Advocacy Group Opposes ‘Miracle Worker’ Casting Choice

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Two weeks after a group of deaf actors protested the choice of a hearing actor for a deaf role in an upcoming Off Broadway production, the issue has surfaced again: Should producers have chosen a deaf or blind child actress to play Helen Keller in this winter’s Broadway revival of “The Miracle Worker”?

The producers announced on Wednesday that Abigail Breslin, a 13-year-old newcomer to Broadway who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as the beauty pageant contestant Olive in “Little Miss Sunshine,” would play Helen in the production, which is set to open this winter. Ms. Breslin can see and hear.

Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, an advocacy group for blind and deaf actors, among others, said in an interview late Wednesday that her organization strongly opposed a decision by the producers to not audition actresses for the part who shared Helen’s disabilities.

“We do not think it’s O.K. for reputable producers to cast this lead role without seriously considering an actress from our community,” Ms. Jensen said. “I understand how difficult it is to capitalize a new production on Broadway, but that to me is not the issue. There are other, larger human and artistic issues at stake here.”

The lead producer of the revival, David Richenthal, said in an interview that he had already made up his mind about his casting criteria for Helen when he chose to revive the William Gibson play -– he wanted a star. The only way to make money for his investors in a commercial Broadway revival of a play these days, Mr. Richenthal believes, is to cast stars, and his research did not turn up any young well known actresses who were deaf or blind.

“It’s simply naïve to think that in this day and age, you’ll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance,” Mr. Richenthal said. “I would consider it financially irresponsible to approach a major revival without making a serious effort to get a star.”

Mr. Richenthal said that he and the production’s director, Kate Whoriskey, as well as their casting director, planned to audition deaf or blind actresses to be Ms. Breslin’s understudy, and would hire sign language interpreters for the auditions of the young deaf women.

The distinction between the lead role and the understudy is that the show can sell tickets with its lead actress, Mr. Richenthal said. He emphasized that if he could not find a “qualified” deaf or blind actress who was right for the part, he would cast a hearing and seeing actress in the role.

Ms. Jensen’s organization was among those that complained vehemently early this month that New York Theater Workshop and the director Doug Hughes had retained a hearing actor to play the deaf character Singer in the workshop’s upcoming production of “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” an adaptation of the Carson McCullers novel.

Deaf actors, as well as the alliance and advocacy groups for deaf artists, demanded that the actor Henry Stram be replaced as Singer by a deaf actor. Mr. Hughes and the workshop met with several deaf actors and searched for some common ground, but could not agree on the central issue; Mr. Hughes said he would not fire Mr. Stram, who had played Singer in an earlier production of the play that Mr. Hughes directed in Atlanta. Mr. Hughes had auditioned deaf actors for the role in Atlanta.

So, first Singer and now Helen Keller: Should producers and directors audition and hire whoever they see fit for these seminal roles? Or, as Ms. Jensen asserts, if deaf or blind child actors do not start getting work that will turn them into stars, how will there ever be any for producers like Mr. Richenthal to audition?

Marlee Matlin, NAD, and Purple!

Academy Award winning actress and author Marlee Matlin, a member of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), is taking on a new role as an NAD spokesperson for accessible broadband services and Internet media.

Matlin will take part in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing addressing the needs of people with disabilities in the development of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, which will be submitted to Congress in February 2010. The hearing, along with innovative technology exhibitions, will be presided over by Commissioner Michael Copps at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., from 9:00 am -1:00 pm, on November 6, 2009. The public is encouraged to attend the event and to share their ideas and comments with the Commission. More information about the hearing is available at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi…C-294267A1.pdf.

“Not only is Marlee a phenomenal actress, she understands our experience,” said NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins. “The nationwide adoption of broadband and Internet services can only be achieved when those services are available, affordable, and accessible to every American, including Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing. The disability community must not be left behind as our nation’s communication, information, and entertainment services migrate to the Internet.”

While in Washington, Matlin will also visit key legislators on Capitol Hill with NAD representatives and other members of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT). Matlin’s meetings will spotlight on the need to enact the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009” (H.R. 3101) introduced by Representative Edward J. Markey (MA).

An outspoken advocate for captioning Internet media, Matlin first testified before Congress in 1990, successfully paving the way for a law requiring most television sets to be capable of displaying closed captions. Presently, Matlin is leading social media advocacy efforts to urge online video content providers, such as Netflix and Blockbuster, to caption their media. Her efforts have captured both providers’ attention in making their online content accessible to 36 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans.

