Matlin is an Academy Award winner for her role in "Children of a Lesser God," which also happened to be her film debut. She is the first deaf actress to receive the Academy Award and one of only four distinguished actresses to do so with her film debut. Along with her Oscar, Matlin has won a Golden Globe and has been nominated numerous times for Emmy and People's Choice awards for her television roles, including "Seinfeld," "The Practice" and more. Guest star roles on "The West Wing," "My Name is Earl" and "Desperate Housewives" have contributed to Matlin's stardom and celebrity status.

Matlin also is a close personal friend of Henry Winkler, last year's celebrity speaker, who has been supportive of Matlin and her career since her childhood.

"Marlee Matlin certainly has taken what some might perceive as a disability and has spoken volumes with her courage and tenacity," said Starr Commonwealth President and CEO Martin Mitchell. "She is such an inspiration to her fans and people around the world. We are very fortunate to host Ms. Matlin during our 95th anniversary."

Founder's Day is held the first Sunday of every October at Starr Commonwealth's Albion campus. The event is free and is open to the public. It marks the anniversary of founder Floyd Starr, his family and 13 boys moving into Gladsome Cottage on Oct. 3, 1913.

Starr Commonwealth is a nationally recognized children and family services nonprofit licensed by the States of Michigan and Ohio and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children. The organization serves more than 4,000 children, families and professionals through strength-based residential and community-based programs in Albion, Battle Creek and Detroit, Michigan, and Van Wert and Columbus, Ohio. Services range from specialized treatment programs, treatment foster care, day treatment, mental health therapy, substance abuse and private therapeutic residential treatment. Starr also offers a variety of training for professionals working with youth.

"Please save the date of Oct. 5 on your calendars and plan to join us for what is going to be another exceptional Founder's Day," President Mitchell said.

For more information, please call 800-937-5591 or visit www.starr.org.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Starr_Commonwealth/Marlee_Matlin/prweb1178374.htm

Born with 90 percent hearing loss, Mueller has been taking hip-hop, Latin and jazz lessons for six years at the Simply Dance Academy in Port St. Lucie.

The mother of four knows all about the counting, the cues and other extra things that deaf dancers must do to compensate because they cannot hear the music.

"That made me feel really, really good, and I would love to meet her someday," the 41-year-old Port St. Lucie woman said through the interpretation of her husband, Ronald. "She's a good example for the deaf."

So is Mueller.

The petite woman is not one to let deafness define her boundaries. Mueller seems bent on defying her disability and has won admiration among the hearing and non-hearing.

One of her recent triumphs was her first dance solo on June 14 at the Simply Dance Academy's annual recital.

For six months, she and her instructor, Jessica Pannozzo, worked to coordinate kicks, twists and turns with the choreography by counting the beats instead of hearing them.

Pannozzo was on new turf, too. She'd never worked with the deaf, nor did she know sign language.

Through much improvisation, constant practice and sheer will, the duo sculpted a collaboration that was evident on the day of the show. Although nervous, Mueller danced a spunky jazz number to Prince's Trust that left even her instructor astonished.

"Antonia gave me a whole different viewpoint about the deaf," Pannozzo said. "She taught me that anybody can do anything if they put their mind to it. I still can't believe she nailed every step."

Eleven years ago, Mueller was breaking another barrier as Indian River Community College's first deaf cheerleader.

She was 30 and a freshman, and she tried out for the squad like everyone else.

She learned the chants and dance routines through sign language and rarely missed a beat in rooting the basketball team to victory.

At the same time, she hoped to be an inspiration for her deaf son, Joey, then 7, and others like him in the stands.

In 1997, she told The Palm Beach Post: "If there's any other deaf person out in the crowd, I am hoping to be a good example for them to come out, to try and get involved. Don't just sit there because you're deaf.

"I don't want the hearing to say, 'That poor thing - she can't do anything.' I rebel. I get crazy. I get nuts. We (the deaf) don't want pity. We don't want mercy. We are in control of our lives."

