In 2019, a Deaf principal of Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind (HSDB), Angel Ramos, was transferred to another school and a hearing person became principal. Students and teachers were upset and protested for Ramos to return.

Three years later, Ramos is back at HSDB and said, “It’s the start of a new beginning and I am ready to rebuild the school again.”

Legoland in Windsor, England now provides British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. Legoland is a family-friendly amusement park with rides, live shows, building workshops, and other exhibits. 

The park wanted to improve its accessibility, so they are providing BSL interpreters for selected rides and live performances. The shows will be available on selected dates from April to October this year, and an interpreter can be booked through their website.

A bakeshop, Overdoughs, in Manila, Philippines strongly supports diversity and inclusion. CEO, Francis Reyes, worked to ensure job opportunities were available to the Deaf and special needs community. Hearing employees must take Filipino Sign Language and Deaf awareness courses to be able to work there.

In March 2020, Overdoughs had to close 12 stores because of COVID-19. The store depended on social media and delivery companies to survive. When lockdown restrictions were loosened, many Deaf employees were excited to return to work since it was their main livelihood. 

On March 4th, 2022, the Deaf school in Kamenskoye, Ukraine was attacked twice. A Deaf student, Vladislav Bilokin, said they’ve been lying in the basement everyday. Defense Editor from “The Sun” tabloids drove to the school with an Ukrainian soldier to help save the five Deaf students who were trapped in the school. About 150-160 Deaf students already escaped. 

The World Federation of the Deaf Ry is accepting donations for the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf on their website.

In Wales, around 575,000 people are Deaf or have hearing loss. They struggle with mental health because they’re often not treated equally at school, work, and public places. 

The Welsh council decided to encourage hearing organizations to learn BSL and Deaf & DeafBlind Awareness training through Zoom or in-person. Participants are expected to be able to use BSL for simple everyday conversations. Goal is to provide a more equal access in Wales to improve mental health.

China state news named a 29 year old Chinese Deaf woman, Jiang Mengnan, as one of the 10 most inspiring persons. She is a PhD student at one of China’s top universities. She grew up mainstreamed and learned how to lipread.

Jiang dreamt of becoming a doctor but decided to study pharmacy because of her deafness. In a hearing school, she had to study alone after class to copy down everything on the blackboard. She ended up receiving an impressive score on her exam. Jiang expects to get her doctorate later this year.