“Internet captioning is very important to me as a deaf person because captions provide access to content that affects my life and my livelihood,” said Matlin. “Legislators need to know that captions are necessary to follow the latest news, information, and entertainment available on the Internet. I join millions of other deaf and hard of hearing Americans advocating for Internet access.”

Matlin is an acclaimed actress who gained worldwide fame with her role in the film “Children of a Lesser God.” Her performance was recognized by the film community with an Academy Award, making Matlin the youngest recipient of the Oscar for Best Actress at age 21. She has also starred in many popular television programs and series, such as “West Wing” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Her autobiography, “I’ll Scream Later,” published by Simon Spotlight, is available in bookstores nationwide.

The NAD thanks Purple Communications for sponsoring Matlin’s visit to Washington.

About the NAD
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value. As a nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to preserve, protect, and promote the civil, human, and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering the breadth of a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more.

About Purple Communications
Purple Communications is a provider of onsite interpreting services, video relay and text relay services, and video remote interpreting, offering a wide array of options designed to meet the varied communication needs of its customers. The Company’s vision is to enable free-flowing communication between people, inclusive of differences in abilities, languages, or locations. For more information on the Company or its services, visit Purple Communications or contact Purple Communications directly by voice

ND team evaluating services for deaf people

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A team of parents, legislators, community members and alumni of the state School for the Deaf are working on a long-term plan to serve North Dakotans who suffer from hearing loss.

The 13-member transition team is holding a series of meetings, starting with a session Thursday at the state Heritage Center.

Carmen Grove Suminski is the superintendent of the School for the Deaf. She says the Devils Lake school has 23 students, but it also offers outreach services. She says the needs are increasing and technology is changing.

State school Superintendent Wayne Sanstead said the transition team wants to take a comprehensive look at the services around the state.

Police probe report of sex assault at school for deaf

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Police in Frederick were investigating an alleged sexual assault of a student Tuesday night at the Maryland School for the Deaf.

Police Sgt. Jason Keckler said investigators believe the male student was assaulted by fellow students in one of the school’s dormitories.

Police said the student was being treated at Frederick Memorial Hospital and was in good condition.

Home > Entertainment Assistance Dogs Give Help to Hearing Impaired

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The little mixed-breed who was rescued from the streets of Puerto Rico needed a home. Dobson, of Orleans, Mass., was losing his hearing.

“My wife saw me kind of dropping out,” he says. “As people get deafer they get more anti-social.”

Both problems were solved when man and dog were brought together by the National Education for Assistance Dog Service, which trains dogs from shelters to assist the hearing impaired. Based in Princeton, Mass., NEADS has placed more than 1,300 hearing dogs all over the country since 1976.

Goblin does for Dobson what his digital hearing aid can’t.

“What the dog does for me is hears what I can’t hear,” he says. “She can hear the phone ringing, alarms, knocking on the door, when people call my name.”

The dogs chosen for this job have to have special qualities — often exactly the qualities that land them in shelters.

“The hearing dog is usually the dog no one wants,” says Brian Jennings, who’s been a trainer at NEADS for 20 years. “It’s usually hyperactive, willful, compulsive. They have to be. If the dog wakes you in the middle of the night because the smoke alarm’s going off and you push them away, they have to not give up.”

What’s unique about hearing dogs, says Kathy Foreman of NEADS, is that they work without being given commands. A guide dog for the blind, for instance, is given a command to go forward, and while it knows to disobey if there’s danger, it’s still initially responding to the handler’s direction. Hearing dogs, by definition, need to do their work when their owner doesn’t know there’s a job to be done.

So trainers look for dogs who are curious about sounds, but also very confident. These may be exactly the dogs that drove their original owners crazy because they were bouncing off the walls, but as Jennings observes, “sometimes a dog’s weakness is its strength.”

The dogs are trained to touch the owner and lead him physically to the source of certain sounds. So that they’ll do this on their own initiative, says Foreman, the secret of training is to make the dog think “it’s a big game, and we are happy to play it with you any time.”

New owners are taught how to keep the dog’s skills sharp, such as praising it for responding to sounds even in cases that turn out to be unimportant.

NEADS has no physical requirement for hearing dogs. “We’ve had everything from Chihuahuas to German shepherds,” says Jennings, and most of them are mixed breeds.

Hearing dogs not only let their handlers know that they’ve dropped their car keys, but also help in less tangible ways. Social interactions are often affected by the fact that deafness is not a visible disability. Foreman says that not hearing when your name is called is a big issue for the clients: “People say, people at work thought I was the biggest snob because I ignored them.”

