I am currently working on a project for About.com, and in the process I have come across several deaf-related articles on other About.com guidesites that are too good not to blog. So, I am blogging them..in a blog post series that I am calling About.com Gems. The first one is "Mental Health Issues in the Deaf Community," from the About.com guide to Bipolar Disorder. Among the issues discussed are lack of interpreters.

This little item caught my attention: a family in India with nine deaf children. Nine in one family. I have never heard of a deaf family with that many in one family before. If their deafness is genetic, can you imagine the size of the "deaf dynasty" that will be created by these children in the future?

I wish this article had more information. Are these nine deaf children getting an education? There are schools for the deaf in India.

Related articles on About.com: Deafness in India
Deaf of Deaf
Genetics and Hearing Loss

Just updated, the article on web video captioning. It is positively amazing, the fantastic growth in options for captioning web video. People now have a choice between using software themselves or utilizing tools on the web. Deaf people who post signed vlogs can take advantage of these options, and hearing people who post videos can do so also! And many of these options are free!

Ed Bosson, the deaf blogosphere's telecommunications watchdog, has posted news that the Federal Communications Commission is freezing Video Relay Service rates. His blog post includes a link to a FCC Word document with all the details, including actual dollars. Prior to this announcement, there had been discussion in the deaf blogosphere that the FCC might reduce the rate(s).

How will this affect video relay service providers? Recently, I was at a deaf trade show of sorts and ran into someone who owns a business providing accessibility services. This person told me that his company had to go into the business of offering video relay services to stay afloat. This made me realize that video relay service rates were apparently so lucrative that it was spurring the creation of more and more video relay services - at a cost to the people who pay telecommunications surcharges that fund relay services.

There had been quite a bit of blogging on this in the deaf blogosphere. One blogger, Amy Cohen Effron, posted clear graphics and graphics with highlights showing the rates and how much money is involved. The numbers are stunning. In addition, the numbers show stark differences between video relay services and traditional relay services.

Related article on About.com: Internet Relay Services

Without them, I could not do my job as effectively. Modern technology has its limits, and that's where human interpreters come in. Whether you want to become an interpreter, already are an interpreter, or a parent of a deaf child who uses an interpreter, this page has something for you.

It was only a small notice in the Honolulu Advertiser, but in the small world that is the deaf community it is a significant item: Hawaii Services on Deafness is closed as of Saturday, June 30.

Related article: Schools for the Deaf - Hawaii

Today (June 27) was Helen Keller's birthday. She was born June 27, 1880. This date is marked in some countries as "Helen Keller Day" and in others as "Helen Keller Communication Day."

Long ago, I read an article in Reader's Digest magazine about Helen Keller. I think was titled "To the top of the mountain with Helen Keller." In it, someone described their meeting with Helen Keller not too long before she passed away in 1968. Does anyone know the date of this article in Reader's Digest?

The New York Daily News reports (June 27, 2007) that the first mixed deaf and hearing class has graduated from the former JHS 47 School for the Deaf in New York, now known as the American Sign Language & English Dual Language High School. The conversion of the school in 2003 to a mixed school has been a success.

This most likely reflects the future for many schools for the deaf. Parents who hear "school for the deaf" and think to themselves, "no way" may want to take a second look - the school could actually be enrolling hearing students too. Several charter schools for the deaf are already enrolling both hearing and deaf students.

Related articles on About.com:

New York City's Deaf Community Charter Schools

Last week, when selecting a blog posting to highlight in the About.com Deafness newsletter, I came across several good blog postings that I feel deserve a mention on the About.com Deafness site before I delete the bookmarks:

• Making Decisions for My Deaf Children
- a parent explains how he/she decided where her deaf children would go to school.
• Cochlear Implant and Stem Cell
- Mike McConnell reports on the discovery that the cochlea has cochlea stem cells.
• VRS Interpreted from Home?
- Ed tackles the question of video relay interpreting from private homes.
• Looking at the Deaf Education System. Clearly signed vlog by Joey Baer. Sorry, no captions.

I love my two hearing cats, but when the time comes, I will take a serious look at getting a deaf pet. It is not hard to find a deaf pet to adopt. The FAQ page on Adopting a Deaf Pet has been updated.