Deaf Baby Girl Hears Mom's Voice For First Time

Adorable moment Deaf baby girl cries with joy after hearing her mother's voice for the first time goes viral on social media.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va -- WAVY: Charly was born profoundly Deaf and this is her response to hearing aids. "My baby hears me for the first time and is almost moved to tears!" Charly's her mother Christy Keane said.

It’s a viral video that’s melting hearts around the world -- a Deaf baby from Virginia Beach hearing her Mom’s voice for the first time.

Christy Keane never imagined the reaction that would come from sharing a special family moment on her Instagram page.

She posted it last Thursday, the day two month old Charly got hearing aids. It has now been viewed more than 12 million times.

“That connection in our eyes at that moment I can’t even put into words because its unexplainable” Mom, Christy Keane told WAVY.com. “I know she was feeling what I was feeling in my heart at the same time.”

The Keane home has been full of emotions since Charly was born in August. They had no hint of a hearing loss during Christy’s pregnancy.

“The reason we found out is because Virginia has a great early screening program where, at 24 hours of life, they do a hearing screen on the babies and, she failed.”

Christy had never met a Deaf person until her daughter. Now she’s exploring sign language and googling cochlear implants.

Cochlear implants are different than hearing aids, which amplify sound. Cochlear implants do the work of the damaged inner ear.

Charly will get them closer to her first birthday. That’s the FDA approved age.

For now, the hearing aids are helping her prepare body prepare for the implant.

Charly’s doctor’s with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children’s Hospital Of The King’s Daughters got the hearing aids for free through the Virginia hearing aid loan bank.

Christy says every morning when she puts them in it is a miracle. The smiles she gets from Charly are just like the first time.

Follow her journey on Instagram: https://instagram.com/theblushing

SOURCE - WAVY

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Deaf Stepdad Gets A Surprise Adoption

This is the adorable moment a devoted Deaf stepdad is surprised with not one, but two adoption requests from his adoring stepdaughter, stepson.

SALEM, Virginia -- During a family gathering in Salem, Virginia, Hank Blankenship is midway through his dinner, when his wife, Deidre, who is also Deaf, asks him to take a seat in the middle of the room.

Turning around suspiciously in his seat, believing his family is about to play a prank on him, Hank, who has been a stepfather to Deidre’s two children, Alexander and Cassidy, for 13 years, has no idea of the surprise about to transpire.

But everything becomes a little clearer when now-15-year old Cassidy reveals a sign with the words, ‘Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad’, instantly reducing Hank to tears.

Quickly after, Hank and Deidre’s biological children, Savannah and Trey, step forward wearing matching t-shirts, emphasising to their dad, ‘We want a whole brother and sister, not halves,’ raising the suspicions of the 34-year old.

Opening what seems to be his final gift, the signs and signals put forward to the honorary father-of-four all fall into clarity, as Hank is handed a series of adoption papers, outlining Cassidy’s desire to be legally recognised as his daughter.

Deidre, who helped her daughter organise the surprise, said: “Since coming into their lives 13 years ago, Hank has loved both Cassidy and my son, Alex, as his own.

“Not only has he worked so hard to provide for us, he has been relentless in ensuring that they walk the right path, teaching them about respect and trustworthiness.

“The children adore him and were even instrumental in encouraging him to marry me.

“Alex and Cassidy have become estranged from their biological father due to a number of complicated reasons, but with Hank around they never lacked the fatherly figure they’d always wanted.”

The video was shot in November last year, but only recently uploaded to social media.

Just as Hank manages to gather his emotions during a lengthy embrace with Cassidy, it seems the surprises are all but over.

Emerging from the periphery of the frame, 21-year old Alex, who is currently enrolled in the military, also hands beloved Hank an additional set of adoption papers, requesting to adopt him too.

Deidre said: “Hank has been there for both Alex and Cassidy for the majority of their lives; the selflessness he’s show over the last 13 years makes him incredibly deserving of this surprise.

“You can see how much it meant to him, too -- Hank almost never cries, but, on this day, he was so emotional.

“It just goes to show, though people may look at Deaf people and deem us incapable of doing things that those who can hear can do, they are wrong.

“I know other Deaf people who have been denied the ability to adopt because of their hearing complications.

“But the incredible job Hank has done acts as a contradiction to this, proving you don’t have to be able to hear to be an amazing father.

“The only problem was that the legal costs were incredible expensive - around $1500 - and we just don’t have that kind of money.

“Thankfully, Jeremy Baldwin, founder of ‘Spreading Hope For Humanity,’ stumbled across our GoFundMe page and incredibly generously donated $1000.

