Deaf Couple Face Eviction Over Son's Debt

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: The proposed eviction of an elderly couple who are Deaf and can’t read or write because they unwittingly acted as guarantors for their son’s bank loan has sparked public outcry in Spain.



MADRID -- The Local Spain: Bankia made the decision on Monday to cancel the eviction of an elderly couple who are disabled and illiterate after bowing to public pressure and a change.org petition that collected 220,000 signatures in just 48 hours.



Last month Maria del Carmen Lebron, 81, and Antonio Pleguezuelos, 76 who have lived in their home in the Madrid suburb of Pinto since 1970 were given an eviction notice as Bankia called in an outstanding debt owed by their son Gregorio.

It was only then that they learnt that in 2005 they had signed documents acting as guarantors for a €219,500 mortgage for their son, even though they hadn’t understood what they were signing.



In fact the mortgage agreement states that the contract was read out to the couple by a notary and that they had fully understood and agreed the terms. Their lawyers now argue that the agreement was invalid as both are completely Deaf - Antonio lost his hearing when he was four years old after falling ill with meningitis and Maria del Carmen was Deaf since birth.



When their son lost his job in the crisis and fell behind on mortgage payments the bank called in the debt and demanded they leave their house by January 30th 2017.



Their eldest son Benjamin made the case public starting a petition on change.org which garnered more than 200,000 signatures in just 48 hours and made headlines across Spain.



On Monday, Bankia announced that it had stopped the eviction order and would cancel the debt “given the particular vulnerability observed in this case”.



The case highlights the still ongoing plight of indebted homeowners suffering years of unemployment as a result of Spain’s economic crisis.



During the peak of the eviction crisis as banks called in loans, hundreds of families were evicted each day. In 2013, some 50,000 families were turfed out of their homes.



SOURCE

IDHHC Poor Service To Deaf Illinoisans: Critics

Deaf News: Agency accused of poor leadership, service to Deaf Illinoisans.

SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The State Journal-Register: A tiny state agency says in a brochure that it exists to “decrease barriers” for Illinoisans with hearing loss.



But according to critics, the Springfield-based Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission is squandering its $800,000 to $850,000 in annual state funding through inept leadership and weak oversight.



“They are incompetent,” said Corey Axelrod, president of the Illinois Association of the Deaf, referring to commission director John Miller and assistant director Janet Lambert.



“They really shouldn’t be leading this particular agency,” said Axelrod, speaking on behalf of the 500-member, all-volunteer association.



Added Alan Thomas, Deaf services coordinator at the PACE Center for Independent Living in Urbana: “I don’t think they have enough expertise to run that agency. When I contact them for information, they don’t have much to share.”



Money that is going unused by the commission should be devoted to hiring more staff, Axelrod said, while Miller and Lambert should be replaced.



"They are underqualified and overpaid," Axelrod said.



Critics of the commission launched an online petition this summer that has been signed by 235 people and calls for the commission to “commit itself to make actual systematic changes and ensure that the state of Illinois, non-Deaf individuals and service providers, not only hear, but also listen to the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community the IDHHC is supposed to serve.”



Axelrod, 30, an Arlington Heights resident who works for a nonprofit group in the Chicago area, said he and others leveling criticism are "baffled" by the responses they have received from Miller and others at the commission the past several years... Read More at The State Journal-Register.



UPDATE: Deaf commission forming task force to address some complaints - Facing criticism from a statewide advocacy group for people with hearing loss, the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission voted Wednesday to form a task force to improve the quality of sign-language interpreters.



The commission, meeting at the Illinois State Library in Springfield, also decided to hold a “retreat” for commissioners the morning of their Nov. 10 meeting and use both public events to address concerns raised by the Illinois Association of the Deaf... Read More at The State Journal-Register.

Deaf Footy Fans Claims AFL Discrimination

Deaf News: Deaf footy fans claims Australian Football League discrimination.



MELBOURNE, AU -- The Age: The email came from a woman in Adelaide. "You moron, are you stupid? Are you paying for the interpreter or is the taxpayer paying for it? There are bigger issues in the world then a f--king interpreter".



Ramas McRae smiles, and shrugs his broad shoulders.



The Deaf community advocate has become the target of abusive messages after his public push to get the Australian Football League to provide Auslan (Australian sign language) translation at the Grand Final.



But when you're born with a disability, you learn to grow a thick skin, the Hawthorn fan says, signing to me through an interpreter, Mark Quinn.



A Hawthorn fan, McRae asked the league to provide a translator for the entertainment and ceremonies during the Grand Final this year, including the anthem. But the AFL refused, saying the closed caption system on TV was appropriate.



So McRae has lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission, claiming the AFL have discriminated against him on the basis of his disability, and also launched a change.org petition. He is supported by a range of groups, including Deaf Australia and Deaf Victoria.



With the AFL promoting awareness of the women's league, and LGBTI recognition through its Pride game, McRae wants it to extend this inclusion to Deaf people (at the cost of a few hundred dollars).



"The Deaf community, and Deaf football fans, have the right to be a visible part of this huge sporting event," McRae says. "As citizens, we also have the right to see the national anthem in our preferred language."



