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Family Network for Deaf Children and our deaf program SPRING Deaf Youth Today Family Gatherings It is what it is Spring is here and it s that time of year for family barbecues graduations Mother s Day and Father s Day occasions when families and friends often gather together These busy fun events bring to the forefront how balancing a family with a deaf or hard of hearing family member can be tricky As the parent of a young deaf adult I want to share some of my thoughts and hopefully wisdom as you raise your deaf and hard of hearing children I have pretty much read it all listened to stories from deaf and hard of hearing adults feeling left out at family gatherings and yet I still don t have any grand solution on how to navigate family gatherings and have my young adult deaf daughter Mari feel fully included all the time Over the years we experienced lots of awesome family gatherings but also have had ones that were not so inclusive where I experienced the mom pain watching my child now young deaf adult miss out on conversation relationship building and ultimately deep family connections I can t control it and I can t fix it I try my best and so does Mari but as the saying goes it is what it is Family gatherings were so much easier when Mari was young or perhaps because she was a child I was oblivious to the reality During her younger years the cousins all played and life was pretty simple The kids played hide n seek dress up capture the flag board games or simply ran around until it was time to eat eating was just that eat and run Then came the teen years and the inevitable sunk in talk talk talk and MORE talk coupled with lots of laughter Eating became the epi centre of conversation Again enter the mom pain as I watched this unfold Nothing breaks a mom s heart more than seeing your child not feeling included Here are some tips tricks that our family did throughout the years and still do today Nothing is perfect but I do hope some of these ideas can lead to successful family connections with your deaf hard of hearing child Some of these tips will also help to model to your family and friends on how to bridge communication gaps as well as include a deaf or hard of hearing child or adult in your family Ultimately at the core of each of our souls is the need to be valued and included Let s face it family and community are the foundation for this love and acceptance Deaf Youth Today Spring Mar 2016 FNDC values sharing information to deaf children families professionals and the communities that support them These events advertisements and or articles do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of FNDC or offer an endorsement My mom tips to improving family communication and feeling included at Family gatherings Find an interpreter but remember this isn t a perfect solution if your child or your extended family doesn t know how to use an interpreter If you don t educate your family they may think the interpreter is there to be your child s friend or the single solution to communication access Do some homework and educate your family on how to best use the interpreter Having an interpreter means more access to conversation but your child still needs everyone to be involved so they feel included Being included and feeling included are two very different things Invite your child s deaf hh friends In addition to your child s friends Deaf and hard of hearing adults also act as role models to your whole family showing families that deaf hh children do grow up to become adults and that the communication needs of adults may be different than those of children Plan your menu so that you aren t in the kitchen the whole time if you are in the kitchen make sure that another family member is on top of ensuring that your deaf hh child is included in the conversation Place topic cards on the table so that you can ask a question that everyone can answer share their memories eg What was the worst Christmas gift you received and why Or describe a situation where you were really scared Have individuals take turns sharing their responses This is great because it means that your deaf family member has the ability to zero in on individuals rather than watching 8 different conversations happening at the same time Hot tip you get to control the conversation topics a bit Sneaky but it works Place big posters and pens around the room with a question For example Name 50 things we are thankful for or name something that happened this year that impacted your life This helps to bring communication on a more equal playing field by visually sharing memories or thoughts in printed word Hot tip this helps with literacy development too and again a sneaky way to control the conversation topics Write notes Have a white dry erase board in your kitchen or family room for fast communication Make sure you also have paper and pens in several areas around the house Typing on a computer or iPad can be faster than writing notes back and forth and kids might feel more comfortable using technology Twitter FNDCandDYT Facebook www facebook com fndc ca

Use name cards and pre set the table so that your deaf hh child is physically positioned in a good place for optimal communication access Hot tip This is also good if Uncle Frank never makes any communication effort and is rude maybe move him further down the tableJ Shhhh don t let Uncle Frank read this Add some additional visual pizzazz to an event Ask everyone to bring a funny or interesting photo from years ago This is a great visual tool to assist with communication and helps for laughter and the sharing of family history too Plan a costume theme This makes the event fun and creates memories When people are in costume they tend to loosen up and seem to gesture more Honestly this really does work Plan a funny gift exchange eg everyone brings something from their home that they no longer want wrapped up and put numbers on each present Each person pulls a number and has to open the present You can all laugh together Hot tip this doesn t require a lot of explaining kills time with a game that is more visually accessible and is perfect to do while you are in the kitchen preparing food Prepare in advance Draw out your family tree so your child understands all the connections Show photos of who is coming to dinner find photos on Facebook if necessary Write out names so your child knows the spelling Share family background so your child is up to date on what is happening in the family Background knowledge is the most important thing that will help your child navigate the communication topics at family gatherings For a special events if someone is planning a speech dinner prayer or a birthday toast ask if they can send you the text so you can prepare to interpret or let your child read the text This gives you the opportunity to fill in the back story or background information to your child Hot tip also gives you time to learn the sign vocabulary of the words you don t know If the TV is on remember to always have the captioning on If your child uses hearing aids make sure the background music or TV is turned down so that you have an optimum environment for clear communication Play games that include everyone This is super important especially if the event isn t in your home Volunteer to bring the games Find games that include your deaf hh child If you don t it s almost guaranteed that Cousin Tiffany will come up with a fast paced blindfolded rhyming game that totally leaves out your child Skip the fabric table cloth Buy a big roll of brown or white paper Put out crayons like some restaurants do Everyone will doodle write notes play hangman The next day you can laugh over what was written Make your table deaf friendly for communication Rather than a long table where its impossible to see communication signing or lipreading set your table up in a big square or horseshoe shape Maybe buffet style is better Figure out what works for your deaf hh child and your family Think about communication access during the eating together time FNDC 2 Spring 2016 And last but not least when all else fails pour yourself a glass of wine and figure out how to improve the next family event clipart provided by freepik It is vitally important to keep communication open with your deaf hh child by following up on their feelings and asking their opinion on what worked for them and what didn t This will create a wonderful opportunity for relationship building between yourself and your child and they will know that you are their ally throughout this journey Family communication and inclusion won t always be perfect so don t beat yourself up about it but you might find that by trying some of these creative ideas your extended family and friends may learn something new and grow from the experience For you and your family embrace and celebrate a deaf friendly version of It is what it is and be proud of it Cecelia

Family Network for Deaf Children Workshop For parents professionals and the communities that work with our deaf hard of hearing children WHEN Saturday May 7 2016 WHERE Burnaby South Secondary School BCSD Multipurpose Room 5455 Rumble Street Burnaby Dr Deborah Chen Pichler Professor of Linguistics Gallaudet University Deborah Chen Pichler became interested in linguistics and bilingualism as a young child growing up in a bilingual English Taiwanese household Since 2002 she has been a member of the Gallaudet Linguistics faculty teaching courses on first and second language acquisition and generative syntax Her research interests focus on the acquisition of ASL by Deaf children of Deaf families both with and without cochlear implants and hearing bilinguals Coda children as well as the acquisition of ASL as a second language by adults She also has a strong interest in the use of technology in teaching particularly in deaf classrooms MORNING WORKSHOP 9 00am to 11 30am 5 Myths about ASL and signing children Are sign languages really easier to learn than spoken languages Does sign make your child smarter Will learning ASL at the same time as English cause language confusion The claims about ASL in the media are conflicting and often inaccurate Come examine 5 popular myths about ASL and signing children and learn about the research that debunks them Along the way we will also discuss basic milestones in the development of ASL by babies and children This workshop is perfect for parents of deaf hard of hearing of all ages as well as professionals and the communities that support our children AFTERNOON WORKSHOP 12 30pm to 3 00pm New in sign language research What sign languages tell us about your brain For centuries everything we knew about language and the brain was based on what we observed for spoken language But as we learn more about sign languages and their status as true languages this new knowledge challenges many of our assumptions about how languages are acquired and lost and how they interact with other languages in our brains Come join us for a non technical exploration of some surprising revelations coming out of recent psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research on sign languages This workshop is a bit more academic focussed and is perfect for professionals parents of deaf hard of hearing children of all ages and the communities that support our children COST 10 00 for each session Morning or Afternoon 20 00 for all day Lunch Included REGISTRATION DEADLINE APRIL 22 2016 To register using credit card or PayPal go to www fndc ca workshop If you wish to register using a cheque please email fndc fndc ca CHILDCARE Due to our DYT staff attending this workshop we are unable to provide childcare If you are a parent of a deaf hard of hearing child from out of town and are in need of childcare please contact us ASL English Interpreting CART Provided QUESTIONS Please contact fndc fndc ca Thank you BC Early Hearing Program BC School for the Deaf and Provincial Deaf Hard of Hearing Services FNDC 3 Spring 2016

