The Clipboard
The Clipboard
| Fall 1994 | VOLUME I, NUMBER 2 | L. Burik, Ed. & J. Maravich, Asst. Ed. |
Convocation III, Pennsylvania Perspectives on Issues Facing Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, was held on August 11 and 12, 1994, at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science. From verbal comments to written evaluations, it was well-received and considered a tremendous success. In a twenty-four hour period, addresses were given by three keynote speakers and nineteen individual sessions were held.
Following welcoming remarks by Jean Saunders and Jeanne Sandusky, Michele DeSera, the Director of the Bureau Of Special Education, opened the Convocation with her address. Nine sessions were then presented during two concurrent sessions of seventy-five minutes each.
Exhibits and poster sessions were held on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. A variety of exhibitors demonstrated educational toys, classroom amplification systems, assistive technology, and classroom educational supplies. The subjects of our poster sessions were cooperative learning, itinerant hearing support, interactive technology, and a transition program from school to work.
A reception hour allowed participants to get to know each other in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Mother Nature cooperated, and this hour was spent outside where we enjoyed talking with each other and viewing the beautiful College of Textiles and Science.
After dinner, we were addressed by Marcia Finisdore, a Nurse Case Manager for ChesPenn Health Services and the president of Dimensions in Heath, Inc. Ms. Finisdore gave an anecdotal accounting of her observations of families and special education. This was followed by a jazz routine presented by Beth Ann Finisdore and her fellow dancers from the Kardon School of Dance.
Friday morning dawned bright and beautiful for our breakfast and business meeting presided over by Jean Saunders. Elections for president and recording secretary were held. Jean Saunders and Valerie Houser were reelected to their respective offices for two year terms. Elections will be held for Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer next year.
After the business meeting, Sandy Duncan, the State Coordinator for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, addressed us with the topic, "Are The Three R's Enough?". The rest of the morning was broken into two concurrent sessions.
After a luncheon, we regretfully left each other but were eagerly awaiting the school year to share our knowledge with our students and colleagues. The ideas we've shared and the acquaintances we've established have ensured another successful convocation and left the promise of future contacts with our colleagues from across the state.
PESDHH continues to work to be an active organization to help all professionals involved with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. We should be proud of our accomplishments, but we need to continue to work on our future activities. Read on for more news.
Our organization is starting into its third year now, and we continue to grow. We have 300 members and are now conducting our membership drive for the year. If you have a friend in the field, encourage them to join. For more information or membership cards, contact one of the officers.
Convocation III, held in the Philadelphia area in August, was a great success! You have read and seen more about it in this Clipboard. Of course, as one conference ends, the thoughts of the next one begins. Colleagues in the middle area of our state have begun to organize Convocation IV. Many people are needed for jobs large or small. If you have only a few hours of time to donate, or if you are willing to give many hours, contact Tom Clouse at Penn Tech at 1-800-360-7282.
Now is also the time to be thinking about being a presenter at Convocation IV. The reason our convocations are so successful is that everyone leaves with new ideas and a new excitement for their job. Consider sharing your methods with all of us. A call for papers will be coming in the mail soon. Look for it!
The executive board has been asked a few times to support different programs that affect deaf people from across the state. In order to be fair to all concerned, the executive board has made a policy. Any person or organization which would like the support of the Pennsylvania Educators of Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing organization should submit a resolution to the executive board 30 days prior to our annual meeting The resolution would then be put on the agenda for discussion, and a general membership vote at the meeting held during the convocation.
Have a great winter! It has to be less stressful than last year's.
Jean Saunders
President
IFriday, September 23, 1994 was a day of immense pride for students, alumni, parents, staff, trustees, friends and everyone associated with The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) over the years. On this date, which fell during National Deaf Awareness Week, a special Convocation Assembly was held to recognize PSD, the nation's third oldest school for the deaf, for its 175 years of distinguished service in educating deaf children, as well as assisting the Deaf community.
Present at this very special event which was held in the school gymnasium, were about 300 "friends" of the school. Included were many deaf leaders, including Dr. I King Jordan, President of Galluadet University and Dr. Robert R. Davila, Headmaster of the New York School for the Deaf. Also attending were Winfield McChord, Jr., Executive Director of the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, as well as the Mayor of the city of Philadelphia, Edward G. Rendell.
