Firing of Deaf Employee Costs Firm $240K

<i><b>Deaf News: Deaf ex-employee’s court case puts bosses on notice for behaving badly in Mississauga, Canada.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/07/firing-of-deaf-employee-costs-firm-240k.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Vicky Strudwick"><img height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDLNBwNZExr_cgJNTqD50iiySZTMDfAYjOnKqUhDOQBtbtc-YdP-hEUblAah_8GANq3_M5M_IY7XZ9_lVaPoQ5UYIF3pcq9Td24c230Ko_6CQpa8qERQ0623CRRZ8cq9jvA_9Lq5_VRUK/s1600/vicky-strudwick.jpg" width="250" /></a>TORONTO, ON -- The Canadian Press: A long-time employee tormented by her employer and unceremoniously dumped after she went <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> had her damages award more than doubled to $246,000 by Ontario’s top court on Thursday.<br /><br /><br /><br />In its decision, the Appeal Court ruled the egregious nature of the company’s “heartless” misconduct warranted significantly higher damages for Vicky Strudwick.<br /><br /><br /><br />“In the lead-up to Ms. Strudwick’s termination, she was belittled, isolated, humiliated and made to suffer the effects of her disability to the greatest extent possible,” the Appeal Court said.<br /><br /><br /><br />“This conduct was deliberate, malicious and designed to force Ms. Strudwick to quit a job she had held for almost 16 years.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Court documents show that Strudwick worked for <a href="https://www.acceintl.com/" target="_blank">Applied Consumer and Clinical Evaluations</a>, a family-run business based in Mississauga, Ont., that recruits people to participate in focus groups. She began by doing data entry, but later instructed recruiting staff, earning $12.85 an hour.<br /><br /><br /><br />In October 2010, she went completely Deaf - possibly because of a virus.<br /><br /><br /><br />Court records show that Andrew Hoffman, the general manager, and a supervisor, Liz Camilleri, then began a concerted campaign of abuse against Strudwick aimed at forcing her to quit.<br /><br /><br /><br />They not only denied her any accommodation for her disability, but actually took steps to make her life even more difficult, the court said.<br /><br /><br /><br />In May 2011, Hoffman fired her, allegedly for pulling a “stunt” at a company event, prompting Strudwick, then 56, to sue for wrongful dismissal and abuse.<br /><br /><br /><br />Applied Consumer never delivered a statement of defence and was noted in default.<br /><br /><br /><br />In August last year, <a href="http://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/info/counsel-procureurs-eng.aspx?cas=36122" target="_blank">Superior Court Justice Grant Dow awarded her a total of $113,782 and $40,000 in legal costs</a>. Strudwick appealed the damages award as too low, while Applied Consumer - which has about 80 employees - argued the legal costs award was too high.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Appeal Court affirmed the costs award, but found Strudwick deserved much more by way of damages given the “cruel” treatment to which her bosses had subjected her.<br /><br /><br /><br />Examples included giving her instructions while preventing her from lip reading, then calling her stupid. They refused to let her turn her desk around so that she could see people as they approached.<br /><br /><br /><br />“In the immediate lead-up to her dismissal, Ms. Strudwick was confronted in front of an estimated 13 other employees, yelled at and called a ‘goddamned fool’,” the Appeal Court stated.<br /><br /><br /><br />Hoffman, who would later himself be fired, gave her a termination letter and a cheque for three months’ pay. When she refused to sign a release, he took the cheque back and had her marched out of the building in front of her co-workers.<br /><br /><br /><br />Applied Consumer, which claims to foster an environment of “empowerment, engagement, fairness and responsibility,” then claimed she had been fired for insubordination and wilful misconduct - a tactic that delayed her access to employment insurance.<br /><br /><br /><br />On appeal, Strudwick argued for more than $1 million, but the court said its hands were tied by her initial statement of claim, which sought $240,000 plus an amount for loss of benefits.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Appeal Court said she deserved her full claim for damages in light of the “malicious and heartless” treatment meted out to her. It also awarded another $20,000 in costs for the appeal.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blackburnnews.com/bri-national/2016/06/30/firing-of-deaf-employee-costs-firm-240k/" target="_blank">SOURCE</a>

Firing of Deaf Employee Costs Firm $240K

Deaf News: Deaf ex-employee’s court case puts bosses on notice for behaving badly in Mississauga, Canada. TORONTO, ON -- The Canadian Press:...

