Deaf Community Reacts Idaho Falls ASL Mural

Idaho Falls' new downtown mural gets thumbs down from Deaf community.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- A mural in downtown Idaho Falls is seeing a huge backlash in the Deaf community, after using American Sign Language incorrectly.

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Tucked away in an alley on the 400 block of Park Avenue, a mural that was commissioned for ACLU's 25th year in Idaho may appear to use sign language, but looks can be deceiving.

Alexander Low said "I looked at it for the first time and I thought oh... That's a really nice thought... I was impressed with that... Then I realized that I couldn't understand what it was signing I kept looking at it trying to figure it out..."

Backlash against the artwork has been strong, with several Facebook posts speaking against the mural.

The palms of the hand formation are facing the center, and not towards the viewer. This causes it to not actually mean anything.

Ricky Taylor said "So in ASL there are rules... There is structure just like any language. And so the artist has to show the palm orientation of the ASL has to be specific... When I see that mural it didn't really make sense..."

The art was supposed to represent understanding through different communications.

Many are saying it would have been better to hire a Deaf artist.

Taylor also said "There is a famous quote... You have to be Deaf to understand this experience... And so the artist herself is a hearing person... It doesn't mean that she is a bad person she's good... But she doesn't understand deafness... What it means to be Deaf..."

As it stands now, it is confusing and a misrepresentation of the language and culture.

The Deaf community is now looking for solutions, including working with them to fix the problem.

Low also said "I kept looking at it trying to figure it out... It looked like gang signs... The hand shapes of maybe some gang signs... It still wouldn't make sense to anybody knowing sign language... The colors are wonderful but I really think they need to re do the hands..."

The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation who was commissioned to make the mural did not want to comment but they are looking to talk with the public about how to fix it.

Alexander Low said "I looked at it for the first time and I thought oh... that's a really nice thought... i was impressed with that... then I realized that I couldn't understand what it was signing I kept looking at it trying to figure it out..."

Ricky Taylor said "So in ASL there is rules... there is structure just like any language.. and so the artist has to show the palm orientation of the ASL has to be specific... when i see that mural it didn't really make sense..."

"There is a famous quote... You have to be Deaf to understand this experience... And so the artist herself is a hearing person... It doesn't mean that she is a bad person she's good... But she doesn't understand deafness... What it means to be Deaf..."

"I kept looking at it trying to figure it out... It looked like gang signs... The hand shapes of maybe some gang signs... It still wouldn't make sense to anybody knowing sign language... The colors are wonderful but i really think they need to re do the hands..."

SOURCE - KPVI News

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Deaf Man Crawls For Help After Car Wreck

Injured Deaf man crawls for help following car accident in Idaho.

DOWNEY, ID -- Idaho State Journal: Sheriff's deputies have located a badly injured Deaf man who became stranded after crashing his car near this southern Bannock County town.

Around 12:20 a.m. Thursday the Bannock County Sheriff's Office confirmed that deputies had found the 50-year-old Downey man on Highway 91 near Red Rock Rock. The man had reportedly crawled over a mile from the scene of the crash to Highway 91 in an attempt to find help.

The Sheriff's Office was not sure where exactly the Deaf man had crashed his car. The man was still being treated at the scene of the crash as of 12:20 a.m. Thursday but he was about to be transported via ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

Reports indicated the man suffered multiple injuries in the crash and long crawl to Highway 91 but the Sheriff's Office said he's expected to survive.

The incident began to unfold around 11 p.m. Wednesday when the man texted his Mormon bishop stating that he had crashed his car and was badly hurt and stranded. The man did not say in his text where the crash occurred and contact could not be re-established, so the bishop called the Bannock County Sheriff's Office and deputies were dispatched to find the man.

The Sheriff's Office tried to call the man but he did not answer his cell phone. Authorities then attempted to locate the man by pinging a signal off his cell phone.

That effort revealed he was within 10,000 meters of Highway 91 between Downey and Preston not very exact coordinates.

Deputies then began searching all the roads along the Highway 91 corridor in southern Bannock County, eventually finding the man crawling on the highway about six miles southeast of Downey.

The man's identity has not yet been released.

SOURCE - IdahoStateJournal

Deaf Baby Hears Mother's Voice For First Time

WATCH: Deaf Idaho baby hears her mother's voice for the first time.

BOISE, ID -- This is the heart-warming moment a Deaf baby heard her mother's voice for the very first time.

Born profoundly Deaf, Annabelle Lawrence received two hearing aids on Wednesday and when they were turned on she couldn't hide her excitement.

When her mother Sarah Jo asked her if she could hear, the three-month-old broke into a massive gummy smile

Sarah Jo, from Boise, Idaho then asked again and Annabelle's eyes opened wide as she realized she was listening to her mother speak.

Sarah Jo said: 'Everything has been so overwhelming. 'To be able to tell Annabelle that I love her and know she hears me is very emotional. 'You could see how excited she was to be able to hear. I can't stop talking to her.

'Whenever I'm doing the dishes or putting a wash on I give her a running commentary. 'I want her to be able to catch up on the last three months.'

The video also shows the audiologist from Idaho Elks Hearing and Balance Center, Boise, continuing with tests to determine to what level Annabelle's hearing is working. When she heard clapping, she started to look a little perplexed and turned her head a full 90 degrees searching for the origins.

Annabelle's hearing aids are temporary as she will have cochlear implants put in when she is nine months old. Her current hearing aids enable her to hear sufficiently as the auditory nerve in her brain is functioning perfectly.

Sarah Jo added: 'At the moment she is really tired.

'I think hearing for the first time means her brain is working extra hard to understand what is happening. 'She is napping much longer than she did before to recuperate. 'But when she's awake she is so much more excited.'

SOURCE - DailyMail

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Deaf Grassroots Movement at Idaho State House

Deaf News - Deaf community holds rally at the Idaho State House.

BOISE, ID -- Several members of the Deaf community gathered Wednesday afternoon in front of the Statehouse to raise awareness of the issues they say they're facing here in Idaho. It was one of 50 rallies hosted by the Deaf Grassroots Movement, taking place simultaneously in all 50 states.

The DGM aims to fight for the rights of the Deaf and future generations in the Deaf community in all 50 states. On Wednesday all 50 state capitols will have a rally for Deaf Rights, including Boise, Idaho.

"One of the biggest problems is their limiting or ability to communicate," said presenter David G. Wilder.

They want to educate others on what can be done to make their lives better.

"We got a lot of issues that we are faced with," said Alan Wilder of the Idaho Association of the Deaf. "The American with Disabilities Act that was set up a long time ago, but it's not quite sufficient enough, enough where as Deaf people are still fighting everyday to receive interpreters or get equal access to information."

Organizers say that quality education, jobs and healthcare just aren't available to many Deaf people in the state. Because, they say, they don't have access to qualified sign language interpreters.

"In smaller communities it's not very well set up, but you know in hospitals they usually have that, but if you go to doctor's office or counseling services, they don't have those services," said Alan Wilder.

And while these people are all too familiar with the challenges they face every day. They say no one else will talk about them without them.

Alan Wilder said the Idaho Association of the Deaf plans to push for stronger and clearer laws surrounding Deaf interpreters in Idaho in 2017. Copyright 2016 KTVB.

SOURCE - KTVB

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