John Wilson, Jr., a Black DeafDisabled man who spent 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. We offer this video to help our communities learn more about some parts of John and his family’s journey. Sadly, he passed away just six months after returning home to DC last year.
A law review article that describes why simply providing a sign language interpreter will not be an adequate remedy for deaf/disabled defendants. “This article looks at the intertwined issues of deafness, language, interpretation, and their cumulative effect on deaf people’s ability to meaningfully participate in the justice system.”
This document, developed by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, is intended to provide education regarding professional practice in legal interpreting. This resource may be beneficial to lawyers, advocates, legal workers, and professionals when advocating for communication access for their deaf/disabled clients.
A new rule from the Federal Communications Commission requiring full access for incarcerated people with communication disabilities will go into effect in January 2024. This rule is a product of 10+ years of advocacy from HEARD alongside deaf/disabled incarcerated people and community members.
Jeremy “Jay” Woody is a deafdisabled man who was formerly incarcerated in Georgia Department of Corrections. In this Marshall Project article, Jay shares his story about the isolation, discrimination, and deprivation he experienced while incarcerated.
A working definition of the term “Ableism” by HEARD’s founder, Talila Lewis in community with other disabled Black/negatively racialized folk. This version of the definition was last updated in January 2022.