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Saskatchewan Needs More ASL Interpreters

<i><b>Deaf News: The Deaf Canadian community feels marginalized in Saskatchewan, says human rights report.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/05/saskatchewan-needs-more-asl-interpreters.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Saskatchewan Needs More ASL Interpreters"><img height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlalT-MZ33l2RDclItPMnKbbRIVnpWHrCA5TU26MMwoYITNcxFtA6a7ixddGbYJZorW4rpr-1Ia9vimJAFNouMNdsH2Xy0IPZ-GyoebykHnZ0b3pLCoeT6uIUrLyn_dwjf5ynyo4Q4yqE/s320/saskatchewan-needs-more-asl-interpreters.jpg" width="300" /></a>CBC REGINA, SK -- The <a href="http://saskatchewanhumanrights.ca/" target="_blank">Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission</a> is pushing for more <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_interpretation#Sign_language" target="_blank">sign language interpreters</a> in the province. The commission has just released a report identifying some of the barriers faced by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> community.<br /><br /><br /><br />Chief Commissioner David Arnot said people in the north suffer from a serious lack of access to services.<br /><br /><br /><br />"There are seven trained and certified interpreters in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan" target="_blank">Saskatchewan</a>, as compared to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba" target="_blank">Manitoba</a> that has 70," he said. "So I think that is clearly an area that needs to improve."<br /><br /><br /><br />The report also calls for universal screening of newborns and linking diagnosis with appropriate treatment.<br /><br /><br /><br />Arnot said the commission is helping the Deaf community to meet with policy makers to address these issues. He said he believes there is the political will to make changes. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/deaf-community-feels-marginalized-in-saskatchewan-says-human-rights-report-1.3581238" target="_blank">SOURCE</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Deaf Saskatchewanians:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/deaf-education-nonexistent-in-first.html">Deaf Education 'Nonexistent' In First Nations</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/01/deaf-canadian-schools-in-lawsuit.html">Deaf Canadian Schools In Lawsuit Alleging Abuse</a>

Saskatchewan Needs More ASL Interpreters

Deaf News: The Deaf Canadian community feels marginalized in Saskatchewan, says human rights report. CBC REGINA, SK -- The Saskatchewan Huma...

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Deaf Student Told To Stay Home From School

<i><b>Deaf News: Canadian Deaf student told to stay home from mainstreaming school in afternoons due to a lack of interpreter, says mother.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/05/deaf-student-told-to-stay-home-from.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Deaf student Kimberly Joy Anoee from Nunavut"><img height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcM0AztXhERV5Smf9mtF4LpZ_gRcCmDkaoED_Wp3Fnt1WgYFAZ3ODMnM83ZjYsbWS9SJuSzPk8fogRkkdCiCKhS9EYlQUhFWpPCEKIQo7IIL8IGUUq_iqOR1T-gugYO1xXXCwCH-bOqg-Q/s320/kimberly-joy-anoee.jpg" width="300" /></a>CBC ARVIAT, NU -- A mother in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arviat" target="_blank">Arviat, Nunavut</a>, says her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> daughter has been told to stay home from school in the afternoons because of a lack of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_interpretation#Sign_language" target="_blank">sign language interpreters</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Rochelle Suluk's daughter Kimberly Joy Anoee is a Grade 9 student at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Nunavut" target="_blank">John Arnalukjuak High School</a> in a community of about 2,700.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-children-hearing-loss-screening-1.3409415" target="_blank">Nunavut gets poor grade from audiologists for lack of child hearing programs</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />At the beginning of the school year, Suluk said she met with the principal of the school who informed her about her daughter's change in schedule.<br /><br /><br /><br />"The principal was saying that she only has to go to school only in the mornings because the ASL (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a>) interpreter is looking after other students," she said.<br /><br /><br /><br />School only has one full-time interpreter: The high school has one full-time American Sign Language (ASL) assistant. According to the superintendent, there are two Deaf students in the school.<br /><br /><br /><br />Suluk says a handful of other students hard of hearing also require the use of the ASL assistant and are able to attend a full day of class.<br /><br /><br /><br />Related: <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/mainstream-school-lacks-communication.html">Mainstream School Lacks Communication Access</a><br /><br /><br /><br />"I really want my Deaf child who is 15 years of age to go to school too, just like any other normal student who goes to school everyday," Suluk said.<br /><br /><br /><br />Suluk said her daughter spends her afternoons at home with nothing to do. She has failed Grade 9 once and her mother is worried that by not going to school full-time, her education and social life is being compromised.<br /><br /><br /><br />Families usually consulted: department - Nunavut's department of education would not discuss the details of Suluk's daughter, citing confidentiality and privacy concerns, but said it provides "appropriate programming for children with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_needs" target="_blank">special needs</a>."<br /><br /><br /><br />Cully Robinson, the superintendent for schools in the Kivalliq region, said staff positions are reviewed on an annual basis.<br /><br /><br /><br />"There's an ongoing gradual increase in school aged children with profound hearing impairments and ASL assistants assist with facilitating communication inside and outside the classroom," he said.<br /><br /><br /><br />Robinson said a student's schedule could be reduced for a variety of reasons, including social, physical or academic needs.<br /><br /><br /><br />"A change would not be implemented without family agreement, involvement of the school team, school administration and the involvement of the student support consultant," he said, adding the aim is to make sure every student is receiving the best education possible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Related: <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/deaf-education-nonexistent-in-first.html">Deaf Education 'Nonexistent' In First Nations</a><br /><br /><br /><br />"The best way for parents to support their children is to work with the school and staff there who are very empathetic to the situation and want to help anyway that they can," he said.<br /><br /><br /><br />No help - Suluk said she has contacted the school's committee and district education authority officials to discuss why her daughter is not attending class in the afternoon.<br /><br /><br /><br />"I talked with them so many times," Suluk said. <br /><br /><br /><br />"I thought they would be helping me from the very start."<br /><br /><br /><br />She said it's heartbreaking when her daughter asks her why she can't go to school in the afternoon. <br /><br /><br /><br />When she grows up, she says Anoee hopes to become a sign language interpreter to help other students in Arviat. <br /><br /><br /><br />"If she ever graduates." <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/deaf-student-told-to-stay-home-from-school-in-afternoons-says-nunavut-mother-1.3581849" target="_blank">SOURCE</a>

