Volume 6, Issue 1
September 2012 www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
The Magic of Organizational Development: Working with Siglo 21 in Costa Rica By W. Scot Atkins, such acts of facilitation Ed.D. tend to work. After conducting A colleague asked interviews with differme what organizationent stakeholders, Daal development was vid and I showed the like in working with group the interview DDW. I replied that it data. They were very was “like magic.” I am engaged and thoughtsure that this made my ful as they discussed colleague think of Dathe data. David and I vid, Davin and me pullwere mere facilitators, ing rabbits out of hats, asking questions such The DDW and Siglo 21 teams. sawing each other in as, “What do you think half, and making each about this?”, “What do other disappear. No, you want to do with the nothing of that sort happened. However, DDW’s or- information?” and “Where do you want to go with this?” ganizational development process in both Costa Rica Just like magic, the answers came from them. and the Philippines revealed itself in a magical way. In no way did we offer advice unless they asked This is what happens when a group of highly motivated for ideas on how they could achieve certain things. people gets together, there is a pressing problem, and For example, during the interviews, we discovered 22 there is a facilitation process that provides direction to goals that the group wanted to achieve. David and I foster changes within their countries. The process is discussed how to proceed with the next step because both overwhelming and magnificent. To illustrate this we both knew that 22 goals were probably unmanageprocess, I will share our initial work in Costa Rica with able. We decided to ask the Siglo 21 members what Siglo 21 last summer. they should do next, instead of telling them that they I joined DDW as a volunteer because DDW want- needed to streamline their goals. ed someone who had knowledge and background in At the next meeting, we showed them the 22 goals, organizational development. Our first trip was to San and everyone went silent for a few minutes, overJose, Costa Rica, to meet with a newly formed group of whelmed by the sheer number of goals. Finally, one of seven very highly motivated individuals. Several times the members stood up and explained his concern that during the week, David shared that he was nervous there were too many goals and they needed to conabout how the week would unfold and whether or not dense the list. After much discussion, everyone soon we would be effective in helping Equipo Siglo 21 (which agreed. We decided that we would spend the next day translates to Team 21st Century) to achieve its goals. I prioritizing and coming up with action plans. This gave told David we needed to “trust the process” because if the group time to “sleep on their ideas” and come back the right people were in the room, they would make it with a fresh outlook. happen. Even so, I was apprehensive because I was We assembled the next day and immediately delved also unsure what the outcomes would be, even though into a discussion of the goals posted around the room. September 2012 1
Siglo 21 team members discuss how to best prioritize their goals.
After much discussion, we asked the group if they were ready to start the process of streamlining those goals. Each person would get five red stickers to vote for the goal or goals that he or she wanted to focus on. All five stickers could be put on one goal or they could disperse the stickers among several goals. David and I were mesmerized as we watched them place stickers and the goals quickly became clear. The group members looked at each other with satisfaction. For the next several hours, we discussed the identified goals
and came up with initial action plans. Siglo 21 quickly developed a preliminary plan. Wasn’t that magic? The process is not over. In the weeks since, the Siglo 21 members have come together to flesh out their plans and begin their work in earnest. I received an email from Siglo 21 with an outline of what has transpired and what will happen in the next few months. The Siglo 21 folks have certainly accomplished a lot and will do great things in the years to come. This is the crux of what DDW is all about—unleashing the magic in others so that they can have the skills and the tools to be able to do good things in their countries themselves. Scot Atkins, Ed.D., is DDW’s volunteer organizational development consultant, working in the Philippines and Costa Rica. He has over 20 years of experience in human resources, organizational development and training. He has done organizational development work in other countries, including an in-depth project in Kiev, Ukraine, and is now working on several research initiatives regarding deaf entrepreneurship. He is a faculty member in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s NTID Business Studies Department.
If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
What is organizational development? Sometimes, people in organizations get stuck trying to address the many demands they encounter on the path to achieving their goals. Sometimes leaders are stuck in trying to facilitate a process that will help prioritize their goals. Sometimes, people in an organization need an outside perspective, to see things in a new light. Organizational development (OD) is the process of having a change agent that helps unlock the potential within specific organizations. OD has taken off as a legitimate field as teams and organizations cope with the need for sustainable change. According to Edgar Schein, one of the foremost experts on OD, a key element involves generating dialogue to institute change within organizations. Discovering Deaf Worlds, as part of its new operational plan, has adopted this approach. The hard work of ensuring positive social change within a community cannot happen in a short amount of time. DDW has established long-term commitments with specific deaf-related organizations in Costa Rica and the Philippines. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that these groups are sustainable by ensuring they develop the structure and leadership for long-term success. DDW’s vision is for people in the partner groups to facilitate the change process for other groups, and continue their good work long after their collaboration with DDW has ended.
