Welcome to the 7th Annual

American Sign Language

Roundtable!

Hosted by

Delaware School for the Deaf

Newark, DE

November 6-8, 2013

With the support of

Delaware Statewide Programs Association

and

Gallaudet University Regional Center

Southeast

Welcome to Delaware!

A Message from the Director of DE Statewide Programs for Deaf,

Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind Students:

Greetings !

All of us here are pleased to welcome you to the Delaware School for the

Deaf. As part of the Statewide Programs for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-

Blind children, DSD prides itself on supporting educational opportunities for

children that focus on their becoming balanced bilingual individuals. It also

strives to become a resource for individuals in the area regarding educating

families and children with hearing loss. A cornerstone to both of these goals is

the competency and fluency of instructors of American Sign Language. ASLRT

is reputed to be an incubator of cutting edge ideas and professional practice in

the field of teaching ASL. We welcome you to our LITTLE state and hope you

leave here with BIG ideas !

Dr. Della Thomas

Scan this QR code to see a video about DSD!

A Message from Delaware School for the Deaf’s School Leader for K-12:

On behalf of the staff and students at the Delaware School for the Deaf, I welcome

you to Newark (and DSD) for the 7th Annual ASL Roundtable. I thank GURC

Southeast, DE Statewide Programs Association, and Karen Martin along with her

committee for planning this event. We are hoping you find all the workshops

informative and the opportunity to share ideas beneficial. I know as educators we

are always on the lookout for new innovative ideas so if you wish to observe/visit

any classes, please don’t hesitate to ask. Welcome to DSD!

Marianne Belsky

Welcome to DSD!

7th Annual ASLRT Planning Committee

From Left to Right: Marianne Belsky, Lauren Sforza, Katy Reinhold, Della Thomas, Laurie Kettle-Rivera, Daphne Werner, Mary

Hicks, Candy Yoder, Jeanne Evans, Karen Martin, Roger Phipps, Emily Wise, Kristin Kellett, Eva Hartmann, Kathy Shea, Matthew

Bezaire, Richard Pelletier, Dan Foley, Nicole Laszczynski, Kathi Riley Not pictured: Tara Kelly, Christy Myhren & Valerie Ward

THANK YOU to the DSD Blue Hawks who worked so hard to bring it all together for this,

the 7th Annual American Sign Language Roundtable, here at the

Delaware School for the Deaf!

2013 ASLRT Presenters

M. Diane Clark earned her Ph.D. from

the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 1985 with a

specialization in cognitive developmental psychology. She

has published three edited volumes (with Marc Marschark)

and is involved with the NSF funded Science of Learning

Center on Visual Languages and Visual Learning at Gallau-

det University (VL2), since its inception, focusing on the

integration of research and education. In addition, Dr. Clark

has published articles related to deaf individuals’ memory

and how they become skilled readers. She has recently pub-

lished the Visual Communication and Sign Language Check-

list with Laurene Simms and Sharon Baker as well as the

Beliefs and Attitudes about Deafness Scale with Sharon

Baker, Tom Allen, and Song Hou Chen.

Dr. Melissa Herzig is the Education

and Research Translation Manager for VL2 and Associate

Director for Ph.D. in Educational Neuroscience program at

Gallaudet University. She is responsible for leading assess-

ments and evaluations of resources within VL2 and for work-

ing with schools. Her role is to facilitate two-way communi-

cation between researchers and educators. She co-founded the

new interdisciplinary PhD program in Educational Neurosci-

ence (PEN). She earned her bachelors in Biology at Gallaudet

University and her masters in ASL-English Bilingual Educa-

tion and doctorate degrees in Teaching and Learning at Uni-

versity of California, San Diego (UCSD). She worked at Salk

Institute and San Diego State University as Scholar Research-

er and was a postdoc at UCSD. She was also a teacher at a

mainstreamed school for 8 years. She worked as a supervisor

for student teachers at UCSD and was a lead supervisor for

student teachers and interns at National University (NU). Her

areas of interest are in ASL/English bilingualism, literacy,

and reading motivation. She also is a part of the K-12 ASL

Standards Development Team.