Mayor Rendell led off with opening remarks stating, "The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is among the very best of our educational institutions. The young men and young women who are its students approach life and learning with such unbridled optimism and enthusiasm that this school stands as a constant reminder of the wonderfulness of the human spirit." The Mayor then read from an official proclamation proclaiming Deaf Awareness Week in Philadelphia and further saluting PSD and its 175th Anniversary commemoration which will take place throughout the 1994-95 school year.
During the ceremonies Headmaster Joseph E. Fischgrund was honored to receive on PSD's behalf a Certificate of Appreciation from the Pennsylvania State Department of Education as well as a congratulatory proclamation from the Pennsylvania State Senate sponsored by Senator Allyson Schwartz. Also recognized at the Convocation were Dr. Gertie Galloway, Superintendent of the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf; James M. Salem, former Assistant Superintendent of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf; Dr. Dorothy Bambach, Superintendent of the Scranton School for the Deaf; Dr. Susanna Lee, Superintendent of the Sterck School for the Deaf; Dr. Bernadette Kappan, Director of the Overbrook School for the Blind; Richard Wade, Headmaster of neighboring Germantown Friends School, with which PSD operates several mainstreaming programs; and three corporate sponsors: Asher Candies, Inc.; Bell Atlantic; and CoreStates Bank, N.A., all of which are helping fund the various festivities planned forPSD's 175th Anniversary year.
As the program progressed, Dr. Davila spoke, bringing PSD greetings from the New York School for the Deaf (the nation's second oldest school for the deaf) which celebrated its 175th anniversary last year. Mr. McChord, from the oldest school for the deaf in the U.S., the American School for the Deaf, shared interesting bits of history about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, both of whom played important parts in history of PSD, including the fact that Clerc was one of PSD's earliest superintendents, serving in that capacity for about eight months.
Next, in honor of Laurent Clerc, a poem by noted deaf poet Loy E. Golladay entitled "The Spirit of Laurent Clerc", was signed by Deb Yoder, a PSD staff member and an alumna of the Class of 1979. In the poem Clerc is described as "the Master Teacher...who by example and precept has taught that obstacles when faced, dissolve to naught."
Finally, presenting the Keynote Address was Dr. I. King Jordan, who spoke to PSD's current students, bringing them greetings from everyone at Gallaudet University, especially the many PSD graduates now working and studying there who "are sharing your pride." Dr. Jordan said that PSD should not be a well-kept secretóit should be a well-known success story with 175 years of success. "We are differentówe can't hear and we communicate differently. But here in a school for the deaf we don't focus on what we can't doówe focus on our goals and accomplishments." Dr. Jordan said that today with the national relay service, captions on TV's, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, deaf people do not need to ask for as much help from hearing people as in the past. He concluded, "The future is your responsibility; you must communicate to people outside the Deaf Community about our abilities and potentials. Be proud of yourself and your deafness!"
PSD Alumni were also well represented at the Convocation. Peggy Antal, 175th Anniversary Alumni Chairperson was recognized for her leadership in planning 175th Anniversary Alumni events. Also in attendance were alumni Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Corson, parents of a distinguished PSD graduate, Dr. Harvey J. Corson, Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Deaf.
The closing speaker at the Convocation was an especially noteworthy PSD alumnus, Dr. Jay Basch, a member of the Class of 1948 and current PSD Trustee. In a very entertaining way Dr. Basch explained how long 175 years isó"PSD's history has spanned 38 U.S. Presidents, eight wars, six different locations, and fourteen different Headmasters."
Just an hour and a half after it started, PSD's 175th Anniversary Convocation drew to a close, amidst cheers, pompom waving by PSD's current 180 students, and emotional hand-waving from every row of the audience. It was, in Headmaster Fischgrund's words, "a great beginning for our 175th year, and also a wonderful beginning of a long future for PSD!"
A crowd of several hundred students staff, friends and honored guests gathered this past November 11th to help the Scranton State School for the Deaf (SSSD) celebrate its 110th year of incorporation as a school serving youngsters with hearing loss within the state of Pennsylvania.
