Deaf News Briefs related to Ukraine
Reports: Deaf school in Ukraine “hit”
Here are two deaf news briefs related to the Ukraine war.
On Sunday night the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) made a social posting that they received word from the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf that a deaf school was hit over the weekend, but that there were no reported injuries. The WFD showed an image of a school with one of its exterior walls with a hole on the second story from an apparent bomb, as well as another image of debris on the floor. They did not post which city this was in.
[Image of WFD’s posting]
I saw a social media post by Arkady Belozovsky, a deaf Ukrainian-American who has been posting updates about the situation in Ukraine, that confirmed that a school for the deaf in the “village of Kamyanske” was hit, with no injuries or deaths. Arkady’s post was made a few hours prior to the WFD’s posting and the images are identical with the same information: that a deaf school was hit, but with no injuries or deaths. So it seems like a deaf school was actually hit with a bomb. I have reached out to the WFD for clarification.
It would not be a surprise if deaf schools are hit by bombs because Russian troops have been sending a constant barrage of shelling in civilian areas as a part of its invasion of Ukraine.
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Deaflympics bars deaf Russian and Belarusian athletes
The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), who organizes Summer and Winter Deaflympic games, said its executive board decided in a meeting on Saturday that “no deaf athletes or officials… (from) Russia and Belarus shall be… invited or allowed to participate in international competitions in the ICSD calendar until further notice.” The ICSD said this was due to the conflict in Ukraine as “Russian forces continue to attack Ukrainian cities with Belarus assisting in the invasion.”
This means that Russian and Belarusian deaf athletes, coaches, staff, and officials will not be able to attend the Summer Deaflympics set to take place this May 1-15 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
ICSD President Gustavo Perazzolo said, “We are greatly concerned about our National Deaf Sports Federation of Ukraine and Deaf athletes from Ukraine. The world must be a place for sharing, not for dividing.”
The ICSD said they will experience “economic impacts” because of the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian teams and had to cancel its bowling program.
The ICSD’s decision is in line with recent decisions by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee to bar Russian and Belarusian members from international competitions.
That’s the two deaf news briefs for today.
https://www.facebook.com/Wfdeaf.org/posts/332691682235049
https://www.facebook.com/ArkadyDeafEmpowerment/posts/3125765864363311
http://ciss.org/news/icsd-calls-for-peace-ahead-of-the-2021-summer-deaflympics-in-brazil