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Marvel’s Deaf Superhero Echo Gets Her Own Spinoff Series
Hawkeye’s Co-Star gets her own spinoff series!
Back in 2021, Marvel’s series Hawkeye debuted a supporting superhero who is deaf and an amputee: Echo. In the TV miniseries, Echo is an indigenous young woman gifted with super strength and desire for vengeance. Now in 2024, her success working alongside the titular Hawkeye earned her own miniseries! Embracing Diversity on Screen In her […] More
SAMHSA Adds Sign Language Service to National Suicide Hotline
In 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration took a significant step towards battling the United State’s rising suicide rates when they approved a $1billion dollar budget for mental health services, including 988 Suicide Hotline. This step was taken further by SAMHSA to provide accessibility by introducing American Sign Language services to their 988 hotline. This marks a […] More
South Africa Recognizes Sign Language As 12th National Language
The long fight has finally come to fruition
July 20, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa marked a transformative moment for South Africa’s Deaf community–after a 30-year battle, the country now recognizes Sign Language as its 12th official language. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the legislation into constitutional law, requiring Sign Language to be accessible everywhere alongside isiZulu, Afrikaans, English, et.all. His monumental decision received […] More
Embracing the Road: How Deaf Drivers in Japan Overcame Barriers and Revolutionized Transportation
Japanese Deaf Citizens didn’t have driving privileges until 2011
In the vibrant streets of Japan, a remarkable transformation is unfolding as deaf individuals confidently take the wheel. Through determination and perseverance, they have defied societal expectations and embraced the freedom of driving. Fueling this newfound independence is a unique symbol—sticker decals—designed to bridge communication gaps and foster inclusivity. Join us as we dive into […] More
ASL In California’s Courts: A Study’s Recent Findings
American Sign Language is currently the third most requested language in courts with concentrations in Inland Empire and Los Angeles County. Currently fifty-five interpreters and three Certified Deaf Interpreters are registered for legal service in California. A Unique Case For California With over 200 languages in California alone, the courts depend on interpreters for equal […] More
Hyundai Rolls Out Brand New “Quiet Taxis” In South Korea
Testing is over-it’s official now!
A grand-scale project that was in testing stage for over a year is now public; the brand-new “Quiet Taxis” hit the streets of South Korea with all deaf drivers. The new Quiet Taxis are part of Hyundai Group’s project to employ more able-bodied deaf citizens. Hyundai Group especially focused on developing and installing the latest […] More
Ground-breaking Opportunity For Deaf Taxi Drivers In Seoul, South Korea
Coactus’ efforts are inspired by Uber and implemented by Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul, South Korea’s Trial Run New technology was put to the test on the city’s roads in June 2018 for deaf drivers—built-in tablets in taxi cars. Each taxi has two tablets installed, one in the front for the driver and one in the back for the clients to communicate destinations with the driver. This way, […] More
Japan’s Deaf Bus Driver Breaks Barriers
The new laws pave way for more opportunities for Japan’s deaf community
Japan’s First Deaf Bus Driver Takeyama Matsuyama dreamed of being a bus driver since he was young; he rode the bus during his youth and admired the drivers, thinking that “seemed very cool.” As soon as Japan removed the ban on deaf drivers, Matsuyama went ahead and learned how to drive and passed the test. […] More
Britain’s Royal Wedding Focused On Community Leaders Including A Deaf Teenager
Reuben Litherland is a fourteen year old student who is a tireless advocate of the Deaf community
Breaking Traditions On May 19, 2018 Since birth, Prince Harry has not been one to follow royal traditions–his zest for life and humanity has led him to join the British Armed Forces, travel the world, support charities, and started up an organization with the Prince of Lesotho to support the deaf and disabled. Knowing Prince […] More
What is Light Flashes? How One Woman Revolutionized Deaf Improv
What is Light Flashes? Imagine it is the year 1993 and sitting in a theater with the lights dimming just a bit, increasing the anticipation of the show. The spotlight moves across the red curtains and one by one, the Deaf actors step onto the stage. The actors sign large and crisply, introducing their troupe […] More
Did You Know How Deaf Smith County in Texas Come to Be?
In the early ’90s, it was home to Texas’ best peanut butter
What? There’s a county in the United States named after a deaf person? That’s the first thought most of us have upon finding out the existence of Deaf Smith County, Texas. Deaf Smith County is indeed named after a deaf soldier by the name of Erastus “Deaf” Smith-pronounced as “Dif” Smith! He was the first […] More
7 High Quality Superhero T-shirts In ASL Coming Soon!
Everyone’s a hero-these shirts show the world that fact!
Ever dream about wearing a superhero shirt but in your language? That’s what the creator of the Hero Shirts did. Now there are seven designs to choose from in ASL: Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America, and Hulk. The designs are developed to show off the hand signs for each hero’s name and […] More
8 Essential FCC Rules For VRS Interpreted For Your Awareness
Some laws to keep in mind for the consumer.
With the rise in video relay’s popularity, there are rules put in place by the FCC to protect consumers and their providers (Sorenson, ZVRS, Purple, Convo, etc.) The list below are some of the most recent rules and their interpretations: (NOTE: “Providers” are companies that provide the video relay service and equipment, such as Convo, […] More
Major Development for Deaf Emergency Access In Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles now has Text-to-911
The City of Los Angeles now has the Text-To-911 emergency contact available for the public and deaf and hard of hearing in Los Angeles, California. This means anyone can text to 911 in an emergency as long as they are in the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) urges the public, […] More
Running as The First Deaf Runner for NCAA’S Cross-Country Title
RIT’s Swedish student and established runner will compete for the title November 18, 2017
November 18, 2017– The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III cross-country race will be held in Elsah, Illinois. Student athletes from all over the nation will be there to compete, including the deaf runner Otto Kingstedt. Otto Kingstedt is a deaf student from Sweden who is currently studying at Rochester Institute of Technology. He is […] More
Virgin Active Says Sorry For Deaf Model’s Photoshop Gaffe
The health club chain photoshopped a deaf model’s cochlear implant out
Virgin Active, one of Sir Richard Branson’s companies, ran a campaign to advertise the health club chain and hired a South African deaf model. That model is former Miss Deaf South Africa 2012: Simone Botha Welgemoed. Virgin Active’s graphic department edited the photos to remove her cochlear implant with the final results showing no indication […] More
2017’s Winner of KIA’s Idea Festival Is A Built-In Car Program For Deaf Drivers
Watch for these features in KIA’s future cars
October 18, 2017- In Seoul, KIA announced the winner for their 8th annual innovation festival: Symphony (also known as SYM:PONY,) a built-in car system tailored for deaf drivers. Every year, engineers from South Korea’s KIA, Hyundai, and Genesis companies gather in Seoul to apply their talents and latest technologies towards improving KIA’s, Hyundai’s, and Genesis’ […] More
Did You Know These Horror Movies Have Deaf Characters?
Just in time for Halloween!
Halloween is right around the corner! Among the plethora of thrillers, horrors, and suspenseful action films there are a few that feature deaf characters-we’ve scouted them out and listed them by their average score from critics. Here is a list of the films from lowest to highest review scores-all scores are taken from IMDB and […] More
