1. Deaf Talent Everywhere!
• In January 2019, Aarron Loggins performed heartfelt ASL renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, as sung by Gladys Knight, and America the Beautiful, sung by Chloe x Halle at the Super Bowl. The videos quickly went viral online, but Loggins performances were sadly cut from the live broadcast, causing disappointment among the community who were not able to enjoy the interpreted versions on television.
• In February 2019, Lionsgate released an ASL Interpreted version of the family film “Wonder” via Actiview, an iOS app, as performed by Nyle DiMarco. “While captions can make films accessible for Deaf adult viewers, they're of no help to Deaf children who can't yet read. Some viewers who can read captions may still feel more comfortable watching an ASL interpretation, particularly when it's their native language.”
• In March 2019, Trans, Deaf actor and activist Chella Man was cast as Jericho in DC Universe’s series ‘Titans.’ “After Jericho’s vocal chords are severed during his kidnapping, he now communicates through sign language and can control people’s bodies and voices through eye contact.”
• In June 2019, Bus Door Films was declared a business Partner for the Communication Service for the Deaf Social Venture Fund. “We recognize that while onscreen deaf talent is becoming increasingly visible today, it is equally important to have deaf talent behind the camera to help drive the creation of content that more closely includes real deaf perspectives, and not just for deaf audiences only.”
• In July 2019, it was revealed that Deaf actress Lauren Ridloff was cast as the first Deaf superhero in the Marvel comics universe. Ridloff will play Makkari in the highly anticipated film The Eternals. The motion picture will arrive in theaters on November 6, 2020.
• In July 2019, Marlee Matlin announced she will star in a new Disney+ Series called “Life and Deaf.” The series is being created by Switched at Birth creator Lizzy Weiss and Patricia Heaton -- the series and is based on the life of Jack Jason, who is Marlee Matlin’s long-time interpreter, it's about a kid growing up in the ‘70s with Deaf parents.
• In August 2019, Duckhee Lee, a 21-year-old South Korean, became the first Deaf tennis player to compete in (and win!) a top-level tournament on the ATP Tour.
• In summer 2019, Deaf Interpreter David Cowan went viral, once again, for his fabulous interpreted performances at Atlanta Pride. Cowan has been interpreting the Pride Parade since 2000, and served as the grand marshal in 2017. He is also well known and beloved among the Atlanta Deaf Community for interpreting press conferences and news events.
• In November 2019, it was announced that Deaf actor Russell Harvard was cast in Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway production of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” playing the supporting roles of Link Deas and Boo Radley. Director Bartlett Sher explained that he did not want Harvard to portray the characters as Deaf, saying “hopefully it becomes an option for people to consider Deaf actors for roles they wouldn’t normally be considered for.”
2. Update: Basic Things STILL inaccessible for Deaf People
• In January 2019, a Taco Bell employee was fired after a video was shared online of him refusing to provide service to a Deaf customer. The employee shut the drive-thru window on the Deaf customer without taking his order, and threatened to call 911 if he wouldn’t leave.
• In June 2019, a Deaf woman was denied service at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru. The woman, who typically writes her order on a piece of paper and hands it to the person at the window, was ignored by the employee for several minutes before she was instructed to come in and place her order at the counter. The interaction was widely shared and discussed on Facebook. “I would like to have them train their staff to do a better job, show respect and to know that there is nothing wrong with being Deaf.”
• In August 2019, a customer at a Burger King drive-thru was denied service due to her hearing loss. “I had my order ready, I had it typed on my phone. I do that often when I go through drive-thrus, it hasn’t ever been an issue." The employee instructed her to go inside to place her order, then called the police on her. Burger King responded by firing the employee and claiming that it was implementing a sensitivity training, with no clarity what the training would entail.
• In September 2019, a Deaf customer at a Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru in California was refused service and mocked by an employee for her disability. Her son recorded the incident on video and it quickly spread online, causing outrage due to the employee’s blatant discrimination. “A spokesperson for Jack in the Box said the worker was fired over the incident,” but the woman and the Deaf community have demanded further action including cultural competency training.
