Linsay Darnall

Linsay Darnall Jr., is a versatile individual whose experience ranges from chasing cattle in western Nebraska to serving the National Association of the Deaf as a board member. His reputation as an eloquent speaker and an expert advocate for Deaf people's rights is held in esteem across the nation.
Born to Deaf parents, Darnall grew up in Polk, Nebraska. He and his brother attended their parents’ alma mater, Nebraska School for the Deaf in Omaha. He then attended Gallaudet University, where he studied government, before returning to Nebraska to continue his advocacy and community work.
Darnall has been heavily involved in the community for several decades. Among his experience is serving as vice-president of Nebraska Association of the Deaf for two years, president of Nebraska School for the Deaf Alumni Association for 17 years, and as National Association of the Deaf Region II board member for two years. He is serving on the Hands and Voices Board and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Board. He also co-founded the Nebraska Deaf Heritage Museum and Cultural Center. His work with deaf youth and theatre was featured in the Omaha World-Herald. Darnall received the Outstanding Use of American Sign Language Award from the Gallaudet University Theater Department and The James Sowell Appreciation Award from Nebraska Association of the Deaf.
Darnall founded Darnall Consulting LLC (www.darnallconsulting.com) in 2006 to work with Nebraska agencies and entities in education and advocacy for individuals who were deaf or hard of hearing. With his skills and services, his firm quickly expanded to include a variety of services. Today, Darnall Consulting knows no boundaries. He is currently residing in Omaha, Nebraska and enjoys reading in his spare time.

Tabitha Jacques

Tabitha Jacques, art historian and museum specialist, is a 2006 Gallaudet University graduate of Art History, and a 2008 graduate of Georgetown University with a master’s degree in Art History and Museum Studies.
Currently, she is the arts director for Ebisu Arts Collective, a project which is created to give deaf artists resources for showcasing their work and promoting dialogue.   She is involved with numerous projects related to the arts in the Metropolitan D.C. area. Jacques is also an admissions counselor at Gallaudet University.
Jacques plans to pursue her terminal degree in Contemporary Art History and plans to teach at an university.  She also hopes to work closely with artists, deaf and hearing, to promote a stronger bond between the deaf and art worlds.

Mark Wood

Mark Wood, the owner of ASL Films, is a Northern California native. Born Deaf into a Deaf family, Mark grew up loving to tell stories in American Sign Language (ASL). He combined this love with a passion for acting at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, which eventually led him to his directing and producing career.
In addition to having produced numerous full-length feature films, including Gerald, which was recognized as the best feature film at the World Deaf Cinema Film awards, Mark has a background in stage production and direction. Today, Mark is hard at work on his eighth film. He makes his home in Austin, Texas, with his wife and their son.

Joseph J. Murray

Joseph J. Murray is Assistant Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University and coordinator of the Master's Degree concentration in Language and Human Rights. A trained historian, Murray works within the fields of History and Deaf Studies.  His research focuses on the position of Deaf people in society and transnational interconnections among Deaf people.
His most recent publications have dealt with the concept of Deaf-gain. In his 20 years of international work, Murray has given numerous lectures on Deaf Studies, the International Deaf Community, and Human Rights in over a dozen countries on five continents.   He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Iowa in 2007.

Dr. Henry Klopping

Dr. Henry Klopping is Vice President of Large Accounts for Purple Communications. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as Superintendent of the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, California for 36 years where he led an internationally known school with an outstanding reputation for an ASL/English--Bi-lingual/Bi-cultural educational program.
Dr. Klopping is a believer in Deaf people and the empowerment of Deaf people and at the California School for the Deaf he was instrumental in hiring and promoting many Deaf individuals.  Currently 5 sitting superintendents of schools for the Deaf were mentored into becoming superintendents by Dr. Klopping.  As part of his commitment to Education of the Deaf, Dr. Klopping continues to promote comprehensive educational programs for Deaf children.
His presentation at this conference will focus on the importance of maintaining and promoting residential schools and large day programs for Deaf students.  He and his wife, Bunny, are CODAs and maintain an active relationship with the larger Deaf Community.

Patti Durr

Born partially Deaf, Patti grew up without sign language or any exposure to Deaf people prior to learning ASL at the age of 20. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cultural and Creative Studies at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT. Shehas received RIT's Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, RIT's Vagina Warrior award, NTID Student Congress Staff Humanitarian Awards and Outstaff Staff Awards.
Durr was one of the founders of Lights On! Deaf Theatre, a community theatre company, and served as artistic director for several years and was the artistic director of the first Deaf Rochester Film Festival (DRFF) in 2005.
Durr has made several award winning short films and educational videos: Don't Mind?, Page Me, EXODUS, WORRY, The Grey Area, HIV and AIDS, Me Too! and numerous Deaf artists interviews. She has published and presented in the area of Deaf View / Image Art, Deaf Cultural Studies, Deaf People and World War II and visual histories.

Durr has also been information architect for the Deaf Artists website, Deaf People and World War II website and assisted with the Deaf theatre Website. She maintains a blog called People of the Eye and is involved with activism via Audism Free America and other social justice groups.  She has an upcoming visual textbook of DVDs with Dr. Karen Christie exploring and examining expressions of the Deafhood via visual art, ASL and English literature, & Deaf theatre and Cinema. Patti is also a Gemini and a pacifist.

Rebecca Furland

Rebecca Furland received her MA in Deaf Cultural Studies from Gallaudet University in 2011. The title of her thesis is, “American Sign Language and the Desire to Buy: A Study of ASL in TV Advertisements”. Currently, she teaches Deaf Studies at the University of Iowa.

Contested Representation: PepsiCo Advertising and the Deaf Community

People today are media-driven. We are exposed to advertising in a great many contexts, consuming it and its inherent messages without serious consideration. Deaf people and sign language, for instance, appear in advertisements quite frequently. This begs the question, what do these representations mean for members of the Deaf community? Currently, there is a dearth of information surrounding the intersection of Deaf people and media. While other fields have extensively examined the role of media representation, Deaf Studies has yet to fully engage this topic.
This presentation builds on a larger work that examined the relationship between Deaf people and TV advertising. Here we will focus on the controversy surrounding one such representation. PepsiCo’s commercial, “Bob’s House,” is an advertisement that garnered national attention within the deaf community. In 2008, this silent ad had its debut on primetime TV. The NAD was in full support of the commercial, while the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing vehemently opposed it. This controversy illuminates the difficulties of representing a minority group appropriately as there may be polarized views within or surrounding a minority community. Unpacking survey data and interviews, this presentation will investigate the controversy, examine the difference in interpretation of media representation by hearing and Deaf audiences, and discuss the importance of media representation.

Paddy Ladd

A Final Frontier? How Deaf Cultures and Deaf Pedagogies Can Revolutionalise Deaf Education.

Since the 1760s, Deaf educational systems have tried many philosophies and methodologies – yet Deaf communities and others find the ‘results’ to still be unsatisfactory. However, one ‘frontier’ in particular remains virtually unexplored – Deaf educators’ own pedagogical theories and praxis – and by implication their potential role as leaders of Deaf educational systems rather than as passive consumers of them.
This paper examines Goncalves (2010) and Ladd’s (forthcoming) research on Deaf educators’ pedagogies - in Brazil, the UK and the USA. It analyses features found in common across all three countries and identifies six developmental stages through which the educators guide Deaf children.
It describes how these are underpinned by the principle of ‘cultural holism’ – ie. that Deaf educators utilise their experiences as members of language communities with their own collectivist cultures and histories. From these experiences they devise strategies intended to ensure that Deaf children become bilingual, bicultural citizens, capable of making positive contributions to both cultures, but with a particular focus on improving the quality of life of Deaf communities, who in turn pass these qualities on to the next generations of Deaf children. These culturally holistic approaches are described as manifestations of Ladd’s Deafhood concept as utilised in educational praxis, and exhibit ‘the unrecognised curriculum of Deaf education’.  
The paper proposes that useful parallels exist in the educational praxis developed by some Native peoples, offering initial thoughts on how these might be explored. Finally it suggests that the remarkable similarities between Deaf educators’ praxis across three countries, given the minimal contact between these three groups, offers evidence that there may exist powerful transnational Deafhood qualities held in common by the visuo-gesturo-tactile cultures of these ‘Peoples of the Eye’, which deserve further exploration.

