Knight Foundation
To provide news and information to the deaf and hearing impaired through public access television programming and an interactive website
ACCESS News aims to inform and empower the deaf community through public access television and an interactive website featuring the perspectives of the hearing impaired. The project will engage students at Texas School for the Deaf to help produce 20, 30-minute shows annually in spoken English with American Sign Language and English and Spanish captions. The students will gain skills and experience, and contribute to the deaf community’s understanding of local issues, while bringing the perspective of the hearing impaired to the larger community.
MariBen Ramsey, an Austin native, has been with the Foundation since 1995. During her tenure, the Foundation has grown from $12 million to over $100 million. In 2009, the Foundation made over $15 million in grants to more than 700 non-profit organizations. Before joining the Foundation, Ramsey was a shareholder with the law firm of Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody. She practiced corporate law with Clark, Thomas & Winters upon graduation from law school.