DYT Summer Camps SAVE THE DATE The DYT Summer 2016 Brochure will be ready at the end of April just waiting for our Canada Summer Jobs Grant funding In the meantime here is our tentative schedule to help you w ith your summer planning Week 1 July 4 7 FOREST WILD Deaf Hard of Hearing children ages 5 8 and 9 12 Exploring the forest through problem solving critical thinking and creativity Week 2 July 14 17 FAMILY DEAF CAMP HORNBY ISLAND Families with a Deaf Hard of Hearing family member parents with children Week 3 July 17 21 HORNBY ISLAND KIDS CAMP Deaf Hard of Hearing children ages 8 15 Counsellors in training CIT ages 16 18 Experiencing an overnight camp at the Tribune Bay on Vancouver Island Week 4 July 25 28 FARM TO TABLE with FCS FAMILY SUMMER IMMERSION Deaf Hard of Hearing children ages 5 8 and 9 12 whose parents are registered with Family and Community Services FCS Summer Immersion workshops and classes Week 5 August 2 4 CREATE CREATE Deaf Hard of Hearing children 5 8 9 12 13 14 Counsellors in training CIT that have completed CIT training ages 15 17 Week 6 August 8 11 STORYTELLING THEME A DAY Deaf Hard of Hearing children ages 5 8 9 12 TEEN NIGHTS Deaf Hard of Hearing teens ages 13 17 Week 7 August 15 18 LET S MOVE THEME A DAY CODA SODA and Deaf Hard of Hearing children ages 5 8 9 12 13 17 Children of Deaf Adults Siblings of Deaf Children Counsellors in training CIT that have completed CIT training ages 15 17 Please note that themes are subject to change Contact Alayna Finley DYT Program Coordinator with any questions alayna fndc ca FNDC 4 Spring 2016

JOB POSTING DYT SUMMER 2016 The following jobs are open l DYT Staff Canada Summer Jobs grant Hornby Island Contract Staff General DYT Summer Contract Staff p Personal Support Workers Application deadline March 30 2016 When applying indicate which position s you are applying for Email Alayna Finley at alayna fndc ca to submit your cover letter and resume Description DYT is looking for dynamic team members who together will create an amazing and memorable camp experience for children and youth Staff and Personal Support Workers PSWs will work under the direction of the DYT Coordinator and the DYT Team Leader Job positions assignments will be determined on experience and level of education in connection with the job description Core Qualifications for ALL Positions You have experience working with children and youth You have the energy to work with children You have excellent communication skills with people of all abilities and ages You are independent mature competent a quick responsible decision maker with good boundaries You are open to overnight camping and are flexible with schedules You have access to transportation for yourself car bus or carpooling First Aid is an asset ASL fluency is an asset l Job Position 1 DYT Staff Students eligible under Canada Summer Jobs grant This year in addition to core duties DYT staff will take on a speciality expertise in one or more of the following areas Diversity Modelling and promoting acceptance and respect for all ways of being Expression and education Tying in language learning and critical thinking opportunities Access Ensuring that learning and communication styles are met Fun Creating fun and humorous hands on memorable connections to themes Date Staff will work full time beginning June 13 staff training and ending August 19 Staff are required to work a total of 10 weeks of summer employment and this includes working at Hornby Island as a DYT Camp Leader FNDC 5 Spring 2016

Additional Qualifications You are between ages 15 to 30 You are a Canadian citizen permanent resident and entitled to work in Canada You are currently attending school full time Secondary or post secondary You will be attending school full time in the Fall 2016 NOTE Everything underlined is a requirement set out by the Federal Government Canada Summer Job Grant 2016 Job Position 2 Hornby Island Contract Staff Date Staff will work on a contract basis and are required to attend staff training in June as well as Hornby Island Family and Kids camps in July Hornby Island takes place later in July this year July 11 until July 21 Days of work depend on program needs Job Position 3 General DYT Summer Contract Staff Date Staff will work on a contract basis and are required to attend staff training in June Staff will be called to work on a contract basis depending on program needs throughout the summer p Job Position 4 Personal Support Workers Date Staff will work on a contract basis and are required to attend staff training in June Staff will be called to work on a contract basis depending on camper 1 1 needs throughout the summer Special Qualifications You are able to facilitate opportunities for campers with additional needs to interact successfully with peers and others You have specialized skills in supporting children and youth with additional needs For instance you may have experience with o G tube care and feeding o Personal care and toileting o Positive Behaviour Support o Deafblind Intervenor o Medication administration o Transferring and assisting children youth to and from wheelchairs seats etc Application deadline March 30 2016 Indicate which position s you are applying for Email Alayna Finley your cover letter and resume at alayna fndc ca For more information contact Deaf Youth Today dyt fndc ca or alayna fndc ca Email dyt fndc ca FNDC 6 Spring 2016 www fndc ca Phone Text to DYT 604 684 1860

23st Annual Family Deaf Camp 2016 At Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre Hornby Island July 14th 17th arrive afternoon on July 14 until after breakfast on the July 17 Your Hosts Gord and Allison Campbell Email camgor telus net PHONE 250 335 0080 FAX 250 335 0890 www tribunebayoutdoored ca Program The camp is for parents with deaf hard of hearing children and Deaf hard of hearing parents with their children This camp is designed for families that use sign language for all or part of their communication There is something for everyone and most of the programs will be interpreted The Centre staff and DYT Deaf Youth Today staff will be offering family programs and programs especially for children and adults Some examples of programs include the usual climbing on the tower hiking high ropes course beach fun lots of games mystery hunts crafts kayaking marine tours by our 12 passenger boat great campfire stories skits and the very popular women s and men s separate adult island bus tour and stops at appropriate spots New this year we have stand up paddle boards Accommodation Meals Bring your own tent or RV cooking camping gear Outhouse toilets showers are available Some meals are on your own but we supply Friday and Saturday Supper and Sunday Breakfast at the Lodge Everyone is asked to volunteer for one meal cleanup Camp fee 260 includes tax for family rate for the entire camp Extra individual not part of family is 115 Includes tax For your information the Campbell family s gift to you is the low subsidized fees in support of you coming The regular individual rate would be 206 85 and a family of four would be 827 40 but you only pay 260 family rate Due to our low fees only IMMEDIATE family will be included in the family rate Any additional people will be added at the individual rate and cannot be included in Family fee I we will be coming to Deaf Camp 2016 I am sending this back early because space is limited FAMILY LAST NAME EMAIL PHONE Parents Adults 1 Children 1 3 Deaf HH Hearing age_ age_ Deaf HH or H Deaf HH or H 2 Adult 2 4 Deaf HH Hearing age_ age_ Deaf HHor H Deaf HH or H I we will be at camp Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday I am sending a cheque of to pay camp fee Please make out cheque to Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Society and send with form to Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre 6050 St John s Pt Rd Hornby Island V0R 1Z0 Ferry information We will send by email only you a ferry schedule and information on the BC Experience Card a ferry card which is the best rate for the small Hornby Denman ferries the card never expires and can be used on large ferry back to Vancouver There is no discount on large mainland ferry only small ferries Yes please send me ferry information I have written my email address above FNDC 7 Spring 2016

FAMILY DEAF CAMP 2016 FUNDING Does your family need funding for Family Deaf Camp 2016 FNDC has limited funding is available for families to assist with the costs of your Family Deaf Camp Registration Fees The Criteria for the funding is Your family resides in British Columbia Your family has a deaf or hard of hearing child school age K to 12 The cost of Family Deaf Camp is more than your budget can handle The amount available per family is up to 260 00 registration fees for a family of four The funding has been made available from private donations specifically for this purpose There is only a limited amount of funding and therefore will only be available on a first come first served basis Due to limited funding priority ill be given to families who are planning to attend Deaf Camp 2016 for the first time In respect to our donors we ask that only those in true financial need apply If your family qualifies using the criteria above please send an email to fndc fndc ca ALL requests will be kept confidential FNDC 8 Spring 2016