Today, Mueller is still a part-time college student with another two years to earn her associate's degree in business. The responsibilities of wife and motherhood take precedence, but she's not complaining.

"Eventually, I want my own business," she said. "I want to teach the deaf in academics, sports or dance so they understand, won't be scared and give up."

According to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of the Treasure Coast Inc., there are 90,000 hearing-impaired and 5,000 deaf people in the four-county area of Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.

While providing hearing aids for needy children and adults, the nonprofit organization in Port St. Lucie also offers advocates, interpreters, video phones and sign language classes.

Ronald Mueller learned sign language from his wife.

Both graduated from Fort Pierce Westwood High School in 1984, but their romance began years later when she was a single mother of three. Married in 1997, the couple have a daughter, Theresa, 9, who is a dancer like her mother.

"I just felt like she was a very special woman," said Ronald, 42. "It didn't matter to me if she was deaf or not. She's one of a kind."

He turns to her and signs, "I love you for who you are."

"He's the best man in the world," she said.

Though Mueller has never been happier, she has never heard her children laugh or say, "I love you." Her husband made his wedding vows in sign language.

Mueller wishes more people would learn sign language and be more patient with the deaf and hearing-impaired.

She converses in scribbles with her doctor and dentist.

Meals are ordered by pointing at the menu.

Forget the drive-through window at fast-food restaurants.

"There's a lot of discrimination," she said. "People ignore the deaf. They take hearing for granted."

Still, there is one advantage.

"When I go to bed at night," Mueller said with a smile. "I never hear my husband snore."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/08/02/m1c_tcmueller_0803.html

As a sophomore at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delevan, Felton has been part of the two-person team for the past three years. This year, Felton and Nick Shaw of Sun Prairie won two awards in their first competition against hearing cheerleading squads.

In March, the team was invited to the Cardinal Classic competition in Sun Prairie to compete against squads that are not hearing impaired.

While deaf competitions separate cheer and dance into two routines, hearing competitions combine the routines.

Coach Amber Havers, who is also deaf, explained how her team uses American Sign Language to communicate during cheers.

"I communicate with them the timing of the music so they can keep pace," Havers said. "For some music, I give them the eight counts for them to dance to."

Shaw signs the words of the cheers, does the motions with Felton three times, and then signs the words again at the end, Havers said. Some chants, however, have signs included in the chant, she said.

Felton said she was not nervous during the competitions.

"I was really charged," she said. "It was really exciting."

Felton and Shaw won first place in cheer dance, and third place in small varsity coed.

"The fact that we won trophies at our first hearing competition was awesome for us," Havers said.

It wasn't the sole accomplishment for the team in the past year.

Earlier in the year, the team attended the Central States Schools for the Deaf basketball and cheerleading tournament in Columbus, Ohio, which was hosted by the Ohio School for the Deaf. Felton and Shaw competed against five other teams, each with three to six cheerleaders.

Felton's team won first place and was named champions.

Felton said she was "so excited" to receive first place. They had to learn many different dances, she said, and everything had to be in sync.

"Everyone was laughing and happy," Felton said.

The team also attended the Great Plains Schools for the Deaf tournament in Sulphur, Okla., where they took second place against much bigger teams.

"I have to pinch myself to believe that they won all the awards," Havers said.

During the summer, Felton is practicing on her own and staying in shape for next year.

"I'm looking forward to the fall," she said.

Havers said she also is looking forward to the fall because their success has created more interest and members to the squad.

"I feel like we showed that it's not how many athletes you have on the team, but how well they perform," Havers said.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/GPG0101/808030661/1207/GPG01

"I try and plan always opportunities for our deaf and hard-of-hearing kids that they wouldn't have otherwise," said program education coordinator Allyson Dudich.

"I said, 'I do music. I haven't worked much with hard-of-hearing kids,'" Smith said.

That is, until now. Smith produced a music video to reach out to the deaf community across the globe to help spread his message.

"One of the songs is already in five languages, and so now it's in five languages and being signed," Smith said.