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FESF Pakistan: Investing in the youth of today to build the leaders of tomorrow By Aaron Geary There are upwards of 1.5 million Deaf children in Pakistan of school age, yet because they lack educational opportunities, less than 5% attend school. Empowerment through academic education and skills training can ensure that Deaf children are given the chance to succeed and lead a quality life. Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) is a non-profit, educational, volunteer organization established in Pakistan in 1984. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for all members of the community, especially the disadvantaged. FESF invests in the lives of youth today to build the leaders of tomorrow, providing knowledge and education and guidance to strengthen them, their families and their communities. FESF currently administers several programs, including Deaf Reach (DR) Schools and Training Centers, Eduserve Training, Youth Leadership Development, and Community Services programs. DR Schools and Training Centers offer academic and vocational training for Deaf students, empowering them to become knowledgeable, self-sufficient, and diverse in their talents and abilities. Seven schools and centers are located in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Lahore, with a new large campus under construction in Rashidabad, Tando Allahyar. Focus on the training of parents, families and communities is emphasized. This holistic, community-centered approach is an educational model that can meet the increasing need for Deaf education in Pakistan, and is replicable in all areas of the country. Deaf Reach Schools Deaf Reach Schools provide a supportive environment where Deaf students can receive quality education and an introduction to a variety of skills. Since the majority of students come from low-income families, education, transportation, uniforms, and all school materials are provided free of cost. Classes for the 813 students range from KG-Class 10. The curriculum emphasizes interactive learning and student participation, and includes a variety of field trips. All students are given introductory training in a variety of vocational skills, which can later be mastered according to their preferences and abilities.
The students at right have been with Deaf Reach schools for more than four years. Mentoring Program Of 72 full-time teachers, 65% are Deaf. There were 30 new teachers added to the staff this past year. Senior Deaf students began a unique internship program working as teacher’s assistants in the morning, then continuing their personal studies in the afternoon. This peer learning model has had a very positive impact on the younger children, and fosters the skills to ultimately become a teacher of Deaf students, building local capacity in the country to help meet this great need. Deaf Reach Training Centers DR Training Centers provide training in marketable skills and preparation for entering the job market. Certified vocational courses develop student skills in such areas as information technology, hardware and networking, tailoring, sewing and embroidery, cooking and nutrition, and handicrafts. Via the Financial Inclusion Program, students are trained with the goal of self-reliance via employment and/or income-generating skills. Over 100 students were connected to jobs this past year. Twenty-six new Deaf teachers, the majority being former DR School students, were trained and then hired to teach in the DR school system. FESF is proud to partner with the following organizations to provide jobs for the Deaf: Shell Ltd., six KFC restaurant branches, UBL Bank, DHL Global Forwarding, and Continental Biscuits Ltd. The DR Program was founded by Richard and Victoria Geary, FESF directors and the parents of a Deaf child. The program was initiated in 1986 in the Philippines, and came to Pakistan in 1992 when an informal education club for the Deaf was established in Karachi September 2012 3
One of Deaf Reach’s original students, Abdul Majeed, is now one of the school’s leading English instructors.
Deaf interns work at a restaurant in Karachi’s most prestigious hotel.
This was formalized in 1999 when the first Deaf Reach School and Training Center opened in a small center in the heart of Karachi. From there the school grew quickly; there are now two campuses in Karachi, with branches in rural Pakistan, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Lahore. DR is the only school for Deaf students in Pakistan with a branch network. It currently employs 152 full-time salaried teachers and staff. DR is also lending its expertise and experience to benefit a partner organization in Adana, Turkey. A memorandum of understanding was signed in early 2012, ensuring that the exchange of teachers, information, curriculum and vocational courses will be freely shared between the partner organizations. The DR school in Turkey opened in March 2012. For more information, visit www.fesf.org.pk or email deafreach@fesf.org.pk.
