ZanDraya Pollock dreamed of becoming a truck driver. In May 2022, they received their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) which allowed them to drive a large tractor and trailer. Not only did they achieve their dream, but they also became the first Deaf associate at Amazon to do so.

The Finnish Deaf Sports Association (Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto, SKUL ry) shared their concerns about lack of appreciation and support for Deaf sports. They gave as example Sara-Elise Ruokonen, a Deaf Finnish woman who won two gold medals in the Deaflympics in Brazil this year in the 5000m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase events wasn’t getting much recognition. Many municipalities follow the Olympic Committee’s awarding system but does not mention Deaflympics. In grant applications, only those practicing for the Olympics and Paralympic Games are considered.

A 17-year-old Deaf dog Max, looked after a 3-year old girl, Aurora for 15 hours while she was lost. The little youngster went outside of her home at a rural estate in Queensland, Australia with their pet Max at 3 pm. More than 100 State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers helped to search for Aurora overnight. Finally they found her with no serious injuries. It was the dog, Max who stayed and kept Aurora warm and safe!

Gabriella Della Morte Pålstam is now manager of sign language editorial office for Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company ‘Utbildningsradion’ (UR). UR says it is the first time they have a manager who is Deaf. Gabriella said, “It feels incredibly good to receive this acknowledgement from UR. I cannot emphasize how important and groundbreaking this is for Deaf people in the media world.”

Amy-Lee Joyce, a 25-year-old Deaf woman who is jobless and has been homeless has been on the social housing waiting list for three years. She has stayed at five different hostels and found them unsuitable for a young person. She suggests it would be helpful if there were more support for Deaf people and that it is hard to communicate as people do not understand her which affects her mental health and overall wellbeing. She hopes to become a tattoo artist and is studying graphic design in college.

Movistar prepaid and postpaid mobile customers do not have to pay for their mobile plans. Fabián Hernández, President CEO Telefónica Movistar Colombia says, “Connectivity is the great ally that allows guaranteeing access to digital life, this of course includes our clients with hearing disabilities, we offer a free application so that they can connect with the rest of the country, added to the specialized attention and advice in our 35 Movistar Experience Centers, our accessible sites, terminal catalog, commercial offers such as Movistar Without Barriers, among others”. This includes the Relay Center of the ICT Ministry.

For the third consecutive year Samsung Peru has won the “Equality and Inclusion” award for customer as a priority in its customer service processes. To participate in the “Equality and Inclusion” category of the contest, Samsung presented the expansion of its inclusive services for 2022. One of them is customer service in sign language in person through videoconference modules installed in stores and centers of authorized service of Lima and province.