JULY 2015 Volume 8, IsSue 4
Philippine Federation of the Deaf’s outgoing President Rey Alfred Lee signs “support” in Filipino Sign Language. photo credit: LIZZIE SORKIN
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
President’s Note: Shane H. Feldman
Board Members President Shane Feldman Vice President Khadijat Rashid, Ph.D. Treasurer Michael Servé Secretary Mencie Hairston Donalda Ammons, Ph.D. Carol-lee Aquiline Alim Chandani, Ph.D. Erin Moriarty Harrelson Bryan Hensel Joseph Hill, Ph.D. Marty Hiller Kimberly Kurz, Ph.D. Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D. Stacey Miller Madan Vasishta, Ph.D. Staff Executive Director Davin Searls International Programs Director and Co-Founder David Justice
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About DDW
Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the selfdetermination of signing Deaf communities through local capacity building in developing countries. DDW recognizes that all people, regardless of their social or economic background, possess the capacity to succeed, and deserve equal access to education, the workplace, and the benefits that society has to offer. For more information, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
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The DDW board has made tremendous progress over the past months, led by dedicated volunteers who believe in the difference DDW makes throughout the world. Expertly guided by Heather Harker at our November 2014 board meeting, we developed a strategic plan for 20152018. This plan was then DDW President Shane Feldman, Ernie Hairston, DDW finalized at the April Executive Director Davin Searls during 2015 meeting with board member Marty Hiller, an a DDW networking event at the HairstonS’ home. experienced nonprofit consultant. The goals include: • Create and implement a fund development and business plan. • Advance DDW programming consistent with mision and vision, and develop international presence. • Expand board governance structure and activities. • Advance staffing capacities and compensation. • Create and implement marketing and public relations plans. • Create and expand policies and protocols assuring fiduciary responsibility. DDW is well-positioned to achieve these ambitious goals; however, our work isn’t possible without your support. You can help by spreading the word about DDW, volunteering and donating. Together, we can bring DDW closer toward our mission of advancing the self-determination of signing Deaf communities through local capacity-building in developing countries. We are excited about our new board members (see page 3). They bring a wealth of knowledge and skills in the areas of international development, fundraising, program management, and research. With our achievements to date and the conclusion of the USAID EXPAND grant, it is an opportune time to expand DDW’s network. Executive Director Davin Searls has met with key government officials and international development leaders about the importance of our work (see page 9). DDW will be at the World Federation of the Deaf Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. If you will also attend, please share our story and encourage countries to consider partnerships with us. This fall, the DDW Gala will be held in Washington, D.C. for the first time, on Nov. 7. Board member Alim Chandani is leading this effort in close partnership with our staff, our talented volunteer graphic designer, Sheena Stuart, and meeting planner Kriston Pumphrey. We anticipate attendees to include members of the Deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf-blind, and interpreting communities, as well as government representatives who have been instrumental in advancing DDW’s work. I look forward to seeing you there.
Welcome, New DDW Board Members! Alim Chandani, Ph.D., born in Mumbai, has worked in international development and social entrepreneurship since 2007, when he founded and became executive director of Global Reach Out Initiative, Inc. (GRO), a global non-profit organization that has connected over 1,000 deaf individuals worldwide through crosscultural educational delegations and workshops. Chandani obtained his doctorate in administration and supervision in special education from Gallaudet University in April 2013. His research interests include assessing the quality of educational services for deaf students at universities in India, and facilitating opportunities for them to gain the confidence and skills necessary for successful careers post-matriculation. Dr. Chandani is currently a Student Success Specialist coordinating the peer mentorship program for first-year students at Gallaudet. He also teaches social enterpreneurship classes, mentors student initiatives and sponsors an annual student business plan competition. Erin Moriarty Harrelson is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at American University. Her research interests include deaf people and sign language in Cambodia, humanitarianism, development and non-government organizations. Her dissertation focuses on the documentation of Cambodian Sign Language as a Deaf community development initiative and development projects. In 2014, she was chosen as one of the first FulbrightNational Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellows. She lived in and traveled throughout Cambodia documenting deaf people’s experiences. She was also a recipient of the 2014 American University Doctoral Student Research Award. Moriarty Harrelson received a master’s degree in public anthropology from American University, a master’s degree in communication in contemporary society from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in art history and anthropology from Smith College. She currently works in the Ethics Office at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the National Institutes of Health. In the past, she worked in communications and fundraising for Communication Services for the Deaf, the American School for the Deaf, Telecommunications for the Deaf (TDI),
