Philly Police Discriminates Against The Deaf

Deaf News: U.S. Justice Department concludes Philadelphia police discriminate against the Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- A U.S. Department of Justice review has found the Philadelphia Police Department discriminated against people who were Deaf or Hearing-Impaired. Philadelphia police handcuffed Deaf people behind their back, thus making them unable to communicate with sign language, DOJ wrote in a Dec. 7 letter to the department. Police did not inform courts that defendants appearing for a video arraignment were Deaf, so the individuals did not understand what was happening, according to the review. And police failed to provide qualified sign-language translators or other services to defendants, victims, and witnesses, according to the review.



DOJ said it was seeking to remedy the problems cooperatively through a consent decree with the department. "In the event that we are unable to reach such a resolution, the Attorney General may initiate a lawsuit pursuant to the [Americans with Disabilities Act]," the letter states. The Police Department issued a statement Friday evening saying it would work with DOJ to fix any problems.

"While the finding and conclusion regarding the complaint are sobering, we appreciate the DOJ's work and their input regarding the matter," the Police Department said. "We are using this as an opportunity to address a legitimate concern and make necessary improvements. The department's goal is to move beyond remedial measures with a commitment to making this department a model for others in adhering to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act." The Police Department said it would collaborate with the city's Office of the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and with the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities. The Justice Department review was prompted by a complaint from a man who had been arrested, and that led to four other people who alleged discrimination by police.

According to the original complaint:

In 2013, a 23-year-old man who was Deaf was arrested in court after he threw a bracelet hitting two people during a sentencing hearing for his brother. He was handcuffed behind his back, making him unable to use sign language. While in police custody, a radio room staffer was identified as having some sign language ability, but the man could not understand what was being communicated. The man asked for a qualified interpreter, but police ended their attempt to communicate and placed him in detention for 16 hours. During his video arraignment the next morning, the judge was not told he was Deaf and the video was not captioned. Two months later, police arrested him mistakenly for failing to appear in court. His hearing had actually been scheduled for a later date. He was again handcuffed behind his back, but after his mother intervened, the officers cuffed him in the front. When he explained the hearing had been rescheduled, the officers asked for documentation but would not allow him to search for it. After he was detained and released, he asked for a telecommunication system for the deaf, but the one police provided him did not work.



SOURCE

Angela Maria 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary

VIDEO [CC] - A movement on and off the grid, founded by Angela Maria Nardolillo to provide sustainable resources and empowerment for groups within a larger culture.

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- A former Gallaudet University student brings relief to Deaf Haitian communities, Angela Maria Nardolillo is the interactive creative/art director & humanitarian, what it means to be Deaf in one part of the world, has a completely different meaning elsewhere and these stories do not just happen in Haiti, but after witnessing the abuse, violence and the struggles of those Deaf, Blind...etc with limited resources in various parts of the world, is how Angela Maria got there the city of Port-Au-Prince.



This documentary is based off of actual events from #offthegridHAITI missions in an effort to shine light on the realities, provide access to tangible solutions, and to pay tribute to the precious lives lost along the way.



Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Trailer.

The 'Off The Grid HAITI' documentary premiere released on June 30th, 2016.



Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary (Episode 1)

Official 'Off The Grid HAITI' Documentary (Episode 2)

For more information: http://www.takemeoffthegrid.org.



Produced & Directed by the Founder of "Off The Grid HAITI" Angela Maria Nardolillo, http://angelagraphix.com.



One World Futbol QALO The Shoe That Grows Because International Deaf Emergency Association des Sourds de Lévèque, Haïti - ASLH Friends Of Montfort, Inc Whistles For Life Phoenix Deaf Women Organization One World Futbol Foundation. The A Team: http://takemeoffthegrid.org/a-team.



Music by Mounds of Earth: http://moundsofearth.com.



Follow Angela Maria Nardolillo on Social Networking:

Facebook - https://facebook.com/angelamariaotg

GooglePlus - https://plus.google.com/angelanardolillo

Linkedin - https://linkedin.com/in/angelanardolillo

Twitter - https://twitter.com/angelamariaotg

YouTube - https://youtube.com/angelagraphix

Blog Site - http://angelagraphix.com



Related - #Haiti & #Deaf Travel

Deaf Actors - Choose Not To or Can't Speak ?

