Deaf News Briefs: Supreme Court to hear case involving deaf Michigan man; New Mexico pro soccer team recognizes deaf fan Levi Anderson
Here are two Deaf News Briefs.
Supreme Court to hear case involving deaf Michigan man
The first is a report from the Detroit Free Press that the U.S. Supreme Court said: “it would hear arguments brought by a deaf Michigan man who wants to sue his former school district for failing to provide him a suitable teacher who knew sign language for more than a decade and inflating his grades when he could neither read or write.”
The deaf man’s name is Miguel Perez. He immigrated to the U.S. with his family as a child and is now in his 20’s. He went to school in the Sturgis Public School District in southwest Michigan.
Perez’s lawyers said the Sturgis school district, for twelve years, failed to provide him with an ASL interpreter, failed to teach him sign language or English, and failed to provide him with any meaningful classroom instruction.
Perez’s lawyers said Perez, although he couldn’t read or write and failed to learn basic facts, still received grades of As and Bs and was listed on the honor roll. His family thought he would graduate in June 2016 but was informed that he would only receive a certificate of completion.
Perez’s attorneys said his “long-term earning capacity” was harmed. He went to the Michigan School for the Deaf for four years after high school for “additional schooling.” His lawyers said he lost income during these four years and that the years-long neglect from the Sturgis school district seriously limited his future vocational prospects and earning capacity.
There are somewhat complicated arguments from both sides of the lawsuit on whether Perez is able to sue and seek compensatory damages under the ADA – because he already settled a case that had to do with violations of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). There is a dispute on this and now the Supreme Court will hear arguments, but a date has not been set.
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New Mexico pro soccer team recognizes deaf fan Levi Anderson
The second Deaf News brief is about a USL professional men’s soccer team in Albuquerque, the New Mexico United, honoring Levi Anderson as a beloved fan and devoted father. Levi is known in our community as a comedian.
The soccer team released the video on Friday to recognize Deaf Awareness Month in September. The video featured multiple other deaf people but took a focus on Levi’s life as a father and a season pass holder.
The video showed Levi attending a game with his two children and the children helping out Levi with cooking for tailgate meals. Levi said he loves going to soccer games and that he feels like his fellow fans are a part of his family.
You can check out the video at the link in the description or transcript.
That’s the two Deaf News briefs for today.
Levi feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE-UPcfagqI