Deaf teacher's quest for armed service inspires students

The Defense Department declared in a report last month it would be "imprudent" to create a program assessing deaf people's fitness for military service.

During after-school and occasional weekend meetings, Cadet Corps members compete as teams in contests of physical strength and brainpower, and take turns leading problem-solving missions around town, said David Alexander, a school audiologist and Army veteran who helps to run the program.

The agency, which analyzes aerial and satellite data, sent three deaf analysts to support U.S. military operations in Africa from 2012 to 2014, using only American Sign Language.

[...] the military already has members in jobs that require sound-deadening earphones, such as guiding planes during landings and takeoffs from aircraft carriers.

The Israel Defense Forces have always recruited deaf volunteers and found ways for them to serve in uniform, spokeswoman Libby Weiss said in an email.

In 2012, the IDF announced an Israeli sign-language course to help commanders communicate better with deaf and hearing-impaired soldiers, then numbering more than 100.