A Deaf couple, Joel Alfaro and Yusela Silvente were denied a marriage license when they showed up at a courthouse on their 10th anniversary. The staff at the Clerk of Court said the couple needed to bring a sign language interpreter. They have filed a lawsuit for discriminating under the Americans with Disabilities Act even though Clerk of Court’s website states interpreters are provided!

Yasmine Young, a Deaf transgender was born a boy but always knew that something wasn’t quite right with her identity and came to terms. She credits the internet as a godsend and that the world has become aware of transgenders. She is the first Deaf openly transgender woman in Ireland and started her YouTube channel to share her experiences after her friends kept telling her. She said it was societal attitude that made her move to London where she feels transgender people and transitioning re more socially accepted.

Convo Relay, a Deaf-owned sign language interpreting business in the U.S. has expanded their services to South Africa where they will operate a National Relay Service. Convo also has services not only in the U.S. but in Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.

Religious extremists often threaten to kill disabled children so the family of a 6-year old Deaf boy, Lawand Hamad Amin escaped from Iraq and spent one year in a tent at a refugee camp in France before arriving in the United Kingdom. The UK however did not grant asylum so the family returned to Germany where a lawyer launched a petition which gathered 10,000 signature and eventually was told they could stay in the UK. Lawand is learning British Sign Language (BSL) at the Royal School for the Deaf.

Deaf chef Yvonne Cobb appeared in the studio kitchen on ITV’s “This Morning” program to make chimichangas, her favorite dish. “I’ve been very honored over the years that many young children and older Deaf people are feeling more confident in the kitchen as a result of my cookery school classes”. The Daily Mail news website says the segment got positive feedback for promoting inclusivity and awareness.

Coldplay, a British rock band is working to make their concerts accessible and are giving out SubPacs to Deaf fans. SubPacs is a bass system that uses tactile audio for the user to feel the beat. It is described as hugging your body while transferring deep bass to create a physical, full-body experience. It costs $300-$350 USD each. The idea came from Coldplayer lead singer Chris Martin when he got a SubPac as a Christmas gift from his actress girlfriend Dakota Johnson.