Deaf Student Told To Stay Home From School

Deaf News: Canadian Deaf student told to stay home from mainstreaming school in afternoons due to a lack of interpreter, says mother. CBC AR...

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Uber's In-App Features Aims More Deaf Drivers

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Deaf News: Uber's in-app features create job opportunities for Deaf drivers in Canada and the United States.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ubers-in-app-features-aims-more-deaf.html" title="Uber in-app features just made it easy to be Deaf drivers"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4UguNKH-Tp-TrWaOvFG3-QzHVYwDym6n_k9qFJ_Pv1sjrPtAm47dPi0VHfFYMZQHAFpmFPdXmS3hh8irqLtfq_UAVwXmQsdjhuAsLcNQlXb4P0xibD-wBE50eHMAgGy82wyZ36llFP9I/s400/deaf-uber-driver-app.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />CBC TORONTO -- As many as 300 drivers in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto" target="_blank">Toronto</a>, use <a href="https://www.uber.com/cities/toronto/" target="_blank">Uber's in-app features</a>, for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf and Hard of Hearing</a>, people. For many Uber users, much of the appeal of the ride-hailing service is that most of the transaction can be done through an app, related the story covers <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/new-app-features-for-deaf-uber-drivers.html">New App Features For Deaf Uber Drivers</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ubers-in-app-features-aims-more-deaf.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Deaf Uber Shafiul Hoque of Toronto"><img height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgoEWa-TO5bBE5wiSvb64SbQEhHpDtRvpS58RbNPQHBWdBDjMC66waV31A007RIZT8E2wHHpaKNYxlRDKbciTfDKqbhs5LUKnlSCaMnG18DilmCsWrkKOPyx20t6johQImx4n83g8iw-4/s320/shafiul-hoque-uber.jpg" width="250" /></a>But for one Toronto Uber driver, it's about much more than convenience. Shafiul Hoque is a Deaf driver who says thanks to the company's technology-driven approach, he has his first job in more than a decade.<br /><br /><br /><br />"I heard that they were willing to hire <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> drivers," Hoque said in an interview aided by an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a> interpreter. "I found that they were actually very accessible."<br /><br /><br /><br />Hoque says he still remembers his first pick-up. It went smoothly and "communication was not a problem at all."<br /><br /><br /><br />He credits a set of in-app features that Uber has rolled out specifically for Deaf and HoH drivers to communicate with riders.<br /><br /><br /><br />Uber says he's now one of at least 300 drivers in Toronto alone who have been using the in-app features on the job for the past year.<br /><br /><br /><br />How it works - As soon as a trip is requested, drivers using the in-app features will see a flashing light, in addition to getting the usual audio alert. Passengers also receive a notification, to let them know their Uber driver will be Deaf or HoH.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/buxc2J9u8Hg" width="500"></iframe></div><i>“If I can do it, so can you.” Larry is Deaf and on a mission to follow his dreams. Find out how partnering with Uber made it possible for him to move to LA and support his family while starting a new career.</i><br /><br /><br /><br />Passengers also aren't able to call their driver - they can only text and they'll get an additional prompt to make sure they put in their destination.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Some people have always asked me how I can communicate with people so easily, but with the technology and with the cellular device, I can do that," Hoque said. "That eliminates barriers for all of us."<br /><br /><br /><br />For Hoque, the simple additions to the Uber app have opened up a world of opportunity. Not long ago, he didn't think he would ever be able to get a job as a driver.<br /><br /><br /><br />Life-changing technology - With technological advances, that no longer seems to be a problem. Hoque says he knows as many as 10 other people from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community who are out on the roads driving for Uber... <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/uber-for-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-drivers-1.3546018" target="_blank">Read More on CBC News</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Uber:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-york-citys-first-deaf-taxi-drivers.html">New York City’s First Deaf Taxi Drivers</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/new-app-features-for-deaf-uber-drivers.html">New App Features For Deaf Uber Drivers</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/04/ubers-in-app-features-aims-more-deaf.html">Uber's In-App Features Aims More Deaf Drivers</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/01/deaf-woman-killed-after-driver.html">Deaf Woman Killed After Driver Suspected Of DUI</a>

