Louisiana Deaf Education Newsletter

Happy November! We are so close to a break--I hope you all are taking some time to care for yourselves this month. With many still picking up the pieces from impact from COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida, it's important to remember to care for your own mental health; we can't pour from an empty cup for our students and families.

In this newsletter, you will find:

• Service request forms and intake forms
• Upcoming events and training opportunities
• Additional resources
• How to know if a Deaf/HOH Child is Bluffing
• Statewide Book Drive Information
• Information about learning sign language
• Information about literacy for students who don't speak or sign
• ASL Classes & Resources
• Support for families
• Updates and Professional Development re: DeafBlind Students
• Information on assessing students' sign language skills
• LA Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Binder
• Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD) Outreach Vision
• And more!

Please note that if a photo depicts an event or list of information, it is clickable and will take you to a link for more information and how to access the event.

As always, thank you all again for your dedication to our Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and hard of hearing (DDBDDHH) students throughout Louisiana. Please feel free to reach out with any questions regarding Deaf education, requests for information, or other ways I can support you. And remember, if you have any job postings, internships, or other requests to share with other districts, please email me and let me know!

Best,

Dr. Natalie Delgado

Fill out this form if you are referring a deaf or hard-of-hearing child under the age of 5 that is not enrolled in an LEA. This form is used for children that would benefit from early intervention services for DDBDDHH children. Use our pre-K-12th form for children currently enrolled in an LEA.

We support and collaborate with all parishes throughout the state of Louisiana that serve deaf and hard of hearing children. Contact us for consultations, professional development, assessment services, and other support. See our Outreach Vision below to see our full array of support services being worked on and those we currently offer.

Also, check out our social media pages to see more of what we're doing and sharing! Find us on Facebook or Instagram @LSD_outreach_ece

Email: NDelgado@LSDVI.org
Website: https://lalsd.org/outreach
Location: 2888 Brightside Lane, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Phone: (225) 769-8160
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSDoutreachece
Twitter: @LASchoolDeaf

• Access Vine: Ongoing trainings
• FREE Family Workshop Series: Ask a Speech-Language Pathologist, November 10, 6-7 PM. Topics change monthly--see the website for upcoming listings and past recordings.
• Geaux Sign: Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, November 6th, 2 PM. Meet us by the petting zoo for some time to practice your American Sign Language! More details here.
• Hearing First: Professional Development and information for professionals using listening and spoken language
• Helen Keller National Center: Offers professional development, training, and events for professionals and DeafBlind students (ages 14+). Listings available here.
• Language First: Professional Development for Speech-Language Pathologists and other professionals, upcoming events listed here
• LSD Professional Developments: Deaf Education 101
• Moog Center: Professional development, ongoing, listed here
• NCHAM: Ongoing workshops available here
• Paul Glaser, CDI: Workshops on Interpreting Math Classes, ongoing
• The Online Itinerant: Ongoing workshops available here, under Trainings

We are hosting our playgroup events and meetups outdoors for the time being and implementing COVID-19 safety measures while we have fun.

Who can come: Deaf or hard of hearing children (PPEP, ages birth to 5) and their family members! Former PPEP students are also welcome to join and meet some new friends. Deaf community members and select guests are also welcome--we invite our students' service providers as well.

Cost: Our events are always free, but admission may be charged at select locations we visit (like the zoo), so be sure to check before you go!

Note: Should an event be cancelled or moved due to weather, COVID-19, or other unexpected events, information will be posted here on the website and on our social media pages, linked below. Our social media pages are updated the fastest, so check there first!

• Audiology Outside the Box: Resources for understanding hearing levels, amplification devices, auditory rehabilitation, and more
• ASL Connect: Online American Sign Language (ASL) courses
• ASL Clear: STEM signs in ASL; toggle the top button to switch to English
• Atomic Hands: STEM videos in ASL
• CSDLearns: Deaf education tools and courses for both students and professionals, designed by Deaf educators who are Deaf themselves; courses range from content areas to life skills
• DeafVerse: An online game for deaf and hard of hearing teens to hone their life and career preparation skills--available in ASL, spoken English, and English captioning. See their presentation on using it in the classroom and at home here
• English by Eye: Improving literacy through ASL
• Language First: Resources for families and professionals, therapy resources, and more
• The Moog Center Store: Contains resources and printables pertaining to listening and spoken language, and amplification devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants
• The Moog Center Main Page: Contains a language calendar for use in classrooms, at the bottom of the page; changes monthly
• SignOn Connect: Live immersion in ASL with a Deaf Ambassador; can be added to a Deaf or hard of hearing students' IEP
• Supporting Success for Kids with Hearing Loss: Website with multiple articles, assessments, and resources

"Did you understand what I said?"