and Gallaudet University. She also served as a board member for Deaf Abused Women’s Network. Joseph Hill, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the specialized educational services department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was born and raised in Cincinnati with a family of deaf and hard of hearing siblings and a hard of hearing mother. He attended public school before earning a bachelor’s degree in systems analysis from Miami University. He then earned a master’s degree in ASL linguistics from Gallaudet Univeristy in 2004. In 2011, he completed his doctorate in ASL linguistics from Gallaudet University. 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, a summer instructor in the Siena School for Liberal Arts in Italy, and a research assistant for the Gallaudet Research Institute and the Black ASL research team. Dr. Hill’s research interests lie in the area of sociolinguistics, specifically language attitudes toward signing variations in the American Deaf community in terms of language variation, ideology, and contact. He has published a book, Language Attitudes in the American Deaf Community. Another research interest is the exploration of the social and linguistic aspects of the Black Deaf community. He co-authored The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Its History and Structure. He believes the history and language of the African-American Deaf Community deserves a closer look from the scholarly perspective. Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D., graduated from Gallaudet University and later obtained her master’s degree in clinical psychology and doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of Houston. Born in India and raised in Tennessee, Dr. Kushalnagar is currently a research faculty member at the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has given workshops nationally and internationally, including for the Deaf and KODA communities in India. Dr. Kushalnagar has published book chapters and journal articles on a variety of topics, including health communication and health-related outcomes in deaf and hard of hearing children and adults. She serves as a board member for the Rochester School for the Deaf. July 2015
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Effective communications: The key to moving forward 4
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The first day wouldn’t have been complete without a group hug! The PFD-SCC members are truly wonderful — DDW is very thankful to have the opportunity to work with thethem.
Program Specialist Debbye Byrne asks PFD-SSC members how they ask each other for support.
Rowella Tanjusay shares some input as Debbye Byrne and other participants look on.
George Lintag and Yvette Apurado-B participate in a role-playing activity.
By Lizzie Sorkin and Debbye Byrne
Participants wrap up loose ends on the last day of the training.
PFD-SSC members compare mock campaign posters.
Jet Romo rates how he feels when he approaches a specific audience, such as the media.
The group took time out to grab dinner and unwind.
PFD-SSC member Rowella Tanjusay asks Lizzie Sorkin about marketing.
June 2015 brought the Philippine Federation of the Deaf Sustainability Sub-Committee (PFD-SSC) members to Manila, the Philippines, for Phase V training on outreach, marketing and public relations through the USAID-funded EXPAND program. Two DDW program specialists, Debbye Byrne and Lizzie Sorkin, facilitated the training. Byrne is the interim director of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf student life team, and Sorkin is the director of communications at the National Association of the Deaf. Prior to the training, both were familiar with DDW but had yet to participate in a DDW program, although Lizzie had met most of the PFD-SSC members during their trip to the United States in May 2013. The training kicked off with a dinner at the Mall of Asia and Debbye and Lizzie immediately saw the PFD-SSC members had deep loyalty to PFD and to each other. It was evident how important PFD was to them individually and collectively, and they found it powerful to witness their unwavering commitment. Communicating effectively and efficiently requires strategies, short- and long-term goals, and a lot of internal support. Like all the other phases, Phase V was abundant with creativity and excitement among the PFD-SSC members. While it may have been the last of the EXPAND training phases, DDW knows it is only the beginning as PFD will continue to grow from here.
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DDW hosts 5th annual benefit, raises record-breaking $37,000
A BIRD’S EYE view of the FIFTH annual DDW benefit.
board members khadijat rashid and donalda ammons announce the gift basket winners.
service provider of the year heather harker with ddw’s shane feldman and davin searls.
By Dave Justice On Friday, April 17, DDW hosted its fifth annual benefit at the Harro East Ballroom in Rochester, N.Y. Over 300 guests sampled hors d’oeuvres, listened to stories of DDW’s work in the Philippines shared by DDW Executive Director Davin Searls and International Programs Director David Justice, and witnessed a breath-taking performance by PUSH Physical Theatre. DDW’s event planning committee DDW’s recently-elected board president, Shane Feldman, delivered DDW’s 2014 Service Provider of the Year award to Heather Harker, Director of Consulting and Executive Transitions at Third Sector New England, and President of the Board of Trustees at Gallaudet University, for her ongoing commitment to DDW’s mission and longterm sustainability. Over $6,000 in door prizes, gift baskets, and silent auction items from more than 70 local businesses in Rochester were given away to guests at the end of the evening. Thank you to all who supported this event, through your presence, your sponsorship, your donations, and your encouragement, whether from near or afar. We’re already looking forward to next year! July 2015
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FU N DR A
ISIN
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CallingGall OA interpreters and ASL teachers! L
Want to make a difference in Deaf communities worldwide?
Here’s how: Host a workshop in your town
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Attendees can earn CEUs!
