ASDC was founded in 1967 as a parent-helping-parent organization, originally called The International Association of Parents of Deaf Children. The organization changed its name to the American Society for Deaf Children in 1985. ASDC is the oldest national organization founded by and governed by parents of deaf children.
Today, ASDC is a national, independent non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide support, encouragement, and information to families raising children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing. ASDC depends solely on donations, memberships, and proceeds from conferences for operations and is governed by a volunteer board
ASDC recognizes the crucial role families play in the success of children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
We affirm that families are capable and willing to guide their children’s lives. Parents have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions regarding their children’s educational and social development.
ASDC supplies the information and supports families' requests to ensure that their decisions and actions are based on up-to-date and accurate knowledge
The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) is committed to empowering all families with deaf* and hard of hearing children and youth by embracing full language and communication access in inclusive environments through mentoring, advocacy, resources, and collaborative networks.
All deaf* and hard of hearing children and youth deserve the opportunity to thrive in every aspect of their lives through the empowerment of children, their families, and the professionals that serve them.
We believe that families need information and resources from multiple sources in order to make informed decisions regarding education and communication
We believe in the celebration of a positive identity and empowerment of all deaf* and hard-of-hearing children through healthy family support, linguistic competence, and highquality education in the home, school, and community.
We believe deaf* and hard-of-hearing children are entitled to full language and communication access from birth
We believe that language development and exposure to deaf mentors and peers are vital to ensure optimal intellectual, social, and emotional growth in deaf* and hard-of-hearing children
We believe that the early inclusion of deaf* and hard of hearing perspectives is essential to defining language, culture, and identity.
Learn more about ASDC and our Core Commitments
www.DeafChildren.org
Delta Zeta is a proud partner of American Society for Deaf Children. Scan the QR code to learn more about us!
A global women's organization whose shared values truly inspire action and impact lives.
On behalf of the American Society for Deaf Children's BoardofDirectors-WELCOME!
Weareexcitedtohaveyouandyourfamilyjoinusfora fantastic experience at the Great Wolf Lodge in beautifulWilliamsburg,Virginia.
MALIBU BARRON President, Board of DirectorsOver the next few days, we look forward to connecting with you by providing whole language and communication access through fun activities and engaging speakers This conference will provide space for open dialogue and sharing of tools and perspectives to connect and revitalize the energy of our families
It’s an exciting time for current and future generations of deaf and hard-of-hearing children as we continue our mission to empower our diverse families with deaf children and youth by embracing full access to language-rich environments through mentoring, advocacy, resources, and collaborative networks These ongoing conversations fully support our 2023 conference theme; Language Starts with Me.
My family and I are excited to meet and learn with you as we continue our important work toward making a difference in the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and youth everywhere. Thank you for joining us in Virginia!
Malibu Barron (she/her) American Society for Deaf Children Board PresidentBrendan Stern Vice President
Lauri Rush Treasurer
Chris Payne-Tsoupros Secretary
Patrick Graham
Michelle Jablonka
Brenda Perrodin
Angelica Lee Gagliardi
Carlisa Thompson
Judith Lomax
Jennifer Luce
Maria Romero
Welcome to Williamsburg and the 2023 ASDC Annual Family Conference! This annual event is an amazing opportunity for families and professionals from across the country to come together to learn from and connect with each other
CHERI DOWLING Executive DirectorWe're excited to be here with you! We've designed a fully immersive conference that provides communication and language access for all Our activities, presentations, and time together will provide us with additional tools and resources that will enhance our parenting and communication skills and provide family experiences that are fun, engaging, empowering, and fully supported by interpreters and Deaf guides.
Language is what makes us human. It is how people communicate. Learning a language means mastering a complex system of words, structure, and grammar to share effectively with others - especially our kids who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing.
"Language Starts With Me" is a call to action for all families to unite while transcending language diversity and communication barriers for our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing kids: first within our families, second within our communities, and third within our shared learning experiences.
Early language development is crucial to a child's school and life success. Humans learn to talk or communicate at slightly different times, and observing when a child starts to use language, whether ASL or English, can indicate how well they are developing. This applies to every child's development and learning experiences beginning at day one
Language development matters And it starts with us
I look forward to meeting each of you during the conference. Thank you for joining us!
