Booking, Medical/Psychological intake, and Classification: Why a Live Interpreter is Critical

By Jean F. Andrews While it is commonly accepted to provide interpreters in court, deaf suspects and offenders still struggle to get sign interpreters for arrest, booking, medical/psychological intakes, classification, grievance committee meetings and for translation of the inmate handbook. Most vulnerable are hard of hearing persons who use sign language, and profoundly deaf persons

January at DeafInPrison.com

By BitcoDavid [scribd id=123368992 key=key-218kvk4zyqzp83v88c25 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

Does Your Health Insurance Cover Hearing Aids?

By BitcoDavid I just learned that only 2 states out of 50 have laws mandating hearing aid coverage. Even so, those laws are ridden with loopholes allowing insurance companies leeway in opting out of providing the coverage. An entry level hearing aid, the Siemens Motion 300, costs 16,00 bucks. A top of the line model

DeafInPrison.com Nominated for Reality Blog Award

By BitcoDavid An extra special thank you goes out to Moorbey’z Blog for nominating DeafInPrison.com for the Reality Blog Award. We work hard to be the best blog we can be, and we are flattered to receive this honor. As part of our acceptance of this reward, I have been asked to answer these questions:

California Ordered to Stop “Race-Based” Punishment

By BitcoDavid According to the Associated Press, and the Sacramento Bee, the California Court of Appeals has ordered the infamous Pelican Bay, to cease all race-based punishments with the exception of a riot or other emergency.  The order came down on January 23rd. Three Judges ruled unanimously, that the prison had to explore methods of

Your Brain on ASL

By BitcoDavid Have you ever thought about learning a second language? You might be surprised to discover that there is evidence out there that becoming bilingual makes you smarter. It’s true. Neuro-biologists – eggheads who study the Human brain – claim that since so much of our brain activity is language based, by learning a

Your Money or Your Life

By Joanne Greenberg Activism usually means my telling someone what to do for someone else, and it generally involves the transfer of money from one group to another.  The prison system here is fund-starved, but our idea, the one about grouping deaf prisoners together, isn’t costly at all. Once deaf prisoners in a state system

Rosenblum: Sign language supporter awaits White House response

By Jean F. Andrews [Jean’s note: This article was sent to me by Julie Evans, freelance writer.] Article by: GAIL ROSENBLUM Star Tribune (Minneapolis daily paper) January 21, 2013 – 8:47 PM Adrean Clark insists she’s not an activist, just a hard-working mother who wants to right a wrong. That’s the best kind of activist

A Brief Tutorial on Accomodations by 4 Ears, 4 Eyes

By BitcoDavid My friend Cynthia Dixon of 4 Ears, 4 Eyes created this awesome video-slide show presentation and posted it on her site. In it, she shows how to ask for the proper accommodations to suit your needs, and how to go about finding them. [slideshare id=16127708&w=427&h=356&sc=no] [Editor’s Note: This is a slide show with

Wrongfully Accused; Wrongly Judged; Wrongfully Imprisoned

By Jean F. Andrews The media has increasing spotlighted suspects who have been wrongfully accused by the police, wrongfully judged by the prosecutor and judge and wrongfully imprisoned for decades. Tony Freemantle in Sunday’s Houston’s Chronicle (Jan 20, 2013) lists a number of reasons for false convictions: 1) prosecutors hide evidence, 2) judges refuse to