“We couldn’t have done it without him.

“We now feel so close as a family and are so excited for our future together.”

Cassidy and Alex were legally confirmed as Hank’s children on March 4th, 2017.

To learn more about the work that Spreading Hope for Humanity do, visit HERE.

SOURCE - Storytrender

Deaf Immigrant Awarded $250K Settlement

Deaf Man receives $250K settlement after being jailed with no access to interpreter in Virginia.

ARLINGTON, Virginia -- NBC4 Washington: A Deaf man will receive a $250,000 settlement from the Arlington County Sheriff's Office after it failed to provide a sign language interpreter for him while he was jailed, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday.

The man, Abreham Zemedagegehu, has said he spent part of his six-week stay at the Arlington County Detention Facility in 2014 unaware of the charges against him. The Justice Department launched an investigation into Zemedagegehu's claim last year.

NBC News covered a story about Abreham Zemedagegehu and his experience in jail without an interpreter.

"I felt like I was losing my mind," Zemedagegehu said through an interpreter in an interview at his lawyer's office. "I thought Virginia would give me an interpreter and they said no. That's why I felt lost."

Zemedagegehu also said the jail failed provide a communications device to help him communicate with his lawyer and performed medical procedures on him without explaining them or getting his consent.

A native of Ethiopia, he can communicate in American Sign Language but is largely unable to communicate in written English.

Zemedagegehu sued the sheriff's office in federal court, saying his treatment failed to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Among the concerns raised in his lawsuit was the jail's reliance on teletypewriter devices to allow Deaf inmates to communicate with people outside the jail. The sheriff's office has defended its use of the TTY machine, but Zemedagegehu's lawsuit said the device is useless for someone who can't read English and obsolete because videophones are now used predominantly in the Deaf community.

Zemedagegehu's ordeal began Feb. 2, 2014, when he was arrested after being accused of stealing another man's iPad. He said he pleaded guilty to the charge because a plea bargain offered him a sentence of time served. Later, though, the man who accused him of the theft said he'd found the device and rescinded his accusation.

Under the settlement, the sheriff's office will pay $250,000 to Zemedagegehu, and must take steps to comply with the ADA. This includes appointing an ADA coordinator, providing ADA training to its staff, and ensuring that auxiliary aids and services are provided. The Justice Department said the sheriff's office has taken several steps to improve its ADA compliance even before finalizing the settlement agreement.

"People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing must be able to communicate clearly with law enforcement officials," said Tracy Doherty-McCormick, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a statement Friday. "Through this settlement agreement, the Arlington County Sheriff has taken important steps to ensure that the operations of the Arlington County Detention Facility are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Source: Deaf Man Receives $250K Settlement After Being Jailed With No Access to Interpreter in Arlington | NBC4 Washington.

Follow us: @nbcwashington on Twitter | NBCWashington on Facebook

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Deaf Protest Draws Small Crowd, Attention

Deaf Grassroots Movement protest draws small crowd, attention.

STAUNTON, Virginia -- Only a few people attended Thursday morning’s Deaf Equal Access Now rally, organized by the Deaf Grassroots Movement and Wesley Arey, a member of the Shenandoah Valley Club of the Deaf.

Arey wore a large, green bubble-sized costume with the words “Deaf Access Now” plastered across the back. He walked up and down Beverley Street handing out pamphlets to passersby.

Despite the small crowd, the rally drew attention through its bright green signs that lined the block from Lewis Street to North Central Avenue. Signs called for equal pay for Deaf people, access to American Sign Language for Deaf children, and equal access to jobs and services.

Arey got involved with the movement after seeing a video on Facebook that outlined the realities that Deaf people face on a day-to-day basis. The video went viral and Arey decided to help. Last year, he helped campaign for a rally held in Washington, D.C.

“Over one thousand people showed up to the rally. It went on for two days,” Arey said in an email. “There were speeches, testimonials, and chants. After the rally, we went home and decided to continue meeting.” That’s when they came up with the name Deaf Grassroots Movement.

“Since then, it has expanded from seven people with small-town ideas for Deaf equal access to countless activists, representatives and political advocates countrywide,” Arey said. “But we have a long way to go. My role in this is the interim executive director.”

Thursday’s rallies took place across the state - not just in Staunton. Deaf protesters in Richmond, Fairfax, Norfolk, Martinsville, Wytheville and Lynchburg also participated.

“This rally includes 113 cities around the U.S,” Arey said. “Now that we have spread out, we are expecting fewer people from each city. I am expecting 10 people.”

