Deafinprison.com Becomes Deafinprison.org

Twelve years ago, we created Deafinprison.com to bring awareness to the dangers and disadvantages Deaf inmates face in America’s prisons. We championed many causes during that time, but none so much as the Felix Garcia case—an innocent Deaf man convicted of murder by the state of Florida. Domain registration and hosting issues have forced us

A Culture Clash Between Police and the Deaf

by Jean F. Andrews, Ph.D. There is often a conflict between the Deaf and the police. This combustion fuels itself by the marked differences in belief systems and communication methods. Deaf people in the United States make up a distinct group because their worldview—by necessity—is visual. They are powerful because of their shared experience, history,

Phone Justice for Deaf Prisoners: TTY or VP?

“While they DO have a TTY machine here, but it doesn’t work properly — AND the only time we are able to use that machine is when someone is available to “monitor” it. What that means is my “counselor” has to take time of her work to sit beside me and read our conversation” (email to HEARD, January 10, 2013). And still another prisoner complained there was no power outlet near the phone for the TTY to continue working.”

2015 in Review

By BitcoDavid Happy New Year to all our readers, supporters, friends, Supporter Contributors and authors from BitcoDavid. 2015 was a great year for DeafInPrison.com, and I sincerely hope that 2016 will be even better. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times

September at DeafInPrison.com

By BitcoDavid [scribd id=172488527 key=key-2o4x03deklv59z8v2ygs mode=scroll] BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat

Mac’s Reach Exceeded His Grasp

By Jean F. Andrews It was the end of August 1974, and I was sitting in a crowded classroom next to 25 other students at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel’s College) in the bottom basement of the campus library. The professor, dressed casually in a light blue guayabera, walked into the classroom, picked up a

A Brief Discussion on C.I. Debate with Jean F. Andrews

By BitcoDavid There appears to be an ongoing debate on the value of Cochlear Implant technology within the Deaf community. Many people see these devices as a threat to ASL. Others believe its an attempt by the medical community and other hearing people to fix what isn’t broken. Still others feel that C.I.s can enhance

A Quick Addendum to the “Little Books” Post

By BitcoDavid Jean F. Andrews asked me to post the following citations: Little Books are the intellectual property of Dr. Jana Mason from the University of Illinois and Dr. Christine McCormick from Illinois State University. They gave Jean permission to use them for the Alabama Study, and also to distribute them to other researchers, parents

The Child First Campaign/Alice Cogswell Act, Read About It And Vote

By Jean F. Andrews Dr. Ron Stern, superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Deaf, spoke to the Texas Association of the Deaf in Galveston, Texas on August 3, 2013 about the Child First Campaign. This is a national movement that is working toward ensuring that deaf and hard of hearing children receive full

How To Learn About Deaf Culture? Read Tom Holcomb’s Introduction to American Deaf Culture

By Jean F. Andrews Tom Holcomb, writer-scholar-teacher who is Deaf, captures the heart, mind and soul of the Deaf community in his book, Introduction to American Deaf Culture. Respect me as a member of a cultural-linguistic group, don’t pity me as a member of a group of disabled individuals. While sign languages are not universal