DONATIONS Would you like to donate to sponsor a family to attend Family Deaf Camp 2016 Family Deaf Camp on Hornby Island is an amazing experience for families with deaf and hard of hearing children Would you like to sponsor one family in need for their registration fees so that they may attend Family Deaf Camp 2016 Please send us an email fndc fndc ca Or donate online at http www fndc ca about donate Silent Walk Run 2016 Sunday June 26 2016 As part of the Scotiabank Half Marathon and 5K Two event options Choose either Option 1 5K Fun Run Walk Starts at 9 30 am Start Stanley Park Fish House Finish Line Stanley Park Fish House Cost to Register 40 taxes Option 2 21K Half Marathon Run Starts at 7 30 am Start Line UBC Thunderbird Arena Finish Line Stanley Park Fish House Cost to Register 60 taxes To Register 1 Go to website 2 Use discount charity code www vancouverhalf com 16VBCDSF This code allows you to pay the discounted prices 40 for 5k Fun Run Walk 60 for Half Marathon This code allows you to fundraise for BC Deaf Sports Federation supporting BC s Deaf and hard of hearing athletes Thank you Deadline to Register Monday June 20 2016 What s included For more information Souvenir Shirt Medal for Finishing Healthy Snacks Email info bcdeafsports bc ca Chairperson Ronald Fee rfee36 MSN com See you there FNDC 9 Spring 2016

Saturday June 18 th Burnaby Family Picnic organized by BC Hands Voices Canadian Hard of Hearing Association BC Parents Branch Family Network for Deaf Children Family Community Services PDHHS Flyer coming soon We are just waiting for funding FNDC 10 Spring 2016

The Early Intervention Network is a website designed to provide professionals with ve evidence based practices that support linguistic competence for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing The network provides literature that supports each factor along with the recommended practices while also highlighting programs that demonstrate the practices in action 1 Factor Direct and daily access to language and communication is essential to facilitating each child s language and communication development Factor 2 A collaborative ongoing process should be used to explore modalities technologies and strategies to support the development of linguistic competence Factor 3 Early exposure to accessible language through sign is bene cial to language acquisition Factor Factor 4 Early tting of ampli cation and ongoing monitoring of its effectiveness are integral to selecting communication strategies to facilitate language development 5 Planning for language and communication development should be individualized and systematically guided by ongoing assessment and monitoring Planning Development and Dissemination 800 Florida Avenue NE Washington DC 20002 Copyright 2016 Gallaudet University FNDC 11 Spring 2016

We are introducing you to the students who working on their Master s in Special Education program for teachers of the Deaf Hard of Hearing University of British Columbia You may be seeing some of these teachers working with your deaf or hard of hearing child soon These dedicated professionals will graduate in the Spring of 2017 and begin work as Teachers of the Deaf Hard of Hearing Hearing Resource Teachers We thought it might be fun to learn a bit more about each of them Peter Atack Peter Atack lives and works in Calgary Alberta After completing his University education in Ottawa Ontario Peter moved to Calgary to begin his career as an educator For four years he worked as a grade 5 general education teacher During this time he completed additional qualifications in Special Education and later accepted a position in an aural oral program for students who are deaf and hard of hearing It is in this position that he discovered his passion for educating students who are deaf and hard of hearing and soon after applied to the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at UBC Although he does not have an ASL background he is excited to learn and recognizes how important this language is to deaf learners Peter s wife is also a teacher in Calgary and together they have a beautiful one year old daughter Megan Jantz My name is Megan Jantz and this is how I came to be interested in pursuing a career as a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing I started my education with a Bachelors degree in Child and Youth Care with a specialization in Child Protection I went back to school to get my Bachelors of Education in 2013 after taking a year to complete my prerequisite coursework I was fortunate after graduating in 2014 to be hired on quickly to the Saanich School District as a teacher on call and then in the Victoria School District It was shortly after graduating that my husband and I realized our oldest was having some hearing issues that went beyond ear infections This is one of the reasons that motivated me in to pursuing this career as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher I started taking ASL courses and applied to the program at UBC and was fortunate enough to be accepted into the program I feel lucky to have this opportunity to learn and continue working at the same time I currently hold a position as a Learning Resource Teacher in a middle school in the Victoria School District I am excited and passionate about working with students and will be continuing to learn more and connect further with my community during my time in the program and after Lisa Bryden Lisa Atiemo lives and works in Saskatoon Saskatchewan She has worked as a special education teacher and as a general classroom teacher Her specialty is grade 4 because she enjoys the age group and the content that she gets to teach She was inspired to apply for the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at UBC by a yearning to take her career in a new direction and to be able to specialize in one on one and small group FNDC 12 Spring 2016

instruction She is an ASL learner and feels motivated and challenged by this beautifully complex language Her aunt and uncle are both Deaf and reside in Port Coquitlam They have both been very supportive of Lisa in her new learning journey Lisa enjoys spending time at her family s cabin in the summers training for local triathlons and traveling the globe She recently got married and cannot WAIT for her Caribbean honeymoon in December Joy Gong My name is Joy Gong I was born in Taiwan and moved to Vancouver at the age of 6 I am deaf and I grew up in an oral mainstream education setting receiving support from an itinerant teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Four years ago I underwent surgery for Cochlear Implant in one ear I now wear both the hearing aid and cochlear implant In 2012 I obtained a Bachelor of Education degree from UBC and volunteered with various organizations ranging from early intervention programs such as BC Children s Family Hearing Resource Society and Children s Hearing and Speech Centre to hearing resource programs in Delta and Surrey Now I work as an itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in one of the school districts My current community involvements include co coordinating the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association CHHA BC Youth Peer Support Program and being a board member with Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Quan Lien Quan Lien lives and works in Winnipeg Manitoba She recently graduated from the University of Manitoba s Faculty of Education in May of 2015 and has worked as a Substitute Teacher with the Seine River School Division and Seven Oaks School Division for the past six months She was inspired to apply for the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at UBC because of her previous years of working and volunteering in the Deaf and Deaf Blind community of Winnipeg She has worked as an Educational Assistant with children who are D deaf and hard of hearing an English Tutor for the Deaf Literacy Program a Media Chairperson for the Video Relay Service Board of Manitoba a Community Resource Coordinator at the Deaf Resource Centre in the Deaf Centre of Manitoba and a Community Counsellor at the Communication Centre for Children who Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities She loves learning about languages and cultures and is appreciative of all the support and opportunities that she has received thus far in the Deaf and Deaf Blind community She is excited to be entering the field of Deaf Education and is look forward to starting a career as a future Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Caitie Sanderson My name is Caitie Sanderson I am originally from Toronto Ontario but moved to Vancouver BC with my family when I was 12 years old The first time I met a person who was deaf was in high school when a student mainstreamed to my school Semiahmoo Secondary in White Rock BC We were fortunate that our school established an after school club so that we could learn basic American Sign Language in order to communicate with this student I began developing my skills and we became good friends throughout high school And now that person is my husband As such I have been an active member in the Deaf community for well over ten years attending volunteering and working at various events I obtained my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria in 2010 my Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia in 2014 and am currently pursuing my Masters of Education with a concentration on Deaf Hard of Hearing I currently work as a teacher at the BC School for the Deaf three days a week in a job share position Carrie Luckwell Carrie Luckwell lives and works in Red Deer Alberta After receiving her Education degree at the University of Alberta she moved back to her hometown of Grande Prairie to begin her teaching career She moved to Red Deer several years later and has been teaching there since that time Carrie has taught most elementary grades including Kindergarten She has also worked as an instructor for her provincial teaching association for the last five years facilitating PD workshops for teachers throughout the province While she teaches in the mainstream FNDC 13 Spring 2016

