Teen Loses Cochlear Implant After Being Tased

Cochlear Implant helps people hear? A Tennessee teen loses cochlear implant after being tased who failed to hear the officer’s command.

LAFOLLETTE, Tennessee -- A Deaf teenager tased by a sheriff’s deputy because he couldn’t hear the officer’s command to stop. To make matter’s worse, when he fell, his expensive cochlear implant was lost. The teen was released when they realized there had been a mistake.

The young Campbell County man wears a cochlear implant. It’s a complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly Deaf or severely hard of hearing.

His device wasn’t working 11 days ago, following an unfortunate incident in which the young man couldn’t communicate with sheriff’s deputies who were responding to an emergency call in Lafollette.

19-year-old Brett Elkins is Deaf and he is a graduate of the Tennessee School for the Deaf.

His mother showed us where Brett’s cochlear implant was located; the surgical scar is behind his right ear, about the size of a quarter.

But you don’t see the device, that’s because it was lost when Elkins was tased and fell to the ground incapacitated on October 11.

Elkins had gone to a friend’s house to use their phone to have his mother pick him up. As he was leaving the house, he didn’t know that Campbell County deputies had been called there for a domestic dispute between Brett’s friends.

"Jamie Wilhoit, Elkins’ mother, saying, “He was walking, he felt a shock, his arms fell beside him, and he fell over. He assumed it was his cochlear, that it had malfunctioned, that was the first thing he thought. He was scared and crying. His cochlear implant had died, the batteries weren’t working, it wasn’t charged.”

Elkins’ implant was new, it came from TennCare. He said somehow it fell off after being tased.

He and his mother went back to look for it, but it hasn’t been found.

We received a copy of the sheriff’s report, and deputies didn’t know Brett was Deaf when he failed to respond to their commands.

It states he was released once determined he had nothing to do with the domestic disturbance. Deputies also called an ambulance to check him out, however, there is no reference to the implant.

"Connie Hull, Elkins’ grandmother, saying, “He got the cochlear three weeks ago. It was $8,000, they just don’t hand those out left and right.”

Brett showed us his back where several prongs from the taser gun left welts after suffering a five second shock, according to the incident report.

His mother telling us that Elkins would like an apology and for them to replace his cochlear implant.

"A ranking officer from the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office called Elkins’ mother and said, “Sheriff Goins has talked to with our insurance provider and they are willing to pay for Brett’s implant.”

Elkins and his mother were overwhelmed.

“Wow! Oh my God, oh, they cared, they cared.”

Jamie Wilhoit – Elkins’ mother.

It will take a few weeks before Elkins’ fitted with a new cochlear device.

Sheriff Robbie Goins telling us that domestic violence calls are the most danger his deputies face, and they have to make split second judgement calls with the information they have during the situation.

He also said his deputies acted reasonably under the circumstances when they first confronted Elkins. Sheriff Goins is pleased to learn that Elkins and his family are happy with the resolution.

SOURCE - WATE

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Class Signs 'Happy Birthday' For Deaf Custodian

Tennessee kindergarten class signs 'Happy Birthday' song to Deaf custodian goes viral on social media.

TULLAHOMA, Tennessee -- Kindergarten class learns to sign ‘Happy Birthday’ in heartfelt surprise for his 60th birthday, because beloved custodian Mr. James is Deaf, the kids at Hickerson Elementary knew they had to do more than sing “Happy Birthday.” They learned how to sign it.

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SOURCE - NBC Nightly News

Related: Deaf News.

Deaf/Blind Teen Brutally Beaten By TSA Agents

TSA sued for brutal beating Deaf, partially blind teen girl recovering from brain surgery at Memphis Airport.

MEMPHIS, TN -- A teen just released from brain surgery was beaten by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents inside the Memphis International Airport last year, a recent lawsuit alleges.

The TSA is listed as a defendant in a suit accusing them of injuring a mentally disabled teen after she was unable to understand or comply with orders at a security checkpoint.

Newly surfaced photos show the aftermath of the June 30, 2015 incident, in which agents roughed up 19-year-old Hannah Cohen leaving her bloodied and bruised.

“They wanted to do further scanning; she was reluctant. She didn’t understand what they were about to do,” her mother Shirley Cohen told WREG.

The lawsuit claims before Hannah had brain tumor surgery at St. Jude’s hospital, she already had “a physical and mental impairment that substantially limit one or more of her life activities.”

“More particularly,” the lawsuit continues, “Hannah has damage from radiation and removal of a brain tumor that substantially limits her ability to speak, walk, stand, see, hear, care for herself, learn and work, think, concentrate, and interact with others.”

“This substantial limitation is obvious upon sight and was obvious” on the day of the incident, the lawsuit filed in US District Court states.

“She’s trying to get away from them,” Hannah’s mother described, “but in the next instant, one of them had her down on the ground and hit her head on the floor. And I looked and there’s blood everywhere.”

All the while Shirley was kept from being able to help her daughter, causing her “extreme emotional injury as she watched the personnel assault her daughter,” according to court documents obtained by Infowars.

The Memphis International Airport Police Department is also included as a defendant in the suit for “arresting her for no cause.”

“Hannah was arrested, booked and on the night she should have been celebrating the end of her treatment, she was locked up in Jail East,” reports WREG.

“Here we were with nowhere to go, not even a toothbrush, our bags had gone to Chattanooga,” Shirley said.