Collect tax-exempt donations for DDW from attendees in lieu of registration fees
FUNDRAISING GOAL
50 STATE CHALLENGE F U ND
OAL GG N I R A IS
Make a difference in the world! Challenge someone you know in another state to do the same Double your impact!
$500 - $1,000 per workshop for a total of $25,000 nationwide! All proceeds will go to DDW’s organizational development projects in partnership with Deaf associations in developing countries.
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support/50-state-fundraising-challenge 8
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DDW attends 8th Conference on States Parties to the United Nations CRPD
Opening ceremony at the eighth Session of the conference on state parties to the uncrpd. By Davin Searls On June 9-11, I had the privilege of attending the eighth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), held at the United Nations in New York City. What an incredible experience! People from every country were in attendance, and throughout the conference I saw people writing notes in Arabic, chatting in Peruvian Sign Language, and listening to various language translations through headsets positioned at every seat. The conference theme was Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Post-2015 Development Agenda will succeed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that were first established in 2000. The MDGs focused on poverty reduction, education, gender equality and empowerment of women, child and maternal health, environmental sustainability, reducing HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, and building a global partnership for development. However, the MDGs failed to mention disability. Many conference presenters stated what a critical oversight this was, adding that according to the World Health Organization, 15% of the world’s population, one billion, have some sort of disability, and those people are among the world’s poorest and marginalized individuals. As the UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stated during his opening remarks: The post-2015 development agenda basically builds on the Charter of the United Nations. The
WFD President Colin Allen, DDW’s Davin Searls and other deaf representatives met with Judy Heumann, U.S. Dept. of state special advisor for international disability rights. Charter was forged 70 years ago based on the timeless commitment “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person; to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”. The Convention of 2006 marked a conceptual shift — from a charity and medical approach to the human rights-based view of disability... The tragic fact is that persons with disabilities are among the most excluded and isolated in practically all regions of the world. We need urgent action to reduce exclusion, inequality and discrimination... We must now join forces to build a rights-based post-2015 development agenda that is inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities and their communities. Empowering persons with disabilities and securing their rights will advance society as a whole. While it was clear that there is still much work to be done, the passion and the gratitude of presenters and attendees was evident. The conference has grown from 29 member states in attendance to 150. As a result, the conference has gained the necessary political capital to be a tool for advocacy, enabling change in policy and legislation around the world. DDW is committed to carrying out these principles through its capacity-building partnerships with national associations of the deaf in developing countries. For more information, see www.un.org/ disabilities/default.asp?id=1625. July 2015
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Shout-outs Special thanks to our Ally level sponsors at the DDW Annual Benefit: Rochester Chiropractic Group, Ken Mikos, Elmwood Dental, ASL Services, Inc. and Global VRS, Hands on Travel, MandT Bank, and William S. Hayes Sarah K Wegley : We appreciate your continued support to DDW! Keep up the great writing at speakuplibrarian.blogspot.com. Lizzie Sorkin and Debbye Byrne: Thank you for your insight, leadership, and consultation in conducting Phase V of the EXPAND program with the Philippine Federation of the Deaf, which is now even stronger like a Nara tree! Many thanks to the following for their time and hospitality when DDW's Executive Director Davin Searls went to Washington, D.C. in May : Bettilou Taylor, Asiah Mason, Shane Feldman, Pan American Development Foundation (Chris Wooley and Aaron Van Alstine), USCID (David Morrissey and Andrea Shettle),
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USAID (Leah Maxson and David Jacobstein), John Lee, World Learning (Jennifer Collins-Foley, Gabriel OrtizBarroeta, and Luisa Angelsmith), Joe Murray, PACT (Molly Derrick, Christian Loucq, Olga Yakimakho), Department of State (Carol Herrera, Patricia Norland, Ramiro Martinez, Kathy Guernsey), Rob Rice, Koko Chino, Rosalinda Ricasa, Gemma Gabor, Alan Hurwitz, Ted Suppalla, Marcy Oppenheimer and Joe Neale, Ernie and Mencie Hairston, Kent Babson, Lisette Belanger, Heidi Burghardt, Pali Dacanay, Diana Moore, Lindsay Dunn, Thuan Nguyen Lakrik, Michael Moore, Lori Moers, John Olumoya, Arlyn Penaranda-Ekwe, Maryann Pickering, Allie Rice, Howard Rosenblum, Khadijat Rashid, Pauline Spanbauer, and Barbara White. To everyone who provided accessibility for our Annual Benefit, you are appreciated!: Interpreting: Tanya Andrews, Sam Gibson, Chris Kelley, Kim Kelston; Captioning: RIT/NTID, Theresa Clase, Colleen Grabenstetter, Peter Reeb; Others: Hearing Loops Unlimited and Sol Productions.
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