program her experience working with students with special educational needs is extensive Amongst these students several have been hard of hearing and one was deaf Some of her richest teaching experiences have come from working with students of this population Once she has completed the UBC Deaf and Hard of Hearing program she will move into a local regional consulting role supporting both the students who are d Deaf and hard of hearing and the teachers who work with them Carrie is learning ASL and appreciates its beauty and complexity She can t wait to get started in this new chapter of her teaching career Lauren Moore Having lived with a hearing loss since I was two years old I have gone through elementary high school university and am now completing my grad studies at UBC This experience has provided me with a wealth of tools that I use to navigate the world with hearing loss I am going to school to become an itinerant teacher so that I can share what I have learned with my students I currently hold a position in the lower mainland and love what I do Growing up with a severe to profound sensorineural bilateral loss I always appreciated the support of my parents and hearing teacher I have known for a long time that I would feel honoured to support future D deaf Hard of Hearing youth and their families I am a lifelong learner committed to my students and my own personal and professional growth Heidi Feenstra Born and raised in BC when I became Deaf at the age of 3 my parents made a very wise choice to ensure I acquired a language naturally through the use of sign language My family learned the language together I was enrolled in DCS then Jericho Hill School until its closure I began grade 5 at a brand new school South Slope BCSD After 2 years at Burnaby South I mainstreamed full time with ASL interpreters at a North Vancouver high school participating on the school s sport teams field hockey snowboarding and rowing My parents always ensured I had exposure to Deaf culture language and community giving me many opportunities They also ensured I had full access to everything I was never held back I played not only on the sport teams but also was involved in Girl Guides for 9 years and had travelling opportunities My second international experience was to the winter Deaflympics in Davos Switzerland at the age of 16 Just after grade 12 I went to New Zealand alone to attend Deaf school in Christchurch and stayed there for 6 months and learned New Zealand Sign Language fluently The Deaf community enriched my travel experience as I met many Deaf people on the way who connected me with others who are also connected to other Deaf friends around the globe After high school I did lots of travelling around the world in between completing my post secondary education a criminology diploma from Douglas College dual Honours Bachelors degree in Political Science and Law Society After university I did some more travelling until I began to settle down in the working world Fast forward a few years I went back to UBC to obtain my teaching degree Now I am in Masters of Deaf Ed program at the same time teaching on my old stomping grounds at BCSD as a Kindergarten teacher It is my daily joy to see little hands signing and eyes absorbing learning new things It is also my daily passion to change the face of Deaf Education to have all Deaf children to access ASL and experience life has to offer without any limits FNDC 14 Spring 2016

NEWSFLASH UPDATES THE GREATEST DEAF OUTDOORS ACTION IN BC Norwest Deaf Timberfest events will remain the same at Kelly s Campground McLeese Lake BC as in 2013 where everyone had a GRAND TIME Great for Everyone Families Games Swimming Fishing and many more Logging Events will be on Thursday August 4th and Friday August 5th You will get a special code to reserve Kelly s campsite after you are registered If Kelly s campground is full No worries there are other campsites nearby We regret to let you know that the McLeese Lake Resort Campground Motel cabins is now closed until further NOTICE VOLUNTEERS WELCOME More information Contact us CHAIRPERSON ROSANNE DONG Text 604 417 8240 CO CHAIRPERSONS IAN MACALISTER ROB BARR norwestdeaftimberfest shaw ca ADMISSION CAMPGROUND RESERVATION WENDY BRUCE Email 2016NDT gmail com Fax 604 496 3629 or Text 604 319 0694 ASSISTANT LEONOR JOHNSON Email leonorjohnson hotmail com Text 604 837 1312 COME ONE COME ALL and JOIN US FNDC 15 Spring 2016 Jan 20 2016

FNDC 16 Spring 2016

BC Students invited to the White House Four BC Deaf Students currently attending Gallaudet University in Washington DC had the privilege of attending the ceremony for the visit of Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama Bree Sproule Lake Country Julia Szefer Burnaby Jeff Chow Vancouver and Nicole Musey Prince George FNDC 17 Spring 2016

BC FAMILY HEARING RESOURCE SOCIETY TOWN HALL MEETING EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN BC Date April 6th 2016 Time 6 30pm 8 30pm Location Centre for Dialogue Byrne Creek Secondary School 7777 18th Street Burnaby BC V3N 5E5 Tutor Wanted I am looking for One to One ASL tutor for my hearing daughter 9yrs and son 7yrs at home in Surrey for 1 2 hours a week on Saturday or Sunday mornings Both are beginners and I would like them to sign good conversational ASL Preference will be given to Deaf or CODA 18yrs or older and must be patient fun and energetic Has some experiences working with children such as tutoring any subjects day camp extracurricular activities e g arts sports or related The commitment is ASAP to end of June and possibly ongoing The rate will be negotiated Interested More information Contact me at susan dahlgren telus net Behaviour Interventionist Needed Looking for 2 3 experienced ABA Behaviour Interventionists BI to work a few times per week in a home based ABA program managed by a BCBA from ABA Learning Centre We are looking to complete 10 14 hours per week The times we have available to schedule 2 hour sessions include but are not limited to the following Mondays Thursdays and Fridays 4 6pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12 30 6pm Flexible on weekends 9am 6pm Our son is a very active and sweet 3 5 year old boy with autism spectrum disorder and cochlear implants We are looking for individuals who are energetic responsible dependable and able to commit for at least 1 year It would be an asset if you already have prior training in ABA although we are open to training new BIs It would be an asset if you have knowledge of ASL American Sign Language or have interest in the deaf community We are located in SE Vancouver Candidates should be at least 19 years of age with a clear criminal record We are looking to pay 15 18 depending on experience and willing to make a raise once the initial training period is complete Please apply with resume and references Please send your resume cover letter to jacquilim hotmail com Thank you FNDC 18 Spring 2016

Parents needed for a Study My name is Dave Gordey I am an audiologist who worked with children and their parents in Public Health Audiology in Victoria and North Vancouver for 15 years Now as a new researcher i want to look at how to understand how we can better prepare and support children with hearing loss to have successful social experiences and relationships at school My project for my PhD studies is to look at how children in early elementary school interact with their classroom teacher This understanding is important as a large amount of research has examined the importance of the teacher student relationship for children with typical hearing as a contributing factor to student happiness friendships and doing well in school This study has received approval from York University Could I ask you to please consider completing this short survey It will take 10 minutes It is anonymous and no identifying information about you or your child will be asked The only requirement is that you have had children with hearing loss that attended their neighbourhood elementary school I am interested your perspective on how they felt their child s relationships were with their school teachers in grade one two or three Below is a link to a short survey for parents to complete www surveymonkey com r hearinglossparent Thank you Dave Gordey PhD Candidate York University IMMERSION WEEKS SUMMER 2016 Save the Dates Family Community Development PDHHS July 25 to July 29 Immersion for parents of elementary deaf hh children Elementary school ages 5 12 August 8 to 12th Immersion for parents of High School deaf hh youth Secondary school age 13 18 August 25 to 26th Immersion for Professionals You can refer professionals who work with a deaf individual in your family Cost 35 00 Please contact Melissa Mykle gov bc ca or Linda Ramsey gov bc ca You can also call and leave a message at 604 660 1800 voice and we will contact you Golden Key Tutor seeking ASL Tutor My name is Yolanda and I work as an Education Consultant at Golden Key tutor We have a student who is part time studying Sign Language at a local school But she has a difficulty to catch up with her study So she hopes that we could find her a Sign Language tutor to help her She knew very little sign language I believe this is a good opportunity for your members to gain teaching experience and help others The follow is the job description Fluency in ASL Behavior which is professional organized reliable honest understanding responsible and punctual Previous teaching tutoring experience is an asset Must be willing to travel to Burnaby or New Westminster Willingness to apply for criminal record check For more information contact goldenkeytutor gmail com FNDC 19 Spring 2016

BC ITINERANT TDHH CONFERENCE 2016 EVENT DETAILS Date Monday April 4 2016 Location Michael J Fox Theatre Burnaby Time 9am 3pm Presentations from Ann Dumas Audit 101 Dr Joanna Cannon Alayna Finley Literacy Assessments Practical Applications Nadine Ewanchyshyn Carrie Siu PRP AO Updates Terry Maloney POPDHH Updates Breakout sessions to share collaborate The perfect time to register is NOW Early bird price 50 until March 11th Registration is 60 after March 11th Amazing prizes provided by Karen Anderson Lynne Price Floor Savers Hushh ups and so many more FNDC 20 Spring 2016

goo gl 8G8gYL A program offered by Provincial Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services FCS Provincial Outreach Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Northern BC Children and Families Hearing Society Positive Approach in Parenting your deaf or hard of hearing child Presenters Tamara Lister Speech Language Pathologist Kathy Glover Family Community Specialist Melissa Mykle Child Family Consultant Location The Exploration Place 333 Becott Pl Prince George BC Date Saturday April 23 2016 Time 9 30 am 12 00 pm Register Kathy Glover gov bc ca Please let us know if you require child minding Registration Deadline April18 2016 FNDC 21 Spring 2016

