By Jean F. Andrews Englewood, Co. On August 13, 2011, William Lawrence was arrested for an outstanding warrant. Lawrence has been Deaf since birth and had diminished English capability. He was handcuffed and questioned with no interpreter present. Lawrence went several days, unable to communicate with anyone, and didn’t receive an interpreter until he was […]
By BitcoDavid Susan Greene of the Colorado Independent reports that the DOJ has begun an investigation into the city of Denver‘s failure to provide ASL interpreters for Deaf inmates. Denver commonly refers to itself as an accessible city, yet it is being cited for repetitive violations of the ADA. In a suit filed by […]
By Jean F. Andrews Jim Cummins the bilingual scholar and writer makes a distinction between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). The reality for most deaf children (except those from deaf parents) is that they are learning BICS in sign and English. At the same time they are learning CALP […]
By Jean F. Andrews Is there a connection between early child abuse and adult criminal behavior among deaf and hard of hearing persons? While exact statistics on this question are hard to find, from 10 cases of deaf youths in juvenile facilities around the country, it was found that 6 out of the 10 were […]
By Jean F. Andrews Police and jail officers are often confused by the many forms of English that come from the mouths and lips, and off the fingers and hands of deaf suspects. Just because the deaf person can speak some words, and lipread the question, “what is your name,” or even sign some words […]
By Jean F. Andrews While it is commonly accepted to provide interpreters in court, deaf suspects and offenders still struggle to get sign interpreters for arrest, booking, medical/psychological intakes, classification, grievance committee meetings and for translation of the inmate handbook. Most vulnerable are hard of hearing persons who use sign language, and profoundly deaf persons […]
By Jean F. Andrews [Jean’s note: This article was sent to me by Julie Evans, freelance writer.] Article by: GAIL ROSENBLUM Star Tribune (Minneapolis daily paper) January 21, 2013 – 8:47 PM Adrean Clark insists she’s not an activist, just a hard-working mother who wants to right a wrong. That’s the best kind of activist […]
By Jean F. Andrews The media has increasing spotlighted suspects who have been wrongfully accused by the police, wrongfully judged by the prosecutor and judge and wrongfully imprisoned for decades. Tony Freemantle in Sunday’s Houston’s Chronicle (Jan 20, 2013) lists a number of reasons for false convictions: 1) prosecutors hide evidence, 2) judges refuse to […]
By Jean F. Andrews A deaf person calls 911. Through a relay interpreter, she signs that her husband is beating her and she is afraid because he has pulled a knife. Now, she has locked herself in the back bedroom. Please send the police, she signs. Emotionally distraught, she sobs and hangs up. The relay […]
By Jean F. Andrews [Jean’s Note: Angela Orlando tells a compelling story of how learning Braille enlarged her life as a deaf-blind woman. This interview was conducted by Cynthia Ingraham, a researcher, writer and teacher in deaf – blind education. ] [Editor’s Correction: This article on Angela Orlando’s prize winning essay was credited to Cynthia […]
By Jean F. Andrews John Lennon’s sad lyrics in “Nowhere Man In Nowhere Land,” resonate in the life of Junius Wilson (1908-2001). Wilson was a Black Deaf man who was incarcerated for a rape he did not commit. His first six years at the State Hospital for the Colored Insane developed into a total of […]
By BitcoDavid BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related […]
By Jean F. Andrews [Author’s Note: If you live in Texas, you know about Deaf Smith, a popular hero among deaf and hearing Texans alike. Dr. Steve Baldwin a prolific writer, presenter and trained historian, shares his Deaf culture research with deafinprison readers. Dr. Baldwin gives us a fresh perspective on Deaf Smith’s role in […]
By Jean F. Andrews In reviewing confessions and interviews conducted in spoken and written English between the deaf suspect and the detective, judges and prosecutors have difficulty in understanding a deaf person’s linguistic competence. They just don’t get it. Even when the videotape recording is replayed, the judge and prosecutor will listen to the talking […]
By Jean F. Andrews American Sign Language (ASL) is seldom learned early by parents of deaf children when the diagnoses of hearing loss occurs. As a result, few deaf children have strong ASL role models in the home. This has important educational implications. But it also has criticaL repercussions when the deaf child grows into […]
By BitcoDavid Oaxaca Mexico now has a contingent of [d]eaf police officers, to monitor the non-audio equipped surveillance cameras that watch goings on in parking lots, markets and on streets. The belief being that these natural lipreaders will be able to observe conversations and other indications of criminal activity. Known as Angels of Silence the city of […]
By Jean F. Andrews I read a children’s story about a deaf boy who purportedly was able to lipread a warning through a heavy snow and wind storm from the back of a ferry boat as he and his classmates were traveling to school on the mainland. The deaf boy was able to lipread the […]
By Jean F. Andrews Jean F. Andrews is a Reading Specialist and Professor of Deaf Studies/Deaf Education at Lamar University. Deaf suspects are asked routinely to sign the Miranda Warning Waiver affirming they waive their rights. What does this mean? For the police and detectives this means that the deaf person understands the six statements […]
In a recently published position paper, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has issued a position paper that targets the special care Deaf children require in foster care. According to the NAD paper, Deaf children require foster care that is both linguistically and culturally accessible, including appropriate medical, psychological, educational and mental health services. […]
“The School to Prison Pipeline” is a disturbing trend found in Deaf Education today. A metaphor coined by the Harvard Civil Rights Project, the “School to Prison Pipeline,” refers to two parallel concepts. For one, youths are being removed from school environments and are sent off campus to alternative schools or incarcerated in juvenile corrections […]
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