Why Some Parents Are Giving Their Kids Weed

<i><b>Medical Research: Parents of children with severe epilepsy are turning to medical marijuana in a desperate attempt to find relief and a life for their kids. Meanwhile, the medical community grapples with how to deal with the growing popularity of an unproven cure.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-some-parents-are-giving-their-kids.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Kids on Weed - Illustration from Caitlin Doherty"><img height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCS3ytJEJYd2nU0NKwNAlEGP63ajENPvWlxQ1pY08LUKU_g6ZVuv7Pqd5BRrbYyFe0GJ8Mhr5d0jZbgcUUSfvxSL00ATO0A2tNcw4wA51zn5XXbVAOa8u8DjkjyVQJO0VP3zjo0TR9ehX/s320/cannabis-kids-parents.jpg" width="250" /></a>An article from <a href="http://www.todaysparent.com/kids/kids-health/why-some-parents-are-giving-their-kids-weed/" target="_blank">Today's Parent</a>: The day before Mandy McKnight gave her then six-year-old son Liam <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp_oil" target="_blank">cannabis oil</a> for the first time, he had 70 serious tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epileptic_seizure" target="_blank">seizures</a>. A few times an hour, around the clock, he would lose consciousness while his whole body stiffened and convulsed for about three minutes. On top of the seizures and the exhaustion and disorientation that followed, Liam was knocked out by the side effects of the cocktail of anticonvulsant drugs he was taking several times a day. “Most of the time he would just lie on the couch drooling, basically catatonic,” says McKnight. “It was a nightmare.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Liam, now eight, has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravet_syndrome" target="_blank">Dravet syndrome</a>, a severe form of epilepsy caused by a rare genetic mutation. He was diagnosed when he started having seizures at nine months old. Before then, he had been a healthy, happy baby. Over the next five years, Liam was placed on 10 different medications and a special diet, but nothing worked: his seizures were becoming more intense and more frequent. Prolonged and repeated seizures (ones that last longer than five minutes and don’t allow for recovery between them) can be life-threatening, and by 2013, McKnight says she and her husband needed to act. “We felt like Liam was going to die if we didn’t do something.” They had heard success stories from other parents of kids with Dravet syndrome who were experimenting with cannabis oil-edible oil infused with strains of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis" target="_blank">medical marijuana</a> with high levels of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol" target="_blank">cannabidiol</a> (CBD), a chemical that may reduce the frequency of seizures. They decided to give it a try. Liam’s paediatric neurologist was skeptical and refused to write a prescription for an unproven treatment, but they were hopeful, excited even. “We felt like it could be life changing for our family,” says McKnight, who has two older daughters. <br /><br /><br /><br />They were so anxious they travelled from their home in Ottawa to meet with a paediatrician in Edmonton, recommended by friends in their community, who was willing to write a prescription for medical marijuana. Reassured, the McKnights mail-ordered dried marijuana from their assigned licensed producer, and then worked with a Montreal-based medical marijuana dispensary to learn how to turn it into edible cannabis oil. In June 2014, after his inaugural dose of high-CBD cannabis oil, Liam had his first seizure-free day in two years-and then he went 10 more days without seizing. He started walking around, talking and feeding himself. “All of a sudden, he was looking us in the eye for the first time,” remembers McKnight. “I was finally really meeting my kid, who had been living in a fog of medication and seizures.”<br /><br /><br /><br />McKnight is part of a growing network of parents whose children have rare, difficult-to-treat forms of epilepsy who have exhausted traditional options and are turning to medical marijuana. These parents swap cannabis oil recipes on Facebook, share contacts for neurologists who are willing to write referrals to medical marijuana clinics and spend thousands of dollars a year on specialized plant strains (none of which are covered by drug plans).<br /><br /><br /><br />The idea of using CBD on kids went mainstream in 2013, after a documentary by Sanjay Gupta, a US neurosurgeon and medical reporter, featured the story of a six-year-old Colorado girl with Dravet syndrome who had experienced a dramatic decrease in seizures while on a daily CBD oil regimen. High-CBD cannabis oil is used commonly, and with great anecdotal success, for kids with severe epilepsy, but there are also reports of parents using it to treat their children’s autism, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder" target="_blank">ADHD</a> and anxiety. So far, most of what parents have to go on are reports from other families, though initial clinical studies of CBD are beginning to build evidence to support what parents using it already know. But with research very much in its infancy and no long-term studies or standardized product they can prescribe, most paediatric neurologists are reluctant to recommend cannabis for kids. In fact, the Canadian Paediatric Society recently released a statement saying that while research is ongoing, cannabis should only be considered as a possible treatment in “exceptional cases.” In the meantime, some desperate parents are forging ahead, accessing cannabis through Canada’s legal medical marijuana program and figuring out on their own how to dose their kids.<br /><br /><br /><br />Using marijuana to treat children can seem radical-as a recreational drug, it’s still illegal, and some research on heavy-pot-smoking teens suggests it can damage developing brains. Even for parents who now give it to their kids, the idea took some getting used to. “I was never a recreational user,” McKnight says. “If you had told me five years ago I’d be doing this, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy! I’m not giving my kid cannabis!’” Vancouver mom Sherri Brown has given CBD oil to her six-year-old son Quinn, who was diagnosed with epilepsy and autism. She’s become accustomed to fielding questions and criticisms from parents on social media. “Somebody jumped on me in an autism Facebook group and commented, ‘That’s irresponsible,’” Brown says. “The stigma around it being a dangerous illegal drug is going to persist for awhile.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Medical marijuana advocates are quick to explain that not all cannabis products are the same. Parents of kids with drug-resistant epilepsy choose CBD oil because it’s made from strains of the cannabis sativa plant that are bred to be both high in CBD and very low in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol" target="_blank">tetrahydrocannabinol</a> (THC), the chemical responsible for the stereotypical “stoner” high. It’s important to note that kids dosed with high-CBD, low-THC oil are not getting high-in fact, McKnight and some other parents say that, compared with their kids’ lethargic, stoned behaviour on traditional anticonvulsant pharmaceuticals, when they’re on CBD, they appear brighter, more active and more engaged in the world... <a href="http://www.todaysparent.com/kids/kids-health/why-some-parents-are-giving-their-kids-weed/" target="_blank">Read More The Full Story</a>.

