Deaf News Briefs: NFL star visits WPSD; Elderly veteran ASL learner receives outpouring of support
Here are two Deaf News briefs.
On Tuesday, NFL star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, visited the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh.
WPSD’s Facebook page said he “traveled to a few classrooms” and learned some ASL “that was centered around the game of football.” JuJu then took the stage at the school auditorium and answered questions from students. You can check out more pictures on WPSD’s Facebook page. It shows WPSD CEO Steve Farmer giving JuJu a tour and students in an auditorium waving yellow “Terrible Towels.”
The WPSD campus is about 10 miles away from the Steelers Stadium — Heinz Field.
Local news said JuJu was supposed to visit the school last year but couldn’t because of the pandemic.
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://www.convorelay.com/download ]
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. The Disaster Distress Helpline offers a direct videophone option.This free service for ASL users is answered 24/7 by trained crisis workers fluent in ASL and can be accessed using any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990 or at disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
[Advertisement from WORK Inc] Join our team at WORK Inc. We are looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals. Interested please visit www.workinc.org/careers.
There is a touching story about a 79-year-old U.S. Navy veteran named Kenny Jary who became famous from TikTok videos of him learning ASL from members of the Minnesota deaf community.
He has over 650,000 followers on TikTok. His username is @patriotickenny.
A teacher at the Metro Deaf School, Amanda Kline, who is Kenny’s neighbor, helped him with setting up his TikTok account.
Amanda is a co-founder of the “Did You Know That?!” video series along with another teacher, Jenny Cooper, who is a high school teacher.
Jenny told “The Daily Moth” that his deaf father, Jerry, who is 80, became friends with Kenny and taught him ASL. They would post videos of him learning basic signs. Here are some clips.
[Video clip]
Kenny has relied on an electric mobility scooter to get around, but it recently broke down and it cannot be repaired.
Amanda set up a GoFundMe in hopes of raising some money to help him get a new one. People poured in $5,000 in donations the first 24 hours, and it’s exploded now to over $105,000.
Kenny’s TikTok account shows him emotionally reacting to increasing levels of donations. Later on, Kenny and Amanda were featured on a Fox and Friends interview in which the hosts revealed $75,000 was raised.
[Video clips]
The money raised will go towards two new scooters for Kenny, help him move into a different home, help cover his medical and dental bills, and pay off his debts. Kenny also recently announced he would participate in a giveaway to give 10 free scooters to veterans.
What a nice and heartwarming story of how a simple bond between a veteran and the deaf community could lead into a life-changing experience.
That’s the two Deaf News briefs for today.
https://www.facebook.com/WPSDprograms/posts/4688980371124723
https://www.foxnews.com/media/veteran-moved-by-replaced-scooter
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/09/21/tiktok-veteran-go-fund-me-scooter-gift/