The dog not only helps make the handler aware of sounds, but makes observers aware of the handler’s situation.

“When they see the dog, it helps people understand that they need to take extra time to communicate with that person,” says Jeanine Konopelski of Canine Companions for Independence.

For the hearing impaired, the dogs allow more freedom and independence, says Robin Dickson of Dogs for the Deaf in Oregon. One client told her that before she had a dog, “I never had time to think, because I was always trying so hard to listen.”

Dobson’s wife Joanne says that Ray, like many who are losing their hearing, was reluctant to admit the problem, and was coping by withdrawing from social interactions. “Now he’s back in the mainstream,” she says.

Plus there’s one benefit she didn’t expect.

“My friends are very jealous,” she says. “When I call my husband, the dog jumps on him till he comes.”

Deaf and dumb social worker feted by governor

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Governor Dr S S Sidhu, who was moved after reading a newspaper report about the life story of Raju Anath, a deaf and dumb orphan doing social work at Ponda, handed over a cheque for Rs 25,000 to him.

Sidhu has obtained a factual report through the Goa police department about his life. The newspaper report indicated that Anath was voluntarily helping in traffic discipline at Ponda and taking special care of school children and their safety.

The report submitted by the DIG, Goa, stated that Anath was in Goa for the last 30 years and is spending his days on streets and pavements.

He is rendering selfless service in regulating traffic at Ponda which is appreciated by the media and the people. As a traffic warden, he is performing the duty early morning and spending the whole day at the bus stand.

Though Anath is deaf and dumb, people understand his gestures and communicate with him. He is seen near traffic signals where he helps the traffic police to clear chaotic traffic during day time. Anath has set an example before the public on how to serve the society selflessly, despite being handicapped.

The police felt that he needed help and assistance from the government. Taking into consideration the fact that in spite of being deaf and dumb, Anath has been rendering selfless service to the society, the governor granted him Rs 25,000, on humanitarian grounds. He was called to the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, and the governor personally handed over a cheque for Rs 25,000 to him.

The governor has advised him to deposit the cheque in his already existing bank account, so that the interest accruing out of this amount could be of some help towards his day-today livelihood.

St Gabriel’s Castle Hill Hearing Impaired Children need funds to stay open

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The plight of St Gabriel’s early intervention centre which helps hearing impaired children was raised today by Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner. The Castle Hill school is seeking $200,000 to keep their doors open and the NSW Government will not provide the funding to keep the centre open. Private sector support in now being sought so the early invention program for 20 hearing impaired children is not lost.

“Despite funding a screening program to identify children with a hearing impairment, the Rees Labor Government is not funding the critical learning centres that treat those babies identified as having a hearing impairment,” Mrs Skinner said.

“These parents are trying as hard as they can to get the funding required to allow their children to learn, but Nathan Rees has turned his back on them.

“Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt and Nathan Rees are happy to be photographed with babies as part of the screening program, but they’re nowhere to be seen when those children with hearing difficulties need help with early intervention.

“The Rees Labor Government should ensure those children identified as having hearing impairments receive the early intervention services they need,” Mrs Skinner said.

A dictionary for the deaf

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In the stifling afternoon heat, a momentous occasion came to pass today. There was excited chattering all around but with a difference – it was soundless. Animated facial expressions and rapid-fire hand gestures created an atmosphere of exhilaration. This was the inauguration ceremony of the first Maldivian sign language dictionary. A book that will work as a bridge between the deaf community and the rest of society.

The event kicked off with a recitation of the Qur’an. A translation followed with Mohamed Awwam accompanying in sign language, setting the tone for the rest of the ceremony. Mariyam Fazni, the first-ever Maldivian teacher specialising in teaching deaf students presented each of the speeches through sign language. Even their applause, which came in the form of waving both hands in the air, was different.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hassan Mohamed, the principal of Jamaaludeen School said, “This will enable parents to help children with their school work and help people communicate with members of the deaf community.” He spoke about the start of special classes set aside in the school for children who were hearing-impaired.

The school first started offering classes for deaf children in 1985, after a class full of children with a variety of disabilities, proved too difficult to teach. “This year we started grade eight and we have five students,” said Mohamed. “We hope that these students will be able to finish secondary school here.”

Two years ago Jamaaludeen School introduced primary school classes for hearing-impaired children. “We still don’t have enough students,” said Mohamed. “There are still some parents who hide their children, despite the fact that it had been proven these kids perform better than average.” He called for a survey to be conducted to find out the number of deaf children and ensure they had access to education.