The historical celebration featured speakers who reflected on the school and its rich heritage. Mr. William Moran, President of the Board of Trustees, welcomed the audience to the event.
SSSD Superintendent, Dr. Dorothy Bambach, set the mood by asking the audience to consider SSSD today, and its progress. "Reverend Koehler would indeed be proud as his dream came true," noted Bambach.
The featured speaker for the event was Mr. Jack R. Gannon, Special Assistant to the President of Gallaudet College, Washington, D.C., and author of "Deaf Heritage" and "The Week the World Heard Gallaudet."
Mr. Gannon used the occasion to reflect on the life of the school's founder, Reverend Jacob M. Koehler. In his remarks, Mr. Gannon brought the history of Reverend Koehler's efforts to life for the audience as he eloquently described the events leading to the school's incorporation and subsequent growth. He spoke of Reverend Koehler's later contributions as an Episcopal Minister and as a national leader in the Deaf community. He mentioned the close relationship Reverend Koehler shared with Reverend Henry Winter Syle, the first deaf person to be ordained an Episcopal Minister in the United States and the first President of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf. The mention of this relationship was particularly significant since the great grandchildren of Reverend Koehler, namely Miss Sarah Champlin, and Reverend Syle, that being Mr. Hap Syle, were in attendance as honored quests for the event.
The celebration featured the unveiling of a bronze plaque commemorating the contributions of Reverend Koehler, which will be located at the entrance to a memorial rose garden to be established this spring on the school grounds. The plaque was a gift to the school presented by the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf and the Scranton School for the Deaf Alumni Association.
The day's festivities concluded with a 110th birthday party in the school's Community Room, complete with SSSD birthday cake and balloons.
Over six hundred Alumni, Board members, staff and friends of WPSD were present at a banquet on September 24 1994 that culminated the year long celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD). Following Mistress of Ceremonies Mary Lou Novitsky's opening remarks, State Representative Ron Cowell presented a special citation from the House of Representatives, and Michele DeSera, Director of the Bureau of Special Education, presented a Certificate of Appreciation from the Pennsylvania State Department of Education. Senator Harris Wofford also sent a congratulatory letter to Mr. Rhoten, Superintendent of WPSD. Alumni were thrilled when Mr. Rhoten then read a letter of congratulations from none other than President Bill Clinton. In his remarks to this huge audience, Mr. Rhoten reminded the crowd of the rich heritage of WPSD. He commended the Board, staff, and students for their pursuit of educational excellence.
Although a death in his family forced keynote speaker, Dr. I. King Jordan, to cancel at the last minute, the Vice President and Provost of Gallaudet University, Roz Rosen, stepped in and presented his message. Special awards of recognition were then presented by Mr. Don Rhoten to ten distinguished alumni: Mary Lou Novitsky, co-producer of Deaf Mosaic, Alan R. Barwiolek, co-founder of Chalb, Tony Crino, AAAD Hall of Famer, Rodney Danco, Jr., Vice president of Finance and part-owner of Danco Tool Precision, Inc, Dr. James DeBee, Executive Producer and Founder of DeBee Communications, Eddy F. Laird, Superintendent of the Indiana School for the Deaf, Harold Mowl, Jr., Superintendent of the Rochester School for the Deaf, Harry G. Lang, author and professor at NTID, Elizabeth Pollard, President of PSAD and a WPSD Trustee, and Vicki Watts, owner of an antique furniture store.
Following the last speaker, Mr. Gil Eastman provided entertaining skits that were enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Later, Alumni had the opportunity to mingle and visit with former classmates and teachers.
An entire weekend of activities provided entertainment for Alumni, staff, and friends of WPSD as part of the 125th Anniversary Celebration. On Friday afternoon, alumni participated in guided tours of the school and museum and viewed displays of student work. After dinner, many of the guests attended a special performance by Beautiful Hands held in the auditorium.
On Saturday, Mary Lou Novitsky and her cameraman were on campus to interview various members of the WPSD staff. They were later featured in a special segment of Deaf Mosaic. On Sunday, the National Theatre of the Deaf performed "An Italian Straw Hat" at the Fulton Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh. A reception for parents, students, and friends of WPSD followed the performance.