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Discovering Deaf Worlds
Deaf Youth Empowerment in Ethiopia
Dr. Betsy Finigan (back center) and project participants act out their favorite animal signs. By Dr. Betsy Finigan The Deaf Youth Education and Empowerment Project brought together seven international volunteers from the United States, two Deaf professionals from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and two Ethiopian interpreting/sign language experts, for a unique program in Ethiopia. In Addis Ababa, we toured the Deaf Development and Information Association (DDIA), formed to promote independence, job skills training and sports activities for Deaf people. The first of its kind in Ethiopia, DDIA is an organization of primarily Deaf professionals working to engage and empower Deaf people. The association director, Workneh Getachew, who is Deaf, presented a workshop on the organization’s history, current activities, and hopes for the future. Our second activity in Addis Ababa was an afternoon lecture and workshop conducted with the Addis Ababa University Department of Linguistics, where the bachelor’s degree program in sign language prepares both teachers of Deaf students and Ethiopian Sign Language Interpreters. Our group provided a lecture to Deaf and hearing students, which was also attended by Deaf and hearing faculty members. I shared my reflections as a researcher, sign language interpreter and teacher of deaf students in a presentation, Lessons from the Field: An Ally to the Deaf Community. I presented in American Sign Language with slides. Volunteers and program participants divided into groups of Deaf and hearing colleagues to discuss how working together as allies with common goals could be applied at Addis Ababa University. The next day, we piled into a van for the 10-hour drive to Bahir Dar, on the shores of Lake Tana, a ru-
Participants follow program co-leader Greg Buie to lunch. ral and remote area in northwest Ethiopia. Education for Deaf children is rudimentary and services for Deaf adults are non-existent. The Ethiopian Deaf Youth Empowerment Program (DYEP) provided a one-week, camp-like experience for Deaf children, demonstrated integrative teaching activities to teachers in the region, introduced Deaf professionals from Addis Ababa to the educators in this rural part of Ethiopia, and provided volunteers a chance to impact the lives of Deaf children. During the school year, more than 2,000 children attend Primary School #23 in two shifts. Classrooms have no electricity, toilet facilities or cafeterias. Deaf students have only four grades and teachers have limited knowledge or training in deaf education. Once the four grades are completed, Deaf children are placed in regular classrooms; most drop out. Approximately 25 Deaf children are in primary classes, but estimates in the catchment area are believed to be much larger. The DYEP provided four days of activities followed by a one-day field trip. Children were divided into groups by language level, rather than by age. The children’s focus was on using interaction and fun experiences to create a bracelet or painting. Projects required cooperation (team games and group activities) and allowed the children to express their preferences, needs, and pride of accomplishment. Each child was given a place on the classroom wall to display his or her projects. Activities promoted the children’s growing confidence and pride. Teachers learned to think on their feet, allow children to make choices, and follow natural language development. Deaf professionals from Addis provided role modeling as successful Deaf adults and we all behaved as allies as an example for the children. September 2012 5
On our field trip, the bus ride included 35 Deaf children, our team, the school’s vice principal, and an education professional from the district. The ride to the Blue Nile Falls was a jumble of dancing, children laughing and deeply pitted roads. We hiked to the falls over a suspension bridge 300 feet above the Blue Nile and although some were tentative at first, all of us made it across. The children beamed with pride on the other side. Our trip was a success. We introduced the concept of allies at the university and in two cities of Ethiopia. Tea time at the camp We provided a first-of-its-kind experiential learning program to Deaf children, their teachers, Deaf professionals, and Department of Education representatives in Bahir Dar. We have been invited back and hope to return in 2013 with more volunteers! For more information, please contact program co-leaders Dr. Betsy Finigan at finiganbetsy@yahoo.com and Greg Buie at gtbuie@gmail.com.
May I stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership… Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin & Suzi Oppenheimer Philanthropic Fund
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Discovering Deaf Worlds
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Did You Know? International Deaf Week
The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) first launched International Day of the Deaf in 1958. Later, this day was extended to a full week, which commemorates the first World Congress of WFD that took place in September 1951. The International Week of the Deaf (IWD) is observed each year during the last full week of September, and culminates with the International Day of the Deaf on the last Sunday of the month. According to the WFD, “the purpose of IWD is to draw the attention of politicians, authorities and the general public to the achievements of Deaf people and the concerns of the Deaf community. During this week, organisations of Deaf people worldwide are encouraged to carry out information campaigns about their work, and to publicise their demands and requests. This week also increases solidarity among Deaf people and their supporters, and is used as a time to stimulate greater efforts to promote the rights of Deaf people throughout the world.” This year’s International Week of the Deaf will take place from September 24-30, and the theme is “Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right.” For more information, visit www.wfdeaf.org/news/international-week-of-the-deaf-2012. Source: https://wfdeaf.org
University of Rochester ASL Program on Oct. 12
What is DDW?
In or around Rochester, NY this fall? Come celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the University of Rochester ASL Program on Friday, October 12th! DDW will present at the ASL Program Gone Global banquet from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Staybridge Suites. For tickets and more information, visit www.rochester.edu/melioraweekend/Schedule/ Detail/1069.
Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit international Deaf advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Deaf and hard of hearing communities in developing countries. DDW strives to advance the capacity of local Deaf communities around the globe to meet their social, educational and employment needs.
Our deeds still travel with us from afar, and what we have been makes us what we are. –George Eliot
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Discovering Deaf Worlds
For more information, visit: www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
Shout-Outs! Shout-Outs! Shout-Outs! Bernard Bragg: You have been one of our most loyal supporters for the past two years and we are grateful to have you on board! Exciting things are in store for DDW and we look forward to your creative ideas on future cross-cultural exchanges. Margit Brazda Poirier: You have helped DDW achieve one of its greatest accomplishments to date! Thank you for your service in writing the Department of State Empower Community Program grant. This proposal’s positive results would not have been possible without your help. We are ready to go to work!
Jim and Pat DeCaro: You are very generous people! Happy 40th Anniversary, and thank you for opening up an opportunity to support DDW among your closest families and friends. We are grateful! Franz Knupfer:THANK YOU! We might never have learned about the State Department grant opportunity if not for your referral. We appreciate you thinking of DDW; that email you sent us last April has led to an incredible opportunity for DDW!
View DDW’s weekly vlogs Check out DDW’s weekly vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html
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