Noppawan Thamsiriboon

Noppawan Thamsiriboon was born in Bangkok, Thailand to Deaf parents. Her father became Deaf when he was 12 years old with a fall to the floor, Her mother became Deaf when she was baby due to high fever. Noppawan graduated from Deaf school and earned a BA degree in Special Education in Deaf Early Childhood from Suan Dusit Rajabhat University in 2004. She then worked as a website designer with a company in Bangkok, Thailand in 2006. Then she worked as a teacher in the Special Education with a Deaf child and a hearing child with intelligence disability in Phuket, Thailand in 2007. She then came to Gallaudet University in 2008 to learn English and American Sign Language. In 2011, she was a special graduate student majoring in Deaf Education. At present she is studying for her Masters in Deaf Studies with a concentration in Language and Human Rights and expects to graduate by 2013.

A Case Study of Sign Language Endangerment: Ban Khor Sign Language.

There have been studies on spoken languages being endangered. Nettle and Romaine (2002:2) have found “about half the known languages of the world have vanished in the last five hundred years.” A language disappears every fortnight. Are there any similarities for Deaf Sign Languages? Since linguistics and anthropological study of sign languages in the 20th century began, the interesting findings are being recognized that the Deaf communities around the world are vulnerable to the declining of indigenous or native sign languages. While some sign languages are on risk of being murdered, other new sign languages are emerging. In other cases, the native sign languages are replaced or heavily influenced by American Sign Language. The driving causes of this language genocide in some parts of the world are because of government, medical, and/or pedagogy systems. While an overview will be presented briefly, the main focus will be on Thailand’s indigenous sign language: Ban Khor Sign Language which was rejected by these systems.

Nigel Howard

Nigel Howard is an instructor at Douglas College in the Sign Language Interpretation Program and is also an instructor at the University of Victoria.  He has a BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and attained a Post-Graduate certificate in Deaf Studies at the University of Bristol, England.  Nigel has been a Deaf Interpreter for the past 18 years working in ASL, British Sign Language, International Sign and at times Japanese Sign Language.  Over the past 20 years, he has given a wide variety of courses and workshops throughout the world on topics such as interpreting development and professionalism, Deafhood, medical interpreting, Deaf interpreters, International Interpreting and Deaf youth/community Development.  He is actively involved with the betterment of the interpreting profession, of both Deaf and non-Deaf interpreters. Nigel is currently the North American Representative for the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) and also a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Interpreter Education.

Exploring the Concepts of non-Deaf and Deaf Space as Occupied by Deaf and non-Deaf Sign Language Interpreters.

A new line of thought is developing around the place of Deaf people in the world.  The idea is one of Deaf space and draws from the discipline of human geography (Mathews, 2006, Gulliver, 2009).   Space can be thought of as both internal (perceived) and external (environmental) (Robins & Aksoy, 2001). Deaf space is created when Deaf people come together to communicate.  It is closely linked with Deaf cultural identity.  Deaf knowledge produces Deaf space and in turn, Deaf knowledge flourishes within these settings.
What then, are the implications of this for a bilingual person, such as an interpreter, in and out of Deaf space?
This paper will explore the perspectives of Deaf and non-deaf interpreters when in hearing and Deaf spaces.  The implications of being in one’s own space and that of another culture will be analysed.  Perceptions, from within and external to the spaces will be described.  Elements including the power base, ownership of the message and efficiency of interpretation will be contrasted in a matrix format.  Cultural aspects such as socialisation among interpreters when in and out of their “home” environment will be discussed.  Comparison will be made of the expectations of others on Deaf and non-deaf interpreters depending on the space in which they are working. Data was initially gathered through case studies and is being expanded through ethnographic research methods.

Miriam Grottanelli de Santi

Miriam Grottanelli de Santi is the founder and head of the Siena School for Liberal Arts, Siena Art Institute, and President of the Mason Perkins Deafness Fund. A visionary educator, member and ally of the Deaf community, de Santi constantly strives to realize visions for expanding and providing educational as well as life-changing opportunities through increasing Deaf networking possibilities in trans-national collaborations and projects as well as local community involvements.

How to Study Abroad: Opportunities for Deaf/Signing Students and Professionals in Italy.

The Siena School for Liberal Arts Deaf Studies Department has been providing opportunities for Deaf/signing students and professionals to study abroad in Italy through fully accessible spring and summer programs. The importance and benefits from increasing cultural and transnational experiences of networking and immersion within the Deaf community in this life-changing opportunity can benefit the growth of individuals and students while also providing the possibility for intensive scholarship and professional growth.
How can one take advantage of such an opportunity? Do you have to be a current student? What are the benefits of studying abroad? What kinds of classes are offered? How can one finance this educational and personal adventure? This informative workshop explores the exciting opportunities studying abroad offers—and how Deaf/signing individuals can experience this immersion for themselves!
The Siena School for Liberal Arts, as well as Siena Art Institute, are located in the historic center of Siena, Italy—in the beautiful region of Tuscany. The building is home to the historic Deaf Institute founded by Tommaso Pendola, and currently also houses the local branch of the National Association of the Deaf. With offerings for full-semester programs, intensive two and three week summer programs—learn more about what offerings, special topics courses, workshops, and collaborative projects best match your interests!

Merrilee Gietz

Merrilee (Mizzy) Gietz currently teaches at Lamar University in the undergraduate ASL teaching program as a full-time American Sign Language (ASL) instructor. She is also a doctoral student in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Mizzy has taught classes with ASL content for more than 12 years. Her current work focuses on ASL in L1 and L2 approaches for deaf and hearing students in prospective careers, as well as ASL poetry.

Haiku Poems in Utilizing same American Sign Language Handshapes for Pedagogical Purposes.

This proposal introduces Haiku poems in utilizing same American Sign Language handshapes for pedagogical purposes. Haikus can be used to help first language (L1) learners develop critical thinking skills using ASL same handshape poems. This style of poetry was chosen because of its references to nature and ease in accessing students’ communication modality and visualization skills (Hauser & Marschark, 2008). While abundant curriculum materials developed for second language learners, limited resources are available for deaf L1 learners (Allen, 2008). A study described by Paul (2009) indicates that deaf students can demonstrate their ASL proficiency through English print literacy tasks.

Klima & Bellugi (1979) implied that poetic American Sign Language works could be utilized in the form of Haiku poetry because learners could visualize concepts in nature that would help them produce better poetic works in ASL. The phonological similarities of nature signs help L1 learners to visualize printed text. Dorothy Miles utilized this strategy to describe animals in ASL poetry (Sutton-Spence & Napoli, 2010). It is arguable that her poetry included references to nature. In another example, Valli used the poem, “Hands” (Lindgren, DeLuca, & Napoli, 2008) to describe his perception of nature. Additionally, he illustrates the beauty of nature though visualization. “The ASL poet Clayton…points out that a great part of the world does not hear; he lists rocks, water, trees, mountains, clouds--natural entities that surround us.” (Sutton-Spence & Napoli, 2010, p. 447-448). These four words-- rock, water, tree and mountain-- were produced by manipulation of the open 5 handshape to form natural images in ASL poetry. L1 ASL learners use their visual modality to observe nature around them.  Poetry in the form of ASL Haiku can be an effective teaching tool to Increase vocabulary, promote language acquisition, and provide motivation to bridge English literatures.

Mary McLerran

Mary McLerran is a senior in the ASL Deaf Studies Secondary Education program at UVU.  She has been an educational interpreter for 10 + years. She will receive her teacher certification to teach ASL in high school and will begin student teaching this fall with an anticipated graduation in December 2012.

ASL Academic Village

The idea for the ASL Academic Village was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s “Academic  Village” as he referred to his beloved University of Virginia.  Located off campus are several language houses:  La Maison, the French House, and The German House, where students who are studying that particular language may live and use the language in a natural way with those who are native users.  

With the Deaf Studies program at UVU, it seemed natural to partner with Utah Valley University to create an ASL based academic learning community where Deaf and hearing students, faculty, and community members could live and interact using ASL to communicate in an authentic environment. 

This immersion experience will give participants the unique opportunity to gain fluent language skills, foster academic success, encourage self-responsibility and independence, and create a deeper understanding of Deaf Culture in an authentic interactive environment.

