While serving a 57-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter at California’s San Quentin prison, Tommy Wickerd found purpose in an unexpected way: teaching fellow incarcerated people and corrections officers American Sign Language.
Growing up with a deaf older brother, Wickerd witnessed the isolation of a world without proper accommodations. So when legal advocates won a 2019 petition to move a group of deaf men from underresourced prisons to program-rich San Quentin, Wickerd created his class.
As a key player in the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Gallaudet’s campus was a natural choice for previewing a new documentary about the story behind the law. A screening of “Change, Not Charity: the Americans with Disabilities Act,” produced by the PBS series “American Experience,” was hosted by the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center (SDDC) and the Center for Democracy in Deaf America (CDDA) on March 12. The event included a Q&A with writer/producer Chana Gazit, American Experience executive producer Cameo George, and director Jim LeBrect.
A little more of the history can be found at https://gallaudet.edu/museum/history/the-deaf-president-now-dpn-protest/
Be part of the Action! New Castle County Emergency Management is looking for volunteers. See Flyer for more info. Contact Teresa Wagner at 302-571-6164, Teresa.Wagner@DRBA.net for any questions or to sign up.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Location: 191 N. DuPont Hwy, New Castle, DE 19720
Volunteer Check-in Time: 7:30 AMSource: https://www.facebook.com/100064707035155/posts/1109420544558170/?rdid=ULSq45VRgCgGcOKS
