DeafDigest Mid-Week edition, March 13, 2013
- the special St Patrick's Day parade
The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pittsburgh is special. Leading
the parade is Miss Smiling Irish Eyes Pittsburgh. The young woman
is Maggie Donaldson. She is deaf and attends Western Pennsylvania
School for the Deaf (WPSD). It is the first time a deaf woman is
honored as the Miss Smiling Irish Eyes Pittsburgh in the 50 year
history of the parade! All the more reason for WPSD to go green
with pride!
- the Big irony with the Switched at Birth all-ASL episode
There is a big irony with the Switched at Birth all-ASL episode.
Music was turned on throughout the episode! Why music if the purpose
of the all-ASL, no-voice episode was to show the hearing world what
Deaf World is all about?
- a lost deaf girl finally found 12 years later!
12 years ago, 15-year old deaf Galiman Ahmad boarded a bus for
a 365 mile trip in India, planning to meet her family upon arrival.
Unfortunately she got on the wrong bus, and arrived at the wrong
city. Lost and confused, she could not communicate with the
police nor with social workers. Her frantic family did not know
where she was and looked for her for 12 years. Just last week
a hard working police officer was able to find her family
for a long-delayed reunion. This lost 15-year old girl is
now a 27 year old woman. Hard to believe that it is happening
in India.
- hearing spelling bee contests unfair to the deaf!
Every year schools have spelling bee contests, and the best
spellers will take part at the national Spelling Bee competition.
How can the deaf compete if they can't hear the words that
need to be spelled? It is same as charades. For example, if
the word is quiche, then the interpreter will have to sign
"egg pie" and the deaf student must guess that it is quiche,
but if he guesses wrong - such as omelette or scrambled eggs,
he is out of the contest. So unfair!
- a nightmare in a mainstream program
In a small town, a teacher of a mainstreamed program quit
last September. The school board advertised everywhere for
a new teacher and cannot find one. In the meantime, the substitute
teachers perform as "baby sitters" while the deaf kids play with
iPads all day. The parents are not too happy about it. The
school board is also not too happy about it. DeafDigest does not
want to identify the state and the county in this story.
03/10/13 Blue edition at:
http://35.182.75.222/category/newsletter/newsletter-blue-newsletter/
03/10/13 Gold edition at:
http://35.182.75.222/category/newsletter/newsletter-gold-newsletter/