To the children at the summer camp, creating a music video was a dream come true.

"I'm excited to dance. It's my first time," said student Edward Cicio.

"It's very exciting being on TV," said Jessica Budd, another student.

The summer camp is proving to the entire world that there are no limitations on what the children can do.

"These kids can do everything that any other kid can do, and they prove that over and over again," Dudich said.

The children will never hear the sweet sounds that could put them on the national scene. But they can see their work and feel proud of the difference they have made.

http://www.nbc6.net/news/17060389/detail.html

Some specific issues that deaf people face are...

Often times, access to information is limited through written materials as reading levels of deaf people vary and they may not understand where to seek assistance. Also, public service announcements through the radio and TV are not accessible. If the deaf person decides to leave the abusive relationship, they encounter barriers with hearing service providers.

Barriers include:

Hearing people who may have an attitude towards deaf people and view deafness from a medical perspective, focusing on the hearing problems rather than viewing deaf people as being members of a cultural and linguistic community. Most deaf people do not view themselves as being disabled from a medical perspective, but more of having a culture and a way of communicating that is not recognized by the dominant hearing culture.

Communication between the hearing service providers and the deaf person can make encounters awkward and embarrassing and can add to reasons why more deaf people don't seek assistance. Deaf people communicate in several ways (ASL, writing and lip-reading), and it depends on the deaf person on how they want to communicate. Regardless of the type of hearing loss, it is critical that staff members identify the client's preferred means of communication and accommodate that.

Some hearing agencies do not have TTY's (teletypewriter) available for deaf people to call. In addition, deaf people sometimes feel uncomfortable using domestic violence shelters because no one there uses sign language. Shelters are designed for group activities and ongoing staff/resident interaction, which can further isolate the deaf person.

In 2000, Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services (DVAS), formerly known as Deaf Victims Advocacy Services, was established in Vermont. DVAS is confidential, advocates with you, uses the empowerment philosophy and has knowledge of the legal and medical systems.

In 2007, DVAS expanded their services not only to assist with domestic and sexual violence, but also to assist with fraud; DUI; discrimination; complaints against police, hospitals, or the court system; divorce; child custody; and general accessibility issues. DVAS now has both a deaf advocate and a hard-of-hearing advocate for people who either do use or do not use sign language. Also, the director trains police, hospitals, courts and agencies that come into contact with those who have a hearing loss. DVAS serves statewide, has a 24-hour hot line and serves all women, men and children who have a hearing loss.

For more information about Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services, go to DVAS: Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services or call 877-594-3086 (voice). DVAS is a program under the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Amber Wilhelm of Barre is an outreach specialist for Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services with the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080801/OPINION/808010303/1006

Crossing all limits of dignity two cops of the Moga police raped a deaf, dumb and mentally challenged 20-year-old on the night of July 28. The two, a constable and a sepoy, were finally nailed after 60 hours on Thursday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/_2_cops_suspended_for_raping_deaf_and_dumb_girl/articleshow/3312358.cms

The first three pews on the left are filled with worshippers who happen to be deaf – as is the priest, Father Joseph Bruce, who celebrates this Mass in voice and sign. Sitting in a chair at the altar is Mary Ann Sullivan. As the choir begins the opening hymn, Sullivan stands and signs along with the song. The deaf participants follow suit, and together, raised in song, both hands and voices fill the church.

“If you’re going to be an interpreter, you have to follow the code,” she explained. “Deaf people depend on you to follow that code. They depend on you to be confidential and they depend on you to offer no opinion. You are only a voice. You are not there to be anything more than that. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

Much of her work is done for the Catholic Church – everything from weddings, funerals, and baptisms to Masses, CCD classes, and Pre-Cana. Interpreting for the church can be a challenge since the language is often archaic and figurative.

“The church is more difficult,” Sullivan explained. “ The responsibility is greater. The Mass is abstract. Translating the abstract to the concrete can be difficult. I practice more.”