Why Some Parents Are Giving Their Kids Weed

Medical Research: Parents of children with severe epilepsy are turning to medical marijuana in a desperate attempt to find relief and a life...

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Deaf Education 'Nonexistent' In First Nations

<i><b>Deaf News: Deaf teen leaves rural community for fresh start in Regina school due to sign language boost socialization in the capital of Saskatchewan.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/deaf-education-nonexistent-in-first.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cowessess First Nation Shayla Tanner"><img height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTo5mJJA1RJtLVNkyo7zs2iGj8E7N-0RsdyijnHbXQE0FweCMssezxS2soXG7lrgn2Xdl3ESXX1zFRt9hs-upgdQsAENPuJK7vmwmgkc5W7JA51nKQBIXBZ2y-tzWZj65CC88sDdHEMnsG/s320/cowessess-first-nation-shayla-tanner.JPG" width="300" /></a>CBC REGINA, SK -- For those in remote and rural Sask., a hearing impairment can present major challenges. Seventeen-year-old Shayla Tanner, who is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a>, has faced challenges academically and socially in her home community but has seen tremendous growth in the past three years.<br /><br /><br /><br />She recalls that with few in her community of <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/cowessessfn.com/cowessess-first-nation/" target="_blank">Cowessess First Nation</a> knowing sign language, she fell behind in school and socializing. 'I just felt horrible'<br /><br /><br /><br />"With my work I really felt like I just wanted to give up with it," she said through her interpreter as she signed. "I couldn't communicate with my friends and I felt like I was just having a breakdown.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/growing-up-deaf-in-rural-sask-1.3502627" target="_blank">WATCH CBC With Subtitles</a></span></div><br /><br />"With reading, when I used my voice while at my old school there were four kids and they said they couldn't understand me, and I just felt horrible about that." <br /><br /><br /><br />Tanner says she would try to read lips and write notes to speak to others in her community. <br /><br /><br /><br />"They would talk slow to me, but I still didn't understand. They would talk and I just didn't really get it."<br /><br /><br /><br />Making friends was more difficult than it is now.<br /><br /><br /><br />New beginning at Regina high school. It was her special education teacher who suggested she go to school at Thom Collegiate in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan" target="_blank">Regina, Saskatchewan</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Thom teacher Joanne Weber, who is Deaf herself, runs a class that has been highly praised for the way it focuses on visual learning and sign language.<br /><br /><br /><br />Art could be the next big breakthrough in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_education" target="_blank">Deaf education</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />And so, three years ago, Tanner left Cowessess and moved in with her brother in Regina so that she could join the program.<br /><br /><br /><br />It's was a challenge, she says. She learned a more in-depth version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a> and gained a better grasp of English grammar... <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/growing-up-deaf-in-rural-sask-1.3502627" target="_blank">Read More</a>.

