There seem to me to be two interesting things about this story. One is the humane element reflected in the perceived fairness of the judge and the outpouring of support from the Deaf community. The second is the silence about motive. As far as the implications go, my thoughts aren’t coherent yet . . . I’m wondering if some kind of a threshold is indicated in which Deaf people have “arrived” at a level of social integration (white collar crime!) while simultaneously being honored/respected for linguistic and cultural difference.

That would be an amazingly positive outcome of such a sad event.