Cheri Dowling (she/her) American Society for Deaf Children Executive Director
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Cheri Dowling
PROJECT DIRECTOR Kim Scott - Olsen
FINANCE DIRECTOR Sheila Srivastava
MARKETING DIRECTOR Wendy Kelly
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Ashley Vickers
SPANISH FAMILY OUTREACH MANAGER Yiesell Huerta
ASL INSTRUCTORS
PROGRAM DIRECTOR Ukawia Johnson
LaVerdadDetrásdelPadre
Machista
con Yiesell Huerta | 24 de Julio
LostalleressonGRATUITOS
Emocional
con Kidpower Int'l | 14 de Augusto
Los talleres son GRATUITOS
GrupodeApoyo
con Yiesell Huerta | 16 de Septiembre
GrupodeApoyo
24DE JULIO
18DE
LostalleressonGRATUITOS OCTUBRE
con Orador Invitado | 16 de Octubre
ConviviendoenFamilia
con Yiesell Huerta | 11 de Diciembre
LostalleressonGRATUITOS
DICIEMBRE
Meet our Family Conference Sponsors and Vendors.
Be sure to stop by Conference Exhibitors throughout your stay. You will find informational booths from many of our amazing sponsors and friends of ASDC. Meet professionals who work with Deaf and Hard-ofHearing youth and their families, gather more information about how to best advocate for your kids, and gain resources to support you for years to come.
RIT/National Technical Institute for the Deaf Sorenson Communication
The American Society for Deaf Children's ASL Stories Directory makes it easy to find hundreds of free videos of ASL retellings of your child's or student's favorite books. Research shows that reading and signing stories together helps promote essential language development and literacy skills for ALL children: deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing.
Use our ASL Stories Directory to quickly find stories by age or by the book's title. Make the most of signing and reading with your child! Visit our directory today!
Mr Holcomb, also known as the “Father of Total Communication,” was one of the founders of the International Association of Parents of Deaf Children (IAPD), now known as the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) The Holcomb Family generously donates proceeds from the book Deaf Culture, Our Way, Anecdotes from the Deaf Community and offer generous donations to bring distinguished lecturers to the ASDC Conference each year
Dr Leala Holcomb is deaf and grew up receiving American Sign Language/English bilingual education at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont
Leala works as a post-doctoral researcher focusing on language and literacy in deaf children Leala has conducted qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research that resulted in peer-reviewed publications in various academic journals Leala is also the co-founder of Hands Land: a non-profit organization that promotes sign language rhyme and rhythm with deaf children.
Damon Timm is hearing and learned American Sign Language in high school Damon graduated from Northeastern University with an American Sign Language and Theatre degree
Damon formerly was an American Sign Language/English interpreter and now works as a software engineer for Linguabee, a deaf-owned company that provides interpreting services
Damon and Leala live together in Maryland and are busy co-parenting two children (one deaf and one hearing) They enjoy exploring the dynamics of deaf-hearing interactions within their own relationship, families, and professions
The American Society for Deaf Children is proud to honor Mr Roy K Holcomb by providing the Roy K. Holcomb Distinguished Lecture Series at the start of each ASDC Family ConferencePre-Conference Workshop* | 8:30 am to 12 noon
Parent Advocacy: Navigating the IEP Maze
This workshop will teach you what you need to know about your child’s IEP and answer your questions or concerns. Be sure to bring your child’s most recent IEP with you.
*Workshop is open to pre-registered conference attendees only
Conference Registration & Check-In | 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Welcome Dinner | 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Welcome Keynote Presentation | 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Playing with Language through Rhyme & Rhythm with Deaf Children
Dr. Leala HolcombRhyming and rhythmic spoken language is widespread in familial practices at home, children's television programs, and early childhood education. It is well documented that rhyme and rhythm increase young children’s engagement, executive functions, language awareness, vocabulary, and emergent literacy.
This presentation will introduce deaf ways of providing children access to rhyme and rhythm that capitalize on the linguistic and cultural benefits of sign language and deaf culture. At first glance, sign language rhyme and rhythm seem cute, simple, and fun, but they are packed with patterns that can be appreciated by children and adults alike.
Dr. Holcomb will discuss the history of sign language rhyme and rhythm, linguistic patterns in visual rhymes, musical patterns in visual rhythms, research on the benefits of sign language rhyme and rhythm, and creative ways to engage children in language play at home Come and join in the fun!
BREAKFAST | 7:00 - 8:00 AM
WELCOME! | 8:30 - 8:45 AM
ASL CLASS | 8:45 - 9:15 AM ALL ALL
SESSION ONE | 9:30 - 11:00 AM
Parents/Professionals: Supporting Literacy Development for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Children at Home | Debra Trapani Youth Sessions run concurrently
SESSION TWO | 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Parents/Professionals: SignUp | Mariella Satow Youth Sessions run concurrently
ASL CLASS | 12:15 AM - 12:30 PM
KEYNOTE SESSION | 3:30 - 5:15 PM
Parents/Professionals: Deaf-Hearing Interactions and Inclusion with the Family Dr. Leala Holcomb and Damon Timm Youth Sessions run concurrently ASL CLASS | 5:00 - 5:15 PM
| 5:15 - 6:30 PM
BREAKFAST | 7:00 - 8:00 AM
ALL
WELCOME! | 8:30 - 8:45 AM
ALL
SESSION THREE | 8:45 - 10:00 AM
Parents/Professionals: Access to Language and Learning for All | Cindy Camp Youth Sessions run concurrently
SESSION FOUR | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Parents/Professionals: Book Sharing the Deaf Way | Shanae Rouse Youth Sessions run concurrently
SESSION FIVE | 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Parents/Professionals: Exploring Available Online Resources, Learning, and Networking for Deaf Education Professionals and Families: Introduction to the Clerc Center Community Portal | Stacy Abrams Youth Sessions run concurrently
LUNCH & ASL CLASS| 12:15 - 1:30 PM ALL
FAMILY ACTIVITIES! | 1:30 - 3:30 PM
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE ROPES COURSE, BUILD-A-BEAR, AND BOWLING!
ASDC ANNUAL MEETING| 4:00 - 4:30 PM
Parents/Professionals: ASDC Annual Meeting & ASDC Updates
Cheri Dowling, Executive Director and Board of Directors Youth Sessions run concurrently
ASL CLASS | 4:30 - 4:45 PM ALL DINNER | 4:45 - 6:00 PM
GREAT WOLF WATERPARK OUTING! | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ALL ALL
PAJAMA PARTY & FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT | 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Grab your favorite pj's, comfy slippers, and cozy blankets, and let's enjoy a family movie on our last night!
SESSION ONE: THURSDAY, JULY 13 | 9:30 AM
Director, National Programs and Outreach - Early Intervention
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc Center)Strategies and tips on supporting and encouraging literacy development at home for deaf and hard-of-hearing children will be shared. Literacy includes ASL, Spoken English, reading, and writing. The strategies shared will help to build the foundation for emerging literacy skills and continued literacy development throughout your deaf child's childhood, ensuring your child grows up bilingual in both ASL and English.
Debbie Trapani, EdS, is the director of National Programs and Outreach-Early Intervention at the Clerc Center She is also currently co-leading the Regional Early Acquisition of Language (REAL) project in collaboration with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Before coming to the Clerc Center, Trapani was a parent-child educator, a teacher of students from preschool through secondary, a literacy specialist, and administrator of the Delaware School for the Deaf and statewide programs in Delaware. Growing up deaf, she was a student in several deaf education settings in California before graduating from a school for the deaf
SESSION TWO: THURSDAY, JULY 13 | 11:15 AM
Do you love movies and accessibility? Meet Mariella Satow, creator of a free Google Chrome extension called SignUp, which overlays sign language interpretations on movies and TV shows on Disney+ and Netflix The extension provides a pop-up window with a sign language interpreter signing the content Mariella will tell the story of SignUp, how it is being used and enjoyed by the Deaf community and future plans For more information visit: signupcaptions.com
Mariella Satow, teenage entrepreneur, is the Founder of SignUp Captions Mariella has British-American citizenship and grew up between New York and London Mariella started learning ASL during the pandemic and wanted to practice by watching interpretations on her favorite shows and movies, but she discovered nothing was available. She designed SignUp and initially funded it with money made from dog walking. It went viral overnight, and Mariella is now working on her seed round and will continue to grow SignUp when she starts at Stanford University in September 2023
SESSION THREE: FRIDAY, JULY 14 | 8:45 AM
Cindy Camp
Marketing and Communications Specialist with Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
Communication is an essential life skill Good communication is the key to successful relationships and work life However, students with hearing loss often lag behind their peers in language development and literacy because they do not have the same access to learning as their hearing peers.
Students who are deaf and hard of hearing often lack good communication skills because they do not have a strong foundation in a primary language
Historically there has been a debate over which mode of communication provides deaf children with the best way to learn language But why should they be limited to just one? Hearing children often grow up bilingual or multilingual They may learn to speak one language in the home, another in the community, and perhaps a third in school. A child’s mind is amazingly adaptive at learning languages. Deaf children who are provided with visual and spoken language are able to benefit from both
This presentation will look at resources for providing deaf children with access to sign language, spoken language, and text By using a combination of all three in the home and classroom, children can increase their vocabulary, improve reading comprehension, and enhance their overall communication abilities Language comes in many shapes and forms All help children in their education and life skills.
Participants will explore how to use both English and ASL when teaching a deaf child
Participants will discuss how to incorporate written text as a guide to enhance English and ASL vocabulary
Participants will employ various strategies and games to improve communication skills
Cindy Camp is the Marketing and Communications Specialist with The Described and Captioned Media Program She holds a Master’s degree in English, is a nationally certified interpreter, is certified in mental health interpreting, and is a C-Print captionist and trainer She has provided access services for students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing for over 30 years
SESSION FOUR: FRIDAY, JULY 14 | 10:00 AM
Shanae Rouse
Project Manager (Early Intervention) at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
Book sharing includes an explanation of the following: translating text to convey meaning in ASL; linking pictures and print with ASL; signing features; how to engage viewers with questions and phrases about the story; and how to be in character using body shifting, eye gaze, etc This would also include using 15 principles for reading with deaf children
Shanae Rouse holds a bachelor's degree in family and child studies from Gallaudet University as well as a master's degree in deaf education from Lamar University and in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio For over nine years, Rouse taught deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the program for the deaf in a mainstream setting and in deaf schools from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade She then served as a high school director at the Alabama School for the Deaf for three years before moving to Washington, D C , to assume her current role Rouse is the mother of two children-a daughter and a son
SESSION FIVE: FRIDAY, JULY 14 | 11:15 AM
Stacy Abrams
Project
Manager(Early Intervention) at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center and Founder of the #whyIsign Campaign/Movement
The Clerc Center eagerly welcomes you into our new online Clerc Center Learning Community. Once inside, you'll gain access to world-class resources and networking opportunities This web-based community will be home to over 600 free, world-class resources for families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children (ages birth to 21) and the educators, professionals, and service providers who work with them In our online learning community, we offer flexibility in signing up for training through self-paced online learning plans. You can also sign up for live events where there will be opportunities to learn and interact with other individuals and professionals on various topics relevant to deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth21
During this session, you will first learn how to sign up to receive information from the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center; then, you will learn how to navigate through different sections of the online learning community, from resources to training opportunities to networking
SignOn connects the hearing and Deaf communities through authentic virtual learning interactions. Through the Deaf Ambassador program for adults, parents can improve their ASL skills, connect with members of the Deaf community, and increase their awareness of Deaf culture. Deaf and hard-of-hearing kids can communicate and connect with each other through the Friends Like Me program!
ASDC members are eligible for five 30-minute sessions of SignOn – FREE! ($125 value) Sessions can be used for either program or split up between them)
Not a member yet? Join us! Membership is just $35 a year for Family/Individual
Friends Like Me connects your deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) child with 2-3 other DHH kids that are the same age. Groups meet weekly for 30-minute sessions led by a trained DHH Adult Mentor
Learn more!
Your child will:
Make new Friends
Increase Social Skills
Engage in conversations
Participate in interactive learning activities and games
Have fun!
September 16 & 17, 2023
Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Clarks Summit, PA
Creating
October 19 - 21, 2023
Francis Marion Hotel
Charleston, SC
We build a village where everyone thrives when adults and kids come together for meaningful, inclusive opportunities to learn and develop social and emotional skills.
Join us in 2024 as we share ways to navigate socialemotional learning with our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing kids.
www.DeafChildren.org