“DGM strives to make noises, get attention and encourage others to fix Deaf people’s issues,” Arey said. “We hope this will get the lawmakers involved. We want them to recognize us and get involved in initializing the process of helping us solve our problem.”

SOURCE - NewsLeader

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Deaf Man Receives Note From Starbucks Barista

Starbucks employee's kind act for Deaf patrons hit the Internet.

LEESBURG, VA -- A Virginia man's Facebook post is creating some internet buzz after he shared a note from a Starbucks employee who offered a kind gesture.

Ibby Piracha, who is Deaf, told ABC News through an interpreter that he was surprised Friday morning to be greeted by the familiar barista with sign language.

Watch Original News With Captioning

"I usually use my phone and I'll text them what I want to order," Piracha of Leesburg, Virginia, said. "She was saying she looked on YouTube because she had a lot of customers that came in using text. I was very surprised she was willing to learn sign language and it shows she respects Deaf people ... she's an inspiration."

Piracha, 23, said the female barista handed him a note that read, "I've been learning ASL just so you can have the same experience as everyone else."

Piracha posted a picture of the kind words to Facebook, where it received over 2,000 “shares.”

"I was very shocked to go in there one day and have her sign a little bit and I kind of smiled, thinking about it and I even told the Starbucks manager, 'You know, I was very impressed by your employee."

The manager at the Starbucks where Piracha received the note told ABC News that while he could not comment on this particular incident or name the employee, he confirmed Piracha's account.

“We are proud that our store partner employee is taking this initiative to learn American Sign Language to better assist and serve her customers,” a Starbucks spokeswoman told ABC News. “We always love to hear stories of meaningful connections between our partners and customers.”

Piracha said he hopes his Facebook post gets the message across that "the hearing world and the Deaf World are trying to communicate."

"I definitely want people to understand that Deaf customers can have a really great review," he added.

SOURCE - ABC News

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Ethiopian Immigrant's Role Model For Deaf Inmates

WATCH [CC] - Deaf News: Ethiopian immigrant is a role model for Deaf inmates in the United States.

A Deaf Ethiopian immigrant is the new champion for US inmates with hearing impairments. Abreham Zemedagegehu, 41, whose case is causing debate in the US, is suing the powerful sheriff of Arlington, Virginia, for failing to take into account his disabilities during his detention following a theft in 2014.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

“In prison, no one could communicate with me,” Abreham Zemedagegehu told the magistrates. This caused him to suffer inhuman and degrading treatment, to the point that he often missed lunch and dinner because he couldn’t hear the bell for mealtimes. Not to mention that he couldn’t communicate with the outside world because there was no phone equipment to meet his needs. Neither was he given access to a doctor who could understand the medications he required.

Moreover, according to some of the major human rights organisations, Abreham Zemedagegehu is no exception. He’s just proof of a prison system that is not equipped to provide the basic services for prisoners with hearing disabilities, who represent between 5% and 7% of the entire prison population.

Non-governmental organizations say that even small changes would be enough to change things drastically. Some state prisons in the US even state-run prisons in Virginia have become role models to imitate. Arlington prison, where Abreham is detained, is under federal jurisdiction, however, so doesn’t fall into this category. Many state prisons now provide access for the Deaf to electronic message boards for announcements and video phones for calls to family and friends. While there are sign language interpreters for circumstances such as professional courses, disciplinary hearings or medical visits.

SOURCE

NOTE: Deaf YouVideo has learned, the West Welfare Society Territory web-site posted an error picture of Kenneth Felix Jr aka KenX50 instead of Abreham Zemedagegehu as seen HERE.

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Deaf Woman Assaulted In Virginia

Deaf woman victimized in Virginia sex assault.

ARLINGTON, Virginia -- We're learning about a disturbing sexual assault that took place in Arlington over the weekend.

The victim's disability created an unusual challenge for investigators.

Police say the victim in this case is a woman in her 20s who is Deaf and does not know American Sign Language. So investigators had to write down their questions for the traumatized woman and wait for her to write out her answers.

"She was dropped off by a cab at the Rosslyn Metro station, where she went underground to catch a Metro back to her residence in Alexandria," said Dustin Sternbeck, spokesman for the Arlington County Police.

In the early hours of last Saturday morning, the victim was returning to Virginia after a night out in District of Columbia.

"Upon learning that the Metro wasn't going to arrive in a short amount of time, she resurfaced to street level, attempted to find a cab again drive her back to her residence, and was grabbed and pulled into an alley by the suspect," said Sternbeck.

The Deaf victim was especially vulnerable at a time of day with few witnesses or people to come to her aid. But police say she put up quite a fight. SOURCE.