Deaf Education 'Nonexistent' In First Nations

Deaf News: Deaf teen leaves rural community for fresh start in Regina school due to sign language boost socialization in the capital of Sask...

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Deaf Schools In Belleville Worried About Future

<i><b>Deaf News: Dozens of local Deaf and students and their service providers are dreading a recent announcement Deaf Schools into closures in Ontario.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-schools-in-belleville-worried.html" title="Sir James Whitney and Sagonaska Demonstration Secondary School"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJB-3ScHUiVU8y_Y8OFVWhaX8QJ-DswJEOaDT7ZtnZdn7c5_bSLKBGvrgzjgVYxNatpfbAo1yluyRbIkbG8Z-CsVvSXzf53S3UEw9FFlblHv6CmJ7jaJiOfdswKNgtbkOPGnr0yAaAWTPr/s400/belleville-deaf-schools.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />BELLEVILLE, ON -- <a href="http://www.intelligencer.ca/2016/02/26/deaf-schools-worried-about-future" target="_blank">Intelligencer</a>: Dozens of local <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> and learning disabled students and their service providers are dreading a recent announcement of the need for efficiency at five specialized institutions across the province will translate into school closures.<br /><br /><br /><br />Union representatives held a meeting in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belleville,_Ontario" target="_blank">Belleville</a> Friday to rally students, staff and parent support in their bid to stave off what they say will be imminent school closures unless action is taken to demonstrate a strong case for why local public schools aren’t properly equipped to provide the specialized services delivered by institution like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_James_Whitney_School_for_the_Deaf" target="_blank">Sir James Whitney and Sagonaska Demonstration Secondary School</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />“Closure are going to happen if we don’t do something,” said Daryl O’Grady, local president for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Public_Service_Employees_Union" target="_blank">Ontario Public Service Employees Union</a> (OPSEU). “We’re getting a campaign together to fight.”<br /><br /><br /><br />He said the Education Ministry is linking planned reductions to declining Deaf student enrollment.<br /><br /><br /><br />“They sat back and watched these programs get to where they are now so they can come and say we don’t have the numbers,” O’Grady said. “As a union we will be calling them out on that. This is a good turnout and it shows that people are concerned here,” he said, of the meeting held at the Travelodge Hotel on Friday.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ann Carr, a former counsellor at the local schools, warned that inaction will be costly once the school year ends and changes are implemented in the fall.<br /><br /><br /><br />“These children need people qualified to be with them,” Carr said. “When these children go into the regular system they’re just going to have someone who took a regular <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language" target="_blank">sign language</a> course. If I were you guys I would go to the local public board and find out what they’re going to do for your kids before the cuts come.<br /><br /><br /><br />“You are in danger,” Carr said. “These kids have a right.”<br /><br /><br /><br />She urged students and staff to lobby the mayor and other levels of government to back their campaign to protect jobs and specialized student education here.<br /><br /><br /><br />“If you don’t do it now, at the end of June you guys are going to have nothing,” said Carr. “At the end of June they’re going to say goodbye. This is for real, you have to start moving today.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Sarah Colbeck is not only a social worker providing services at both aforementioned schools, but she’s also speaks from the unique perspective of being a mother with four children taught at the Dundas Street West site.<br /><br /><br /><br />“Deaf children get full access to certain services for free,” Colbeck said of the current system, which if changed will force parents to either send students to schools farther away or foot the bill to find services and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a> tutors.<br /><br /><br /><br />“Once you close that school it’s going to be a disaster,” Colbeck said. “It’s going to have a big impact on the hearing schools (public schools) as well because they’re not prepared to cater to each student’s needs. Many professionals in these schools have no idea how to approach a Deaf child and their needs.”<br /><br /><br /><br />The other option is send children to public schools with limited resources to tailor to each student’s individual needs.<br /><br /><br /><br />“The community and parents have to work together and fight,” Colbeck said. “We have to spread more awareness that the schools actually benefit the children.” The prospect of job losses also hangs over her head.<br /><br /><br /><br />In her current role, Colbeck is employed .5 at Sir James Whitney and .5 at Sagonaska, so “if Sagonaska closes I would lose .5 of my job this fall and how am I supposed to support my family,” she said through an interpreter. <a href="http://www.intelligencer.ca/2016/02/26/deaf-schools-worried-about-future" target="_blank">Source</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians">#Deaf Canadians</a> - <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Schools" target="_blank">#Deaf Schools</a>

