Now playing in NYC -- sounds like an amazing play! "Billy has been deaf since birth, but never learned sign language because he has been sheltered by relatives who refuse to accommodate or accept his deafness for various reasons.The family's unwillingness to account for Billy's deafness has forced him to instead adapt to them by reading lips. But a lip-reader's full comprehension often requires a certain awareness and participation by the speaker, which Billy isn't always afforded, leaving him perpetually relegated to the outskirts of the family dialogue." - "In addition to a thorough examination of a loving but dysfunctional family, "Tribes" also delves into the politics and psychology of being deaf, going deaf and the deaf community's place in greater society."

You can download ASL related apps from iTunes. It received some negative reviews but it's a pretty cool idea....

Since we're discussing food this week....

You bet, Em. I would never share my sushi though.... ;)

According to this site, worldwide, there around 20 million deaf children, 80% of whom live in developing countries. In India alone, there are 3 million deaf children. This org is an international development arm of the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS). This side provides info on their outreach in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It's eye opening to read about deaf issues from an international perspective. Example: the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 23 gives children with disabilities equal rights with respect to family life and states that children should not be separated from his or her parents on the basis of a disability. Interesting view into how other cultures approach deafness.

Wow, that's a great event!

From the site: "Vocational Rehabilitation is a state program that provides individualized vocational rehabilitation and supportive services to assist eligible individuals with disabilities to get and keep jobs compatible with their skills and abilities." -- Interesting site that provides examples of what job training and opportunities exist for deaf people.

A chat forum for the deaf community. From the site: "Introduce yourself to deaf and hoh members here. The most popular deaf forum. A place for off topic discussions and polls, deaf chat, just about anything one wishes to speak their mind about. Do people feel like they need... Happenings around the world, deaf news, know what's going on around you."