Child nods.

"Can you tell me what I just said?"

Child freezes--busted.

Often, friends, family, and school professionals use this phrase to see if their deaf or hard of hearing loved one or student can understand them -- "did you hear what I said?" or "do you understand what you are supposed to do?" For many different reasons, children (and even adults) become conditioned to nodding after questions like that, or nodding during normal conversation to bluff, when they don't understand.

Besides nodding, sometimes they will defer to a standard response, such as "oh okay," "cool," or "uh huh" to seem like they are following along. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are experts on passing as if they're attending and understanding!

If you're unsure that a child is understanding you, here are a few things you can try to check, or to repair a breakdown in communication:

• Affirm that it is okay if they didn't understand when you are checking for understanding (e.g. "Did I explain that clearly? It's okay if you need me to repeat it.")
• Ask if they'd like it explained a different way (e.g. "Would it help if I said it a different way?" "Would it help if I wrote it down or drew what I meant?")
• If the child has strong access to spoken language and is old enough/has enough language skills to tell you what they heard, rephrase the part they missed and add extra information if needed to help give them more context clues. It might sound like this-- You: "Has anyone ever been to Disney World?" Student: "Has anyone ever been where?" You: "Disney World, where Mickey Mouse is!"
• If a child does not have a strong language foundation and can't effectively answer questions, see if visuals such as pictures or videos will get your point across, or provide a demonstration and act out the concept! (e.g. raising your hand, signing "bathroom please," as though you are the student, then posing as the teacher nodding and signing "yes you can go to the bathroom", and again modeling the student's role--getting up and then going to the bathroom)

Remember that the burden is on you to make yourself understood; the burden should never be exclusively on the deaf or hard of hearing child to understand beyond their capacity to do so, or their capacity to tell you what they need in order to understand.

The answer is...it depends!

The first and foremost thing is to ensure that your student has a strong language foundation. Without that, print carries little meaning and will not be retained effectively.

Imagine this: If you know what a "butterfly" is, and I say the word or show it to you in print, you can call upon your understanding of what a butterfly is to know what I'm talking about and/or be able to match the spoken word to the printed word.

Now, I show you the printed word "storge," and then I sign it, and speak the word. You have never heard the word "storge," you can't hear it clearly or at all, and nobody has ever signed it to you. If you don't know what "storge" is, will you make the connection from the printed word to what it means?

That's why we have to start with functional language and making sure our students have a language foundation. If they don't know what "butterfly" is, they won't be able to get to an abstract concept like "storge!" Storge is the Greek word for "familial love," if you were curious.

Here are some questions to consider with your student's IEP team:

• Does the student have functional language and communication skills in a given language?
• What are their language levels like?
• Have we tested them in all of their languages (e.g. American Sign Language, Spanish, English?)
• Does the student have an additional disability that impacts cognition and/or language development?
• If the student does not have functional listening skills, what accommodations and modifications can be used in lieu of instruction that relies heavily on phonics and reliance on sound?
• If the student has some level of skill to hear and comprehend spoken language, what accommodations and modifications can be used to support any gaps in their hearing and understanding phonics or other literacy instruction?

For a more in-depth consultation or training, reach out to us! Our contact information is available at the top and bottom of this newsletter.

There are many resources available for you, your students, and your students' families to learn American Sign Language (ASL)!