In addition, she said, the interpreter must choose signs that will most effectively communicate the meaning of the Mass’s poetic phrases. “Interpreters are not to teach. But we do have the flexibility to take a word and translate it and interpret it to its true meaning.”

Sullivan loves music and most enjoys interpreting hymns. Though visually pleasing when interpreted correctly, they are also the most challenging to master.

“If I gave you a song to interpret, you would spend hours memorizing it word for word,” she said. “Then, you would spend a lot of time listening to it and thinking, ‘what’s the rhythm, what does it mean, what does the writer want, and what is it you’re hearing in it?’ So, with music, you have poetic license and the song becomes more visually beautiful.”

She said translating song lyrics from written word to sign language is like the difference for a hearing person between reading song lyrics and singing a song.

“If I read you the words to a song, they would mean one thing. But when you hear the voice put into those notes, it becomes a whole different experience. What a singer does with his voice or his body movement, we [interpreters] can do by expanding signs, by creating a sign – by creating a more visual picture.”

Born in Wellesley, MA in 1940, she began her interpreting experience there with Audrey, a deaf girl who lived across the street. The two became good friends even though Audrey was about seven years older.

“Beginning when Mary Ann was around 10 years old, she said, the girls would go to a family gathering and Audrey would constantly ask what other people were saying.

Audrey taught Mary Ann how to “oral interpret,” that is, how best to mouth the words of those around them so she could read her lips and understand.

Although Audrey knew sign language, she did not teach it to Mary Ann. “It wasn’t that she was averse to teaching me sign,” Sullivan explained. “You just didn’t sign in public. [In those days,] none of the deaf would sign in public, and most of them didn’t sign in school because they were punished if they did.”

Through Audrey, Mary Ann was constantly exposed to the difficulties deaf people face in a hearing world. “I saw the separation between my friend as a deaf person and a family of hearing. I saw the pain on both sides. I saw how she would go to confession and have to write her sins down on a piece of paper and slide them under to the priest.”

Sullivan also remembers how the deaf had to follow the Mass by using a missal with Latin and English. “The deaf person would follow along with the English, but they would miss the homily!”

In the 1970s, Sullivan moved to Natick, MA, where she began working at the deaf Community Center. One evening, while attending Mass at the Oblate Retreat House, she saw the priest begin to say his homily in both voice and sign language. The priest, Father Dayne, offered a sign language class and she immediately signed up.

During the second semester, while attending a Mass at which Fr. Dayne was interpreting, she saw him sign, “Mary Ann, please replace me.”

She was completely caught off guard. “I’m sitting in the pew and I’m thinking, ‘I didn’t see that.’ He said it a second time, and again I thought, ‘that’s not what he’s asking me to do! I’ve only had one and a half semesters!’ The third time he said to the deaf, ‘I have to sit down. I need a 10 or 15 minute break.’ I found myself walking up past the deaf, getting to the spot where he was, and starting to interpret! I had no idea how tired the mind gets when you’re interpreting.”

Sullivan recalls that the deaf people were very kind to her during the nerve-racking experience. “If I finger-spelled a word too much, afterwards, they let me know what the sign for it was. Father must have seen something in me and from that time on he mentored me to become an interpreter.”

In the 1980s, Sullivan moved to Connecticut to teach religious education at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford. She also became state certified to interpret.

Today, she lives in Buzzards Bay, MA. But more than 30 years ago, she met Joseph Bruce when he was a Jesuit scholastic and began interpreting for him. She continues to interpret for Fr. Joe and the deaf community of Rhode Island. Sullivan interprets at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Woonsocket and St. Jean Baptiste Church in Warren. She also interprets at churches in Massacgysetts and for many deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Mary Lomastro, who attends the deaf Mass at St. Charles Borromeo, said, “Mary Ann's vast experiences with interpreting in the Catholic Church, be it for Mass, lecturers, or workshops, make her truly one of a kind! She signs so effortlessly using facial and body movements that fit the tone of the words, whether graceful, stern, angry, pleasant, or happy.”

Roberta Greene agreed, calling Sullivan “an excellent interpreter. I am able to follow her clearly. I know Fr. Joe Bruce is very pleased having her around while the ‘deafies’ attend his church.”

Sullivan said she is pleased to see the increased acceptance of the deaf community and their language both in daily life and in the Catholic Church.

“It’s like I’ve had the before and the after,” she said. “I’ve lived that long to see so much happen.” Through the work of interpreters for the deaf, the deaf are provided with the opportunity to attend, understand, and be involved in Mass, allowing them to celebrate their faith more fully.

“With sign language interpreting at Masses, I see more and more deaf people attending Mass and becoming more active in their Catholic faith,” said Lomastro.

This thrills Sullivan, who noted, “to have a job that you love doing is such a blessing.” And indeed she herself has been a blessing in the community fpr which she has cared so passionately, all of her life.

http://thericatholic.com/stories/1389.html

Then again, there's a good chance you can't be bothered, even though you find yourself cranking up the volume on the TV set or asking a friend sitting next to you to speak up. If so, you are not alone.

More often than not, people put off getting a hearing aid after they first notice it's getting harder to hear, said East Bay, Calif., audiologist Leigh Kjeldsen. ''People wait an average of seven years between knowing they have a problem with hearing and doing something about it.''

''People don't know about the process and don't know where to begin,'' said Kjeldsen, owner of Valley Audiology, which has offices in Concord, Calif., and Walnut Creek, Calif.

The first step is to get your hearing tested by a hearing professional. That's followed by more evaluations to help the patient determine what type of hearing aid would best fit his or her hearing needs. Once a hearing aid is selected, there is a fitting, which involves adjusting the hearing aid to best meet the patient's hearing needs. Often, patients come back for further adjustments after the initial fitting.

While a hearing aid can indeed improve your life by improving your ability to hear, they are not cheap. The cost of a quality analog hearing aid can go from $900 to $1200 while a digital aid can range from $1,300 to $3,000, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site. And that's just for one.

''Some people need one, some people need two,'' depending on their hearing needs, Kjeldsen said.

Digital adjustments

Digital hearing aids, which are programmed by a computer, allow for more flexibility and fine-tuning of the hearing aid so that it can be adjusted to hearing fluctuations of the user as well as different hearing environments.

''Hearing aids nowadays, I like to think of them as
miniature computers. They are programmed for each individual's hearing loss. . . . It's not one size fits all. . . . Once the hearing aid is programmed, it can be reprogrammed,'' Green said.

Today, requests for analog hearing aids are rare, Kjeldsen said.

''Just about all the hearing aids sold these days are digital,'' she said. ''I would say in the last five years there have been incredible advances in what a (digital) hearing aid can do.''

Hearing aids cover a wide range when it comes to prices.

''People need to know there is a very wide range of cost per hearing aid and that all depends on the level of technology,'' said Robert Green, an audiologist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Smaller, less visible hearing aids tend to cost more than larger ones, he said.

http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/26271084.html

The board is contemplating whether to keep the school where it is, move it to a bigger city, or _ what has become the least popular option _ close the 40-acre campus and deliver the education through outreach programs at individual school districts.

"I personally don't believe the state would be willing to give up that resource," Rush said. The state is also obligated to follow federal disability laws that require some residential school option, Rush said on Friday as the Board of Education met to discuss the future of blind and deaf education in Idaho.

The proposal to move the school to a more populous city, such as Boise, has been widely discussed, Rush said, but the plan would take several years to implement _ 2011 being the earliest.

"This is not something that's going to happen next fall," Rush said.

The future of the school turned uncertain during the 2006 Legislature.

Some Idaho lawmakers suggested the state could better meet the needs of deaf and blind students by expanding outreach programs at individual school districts instead of boarding them at an expensive campus.

The Gooding school opened in 1910 with 54 students. Nearly a century later, about 70 students attend the school, a small percentage of the total 1,024 blind and deaf students the state provided with services during the 2007-2008 school year.

Most of those students were educated through outreach programs, which account for about 41 percent of the school's total budget. Meanwhile, funding for the residential campus in Gooding has dropped by $620,000 during the last five years.

Deaf and blind students, parents and Gooding leaders have protested the plan to provide education through outreach programs alone, arguing a boarding school is a necessary education component and should stay where it is.

The Board of Education will likely consider proposed action on the issue in October, Rush said.

"I see no scenario where expanding outreach programs isn't part of it," he said, "but I've also had parents say they've tried it and it didn't work."

Students educated through outreach in school districts are forced to rely on teachers certified in blind and deaf education for communication with other students and educators, said Aylee Schaefer, the state's transition coordinator for those students.

In contrast, the Gooding school offers students an environment where they are surrounded by classmates with similar impairments, she said. "Communication occurs spontaneously and naturally, without a third person," Schaefer said.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/08/02/ap-state-id/d929qlp80.txt

"Deafness in Literature and Film," taught by Christopher Krentz, an assistant professor of English and director of U.Va.'s American Sign Language program, is one of the University's summer course offerings. Krentz examines the representations of deaf people in literature and film during the last two centuries, including works by mostly unknown deaf authors, either written in English or performed in American Sign Language on film.

"The class offers fresh perspectives on canonical authors like Mark Twain and Flannery O'Connor, who sometimes write about deaf characters, and on influential films like 'Johnny Belinda,' released in 1948," Krentz said. "It's fascinating how literature and film reflect and shape the destiny of certain groups. In the 19th century, there was no film, radio or computers; writing is how deaf people expressed their humanity. I want to enhance students' appreciation of literature, to approach it in a fresh and new way, as well as to increase their appreciation for a group historically seen as deficient or pitiable. I hope they will appreciate this not just for their understanding of deaf people, but for all of humanity."

Education for the deaf in the United States started in the 19th century, and as more deaf people became literate, they began to publish their own works.

"The minority gained a voice," Krentz said. "They began to challenge stereotypes – they were not evil, stupid or insane."

As education for the deaf became more visible, authors such as Mark Twain included them in their works.

"Twain had life experiences with deaf people, as he lived a mile from a school for the deaf in Hartbrook, Connecticut," Krentz said. "He was intrigued by the differences and similarities among people, and that's reflected in his work.

"Some accounts written by hearing authors weren't interested in the deaf experience; deaf characters were used mostly as metaphors, as symbols of innocence, purity, or evil."

Film made it possible to capture American Sign Language, and overcome the difficulties in conveying the three-dimensional expressiveness of the language.

"The earliest recordings of American Sign Language go back to 1902," Krentz said. "And during the Silent Era, film was totally accessible to deaf people, as it put us on the same level as mainstream moviegoers. In fact, Charlie Chaplin was even coached by a deaf person in pantomime. In recent times, we've had a deaf actress, Marlee Matlin, in a key role on film, winning an Academy Award for her performance in 'Children of A Lesser God,' which came out in 1986. Her success has helped create opportunities for other deaf actors to participate in more mainstream productions."

The course also examines the works of deaf performers, such as poet Clayton Valli, who composed and edited all his work in American Sign Language and captured it on film.

"This juxtaposition allows us to consider how literature and film reinforce or challenge stereotypes and help to shape a minority group's social status," Krentz said.

This is the fourth time Krentz has offered the class.

Contact:
Rebecca P. Arrington
Assistant Director of Media Relations
( 434 ) 924-7189
rpa@virginia.edu

http://media-newswire.com/release_1069316.html

Speaking to Nyasa Times, officials from the deaf community in the country disclosed that currently, estimates show that Malawi has over 50,000 hearing impaired people against only eleven sign language interpreters.

"The deaf communities in Malawi are facing a lot of challenges in accessing different daily essentials at places such as hospitals, markets, schools, police offices, courts, banks, churches and many other quarters of the society.

"The main reason is that many Malawians are not conversant with the sign language, there are only eleven sign language interpreters against over 50,000 deaf people throughout the country," said Wisiki.