Amaresh Gopalakrishnan, a special educator and architect of the book, said language was of paramount importance to any community. “This will give an identity to the deaf community,” he said. Amaresh moved his mouth without uttering a sound, saying, “Even for two minutes you can’t stand this.” In response to the myth about sign language being universal, he said, “Each has its own methodical structure. The deaf community is a linguistic minority that does not depend on any language.”

When he first arrived in the Maldives in 2007, Amaresh was surprised to find he could not communicate with deaf people on the street with the signs he was learning at the school. He travelled with Ahmed Ashfag, the head of the Maldives Deaf Association, to four islands and found that each had their own set of signs. “From all this we have documented 650 signs and we have shown the book to many people to ensure that even a layman could understand it,” said Amaresh. His father, who is deaf, did the illustrations.

Mariyam Fazni said the book would enable teachers on the islands to teach deaf children, while Ashfag summed up the feelings of many of those present today by saying that it was the happiest day of his life in sign language. “This is my language. The doors have opened for this community now and we will not be silent anymore. We will scream,” he gesticulated. Ahmed Mohamed, one of the student’s parents, said those present had both the “brains and the will” to go on to higher education. “I hope they get the chance soon,” he said.

The project was funded by Handicap International and Lucy Roberts, the charity’s country manager, said the dictionary helped raise awareness about the deaf community and the problems they faced. Short theatrical productions followed, each highlighting the challenges experienced by deaf people in school, in society and even in matters of the heart.

Speaking at the occasion, President Mohamed Nasheed said he was pleased to be part of the day as he had two deaf relatives and had witnessed their problems. He also said an absence of communication hampered freedom of expression.

“I might not have stood in front of a podium and made promises about this, but I have given my word to a person from the deaf association who worked closely with me on the campaign trail that my government would do all it could to help this community,” he said. Nasheed said he hoped sign language would be taught in all schools so that everyone could communicate with deaf people. By the end of the year, he added, he hoped 1,000 people would learn sign language, equal to the 1,000 dictionaries that had been published.

The president said he envisaged a Maldives where selfishness was not a virtue and where people did not always seek out others who were like them. “What is lacking in one Maldivian should be compensated by another,” he said. At the end, students celebrated with a dance performance, throwing confetti into the air. Mariyam Rizwana, the first deaf teacher, ended the event by thanking those involved, adding that it was was “a new dawn for the deaf community.”

Municipality launches project to teach clergy sign language

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The Istanbul municipality is sponsoring a course on sign language to ease communication with deaf and hearing-impaired citizens. A group of 40 imams from mosques across the city is now attending the course.

A group of 40 imams has voluntarily enrolled in a sign-language course in an attempt to foster better communication with hearing-impaired worshippers.

The imams volunteered for the course being run by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in response to a call from the office of the mufti (Islamic scholar) last April.

The course is being held at the headquarters of the Department of Health and Social Services Directorate for Disabled People, or İSÖM, which is run by the Istanbul municipality.

The imams will attend classes once a week for three hours over the course of three months. They will receive certificates upon completion of the course, at which point it is expected that they will be able to communicate in sign language at a basic level.

Hüseyin Tohumcu, one of the imams to enroll in the course, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review he was pleased to learn sign language because it would allow him to help disabled Muslims practice their religion.

“We should reach out to disabled Muslim worshippers. Imams should address the religious needs of hearing-impaired worshippers as much as they do for able worshippers,” said Tohumcu, who preaches at a mosque in Istanbul’s Haznedar district.

İsmail Tüfekçi, another imam attending the course, said he started to communicate using sign language just three weeks into the course.

“The lessons are fruitful. We are learning 10 to 15 words every lesson. I believe I will improve my ability to communicate in a short time,” said Tüfekçi, an imam at Cumhuriyet Mosque in the city’s Kağıthane district.

Prior to enrolling in this course, Tüfekçi also attended a class on Braille to help him communicate with visually impaired Muslims.

Three of the instructors of the course are hearing impaired themselves.

Samet Demirbaş, one of the hearing-impaired teachers, believes that close dialogue between teacher and student is vital for the preachers to learn this special language in a short time.

“I have tried to encourage them to repeat every word. Therefore, we do not allow classes of more than 15 people,” said Demirbaş, who added that he was pleased to see increasing attention paid to the course.

“I do not know how many students I have met so far, but I am happy to teach them,” he said.

The course is part of an education program that has been implemented since 2004. Nearly 1,700 public employees – including police officers, nurses and municipal patrol staff – have previously enrolled in this course and learned sign language.

İSÖM expects at least 3,000 people take the class within the next two years.