On-site tutors in ASL, math, writing, and other subjects will be available. There will be a Resident ASL Language Adviser/ Program Coordinator living on-site. Apartments will be equipped with emergency and door signal lighting systems.

One of the goals for ASL Academic Village is to include international Deaf students from around the world, beginning with students from “Sign of Hope” in Ghana, Africa, building the program through grants and scholarships to sponsor additional international Deaf students who want to live in a supportive ASL based environment.

The purpose of this workshop is to gather ideas of how YOU see this Village and what you think should be part of this plan. Some of you may be familiar with other models of a similar nature and can share ideas gathered from other’s experiences and successes with similar models as well as generate new ideas. Roll up your sleeves and bring your ideas to share as we build ASL Academic Village together.

Marika Kovacs-Houlihan, M.Ed.

Marika Kovacs-Houlihan, M.Ed., is a professor of American Sign Language (ASL) and Coordinator for the ASL Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.   She is a fourth generation member of a Deaf family.  She has been actively promoting a positive self-esteem as a Deaf person to such organization as the Deaf Mentor Program, where she taught ASL and Deaf culture to hearing parents of deaf children.  Her other valuable attributes are her theatrical experience and her passion in ASL Literature.  Marika received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Marketing from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, and a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

ASL Cinesthetic

Written language has a claim in literature. Yet, American Sign Language (ASL) has made its own claim in literature: ASL Poetry and Storytelling. One innovative way to look at ASL literature metaphorically is through film, “ASL Cinematic.”  The ASL literature is the realm of the visual, spatial, and kinetic images, and it is also paralleled to the world of cinematic.   The evolution of ASL literature and the techniques of film making are creating a new perspective on ASL literature.  We must first understand the elements of ASL literature and the works of cinema along with its lexicon. Subsequently, we will understand how ASL literature’s prose is created through the eye of the camera.  The workshop will include analysis and critique of ASL’s visual vernacular and cinematic elements such as the three basic filming techniques: 1) camera, 2) shot, and 3) editing.  The goal is to provide new "cinesthetic", a combination of aesthetic and cinematic experience, of ASL literature!

Mark Zaurov

Mark Zaurov is an independent scholar and a doctoral candidate at the University of Hamburg. In his field, Deaf Jews in Art, Politics and the Sciences, and Deaf Holocaust he published several books and won several fellowships with, for example, Charles H. Revson, the Center of Advanced Holocaust Research, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

De’Via and Deaf Jewish Art

Within the Western ranking system for culture, a more or less constant canon of classic works of art testifies "high culture". Whenever the artistic production of minorities enters the canon, the works tend to have served identity formation. What about visual Deaf Art, especially Deaf Jewish Art? This report covers the biographies and presents the works of Richard Lieberman (1900-1966), Rudolf Franz Hartogh (1889-1960), David Bloch (1910-2002) and other German Deaf Jewish artists. These artists had survived the Holocaust and left us a wealth of works exposing particular features they have in common. Do we encounter a new artistic direction in these works to be defined as modern Deaf Jewish art? A comparison with modern and post-modern Jewish Deaf artists outside of Germany, for example the former Russian Alexei Svetlov (1964), the Israeli Uzi Buzgalo (1956), the Polish Deaf Jewish artist Maurice Minkowski (1881-1931) help us to arrive at the conclusion that modern Deaf Jewish art did exist in Germany before the Holocaust although it was only afterwards that the minority aspect of the Holocaust experience was foregrounded. Until now the study of these artists has been absolutely ignored by the German Deaf community and by art historians in general.

Loretta Roult

  Loretta Roult is the Director of ASL Diagnostic and Evaluation Services at Gallaudet University. As Director, she is thoroughly involved with ASLPI evaluation, including serving as the ASLPI trainer. She is working closely with an external research firm on validity and reliability research studies of the ASLPI. Ms. Roult has also served as a team leader and co-chair for Diagnostic Assessment and Classroom Discourse Observation services that provides positive feedback on language and communicative discourse in various settings and formats to faculty, staff and students. For more than twenty years, she taught ASL and presented on ASL, Deaf culture and Deaf folklore in the greater New York City area and Maryland

ASLPI- Purpose, Protocol, Reliability, Research

The ASLPI is a holistic proficiency evaluation which measures global competence in the target language.  A proficiency test is not limited to any course, curriculum or single skill in the language but tests overall ability.  The ASLPI serves as a “gate-keeper” for an array of purposes. In some states, it is used to determine if an individual has the requisite ASL skills needed for admission into academic programs; readiness for core curriculum, practicum, internship and graduation; professional opportunities, certification and advancements.  The ASLPI is currently being utilized by universities, community colleges, pre-college programs, government, agencies and private business. There is high demand for the ASLPI and its utilization continues to grow!
Dr. Eric Surface, who is the founder and President of SWA, Inc, is the consultant for the ASLPI on Reliability and Validity Research study with the department of ASL Diagnostic and Evaluation Services (ASL-DES) at Gallaudet University.  The presentation will be included the latest cyclical reliability and validity studies as well as provides training and ongoing retraining to preserve the psychometric integrity of the system. We will share the best practices and standards for language assessments; Through these activities, quality assurance of the ASLPI is maintained. The presentation will include video of visual ASLPI markers of the functional levels (0-5), Inter- and intra-rater reliability and Repeatability data, as well as the latest research findings generated from an external research firm which is conducting formal validity and reliability research studies on the ASLPI.

Liz Scully

Liz has over two decades of experience as an interpreter and trainer working in the Deaf and Deafblind communities and has interpreted in 24 countries over 5 continents. Liz’s thesis for her MSc in Deaf Studies, from the University of Bristol, explored how to be a good hearing citizen in the Deaf community.  Liz has worked in a variety of predominantly Deaf situations. In 1996 Liz authored a curriculum for an ASL/English Interpreter Training Program at Cambrian College, Sudbury, in which she taught.  From 2005 - 2007, Liz taught in the interpreter tract of the BSc offered by the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of Bristol, England.  Liz holds the national Certificate of Interpretation (COI) from the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC) and is a member of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) Deafblind Interpreting Committee.

Exploring the Concepts of non-Deaf and Deaf Space as Occupied by Deaf and non-Deaf Sign Language Interpreters.

A new line of thought is developing around the place of Deaf people in the world.  The idea is one of Deaf space and draws from the discipline of human geography (Mathews, 2006, Gulliver, 2009).   Space can be thought of as both internal (perceived) and external (environmental) (Robins & Aksoy, 2001). Deaf space is created when Deaf people come together to communicate.  It is closely linked with Deaf cultural identity.  Deaf knowledge produces Deaf space and in turn, Deaf knowledge flourishes within these settings.
What then, are the implications of this for a bilingual person, such as an interpreter, in and out of Deaf space?
This paper will explore the perspectives of Deaf and non-deaf interpreters when in hearing and Deaf spaces.  The implications of being in one’s own space and that of another culture will be analyzed.  Perceptions, from within and external to the spaces will be described.  Elements including the power base, ownership of the message and efficiency of interpretation will be contrasted in a matrix format.  Cultural aspects such as socialization among interpreters when in and out of their “home” environment will be discussed.  Comparison will be made of the expectations of others on Deaf and non-deaf interpreters depending on the space in which they are working. Data was initially gathered through case studies and is being expanded through ethnographic research methods.

Dr. Lisalee D. Egbert

Dr. Lisalee D. Egbert –  I obtained my Ph.D. from Texas Woman’s University with a tri-discipline in Reading/Literacy, Bilingual Education and Special Education. My Ph.D. is one of 6 degrees – I am addicted to learning. Currently, I am professor at California State University, Sacramento and an adjunct instructor at Sierra College where I teach in the Deaf Studies Departments. I am honored to sit on the ASDC (American Society for Deaf Children) and Cal Ed (California Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) boards. I enjoy being an advocate for Deaf childern’s education and research specialist for N.A.D.I.N.E. (Nation Advocates for Deafness to Inform, Network, and Enrich) and I am the current president of the Capital Regional CSUN/NCOD alumni chapter in Northern California.