Family ASL Workshop Quesnel BC Spring 2016 Family ASL Workshop with Susan Warren Quesnel BC Saturday April 2 2016 10 00 am 4 00 pm Lunch provided ASL Sign Language Class for anyone who interacts with a deaf or hard of hearing person in their lives This workshop will teach you useful words and phrases for every day life in a fun interactive setting Children are invited to attend as well This is a family workshop Location Cariboo Regional District Library Quesnel Branch 410 Kinchant Street Quesnel BC V2J 7J5 Cost 10 per Adult or Family All children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult Registration Deadline Friday April 1 2016 To Register or for more info please go to http asl spring quesnel eventbrite ca Financial Assistance for this event may be available please send a request to pgdeaf telus net Northern BC Children Families Hearing Society 507 1600 3rd Avenue Prince George BC V2L 3G6 Phone 250 563 2425 Email pgdeaf telus net Visit our website at www nbchearingsociety com FNDC 22 Spring 2016 Dedicated to supporting deaf and hard of hearing children and their families in Northern BC

We Want Y O U VOLUNTEER for Deaf Hard of Hearing and Deaf Blind Seniors in Metro Vancouver Friendly Visiting Volunteers and Volunteer Drivers needed You MUST be skilled in ASL Contact Vincent Kennedy Volunteer Program Coordinator Deaf Hard of Hearing Seniors Outreach Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing text 604 679 7523 tty 604 736 4731 e mail vkennedy widhh com FNDC 23 Spring 2016

Children without a language From Australia http www eurekastreet com au article aspx aeid 45826 Vuioo_krLIW In September last year a five year old boy arrived at preschool in Sydney with no language Owen is deaf and for five years medical professionals instructed his parents not to sign The boy had been fitted with cochlear implants and told these devices would eventually give him access to speech They didn t Owen is now enrolled in the only bilingual preschool for deaf children in Sydney eagerly learning Auslan Australian Sign Language His face lights up each time he learns a new sign Owen loves preschool and is thrilled to finally communicate But he s lost the most vital five years of language acquisition studies show this will impact his linguistic and cognitive abilities for the rest of his life He will never catch up to his hearing peers Last year the bilingual preschool was cut to three days a week when it reopens after the holidays it will only be open two days a week In 2017 it will probably close This centre is the only place in Sydney where deaf children can learn Auslan Owen s story is not unique Every year children arrive at deaf schools across Australia well behind their hearing peers with little or no language because parents and professionals have refused to sign The reasons for this are many but an underlying theme is that parents and professionals want the children to be normal This is surprising considering we live in a time when difference is more accepted than ever Gone are the days of Leave it to Beaver when the norm was straight white able bodied middle class families Here in the 21st century Mardi Gras is mainstream and Adam Goodes is a brand ambassador for David Jones Racism and prejudice still exist but in the media we are seeing more diversity than ever before Yet when it comes to parenting a deaf child the tendency is to reject difference Parents and professionals try to force that child to be something they re not hearing In 2013 I presented a paper at the International Conference of the World Federation for the Deaf in Sydney where I gave the results of a survey of 72 hearing parents of deaf children in Australia The majority said they had been told not to sign by speech therapists or medical professionals FNDC 24 Spring 2016

Six years ago my daughter Kaitlyn was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss Initially I was devastated I too was told by an early intervention centre not to sign with my deaf child It may interfere with her spoken language development they said though there s no research to support this claim When she was three I went against that advice and began studying Auslan I enrolled my daughter in the bilingual preschool and she learned to sign better than me She s now in a signing choir One day a week she goes to the deaf school where she learns Auslan is able to socialise with children like herself and doesn t miss the jokes Some of her friends at her mainstream school have started to sign as well They use a mixture of speech and sign on the playground When people sign Kaitlyn doesn t miss out I hear with my eyes she says No two deaf children are alike and Kaitlyn s in a very different position to the five year old boy who s just started to learn Auslan She speaks clearly Her hearing aids work much of the time but she hears when it s quiet and her aids are in and on and working and she s looking at you We don t live in a quiet world People don t always look at you when they talk Hearing aids often break Mainstream school is noisy and I d estimate she misses about half of what her hearing peers hear Sign language has been controversial for a long time In 1880 at the second International Conference on the Education of the Deaf in Milan experts voted on a resolution that banned using sign language to teach deaf children worldwide Some older members of the Deaf community in Sydney report that they were made to sit on their hands in school Even now sign language is seen as a last resort in Australia as evidenced by Owen and the other deaf children who arrive at preschool and school without a language I m so grateful for what that bilingual preschool gave Kaitlyn She s confident happy bright and proud of her deaf identity But she may well be part of the last generation of deaf children to sign in Australia This will be a loss for Australian cultural and linguistic diversity It will be an even bigger loss for individuals like Kaitlyn And for children such as Owen it will be a devastating loss FNDC 25 Spring 2016

COED VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT 6x6 6 1 0 2 6 1 L I R P A 0 8 0 y ar d n co EET e S R th ST u So BLE BC y ab UM ABY rn R u B 455 URN B 5 m 0 5 0 pm Team Fees Early Bird Entry Fee before March 18 2016 150 per team first 6 players 25 per additional player up to 10 players on a team Late Entry Fee before April 3 2016 180 per team first 6 players 30 per additional player up to 10 players on a team Visit our website to register Join as an individual 25 before March 18 2016 30 before April 3 2016 Any questions contact mari popdhh ca FNDC 26 Spring 2016

Deaf Education A New Philosophy From Rochester Institute of Technology http www rit edu showcase index php id 86 Research at NTID is shifting the way deaf students are being educated Recent research suggests that even with qualified interpreters in the mainstreamed classroom educators need to understand deaf children learn differently are more visual and often process information differently than their hearing peers Research Findings at NTID A popular assumption in education for many years was that deaf students are the same as hearing students except that they simply don t hear But research at RIT s National Technical Institute for the Deaf is contradicting that belief and consequently altering the way deaf students are being taught We re changing the face of deaf education around the world says Dr Marc Marschark professor and director of NTID s Center for Education Research Partnerships CERP You can t teach deaf kids as though they are hearing kids who can t hear It s not about ears and it s not about speech versus sign language It s about finding their strengths and needs The historical approach to deaf education simply doesn t work well enough to get deaf students where they need to be Center for Education Research Partnerships Established in 2002 at RIT s National Institute for the Deaf the Center for Education Research Parterships explores how deaf students learn The center led by Dr Marc Marschark is working to improve deaf education around the world Learn more about the Center for Education Research Partnerships at www rit edu ntid cerp Through the center s research thousands of deaf and hard of hearing students from children as young as five to college students have been tested in Australia the Netherlands England Scotland and on the RIT campus in Rochester N Y to determine how they acquire new knowledge and how that knowledge is organized understood and communicated to others Studies involve everything from tracking eye movements and performing memory tasks to attending experimental classes taught by deaf and hearing teachers For hearing children a flood of information arrives constantly from background noises ambient conversations even words heard on the television Deaf children may not have the same opportunities to learn through hearing but they have different opportunities Marschark points out But does it matter whether the child has deaf or hearing parents Whether the child uses sign language or his or her voice Whether the child uses a cochlear implant Understanding How Students Learn The center s research focuses on deaf and hearing children from 5 11 years old as well as college age students The FNDC 27 Spring 2016

mathematics project sponsored by the National Institutes of Health is helping to uncover the differences in how deaf and hearing individuals process information Ambassador for Deaf Education Dr Marc Marschark and his colleagues present their research findings at dozens of conferences and workshops around the world annually Recent research findings show The deaf students who perform best academically usually are the ones whose parents have effectively communicated with them from an early age Children who sign early on generally outperform those who do not sign during their early school years Early language skills both American Sign Language and spoken language correlate with reading ability with no evidence that one is necessarily better than the other Most deaf students difficulties in reading are mirrored by difficulties in understanding sign language Deaf and hard of hearing children entering school often are lagging behind hearing children in their knowledge of the world number concepts and problem solving skills not just in language Deaf students do not always learn think or know in the same ways as hearing children CERP s Origins CERP occupies much of the north wing of the first floor of the Mark Ellingson Residence Hall and has a laboratory and office area in Peterson Hall Five of the 10 staff members are graduates of NTID s master of science program in secondary education five are nationally certified sign language interpreters All of its funding more than 6 million so far is from grants from the National Science Foundation the National Institutes of Health and contracts or gifts from foundations U S organizations and foreign governments CERP has roots as early as 2002 when it was awarded its first NSF grant to study factors thought to influence deaf students learning through sign language and barriers that hinder classroom learning The following year a second NSF grant was awarded for research to study communication and technological barriers to STEM Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics education for deaf and hard ofhearing students One thing we found in our early studies is that despite what some people claim deaf students difficulties in mainstreamed classrooms could not be blamed on interpreters says Marschark We started realizing some differences between deaf and hearing students how their memory works the organization of their knowledge and their learning strategies are simply different So for mainstream teachers you can t assume the deaf students coming into your class know the same things or learn the same way as your hearing students For example deaf people s visual spatial memories are better than hearing people s But sequential memory isn t as good For decades expectations of education for deaf students have been lower than for their hearing peers Fifty percent of deaf and hard of hearing students graduating high school in the U S read at or below fourth grade levels A Handbook to Deaf Studies Dr Marc Marschark and Dr Patricia Elizabeth Spencer have recently FNDC 28 Spring 2016