Todd Czubek is finishing his PhD studies in

Applied Linguistics at Boston University. He has served as project

coordinator for Office of Special Education Research and Institute

for Educational Sciences grants designed to improve teaching and to

describe the implications of ASL proficiency for Deaf children’s

academic achievement. While working on his dissertation (studying

discourse proficiencies in American Sign Language and their impli-

cations for academic success and second language development) he

maintains the role of instructor in Boston University’s Programs in

Deaf Studies. Todd’s interests also include exploring how the modal-

ity and affordances of ASL, and ASL Literacy, can contribute to

rethinking texts, composition, genre, and academic programming for

Deaf children.

Dr. Patrick Boudreault received his Ph.D in

educational psychology from University of Manitoba, Winnipeg,

M.Sc. in Communication Sciences & Disorders from McGill Univer-

sity, Montreal, and B.A. in Linguistics from Université du Québec à

Montréal, He is a native signer of Langue des Signes Québécoise

(LSQ), and fluent in American Sign Language, French, English. He

is currently a visiting professor in the Graduate School at Gallaudet

University. In addition, he is also a co-principal investigator on a

federally funded grant from NIH (www.DeafGeneticsProject.org) on

implementing Cancer Genetics Education in ASL on-line to increase

the Deaf community’s access to culturally and linguistically appro-

priate materials conjointly with Dr. Palmer of University of Califor-

nia, Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest are language assess-

ment such as developing and implementing various signed language

psychometric assessment tools, American Sign Language, Deaf in-

terpreting with multiple signed languages, with semi-lingual individ-

uals, translation, and academic visual-media production.

Dr. Charlotte Enns is a Professor at the University of Manitoba

in the Faculty of Education. Her research is focused on language and

literacy development in deaf children.

Kyra Zimmer is a graduate student at the University of Manitoba,

and currently taking courses at Gallaudet University. She is also an

instructor in the ASL/English Interpreter Program at Red River Col-

lege in Winnipeg, MB.

Dr. Chris Kurz is an associate professor for

the Master of Science in Secondary Education for Students Who

Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He has 16 years of extensive

experience in mathematics and science teaching in K-12 and

postsecondary education. With expertise in mathematics educa-

tion, ASL in STEM, and deaf history, he has published papers,

made numerous presentations, conducted workshops and devel-

oped educational media materials for K-12 teachers of the deaf.

His research interests include ASL discourse in STEM class-

rooms; ASL in Instructional Delivery for Subject Contents; and

shared screen technological software programming for instruc-

tion and information proximity.

Karen Martin, born and raised in the state

of Delaware, is a Bilingual Literacy Specialist at the Delaware

School for the Deaf. She earned her undergraduate degree in K-

12 Deaf Education from Trenton State College in 1991, and her

graduate degree in Elementary Deaf Education with a special

focus on literacy development from Western Maryland College

in 1999. Karen has worked at the Delaware School for the Deaf

since 1991. She has been a Bilingual Literacy Specialist since

2000; before that she taught 1st/2nd Grade, Preschool, and was a

Resident Advisor in the dorm for Middle School boys. In the

spring of 2012, Karen published an article in Odyssey Magazine,

entitled “In Search of Best Practice: A Professional Journey.”

In addition to working as a Bilingual Literacy Specialist at DSD,

Karen teaches during the summers in McDaniel College’s Grad-

uate Program in Bilingual Deaf Education and serves as a bilin-

gual literacy consultant and trainer for other programs for the

deaf. She is the site coordinator of this year’s ASL Roundtable.

Marianne Belsky is the K-12 School Lead-

er at the Delaware School for the Deaf. She earned her under-

graduate (Elementary Education) and education specialist

(Change Leadership) degrees at Gallaudet University in 1987

and 2011 respectively. Her graduate degree in Deaf Education

was obtained at Western Maryland College in 1990. Marianne

taught for a total of nineteen years at three programs: Kendall

Demonstration Elementary School, Dearborn, MI public schools,

and lastly at the Delaware School for the Deaf. She served two

years as the Administrative Designee of the Secondary Depart-

ment before becoming the K-12 School Leader - a position she

has held for the past 2 years.

