DECEMBER 2014 Volume 8, IsSue 2
DDW and PFD Members who have worked together since 2012
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
Board Members President Harold Mowl, Jr., Ph.D. Vice President James DeCaro, Ph.D. Treasurer Bryan Hensel Secretary Stacey Miller Donalda Ammons, Ph.D. Carol-lee Aquiline Shane Feldman Mencie Hairston Marty Hiller Kimberly Kurz, Ph.D. Khadijat Rashid, Ph.D. Michael Schwartz, Ph.D. Michael Servé Denise Thew, Ph.D. Madan Vasishta, Ph.D. Staff Executive Director Davin Searls International Programs Director and Co-Founder David Justice
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About DDW
Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the selfdetermination of signing Deaf communities through local capacity building in developing countries. DDW recognizes that all people, regardless of their social or economic background, possess the capacity to succeed, and deserve equal access to education, the workplace, and the benefits that society has to offer. For more information, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
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Varied talents, varied skills, shared purpose “Varied talents, varied skills, shared purpose”is a sentiment from recently-elected DDW board member Michael Servé that best sums up the DDW board retreat in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 14-15. Board members came from across the country to review DDW’s back row, L-R: Khadijat Rashid, Kim Kurz, Donalda statement of strategic Ammons, Michael Serve, Mencie Hairston, Davin Searls intent and brainstorm Madan Vasishta, David Justice, & Shane Feldman goals and visions for the next three years, as well front row: Harold Mowl, Bryan Hensel, Stacey Miller, as the next 10-15 years. & Marty Hiller Heather Harker, the MISSING: Carol-lee Aquiline, James DeCaro, Michael director of programs at Schwartz, & Denise Thew Third Sector New England and the current chair of Gallaudet University’s Board of Directors, facilitated the retreat. She also recently served as an organizational governance specialist for DDW’s EXPAND program, funded by USAID. It was inspiring to see how everyone in the DDW’s Board held a two day retreat to analyze room shared a common DDW’s statement of strategic intent. vision for DDW’s future, providing organizational management and leadership training in multiple countries, hand-in-hand with leaders from developing countries who have already participated in DDW training programs, such as those from the Philippine Federation of the Deaf. The DDW board and staff also affirmed the DDW mission, vision, and values, which is to continue collaborations with Deaf leaders to realize their solutions, rather than having DDW come up with solutions for them. All in all, 2015 is already off to a fantastic start. With your ongoing support, we’re excited to see what transpires! For more information, contact ddwteam@discoveringdeafworlds.org.
Bringing higher education to Deaf people in Viet Nam By Hoa Nguyen
When I was in high school and then college in Viet Nam, I participated in social work activities, including visiting a deaf school. I tried to learn about deaf people’s education, and I learned that the people teaching deaf students did not have professional training in education. I also learned that deaf people didn’t receive a full education equal to that of hearing students. What they received was more like training in basic vocational work than real education. I wondered why deaf students did not receive the full education that hearing students did. I felt that was not fair. After visiting this school, I wanted to become a teacher for deaf people so that they could develop full knowledge about the world and themselves. My hope was that a better education would make their lives better. In 1989, I left the high school I was teaching at for a new deaf school in Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, I’ve seen deaf people in Viet Nam face many of these same challenges again and again. Before 2000, deaf people in Viet Nam only received education up to the fifth grade. Schools for deaf people followed the medical model, so audiology and speaking were the most important aspects. Speech therapy and attempts to “fix” hearing are still the focus of most of the deaf schools in Viet Nam today. This philosophy held deaf people back from developing their cognition and knowledge. Compared with many countries around the world, the educational level of deaf people in Viet Nam was very low. As a result, Dr. James Woodward and I created the project, “Opening University Education to Deaf People in Viet Nam Through Sign Language Analysis, Teaching, and Interpretation,” at Dong Nai University. This project aims to provide higher education for deaf people in Vietnam and serve as a model program for other countries in the region to follow, even with limited financial and human resources, no previous sign language analysis, and only the most basic level of deaf education. Supporting the cultural model of deafness, this project uses Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language and written Vietnamese as the primary languages of instruction. Since its establishment, the project has brought opportunity to about 200 deaf people studying in the following programs: junior high school, senior high school, sign language analysis, sign language teaching, and a college program in elementary education.