On the other hand, Wisiki said with assistance from Deaf Action Scotland and Deaf Action Malawi, MANAD brought together at least 20 people from different backgrounds and professions in the country to equip them with sign and oral language skills.

According to her, participants at the workshop included doctors, teachers, church pastors, businessmen and other individuals from different places where the deaf go for basic services.

She admitted that the number was extremely small taking into consideration that 31 [plus the eleven] interpreters were just a tip of an iceberg as compared to the current estimates, which needed more resources to train additional interpreters.

"In hospitals, we need medical personnel who are conversant with sign languages for easy communication with patients that are deaf. A doctor or a nurse should interact direct with a deaf person, and this could help in saving lives of deaf patients who die with illnesses doctors could have treated if they were able to communicate with them," she said.

On another critical sector, the association further revealed that research has shown that deaf people are the least educated in Malawi.

Wisiki observed this was not because deaf persons do not have the capacity to do well in class or that they are dull, but because the mode of communication, which is being used in the country is not conducive.

"Teachers use oral method to teach the deaf, which is a language they can not comprehend but if all teachers could give their instructions in signs, most deaf students could do well in their studies. We would have had professors, doctors, lawyers and other prominent individuals among deaf people in our society," she observed.

Edward Mtonga, a lecturer and sign language interpreter at the Catholic University concurred with Wisiki saying more teachers needed to be trained on how they can communicate with students who are deaf.

He further indicated that deaf people in Malawi were missing significant information apart from not taking part in critical matters of the country such as political and socio-economic issues as well as the HIV and AIDS pandemic, which has also seriously affected them.

"Communities can help in interpreting through signs whatever important messages they hear from radios and television.

"Broadcasting houses, especially the local TV channel must ensure that interpreters are incorporated in crucial programmes," said Mtonga referring to the lone government-controlled Malawi Television (TVM), which has no single programme interpreted for the hearing impaired.

http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/920.html

The males of this rare species are the only animal known to be able to turn a deaf ear to distracting noises while enhancing the calls of their own kind, according to a study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"This probably is the only example we know of in the animal kingdom with this unusual adaptation," said Albert Feng, professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a study lead author.

Dr. Feng and his colleagues were measuring how the frog's unusually thin eardrum responded to different sounds when the eardrum stopped vibrating.

Shining a flashlight into its eustachian tubes, "we saw something, a dark shadow through this transparent eardrum," he said.

The team found that a muscle in the frog's head pulls a piece of cartilage and a curtain of tissue into the tube, "almost like an accordion or shower curtain," Dr. Feng said.

Without its special adaptation, a frog might never hear a mate above the din.

"I'm thinking of making use of some of this mechanism to help us to develop better hearing aids," which could gracefully handle noisy environments, Dr. Feng said.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving/health/stories/DN-nh_frog_0729liv.ART.State.Edition1.4d8bec5.html

This week's celebrity casualty was Marlee Matlin, who came into Tuesday's results show with 21 out of 30 points. The actress, who is deaf, lost her timing at various points during her mambo Monday with professional partner Fabian Sanchez, and the judges took note.

"You did a great job," said head judge Len Goodman, "but it just looked uncomfortable throughout."

Judge Bruno Tonioli noticed "a few stumbles" but still called Matlin's performance "a great achievement."

"What you do here is a plus for the show," he said.

Judges' scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which couple is eliminated each week.

After learning her fate, Matlin, 42, thanked the judges and her partner "for giving me the most beautiful art of dance in my life." She also thanked her family, her children and Henry Winkler, who appeared on Monday's show.

"He has supported me a lot over the years," Matlin said through a sign-language interpreter.

Before she left the ballroom, she got a hug from show host Tom Bergeron, who revealed he is a longtime friend of the Oscar winner.

"I'm going to step out of the host role and say, as a friend, I am so proud of you," Bergeron said as he hugged her.