Janet S. Weinstock is entering her 33rd

year at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in

Washington, DC. She is currently the K-12 literacy/language arts

content specialist. She taught ASL/English and Deaf Studies

courses to students of diverse backgrounds at MSSD. As a pre-

school teacher-researcher at Kendall, Weinstock participated in

the Signs of Literacy project. She served as grade 1-5 lead teach-

er. She leads the ASL Content Standards and Benchmarks action

plan committee working with a group that focuses on the devel-

opment of research-based standards. Since 1985, Weinstock has

developed and conducted a variety of workshops and presenta-

tions. She taught a variety of courses at Gallaudet University and

Western Maryland College. She and her husband are parents of

two adult Deaf sons, one of whom has Asperger’s Syndrome.

Tawny Holmes is an Equal Justice Work

Fellow sponsored by Bingham McCutcheon, LLP. For the fellow-

ship, she will spend two years as a staff attorney at the NAD,

focusing on the legal rights of deaf children to an equal education

including training and education for parents. She is the chair of

the Education Strategy Team and coordinator of the Educational

Advocates program for the NAD. Tawny recently graduated from

the University of Baltimore Law school and during law school,

she was a family educator at the Maryland School for the Deaf-

Columbia. Before that, she earned her M.A. in Deaf Education

and bachelors' degrees in Deaf Studies/Sociology from Gallaudet

University and gained experience in teaching all grade levels at

the National Laurent Clerc Center. Tawny grew up in the South

with a third-generation Deaf family in south Florida and graduat-

ed from the Alabama School for the Deaf. Tawny is passionate

about volunteering, and has done so for NAD for over 15 years,

starting with her days as a Jr. NAD leader and includes her time

as the Youth Strategy Team Chair from 2008-2012. She is also

the proud godmother of Avant (10), and Leilani (7), who current-

ly attend the Illinois School for the Deaf.

2013 ASLRT Presenters, cont’d

Petra Horn-Marsh, PhD graduated with

a BA in Secondary Education and History from Gallaudet Uni-

versity, a MA in History from Utah State University, a PhD in

Sociology from Utah State University, and completed a Deaf

Education certification program at the University of Kansas.

She is currently an Early Childhood/Elementary School Princi-

pal as well as an AEBPD bilingual mentor at the Kansas State

School for the Deaf in Olathe, Kansas, in her 10th year at KSD.

Before that, she was a Bilingual Specialist and also an AEBPD

lead mentor for CAEBER. She served as a school administrator

at Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, a bilingual charter school in

Riverton, Utah, for a year, and at California School for the

Deaf, Riverside for a year and a half prior to coming to KSD.

She also has been teaching a variety of American Sign Lan-

guage and Deaf Culture courses for 20+ years. She is Deaf with

two Deaf children and 3 hearing children. Finally, she co-wrote

an article, "Bilingual Students Publish Works in ASL and Eng-

lish", with Kester Horn-Marsh in the spring 2009 issue of

the Odyssey magazine. In Fall 2012, Petra and Kester were the

co-chairpersons of the ASLRT hosted at KSD.

Kester L. Horn-Marsh received a

BA in English education from Avila University and an MA in

Deaf Education from the University of Kansas. He was a high

school language arts teacher at the Kansas State School for the

Deaf in Olathe, Kansas for 7 years before becoming the Bilin-

gual Specialist. He is also an AEBPD bilingual mentor in his

eighth year at KSD. He taught ASL courses in the foreign lan-

guage department in Lawrence public schools for 7 years prior

to KSD as well as at the University of Kansas for four years. He

is also a freelance interpreter and works for Sorenson as a video

relay interpreter. He is an OCODA with two Deaf children and

3 hearing children. Finally, he co-wrote an article, "Bilingual

Students Publish Works in ASL and English", with Petra Horn-

Marsh in the spring 2009 issue of the Odyssey magazine.