Deaf students receive bachelor’s degrees during a graduation ceremony.
deaf students at dong nai university Deaf students in this project are studying all subjects using the same curriculum as hearing students. When these deaf students finish junior high school (9th grade) or senior high school (12th grade), they take the same national exams as hearing students in order to graduate and continue to the next level. After 14 years, the project has had some remarkable achievements: • In 2003, one student ranked fifth out of 1,333 hearing and deaf students taking the national exam in Dong Nai Province in 2003. • In 2005, one student ranked first out of 999 hearing and deaf students taking the national December 2014
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Hoa Nguyen teaches a class IN THE DONG NAI DEAF EDUCATIN PROJECT IN VIET NAM. exam in Dong Nai Province. • In 2010, one student scored in the top 10 for art exam high scores in the university in Ho Chi Minh City. • In 2012, one student received the World Deaf Leadership scholarship from Gallaudet University to earn a master’s degree in sign language teaching in 2012, becoming the first student in Viet Nam to do so, and also becoming the first deaf person to reach this level of study in Viet Nam. In addition, when comparing the results of students participating in this project with hearing students in Dong Nai who took the same national exam from 2006 until 2012, the percentage of deaf students passing these exams has always been higher, except for 2010 (see figure 1). To date, the project has graduated 66 deaf people from the ninth grade and 54 from 12th grade. Eleven students received a university certificate in elementary education, 17 have graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, 60 (along with six hearing students) have received a certificate in sign language analysis, and 12 students have received a certificate in sign language teaching. Another dramatic impact of this project is graduating the first-ever class from junior high school, graduating the first and only classes from senior high school. Currently, this program serves as the only place in Viet Nam providing a college-level program for deaf students. In my 26 years working in deaf education, most of my dreams have been related to deaf education, deaf people, and the deaf community. I used to hope that one day, Viet Nam would have deaf teachers for deaf people who were as well trained as hearing people like me. This dream is now coming true. Through our
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Figure 1: Results of National examinations by project’s deaf students compared to hearing students in the same province
Figure 1: Results for National Examinations for Deaf Students in Project and Hearing Students in the same province The project is succeeding in Viet Nam at an average rate of less than $40,000 per year. We believe the high success rate of the Dong Nai Deaf Education Project is due to the project being strongly De Centered, the directors having the right vision and making the right decisions about the direction fo the project, and the contributions of the teachers who are devoted to teaching deaf students. program, 17 deaf people have graduated college and The lessons wteachers. e learned from But this project to design project that is not acceptdependent on expensive become theyare are notacompletely high-‐tech equipment, which tends to break down frequently in countries like Viet Nam and is very ed by many other deaf ischools because of the expensive to repair. If dependence s placed primarily on personnel and nschools’ ot on technology, such programs c an a lso b e e stablished i n m any c ountries a t a l ow-‐cost a nd still bschools e highly successful. Sim prejudices about deaf people’s abilities. These programs can succeed in other countries with proper design and with the establishment of the prefer have hearing teachers deaf children program wto ithin a cultural and linguistic framework teaching that is acceptable to the larger hearing culture(s in the cto ountry. how speak. I have another dream to work for: I want to establish a school, so that the deaf students who Ms. Hoa Nguyen is Director of the Center for Research and Promoting Deaf Culture at Dong Nai have graduated from our college can aard permaUniversity. She received a M asters in Secondary Education for Dhave eaf and H of Hearing Students fr the National Technical Institute and of the Dprove eaf. nent place to work their talents and skills. I hope that there are some kind hearts and forward thinking organizations willing to support this dream.
The project is succeeding in Viet Nam at an average cost of less than $40,000 per year. We believe the high success rate of the Dong Nai Deaf Education Project is due to the project being strongly deaf-centered, the directors having the right vision and making the right decisions about the project’s direction, and the teachers’ contributions and devotion. Similar programs can succeed in other countries with proper design and the establishment of the program within a cultural and linguistic framework acceptable to the larger hearing culture in the country. The lessons we learned from this project are to design a project that is not dependent on expensive high-tech equipment, which can break down frequently in countries like Viet Nam and become very expensive to repair. If dependence is placed primarily on personnel and not on technology, similar programs can also be established in many countries at a low cost and still be highly successful.
