Articles

Most of these taking part in the sports convention last weekend live in a silvent world constantly. Yet no observer could have mistaken the enjoyment the spectators at the badminton expressed in their conversation, using signs and movements of their arms, hands and lips.

Children Of A Lesser God, a play that tackles the communication problems faced by deaf people, opens at Circa tomorrow night. Suzanne Pollard talks to two of the cast about their roles.

The principal of the School for the Deaf, Sumner, died in Christchurch today after a short illness. Herbert Pickering was 64 years old.

Members of Nelson's deaf community say cutbacks in support services from Deaf Aotearoa have left them without access to crucial interpreting help, leaving some in vulnerable situations.

Mihiarangi Marsters is living proof smoke alarms save lives. The 71-year-old great-great-grandmother escaped as flames engulfed the kitchen of her Tikipunga home. Deaf since the age of 7, it was the special flashing smoke alarm that woke her and allowed her to grab her 4-year-old great- granddaughter and flee before it was too late.

Two years ago, the New Zealand Dominicians opened a Catholic school for deaf children at 15 Dover Street, Island Bay, Wellington. The article records the impressions of a Wellington journalist who visited the school recently.

About 100 interpreters have been trained in Christchurch over the last year. The classes were organised by the hearing people but the deaf were the teachers. It is only the second time that New Zealand sign language has been taught in this country.

For the last 15 months, the Independent Theatre of the Deaf has performed in venues all over Auckland as the Deaf Sign Singers.

Local man Lindsay Jones has a national reputation as a skilful storyteller. Unless more people learn sign language, however, that recognition is likely to remain limited mainly to the deaf community.

People who can hear as well as see 'Reasonable Doubts' (TV3, 9.50pm Saturdays) might be surprised to learn that Deaf New Zealanders can understand deaf lawyer Tessa Kaufman’s sign language little better than they can. ASL, used by Deaf actor Marlee Matlin, is a foreign language here. My Deaf friends give it the thumbs up. But the failure of television in New Zealand to provide anything in NZSL is described as “a running sore” by Hilary McCormack.

At the basketball, also at Cowles Stadium, the New Zealand women beat Australia, 91-65, to notch the host country's first win in the sport. New Zealand led 45-26 at half-time and is now in the running for the bronze medal.

Northland sign language tutor Eddie Hokianga has taken up the task of ensuring the region's deaf Māori community is heard. Hokianga (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou) has spent the last three years teaching te reo sign language to help fill a national void of interpreters fluent in the discourse.

Government rules restricting deaf and hearing impaired people from driving taxis need reviewing, Uber says. The ride hire app, which connects customers with private drivers, has just released an app with new features designed to help drivers with impaired hearing.

For two years, 14-year-old Steven Menefy has been making graphic wall plaques.

Four New Zealand deaf athletes are favoured to win medals in swimming, cycling, and badminton. The 112-strong New Zealand team will compete in 11 of the 12 sports.

In the past 18 months, the NZAD has opened field offices in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, and hopes soon to establish two more in Nelson and Dunedin.

Weekly yoga exercises at the Deaf Welfare Centre in Balmoral, where the instructor knocks the floor so the class knows when the time has come to "breathe out".

The Deaf Sign Singers have a busy schedule this year with performances throughout the North Island.

The CSUN library is given a copy of 'Introduction to New Zealand Sign Language', the first published dictionary of the native language of New Zealand's 6,000 deaf with 1,200 signs.

New Zealand won its first gold medal at the World Games for the Deaf in California yesterday when cyclist John Ooteman (Fielding) won the 35km time trial in 51m 10s. Also includes results from the New Zealand team.

Two totally deaf people were married in the Ruawai Methodist Church on Saturday in a service specially modified for the deaf. Mr Moore had spent many hours modifying the service and consulting with the principal of the School for the Deaf, Dr D. Dale.

The starting equipment to be used at the Queen Elizabeth II complex is far more sophisticated. It uses a traffic-light type devised by a Christchurch man, Mr Ted Gilliver.

Mojo Mathers' rise to Parliament has been labelled a success not just for the Green Party, but also for the New Zealand deaf community.

The New Zealand mountaineer who conquered Mt Everest 30 years ago, Sir Edmund Hillary, has criticised the decision of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, to remove deaf Japanese climbers from Mt Cook.

A full page update from The Press, on the results from the World Games for the Deaf - Wednesday 11 January. Jumper lands in record books; Tennis moves back outdoors; Handball draws good crowds, U.S. below par in women's basketball, Miller bags two more; Today's programme and Results.

Almost one hundred Australian athletes will compete in the trans-tasman deaf games to be held in Wellington this weekend.

The story of Catholic Deaf-Mute education, what has been done for deaf students by Dominican Nuns, and the new St. Dominic’s School for Deaf Children in Wellington.

The vice-chairman of the organising committee, Mrs Margaret Coutts, said yesterday "for two weeks there will be more deaf people on the street than hearing people. My heart is filled with gold because of the very big turn out – there are more athletes here than at the previous World Games in America (in 1985)."

Deaf people can communicate country to country with more ease than those who can speak. It is not because they have an international sign language – each country has its own – but because it is a visual language.

Fifty-nine year old Olgerts Rublish was beaten up the other night on his way home from the pub. He didn't go to the police or to a doctor. He just picked himself up and went home to bed. He just wants to know 'why'?