Discovering: Shuktara now in production!

DDW has been hard at work these past few weeks! In addition to settling back into our American routine and working our way towards becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we've been focused on producing our first short film, Discovering: Shuktara.

Discovering: Shuktara is an extraordinary story about the Shuktara home, which some of you may remember from our newsletters. Shuktara is the home of 18 boys and girls who have been abandoned or run away from abusive situations. Many non-governmental organizations pass over disabled or deaf homeless youth, but Shuktara seeks them out.
You will be amazed at how far these kids have come, and how they have created a loving family of their own. Check back soon for the trailer!!

For more information on this film, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.com/discovering_shuktara.php

Reid found guilty on all six charges of Emma Agnew's murder

Last year, we began our adventure with Discovering Deaf Worlds in Christchurch, New Zealand. On our very first day we met and connected with an outgoing, happy go lucky girl named Emma at the Canterbury Deaf Club. She was a leader, a good friend, and committed to improving the lives of deaf people in NZ. She invited us to her home for NZ-style fish fries and we got to know her circle of friends, trading off ASL for NZSL. When we parted a week later, we had no idea it would be the last time we would see her.

During our travels through the South Island of NZ, Emma had gone missing. Eleven days later her body was found. A man named Liam Reid was quickly arrested for the rape and murder of Emma Agnew, as well as the rape and attack on another woman from Dunedin.

On October 29, 2008, the grueling four-week trial finally closed with a sense of relief, tears and bursts of anger at the man who could have done such a thing. Reid was found guilty on all six charges and sentenced to life in prison. Over 100 witnesses testified before the jury reached it's verdict.

Emma...we hope you are up in heaven finding peace, that your family and friends are finding comfort in the sentence, and that your NZ community will continue to be reunited. It was an honor for us to know you and you will be remembered, always.


To learn more about the trial go to
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/2249945
http://news.google.com/news?client=safari&rls=en&q=liam+reid&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&hl=en&ncl=1263412554&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=

DDW back in the USA!

We made it home! After a year of discovering and documenting deaf worlds in eight countries, we are now back in Rochester, NY. Things that once seemed so familiar, like using tap water to brush our teeth or flushing toilet paper down the pipes instead of in a garbage bin, seem so unfamiliar now. Reality TV, yards, and paved roads are things we haven't seen in a long, long time so it will take a while for us to readjust.

But their will be time for that later, as we've hit the ground running! For the next several months we will continue to travel throughout the country sharing all the joys and pains of our experience.

On October 23rd, we will be giving our first presentation at the Rochester School for the Deaf for their "Adventures in Education" program. If you're in the area, come on down to check out what we have discovered in the past year. More info and tickets found at

www.rsdeaf.org/strategic_adventures.asp

Or if you are interested in having Discovering Deaf Worlds visit your hometown to share with your community, contact info@discoveringdeafworlds.com for details.

We have big visions for DDW as we enter the next phase and hope to make it all a reality with your support. Stay tuned to our website for more updates and future adventures. Thank you for believing in us!

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

Jaipur Deaf Friendship Club

One of many common themes we have seen throughout our travels in eight different countries this past year is the importance of a deaf club environment. When your day to day life is surrounded by communication barriers and people who do not understand you, a socializing outlet is a natural remedy to keep you going.

After traveling throughout Northern India for the last 6 weeks, our discovery of deaf clubs has been scarce, zero actually. Once we arrived to Jaipur, Rajasthan however, we were thrilled to be invited to a Jaipur Deaf Friendship Club gathering. Finally we found that crucial atmosphere for a supportive deaf community in India! Through mostly gesturing and broken ISL/ASL, we shared our mutual curiousities about each other’s cultures…everything from pre-arranged marriages to the upcoming Obama/McCain election.

Twice a week this group of 40+ members gets together. It is an opportunity to talk freely and fluently with friends about school, work, relationships and future opportunities for the local deaf community. Perhaps most importantly, it is a place to instill a sense of pride and belonging in a culture that often poses a harsh perception on deafness.

Thank you Jaipur Deaf Friendship Club…for teaching us ISL, showing us how to dance, and allowing us to document your thoughts for Discovering Deaf Worlds. We hope there are many more clubs like this throughout India, and around the world.

The Oral School for Deaf Children – Kolkata, India

When we first stepped into the Oral School for Deaf Children in Kolkata, we were pleasantly surprised by the messages spread throughout the walls, written on brochures, and spoken directly from the teachers who work there:

“I hear with my heart, listen with my eyes, and speak with my hands”
“Come share our world of silence”
“Make friends with a deaf child”

Understanding the complexities of poverty, the caste system, and a common negligence towards any disability in India, The Oral School for Deaf Children seeks to give deaf children a chance in this world. The teachers show great passion for their work and students are encouraged to continue onto college or find employment. Where there is opportunity, they can prove themselves by giving back to their society the same as anyone else.

The title “Oral” school can be misleading, since their approach is actually total communication, using speech, signing, lip reading, mime, and gestures. “What is most important is that there is communication…an understanding,” says Senior Head Teacher Mrs. Jaya Gangulie.

Now working with 38 students and 12-15 teachers, the Oral School for Deaf Children will celebrate it’s 44th anniversary on August 10th. During our two all-day visits to the school, the students wore bright, genuine smiles, despite the severely limited space they had to work in. Current fundraising projects seek to find a more appropriate physical environment to accommodate for the school’s growth over the years.

First Deaf Member of Parliament in Asia Selected!

We've arrived to Kathmandu, Nepal with a warm welcome from Australian Philip Waters of the Volunteer Service Organization (VSO). After greeting us at the airport and a quick stop by The Bakery Cafe where several deaf employees work, we were lead to our accommodation at the Hotel Metropolitan Kantipur which is owned by a deaf couple.

The following day we visited the Nepal National Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NFDH) and were invited to a very important ceremony, recognizing Raghav Bir Joshi, a deaf man from Nepal who has recently been selected into a government position.

"Raghav will be the first Deaf member of Parliament in Asia. He has for 25 years worked for the effective rights of Deaf people. He is a sign language user and uses Sign Language interpreters to communicate. It is not a success only for him, but also for the thousands of deaf people". With Radha Bohara interpreting, he promised, "he will work hard for the rights of Deaf people, physically challenged, and intellectual disabilities in the new constitution."

We look forward to interviewing Raghav in the next couple of weeks, as he is an instrumental leader to the deaf community.

Our first impression of Kathmandu is very "deaf-friendly". We have met over 30 deaf local deaf people in our first 24 hours here and recognize that many hearing people are comfortable with written and gesture communication. With our Nepali Sign Language dictionary in hand, thanks to NFDH, we are learning new signs the best we can to communicate more effectively.

For more information about Raghav Bir Joshi and the Nepal National Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, visit www.nfdh.org.np/newsdetail.php?id=19

Photos:
NFDH President Bikash Dangol with Raghav Bir Joshi
Christy Smith, Bikash Dangol, Raghav Bir Joshi, Dave Justice