authored The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies Language and Education The book provides a comprehensive review of the current state of deaf studies Raising and Educating a Deaf Child More than 50 000 visitors have come towww educatingdeafchildren org since its inception in 2009 It remains a popular resource where parents can ask questions about their deaf or hard of hearing children But research by Marschark and others shows that how much hearing one has doesn t predict how much they ll learn either as children or adults Whether you use a hearing aid or a cochlear implant or are a native signer who uses ASL they each have advantages he says But by the time they re in college all of that is washed out Their experience has leveled it out History of Deaf Education Deaf children for centuries have not been educated as well as their hearing peers Still today there are no schools or provisions for teaching deaf children in many countries Prior to the advent of television and wireless pagers deaf people in the U S used to gather at clubs or on street corners to share the latest news in sign language Then a movement grew to educate deaf children orally and encouraged or forced them to use their voices In 1960 linguist William C Stokoe recognized American Sign Language as a bona fide language complete with its own syntax and linguistic features More schools started to utilize American Sign Language as the language of instruction The Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law in 1990 also marked a change in education for deaf and hard of hearing children More parents of deaf children were sending them to mainstreamed schools which are required to provide necessary accommodations to ensure their education That could include interpreters in the classroom but qualified interpreters weren t always found especially in rural areas Today Marschark says 86 percent of deaf students in the U S are in mainstreamed programs all or part of the day In many cases they are the only deaf or hard of hearing student in their school Mainstreamed teachers think that if they remove the communication barriers they can teach their deaf kids as though they are hearing kids Now that we ve discovered some of the differences in how deaf and hard of hearing students learn we want to know how to turn that knowledge into more effective teaching strategies We re in a position to educate parents and mainstream teachers about how these kids are different Using the memory example given their difficulties of retaining sequences if you arrange material visually and spatially deaf kids would do better Hidden Figures Test This common children s activity tests the visual spatial strengths of deaf and hard of hearing students FNDC 29 Spring 2016

Marschark is taking his research out of the laboratory and into classrooms and lecture halls around the world He gives invited presentations to parents teachers and other professionals more than 20 times a year and has written several books on the subject Marschark and his colleagues gave nine presentations in July 2010 describing various aspects of their findings at the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf ICED in Vancouver B C In 2009 CERP launched a website www educatingdeafchildren org intended as a clearinghouse for objective answers to questions about raising and educating a deaf child To date dozens of questions have been asked and answered on the site which has had more than 50 000 visitors from around the world Many of his findings today about deaf students learning would not have been politically correct to utter just a few years ago he says Five years ago we thought the same thing but we didn t have the evidence Now we know it s true he says In the past saying things like this upset people But the climate has changed People are accepting that differences don t mean deficiencies Now people better accept their strengths and weaknesses Overseas Successes NTID s Center for Education Research Partnerships has earned an international reputation Its staff was asked to continue work that began in 2000 to study the achievements of the 2 122 deaf students in Scotland from preschool through high school Extensive data was collected on virtually every deaf child in that country language and educational predictors The project based at The University of Edinburgh continued until 2005 when Mary Brennan a noted researcher involved with deaf education in Scotland died CERP obtained a grant in 2009 with collaborators at Edinburgh to continue her work and is now studying how academic outcomes of the students is related to early social Dr Marc Marschark director of CERP at RIT and who has appointments with The Moray House School of Education at the University of Edinburgh and in the School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen is also studying mathematic achievements of deaf students from ages 5 to 25 in the U S and Scotland Despite the frequent focus on reading comprehension deaf students historically lag behind their hearing peers in mathematics which has implications for all of their schooling and subsequent employment Marschark says That project is made possible by a 1 65 million grant in 2008 from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development The project s co investigator is Dr Rebecca Bull of Aberdeen who is an internationally recognized expert in young children s mathematics abilities Marschark says Today fewer schools specializing in education for deaf students exist And several have been eyed for closure in the near future due in large part to dwindling enrollments Rather than closing them we need more programs that understand how to educate deaf kids Marschark says The mainstream as it exists now is not necessarily the best place for many deaf students Sure a kid doing OK in the mainstream will stay there But he could be a star in another setting The status quo is not good enough FNDC 30 Spring 2016

Changing Attitudes A lot of parents think that if their deaf child learns sign language it will interfere with learning to speak Not true says Marschark Early sign language actually can support later spoken language for children with or without cochlear implants And his research shows that if a deaf child knows English as well as sign language he or she tends to do better academically socially and with language development Literacy is a big challenge Marschark says For 100 years we ve made very little progress at improving deaf kids reading Current research suggests that we ve been looking in the wrong place The reading problem is not about reading It s about comprehension They learn just as much from what they read as what is signed or spoken It s counterintuitive for many people I know but the evidence is very clear Just as there were varying opinions on whether deaf students should sign or speak more recent controversy existed with the improvement of technological advances and cochlear implants CI More than 275 students at RIT NTID currently have CIs which enable them to hear some sounds For years implants were controversial in the Deaf the uppercase D denotes those who see themselves as part of a linguistic cultural minority community especially for young children with hearing parents Many were afraid those children would never be exposed to sign language or their rich cultural history We re not interested in the political or the philosophical We re sensitive to those issues but we re trying to figure out how we can best support learning in the classroom for students of all ages Marschark says Dr Louis Abbate president and CEO of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow Mass said CERP s research was looked at when the school rewrote its mission five years ago The school founded in 1967 used to stress only oral communication for its students Now with an integrated campus they need the flexibility to teach students orally or in sign language or both We needed the flexibility to respond to the needs of each student Abbate said Marc was the first person we went to when we wanted to look at our communication model Abbate has often referred parents to CERP s website The answers are very balanced and very reasonable We use that all the time So many parents are faced with either or decisions early on and they usually get pushed in one direction Marc s work is balanced It talks about the value of different approaches and how they can be integrated with one another Dr James DeCaro interim president of NTID says CERP s work is an asset to the field of education of the deaf and to RIT NTID Marc continues to build the preeminent research center in our field addressing these important teaching and learning issues DeCaro said We are lucky to have him here at RIT FNDC 31 Spring 2016

Nyle DiMarco chosen as one of 12 celebrity contestants for ABC s Dancing With the Stars Gallaudet Alumni Nyle DiMarco Article from www gallaudet edu daily digest dimarco dwts html Nyle DiMarco winner of Cycle 22 of the CW network s competition television show America s Next Top Model ANTM will give his dancing shoes a go as he and 11 other celebrities were officially announced to be contestants for Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars DWTS The DWTS Cast Reveal for Season 22 aired on ABC s Good Morning America at its Times Square studio in New York City on Tuesday March 8 DWTS will begin airing on Monday March 21 at 8 p m on ABC affiliated stations nationwide Relatively unknown outside of the Gallaudet community prior to the start of ANTM DiMarco captivated America with his down to earth demeanor and his advocacy for the deaf community DiMarco now shines as a star on equal footing with DWTS contestants such as Von Miller Denver Broncos defensive player and Super Bowl MVP Geraldo Rivera Emmy award winning journalist Paige Vanzant Ultimate Fighting Championship Strawweight and Marla Maples Broadway professional and exwife of Donald Trump DiMarco is partnered with dancing professional Peta Murgatroyd who has been on DWTS since Season 13 having won the competition with NFL player Donald Driver in Season 14 and partnering with comedian and actor Tommy Chong last season When asked by GMA Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on the challenge of working with DWTS s first fully deaf contestant Murgatroyd shared her excitement in working with DiMarco It s all visual and it s more of a challenges for me this season but it s a great one and I love working with him He s such a great student and we re hitting it off We re doing our moves great and it s going to be an amazing season said Murgatroyd FNDC 32 Spring 2016