Uber's In-App Features Aims More Deaf Drivers

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Uber's in-app features create job opportunities for Deaf drivers in Canada and the United States. CBC TORONTO --...

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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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Gallaudet: White House Experience 'Unforgettable'

VIDEO: <i><b>Deaf News - Deaf Canadian of Gallaudet University student experience at the White House 'unforgettable'.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/gallaudet-white-house-experience.html" title="Gallaudet Student: White House Experience Unforgettable"><img height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKAPKY3AuxC8blmC4QYXw0nSyo1sOqJb6f7iJ_HmqadhyphenhyphenvaG9_dAHGRtPA-kPPKZALw1MFMuabbyyAI9JeVLG0bPZJJSUF8dzmTHgBmN0iX8zwMjyhKjflo8pyp7NNefDehoQufln3wD5/s400/canadian-wyatt-scott-white-house-dinner.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />WASHINGTON DC -- <a href="http://www.thewhig.com/2016/03/11/white-house-experience-unforgettable" target="_blank">The Whig</a>: A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> Kingston man studying in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C." target="_blank">Washington, D.C.</a>, signed “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILY_sign" target="_blank">I love you</a>” to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Trudeau">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</a> and wife <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Gr%C3%A9goire" target="_blank">Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau</a> during their visit to The White House Thursday morning.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5UbwHQv72x4" width="500"></iframe></div><br /><br /><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wyatt-scott-88a53461" target="_blank">Wyatt Scott</a>, who is in his fourth year at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallaudet_University" target="_blank">Gallaudet University</a> in Washington, was invited to see the prime minister’s arrival, along with several other Canadian students from the school that specializes in educating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf and Hard of Hearing</a> students.<br /><br /><br /><br />“The experience at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House" target="_blank">White House</a> was great!” Scott wrote in an email.<br /><br /><br /><br />He said there were more than 3,000 people there to see the Trudeaus, including the 17 Deaf Canadian students from Gallaudet who were given VIP seats right next to the stage from which the two leaders addressed the crowd.<br /><br /><br /><br />Scott got to see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" target="_blank">President Barack Obama</a> and the first lady walk out of the White House to wait for the Trudeaus’ motorcade to arrive. Seeing the Trudeaus together with the Obamas was an exciting moment, he added.<br /><br /><br /><br />“It was very cool to see them right there in front of us. We cheered, signed ‘I love you,’ waved the Canadian flags, and hoped to catch their attention. I think they did notice us. I’ve never dreamed to be that very close to the two most important leaders in the same location.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Scott watched the military guard perform a salute to the two leaders and, with the help of an interpreter, laughed at Obama’s jokes about hockey.<br /><br /><br /><br />“We took a lot of pictures everywhere to remember the unforgettable event. After the speeches, we did hope for both leaders to walk by us, shake hands, and take selfies with them, but that didn’t happen. I’m fine with it because I’m more than satisfied to see them up close instead of watching on the TV.”<br /><br /><br /><br />After the Trudeaus’ departure, Scott and his friends left for lunch and a chance to discuss what they had seen.<br /><br /><br /><br />“It was definitely a once-in-a-life opportunity, and that will probably not happen again in my lifetime. The overall experience at the White House was fantastic and unforgettable because that was my first and (likely) last time to visit the White House before graduating this May.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thewhig.com/2016/03/11/white-house-experience-unforgettable" target="_blank">SOURCE</a>

Gallaudet: White House Experience 'Unforgettable'

VIDEO: Deaf News - Deaf Canadian of Gallaudet University student experience at the White House 'unforgettable'. WASHINGTON DC -- The...

