A few days before I went to Martha’s Vineyard, my hearing aids broke. As a deaf person who primarily uses American Sign Language (ASL), my hearing aids provide information about whether sound is present, though not always what it means. But lately I’ve come to rely on them most for the visual reminder of deafness that they give to hearing people. Without them, hearing people often assume I’m “ignoring” them, and most blow past patience or curiosity straight to anger. I’ve been shouted at in stores for not responding to a clerk’s call, shoved on a sidewalk for not responding fast enough to someone’s excuse me, assaulted on a subway platform after missing a man’s attempted flirtation.

In Uganda, access to healthcare services for the deaf community is being severely hindered by the government’s failure to recruit sign language interpreters at healthcare facilities. “Access to health services by deaf persons is a big challenge, this is due to communication barrier, many medical workers are too busy to learn sign Language and it becomes very difficult to help”, Mr. Bonny Okoda, a member of the Board of Directors of Uganda National Deaf Association notes.

Promoting and protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

People with disabilities have difficulty accessing safe places, and the denial of vital services such as electricity, water, and food exposes people with disabilities to heightened risks including the risk of loss of life, Hagrass said. The Special Rapporteur urged parties to the conflict to consider the situation of persons with disabilities when conducting hostilities, including warnings of attacks, especially as safe and accessible means of transportation and assistive tools are lacking to flee danger. To continue reading this article, please click here > > > > >

Despite Ghada Alree being unable to walk and reliant on family for mobility, New Zealand initially told her this week they would not allow her mother to be added to a list with her for evacuation from Gaza to Egypt. After the Herald sought comment, officials now appear to be offering a pathway out of Gaza for the pair. To continue reading this article, please click here > > > > >

The BBC spoke to Heba Abu Jazar, a hearing-impaired person in the Gaza Strip, about her difficult journey during the Gaza war, and how she was aware of the Israeli bombing of her area. Heba lives in a challenging world, where her personal story is intertwined with the reality of the ongoing conflict that plagues her region.

Entering the exhibition hall, one is instantly struck by the powerful emotions emanating from the works of art on display. It’s an intriguing assortment of styles, mostly watercolors and pastels, with others incorporating elements such as layers of construction paper and cutouts. There is a hush in the room, with an aura of complexity and tumultuous feelings of pain and loneliness, along with faint glimmers of hope and prayer for the return of safety and peace. To continue reading this article, please click here > > > > > >

Israel's Defense Ministry has failed to effectively implement its "One Soul" reform for treating disabled IDF veterans suffering from head injuries, psychological harm and PTSD, according to a report published on Monday by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman. To continue reading this article, please click here > > > > >

A star patient in the physical therapy room is 22-year-old Yonatan Ben-Hamou. The young officer, who was on the first bulldozer to enter Gaza to help clear the way for other troops, filmed himself as a rocket-propelled grenade hit his tractor. The impact set Ben-Hamou’s bulldozer on fire. Resourcefully, and “even though I already felt the heat in my legs,” he jumped from the narrow window to the ground, an action that may have saved his life. To continue reading this article, please click here > > > >