworn in and the judge gives them clear instructions that when they’re interpreting inside the jury room for deliberations: they can never express their own views on the evidence.

“They recognize that's what their role is, and they’re not there to provide any editorial comment,” said Judge Kenny.

After 4 days of testimony, juror #13 - the Deaf juror was chosen to deliberate with 11 others. They found the defendant in this case not guilty. “I think every Deaf person has the ability to serve on a jury,” said Leah Scarpace...

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