Deaf Schools In Belleville Worried About Future

Deaf News: Dozens of local Deaf and students and their service providers are dreading a recent announcement Deaf Schools into closures in On...

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Deaf-Blind Housing Project In Winnipeg, Canada

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Deaf News: Deaf-Blind housing project will be first of its kind in Manitoba, Canada.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-blind-housing-project-in-winnipeg.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Deaf-Blind Housing Project In Winnipeg"><img height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuq9mOX3XYM4Fjs_5EhJBJoBjN4lf1ObpHmdxM2pKwhH_SKfMxanV2tTYA1AIdQfrMz6rtjKW1T6e9BYLKNPu_zKFF7gktRrWdGU8lj95dph4MF_50BXEHFEJ97fSC1NkurGu_ZqiH2G6/s320/bonnie-heath-and-gayle-northcott-winnipeg.jpg" width="300" /></a>CBC WINNIPEG -- 10 suites at <a href="http://www.gsac.ca/" target="_blank">Gas Station Arts Centre</a> redevelopment will be designed for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deafblindness" target="_blank">Deaf-Blind</a> people. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg" target="_blank">Winnipeg</a> will soon be one of the first cities in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada" target="_blank">Canada</a> to have specialized housing designed for people who are both Deaf and Blind.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/bonniejheath" target="_blank">Bonnie Heath</a>, executive director of the <a href="http://www.rcmdb.mb.ca/" target="_blank">Resource Centre for Manitobans</a> who are Deaf-Blind, has put down payments on 10 suites in the residential portion of the new Gas Station Arts Centre, which is slated for the corner of River Avenue and Osborne Street.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/deaf-blind-housing-winnipeg-1.3463122" target="_blank">Watch The Original CBC News With Subtitles</a></span></div><br /><br />"We're very excited," Heath said, adding that the need for this kind of housing is great.<br /><br /><br /><br />"The Deaf-Blind individuals that I'm in contact with in their own homes right now feel isolated and unsafe."<br /><br /><br /><br />She added, "You have a combination of you can't see and you can't hear; you don't know who's coming into your place. You don't know, for example, one of my Deaf-Blind friends said she wouldn't even know the toilet was running over until the water was at her ankles in the dining room."<br /><br /><br /><br />Heath works with dozens of Manitobans who are Deaf-Blind - people with a combination of no vision or low vision and hearing that rely on interpreters to communicate.<br /><br /><br /><br />The apartments will not only bring members of the Deaf-Blind community under one roof, the apartments will be designed with them and for them for safer and easier living, said Heath.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Sharp edges, you know, things that we take for granted when we can see, getting around corners - those types of things will be avoided."<br /><br /><br /><br />Winnipeg-based architect <a href="http://www.cohlarch.ca/" target="_blank">Steve Cohlmeyer</a>, whose resume includes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forks,_Winnipeg" target="_blank">The Forks</a>, will tackle the project, which he acknowledges will be a first for him.<br /><br /><br /><br />"At the level of problem-solving, I think it's really exciting - and exciting because there's a whole service aspect and a kind of integration of a whole group I was unaware of when I first got the call," he said.<br /><br /><br /><br />Some of the features Cohlmeyer is considering is a tactile approach to design - for example, surfaces that will distinguish between rooms.<br /><br /><br /><br />"For people who have no <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perception" target="_blank">sight</a> and zero <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing" target="_blank">hearing</a>, we'll certainly want to explore the kinds of things you can help feel your way through a space," he said, adding that for people with partial sight, high-contrast spaces may be important.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Exaggerated colour difference or dark and light contrast will be a helpful thing to have," he said. "So you can see where a door cabinet is against a light floor as opposed to all-white cabinets and all-white floors."