There were no representatives from Syria, Iraq or North Korea at Nelson Mandela's memorial. This is not just about paying respects, this is about the fate of our global community.

I was troubled by the extensive air time Obama was given to the exclusion of other world leaders at the Memorial event in Johannesburg. Perhaps that's why the UN General Assembly organized its own special tribute to Mandela so that every country could equally be heard.

You know how the refrigerator stops humming, and then you become aware that it was? Nelson Mandela taught me about the state when the hum clicks off.

As a Deaf person myself, I was taken aback at the fact that at one of the most significant world events in recent times, a phony interpreter was chosen to represent the Deaf community. It serves as a message to the Deaf community that the world still does not understand us.