Bill Barkeley is a Deaf Blind American adventurer, author, advocate and public speaker who has led an extraordinary life. In an interview with H3 World TV, Barkeley shared his experiences navigating various challenges as he lost his vision and hearing. Barkeley is the youngest of five siblings and is the only one in his family who is Deaf Blind due to having Usher’s Syndrome Type 2. Despite having lost most of his hearing by age five and experiencing severe vision loss as he grew older, Barkeley has achieved remarkable feats, including being the first Deaf Blind individual to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in 2008, and leading Deaf teenagers on adventures to the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu and the Amazon Rainforest. 

The opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris, France, was a ceremony filled with diversity and inclusion, amongst some of the world’s most athletic people. Deaf American performer, Shaheem Sanchez, gave a performance in American Sign Language (ASL) during the opening ceremony, which gained global attention. Sanchez is also known for his performance at the USA’s Super Bowl in February 2024, which faced criticism from the Deaf community regarding his ASL interpretation. Sanchez faced criticism from the Deaf community once again for his performance at the Olympics, with many noting that his interpretation was not up to standard. 

A YouTuber, Rohan Cariappa, and a radio jockey, Shaayan Bhattacharya, from Bengaluru, have been arrested by cyber crime police for posting an offensive Instagram reel about the Deaf community in India. The reel, which was uploaded to Cariappa’s Instagram account, featured Bhattacharya acting as a politician while Cariappa made obscene gestures while interpreting his message. The video was widely shared within the Deaf community and led to a complaint from Shankar KH, chairperson of the Karnataka State Deaf Welfare Association.

In July, the first session of the 2024 international camp on a yacht in Holland ended. In total, this is the fifth camp on the Deaf Sail Camp yacht. Over the course of a week, more than 20 participants from 8 countries learned how to hoist and pack sails and control a yacht. The participants visited 5 towns in Holland, rode famous bicycles around the island, and tried local cuisine. 

DeafFeminist is a group that was founded in 2022 in Belgium. Other countries also have such an organization. This is to protect the interests and rights of deaf women. They constantly tell stories about successful women of the world, and in three sign languages: French, Dutch and international. This can help women gain confidence in themselves and their rights.