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Save Ontario Schools, Deaf Community Says

VIDEO - <i><b>Deaf News: Petition to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to save PSB schools in Ontario, Deaf community says.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/03/save-ontario-schools-deaf-community-says.html" title="Save PSB Schools Petition - Ontario Canada"><img height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-nL1lhNkqiMI1D_egVM_HZ2nWKNagdQ-Y7va_n38cvCF3Ggu9k-iqQm6LUQU1OAfFRc1gOye6rXM7lD2d7HaeQY47T_CNXCvr9zYk_XjM3EuBnagBYhZo6aoj-2jBUdHXeGuAoK-qzIJ/s400/save-psb-schools-ontario-deaf-schools.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />LONDON, ON -- <a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2016/03/09/save-schools-deaf-community-says" target="_blank">London Free Press</a>: The province’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> community and their supporters are putting pressure on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario" target="_blank">Ontario</a>’s government this week, calling on them to keep schools for the Deaf and special needs students open.<br /><br /><br /><br />Executive director of the <a href="http://www.deafontario.ca/" target="_blank">Ontario Association of the Deaf</a>, as well as parents of kids who attend so-called demonstration schools - they’re funded outside the traditional school board model will be with <a href="http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_detail.do?locale=en&ID=7183" target="_blank">London Fanshawe MPP Teresa Armstrong</a> Thursday, in whose riding <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robarts_School_for_the_Deaf" target="_blank">Robarts</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dspschool/" target="_blank">Amethyst</a> schools are located.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZDJxdFxv94" width="500"></iframe></div><br /><br />Save PSB Schools Petition: <a href="https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-save-psb-schools" target="_blank">https://change.org/p/justin-trudeau-save-psb-schools</a><br /><br /><br /><br />The group will make a presentation on the future of five such schools, including the two in London.<br /><br /><br /><br />“The vague, uncertain messages from the Ministry (of Education) has affected our community-wide morale, self-esteem,” said David Wiesblatt, president of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LondonCentreDeaf/" target="_blank">London Club of the Deaf</a>, which is organizing one of three provincial community forums on Friday.<br /><br /><br /><br />Armstrong could not be reached by press time.<br /><br /><br /><br />Robarts teaches Deaf students in their first language, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a>, giving students a sense of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_culture" target="_blank">community and culture</a>, proponents say.<br /><br /><br /><br />Amethyst is for students of average to high intelligence who have severe learning <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability" target="_blank">disabilities</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Students live at both schools, operated separately on Highbury Avenue, and go home on weekends.<br /><br /><br /><br />The 2012 Drummond Report, which contained suggestions for the province on how to save money, recommended closing demonstration schools and integrating students in mainstream schools.<br /><br /><br /><br />“Robarts has wonderful staff, administrators and facilities to support and serve our Deaf kids to thrive. We have many, many successful stories from the students and transfers from mainstream schools,” said Wiesblatt.<br /><br /><br /><br />Many fear community consultations are a sham and the province has already made up its mind about the closings.<br /><br /><br /><br />The total budget for the nine provincial and demonstration schools is $87.6 million. This includes salaries, operating costs and capital expenditures. Only five of the schools are under review.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Deaf Schools Under Reviews:</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robarts_School_for_the_Deaf" target="_blank">Robarts School for the Deaf</a> (London): 25 senior students and 40 elementary-aged pupils.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.psbnet.ca/Eng/schools/amethyst/index.html" target="_blank">Amethyst Demonstration School</a> (London): Maximum 42 students a year.<br /><br /><br /><br />Others: <a href="http://www.psbnet.ca/Eng/schools/trillium/index.html" target="_blank">Trillium Demonstration School</a> (Milton), <a href="http://www.psbnet.ca/Eng/schools/sagonaska/index.html" target="_blank">Sagonaska Demonstration School</a> (Belleville), <a href="http://www.centrejulesleger.com/index2.htm" target="_blank">Centre Jules-Leger</a> (Ottawa.)<br /><br /><br /><br />Save PSB Schools Petition: <a href="https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-save-psb-schools" target="_blank">https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-save-psb-schools</a> Sign up to support to save Deaf Schools in Canada.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2016/03/09/save-schools-deaf-community-says" target="_blank">SOURCE</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Canadian Deaf Schools:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-schools-in-belleville-worried.html">Deaf Schools In Belleville Worried About Future</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/10/canadian-deaf-superintendent-now.html">Canadian 'Deaf Superintendent Now' Movement</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/01/deaf-canadian-schools-in-lawsuit.html">Deaf Canadian Schools In Lawsuit Alleging Abuse</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-students-abused-by-priests-win-30.html">Deaf Students Abused By Priests Win $30-Million</a>