<br /><br /><br /><br />In the coming months, Cohlmeyer will visit Deaf-Blind clients to "watch how they live" to source his design solutions. He said he is also travelling to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto" target="_blank">Toronto</a> and the United States to visit existing Deaf-Blind housing to learn what works well and what doesn't.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Even when you're well-acquainted with an environment you can still bump into things, so we want to be watching and learning as much as we can about how we facilitate movement and operation of equipment within the unit itself and how they can move again between the unit and even elevators and an outdoor terrace." <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/deaf-blind-housing-winnipeg-1.3463122" target="_blank">Source</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Deaf Winnipeggers:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-peg-faced-disrespect-during.html">Deaf 'Peg Faced 'Disrespect' During Traffic Stops</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/01/study-on-sarcasm-and-american-sign.html">Study on Sarcasm and American Sign Language</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/06/deaf-canadians-gallaudet-dream.html">Deaf Canadian's Gallaudet Dream</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2013/10/manitoba-deaf-athletes-to-get-more-sign.html">Manitoba Deaf Athletes To Get More Sign Language Help</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2013/07/manitoba-swimmer-at-deaflympics_25.html">Manitoba Swimmer At Deaflympics</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2014/06/deaf-homeless-man-in-compassionate.html">Deaf Homeless Man In Compassionate Gesture</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/02/deaf-canadian-curling-champion-dies.html">Deaf Canadian Curling Champion Dies</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/01/winnipeg-most-racist-city-in-canada.html">Winnipeg Most Racist City In Canada: Maclean's</a>

Deaf-Blind Housing Project In Winnipeg, Canada

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf-Blind housing project will be first of its kind in Manitoba, Canada. CBC WINNIPEG -- 10 suites at Gas Station A...

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CHS: Modern Fire Safety For Deaf And HoH

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Canadian Hearing Society: Modern fire safety for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br />TORONTO -- <a href="http://bellman.com/en/for-professionals/product-support/visit-notification-system/visit-value-packs/safe/bellman-ringer/" target="_blank">Bellman & Symfon “Visit” Package</a> The Visit smoke alarm/transmitter and alarm clock with bedshaker. This alarm detects smoke and smoldering fire immediately and the transmitter sends the signal to the alarm clock receiver to alert you. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_detector" target="_blank">Smoke alarms</a> are essential to help you feel safe and protected in your home.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Iu0qL8odNTE" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.</span></div><br /><br />For more information, contact us at Phone: 1.800.465.4327 TTY: 1.877.215.9530 or visit our website <a href="http://www.chs.ca/bellman-symfon-visit-package-promo-video" target="_blank">www.chs.ca/bellman</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Note:</b> None of <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/%23DeafTalent">Deaf Talent</a> to hire for advertising for the <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians">Deaf Canadian</a> community? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chssco/" target="_blank">Canadian Hearing Society</a> is focusing on oral and hear without sign language nor Deaf culture. Canadian Hearing Society is NOT recommended to the Deaf association, organization and community in Canada.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Canadian%20Hearing%20Society" target="_blank">#Canadian Hearing Society</a>

CHS: Modern Fire Safety For Deaf And HoH

VIDEO [CC] - Canadian Hearing Society: Modern fire safety for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. TORONTO -- Bellman & Symfon “Visit...