VIDEO [CC] - Viola Rose Muir: Deaf actors in Hollywood that choose not to or can't speak?



A summary about Viola Rose Muir experience in NYC acting class with 2 of 3 agents expecting her to speak. Quotes: "You know, in Hollywood, the hearing folks, I mean, many Deaf actors can talk, and to receive that feedback was not surprising. Then the casting director said, "Make sure you send these agents a thank you card." I had a thought so I raised my hand to ask Paul a question, "In that thank you card, I wanted to put in the word, 'Audism'."



He was intrigued and asked what it was and I explained that, "Audism is a form of oppression, 'you can speak, you must speak, you must hear, the expectation of Deaf/HOH having to act like a hearing person, oppressing us by thinking that hearing people are better than Deaf or Hard of hearing people, that kind of attitude or way of thinking."

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Paul was cautious and said, "Make sure you don't sound so defensive but you can talk and use it as your marketability skill." I said, "I know, right-right, that's fine, sure, but what about those Deaf people who can't talk at all and they want to get into Hollywood and to be in movies. That's not fair. Saying, "Lines are supposed to be spoken", that's not reality, that's not our world today, our world is so diverse, we have different and all kinds of people, they can't just limit by saying, "You must speak only.", that's not realistic.... Read more: Transcript Cont'd



Subscribe - https://youtube.com/channel/ViolaRoseMuir

#DeafTalent & Hollywood Controversy

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Avenged filmmakers respond to not using Deaf Talent.



Coverage of the #DeafTalent campaign, DHN caught up with the men behind Avenged. They discuss why they didn't use Deaf talent and the recent controversy around their movie.



DHN is a place where everyone can get the news in the language that suits them best, whether they are Deaf or Hearing. DHN is a news agency and incorporate American Sign Language, spoken English and captions into each broadcast.

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

Related DeafTalent:

#DeafTalent Deaf Roles Are Meant For Deaf Actors

#DeafTalent - Deaf Roles Belong To Deaf Actors

#DeafTalent - Dack Virnig's ASL Storytelling 'Fish'

Deaf Actors Can Fight Too

Reality Television Needs More Deaf Talent



Let's Connect Deaf and Hearing Network:

Website: www.WatchDHN.com

Facebook: www.faceBook.com/WatchDHN

Twitter: www.twitter.com/DHN_News

Subscribe: www.youtube.com/DHNNews



Related DHN News:

Deaf and Hearing News - Deaf Family

Deaf Mom Dances With Hearing Son Goes Viral

Deaf Chef 2014 - Kurt Irish Chef Ramborger

Deaf Domestic Violence #WhoWillAnswer

Deaf Talent & Hollywood Controversy

Deaf Culture Series: Interview With Guthrie Nutter

American Sign Language Effects On The Brain

The Truth About Illinois School For The Deaf

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO [CC] - Under Fire: ASL and Cued Speech at the Illinois School for the Deaf.



JACKSONVILLE, IL - A few months ago, Michele Westfall tagged me and a few other people about the Illinois School for the Deaf's website on "Cued Speech Myths." What I saw there was heartbreaking. This is my response to the situation, sharing observations on their video series. Please support the Illinois Deaf Community's efforts to improve conditions at the school.



An Illinois Deaf Community member has stated that the superintendent is leaving in June 2015 and the pro-Cued Speech principal, Angela Kuhn, is a candidate for the position. The community does not want her to take the job.



Description of Adrean Clark, a Deaf white woman wearing a black and silver ASL Bat t-shirt appears against a dark blue background. Her narrative is interspersed with footage from the Illinois School for the Deaf's video series featuring the superintendent and classroom situations.

Summary: The Illinois School for the Deaf released a series of videos intended to dispel doubts about their "bilingual" program. I was heartbroken by what I saw in the footage and would like to show you what I noticed.



- The school's mission is to provide a bilingual ASL - English environment. The actual practice is far from bilingual. The example footage shown takes place during an English composition class. The teacher asks (with Cued Speech) what "to conclude" means. Two students respond - one with ASL/fingerspelling and another by oral English only. The teacher winks at the speaking students. This is common to oral environments that try to "share space" with ASL. Speaking English tends to come first. The student that spoke got special treatment while not signing at all.