• Check out our list of Favorite ASL Resources for a list of websites to learn from, apps to download, and videos to watch. Our favorite is Lifeprint.com for adults.
• The Louisiana School for the Deaf is offering virtual community classes in ASL--these classes are open to the public and are $30 per 8-week-long session. If you'd like to sign up for the next round of classes, reach out to our ASL Coordinator, Alla Tarasyuk: atarasyuk@lsdvi.org for more information! These classes are typically offered face-to-face at the Baton Rouge campus but are currently being offered virtually due to COVID-19. If the child is being served by our school, classes are free for the family. Please note that our current Fall classes are completely full, but you can request to be added to the Spring waitlist.
• Check with your local Deaf Association, Deaf advocacy organizations, and Deaf Action Centers to see if they offer face-to-face or virtual classes near you! If you aren't sure what's near you, send Dr. Delgado an email. One virtual class option in Louisiana is hosted by Deaf Focus Services, which is hosting a January through February 2022 ASL class.

If your student is an ASL user, be sure to check the class or site you are perusing--not all classes or websites teach ASL, some teach Signed Exact English (SEE) or even a foreign signed language. Be sure you are matching your students' needs!

Share our FREE family workshops with parents and caregivers of your deaf and hard of hearing students--each month we feature a different topic supporting students from birth to age 22. See our monthly selection of workshops and share our resources for families page here.

This LiveBinder is chock-full of resources for children who are deaf or hard of hearing--some of the information is specific to Louisiana, while other information is generally about having a deaf or hard of hearing child or student.

Explore simulations that can show you how your student hears with or without amplification, sign language resources, local agencies, and more.

• National Center on Deaf-Blindness - has general resources, family resources, news, and events.
• The CHARGE Syndrome Foundation - has free, recorded webinars that are helpful for educators and families (even for DeafBlind students that do not have CHARGE).
• Helen Keller National Center - offers many resources, tons of events, webinars, and other support materials for working with DeafBlind youths and adults.
• iCanConnect - offers free equipment including smartphones, tablets, computers, screen readers, braille displays, and more to those who qualify

The Louisiana DeafBlind Project can provide:

• Information on how to support children and youth with atypical hearing and vision levels,
• Family support
• Webinars
• Training
• Technical assistance

Information about the LA DeafBlind Project and its technical assistance offerings can be found on its homepage. To refer a child, there is an informational packet to be filled out online.

Don't forget to also register the child on the National DeafBlind Registry if they aren't registered already!

Jefferson Parish Public Schools:

- We offer Tuition Reimbursement for candidates who need to obtain their teaching certificate.

- Starting salary for Certified or Provisionally Certified Teachers is $47,800.

- We offer a $1,000 Bonus for teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

For both Interpreters and Teachers...

- We offer a competitive benefits package which includes free dental and vision.

- Jefferson Parish is right next door to New Orleans, one of the most famous and dynamic cities in the world.

- All teachers and staff get one entire week off for Mardi Gras Break!

Check out the flyer below!

Further information about our school and our admissions process is available on the LSD website. Check out our virtual tour videos, and contact our district admissions coordinator, Ebonie Raby for any questions you may have.

Ebonie E. Raby

Special School District

Admission & Records Coordinator

225-757-3202 (Office)

225-341-6536 (Video Phone)

225-757-3486 (Fax)

eraby@lsdvi.org

Our brochures are linked below in English and Spanish.

Dr. Natalie Delgado is a Deaf Indigenous Latina educator. She is the director of outreach at the Louisiana School for the Deaf, providing support to districts serving deaf and hard of hearing children of all ages throughout the state of Louisiana as well as overseeing the statewide early intervention program for these students. Dr. Delgado is also trilingual and knows American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, and English. She has worked in Deaf Education for approximately ten years, teaching and serving students (and their families!) from birth to age 22. Mainstream settings, self-contained classrooms, and residential school settings are no stranger to her--she has taught in them all! Dr. Delgado currently represents 12 states in the southern United States on the National ASL and English Bilingual Consortium for Early Childhood board.

Dr. Delgado has her doctorate in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and is also a researcher in the field. She primarily conducts research on Deaf Latinx children, early childhood, language development and literacy in deaf and hard of hearing children, and bimodal bilingualism. Dr. Delgado has also worked as an adjunct professor for Lamar University's online Masters in Deaf Education program and for Gallaudet University's Infants, Toddlers, and Families Program. Examples of her research can be found here.

Email: ndelgado@lsdvi.org
Website: https://lalsd.org/outreach/
Location: Louisiana School for the Deaf, Brightside Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Phone: (225) 341-1141
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSDoutreachece