Will Be Deaf Grandparents For The First Time

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf Parents learn they will be grandparents for the first time goes viral on the Internet.

A Deaf couple in Michigan receive gift bags from their daughter and her husband in Florida containing a framed ultrasound of their first baby that is on the way. While connected over FaceTime, their heartwarming reactions are captured on camera. What a special moment!

Kimberly Lynn, sister and her husband live in Florida and their Deaf parents live in Michigan. They are expecting their first baby in June and wanted to make the moment special.



They invited them to her house for dinner, set up a face-time with Kristy and Timmy, and then gave them gift bags that contained a framed ultrasound.



SOURCE

Deaf Movie Fans Sues Celebration! Cinemas

VIDEO: Deaf News - Celebration! Cinemas sued for failing to accommodate Deaf, Hard of Hearing in Michigan.



BENTON HARBOR, MI -- FOX News: West Michigan movie fans who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing are suing Celebration! Cinemas for discrimination, alleging their Benton Harbor theater fails to provide widely available captioning accommodations.



Graham Forsey, 23, a St. Joseph resident who is Deaf, alongside the National Association of the Deaf filed a lawsuit Monday against Loeks Theatres, Inc., also known as Celebration! Cinemas. Forsey says he asked the Benton Harbor theater multiple times in writing to provide captioning and Celebration! Cinemas failed to accommodate, according to the lawsuit.

Read the full lawsuit here.



“It’s about access," said Mary Vargas, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. "It’s about Mr. Forsey and members of the National Association of the Deaf being able to go to the movies.”



A non-profit representing more than 137,000 Michiganders who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the NAD is suing Celebration! Cinemas with Forsey stating this failure to provide captioning technology violates a basic civil right as specified under the Americans with Disabilities Act among other laws. Meanwhile, Forsey says he is forced to drive about an hour to another movie theater which accommodates him.



Celebration! Cinemas responded to FOX 17 Monday and confirmed their Benton Harbor theater does not have any captioning accommodations, releasing this statement:



"We’re fully aware of the issues surrounding this complaint and new technologies will help resolve it very soon.



The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has been working actively with advocacy groups to clarify updated standards for supporting the Deaf community. These standards are currently being reviewed by the Department of Justice, and we expect a ruling from them in the very near future.



Celebration! Cinema is committed to continuing to improve services for all of our guests, and we are looking forward to the approval of these standards so we can continue to invest in closed captioning technology. Currently, we have assisted listening devices in all locations and closed captioning in our Grand Rapids and Lansing, MI markets. Benton Harbor and other locations will receive captioning equipment in the coming months upon the adoption of the new standards.



Technological solutions for visually and hearing impaired guests are evolving at a rapid rate. We look forward to working collaboratively with NATO and advocacy groups both locally and nationally on this topic.



Steve VanWagoner, VP of Marketing & Public Relations, Celebration! Cinema"



Closed captioning technology is readily available at other movie theaters. It ranges from open captioning an entire audience would see, to captioning glasses, or individual devices that fit onto a theater seat.



"It's frustrating because it’s been so many years since this was a legal requirement for theaters," said Vargas. "There are roughly 137,000 people in the state of Michigan who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and guess what? They’re just like everybody else. They like to go to the movies.”



SOURCE

Deaf Justice In Detroit

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf people are serving as jurors in courts across the area of Detroit, Michigan.



DETROIT (WXYZ) - Justice is supposed to be blind, but what if it’s also Deaf? The 7 Investigators have learned that jurors who are Deaf are serving on juries more and more.



Judges say in the past, Deaf jurors usually did not make it onto a jury to render a verdict. They’re thrilled that the courts are becoming more inclusive, and as we discovered, Deaf jurors are also changing the dynamics of deliberations.



Inside the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in downtown Detroit, judges hold more than 500 jury trials every year. In this recent armed robbery trial, not everyone inside Judge Timothy Kenny’s courtroom could actually hear the witnesses.



That’s because for the first time in more than 18 years on the bench, Judge Kenny had the opportunity to seat a Deaf juror to help decide this case.

Watch Detroit WXYZ with Closed Captions - HERE.



“I think it’s important for people who do have disabilities to think that this is not a segment of their life that they’re shut out from,” said Judge Kenny.



The court had two highly trained and certified sign language interpreters ready to go the day Juror #13 arrived for jury duty. University Translators Services provided the interpreters for the trial.



They are sworn in and the judge gives them clear instructions that when they’re interpreting inside the jury room for deliberations: they can never express their own views on the evidence.



“They recognize that's what their role is, and they’re not there to provide any editorial comment,” said Judge Kenny.



After 4 days of testimony, juror #13 - the Deaf juror was chosen to deliberate with 11 others. They found the defendant in this case not guilty. “I think every Deaf person has the ability to serve on a jury,” said Leah Scarpace. Read more wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/more-and-more-deaf-jurors-are-serving-in-local-courts

Deaf Lifeguard Be ‘Qualified’ Under The ADA ?

Deaf News: The Deaf lifeguard be ‘Qualified’ under the Americans with Disabilities Act ?



OAKLAND COUNTY, MI -- What would you do if you were hiring a lifeguard for a community wave pool and the applicant was Deaf, but he was also certified as a lifeguard? A new court ruling this month shows how mistakes made in assessing the applicant's medical condition can leave an employer drowning in litigation.



Case in Point: Nicholas Keith, 22, was born Deaf and communicates using sign language. He also uses a cochlear implant that helps him detect noises, such as whistles and people calling for help. Keith received his junior lifeguard certification and then successfully completed lifeguard training. (A Michigan county provided a sign-language interpreter to relay verbal instructions to Keith during both training programs.)



Keith then applied for a lifeguard position at the county's wave pool, requesting that a sign-language interpreter be present to relay verbal directions during staff meetings. The county offered Keith the job, conditioned on his passing a pre-employment physical. The doctor failed him, citing his inability to hear. Plus, the county’s safety and risk management consultants expressed concerns over Keith being unable to do the job, despite numerous accommodations the county was offering. So the county rescinded the job offer... Read More.



Deaf Lifeguard's Disability Claims Against Oakland County Go To Jury.



The Sixth Circuit has reversed the decision of a lower court and held that a Deaf individual should be permitted to proceed to trial on his claim that a prospective employer discriminated against him on the basis of disability by failing to hire him as a lifeguard. Keith v. County of Oakland, (6th Cir. Jan. 10, 2013).



In reviving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claim, the Court found that a jury should be permitted to determine whether the individual was otherwise qualified to be a lifeguard, with or without accommodation, that is, whether hearing is an essential function of the job and, if so, whether reasonable accommodations could have been made... Read More.