Closed captions often have a 30-second to one-minute time lag on them, and require a screen, which means people who are at the game will not be able to see them, he says. Auslan is a language with its own syntax and grammar, which is quite different to English.



Internationally, particularly in the United States, sign language is commonly used at sporting events, including at the grand finals of the National Football League and National Basketball Association.



"For Deaf Americans it's very normal. People are often quite surprised internationally that Australia lags so far behind."



Some sporting codes are keen on the idea. Melbourne Racing Club's head of racing, Jake Norton, contacted McRae after he heard about his request. The club would like to introduce interpreters at major race meets, he said.



The AFL believes an on-ground interpreter would not be seen by the crowd, because of the distance from the seating to the arena, a spokesman said in a statement.



And because the broadcast coverage moves around the crowd and arena – and rarely focuses on the announcer – an interpreter would not often be seen, he said.



Having an interpreter shown in a separate box in one corner of the television screen would still be difficult to see clearly, and would impact on the wider broadcast, he said.



The words of the anthem could be displayed on LED signage during the pre-game period, and the AFL is discussing this possibility, he said.



SOURCE

Petition | 'I Love You' ASL Handshape Emoji

VIDEO [CC] - Campaign: Deaf community want the "I Love You" American Sign Language handshape emoji!

Not the actual picture of ILY emoji.

We learned from the recent campaign to add the taco emoji to appeal to Unicode Consortium, a non-profit that regulates the coding standards for written computer text that includes emojis - Sign Up Petition ILY Handshape Emoji.

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

Transcript - Dear friends at Unicode: We are asking for the “I Love You” handshape to be available in text applications.



Presently there are several handshapes that we use to articulate our feelings by text, including: “peace”, “thumbs up”, “thumbs down”, “face palm”, “fist bump," "a-okay" and several others.



“I Love You” is one sign expressed in American Sign Language (ASL) and it has moved into the mainstream with wider universal understanding and acceptance among those who sign and those who do not (yet). Up until now, the best folks can do to recreate it by symbol is _\,,/ and that really doesn't do the meaning justice.



The "I Love You" sign is an informal way of expressing a number of positive emotions, ranging from general esteem and admiration to love for the recipient of the sign. Source: Wiki



Of course, the “I Love You” handshape emoji would be available in all skin tones.



Help us. Let’s make the “I Love You” in ASL emoji official!



With Gratitude and Love, CM Hall and Chad A. Ludwig from Portland, Oregon.



Please visit and learn more at change.org and to sign up and share your support: https://change.org/p/unicode-consortium-we-want-the-i-love-you-asl-handshape-emoji

Petition | WFD - Save The Deaf Flag

VIDEO: Campaign: Deaf community want to "Save The Deaf Flag" for the new symbol to be shown up to World Federation of the Deaf approval.

Sign the petition created by Gaël Aguilera from France. This flag created by the international Deaf people since 2013, the symbol of a flag is very strong for the Deaf Culture in the world community.

It looks like the ONU, Unicef flag, We would like that this flag will be official by World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in Istanbul, Turkey, on 28 July to 1 August 2015.



Sign petition to Save Deaf Flag - https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/deaf_groups

Deaf Education Reform Act Petition

VIDEO [ASL/CC] - The explanation of Deaf education reform act petition. The Obama administration to recognize American Sign Language. Here's the video clips of the petition information in ASL with captions. Deaf community have to ACT now to cherish ASL which is a part of Deaf culture.



Please sign the petition to recognize ASL as an official school language. The Obama Administration to officially recognize American Sign Language as a community language and a language of instruction in schools.



For more than a hundred years, American Sign Language (ASL) has been persecuted as a "lesser" language. It is a homegrown and complete language that has survived efforts to wipe it out.



Yet today, ASL is still considered "foreign" and not given the respect and protection it needs. Many states have passed laws allowing credit for ASL classes as a foreign language but they have stopped short of recognizing its benefits as a language of instruction in schools, despite studies proving its benefits for students.



Official federal recognition will finally give ASL the "welcome home" it needs. We need 25,000 by December 12, 2012.



Please signatures the ASL petition now! https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/officially-recognize-american-sign-language-community-language-and-language-instruction-schools/CRPw2JLk



The Explanation of Deaf Education Reform Act Petition.

This video elaborate the purpose of Deaf Education Reform Act petition. The petition to White House can be found at this link: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/create-deaf-education-reform-act-end-language-delay-among-deaf-and-hard-hearing-children-united/Bp19q5lL

More information can be found at: http://www.deafsense.com



ASL Petition.

Please sign the White House petition seeking the Obama Adminstration to officially recognize American Sign Language as a community language and language of instructions in schools across America! For more information about the petition, please visit the following site: http://wh.gov/9Amm



Sign The ASL Petition!

Adrean Clark created this petition to recognize ASL as community language and a language of instruction in schools. We need 25,000 by December 12, 2012!

Share this article and the ASL petition link with your friends and family through email, Twitter, Facebook, and more!



President Obama, This is My (ASL) Story.

More details at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jvxDwLzc_E

The Federal Recognition of ASL petition is at http://wh.gov/9Amm



Please signatures the ASL petition now! https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/officially-recognize-american-sign-language-community-language-and-language-instruction-schools/CRPw2JLk



Related Post:

Deaf Advocates Urging The White House To Recognize ASL