In Washington, United States (USA), the Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS) is offering life-changing support to Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The nonprofit’s trauma-informed approach understands how abuse uniquely affects the Deaf and DeafBlind communities and adapts its services to avoid retraumatization while promoting healing. ADWAS’s project coordinator, Tash Hansen-Day, explains that abusers often exploit the vulnerabilities of Deaf individuals, such as limited access to interpreters and a lack of understanding of mainstream services. She continues by saying that ADWAS tries to address these gaps by providing survivors with critical support like interpreters, legal and medical advocacy, and safe housing, all while respecting their cultural and linguistic needs. One survivor, who fled an abusive marriage after immigrating to the US, was able to rebuild her life with ADWAS’s support in organizing her divorce, getting a protection order, and going to an emergency shelter.

A 54-year-old adventuring Japanese Deaf man, Yasuyuki Okubo, is climbing to the South Pole for the second time. Okubo explains that he has always had an adventurous spirit since he was a little boy. However, he says that this adventurous spirit has meant that he has caught himself in many dangerous situations, like getting caught in an avalanche in 2012 while attempting to climb to the highest peak in North America. Despite these risky situations, Okubo says he thrives off adventure and will attempt a challenging 111-kilometer route from a snowfield at 89 degrees south latitude to the South Pole.

A new report has revealed discrimination and ableism faced by Deaf and hard-of-hearing professionals in the United Kingdom (UK) TV industry. According to the study by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, nearly all of the participants - 98%, reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace, while more than 60% reported facing tokenism, ableism, and audism. The report highlights the challenges that Deaf professionals face in an industry where their voices are often marginalized, leading to untapped talent being overlooked. A Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) signer, Erika Jones, explained the need for change and urged the creation of a more inclusive broadcasting industry where all voices, including Deaf, are valued.

Yasin Celik is a true football fan. Like most French people, he loves football. But this Deaf fan exceeds what every other football fan does. Celik goes to football matches, looks for meetings with famous football players, and when he is successful at meeting with them, he teaches them sign language and is often rewarded with players’ shirts! 

Two Deaf Italian actresses have been recognized as the best actresses at the Territory of Signs festival in Moscow, Russia. This is the first time in history of the festival that the Best Actress prize has been awarded to two actresses at once! They both performed brilliantly in a play based on real life events about Deaf patients in a psychiatric hospital.