- The superintendent claims that the thousands of words in science and social studies have no ASL equivalent, therefore must be fingerspelled. That is a false claim, since ASL has built-in systems for developing new words. The choice to depend on fingerspelling actually robs students of full access to ASL - as an example a video from the ASL THAT! group is posted. In the video Joseph Wheeler differentiates between deer, moose, and elk by following ASL handshapes and structures. The result is a rich natural sciences education that all Deaf students should have access to.



- The superintendent states that Cued Speech provides an alternative for long-term retention of English information that doesn't involve English print alone. That statement shows that speaking is considered superior at the Illinois School for the Deaf.



- In a mathematics classroom, the teacher interrupts teaching to show students how to speak the word "proper." An assistant is called in to display proper mouthing and cueing for the students. When she tries to fingerspell the word, she gets a slap on the hand. It is disconcerting that so much time was spent on that one word - and on top of that, even daring to use English fingerspelling was considered "bad." That is not an ASL-English bilingual environment at all!



The Illinois School for the Deaf is an oral program that uses manually-coded English as the primary mode of instruction. It is not a bilingual program. Footage Sources: Myth 1, 2, and 5 at http://illinoisdeaf.org/FactOrMythASL.html



Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153142214605818 SOURCE

Profound Audism At Gallaudet University

VIDEO [ASL] - Audism at Gallaudet University ? You will decide after watch this vlog.



Out of the entire world, within the walls of Gallaudet University Deaf Space. Profound Audism occurred. SimComm destroys both ASL and English. Audism also destroys respect for Deaf people and their Deaf World especially at Gallaudet University.



I experienced profound Audism in Gallaudet University out of all places in the world. A place where the environment is safe for all Deaf people. This intrusion of SimComm and voicing is very irritating. I was not even angry at all at first. I wanted to give positive exposure to the fact it's not a good manner and that it is very disrespectful to Deaf people in general when hearing people SimComm, talking with the voice, using cell phones, etc.

I was hoping for dialogue and discussion to bring better understanding, respect and knowledge, but instead, this hearing student who claim to be a Coda got up and yelled at me with such profound venom, disrespect and hate. Such display of profound oppression has left me shocked and loss of words and thoughts. It even affected my friends at the table.



What hurts me more is that there are other Deaf people there who agreed with me, but sat and did nothing to stand up against Audism. I was even more shocked with the level of apathy. Are we so oppressed and thinking it's so difficult to fight it and we give up and just succumb to it?



I need your help to put an end to Audism from hearing students and put an end to apathy of Deaf people or their lack of courage to stand up for ASL and Deaf World.



My vlog is not an attempt to degrade or belittle other people most especially the hearing group/Coda I was referring about. My point was to bring this up to discussion and to raise awareness of Audism and acknowledgement of Deaf Space at Gallaudet University.



Please remain respectful and civil to each other in hopes we all meet together in harmony and mutual respect. Finally, I truly want to thank those who have shown support and encouragement. Thank you. Shane.

Critical Interrogation of Karl White's Speech

VIDEO [ASL] - Critical Interrogation of Karl White's speech at TEDxUSU.



A Critical Interrogation of Karl White's presentation at TEDxUSU: Establishing a sound foundation for children who are deaf or hard of hearing as seen on http://youtu.be/bfN1RPVuzl0.



Anyone with some level of familiarity with Deaf people will agree that there are some deep philosophical differences in how we interact with, work with, and approach Deaf children.



As such anyone who purports to be an authority on Deaf people has an ethical responsibility to be transparent.

We find it disturbing that individuals such as Karl White continue to blatantly abuse their position by misleading the general public about Deaf people, languages, and medical intervention. This is done through intentional framing, through omission of facts, and through giving appearances of neutrality when in fact bias is present.



Here we discuss some of the things we noted and/or have questions about regarding his recent presentation at TEDxUSU (published on December 5, 2012).



English version posted alongside video at FE: Butterfly Effect on Facebook. If you want a copy of the english transcript, contact us at facundoelement@gmail.com and we'll send it to you. Visit http://www.facundoelement.com for more information. Subscribe Facundo Element Videos



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