Yunus Karacalı, deputy director of İSÖM, said he was pleased to see increasing interest in the course among people from different levels of society and different professional backgrounds.

“We are happy with the increasing attention given to the course. Anybody who wants to learn sign language can call us to register,” he said.

The ongoing campaign also aims to support the government’s efforts to help disabled citizens in society.

İSÖM officials, supported by the Turkish National Federation of the Deaf, have set up a committee to work on a guidebook, which they hope will serve as an acceptable model for future projects for people with hearing impairments in Turkey.

Ercüment Tanrıverdi, president of the Turkish National Federation of the Deaf, said the group hopes the guidebook, which is still being drafted, will broaden the use of sign language in Turkey.

When the guidebook is published, it will include many words, simple sentences, pictures and examples that make it easy to communicate with people who have hearing impairments.

“We have researched where hearing-impaired people communicate with others the most. For example, you may come across a disabled driver in traffic or a deaf patient at the hospital at any time,” Tanrıverdi said. “The words, sentences and dialogues have been specifically designed to remove difficulties in communicating with hearing-impaired people.”

Mattanawcook Academy students learn sign language, promote awareness

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If you happen to meet any of the 39 members of Carrie Pierce’s American Sign Language classes at Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, you’d be wise to avoid using the term “hearing-impaired.”

They really don’t like it.

“They’re not impaired — they’re deaf,” said senior Candice Osborne, 17, of Lincoln during an interview last week. “They’re deaf, they know that they’re deaf, and they like to be treated equally. They don’t want you to baby them.”

Deaf people — or those who live in “the community,” as the students say — feel that being called “hearing-impaired” smacks of condescension and the unequal treatment given those who are disabled, when all they really do that’s different from anybody else is speak with their hands, the students said. They also like the “d” in deaf to be capitalized.

“Don’t stare at them [when they sign],” Osborne said. “They regard that as an intrusion, like people being nosy.”

“And don’t yell at them,” said sophomore Jenna Brown, 15, of Lincoln. “They won’t be able to hear you any better. If you meet someone who is deaf and don’t know how to do sign language, tell them you don’t understand and that you will try your hardest to understand.”

This awareness of the sensitivities of deaf people, and the fact that it was among the first things mentioned by a half-dozen of Pierce’s students at the Mattanawcook Academy football game last Friday night, shows that the students are learning more than just ASL in Pierce’s classes.

They’re learning awareness, the culture of American deaf people, how to be more inclusive with the deaf, and a healthy feel for the sensibilities of those for whom signing is not just a second language — and that’s precisely the point, Pierce said.

Pierce, who is deaf, said with aid from Osborne’s translation that one of the goals of the class is to have her students, all of whom can hear, become more “understanding and accommodating to deaf people.”

This year, Pierce is teaching three ASL classes at MA. Students take the class for foreign language credit. It is part of the curriculum and meets every other day. Pierce also teaches adult education in Ellsworth and teaches two ASL classes at the University of Maine. She also runs a summer camp for deaf children and has a nature photography business.

One of the principles taught in Pierce’s classes is that English and ASL are separate languages. For example, when a student asked how to sign the phrase “you’re welcome,” Pierce explained that the sign is a thumbs up, or the sign for “all right” or “fine.” This prevents confusion with the sign for “welcome” when admitting someone to your home.

Friday’s football game was something of a milestone for Pierce and the two years of classes in ASL that she has taught at the Lincoln high school: It marked the first time that her students signed the national anthem before an athletic event.

The 10 students arrayed themselves on the field before the crowd and, after an announcement explaining their presence, “sang” the anthem in sign.

“I thought it was great,” said Julia Delano of Lincoln, who attended the game with her husband, Byron. “We actually have a cousin who is deaf, and I was thinking it would be great for her to have seen them doing that.”

“It was really different,” said Mike Farrell, 20, of Lincoln, a business management major at Husson University in Bangor. “We never had that in class when I was here.”

Pierce said she was proud of her students for their performance on the field and in the classroom, though sophomore Harlee Whitney, 15, of Lincoln said they were “crazy nervous” learning the translation for the anthem before the game.

“This is the first time it’s ever been done at a game here,” she said.

“We crammed it all in,” said 15-year-old sophomore Alycia Botting of Lincoln.

The students hope to sign the anthem at an MA basketball game next, they said.

They also want to continue learning and teaching sign language and promoting awareness of the needs of deaf people until the goal Pierce announced to her students in the first days of class — to have sign language so commonly known in the Lincoln Lakes region that she can shop here without any discomfort — is finally realized.