Deaf News Highlights in 2023
Here are some of the top stories in the Deaf community in 2023.
In January, Raven Sutton finished in third place in “The Circle,” a reality show competition on Netflix. She was one of the strongest competitors and told the audience that she wanted to represent the Deaf community.
In February, Keivonn Woodard did an impressive job in his role as Sam in HBO’s series “The Last of Us.” He received an Emmy nomination and at age 10, is one of the youngest nominees ever.
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with a Deaf student from Michigan named Miguel Luna Perez in his discrimination case. Perez and his family said their school district did not provide him with a qualified interpreter for over a decade and misled his family into thinking he was doing well in school. The Supreme Court said Perez can sue the school district for ADA violations.
In April, the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) won a struggle with legislators on getting funding to ensure the school would continue. ASDB Superintendent Annette Reichman attended multiple legislative sessions to argue that there was no good reason to change ASDB and she had the support of the ASDB community and Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning Deaf actor who used to attend ASDB (Phoenix Day School for the Deaf).
In May, three Deaf people scaled Mt. Everest. The first was Hawari Hashim from Malaysia. He tragically went missing and was not found despite many searches.
The second is a Deaf American couple, Scott Lehmann and Shayna Unger. They also scaled Lhotse. Unger became the first Deaf woman in the world to scale Everest. The couple have since been traveling in the U.S. and giving presentations.
In June, lawmakers in South Africa passed a bill that would make South African Sign Language the 12th official language in its constitution. The bill was signed into law the next month. A key person in the effort is a Deaf Member of Parliament, Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen.
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In July, Gallaudet University held a special graduation ceremony to honor 23 Black Deaf students and four Black teachers of the historic Kendall School Division II, which was a segregated school on Gallaudet’s campus from 1952 to 1954.
In August, Matt Klotz, who is one of the most decorated U.S. Deaflympians in history with 22 swimming medals, competed in CBS’s reality show competition “Big Brother. He finished in 2nd place.
In September, a federal jury in Nebraska awarded a Deaf truck driver named Victor Robinson a $36 million award in a disability discrimination case against Werner Enterprises, Inc. Robinson was represented by the EEOC. The actual payout may be limited to $300,000 due to limits in payouts but the verdict serves a warning against discriminating against deaf drivers.
In October, four Deaf men in Maine were among the 18 people who were tragically murdered by a gunman. The four Deaf men, Joshua Seal, Bryan MacFarlane, Stephen Vozzella, and Billy Brackett were playing cornhole at a bar/restaurant. Five other Deaf people were injured. There was an outpouring of support from the greater Deaf community for those affected in Maine.
In November, the Indiana School for the Deaf’s football team had their first undefeated season in history and won the 8-man championship. Also in November, the California School for the Deaf, Riverside won their second straight state sectional championship.
In December, Deaf father Rob McArthur and his CODA son Corey came in third place on the reality show competition, “The Amazing Race.”
Also in December, the film “Barbie” released an ASL-interpreted version on Max. It was the second major film released on a streaming service with an ASL option after Disney+’s “Ant-Man.”
That’s the year in review in the Deaf community. It was a year of successes and tragedy, a year of Deaf rights and Deaf representation. We at “Daily Moth” will continue to be here to cover more Deaf News in 2024. Stay with the light!