Wanda Riddle is a faculty member

of the Department of ASL/Deaf Studies at Gallaudet Universi-

ty. She received a BA degree in ASL Studies, and two Masters

degrees in Sign Language Teaching Concentration and in Linguis-

tics, all from Gallaudet University. Ms. Riddle is currently pursu-

ing a doctoral degree in Critical Studies in Education of Deaf

Learners at Gallaudet. Additionally, Ms. Riddle has done several

ASL translations for research test: for Francois Grosjean’s article

titled, "The right of deaf child to grow up bilingual" on Deaf Stud-

ies Digital Journal (DSDJ); and for other ASL materials (such as

Master ASL, published by Jason Zinza). Outside of her working

and studying hours, Ms. Wanda Riddle enjoys gardening, travel-

ing, camping, hiking and the outdoors.

Dr. Mark M. Rust hails from Mil-

waukee, WI, and is currently the Coordinator of the Deaf Educa-

tion Bilingual program at McDaniel College. After teaching at the

Maryland School for the Deaf (Frederick) for 22 years, he made

the switch to higher education and has been the Coordinator of

McDaniel’s Program for the past 11 years. Mark is involved in

establishing an ASL Certification teaching degree for the state of

Maryland as well as working with the Dominican Republic Spe-

cial Education office in improving their educational delivery sys-

tem for Deaf children. Mark began his three-year term as Presi-

dent-Elect for the American College Educators for the Deaf and

Hard-of-Hearing this past February and is program chair for the

next conference held at Gallaudet University in February 2014.

4:15pm Shuttles run from hotels to DSD

4:30pm Conference Registration opens (at DSD)

5:00-6:00pm Social Hour: Heavy appetizers, networking

6:00-7:30pm

Opening Remarks : Dr. Della Thomas

Imagine! Inspire! Ignite!

Research Updates from VL2

Dr. Diane Clark and Dr. Melissa Herzig

7:30-8:00pm Housekeeping

8:00-8:30pm Shuttles back to hotels

Program: Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Dr. Amy Hile joined the Department of

Education as a faculty member at Gallaudet University in Au-

gust 2006. Originally from Minnesota (Twin Cities area), Dr.

Hile taught at the elementary level at the Metro Deaf School

MDS), the nation’s first deaf ASL/English bilingual charter

school, in Saint Paul, MN from 1993 to 2000. Dr. Hile received

her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009.

Her doctoral studies center around the areas of ASL Develop-

ment/Acquisition, fingerspelling, and K-12 ASL/English bilin-

gual education.

Dr. Genie Gertz is Dean of the College

of Arts and Sciences at Gallaudet University, a liberal arts uni-

versity in Washington, DC. In this role, she oversees eight aca-

demic departments and two academic programs. She serves as a

member of the university’s Academic Affairs Management

Team and the President’s Cabinet. Genie Gertz was previously

Dean of the Deaf Studies Division at Ohlone College in

Fremont, California, and a faculty member in the Department of

Deaf Studies at California State University at Northridge.

Genie Gertz earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts

from Gallaudet, a master’s degree in human resources manage-

ment and organizational development in higher education from

New York University, and a doctorate from UCLA in cultural

studies within education, with a concentration in racial and eth-

nic studies.

Genie Gertz has presented nationally and internationally, and has

served on the governing boards of Deaf Women United and the

National Association of the Deaf.

7:15am Shuttles run from hotels to DSD

7:30-8:45 Conference Registration (at DSD)

7:30-8:30 Breakfast served

8:30-8:45 Housekeeping

Opening Remarks:

Welcome to ASLRT! From the ASLRT Steering Committee

Welcome to DSD! From Ms. Marianne Belsky, School Leader

8:45-10:15 Morning Session:

“Apprenticeships to Patterns: Linguistically Dense Texts”

Todd Czubek, Boston University

10:15-11:15 Workshop:

“Academic ASL for STEM Content”

Dr. Christopher Kurz, National Technical Institute for the Deaf

11:15-11:30 Break (refreshments in the cafeteria)

11:30-12:30 Workshop:

“Setting Up an ASL Workshop and Using the ASL Scale of Development

in Your Classroom”

Dr. Melissa Herzig, VL2

12:30-1:30

Lunch & Networking

DSD Tours: 1:00

1:30-1:45 Group Picture!

