Episode 5: ‘We’re Still Here’

In foreground, two hands are pictured signing words in American Sign Language. In the background, another pair of hands is holding a paper. The wrist of one hand has a tattoo with American Sign Language lettering. — LEWISTON, March 4, 2024 – Steve Richards Kretlow reads a prepared statement as his wife Heather holds it at Lewiston City Hall during a public hearing before the state panel investigating the mass shootings Oct. 25. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

December 27, 2024

Four members of Maine’s deaf community died in Lewiston in October 2023 in what is believed to be the deadliest mass shooting of deaf people in the U.S. The pain of that loss was magnified by the barriers to communication and information deaf survivors and loved ones faced in the immediate aftermath.

Episode 5 examines the outsize impact of the Lewiston shooting on those who are deaf and hard of hearing, how the community often feels forgotten and why the tragedy has become a catalyst for equity.

Watch the ASL-interpreted video of this podcast episode below:

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