Save Ontario Schools, Deaf Community Says

VIDEO - Deaf News: Petition to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to save PSB schools in Ontario, Deaf community says. LONDON, ON -- Lon...

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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 'Peg Faced 'Disrespect' During Traffic Stops

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Deaf News: Deaf drivers faced with disbelief, disrespect during Winnipeg traffic stops due to communication barriers in Canada.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-peg-faced-disrespect-during.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Dana Zimmer of Winnipeg"><img height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXsG2kVVdB3uwbuOMHNf0LIKajWLp4Uh7KBW_GMeTPmHgl3CQFKvnOskRq3kh1WeJjdaFuujaWQD8KtgwuEyBI9b_13r9i__l9weYq9isyjMfiyaMggIn6QFfYJVSzjMOhsRClL305e5k/s320/dana-zimmer-winnipeg.jpg" width="300" /></a>CBC WINNIPEG -- Two young <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Winnipeg" target="_blank">Winnipeggers</a> are urging <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_Police_Service" target="_blank">Winnipeg Police Service</a> to be more professional when dealing with people who are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Deaf</a> after both experienced officers who didn't believe them and refused to try to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication" target="_blank">communicate</a> with them at traffic stops.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/deaf-drivers-faced-with-disbelief-disrespect-during-winnipeg-traffic-stops-1.3464343" target="_blank">Dana Zimmer</a> and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/deaf-drivers-faced-with-disbelief-disrespect-during-winnipeg-traffic-stops-1.3464343" target="_blank">Jenna Irwin</a> both experienced incredulous officers who didn't initially believe they were Deaf during traffic stops.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?mediaId=2684430668" 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 />"It's happened a few times. I'm not a bad driver but it has happened a few times, and sometimes my interactions with police are very cordial – very simple, I'll get a ticket and that's it, but every once in a while it's just a little bit different," said Zimmer.<br /><br /><br /><br />Zimmer remembers a time a few years ago when she was pulled over, and the officer started talking to her after she rolled down her window.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Of course they'll be talking, that's natural, that's what they would normally do, and I gestured that I'm a Deaf individual and I use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language" target="_blank">sign language</a>," she said. "They just kind of gave me this look like they didn't believe me. They didn't actually think I was a Deaf person so they just kept talking to me as if I could understand them."<br /><br /><br /><br />Zimmer said she tried again to communicate that she was Deaf, but the officer seemed frustrated.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/01/winnipeg-most-racist-city-in-canada.html" title="Related Post">Winnipeg Most Racist City In Canada: Maclean's</a></span></div><br /><br />"I felt that I needed to prove myself as a Deaf individual, and I didn't know how I was going to do that other than saying that I was Deaf. I felt that they just didn't believe me," she said.<br /><br /><br /><br />Zimmer said the officer motioned for her to get a pen and paper, which she didn't have handy, so he went to his car and came back with a ticket.<br /><br /><br /><br />She said the ticket had to do with a new rule she wasn't aware of.<br /><br /><br /><br />"When someone says they're Deaf, they need to be able to interact with them in an appropriate way," said Zimmer. "You're going to be interacting with different people in the community, and it needs to always be professional."<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-peg-faced-disrespect-during.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Jenna Irwin of Winnipeg"><img height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXrjB571-mvvJrUIXMS8ebcfN_EREsIe2WnqJyfzcw_ESuopwZoVjUgaK6Tc2b-NiTEhL4m_aSjBQ7WzqsFdXpMVq1L7QgP5kb7dGpdggAlO8Q2SyTseW7_3wo_eNICzSGsBtTFdvbXtR/s1600/jenna-irwin-winnipeg.jpg" width="300" /></a>Irwin has experienced the same thing. She says it usually takes several gestures and requests to have officers believe she is Deaf. "I think the first and second time they try to talk, and they think I'm lying, and then I'm like, 'No, I can't understand you,'" she said.<br /><br /><br /><br />She recently had an experience on her way home from work where she tried to use a pen and paper to communicate with an officer, but he refused. He went back to his cruiser car and she waited 45 minutes for another officer to show up who knew some sign language.<br /><br /><br /><br />She says the officer could've communicated to her he was calling someone who knew sign, but he refused to use a pen and paper to communicate.<br /><br /><br /><br />"I think sometimes the police officers just don't want to take the time or make the effort to communicate with us," she said. I think we all want to be treated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equality" target="_blank">equally</a>. We want to feel as though we're the same as everybody else, and communication is very important. Eye contact is very important. I'm not too sure why they would assume we should be treated any differently just because we're Deaf."<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" target="_blank">Read The Full Story</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Deaf Winnipeggers:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/deaf-blind-housing-project-in-winnipeg.html">Deaf-Blind Housing Project In Winnipeg, Canada</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 'Peg Faced 'Disrespect' During Traffic Stops