Program: Thursday, November 7, 2013 AM

Program: Thursday, November 7, 2013 PM

1:45-2:45 Workshop: “The American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test”

Dr. Patrick Boudreault, Gallaudet University (presenter)

Dr. Charlotte Enns, University of Manitoba

Kyra Zimmer, student of graduate studies: University of Manitoba /

Gallaudet University

2:45-3:45 Workshop:

“ASL Instruction and Assessment in the Time of the Common Core State

Standards”

Karen Martin and Marianne Belsky, DSD

3:45-4:00 Break (refreshments in the cafeteria)

4:00-4:15 Update: ASL Standards for K-12

Janet Weinstock, Clerc Center

4:15-5:15 Workshop:

“VL2’s Translational Products”

Melissa Herzig, VL2

5:15-5:30 Update: NAD Education Strategy Team / Educational Advocates

Tawny Holmes, National Association of the Deaf

5:30-7:30 Networking! (refreshments in the cafeteria… you are welcome to take

over the cafeteria and “show off” what you’re doing at your school to your

colleagues!)

5:30pm

6:30pm

7:30pm

8:00pm

10:00pm

Shuttle runs from DSD to hotels

Shuttle runs from hotels to Main Street

Shuttle runs from DSD to Main Street / from DSD to hotels

Shuttle runs from Main Street to hotels

Shuttle runs from Main Street to hotels (last pick-up)

Thursday Night Out!

Shuttles will run to Newark’s famous

“Main Street” in the heart of the

University of Delaware!

Restaurants!

Shopping! Historic Sites!

7:45am Shuttles run from hotels to DSD

8:00-9:00 Breakfast served

9:00-9:15 Housekeeping

9:15-10:45 Morning Session:

“Imagine: Inspired by Seeds of Language: Dx and Rx for Language

Deprivation and Disorders are Ignited”

Dr. Petra Horn-Marsh and Kester Horn-Marsh, KSD

10:45-11:00 Break (refreshments in the cafeteria)

11:00-12:00 Workshop:

“The Critical Relationship Between Language Acquisition of Deaf Children

and Theory of Mind”

Wanda Riddle, Gallaudet University

12:00-1:15 Lunch/Networking

DSD Tours: 12:45

ASLRT Steering Committee Meeting & Work Group:

“ASLRT : Next Steps”

Dr. Genie Gertz, Gallaudet University

Dr. Amy Hile, Gallaudet University

Dr. Mark Rust, McDaniel College

1:15-3:30

3:30-4:00 Closing Remarks / Housekeeping

ASLRT EVALUATIONS: How to complete the evaluation and get your

certificate of attendance / access to presenters’ materials

Program: Friday, November 8, 2013

Presentation Abstracts

Thursday

“Apprenticeships to Patterns: Linguistically Dense Texts” (Todd Czubek, Boston University)

This presentation will focus on:

How we can better understand the important role of creative American Sign Language texts in programming for Deaf

children.

Exploring the implication of dense ASL texts in the development of working memory (especially as it applies recalling,

comprehending and predicting).

Recognizing a unique opportunity to apply innovative instructional approaches designed for visual (Deaf) learners.

(We will close with time for applications and group work)

Showing how limited notions about modality, meta-linguistic abilities and linguistic density contribute to inequalities in

outcomes in Deaf children (especially related to working memory, as well as literacy skills).

Exploring the possibilities of action research, recognizing how evidence of varying types can be used for tackling some of the

persisting issues around Deaf under-achievement and illuminating innovative resolutions.

Ultimately, the goal of this presentation is to illuminate many theoretical and practical ideas that can help us re-think assumptions

“Academic ASL for STEM Content” (Dr. Christopher Kurz, National Technical Institute for the Deaf)

This presentation is specifically designed to discuss issues for presenting K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics

(STEM) material in and through ASL. It’s likely you will work with elementary teachers who may not have sufficient training in

Academic ASL for STEM contents. Strategies to enhance ASL instructional delivery by the teachers to their students in order to

help them grasp abstract STEM concepts effectively will be shared. Lastly, the presentation will also discuss multiple issues about

the use of ASL as part of Common Core Learning Standards STEM-related testing accommodations.