Working Title: Deaf Interpreting

Our goal in presenting and publishing this research is to bring further awareness to the developing field of Deaf Interpreting.  This paper is meant to enhance and contribute to the standing body of research related to Deaf Interpreting. To gather the needed information and research, four different groups of people were interviewed: CSUN Representatives, CDI Educators, Program Coordinators from other Interpreter Training Programs (ITP) that have adapted for a Deaf interpreting student, and current CDIs. The interviews were conducted through video technology, both in English and American Sign Language (ASL).
Results of the data collection centered around the following: 1) Functionality and Sustainability, 2) Marketability and Employment Issues, 3) ASL Language Specialists, 4) Suggestions for Program Adjustments and Accommodations, 5) Summer Intensive Training Workshop, 6) Benefits to Adding a DI Component. There is much research to be done before the addition of a DI concentration can be a viable option.  It may not be the right time to advertise a new degree option for DIs, but it is the right time to start the process and start moving in that direction.  The research is being conducted and developing quickly. We recommend staying current with the progress being made with institutions such as Gallaudet University, Seattle Central Community College, CATIE Center at St. Catherines University, RID Deaf Caucus Region IV, Road to Deaf Interpreting, Northeastern University, Western Organ University, and the Deaf Interpreting Institute for future development and research related to the training of DIs. Although the training requirements for a Deaf interpreter are significantly different than that of a hearing interpreter, training is beneficial to the individual, as well as, the profession as a whole. Language may be innate, but interpreting is an acquired skill.

Lisa Bowers

Code-blending Trends Among Deaf L2 Writers

Second language (L2) writers use multiple strategies to make sense of grammar variations and frequently embed L1 features in L2 writing1,2 . This phenomenon occurs among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) writers, whereby ASL structures are utilized in the writing of English3,4. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to describe code-blending in the writing of DHH adolescents and (2) to present the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on code-blending tendencies.
SIWI combines evidence-based research with strategic writing instruction5, interactive writing6,7, and Krashen’s8 language input hypothesis regarding explicit learning and implicit acquisition of L2. SIWI draws on effective practices with all students and incorporates components specific to the language needs of DHH. Prior SIWI research has led to improved expressive language and writing outcomes at the word, sentence, and discourse levels3,4,9,10,11. In current research, we find a statistically significant decline in code-blending after one year of SIWI, suggesting that DHH students increase their meta-linguistic knowledge and ability to distinguish ASL in writing.
For this paper, we analyze the type of ASL features found in student writing. There are two research questions:
• What ASL features are prevalent in L2 writing among DHH adolescents?
• How do these features change over one year of SIWI?
Pre-, mid- and post-writing samples (n=90) were reviewed for ASL features and compared with pre-defined codes12,13. Six linguistic features of ASL were used as codes (e.g., topicalization). Twenty-five percent of the features were triple-coded and inter-rater reliability was 94.7%. Researchers are currently coding the remaining samples and analyzing data. Descriptive analyses will be completed by the time of the conference.  Deaf Studies Today conference attendees will be presented with examples of ASL features in L2 writing and implications of literacy practices in deaf education.

Kimberly A. Wolbers

Code-blending Trends Among Deaf L2 Writers

Second language (L2) writers use multiple strategies to make sense of grammar variations and frequently embed L1 features in L2 writing1,2 . This phenomenon occurs among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) writers, whereby ASL structures are utilized in the writing of English3,4. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to describe code-blending in the writing of DHH adolescents and (2) to present the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on code-blending tendencies.
SIWI combines evidence-based research with strategic writing instruction5, interactive writing6,7, and Krashen’s8 language input hypothesis regarding explicit learning and implicit acquisition of L2. SIWI draws on effective practices with all students and incorporates components specific to the language needs of DHH. Prior SIWI research has led to improved expressive language and writing outcomes at the word, sentence, and discourse levels3,4,9,10,11. In current research, we find a statistically significant decline in code-blending after one year of SIWI, suggesting that DHH students increase their meta-linguistic knowledge and ability to distinguish ASL in writing.
For this paper, we analyze the type of ASL features found in student writing. There are two research questions:
• What ASL features are prevalent in L2 writing among DHH adolescents?
• How do these features change over one year of SIWI?
Pre-, mid- and post-writing samples (n=90) were reviewed for ASL features and compared with pre-defined codes12,13. Six linguistic features of ASL were used as codes (e.g., topicalization). Twenty-five percent of the features were triple-coded and inter-rater reliability was 94.7%. Researchers are currently coding the remaining samples and analyzing data. Descriptive analyses will be completed by the time of the conference.  Deaf Studies Today conference attendees will be presented with examples of ASL features in L2 writing and implications of literacy practices in deaf education.

Keith Gamache, JR

To Teach, or Not to Teach, That is the Question

Parker J. Palmer’s book, “The Courage to Teach”, explores a teacher’s inner self and how they contribute to the teaching profession.  The presentation will utilize the art and the science of teaching through a visual medium.  We will begin by evaluating why we teach and come to where we are.  Do we have a recollection of our favorite teacher(s)? Do we know what makes them special?  Seven focus categories about teaching will be addressed.  The lecturer will include his perspectives in sharing own experiences and to recognize the many journeys a teacher makes.  Do you worry whether your methods will be criticized by other teachers or being faced with a question from a student that you are not familiar with?  Do you feel the years in your teaching profession are exciting or monotone?  Do you embrace new ideas or do you restrict them?  They are questions as we attempt to channel the power of a subject making communal learning possible.  Taking courage into the unknown is what is needed to foster change, promote ideas, and reform for a better future.  Interactive discussions will take place throughout the workshop.

Kati Morton

Kati Morton graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies. She recently received a Master’s Degree in Deaf Studies with an emphasis in Deaf History from Gallaudet University. She currently works as a Planning and Research Coordinator for the Program Development office at Gallaudet.

Alice Taylor Terry- Deaf Leader,
Writer and advocate, 1878-1950

This presentation will explain the work of Alice Taylor Terry, an American deaf woman who advocated for deaf people in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She went “beyond talk” as she fought for the rights of the deaf community.
Terry was born on May 19, 1878 in Missouri, became deaf at age nine and spent her life advocating for deaf people at a time when they dealt with challenges on multiple fronts, including education and their right to marry and have children. Terry advocated through leadership and writing regarding the issues of her time. She led the deaf community in California, becoming the first female president of the California Association of the Deaf in 1923. She also published in deaf newspapers throughout America, showing she had a voice in confronting discrimination experienced by deaf people during the early twentieth century.
Terry participated in multiple deaf organizations in California, including being president of the California Association of the Deaf. Her role in these organizations allowed Terry to have a voice in confronting issues deaf people faced and she had power in the California deaf community even though she was a woman. Furthermore, Alice Terry produced a substantial body of work, authoring over 100 known articles, with common hosts being The Silent Worker, The Jewish Deaf, and The Silent Broadcaster. These primary sources show her thoughts on issues facing the deaf community, with three of her most frequently discussed areas being oralism, eugenics, and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Terry exerted her voice across America in opposition to the events of the time, reflecting her discourse on the important issues occurring in the deaf community during the early 20th century.

Prof. Judy Freedman Fask

Prof. Judy Freedman Fask is the Director of the ASL/Deaf Studies program at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.   Judy has been a nationally certified freelance interpreter for 27 years, working specifically in the areas of medical and mental health.  Judy has also worked as a teacher of the deaf and a vocational counselor with the Deaf.  Judy earned an M.E.D (Deaf Education) from Smith College and an M.Ed (rehabilitation counseling) from Springfield College.   Judy has been at Holy Cross for 17 years and is most proud of the innovative pedagogical approach that closely integrates the intellectual rigor and critical thinking of the classroom with Community Based Learning partnerships (CBL).

Beyond Words…Taking Action…Strategies for Deaf Studies Programs.

This workshop will introduce and discuss six different Deaf Studies programs in Massachusetts. These six programs have some similarities and differences in terms of program mission, program structure, curriculum, and internal struggles. Not all programs share a similar definition of Deaf Studies. Some institutions consider this field of study as vocational and some think of it as a broader study of humanity. This variation in perspective affects the design of the institutional program and the level of support it receives from the administration.  Struggles are both explicit and implicit, raising issues such as perception about Deaf Studies, budget constraints, lack of representation in faculty senate, and disparity in program structure in comparison to other existing programs.  The presentation will also look at and highlight the many contributions these programs make to the students, the institution, and the community.

After the presentation, the presenters will lead a discussion with attendees on the current situation amongst Deaf Studies programs – identify the existing challenges and consider potential strategies for making Deaf Studies an equally respectable discipline within institutions of higher education.

Dr. Joseph Hill

Dr. Joseph Hill is an assistant professor in the Specialized Educational Services department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Hill is a coordinator of the American Sign Language (ASL) Teacher Licensure program that prepares pre-service teachers for ASL teaching in secondary schools. He was born deaf and raised in Cincinnati, OH with the family of deaf and hard-of-hearing siblings and a hard-of-hearing mother.
Like his brothers and sisters, he attended public school as a mainstream student. In 2001, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Analysis from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In May 2011, he earned his doctorate degree in ASL linguistics from Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Prior to the completion of the doctoral program, he held various roles as a graduate student: a National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellow; a Fulbright scholar in Italy; an adjunct linguistics instructor at Gallaudet University; a summer instructor of the Deaf Studies department in the Siena School for Liberal Arts in Italy; and a research assistant in the Gallaudet Research Institute and the Black ASL research team.

Language Attitudes in the American Deaf Community

This paper is an exploratory study of the perceptions of linguistic features in different forms of signing, e.g., ASL, contact signing, and Signed English, (henceforth called signing types) among the social groups of the American Deaf community that vary based on generation, age of acquisition, and race. The basic research question is: What are the linguistic and social factors that govern attitudes toward signing in the American Deaf community? The paper addresses the research question with four different studies: the perceptions of signing types; the effects of social information on the perceptions of signing types; the evaluation of signing; and the description of signing. 

The overall findings are as follow: the Deaf subjects in different social groups were able to differentiate the signing types but some social groups perceived the non-ASL signing type differently from the other social groups; certain social characteristics of Deaf signers produced a significant effect on the subjects’ perception of signing to some extent; the subjects were more favorable to ASL than Mixed or Signed English based on the evaluative scales related to language and social aspects; and the subjects were able to discuss the forms and features of signing that led them to perceive it as ASL, Mixed, or Signed English but some of their comments were contradictory or unexpected. The general attitude about ASL is more positive today than it was at the time William Stokoe published his influential linguistic work on ASL in 1960s, but based on the subjects’ discussion of ASL forms and features, the knowledge of ASL structure is not as standardized, although most younger subjects are more familiar with the structure than are some older subjects. 

Black ASL: A Historical and Linguistic Overview

Provides an overview of a historical and linguistic project on Black ASL. The goals of the project are 1) to determine if specific linguistic features could be identified to characterize the signing of the Black Deaf community as a distinct variety of American Sign Language (ASL), and  2) to describe the socio-historical reality that would make the emergence of this variety possible. Education was not allowed for Black deaf children in the South until 1869, when the first school was opened in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sixteen other southern states and the District of Columbia established schools for Black deaf children. Most resisted the integration mandated by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, finally allowing desegregation in the mid-1960s, with Louisiana desegregating in 1978. This socio-historical reality allowed for the emergence of a distinct variety of ASL. We filmed free conversations and interviews with a total of 96 signers in 6 of the 17 states -  North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Virginia. The signers included individuals over the age of 55 who, by definition, attended segregated schools, and individuals under the age of 35, who attended integrated and/or mainstreamed schools, such that their white classmates might have been both deaf and hearing. The analysis identified a number of linguistic features that distinguish this variety, including 2-handed signs like WANT which can be produced one-handed, signs like KNOW produced at the forehead which can be lowered, the size of the signing space, constructed action and constructed dialogue (role shifting), the use of lexical and phrasal repetition, mouthing, the borrowing of words and phrases from spoken Black English into Black ASL, and vocabulary differences. The analysis also shows that, as a result of integration and mainstreaming, the variety is changing.

Jordan Eickman

Jordan Eickman is an Associate Professor of Deaf Studies at California State University, Northridge. Born deaf, he earned a PhD in Deaf Studies from the Centre for Deaf Studies, University of Bristol, England and a BA in Cultural Geography from Arizona State University. Deaf cultural geography and Deaf sport history are among his primary research interests.

Tracing Deafhood, the Sequel:
Focus on the United States

This paper continues the Tracing Deafhood project to identify how the formation and worldwide spread of Deaf cultural identity has occurred by utilizing a Geographic Information System to map and visually determine the chronological sequences of and patterns in the establishment and spread of Deaf schools, Deaf clubs, Deaf sport clubs, and national Deaf associations worldwide.
Each Deaf community ‘pillar’ has a role in maintaining the Deaf community’s existence and serve educational, social, and political purposes. Lane et al (1996:131-137; 137-138) describes how American Deaf schools, Deaf clubs and Deaf sport have impacted the acculturation process of deaf people into the American Deaf community and the National Association of the Deaf’s socially significant role.
Ladd (2003:xviii) defines the concept of Deafhood, which he describes “as the process by which Deaf individuals come to actualise their Deaf identity”. This term seeks to define the essence and existence of Deaf identity (Ladd 2003:xviii, 3, 4). Thus, if the four ‘pillars’ affect Deafhood, then the compilation and analysis of the origins and spread of these ‘pillars’ is vital to understand the origins and spread of Deaf identity.
Collected data on the four ‘pillars’ permits analysis of geographic patterns to determine how Deaf identity has spread globally, as those four ‘pillars’ serve as venues for Deaf identity development. All four ‘pillars’ and their characteristics can be plotted on a single map and their geographic origins, spread, and interplay can be studied.
Locations having high and low degrees of Deaf community activity, evidenced by the formation and existence or absence of the four ‘pillars’, will be indicators of where Deaf identity has been/is strongest or weakest, representing possible manifestations of an ‘ideal’ Deaf community or forces of audism.
The presented data will focus on selected American Deaf ‘pillars’ and may include new types of ‘pillars’.

Prof. John Pirone

Prof. John Pirone is a faculty member in the Deaf Studies program at the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.  He has been teaching American Sign Language and Deaf Studies since 2004. Prior to his teaching, he was the Executive Director of a nonprofit membership organization, Massachusetts State Association of the Deaf (MSAD) for four years. He is currently a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) student at Northeastern University and his research interests are Student Retention, Deaf Studies, and Higher Education Administration.

Beyond Words…Taking Action…Strategies for Deaf Studies Programs

This workshop will introduce and discuss six different Deaf Studies programs in Massachusetts. These six programs have some similarities and differences in terms of program mission, program structure, curriculum, and internal struggles. Not all programs share a similar definition of Deaf Studies. Some institutions consider this field of study as vocational and some think of it as a broader study of humanity. This variation in perspective affects the design of the institutional program and the level of support it receives from the administration.  Struggles are both explicit and implicit, raising issues such as perception about Deaf Studies, budget constraints, lack of representation in faculty senate, and disparity in program structure in comparison to other existing programs.  The presentation will also look at and highlight the many contributions these programs make to the students, the institution, and the community.
After the presentation, the presenters will lead a discussion with attendees on the current situation amongst Deaf Studies programs – identify the existing challenges and consider potential strategies for making Deaf Studies an equally respectable discipline within institutions of higher education.

Jennifer Witteborg

Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Witteborg graduated from Gallaudet with a BA in Government in 1983. She then raised 5 children and worked part time in various capacities including being a certified childbirth instructor, ASL teacher, communication consultant for Fairfax County, and key developer for “Parenting Skills: Bringing Together Two Worlds”. She started her own documentary filmmaking business in 2004. She returned to Gallaudet University for her Masters in Cultural Studies and expects to graduate in May 2013.

A Case Study of Sign Language Endangerment: Ban Khor Sign Language

There have been studies on spoken languages being endangered. Nettle and Romaine (2002:2) have found “about half the known languages of the world have vanished in the last five hundred years.” A language disappears every fortnight. Are there any similarities for Deaf Sign Languages? Since linguistics and anthropological study of sign languages in the 20th century began, the interesting findings are being recognized that the Deaf communities around the world are vulnerable to the declining of indigenous or native sign languages. While some sign languages are on risk of being murdered, other new sign languages are emerging. In other cases, the native sign languages are replaced or heavily influenced by American Sign Language. The driving causes of this language genocide in some parts of the world are because of government, medical, and/or pedagogy systems. While an overview will be presented briefly, the main focus will be on Thailand’s indigenous sign language: Ban Khor Sign Language which was rejected by these systems.

