Stars get it wrong in Paul McCartney video

SIR Paul McCartney should consult Mr Tumble before directing his next video writes Gordon Smart for The Sun (18/04/12)

Deaf music fans are claiming that Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are using the wrong signs to illustrate certain words in the promo for My Valentine


Black Swan star Natalie made the first embarrassing gaffe, signing the word tampon instead of appear. Johnny wasn’t far behind. He signed enemy while attempting Valentine.

That would change the tack on a Valentine’s card.

Mr Tumble, played by Justin Fletcher on hit CBeebies show Something Special, would have been more than happy to help out the former Beatle.

He uses easily-understood Makaton sign language for kids.

It would have saved the grief Macca’s getting from the sign language community. Comments highlighting the errors have been posted alongside the video on YouTube.

The British Deaf Association are still applauding their efforts, though.

A spokesman for them said: “It’s great that famous people such as Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are highlighting the use of sign language. Their use of it is more a poetic expression.

“The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different.

“It would have been nice if genuine deaf people had been used. But it’s still great.”

Macca premiered the video in LA last week and invited Hollywood’s finest.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, Gwen Stefani and Reese Witherspoon were among those to see the promo first, which was Macca’s daughter Stella’s idea.

What happens in the vid isn’t that embarrassing considering the title of his album is Kisses On The Bottom.

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Sensory gloves: Communication, translation for the deaf-blind

For people born deaf-blind, standard forms of communication fall short. However, if your senses are limited, then others become more sensitive in order to compensate writes Charlie Osborne for Smart Planet (18/04/12).

When I worked with deaf-blind children briefly as a teaching assistant, I found it could be very difficult to interpret the actions or behavior of a deaf-blind child — if the condition was inherent at birth, then the issue was magnified. All of the behavioral cues that we learn in early stages of development — from a smile to hand gestures — fell short.

It seemed often that limited communication and fragmented information became the catalyst for isolation in these children. Learning language and being able to establish effective communication is the way deaf-blind maintain a connection to others in a silent and dark world — so we’d often use objects, routines and repetitiveness sequences to establish this and make them feel comfortable and secure.

While touch is simply one of our senses — a useful tool — for these children, without it, they would be completely cut off from everything.

That’s why a new, prototype communication device for the deaf-blind caught my attention. TheDesign Research Lab, based in Germany, has developed the Mobile Lorm Glove — a glove that uses tactile and sensory pads to facilitate communication using technology such as texting or email.

Pressure points and sensors on the palm of the prototype glove take the place of visual or spoken language. The glove translates the hand-touch alphabet “Lorm”, a commonly-utilized form of communication to translate touching, sweeping and pressure into letters of the alphabet.

The user composes their own text-based messages using these sensory pads. Once complete, a Bluetooth connection forwards on the message to the intended recipient’s mobile device — generally sent in the form of an SMS.

Naturally, communication has to work both ways. If the wearer of the glove receives a message in return, then the SMS is sent from their handheld device to the glove — tiny, vibrating motors fixed to the back of the glove alerting the user to an incoming message.

The thin strands of communication that the deaf-blind cling to — simple, tactile points of pressure — may seem incomprehensible to those without limited sight or hearing, but a means of establishing a sensor-based language more effectively, I think it could result in improving the quality of life in many deaf-blind people.

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"Deaf dog has learned our sign language!"

A DEAF dog dumped as a puppy is enjoying a new lease of life and has learned sign language reports Wendy Brading for Daily Gazette (18/04/12).

Springer spaniel Alice was just eight weeks old when she was abandoned by a breeder in Ireland because she was deaf.

She was taken in by animal charity Blue Cross. It was thought her chances of being rehomed were slim. But deaf couple Marie Williams, 42, and Mark Morgan, 44, from West Mersea, took her in and now she has been taught tricks using sign language.

Along with their children Liam, 17, Lewis, 14, and Owen, six, the couple have taught Alice to sit, stand, “come’’ and roll over. She can present her paws, knows the signs for walkies and going to the toilet, and how to “pray’’ when her food comes.

“She is a happy girl and we recently celebrated her first birthday with a big doggy cake.”Marie said: “Alice is such a wonderful addition to our family. We love her so much. Her training is going brilliantly and it just goes to show a deaf dog can learn just as well as any other.

Marie added: “It breaks your heart to think someone abandoned her because she was deaf. When you see her now, you can tell she is a fantastic dog and a much-loved companion.

“We believe there is a pet out there suitable for everyone. It is just a case of finding the right family.”Julie Stone, manager of the Blue Cross animal rehoming centre, in Oxfordshire, said: “We are so pleased Alice’s story has such a happy ending. She has found the perfect home.

Alice became a YouTube sensation when she went to her new home last March. More than 96,000 people viewed a video of her learning tricks with Marie.

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Serve deaf clients better 'or face claims'

Law firms could face unlimited discrimination claims from deaf and hard of hearing people if they continue failing to make ‘reasonable adjustments’, consumer watchdogs have warned writes Johnathan Rayner for the Law Gazette (18/04/12).

They claim that many deaf clients feel they have to ‘win a battle with their own advisers’ before they can succeed in a legal action, blaming firms’ ‘lack of preparation and consideration’ and failure to take into account their special needs. This slowness to engage with deaf clients prompted some 1,380 complaints and enquiries to the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) law centre between August 2007 and September 2011, with a further 429 received in the first seven months of 2011-2012.

Most queries related to employment and welfare benefits, and to ­discrimination in the provision of goods and services. Britain has over 10 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Mounting concerns over discrimination have led to the announcement within the last month of two initiatives to improve ‘deaf awareness’.

According to Legal Choices, Silent Process, published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Services Consumer Panel and Action on Hearing Loss, deaf clients often find that legal materials are not adapted for their needs and there are barriers to communication, such as badly maintained loop systems and poorly lit rooms. Firms often fail to provide sign language interpreters when requested, and there is confusion over who should pay for them, the report says.

The SRA says it will be issuing best-practice guidelines to address these issues, including online ‘deaf awareness’ training covering interpreting services, how the law applies, and different ways of communicating with deaf people. Case law and legal principles will be illustrated with videos, along with ­common points of law and its vocabulary.

RAD law centre head Rob Wilks told the Gazette that RAD is also to launch an initiative to ‘educate the legal profession as to the needs of the deaf community’. He said: ‘In addition to CPD-accredited training and workshops, we will be establishing a charter to which law firms committed to providing a service to deaf people can aspire to sign up to. It is intended that this will become the definitive UK benchmark for law firms and other providers to deaf people.’

Deaf rapper gives flash mob performance

A Finnish deaf rapper has performed a flash mob performance in New York reports the BBC News (18/04/12).

Singmark, who was the first rapper to sign a record deal with Warner Music, uses hip-hop artist Brandon's vocals in his songs.

The 34-year-old musician told the New York crowd that he wasn't taken seriously when he first showed an interest in music.

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