“Setting Up an ASL Workshop and Using the ASL Scale of Development in Your Classroom” (Dr. Melissa Herzig, VL2 at

Gallaudet University)

Dr. Herzig will share tips on how to establish an ASL Workshop in your classrooms. Through the ASL Workshop, the students go

through a process similar to writer’s workshop when they create their ASL stories. An overview of the ASL Scale of Development

Assessment Tool will be also shared during this seminar. The ASL Workshop was field tested at a school for the deaf, and ASL

Scale of Development field-tested with the graduate students and cooperating teachers from the Educational Studies Program at

University of California, San Diego.

Wednesday VL2: Research Updates (Dr. Diane Clark and Dr. Melissa Herzig, VL2—Gallaudet University)

In the past eight years, the National Science Foundation’s Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) has made some

key findings that will revolutionize the way we think about the role ASL has in children’s lives. Dr. Herzig will share an overview

of our research discoveries, three main themes that emerged, and the implications they have in our society and our schools.

Dr. Diane Clark will share an overview of the ASL Assessment Checklist that her team developed (Drs. Simms, Baker and Clark),

based on this current research.

Thursday, cont’d “The American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test” (Dr. Patrick Boudreault, Gallaudet University)

In order to monitor the success of bilingual deaf education programs, and in particular to monitor the progress of children acquiring

signed language, it is essential to develop assessment tools of signed language skills. Although researchers have developed some

checklists and experimental tests related to American Sign Language assessment, the American Sign Language Receptive Skills

Test (ASL RST) is the first standardized measure of ASL. This presentation will discuss the process of developing, pilot testing, and

standardizing the ASL RST. This test was adapted from the Assessing British Sign Language Development: Receptive Skills Test

(Herman, Holmes & Woll, 1999) and was developed to measure the understanding of ASL grammar in children aged 3 to 12 years.

The ASL RST includes a vocabulary check of 20 words, three practice items, and a total of 42 test items. Eight grammatical catego-

ries are assessed through these items, including negation, number/distribution, noun/verb distinction, spatial verbs (location and

movement), size/shape specifiers, handling classifiers, role shift, and conditionals. The presentation will discuss the adaptation pro-

cess, results of item analysis from the pilot testing process, and give a demonstration of the test procedures. The results of recent

normative testing with over 200 children will also be outlined.

“ASL Instruction & Assessment in the Time of the Common Core State Standards”

(Karen Martin & Marianne Belsky, Delaware School for the Deaf)

The Delaware School for the Deaf is a Bilingual School for Deaf/HOH children throughout the small state of Delaware. We are in a

unique position as a school for the deaf in many ways: we function under the jurisdiction of a local school district; Delaware does

not have a large Deaf Community; the area does not typically attract culturally Deaf professionals; and the large majority (109 out

of 116 total) of our students come from hearing families and are the very first deaf individuals their families have ever met. As a

member of the local school district, we must follow their curriculum initiatives. As a school for deaf /HOH children with very few

natural peer language models, we must purposefully create environments and contexts in which we can provide for ASL acquisition

and learning. This year, full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is occurring. How does a small bilin-

gual school for deaf/HOH children teach and assess ASL in this time of the CCSS? At DSD, we have structures in place to help

ensure that we continue to address ASL as our students’ primary language. During this session, we will share those structures for

instruction and assessment: the overall plan for ASL instruction and assessment for the entire school, as well as specific examples

from each level (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, & 9-12), and the impact they’ve had on our assessment results. We will also share ways we are

processing the changes in instructional approaches in light of the new CCSS.

Update on the ASL Standards for K-12 (Janet Weinstock, Clerc Center)

Work continues on the ASL standards and benchmarks. The development of research based standards for the first time is much

more complex than we ever imagined. We recognize the importance of this work and the strong need among educators and fami-

lies and while they won't be ready for the round table, the Clerc Center remains committed to the completion of research-based,

rigorous, high-quality standards. We also know the investment of time and resources is necessary to achieve the desired result and

will be well worth it in the long run. As of now we anticipate that work will continue through 2014.

“Exciting Translational Products Updates from Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2)!”

