Posts Tagged: Deaf
Deaf Man Refused Citizenship for being Deaf
Canada has refused to allow a Russian painter to immigrate because he is deaf. Dmitri Smirnov was unable to pass the verbal language test--although he performed well on the test when allowed to answer in American Sign Language. Smirnov has been working as a commercial and residential painter but his work permit was expiring soon, so he applied last year to stay in Canada as a permanent resident. When an immigration officer refused his application in November, Smirnov appealed to the Federal Court of Canada, arguing the rules requiring the test be taken verbally discriminate against the deaf, but the court turned him away. The Canadian Hearing Society's Chris Kenopic is quoted by the National Post as saying, “The federal government is not recognizing sign language as a means of communication." Before coming to Canada seven years ago, Smirnov lived in the U.S. where he learned ASL. Read a detailed review of the case here.
New Boss at Deaf Center doesn’t sign well
The Vermont Association of the Deaf is not happy with who's been hired to lead the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing which is headquartered at Brattleboro's Austine school for the Deaf. The advocacy group says William Gurney, the new president and CEO, is not deaf and doesn't know sign language. He's presently an associate superintendent in the Keene School District of New Hampshire. Mary Essex of the Vermont Association of the Deaf says the entire process of hiring Gurney was flawed. She wrote in a letter to the Board of Trustees:
"VCDHH has so many resources and is capable of being a strong asset to the state of Vermont. We seek to collaborate our resources and work together as a team to improve the quality of life for all deaf and hard of hearing Vermonters."Essex says parents of students and alumni were not told of the change. Gurney is taking over for Bert Carter, who is moving to the Willie Ross School in Massachusetts. The school has hired an ASL teacher for Gurney.
Protest at Connecticut School
More on Cali Graduation
We shared a video from the California School for the Deaf at Riverside yesterday. If you want to find out more about the 61 graduates, including valedictorian Dominique Yeboah, click here.
Graduation in MA
The Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, held its graduation ceremony Friday night. Here's a short video report from WWLP-TV (captioning available).
New Leader at State Deaf School
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| Joel Coleman |
The board voted unanimously for Coleman today to take the helm, who has a master's degree from Brigham Young and teaches in the Mormon seminary program. Members also considered the Utah director of Title I, Karl Wilson, who was once the state director of special education. The third candidate was executive director of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and Center for Community and Professional Services, Larry Taub.
Related Blogs
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