Patricia Heffernan became the first deaf person to take part in jury deliberations for a criminal trial in Ireland on this date (Sept. 21) in 2020. She and fellow jurors decided to acquit a man of indecent assault. Heffernan was accompanied by two Irish Sign Language interpreters. The Irish Times has more details here.

On this day (Sept. 16) in 1973, the first deaf player ran onto the field for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bonnie Sloan played in four games at defensive tackle and only lasted one season, because of knee injuries, but he had made his mark at the age of 25. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder was a 10th-round draft pick out of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he was the first player to bench press 500 pounds. Sloan was an All-Ohio

September Is National Service Dog Month. Here is some basic information on ADA law and service animals. image: Creative Commons What is the legal definition of a service animal? Therapy Animals are not legally defined by federal law but there is a legal definition for service animals in the Americans With Disabilities Act. Service animals are specifically trained to help the disability-related needs of their handlers and are not considered 'pets' Is using a service animal pro

Gerald “Bummy” Burstein died on this date (Aug. 31) in 2018 at the age of 91 in Riverside, California. Bummy is worth remembering for his tireless work on behalf of the deaf community even after he retired. The student center at the local deaf school carries his name. Burnstein was the certified Professional Parliamentarian for the National Association of the Deaf and the author of two books. His work for Gallaudet University led the Board of Trustees to rename the Gallaudet

It was on this date (Aug. 24) that Oscar winner Marlee Matlin was born in 1965. Some things to know about Marlee Matlin: Family: Parents: Libby and Donald Matlin (an automobile dealer). Two older brothers: Eric and Marc. Spouse: Married Burbank police officer Kevin Grandalski. Four children: Sarah (1996), Brandon (2000), Tyler (2002), and Isabelle (2003). Acting Roles: Major roles in The West Wing, Children of a Lesser God, Switched at Birth and Reasonable Doubts. Guest appea

Casterline made a major contribution in the 1950s to a book that revolutionized the study of Deaf culture. image: Gallaudet.edu Casterline was a young researcher when she begain helping Gallaudet University professor William C. Stokoe on what would become A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles. Eventually published in 1965 with help from another professor, Carl Croneberg, it was the first comprehensive dictionary of American Sign Language and conside

Deaf since the age of 4, deaf actor and drummer Bob Hiltermann was born on this day (August 1, 1952) in Germany, the 10th of eleven children born. A bout with meningitis left him deaf but he wasn't diagnosed until the age of ten. Hiltermann learned ASL while attending Gallaudet University and later formed MuSign (a Signing/Mime company). He acted with Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God, was featured in See What I'm Saying and The Hammer, he created ASL videos called Sh

It was on this day (July 26, 1990) that President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disability Act into law. Senator Tom Harkin says the ADA law was inspired by his deaf brother. The Iowa Democrat says watching his brother, Frank, struggle against social barriers motivated him to push the ADA bill through the U.S. Congress. The law prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified indi

On this date (July 23) in 2003, a revival of Big River opened on Broadway with a cast of hearing and deaf actors. Roger Miller's 1985 musical about Huck Finn was the first Broadway show to do so since the 1980's Children of a Lesser God. The show was a co-production of the Roundabout Theater Company and West Hollywood's Deaf West Theater. Big River won 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Here's a video of that 2004 Tony Awards ceremony.

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Ed "Dummy" Dundon, who was born on July 10, 1859, went on to become the first deaf player to play baseball professionally . After attending the Ohio State School for the Deaf, Dundon went on to play several years of professional baseball. He had two seasons with the Columbus Buckeyes before retiring and becoming an umpire. During his hitch with the Buckeyes in 1883 and 1884, Dundon had a record of 9-20 and a 4.25 ERA. Like many deaf ball players at the time, he got a common (

It was on this date (July 10) in 2002 that a District of Columbia judge sentenced Joseph Mesa, Jr. to life without the possibility of parole for the murders of two Gallaudet classmates. The 22-year-old from Guam was convicted of first beating Eric Plunkett to death in September of 2000 and then stabbing Benjamin Varner to death in February of 2001. Both attacks took place in Gallaudet dorm rooms. Mesa took money from both victims but turned himself in to police a few days af

Actress Shoshannah Stern is now 46 years old! image: thepaparazzigamer Here are some things to know about her: Shoshannah was born July 3, 1980 in Walnut Creek, California. She is fourth-generation deaf. Her first language is American Sign Language. Both of her grandmothers are Holocaust survivors. She attended the California School for the Deaf, Fremont and Gallaudet University. She is married and has one daughter. Stern has also served as an executive story editor for the M

On July 1, 1993, the FCC began requiring all U.S. analog television receivers with screens 13 inches or larger to include built-in decoder circuitry that could display closed captioning.

Helen Keller graduated with honors from Radcliffe College on June 28, 1904. . She became the first deafblind person to graduate from college with a B.A. Radcliffe was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a part of Harvard University.