3. Let's Get Cultural Competency Trending in 2020
• In January 2019, two Deaf women claimed they were discriminated against by a Delta Airlines employee when the women wanted to change seats on their flight, but the agent at the gate was not willing to engage regarding the matter. What could have been a simple discussion ended with the police being called and the Deaf women being forced to book with another airline.
• In March 2019, Blue Cross Blue Shield was ordered to pay $75,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit after the company failed to accommodate a Deaf job applicant who was not able to complete an audio portion of the employment application. When she requested accommodations, she claims she received no response. “Like so many other people with or without disabilities, Ms. Meador just wanted the opportunity to work,” EEOC attorney Heather Nodler said. “She was well-qualified for this position, irrespective of the nature of her disability. Unfortunately, however, the application process became a needless roadblock to her employment.”
• In June 2019, a Deaf woman in Michigan filed her fourth lawsuit against a local hospital for lack of communication access, after explaining repeatedly to the staff that Video interpreting services are not adequate for her situation. Deaf patients are routinely denied equal access to important healthcare information.
• In September 2019, a Deaf man in Oregon was awarded $125,000 by jury after spending two nights in downtown detention facility without adequate communication access. “When Updike was first arraigned in court, no interpreter was present, so his arraignment was postponed a day and he spent another night in Inverness Jail. He was released from jail after his January 16, 2013, arraignment, and the charges eventually were dismissed.”
• In September 2019, a federal judge in Colorado ruled that the Colorado Department of Corrections must make videophones available to all Deaf and hard of hearing inmates, as well as those who have family members who are Deaf. The previous telecommunication systems for Deaf/ HoH inmates were so outdated they were effectively useless for many years. This is just a small victory in the ongoing fight for Deaf access to justice, learn more at: http://behearddc.org/
4. Some Companies Did Get the Inclusion Memo
5. A Thriving Deaf Employment Ecosystem: You Absolutely LOVE to See it
• In May 2019, Lost Rivers Vacations raised about $30,000 in a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch an entirely Deaf-created vacation rental company in West Virginia that employs the skills of Deaf builders and craftspeople, Deaf graphic artists, Deaf artists and photographers, and Deaf entrepreneurs to showcase the raw talent of the community and create a Deaf-centered outdoor space. Their first tiny house, the Clerc, is currently open and accepting reservations.
• In June 2019, popular wood-fired pizzeria Mozzeria officially announced that they will be opening a second location in Washington, D.C. near Gallaudet University next year. The Deaf-owned and staffed restaurant in San Francisco has been open since 2011 utilizing a combination of American Sign Language and written notes for communication between Deaf servers and their customers. According to co-owner Russ Stein “We’re good at making sure our customer experience is a good one because we’re excellent at reading their body language. There’s nothing more powerful than seeing that customer smile after eating that pizza."
• In June 2019, National Deaf Therapy became the fourth business partner of the Communication Services for the Deaf Social Venture Fund. National Deaf Therapy is a web-based mental health platform designed specifically to serve the needs of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind, Deaf and disabled, and Hard of Hearing communities through a network of Deaf therapists. The video-based platform was founded by professional licensed therapists Amanda Sortwell Crane and Megan Erasmus, Gallaudet alumnae who are both Deaf, to eliminate the unnecessary extra barriers people with hearing loss continue to face when it comes to accessing professional mental health services. “We want all deaf people to be able to choose a deaf therapist they are comfortable with. That’s the big goal.”
6. Accessible Tech Totally Having a Moment
• In February 2019, Google began introducing new accessibility features for Android: LiveTranscribe, which transcribes speech to text in real-time with decent accuracy; and Sound Amplifier which is a series of settings that will be found within Android that will allow users to “filter, augment, and amplify the sounds in your environment.” These features are being slowly integrated throughout Google products.
• In October 2019, Sprint opened a new storefront near Gallaudet University in D.C. that is equipped with American Sign Language interpretation technology. The store has a video remote interpreter which leverages Sprint’s video remote interpreting app. “By eliminating challenging situations that ASL users may experience — like having to pass notes back and forth to communicate — we are able to provide our ASL-using customers with a better overall in-store experience.”
