Category: Florida
Friday, April 12th, 2013
There are accusations of serious abuse against Florida's National Deaf Academy in Mount Dora, north of Orlando. Repeated violations have not been reported to state authorities, say two former employees. They accuse managers of covering up what's going on--including choking, punching and pinning patients during takedowns. Rooms are not cleaned while rotting food and insect infestations are common. Licensed clinical social worker
Kyle Gilrain and licensed mental-health counselorCarol Savage filed the suit. The facility is operated by Pennsylvania's United Health Services which responded by saying:
The deaf academy “takes the safety and well-being of its patients and employees very seriously. There has been erroneous information circulating about the facility, regarding allegations of abuse and neglect. These allegations are unfounded and have been unsubstantiated by the state regulatory agencies.”
Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration has issued the facility citations for 95 violations this year. There have been hundreds of calls from the facility to police in the last few years because of fights, missing patients, and other problems.
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Suit: Abuse at Deaf Facility
Tags: Kyle Gilrain, Related Blogs
Posted in Crime, Florida, Health | Comments Off
Monday, January 28th, 2013
A Florida woman is hoping to soon resolve a lawsuit she filed over the failure of police to provider her with a sign language interpreter during her arrest last year. Yolanda Gevarzes is deaf says Port Orange officers took her into custody on a domestic violence charge following an argument with her boyfriend in the parking lot of a Chili's restaurant during which she bit him. Rather than call an interpreter to find out what Gevarzes says took place, they used her boyfriend as an interpreter, which led to her arrest. The 41 year old from nearby Daytona Beach was even handcuffed with her hands behind her back for a time, before being taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail. The staff of the facility did not provide with an interpreter either. Gevarzes is a grandmother who had never been arrested. She was released the next morning and no formal charges were ever filed against her.
Tags: Daytona Beach, Port Orange, sign language, Yolanda Gevarzes
Posted in ASL, Crime, Florida, Interpreters, Legal | Comments Off
Friday, December 14th, 2012
WTEV-TV in Jacksonville, Florida tell the story of one man whose live is better this holiday season, thanks to the
Salvation Army. Watch the video below or read the story
here.
Tags: Salvation Army
Posted in Florida | Comments Off
Sunday, November 11th, 2012
Wendy Kupfer's children's book,
Let's Hear it for Almigal, was inspired by her daughter's hearing loss and her work at the University of Miami Cochlear Implant Center. The Florida resident hopes to help other families who are coping with deafness. Illustrated by
Tammie Lyon, the book has been recognized by Mom's Choice Awards. It tells the story of Almigal, who has just gotten pink cochlear implants.
Her friend, who is black, brings another aspect of diversity into the picture. Find out more
here.Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Mom Choice Awards
- Related Blogs on Tammie Lyon
Tags: Mom Choice Awards, Related Blogs, Tammie Lyon
Posted in Books, Florida | Comments Off
Monday, October 1st, 2012
A south Florida man says he's fighting his condo board to keep his service dog. Read the story
here.
Posted in Florida, Service Animals | Comments Off
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
A Florida man has collected the autographs of U.S. presidents on a baseball, all the way back to
Herbert Hoover.
Read Tom Cooney's story
here.
Tags: Herbert Hoover, Read Tom Cooney
Posted in Florida, Politics | Comments Off
Saturday, August 4th, 2012
Authorities in Florida are looking for two deaf women who are missing from
West Palm Beach home. The family's of Teresa Flanagan and Jean Breyer say they have not heard from the women in months. Police searched their home to find personal items, such as their
TDY phones and medication were still in place. Their credit cards were recently used in Michigan. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to contact the offices.
Tags: TDY, West Palm Beach
Posted in Crime, Florida | Comments Off
Thursday, June 21st, 2012
A deaf man in St. Augustine is facing charges related to the sexual abuse of a disabled teen. Here's a video report from WTEV-TV (no captions).
Posted in Florida | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Students from the Florida School for the
Deaf and Blind got to enjoy a day of surfing at Huguenot Park in Jacksonville. Watch the story below on DeafNewsToday.com from WTEV-TV (no captions).
Related Blogs
Tags: Deaf, Related Blogs
Posted in Florida, Schools | Comments Off
Sunday, June 17th, 2012
The Business Convention and Expo of the
Deaf comes to Orlando this Wednesday through Sunday (June 20-24). Find out more
here.Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Sunday June
Tags: Deaf, Related Blogs, Sunday June
Posted in events, Florida | Comments Off