Hoa Nguyen is the director of the Center for Research and Promoting Deaf Culture at Dong Nai University. She received a master’s degree in secondary education for deaf and hard of hearing students from the National Technical Institute of the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.
A powerful journey towards self-determination and equality By Howard Rosenblum and Heather Harker Two countries, two distinct sign languages, four capacity builders, 10 national leaders, and more than 75 hours of training and discussions for a better future: a very brief summary of what transpired in Manila in the Philippines the last two weeks of October 2014 for Phase III of the USAID-funded EXPAND program. The two of us, Heather Harker and Howard Rosenblum, had the privilege and honor of joining DDW Executive Director, Davin Searls, and DDW Program Director, David Justice, in what would be an amazing and inspirational journey halfway across the globe. As the Filipinos continued their transformative leadership work, they recognized that they wanted to invite deaf colleagues who were experienced in two areas they saw as key to the next phase of their work; thus the Philippine Federation of the Deaf (PFD) invited Heather to provide nonprofit organization governance training and Howard to provide disability advocacy training and strategizing. “DDW shares our dreams, and we are working with them to clarify the paths we need to take to accomplish those dreams,” says Yvette S. Apurado-B., EXPAND program manager and PFD-Sustainability Sub-Committee (PFD-SSC) member. “The continued training we have received has guided and encouraged us. It has given us confidence to feel empowered instead of weak, confused, and doubtful which has caused us failure in the past. We are learning how to stand strongly on our own, knowing that DDW has our back, and is patient to work with us as we gain more abilities, developing and sharing our skills to improve lives of people in the Filipino Deaf community.” All of us were enriched by the cultural exchange, a better understanding of our collective journey of inequality and inaccessible barriers, and linguistic enlightenment. We were all fascinated with learning the similarities and vast differences of Filipino Sign Language and American Sign Language. Nourished by the unique culinary delights of the Philippines, we explored leadership styles, succession planning, board governance models, civil rights gaps, advocacy tools, and target goals for equality. PFD Secretary-General George Lintag, SecretaryGeneral said, “The Phase III training was a whole new
DDW and PFD Members pose after a panel discussion about disability law. level of learning experience. It gave me the opportunity to interact, exchange views, and benefit from the experience and expertise of excellent leaders in the Deaf community. Heather and Howard have shown me a new perspective on how to properly manage an organization, equipped me with tools in facing challenges, and helped me discover and develop skills that will help us send our message across loud and clear.” We were tremendously impressed with all of the individuals involved in this training from the PFD-SSC. These ten individuals took considerable time away from their work, family, education, and other commitments to spend two weeks advancing their knowledge in organizational governance and advocacy strategizing. The Filipino team took what they learned and then generated their own action plans and training content to share with their colleagues throughout the country. Their ability and diligence to work intensively for multiple long days to absorb, internalize and generate their own materials was extraordinary. We were also deeply impressed and appreciative of the “hunger” these individuals brought to their leadership work—hunger to learn, and apply and lead so that deaf Filipino lives would be transformed. Another member of the PFD-SSC and the president of the Deaf Boholanos Society, Jesdelton Romo, stated, “Leadership succession and understanding the UNCRPD are two very important concepts for Deaf leaders so they know how to manage their communities and provide a system for sustainability. I see the December 2014
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Yvette Apurado-B. practices her organizational governance presentation for fellow Deaf community members.
importance of training our Deaf youth to learn these concepts and be inspired to serve the Deaf community in the Philippines.� DDW coordinated an amazing journey, experience, education, capacity-building, friendship-building, and catalytical game-changer for all of us, Americans and Filipinos alike. We will never forget the friends we gained on this trip, the sweat (both figurative, as it was a lot of work, and literal, as it was HOT!) expended, the breakthroughs achieved, and, most importantly, the hope of a better tomorrow for everyone. Thank you, DDW, for such a rich and powerful life experience.