More sign language interpreters needed as video relay service launches in Winnipeg Red River College producing 4 or 5 graduates per year from American Sign Language interpretation program From http www cbc ca beta news canada manitoba more sign language interpreters needed asvideo relay service launches in winnipeg 1 3462124 More sign language interpreters needed as video relay service launches in Winnipeg Winnipeg will need more sign language interpreters this fall when a new video relay service launches for deaf Canadians Right now about four or five interpreters per year are graduating from the only sign language interpretation program in the province I definitely would like to see more graduates from our program said Rick Zimmer Zimmer who is deaf co ordinates the American Sign Language English interpretation program at Red River College Having that connection with the non deaf world to the deaf world is important for so many years they ve been two separate entities he said The city is already home to a video relay centre where sign language interpreters take video calls to translate back and forth between American Sign Language and English Right now the centre is only serving U S callers but this fall CRTC plans to launch a video relay service in Canada with registration starting this summer We will need many more student graduates so we do need more of a push said Zimmer English ASL very different languages The learning curve is huge for students many come into the four year program without being fluent in ASL and having little familiarity with deaf culture Because we re second language users who learn language so late in life it s an additional challenge Most Spanish most French interpreters grew up using the language said Mandy MacDonald who has been an instructor with the program for eight years I think there s a lot of assumptions that people make for example all deaf people can lip read deaf people want to be not deaf we realize quickly those are stereotypes English and ASL are very different languages sentence structure and tense are communicated differently and articles like a the and the verb to be are used differently Much of the grammar in ASL is tied to facial expression and the speed of a gesture and students have to be prepared to interpret everything from couples counselling to negotiating a house purchase to a coach teaching kids how to play soccer FNDC 33 Spring 2016

Rick Zimmer leads a class in deaf poetry at Red River College Zimmer who is deaf is the program co ordinator for the American Sign LanguageEnglish Interpretation program at RRC CBC Because of the room for error a large part of the training is teaching students to take themselves and their emotions out of the interaction I think it s important for students to understand they need to leave their stuff at the door so that when they come in they re able to tell someone that they have cancer or their baby is growing inside of them but when they come out they re not going to survive you know really really hard stuff said MacDonald We have to have our own stuff in check before we can facilitate any interaction like that Another distinct aspect of the training program is accurately representing the voice of a deaf or hard of hearing person based on their age gender and where they happen to be at the time We talk about What do you imagine them to sound like What does a 55 year old man sound like Would he say Oh my gosh I really like that Thank you Is that how your dad would talk No What are the words he would typically use said MacDonald adding they do a lot of studying around what people of different generations sound like and how people augment their speech based on the venue they are in There s certain words people will use with their boss that they would not typically use on the floor of a shop versus their wife versus their mother Men rarely enrol staff say One thing the program is lacking Men Right now the program has exclusively female students and they rarely see men come through the program That means when a man who is deaf or hard of hearing wants to work with an interpreter there are a lot fewer options Signing and speaking are very gender based MacDonald said When students are actually out in the field interpreting then they get live feedback We call it It sounds too much like you intruding on the message So if I say like a lot and it starts to come out in the message that s me having an impact on the message The program started in 1978 as a small short program at RRC It then expanded to two years and now it s a four year joint program with the University of Manitoba The program employs a mix of deaf and non deaf instructors and in some cases like MacDonald s cross culture class deaf and non deaf instructors co teach MacDonald said initially students only got involved because they had a friend or family member who was deaf but that s changing Woman moves from Winkler into deaf centre Student Sarah Klassen was working as an educational assistant at a Winkler elementary school when a deaf student moved to the area and needed an interpreter The school couldn t convince a trained sign language interpreter to move out to the community so they asked Klassen if she would be FNDC 34 Spring 2016

willing to learn I fell in love with the deaf community and the language she said After being hired by the division as a signer she decided that wasn t good enough I knew for me to be an ally with the community I knew I would have to become a trained interpreter she said I didn t realize how much self reflection there would be and how we need to just really analyze our beliefs and our biases I guess I thought it was just interpreting I didn t realize how my personal baggage can affect my job Sarah Klassen 32 is in her third year of studies in the program She moved from Winkler to Winnipeg to live in an apartment at the Deaf Centre Manitoba CBC But it s already difficult she said to navigate the world of socializing and making friends who are deaf and maintaining a professional distance I ve been trying to figure out how would I interpret for them Or could I even Would I influence the interpretation because of our friendship she said Zimmer says friendships in the community are important and generally interpreters should avoid interpreting for friends and family I always encourage our students to get involved in the deaf community It s key he said You can definitely have close friends in the deaf community but you ll always be viewed as a professional MacDonald hopes more students enrol in the program especially based on the need for more interpreters Eighteen years later I still love it I still get nervous I still get excited There is vicarious trauma that happens but there s also vicarious excitement that happens she said The deaf community is so welcoming so gracious The deaf community has lots of space for us FNDC 35 Spring 2016

Study of Cognitive Development in Deaf Children Revisits Longstanding Debate From University of Connecticut http today uconn edu 2016 02 study of cognitive development in deaf children revisitslongstanding debate In deaf children excluding sign language in favor of auditory implants may be a risky approach for their cognitive development SHARELINES Early exposure to SignLanguage may forestall cognitive issues in deaf children say researchers UConn In deaf children excluding sign language in favor of auditory implants may be a risky approach for their cognitive development A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut is reexamining a decades long debate as to whether deaf children should learn sign language to maximize their potential for optimal development Research has shown that children born deaf frequently exhibit learning deficits and as a result often underperform in school Yet research on deaf children has also found children from signing families develop language cognition and literacy on normal timetables One widespread view is that learning deficits stem from lack of auditory experience And with the advent of universal newborn hearing screening and improved technologies such as cochlear implants surgically implanted devices that provide access to sound more and more deaf children are relying on spoken language from an early age While some herald this as a victory others point to the variability in spoken language outcomes as evidence that excluding sign language may be a risky approach FNDC 36 Spring 2016

The problem is that we can t reliably predict who s going to succeed with the spoken language approach and who isn t said Matthew Hall postdoctoral fellow and the lead researcher By the time it s clear that a child s spoken language proficiency hasn t supported healthy development across the board it may be too late for that child to master sign language On Saturday Feb 13 as part of a panel on bilingualism at the American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington D C Hall will discuss these issues and how they relate to his current study A young woman with a cochlear implant Each part of the study will involve two participant groups of congenitally deaf children between the ages of 5 and 12 40 native signers those introduced to sign language since birth and 40 cochlear implant users who have never been exposed to sign language If Hall and fellow researcher Diane Lillo Martin distinguished professor of linguistics at UConn find that early exposure to sign language can forestall cognitive issues in deaf children then that would demonstrate that auditory experience is not necessary for healthy cognitive development The researchers suspect that early exposure to sign language may be what allows these children to develop normally direct confirmation of that hypothesis will require intervention studies which they hope to carry out in the future This work is especially meaningful because it has important theoretical implications but it also has the potential to change practices that affect the lives of deaf children and their families says Lillo Martin But the UConn research team also acknowledges practical challenges surrounding that conclusion Children born deaf are most often born into non signing households Only about 10 percent of congenitally deaf children are born into homes in which linguistic input is available from birth through sign language As such many families would need to learn the new language The researchers are currently enrolling study participants through schools and organizations serving deaf and hard of hearing children throughout the country as well as established connections between UConn and Gallaudet University a public university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing located in Washington D C Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health the project is expected to be completed by fall 2016 Also Covered In Hearing Review Study Revisits How Sign Language Affects Cognitive Development Study of Cognitive Development in Deaf Children Revisits Longstanding Debate FNDC 37 Spring 2016