(Dr. Melissa Herzig, VL2 at Gallaudet University)

The National Science Foundation’s Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2), a Science of Learning Center at Gal-

laudet University, have been working on many exciting research and projects. At this interactive seminar, VL2 will be sharing up-

dates about our products, current projects and future goals. Specifically, I will share more information about VL2 Storybook Apps,

Parent Package, and ASL Toolkit. At this interactive session, participants’ feedback and input are welcome!!

Updates on National Association of the Deaf Initiatives: Education Strategy Team and Educational Advocates

Tawny Holmes, National Association of the Deaf

In the past three years, members of the National Association of the Deaf have specifically made ASL-English bilingualism and

promotion of ASL standards priorities of NAD which we have been working on. To assist us in this effort, we have established a

national Education Strategy Team and a Educational Advocates program because we believe strongly in collaboration and working

with the community. This presentation will tell you more about those efforts and update you on our progress to date!

Presentation Abstracts

Presentation Abstracts

Friday

“Imagine: Inspired by Seeds of Language: Dx and Rx for Language Deprivation and Disorders are Ignited”

(Dr. Petra Horn-Marsh and Kester Horn-Marsh, Kansas School for the Deaf)

Imagine seeing deaf and hard of hearing students having early access to language needed for academic readiness and learning in a

cognitively demanding and decontextualized classroom. Inspired by case studies of several deaf students representative of those

with early access to language, language delays and or deprivation are identified through diagnostic assessments. They illuminate

the adverse effect of late access to language on deaf students’ learning as well as language development, sometimes resulting in

primary and/or secondary language disorder. Kansas School for the Deaf takes the responsibility to accommodate the prescriptive

needs of deaf children’s language development based on their cognitive abilities by igniting the provision of various services.

“The Critical Relationship Between Language Acquisition of Deaf Children and Theory of Mind”

(Wanda Riddle, Gallaudet University)

This workshop presents a brief overview of critical relationship between the critical period in sign language acquisition and Theory

of Mind. Cognition in deaf children boosts at early sign language exposure. It is essential to incorporate Theory of Mind skills in

teaching that promotes deaf children’s cognitive abilities and language development. Group activity included.

“ASL Roundtable: Next Steps” (Steering Committee Meeting & Workgroup)

(Dr. Amy Hile, Gallaudet University; Dr. Genie Gertz, Gallaudet University; Dr. Mark Rust, McDaniel College)

Results from the surveys collected (from the participants who attended the ASLRT in Kansas last year) will be shared with the cur-

rent participants. During the workgroup, the following will be discussed:

Determining next steps for ASLRT based on information and recommendations drawn from the survey results, and

the professionalization of ASL education for K-12 L1 learners.

Open during lunch and

Networking hours

Be sure to check out the

Sterck/DSD Museum!

Room 301

Sponsors

Several organizations provided support through donations of materials; manpower

(and woman-power); time; in-kind services; and organizational help for the

ASL Roundtable this year. Many thanks!!

Special THANKS to Gallaudet University Regional Center, Southeast (Karen Sheffer); Delaware Statewide Programs

Association (Kathy Shea); and the ASL Roundtable Steering Committee Members (Genie Gertz and Amy Hile) who worked in

collaboration with DSD to make this ASLRT possible!

Conference Evaluation

In order to receive your certificate of attendance and access to the

presenters’ materials, you will need to complete an Evaluation of the

7th Annual ASL Roundtable through SurveyMonkey®.

At the conclusion of the conference, you will be sent a link to the evaluation. Once

complete, you will receive an email with your certificate attached, along with

instructions on how to access the conference materials .

Safe travels home—we hope you enjoyed your time in the First State!

Delaware School for the Deaf

If you’re still in town Friday evening… catch an

ASL Film at DSD!!

Hosted by the

Delaware Association of the Deaf (DAD) &

the Deaf Historical Society of Delaware

Friday, November 8th

DSD Auditorium, 7:00pm

Admission: $11.00

(Tickets can be purchased at the door)

Contact Joe Drexler for more info -

jdrexlerjr@yahoo.com

Proceeds benefit DAD and the Deaf Historical Society of Delaware