Jennifer Rayman

Jennifer Rayman is an Associate Professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at California State University, Sacramento.  Her connection to the DEAF-WORLD and fascination with American Sign Language began at a young age.  Early in her career worked as an ASL/English Interpreter in university settings.   Within the Deaf community, she left behind the life of an interpreter to focus on being a committed friend and ally to the Deaf people in her life.  She began her academic career by studying with Carol Padden and Tom Humphries at UC San Diego and moved on to teach at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, England before settling in Sacramento.

Hollywood Speaks in the 21st Century: Talking Culture in “Switched at Birth”

Drawing on the groundbreaking work of Tom Humphries (2008) “Talking Culture/Culture Talking”, I analyze episodes from the television series “Switched at Birth.” Building on my previous work “The Politics and Practice of Voice: Representing American Sign Language on the Screen in Two Recent Television Crime Dramas” (2010), I take a two-fold approach, examining both the cultural capital circulated in mainstream television shows as well as production practices of framing sign language on the screen. Over twenty years after the original publication of John Schuchman’s “Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry,” the time has come to pose the question: has mainstream Hollywood finally begun to ‘talk’ Deaf Culture?

Jenn Legg

Jenn Legg attended Gallaudet University, majoring in Deaf Studies. She is currently is employed as KODA Camp Program Director at Camp Mark Seven located in Old Forge, NY as well as working for ZVRS.

Traveling Without a Map-the Importance of Shared Experiences for Kids of Deaf Adults

Today, greater information is available about the unique experiences of the adult children of deaf adults (Codas), however, a distinct lack of information and support exists for parents and children while these individuals are under the age of 18. This paper addresses the bilingual/bicultural aspects of kodas (kids of deaf adults), examining the linguistic and cultural divide that exists when growing up in between two different worlds. Kodas often experience conflicting messages from both their hearing and deaf counterparts, struggling to maneuver between these competing views without a support system of peers to guide them.
Building on twelve years of experience at a summer program geared towards koda children, the goal in presenting this subject is to increase knowledge regarding the unique needs and experiences of koda children as they navigate bicultural, bimodal and bilingual relationships. This paper identifies and discusses the emerging parallels between Hilde Haualand’s concept of the “Two-Week Village” and the experiences of koda campers at KODA Camp. In highlighting the significance of these temporary deaf- spaces and koda-spaces, we can identify the importance of these large, brief gatherings to both the deaf community and kodas. Outside of this discussion, this paper raises critical questions about the importance of continued community support and the role of coda/koda youth programs in the facilitation of positive bilingual/bicultural experiences and development of tools and techniques to aid them in their continued interaction with both hearing and deaf worlds.

Jannelle Legg

Jannelle Legg obtained a Masters in Deaf History and a Masters in Deaf Cultural Studies from Gallaudet University in Spring 2011. Coda literature was the subject of her Deaf Cultural Studies Master’s thesis entitled “Both and Neither: Coda Lit and the Hearing Line”. She is currently employed as a Lecturer at Utah Valley University.

Sound and (Not) Belonging- the Role of Sound and Silence in Shaping Coda Experience.

The experience of Codas (children of deaf adults) is not one that is commonly examined in Deaf Studies. This paper aims to examine the intersection between emerging work in this field, particularly Hilde Haualand’s “Sound and Belonging” and Coda narrative texts. The presenter takes the position that much like hearingness and deafness, silence and sound are mutually dependent and culturally constructed concepts that are often understood to represent the differences between deaf and hearing people. However, when explored, sound and silence are found to be unstable and ambiguous concepts. The meanings attached to these constructs oscillates between positive and negative reflecting a culturally-specific and complicated value-laden system. Given the cultural significance of these constructs, Haualand posits that it is possible for individuals from different cultural groups to ‘hear differently’.
In the production and reproduction of sound and silence, Coda texts reveal two key pieces of information. First, they reflect a powerful negotiation between competing cultural frames. Coda texts demonstrate that these individuals frequently serve as mediators of sound and silence- interpreting their production and understanding across cultural boundaries. Furthermore, the meanings that Codas attach to sounds that are traditionally denigrated indicates that Codas are capable of creating their own frameworks to understand the meanings of sound and silence in relation to deafness and hearingness. These frameworks serve both to destablize the concept of static constructions and develop new and unique cultural understandings of these concepts.

James B. Smith

Native of Nevada, James B. Smith came to Utah State University and earned BA degree in History and Geography. He is Deaf of Deaf parents and is proud of three beautiful children of whom two are Deaf. His background qualifies him to pursue his passion in Deaf American culture and history. Specifically, his interest is in promoting positive cultural identity in secondary education to ensure every Deaf child is proud to be a Deaf American. He is president and founder of Utah Hands & Voices and developing a parent to parent mentor program for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families in the state. He is currently pursuing a M.Ed. degree from the Deaf Education Program at Utah State University.

The Role of Deaf American Culture and History in Bilingual-Bicultural Secondary Education

Bilingual-Bicultural Education (Bi-Bi) has a huge impact on language development, social-psychological norms and identity of Deaf children (Carol, 2011; Mayer & Akamatsu 1999; Mayer & Wells 1996). The development of those children is owed to their access to ASL; however, the role of Deaf culture and history in Bi-Bi is not well-defined. This paper will outline the issue based on research and a survey sent out to schools for the deaf secondary education administrators.
The results, analyzing to what extent schools incorporate Deaf history and culture into secondary education will be addressed during the discussion. Preliminary results indicate that while there are some efforts to do so, for the most part, schools are not teaching Deaf history and culture in the classroom. This is due to their priority in abiding by NCLB regulation, lack of necessity of such a course due to core curriculum requirements, or lack of understanding of the positive impact the subject has for deaf students. The results of the survey suggest an urgent need for a solution of how to incorporate Deaf culture and history into already established core curriculum.
Implications of how and why to incorporate Deaf American culture and history in classrooms is based on three areas: philosophy, pedagogy and role of educators. Specifically, incorporating history and culture of Deaf people in academic classrooms without altering curriculum will be explored. The positive effects of providing historical and cultural awareness of Deaf people could include: motivating students to learn general history, empowering students to develop opinions related to their surroundings, and enabling students to develop general academic skills such as critical thinking, analysis skills, and literacy skills in English and ASL (Mayer & Wells, 1996; Enns, 2006). The incorporation of Deaf culture and history in the classroom will support and enrich Bilingual-Bicultural education.

Heather Clark

Beyond the Sign: What Happens When Interpreters Miss the Nuances of African American Style of Signing.

African Americans have a long tradition of using language as a way to construct identity, which is illustrated in oral stories passed down from generation to generation, to the dozens being played among friends after school to the sidewalk songs young girls create to pass the time. The same holds true for many African Americans who are Deaf and use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary mode of communication among friends and peers.  From signing outside the box, to using exaggerated facial expressions and body movements.  These nuances and subtleties in the African American style of ASL are critical in understanding the information that is being conveyed. Consequently, if an interpreter is not aware of the cultural context of this vital information transmitted then information is lost/absent.
Drawing on research conducted with African American Deaf people in the Seattle area, this paper examines:  What does it mean to sign ‘Black’, what elements mark the language as being ‘Black’? Conversely, what does in mean to sign ‘white’? How do interpreters stay true to conveying the spirit of what is being said beyond the signs that are being used?  How do interpreters voice the nuances of the African American style of ASL?
The goal of this paper is to explore how some African American Deaf people use language to integrate both their culturally Deaf and racial/ethnic African American identities.  By using an African American style of ASL it not only differentiates them from the mainstream Deaf community; it also connects them to the larger hearing African American community.

Hannah Dostal

Code-blending Trends Among Deaf L2 Writers

Second language (L2) writers use multiple strategies to make sense of grammar variations and frequently embed L1 features in L2 writing1,2 . This phenomenon occurs among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) writers, whereby ASL structures are utilized in the writing of English3,4. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to describe code-blending in the writing of DHH adolescents and (2) to present the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on code-blending tendencies.
SIWI combines evidence-based research with strategic writing instruction5, interactive writing6,7, and Krashen’s8 language input hypothesis regarding explicit learning and implicit acquisition of L2. SIWI draws on effective practices with all students and incorporates components specific to the language needs of DHH. Prior SIWI research has led to improved expressive language and writing outcomes at the word, sentence, and discourse levels3,4,9,10,11. In current research, we find a statistically significant decline in code-blending after one year of SIWI, suggesting that DHH students increase their meta-linguistic knowledge and ability to distinguish ASL in writing.
For this paper, we analyze the type of ASL features found in student writing. There are two research questions:
• What ASL features are prevalent in L2 writing among DHH adolescents?
• How do these features change over one year of SIWI?
Pre-, mid- and post-writing samples (n=90) were reviewed for ASL features and compared with pre-defined codes12,13. Six linguistic features of ASL were used as codes (e.g., topicalization). Twenty-five percent of the features were triple-coded and inter-rater reliability was 94.7%. Researchers are currently coding the remaining samples and analyzing data. Descriptive analyses will be completed by the time of the conference.  Deaf Studies Today conference attendees will be presented with examples of ASL features in L2 writing and implications of literacy practices in deaf education.