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Deaf Students Abused By Priests Win $30-Million

<i><b>Deaf News - Deaf students abused by priests at Clercs de St. Viateur win record $30-million settlement in Quebec, Canada.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-students-abused-by-priests-win-30.html" title="Deaf students abused by priests at Clercs de Saint Viateur"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-IOHqE9lZz-lF4Rwuj3tBB-57NesdEhoXtl507b3bxDFVB8GfW3Nd2Jji0rOA-VKn3lLaRXbHxDf0ebhv_0KOphyhQKICR6DkAtVigoQLdvrq940Nesy5t4uPg-yBx0gnnR0ce5N0v7q/s400/deaf-students-abused-by-priests-at-clercs-de-st-viateur.jpeg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />MONTREAL, PQ -- For the 150 victims, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> and severely traumatized, it took decades to come forward with their accounts of sexual abuse at the hands of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerics_of_Saint_Viator" target="_blank">Clercs de Saint-Viateur</a>. <br /><br /><br /><br />But they finally named the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_institute_%28Catholic%29" target="_blank">33 priests and religious staff</a> and five lay people who they say abused them at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_School_for_the_Deaf" target="_blank">Montreal Institute for the Deaf</a>, a boarding-school for young boys run by the <a href="http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2016/02/17/les-clercs-de-saint-viateur-et-linstitut-raymond-dewar-verseront-30-millions-de-dollars-aux-victimes-dagressions-sexuelles" target="_blank">Clercs</a>, and on Wednesday they were awarded $30 million – by far the largest settlement for sexual assault in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec" target="_blank">Quebec</a> history.<br /><br /><br /><br />At the top of the list is <a href="http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogie=Anthime_Paiement&pid=682065&lng=fr" target="_blank">Father Anthime Paiement</a>, accused of sexual assault by 24 young boys at the Institute. Most of the boys were around 10 or 11 years old at the time; some were as young as seven. Paiement’s obituary in 1998, at the age of 91, said he devoted his entire life to the Deaf, as a teacher and chaplain at the Institute, among other places.<br /><br /><br /><br />Then came <a href="http://www.ccsmm.net/csv2012.html" target="_blank">Brother Philippe Paquette</a>, who 10 victims said repeatedly assaulted them, in the dormitory or the classrooms or priests’ quarters, where he lived from 1949 to 1984.<br /><br /><br /><br />According to his obituary, his tasks included teaching the “little ones,” surveillance, cinema, and discipline. He died in 2009 at the age of 82.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ccsmm.net/csv2012.html" target="_blank">Brother Gérard Barrette</a>, meanwhile, was accused by seven plaintiffs in the class action suit of anal rape, among other things. Perhaps he is still alive.<br /><br /><br /><br />The abuse spanned from 1940 to 1982. Some of the victims were abused over the Christmas holidays. Some were abused throughout their first year at the school on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villeray,_Montreal" target="_blank">St-Laurent Blvd. in Villeray</a> in 1962. Others were assaulted on a regular basis, over their entire stay – up to seven years’ time.<br /><br /><br /><br />The list of abusers also includes the director of the institute, the nurse, the dormitory supervisor, and the priest at the confessional. According to one victim, the boys soon stopped going to confession. Another said he was abused by a priest, and when he sought help at the infirmary, he was assaulted there too.<br /><br /><br /><br />For Robert Kugler, who has represented the victims since the class action lawsuit was launched in 2010, the amount of the award reflects the extent of the abuse and the vulnerability of the victims.<br /><br /><br /><br />“All the victims were handicapped – they were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> and had difficulty communicating. They were stuck,” said Kugler, of the firm Kugler Kandestin. “It’s simply tragic.”<br /><br /><br /><br />While no amount of money can replace what the victims lost in their lives, Kugler continued, it can help them move forward, get therapy and improve the rest of their lives. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clercs_de_Saint-Viateur" target="_blank">The Clercs de Saint-Viateur du Canada</a> will pay $20 million, while the <a href="http://www.raymond-dewar.qc.ca/" target="_blank">Institut Raymond-Dewar</a> – the new name for the Montreal Institute for the Deaf, as of 1984 – will pay $10 million.<br /><br /><br /><br />If divided equally among the 150 victims, the $30 million would amount to $200,000 each.<br /><br /><br /><br />But Kugler expects more victims will likely come forward, now that they have reason to believe it will lead to compensation. And an adjudicator, former Court of Appeals Judge André Forget, will be tasked with interviewing the plaintiffs, in private, to determine whether they deserve the base amount of compensation, 25 per cent more, or 50 per cent more, depending on the gravity of the abuse, and the gravity of the consequences of the abuse. <br /><br /><br /><br />In 2011, the <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congr%C3%A9gation_de_Sainte-Croix" target="_blank">Congrégation de Sainte-Croix</a> accepted to pay $18 million to former students who were sexually abused between 1950 and 1991 by members of the order in various schools, including Notre-Dame College in Montreal. <a href="http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/deaf-students-abused-by-priests-at-clercs-de-st-viateur-win-record-30-million-settlement" target="_blank">Read The Full Story</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2012/12/montreal-institute-for-deaf-ex-students.html">Montreal Institute For The Deaf Ex-Students Allege Horrific Abuses</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2012/11/sexual-abuse-children-at-montreal.html">Sexual Abuses Children At Montreal School For The Deaf</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2012/10/mea-maxima-culpa-silence-in-house-of-god.html">Mea Maxima Culpa Silence In House Of God</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians" target="_blank">#Deaf Canadians</a>

