For Police Officers: VRS, VRI or Live Interpreter?

By Jean F. Andrews A deaf person calls 911. Through a relay interpreter, she signs that her husband is beating her and she is afraid because he has pulled a knife. Now, she has locked herself in the back bedroom. Please send the police, she signs. Emotionally distraught, she sobs and hangs up. The relay

In Touch With Braille – Angela Orlando

By Jean F. Andrews [Jean’s Note: Angela Orlando tells a compelling story of how learning Braille enlarged her life as a deaf-blind woman. This interview was conducted by Cynthia Ingraham, a researcher, writer and teacher in deaf – blind education. ] [Editor’s Correction: This article on Angela Orlando’s prize winning essay was credited to Cynthia

Nowhere Man In Nowhere Land

By Jean F. Andrews John Lennon’s sad lyrics in “Nowhere Man In Nowhere Land,” resonate in the life of Junius Wilson (1908-2001). Wilson was a Black Deaf man who was incarcerated for a rape he did not commit. His first six years at the State Hospital for the Colored Insane developed into a total of

November at DeafInPrison.com

By BitcoDavid [scribd id=115139292 key=key-1izz010b8vtwwec3yjde 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

In retrospect: On the state of seeking Deaf Smith

By Jean F. Andrews [Author’s Note: If you live in Texas, you know about Deaf Smith, a popular hero among deaf and hearing Texans alike. Dr. Steve Baldwin a prolific writer, presenter and trained historian, shares his Deaf culture research with deafinprison readers. Dr. Baldwin gives us a fresh perspective on Deaf Smith’s role in

Third Grade Reading Level: What Does It Mean for An Adult Deaf Suspect?

By Jean F. Andrews In reviewing confessions and interviews conducted in spoken and written English between the deaf suspect and the detective, judges and prosecutors have difficulty in understanding a deaf person’s linguistic competence. They just don’t get it. Even when the videotape recording is replayed, the judge and prosecutor will listen to the talking

The Role of Early ASL Learning and Linguistic Competence of Deaf Individuals

By Jean F. Andrews American Sign Language (ASL) is seldom learned early by parents of deaf children when the diagnoses of hearing loss occurs. As a result, few deaf children have strong ASL role models in the home. This has important educational implications. But it also has criticaL repercussions when the deaf child grows into

A Deaf Policeman Heard the Noise…

By BitcoDavid Oaxaca Mexico now has a contingent of [d]eaf police officers, to monitor the non-audio equipped surveillance cameras that watch goings on in parking lots, markets and on streets. The belief being that these natural lipreaders will be able to observe conversations and other indications of criminal activity. Known as Angels of Silence the city of

Lipreading: What It Is, What It Isn’t

By Jean F. Andrews I read a children’s story about a deaf boy who purportedly was able to lipread a warning through a heavy snow and wind storm from the back of a ferry boat as he and his classmates were traveling to school on the mainland. The deaf boy was able to lipread the

What does placing your signature on the Miranda Waiver Really Mean?

By Jean F. Andrews Jean F. Andrews is a Reading Specialist and Professor of Deaf Studies/Deaf Education at Lamar University. Deaf suspects are asked routinely to sign the Miranda Warning Waiver affirming they waive their rights. What does this mean? For the police and detectives this means that the deaf person understands the six statements