Dr. Lummer

Dr. Lummer is an American born Deaf product of Deaf parents (a German immigrant mother and an American born Jewish father), attended numerous mainstreamed programs and graduated from Illinois School for the Deaf.  He earned his degrees respectively at NTID/RIT, Gallaudet University, Lamar University, San Diego State University, and Northern Illinois University. Previously worked at the Colorado and Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind and taught Bilingual Bicultural Deaf Education courseworks at Mc Daniels College, Dr. Lummer is a coordinator of the Deaf Education Teacher Training program at Baylor University, Texas.

Asian and Hispanic Adult Immigrants’
 Language Experience: Exploration of ASL in
the United States.

An in-depth discussion regarding the comparison of these two research studies involving  the ASL as a tool as part of the language-learning process. This includes the interview results of these Deaf Hispanic and Asian immigrant adults while assimilating into American Deaf culture during their early days of living in the United States.  Several key factors are identified, recognized, and redefine the strategies in teaching the students to become efficient literacy users in both languages: ASL and English. Observing how these adults acquired ASL during their early days was of singular interest to the researchers, because Drs. Lummer and Plue had observed in their work that after this group learned ASL, their lives appeared to improve and rapidly change that appeared to pivot around their burgeoning language development skills.

Dr. Cynthia Plue

Dr Cynthia Plue is an Asian Deaf American, raised by biracial parents (an American born German father and a Chinese born immigrant mother) in America. Being educated in oral programs/hearing schools, Cynthia obtained her BA in Psychology and Communication Arts, a M.Ed. in Deaf Education with a Bilingual Bicultural emphasis (ASL and English), and an Ed.D. in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education with an emphasis in Multicultural Deaf Issues. Previously worked in the field of Deaf Education and Deaf Studies at Lamar University, Northern Illinois University, and Utah Valley University, she is an independent consultant in Deaf Education and Deaf Studies. Cynthia enjoys interacting with diverse cultural people and actively involved at local, statewide, regional, and national levels for more than 20 years.

Asian and Hispanic Adult Immigrants’ Language Experience: Exploration of ASL in the United States.

An in-depth discussion regarding the comparison of these two research studies involving  the ASL as a tool as part of the language-learning process. This includes the interview results of these Deaf Hispanic and Asian immigrant adults while assimilating into American Deaf culture during their early days of living in the United States.  Several key factors are identified, recognized, and redefine the strategies in teaching the students to become efficient literacy users in both languages: ASL and English. Observing how these adults acquired ASL during their early days was of singular interest to the researchers, because Drs. Lummer and Plue had observed in their work that after this group learned ASL, their lives appeared to improve and rapidly change that appeared to pivot around their burgeoning language development skills.

Dr. J. Freeman King

Dr. J. Freeman King is presently the director of Deaf Education at Utah State University .  
 
He has directed teacher training programs in Deaf Education at the University of Southern Mississippi and at Lamar University.  Dr. King has worked as a classroom teacher, coach, Dean of Students, and supervising teacher at the New Mexico School for the Deaf and the Louisiana School for the Deaf.
Dr. King has published numerous articles for professional journals and is the author of two books related to Deaf Education, Basic American Sign Language Principles for Hearing Parents of Deaf Children and Introduction to Deaf Education: A Deaf Perspective.   He is also the author of Underwater Communication:  A Guide for Scuba and Commercial Divers. He has co-developed two poster series for classroom teachers of deaf children, Signs with Multiple English Meanings, and Signonyms.
He has been involved with teaching and research on the international scene, having prepared teachers of the deaf and researched sign languages in the People's Republic of China, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Mainstreaming Revisited: Is It Working? Has it Ever Worked?

The initial red flags raised regarding mainstreaming the deaf child were either ignored or minimally addressed, and are still prevalent today.  The tragic result is that more than more than two generations of deaf children have been lost because of mainstreaming due to the misinterpretation of “appropriate” and “least restrictive environment” as expressed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Since the mid-1970s, American education for the child who is deaf has stood at a quagmire in the crossroads regarding what is appropriate  and least restrictive.  As a result, what has transpired, and continues to transpire, has left many deaf children educationally, socially, linguistically, and emotionally impoverished.
Far too often deaf children are given the worst of both worlds, instead of the best.  They are given a limited, partially accessible language, a limited social environment, and resultantly, a limited education. Accepting the premise that many mainstream programs for deaf children are inappropriate, ineffective, and most restrictive, how might these programs be structured so as to be appropriate, effective, and least restrictive?
The education that the deaf child receives should enable him/her to believe that being deaf is not a pathological condition fostering the attitude of incompleteness.  Rather, in a quality educational program, the student most respected by his/her peers should not be the one who is most like the hearing, but the one who is well-educated, successful, and Deaf.

William T. Ennis, III, Ph.D.

William T. Ennis, III is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Iowa. He currently is an instructor in the Government/History Department at Gallaudet University. His dissertation focuses on eugenics and the Deaf community; particularly as it relates to marriage.

Beyond School Walls of the Deaf: The Fluidity of Eugenics – Marriage and Family

The early historiography of the Deaf in the United States focuses heavily towards the education of Deaf people, and rightly so when we consider that schools for the Deaf were the epicenter of many Deaf communities. However, recent scholars have begun to branch out from that epicenter and explore other spheres of the Deaf experience. This presentation will explore a sphere of Deaf life that focuses on family; more specifically: marriage and fertility. It will also examine how eugenics underscores the choices that Deaf people made regarding marriage and fertility. And finally, this presentation will compare the marital decisions of two Deaf individuals from the late 19th century: Amos G. Draper and George T. Sanders. The marriage decisions made by these men were influenced by eugenic philosophies, which at the time were nascent. Draper and Sanders allow us to analyze eugenics in a different light, one that differentiates harsh eugenics with a more subtle type of eugenics. It is important to underscore that eugenics is not linear; rather, its malleable, complex, and manifests itself far beyond the harsh eugenics of sterilization, forced abortions, or genocide.Draper was a professor at National Deaf Mute College, which is today known as Gallaudet University. He attended a residential school, was a fluent signer, and became a professor at the college after graduating and earning a degree. Draper appeared as a master signer in the NAD film campaign to preserve sign language amid the attacks of oralism. He was a staunch defender of sign language and by extension of the Deaf community. When it came to marriage, however, paradoxically Draper chose a hearing wife, raising questions regarding the influence of eugenics on his decision to marry a non Deaf woman.
In contrast, George T. Sanders was the sole child of hearing parents. His father, Thomas Sanders, placed “little Georgie” with Alexander Graham Bell, and George became Bell’s first student. Sanders was educated without using sign language. As a young man, Sanders married Lucy Swett, who was from a multigenerational Deaf family. Lucy Swett harbored concerns of passing on her genetic deafness to her future offspring. Eventually, she chose to marry George despite eugenic dangers of having deaf children.
These case studies show that the eugenics movement in the United States was widespread and infiltrated the most personal issue to Deaf people: the right to marry and have children. Despite the different backgrounds of these prominent Deaf Americans, eugenics affected them in unexpected ways. Based on his exposure to Bell, Sanders should have married a hearing woman and preferably not had children. Draper, a leader in the Deaf world, should have married a Deaf woman.

Will Garrow

Will Garrow is from upstate New York, where he was first introduced to the Deaf community through snowboarding. Ever since, he has been very involved with the Deaf community. He holds a BA degree in Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University and a MA degree in Linguistics also from Gallaudet.
Currently, he is working on his PhD dissertation on ASL lexical discourse markers and their function, specifically their role in building mental spaces. His other areas of interest and research are audism, deaf history, deaf-­‐centric digital media, and deaf sports. He has taught numerous courses in Deaf Studies and ASL Linguistics at California State University, Northridge, Gallaudet University, Utah Valley University and Community College of Baltimore County at Catonsville.

Deaf Cultural Community Wealth: Building Successful Deaf College Students in a Primarily Hearing University.

Critical Deaf Theory provides a framework for analyzing the deaf community through a critical lens based on the assumption that Audism is a key component of our social structure. Audism inherently erects barriers to a successful college career. This study explores how Cultural Community Wealth allows for deaf students to succeed within a primarily hearing university. There are six different capitals that build cultural community wealth, aspirational, familial, social, navigational, resistant, and linguistic capital. Through analyzing stories told by deaf students about their educational experiences we can ascertain which capitals have the most impact on building a successful college career. By understanding how deaf students succeed we may then gain insight to the dynamics of the deaf community while building our overall knowledge on how minority communities resist various forms of oppression.

Vee Yee Chong

Vee Yee was a bright student at his schools. He was born deaf and has been an inspiration to Deaf students who are still studying at school. Malaysian Federation of the Deaf awarded him “Best student of Year 2002 in Academic”.  Vee Yee has a diploma and BA in Computing Studies, graduated in 2006 from KDU College. He was selected to deliver a valediction on his diploma graduation day.  He also received a merit scholarship for the duration of his study at KDU College.
He has experience in teaching sign language at Pusat Majudiri Y for the Deaf for almost eight years. He is the co-editor, working on a basic sign language text book for hearing adult learners for Pusat Majudiri Y for the Deaf with other Sign Language Instructors.
He has experience of working with Deaf youths and teenagers in various camps. He is one of the DACSA (Deaf Against Child Sexual Abuse) facilitators and has facilitated in many camps/programmes in several states since 2004. He stepped into promoting HIV/AIDS awareness programmes to the Deaf Community. He is truly a role model for his community. In addition he has participated in various conferences, Deaf events locally and internationally.
He worked as Production Editor for a publishing international company for more than 4 years and then as teacher for Deaf students at Community Service Centre for the Deaf for 6 months. While he was working, he took his first Master’s degree in Linguistics at University of Malay for 2 years and half. His thesis is “The Impact of Sign Language Exposure and Use in Deaf Children’s Acquisition of Vocabulary.”
At the end of his days as the teacher and completion of his thesis, he left for the US to pursue the second Master’s degree with the World Deaf Leadership Scholarship, awarded by the Foundation Nippon. Currently, he is majoring in Deaf Cultural Studies at Gallaudet.

A Case Study of Sign Language Endangerment: Ban Khor Sign Language.

There have been studies on spoken languages being endangered. Nettle and Romaine (2002:2) have found “about half the known languages of the world have vanished in the last five hundred years.” A language disappears every fortnight. Are there any similarities for Deaf Sign Languages? Since linguistics and anthropological study of sign languages in the 20th century began, the interesting findings are being recognized that the Deaf communities around the world are vulnerable to the declining of indigenous or native sign languages. While some sign languages are on risk of being murdered, other new sign languages are emerging. In other cases, the native sign languages are replaced or heavily influenced by American Sign Language. The driving causes of this language genocide in some parts of the world are because of government, medical, and/or pedagogy systems. While an overview will be presented briefly, the main focus will be on Thailand’s indigenous sign language: Ban Khor Sign Language which was rejected by these systems.

Stephanie Mathis

Stephanie Mathis, a Southern Californian native, is the executive director of Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf (SLCAD) in Salt Lake City, Utah. She worked for SLCAD for almost 3 1/2 years as the Program Director and is now looking forward to new challenges and opportunities as the Executive Director! She graduated from Gallaudet University with a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling. In the past 4 years of working as the program director, most of her job included training service providers such as law enforcement agencies, mental health counselors, lawyers, and domestic violence shelter staff to provide accessible and effective services to Deaf survivors of abuse. Stephanie has passionately developed several training curriculums such as “12 steps of Self-Esteem”, “Provider Empowerment Training”, “Interpreting effectively in DV/SA Settings” and “Discovering the Power of Collective Legal Advocacy”.  She has two other passions: her family of 3 boys and one girl and a loving husband and dancing. She danced for the Gallaudet Dance Company for 12 years. A phrase that symbolizes Stephanie's outlook on life is found in a song by Leeann Womack "When you have the choice to sit it out or.....dance?  I hope you DANCE!"

Victim Advocacy: Using the EmPOWERment Model Through Language.

Coming from the perspective that domestic and sexual violence is "embedded within a social and historical context", it is important that we address this today through education, advocacy and EMPOWERMENT in the Deaf community. When we use inappropriate signs or vocabulary when working with Deaf victims and survivors, we have the potential to "re-traumatize" them. The goal is to minimize trauma and restore power to the Deaf survivors by learning how to effectively implement the empowerment model. This interactive presentation will encourage participants to take a new look at the meaning of "EMPOWERMENT" as well as learning how to utilize the empowerment model when working with Deaf survivors of abuse through discussion and role plays.

Sheryl B. Cooper, Ph.D.

Sheryl B. Cooper, Ph.D., is the founding Coordinator of the Deaf Studies program at Towson University in MD, which currently has over 225 students, 8 faculty members, and an exciting curriculum of courses and extra-curricular opportunities.  She earned her Ph.D. from Gallaudet University, her Master's degree from New York University, and her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has been a certified interpreter since 1980, and taught in the Interpreter Preparation Program at Catonsville Community College for 18 years. She is a member of RID, PCRID, NAD, the Maryland Association of the Deaf, the American Association of the Deafblind (AADB), and the Metro Washington Association of the Deaf-blind. She chaired the 2006 AADB Conference at Towson University.

Service Learning: Deaf Studies in the Community

In recent years, civic engagement has become entrenched in post-secondary curricula and experiences. Ideally, Deaf Studies programs promote opportunities for students to learn the language and culture of the Deaf community. To achieve this, it is critical for students to have meaningful interactions with the community. Through service-learning, Deaf Studies students at Towson University have volunteered in situations with Deaf and Deafblind individuals and families, and provided information about the deaf community to a variety of non-profit organizations, first-responders, and public organizations. Services provided to consumers include help with understanding mail, transportation to appointments, work in food pantries, and companionship.  Services provided to community organizations include teaching signed language, providing deaf awareness training, and creating and implementing ways for making agencies accessible to the deaf community.  These hands-on experiences have enhanced students’ learning significantly.  Students in the Fall of 2010 and 2011 completed questionnaires about their perspectives on service learning before and after their off-campus experiences, and this paper will share the results of the comparisons, to show that service learning has a significant positive impact on student learning and student attitudes toward giving to the community.

Shannon C. Graham

Code-blending Trends Among Deaf L2 Writers

Second language (L2) writers use multiple strategies to make sense of grammar variations and frequently embed L1 features in L2 writing1,2 . This phenomenon occurs among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) writers, whereby ASL structures are utilized in the writing of English3,4. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to describe code-blending in the writing of DHH adolescents and (2) to present the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on code-blending tendencies.

SIWI combines evidence-based research with strategic writing instruction5, interactive writing6,7, and Krashen’s8 language input hypothesis regarding explicit learning and implicit acquisition of L2. SIWI draws on effective practices with all students and incorporates components specific to the language needs of DHH. Prior SIWI research has led to improved expressive language and writing outcomes at the word, sentence, and discourse levels3,4,9,10,11. In current research, we find a statistically significant decline in code-blending after one year of SIWI, suggesting that DHH students increase their meta-linguistic knowledge and ability to distinguish ASL in writing.

For this paper, we analyze the type of ASL features found in student writing. There are two research questions:
• What ASL features are prevalent in L2 writing among DHH adolescents?
• How do these features change over one year of SIWI?
Pre-, mid- and post-writing samples (n=90) were reviewed for ASL features and compared with pre-defined codes12,13. Six linguistic features of ASL were used as codes (e.g., topicalization). Twenty-five percent of the features were triple-coded and inter-rater reliability was 94.7%. Researchers are currently coding the remaining samples and analyzing data. Descriptive analyses will be completed by the time of the conference.  Deaf Studies Today conference attendees will be presented with examples of ASL features in L2 writing and implications of literacy practices in deaf education.