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf drivers faced with disbelief, disrespect during Winnipeg traffic stops due to communication barriers in Canada....

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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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Listen Up - Canadian Deaf Sports Association

VIDEO: <i><b>Listen Up - Canadian Deaf Sports Association - Exclusive Interviews.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/listen-up-canadian-deaf-sports.html" title="Canadian Deaf Sports Association"><img height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8n1xy7lu3H4NEfDXPQQhTz4S68EkN4MMb-Q1N0r0PjOsjDv5uCYvmWBIZ2fwQpfdWobROJw-wfcGZqwXLzwpH0gpajDCE5x4TwHnMeZAzMqURdrVCiS1P3zXwkW78nlXpEwuNzPQgL9u-/s400/canadian-deaf-sports-association.png" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />TORONTO -- Video produced for the <a href="http://www.assc-cdsa.com/" target="_blank">Canadian Deaf Sports Association</a> featuring athletes, board members and interviews in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a> on Vimeo. Sorry no closed captioning - typically for Deaf Canadians.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/154909783" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div><br /><br /><b>Follow Canadian Deaf Sports Association:</b><br /><br />Facebook - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/assc.cdsa/" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/assc.cdsa</a><br /><br />Twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/assc_cdsa/" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/assc_cdsa</a><br /><br />Instagram - <a href="http://www.instagram.com/assc_cdsa" target="_blank">http://instagram.com/assc_cdsa</a><br /><br />Official site - <a href="http://www.assc-cdsa.com/" target="_blank">http://assc-cdsa.com</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians" target="_blank">#Deaf Canadians</a>

Listen Up - Canadian Deaf Sports Association

VIDEO: Listen Up - Canadian Deaf Sports Association - Exclusive Interviews. TORONTO -- Video produced for the Canadian Deaf Sports Associati...

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CBC - The Current Launches Pilot Project For Deaf

VIDEO [CC] - <i><b>Deaf News: Transcripts, sign language radio docs aim to help Deaf audiences 'be part of a larger conversation'</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2016/02/cbc-current-launches-pilot-project-for.html" title="CBC's The Current Launches Pilot Project For Deaf"><img height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCLolMREl1k1lMkE_z-JTNxmctT8UsvCaz_3XEfNWwrNgdiuZiBu_-e6_RWSuhZdYPOZukxHwJl-Atp3uGpJ1KyLVWZT139un-NJzRM-sLp-MR3nojVJIToPQ0PtPfHods1geAlIeWpEs/s400/cbc-the-current.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br />TORONTO -- <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CBC Radio</a> and current affairs show <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Current</a> are starting a pilot project to help improve the accessibility of public radio for an estimated 1.3 million Canadians who are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deaf or Hearing Impaired</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Beginning Monday, CBC will post text transcripts of the show - Canada's No. 1 radio interview program - online daily for audiences to read, print and share.<br /><br /><br /><br />A wide variety of listeners, from post-secondary students and professors to new citizens learning <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">English</a> to engaged listeners, regularly contact The Current to request program transcripts.<br /><br /><br /><br />The public broadcaster also pledges to film one <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language" target="_blank">American Sign Language</a> (ASL) interpreted radio documentary from the The Current and post it online each month.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Svi1noSu8dI" 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 /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/transcripts-asl-videos-available-online-for-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-audience-1.3425933" target="_blank">THE CURRENT | Transcripts, ASL videos available online for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audience</a><br /><br /><br /><br />The project is possible through the help of a grant from the <a href="http://www.baf-far.ca/" target="_blank">Broadcasting Accessibility Fund.</a><br /><br /><br /><br />"This is a first for CBC Radio and unique in Canadian media," Heather Conway, CBC's executive vice president of English Services, said in a statement.<br /><br /><br /><br />"By forging a deeper connection between traditional radio and the digital sphere, CBC is leading the way in providing all Canadians with unprecedented ways to access vital, distinctly Canadian radio conversations." <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/cbc-current-deaf-asl-radio-docs-1.3428872" target="_blank">Read The Full Story</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b> <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians">@Deaf Canadians</a>