• In November 2019, The Rochester Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY debuted a new self-guided museum tour app known as MUSEAI, created by a team at Rochester Institute of Technology National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Visitors use the app by entering a number located next to the artwork, which then provides them with information about that piece including descriptions, historical facts, media (video/audio) with captions, audio descriptions and more.
• In November 2019, the Professional Football Hall of Fame partnered with SignGlasses LLC to begin offering captioned tours of the main Hall and theatre attractions; in addition to their scheduled twice monthly ASL guided tours and other accessibility offerings.
• In December 2019, Android began rolling out Live Caption as built-in accessibility feature on Pixel phones, and hoping to roll it out to other Android devices this year. “With a single tap, Live Caption will automatically caption media that’s playing audio on your phone. Live Caption works with videos, podcasts and audio messages, across any app—even stuff you record yourself (except phone and video calls). As soon as speech is detected, captions will appear, without ever needing Wifi or cell phone data, and without any audio or captions leaving your phone.”
• In 2019, the Deaf person emoji was rolled out as part of Unicode 12.0. The emoji shows a person gesturing with their index finger between ear and mouth, used as a deaf sign in American Sign Language (ASL) and a number of other global sign languages.
7. A Little Shout Out to the Allies
• In January 2019, actress Jameela Jamil turned down a movie role for a Deaf character, citing the need to hire a Deaf actress to fulfill such a role. “I said it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to take that role and they should find a brilliant Deaf woman to play that role. I think you have to make those choices and not be too greedy and make space rather than take space. … I don’t want to be part of erasure.”
• In January 2019, Samantha Bee ran “Deaf Lives Matter” segment to address how police bias impacts Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals, and ways to improve police interactions. Bee used her platform as an entertainer to shine light on a major issue faced by the Deaf community, with interviews from prominent Deaf advocates Nyle DiMarco and Opal Gordon, who broke down some of the common ways that police officers can mistreat Deaf people when they do not have proper cultural competency training. Bonus: Nyle Takes His Shirt Off So You'll Pay Attention To Deaf Rights.
• In September 2019, Director Irene Brodsky released “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” to critical acclaim. The film explores the complex dynamics between three generations of Deaf family from Brodsky’s perspective as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), chronicling both the journey of her young Deaf son Jonas to master Beethoven’s famous piece on the piano, and the journey of her aging father, who is also Deaf.
• In September 2019, a preschool and kindergarten teacher in California gained internet fame for adding adorable glittery hearing aids and cochlear implants to the dolls in her classroom, which has Deaf and hard of hearing students. Said teacher Genesis Politron: "No child should ever feel as if they aren't 'normal' or as if they don't belong. I wanted to allow my students to see themselves in toys for once, to feel accepted."
8. Dang Wholesome Deaf Moments
• In February 2019, neighbors in Newtown, MA gained headlines when they all learned ASL for a Deaf child. More than 20 neighbors “hired an instructor on their own and regularly gather together in a living room to learn the language.”
• In April 2019, a story about a Deaf man who adopted an unwanted Deaf dog went viral. The puppy was rescued from Florida and the man, Nick Abbott, found him through a Facebook post. The two instantly bonded and they now besties who communicate through sign language.
• In May 2019, a whole elementary school in Maine learned ASL to welcome a Deaf kindergartener. She is the school’s first Deaf student. The teachers and other students at the school jumped on the opportunity to learn a new language, even using their free time to learn more words and phrases. "Morey -- without even knowing it -- has taught us so much," said school Principal Kimberly Sampietro. "She has brought a culture to our building that we didn't have before."
• In October 2019, Carrie Underwood brought a young Deaf fan onstage in Washington, DC for an ASL duet. “Eight-year-old Savannah Dahan shot into the spotlight this spring with an awe-inspiring cover of Carrie Underwood’s empowered anthem, ‘The Champion’ featuring Ludacris, stealing hearts by using American Sign Language (ASL) to bring the hit’s lyrics to life.”
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