Tuesday's results show also included a performance by Ashlee Simpson, who flashed her new engagement ring as she sang a track called "Boys" from her new "Bittersweet World" album. The Riverdance Irish step-dancing troupe showed off their fast footwork, and two more teams of young dancers took the floor in the three-week-old "ballroom kids" competition.

Six celebrity contestants remain on the ABC dance-off, including pro football player Jason Taylor, Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi - who has finished in first place throughout the season - R&B singer Mario, and actors Shannon Elizabeth, Cristian de la Fuente and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Priscilla Presley, Adam Carolla, Steve Guttenberg, Monica Seles and Penn Jillette have already been eliminated.

http://www.gotriad.com/content/2008/04/23/article/marlee_matlin_is_eliminated_from_dancing_with_the_stars

Ashley Fiolek, a 17-year-old who looks even younger, cannot hear a thing. And while that might be a disadvantage at times, she sure does not show it.

Fiolek, born deaf, is in first place in the points race midway through her first full season riding in the Women’s Motocross Association. Already, she has developed quite a following.

“I’m meeting more people all the time, but I’m not a rock star, no,” she said, with a smile, as her mother, Roni, translates.

Ashley Fiolek is an inspiration, though. She has been invited to deaf schools to talk about her accomplishments and her goals.

“I’d like to encourage deaf people that they can do whatever,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re deaf or not. You can do it.”

The WMA event in Washougal is split up into two days. The first moto was Saturday, while the second is at 10:40 a.m. today. The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship then takes over in the afternoon for the Motosport.com Washougal National.

While Fiolek acknowledges there are a few complications on the track because she cannot hear, she said there also are advantages.

“I can’t hear when someone’s behind me, so there’s no pressure there,” she said.

Then there are the vibrations.

“It’s kind of cool,” she said. “I feel vibrations instead of listening to the bike. Other people don’t pay attention to the feel because they hear it instead.”

Miki Keller, the president of the WMA, said that makes Fiolek a more technical rider.

“She’s more sensitive to it,” Keller said. “She’s really in tune with the bike.”

Still, there are times when she might want to change her line in the dirt, but if she is not certain she is clear, she won’t make a move. Fiolek said she is always looking for shapes, shadows, out of the corner of her eyes, not wanting her lack of hearing to cause a crash with an opponent.

There are times, though, when she crashes because of it. Occasionally, she said, she doesn’t get the right feel from the bike, puts it in neutral, and flies over the handlebars.

For the most part, though, Fiolek is in control. She has won four of the six motos and all three WMA overalls this season. Washougal, with a moto held Saturday and another this morning, is Round 4 of 6 on the circuit.

Fiolek began racing when she was 7, falling for the sport when her dad, Jim, brought her to a race. Now that she is a full-time professional, she wants to dominate the game.

“This year, I hope I can win the WMA championship. Long-term goal, I want to win a championship in Europe,” she said. “One day, maybe qualify with the men. I’ll have to be stronger for that. No girl has ever done that. That’s why I want to do that.”

Women’s motocross is a growing sport, too. Next weekend, Fiolek and other members of the WMA will be competing in the X Games in Los Angeles.

“I’m really excited because this is the first year all the girls were invited to go,” she said. “It would be really sick, it would be really cool, to win a gold medal.”

This could be the first time you have ever read about Ashley Fiolek. If all goes her way, it will not be the last.

She wants to dominate her sport, she wants to race against the men, and she wants to encourage others with hearing disabilities.

At 17, time is on her side.

Plus, as already noted, she is pretty fast.

http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2008/07/07272008_Deaf-rider-Ashley-Fiolek-inspires-others.cfm

"These tests are significant because they ensure that TFCC systems such as AlertSanDiego are functioning properly to deliver warning messages to land-line TTY users in order to help save lives. Everyone, both TTY users and voice users, can receive messages at the same time. Thus it reduces time delay for emergency responders in sending out messages to specific populations."

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/breakthrough-rapid-emergency-alerts-hearing/story.aspx?guid={D042FEE2-E43C-4925-AA06-1DDC941399DB}&dist=hppr