Howard Rosenblum is the chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf where he oversees the operations of the NAD to carry out its mission of preserving, protecting and promoting the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States. He has also served as a disability rights attorney for the last 22 years. Heather Harker is the director of programs at Third Sector New England, where she specializes in organizational assessment, development, facilitation and strategic planning. She is also the chair of the Gallaudet University Board of Directors.
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ANNUAL BENEFIT
FRIDAY APRIL 17, 2015 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/annual-benefit
Ramay East LLC
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The Year i
The closing forum at college of saint
Top to bottom: PFD’s Jessie Flores leads a community capacitybuilding session on leadership succession with the Dumaguete Deaf community; DDW Executive Director Davin Searls receives the Randall McLelland Award at the NAD conference in Atlanta; DDW Financial Administrator Sally Atkins (in purple) provided a training for PFD, leading to PFD’s first financial management policies; FuturPointe Dance took the stage at DDW’s fourth annual benefit, which raised over $32,000 for programming; DDW’s Davin Searls and David Justice talk during an interview with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Above: DDW and PFD members met with Congressman Antonio Tinio to advocate for a Filipino Sign Language bill.
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Top to bottom: DDW board member Shane Feldman leads a strategic planning training with PFD; PFD-SSC core team members pose after a meeting with a Philippine legislator; DDW board member Mencie Hairston (front center) provided fund development training to PFD, which led to PFD’s first donor prospect list and fund development strategy; NAD CEO Howard Rosenblum and EXPAND Program Manager Yvette Apurado-B share a vision for equality for all; Heather Harker facilitates a board retreat to re-assess DDW’s statement of strategic intent. Above: Dr. Scot Atkins and Dr. Shilpa Hanumantha worked with PFD on data collection strategies, kicking off the USAID EXPAND program last January.
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Shout-Outs Joe Neale and Marcy Oppenheimer: Your philanthropic support makes such a tremendous impact on our world. Thank you for giving back and providing a breadth of opportunities in the non-profit sector. You are appreciated! Michael Rizzolo of Interpretek, Rob Troy, Carl and Michelle Justice, Sue and Scott Miller, Ken Bain, David McCloskey, Daniel Bugosh, Susan and JMatt Searls, Sarah Wegley, Lauren Searls, Rob Rice, Ann and Phil Wegman, Albert and Margaret Hlibok, Joe and Bethany McBane, Evan and Lia Oppenheimer, Margaret and Eric Robinson, Margie Kitz, Deborah Makowski, Donalda Ammons, Bob Tobin, Shari Yousey, and Richard Ladner: We can’t thank you enough for your ongoing generosity to this organization. Thank you for believing in us! A special shout-out to all of our friends who continue to support DDW’s recurring donation program: Brian Milburn, Stacey Miller, Barbara Haschmann, Zach Handler, Julia Silvestri, Marlene Elliot, JT Reid, David Justice, and Davin Searls. Bill Keenan and Bryan Hensel: A million thanks for your continued guidance and assistance with DDW’s development strategies and implementation. We are so grateful to have your support! Lisa and Kathy Swazye of Impact Communications, Inc.: Thank you for your guidance in how to tell our story more effectively. We truly appreciate your support! Eddie Swazye: Thank you for connecting us with Impact Communications, and for your willingness to volunteer!
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FU N DR A
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CallingGall OA interpreters and ASL teachers! L
Want to make a difference in Deaf communities worldwide?
Here’s how:
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Host a workshop in your town Attendees can earn CEUs!
Collect tax-exempt donations for DDW from attendees in lieu of registration fees
FUNDRAISING GOAL
50 STATE CHALLENGE F U ND
OAL GG N I R A IS
Make a difference in the world! Challenge someone you know in another state to do the same Double your impact!
$500 - $1,000 per workshop for a total of $25,000 nationwide! All proceeds will go to DDW’s organizational development projects in partnership with Deaf associations in developing countries.
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/50-state-fundraising-challenge December 2014
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DDW Water Bottles - $20 Order yours today! By Check to Discovering Deaf Worlds, PO Box 10063, Rochester NY 14610 Online at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/donation
Happy Holidays Dr. JMatt & Susan Searls
From Discovering Deaf Worlds
“The healthiest response to life is joy.” - Deepak Chopra
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