Watch these hands fly From http www burnabynow com news education watch these hands fly 1 21883 Photograph By Cornelia Naylor Students from the B C Provincial School for the Deaf will put their signing skills to the test south of the border this month during their first ever trip to the Flying Hands ASL Literature Competition in Vancouver Washington Nine students some from BCSD s elementary program at South Slope Elementary and some from the secondary program at Burnaby South will join students from deaf schools in Oregon and Washington on March 10 to compete in three categories deaf poetry deaf story and deaf art Besides honing their ASL skills the trip gives local students a chance to broaden their horizons in other ways as well according to ASL teacher Jennifer Zuvic BCPSD s head teacher at South Slope We have so few deaf people here she told the NOW through an interpreter and so I think it s an amazing opportunity for the deaf students to be able to go to a different deaf school meet other kids their age and socialize and have an opportunity to kind of make their world a little bit bigger Making new friends was high on the students lists of what they were looking forward to on the three day trip which will include overnight stays in the dorms at the Washington School for the Deaf I m excited to sign my story and have people see me signing and to do a good job and meet new friends from America and other deaf people Grade 7 student Bella Aikin said It s my first time going to another deaf school so I m excited to go there said Grade 5 student Angus Lemaitre and we re going from three whole days I m really curious about what the school s like said Grade 6 student Madison Edney It s the first time BCPSD has made the trip but Terry Maloney vice principal for the Provincial Outreach Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing would like it to become an annual thing Hearing schools have speech competitions that they do he said They have drama presentations and sports and things that they do every year but deaf people don t have those same opportunities We don t have to same kinds of extra curricular opportunities I think it would be really great for our deaf kids to be able to go and meet other deaf people together the same way their hearing counterparts do For more information on the Flying Hands competition visit www flyinghands weebly com FNDC 38 Spring 2016

Workshops workshops Workshops provided by the WBP are open to the deaf hard of hearing and deaf blind community Workshops range from psycho educational topics to community education Examples of workshops provided include Understanding Depression Self awareness My Role in the Deaf Community How do I fit Where do I fit Get Rid of Your Clutter Be Less Overwhelmed Deaf Hard of Hearing Deaf Blind Well Being Program 300 4211 Kingsway Burnaby BC V5H 1Z6 Phone 604 456 0900 TTY 604 456 0901 FAX 604 456 0904 Toll free TTY 1 800 949 1155 for BC residents only E mail WellBeing Staff vch ca Website deafwellbeing vch ca We are on Social Media Youtube deafwbp Twitter DeafWBP Facebook VCH Deaf Well Being Program Instagram vchdeafwellbeing Commitment Resources Website videos are all accessible for everyone with sign language subtitles and voiceovers Check our videos and our website at YouTube and deafwellbeing vch ca The Well Being Program is committed to providing safe confidential therapeutic services in order to assist people in improving and enhancing their lives Deaf Hard of Hearing Deaf Blind Well Being Program wbP It is the intention of the program to ensure that all clients are aware of their rights and that they are receiving satisfactory services For more copies go online at http vch eduhealth ca or email phem vch ca and quote Catalogue No GN 905 D278 Vancouver Coastal Health February 2016 The information in this document is intended solely for the person to whom it was given by the health care team www vch ca FNDC 39 Spring 2016

Who Are We who Services services The Well Being Program WBP provides mental health services as well as promotes wellness for deaf hard of hearing and deaf blind people and their families across British Columbia BC Individual counselling therapy Our office is culturally sensitive and accessible for all communication needs and modalities Mental health interpreting Family counselling therapy Individual therapy counselling Psychiatric assessments Building coping and emotional regulation skills Group therapy programs Support group programs Psycho educational workshops and community education All services are confidential Our Staff Child and Youth Therapists Mental Health Counsellors Cross Cultural Mental Health Worker Social Workers Peer Support Workers Mental Health Interpreters Workshop Coordinator Psychiatrist Contracted psychologists and therapists FNDC 40 Clients often contact WBP for support related to feelings of depression anxiety and anger or trauma STAFF Mental Health Therapists Spring 2016 Child Youth Family Services support WBP can also support navigating life changes exploring identity issues and enhancing wellness Mental Health Interpreting Groups Counselling for parents hearing siblings of deaf children CODAs child of a deaf adult Consultation and referral to resource programs Collaborative services with schools and other professional services therapy Groups groups interpreting We have support and therapy groups provided by mental health professionals some examples are The Well Being Program provides interpreting services for clients who are receiving counseling interpreting therapy or other mental health services such as addictions support Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Anger Awareness Therapy groups Parent Support groups Yoga Therapy Group Drop In Group

and FNDC s Summer Program Deaf Youth Today DYT FNDC Family Network for Deaf Children PO Box 50075 Southslope RPO Burnaby B C V5J 5G3 Email fndc fndc ca Website www fndc ca March 10 2016 FNDC members DYT camper families and newsletter subscribers As our fiscal year end March 31 2016 is upon us it s that time of year for FNDC membership renewals You may wonder why it s important to become a member As a non profit society we are required to have formal memberships Membership is very important to us because it lets us know that you believe in what we are doing for deaf and hard of hearing children youth and their families in British Columbia FNDC has been the catalyst to many of the changes and services that families currently receive and benefit from We continue to inform and educate by writing letters consulting and information sharing to ensure that deaf hard of hearing children and their families have access to sign language classes counselling family support better TV movie theatre captioning government videos Video Relay Services improved literacy the right to qualified interpreters postsecondary opportunities The list is endless and the work ongoing when it comes to access and inclusion for our children Your membership says you believe in what we are doing and is an indicator that you support us FNDC s Summer Program Deaf Youth Today DYT provides social recreational programs for deaf children leadership opportunities for deaf youth and is the leading employer of deaf students during the summer months We keep our costs to a minimum by working from home offices sharing a FNDC cellphone and applying for grants to employ deaf students as DYT summer staff We do this because we believe that parents make huge financial sacrifices ie gas costs significant travel time time off work driving your children daily to attend our DYT Summer Program Your membership fees and donations help us with the costs incurred in website maintenance workshop planning newsletter production and our DYT Summer Program We are always extremely grateful for donations If you wish to receive our newsletter and ongoing email updates please make sure that you add fndc fndc ca and fndc shaw ca to your safe sender s list as well as making sure that these addresses are in your email address book To become a member click and pay online www fndc ca about apply Remember to hit the CONFIRM button to finalize the payment If you prefer to pay by cheque mail click become a member on our website www fndc ca and download the form FNDC FAMILY NETWORK FOR DEAF CHILDREN FAMILY NETWORK FOR DEAF CHILDREN PO Box 50075 South Slope RPO Burnaby BC V5J 5G3 T 604 684 1860 voice text message line Email fndc fndc ca Website www fndc ca FNDC 41 Spring 2016

FNDC is a non profit society S 33351 that was founded in March 1995 to bring together families of deaf children in British Columbia who share common concerns Federal Registered Charity Number 88622 5655 RR0001 Deaf Youth Today DYT is a program administered by FNDC D Y T What is FNDC all about Family Network for Deaf Children FNDC is a parent run non profit charitable organization supporting families with deaf and hard of hearing children that use sign language or are interested in learning sign language Even though technology and methodology have changed over the years we seek the wisdom of parents professionals and Deaf HH adults so that common themes of access equity and a sense of belonging continue to be highlighted in areas such as social recreation leadership education employment general services and community involvement What is Deaf Youth Today Deaf Youth Today DYT is FNDC s summer social recreational program and is committed to providing recreational experience and leadership opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing youth in British Columbia that use sign language for all or part of their communication or who are interested in learning sign language FNDC Board of Directors Hester Hussey Mentor Advisor Colleen Peterson President April Cowley Director Nicki Horton Director Karen Jackson Director Angie Keats Director Charlie Coyle Director Joy Santos Director Heather Ratzlaff Director Gwen Wong Director The Board of Directors are parents of deaf children FNDC Staff Cecelia Klassen Executive Director cecelia fndc ca Bella Poato Executive Assistant accounting fndc ca Jason Berube Website Designer Developer webmaster fndc ca FNDC General Inquiry fndc fndc ca DYT Staff Deaf Youth Today Alayna Finley DYT Coordinator alayna fndc ca Terry Maloney DYT Hornby Island Coordinator terry fndc ca Andrea Maloney DYT Registrations andrea fndc ca Deaf Youth Today General Inquiry dyt fndc ca Membership Paid Membership is open to those who support the goals of our Organization Our membership is open to individuals schools and organizations Parents guardians of deaf and hard of hearing children are eligible to vote Join Our E Mail List for free Join our email list for free and receive Our newsletter which is published four times a year Email Updates regarding upcoming workshops and courses children youth programs as well as community updates Contact Us Contact us below and be added to our email list or to request a membership form Family Network for Deaf Children P O Box 50075 South Slope RPO Burnaby BC V5J 5G3 604 684 1860 voice text message www fndc ca website fndc fndc ca e mail