Deaf Students Abused By Priests Win $30-Million

Deaf News - Deaf students abused by priests at Clercs de St. Viateur win record $30-million settlement in Quebec, Canada. MONTREAL, PQ -- Fo...

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Deaf Short Film 'Longhand' Official Trailer

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Longhand (2015) - A short film in sign language about Deaf love in the military.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-short-film-longhand-official.html" title="Deaf Short Film 'Longhand' Official Trailer"><img height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKKNKT18S9Y5K2PsaJOsCQ7edlkzE-6whQEqutq7cuOioJIc1BTp5HYXisNz3akOtwUUhO3kM8H1PSUgeTJEZeTQ7zwPtkUBZe42Z2Fq0SF1fhMDbmXs6TVC7sJsf-MD3-cRjberDIaGz/s320/deaf-film-longhand.png" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="http://tidfaf.ca/portfolio/longhand/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toronto International Deaf Film & Arts Festival</a> -- Amanda is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hard of hearing</a>. She dreams of being in the military as her father did before her. When she applies, she meets Ben, who works at the recruitment office. Ben has recently lost his hearing while serving a tour of duty with the military in the Middle East. They begin a relationship. Longhand is a story about balancing the physical, emotional challenges in life and fight for their aspirational dreams.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/153427680" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div><br /><br />Starring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1720151/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amanda Richer</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2761932/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jesse LaVercombe</a>.<br /><br />Directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6349342/?ref_=tt_ov_dr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Marcucci</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />IMDb Info - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4535686/fullcredits/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Full Cast & Crew</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Like on Facebook - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Longhand/305581086299445?ref=aymt_homepage_panel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/longhand</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Film">@Deaf Film</a>

Deaf Short Film 'Longhand' Official Trailer

VIDEO [CC] - Longhand (2015) - A short film in sign language about Deaf love in the military. Toronto International Deaf Film & Arts Fes...

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