CBC - The Current Launches Pilot Project For Deaf

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Transcripts, sign language radio docs aim to help Deaf audiences 'be part of a larger conversation' TORONTO ...

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Deaf Self Portrait: This Machine Is A Human

<i><b>Deaf News: Deaf Canadian activist, Landon Krentz on being Deaf: This machine is a human - Self-portrait to raise awareness about a life with CI.</b></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4dGmyRXQCw8k75ws-ihNejnGtA0SAKTTNa0otPt-pj4ryK2bXjuoRLIkzzLAUl0vO-Kq8fOBs-cOdBgOfV4sKVbJvMa-WMPALSne09MAVJMjjIMhfQTwbPmxFDnkTq0LSBkJeTz_HhHt/s1600/landon-krentz.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Landon Krentz"><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4dGmyRXQCw8k75ws-ihNejnGtA0SAKTTNa0otPt-pj4ryK2bXjuoRLIkzzLAUl0vO-Kq8fOBs-cOdBgOfV4sKVbJvMa-WMPALSne09MAVJMjjIMhfQTwbPmxFDnkTq0LSBkJeTz_HhHt/s320/landon-krentz.jpg" width="256" /></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/landon_krentz/" target="_blank">Landon Krentz</a> is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vancouver</a>-based arts and events management professional and Deaf-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queer</a> individual. He has created a series of social media self-portraits to raise awareness of issue that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_loss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deaf</a> people face. This is the second self-portrait in his <a href="http://www.straight.com/news/575436/vancouver-advocate-illuminates-challenges-deaf-people-face-social-media-self-portrait">series</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Are we programmed to behave robotically in social environments?<br /><br /><br /><br />The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cochlear implant (or CI)</a> received its approval by the <a href="http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/CochlearImplants/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1990</a> and it has been controversial for over two decades. This machine had a significant impact on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_culture" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deaf culture</a> due to the perception of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_%28person%29" target="_blank">hearing</a> people trying to force it on the community. The greater the force, the more some Deaf community members want to flip a table. For them, the CI is nothing but a computer inside a human body.<br /><br /><br /><br />In this image, this person is the embodiment of a betrayal of the Deaf world, though Deaf culture remains a part of him.<br /><br /><br /><br />His experience of Deafness is like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">porcupine</a>: when there are social dangers, a quill pricks him for every awkward encounter.<br /><br /><br /><br />Every day, he is reminded of his interaction with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audisms</a> and ensures that they’re comfortable with him, even though a large percentage of the hearing world will avoid Deaf people due to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication#Barriers_to_effective_human_communication" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">communication barriers</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />He is often caught “checking out” of a conversation and, like a machine, nodding with a pseudo smile.<br /><br /><br /><br />This bionic human experiences stigma and judgment from both Deaf people and the hearing world because he belongs to neither.<br /><br /><br /><br />Though his Deaf identity is invisible, he has a choice: to hide or to reveal his beautiful self.<br /><br /><br /><br />The <a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/2015/11/artificial-intelligence-may-kill-us-all.html">CI may be a machine</a> and technology will never be perfect. The gap between both worlds the Deaf and hearing worlds are great. It is up to you to decide to proceed with an open mind towards acceptance of all auditory binaries and spectrums. <a href="http://www.straight.com/news/627591/landon-krentz-being-deaf-machine-human" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Follow Landon Krentz:</b><br /><br />Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/landon_krentz/" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/landon_krentz</a><br /><br />Facebook - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LandonKrentz" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/landonkrentz</a><br /><br />Twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/landon_krentz" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/landon_krentz</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Related Post:</b><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Deaf%20Canadians">@Deaf Canadians</a><br /><br /><a href="http://deafyouvideo.blogspot.com/search/label/Cochlear%20Implant">@Cochlear Implant</a>

Deaf Self Portrait: This Machine Is A Human

Deaf News: Deaf Canadian activist, Landon Krentz on being Deaf: This machine is a human - Self-portrait to raise awareness about a life with...

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