TSA did not comment on the case, but referred travelers with special accommodations to call their TSA Cares hotline. The Cohens’ are asking for $100,000 in damages.

SOURCE - WREG

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NAD and Deaf Parents Sues Tennessee Hospital

WATCH [CC] - Lawsuit: The National Association of the Deaf suing Tennessee hospital didn't meet Deaf parents' needs.

JOHNSON CITY, TN -- ABC NEWS: A Deaf couple says a Tennessee hospital discriminated against them by failing to provide a qualified sign language interpreter while their 21-year-old daughter was dying of cancer.

Chris and Donna Cantrell's federal lawsuit against Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City was filed Wednesday by Disability Rights Tennessee and the National Association of the Deaf.

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The organizations say the Johnson City Medical Center refused to provide qualified sign language interpreters to allow the couple from Wise, Virginia, to participate in their daughter's care during the six months before Sydnei Cantrell died on May 19.

"(The couple) watched their daughter suffer from serious health conditions ... without ever receiving a full explanation of what was happening to their daughter," the lawsuit said. "(Donna) Cantrell saw her daughter burst into tears but had no idea why she was crying. Because her daughter was too upset to explain, (she) did not learn that her daughter was dying until much later."

The hospital provided a person to facilitate communications on fewer than five occasions, but the person was not qualified to act as an interpreter and didn't sign clearly enough, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit asks a judge to order Mountain States to develop a nondiscrimination policy requiring the provision of qualified sign language interpreters, and to train medical staff on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit also asks for unspecified compensatory damages and attorneys' fees.

Mountain States spokeswoman Teresa Hicks declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality requirements.

SOURCE - ABC News

Dispatcher Hailed Hero For Helping Deaf Woman's Mother

Dispatcher hailed hero for helping Deaf woman's mother through by VRS.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- A Clarksville woman is grateful to a 911 dispatcher who got help to her Deaf mother Monday night. Lisa Prichard lives in Clarksville and was home when her mother texted her that something was wrong.

Prichard was able to video call her mother Joy Gournaris, 68, at Gournaris' Antioch home. "She was confused, she didn't understand what was going on and was getting ready to pass out," Prichard said.

Prichard knew if she tried to drive to her mother's home from Clarksville it would take her an hour. She was also concerned because it appeared her mother was having a stroke and every second counted.

Prichard kept her mother on video phone and called 911 from her Clarksville home. Clarksville's 911 center transferred her to Nashville where 911 Dispatcher Lori Bentley took over the phone call.

"While, I'm communicating with sign language with my mother I was talking to the dispatcher," Prichard said. "I had to really be calm and think about what I was saying. I wanted to cry and scream, but I stayed calm for my mother."

The video relay system Gournaris uses has a 911 emergency component that allows her to make emergency calls... Read The Full Story.

Deaf Produced BMW Commercial Ads On TV

Deaf produced BMW commercial gets national attention.

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- A locally produced BMW of Chattanooga commercial, which features a Deaf employee and highlights the dealer's dedication to customer service is receiving national recognition.

In the advertisement, which is the fourth in a series produced by Moss Media Labs local BMW employee Scott Carpenter, who oversees the detail department at the dealership, uses sign language to express the importance of getting a BMW serviced by a BMW-certified technician.

Carpenter has been Deaf since he was 9 years old, and he conveys the message with only a smile and shoulder shrug.

“Scott exemplifies everything great about BMW of Chattanooga," Daniel Bellemare, BMW of Chattanooga’s general manager, said in a prepared statement. "He is a long-term employee who is always willing to lead the way into change. He is always a problem solver instead of a problem creator. We love Scott and are so happy he is part of our team.”

Leaders said the commercial has drawn attention from BMW USA leaders and from the National Association of the Deaf.

The association's CEO, Howard A. Rosenblum, said he encourages other employers to follow BMW of Chattanooga's example in displaying the important contributions that Deaf people bring as employees... Read The Full Story.

Oppression at West Tennessee School for the Deaf

This vlog fully explained about the visit to West Tennessee School for the Deaf and it was surreal experience.

A terror of oppression and audism at West Tennessee School for the Deaf (WTSD), which state-operated elementary school for Deaf children ages 2 to 13 from throughout west Tennessee in Jackson.

Openly Gay Ricky Taylor aka Ridor9th, known as one of the most controversial blogger in the ASL & Deaf community, share thoughts on the cause and explained.

Regarding to the terrbile story that the Deafies to pay the visit at WTSD, all of suddenly the staff's rude attitude toward a Deaf visitor and discriminated ASL users, and kicked out for no reason. However, a vlogger felt an insulted from the WTSD staff members and decided to posted a vlog.

Deafies should make effort to visit Deaf schools when we travel to some states. Good reminder to all of us. We need to watch out for red flags so we can stand up and protect Deaf children. The Deaf community agree with vloggers that there is something wrong with that school. The way how they treated Deaf visitors is quite alarming because if they showed no respect for you as a Deaf adult then their treatment to Deaf children could be far worse.

WTSD's web-site says "An Individual Education Plan is developed for each student enrolled at WTSD. Total communication is used throughout our program by all staff members. Small class sizes and individualized programs aid in the success of our students. Continuous collaboration between teachers, speech pathologists, and audiologists provides optimal information for instructional programming." Is that a joke? Check this out at WTSD's clown staff: https://wtsd.tn.org/staff.

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