During the year, a variety of activities helped to celebrate this momentous occasion. Some of the activities included the following:
A special issue of the Western Pennsylvanian will chronicle the year long celebration of the 125th Anniversary.
Our membership numbers are growing steadily, and with the current total surpassing 300, this year is boasting the largest membership yet!
The following three members were selected randomly from our membership list. Future issues will highlight other members. Read on and find out about our membership!
Jane DiMenno is an educational interpreter/notetaker employed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. She works with a third grader at Dible Elementary in the Penn Hills School District. Her interest began during her practicum at WPSD for her associate degree in Childcare and Child Development. While she has no formal interpreter training, she earned her experience and enhanced her skills working in after-school programs at WPSD.
Jane is married to Tony, a dormitory supervisor in the Aanarde program at WPSD. They have two teenage sons, Vince and Adam, who attend Woodland Hills High School. When not walking 9 miles a week, she is knitting and quilting, or as Jane says she is "carpal tunnel waiting to happen."
This year, Jane feels she is truly an interpreter; the student that she works with relies on her to accurately interpret the teacher's lecture, and she works as his personal aide. The classroom teacher has a clear understanding of her role and this leads to a cooperative, interactive working environment. Jane enjoys seeing deaf students interact with hearing students as equals. She feels responsible for relaying the teacher's instructions clearly and accurately.
She looks toward PESDHH to provide information about upcoming events and current practices in the field of interpreting. Jane helped plan the second convocation held in Pittsburgh. She hopes that standards for educational interpreters will be adopted by the state so that her job will achieve professional status, salary and benefits.
Lynn Olivieri, a hearing support teacher who served on the program committee for Convocation III, works for Delaware County Intermediate Unit. She is assigned to three school districts and teaches K-12, including deaf students with special needs. As a teaching assistant for Delaware County, her supervisor, Virginia Speaker, encouraged her to pursue a career in working with deaf children. She holds a masters in deaf education from Penn State University.
Lynn's daughter, Kristin, is twelve and attends Stetson Middle School. Her husband, Louis, a sales representative for Panasonic, encourages Lynn's golf game. They have a black lab, Chelsea, two cats, Whiskey and Shadow, mice and goldfish. Lynn enjoys skiing, gardening and eating out.
For Lynn, the convocations have offered workshops for itinerants; prior to that, few organizations focused on the needs and interests of itinerants. PESDHH has provided opportunities for networking, especially for itinerants who often feel isolated and overlooked. She hopes PESDHH will continue representing all aspects of the field of deaf education, making sure all disciplines and methodologies are stressed.
Diane Miloradovich, a supervisor of special education for Tuscarora Intermediate Unit, supervises the speech, language and hearing programs covering nine school districts. She received her masters degree from Penn State and supervisory c e rtifi catio n from B looms burg University in speech and language pathology.
Her initial interest in the area of speech and language began while growing up next door to a director of the Easter Seals Society. After observing various Easter Seals programs, Diane decided to select speech and language as her major in college.
Diane is coach, teacher and cab driver to three children: Alisha, 12, Peter, 9 and Stephanie, 8. She enjoys sports of all kinds, spending time with her children, and reading.
Convocation III was an excellent opportunity to learn from presenters and participants. She hopes PESDHH will continue to provide the support necessary to take the field of deaf education to a higher level. She feels networking will result in better services and support to our students. She would like to thank the statewide consultants for their support and encourages others to use this valuable resource.
At The De Paul Institute, we like to have theme days to teach vocabulary, to reinforce the theme in other subject areas (history, English, science), and to just have fun. Some of our favorite days include:
 | Backwards Day (clothes, walking, or schedules) |
| Career Day (visitors speak about their professions) |
| Color Day (best when it coincides with a holiday) |
| Cultural Day (visitors discuss the uniqueness of their cultures) |
| Dress-up Day (sometimes it just feels good) |
| Grandparents' Day (grandparents or other older friends are included in a day of activities and games) |
| Hat Day (everyone wears his/her favorite or most outrageous hat) |
| Inside-out Day (just outer clothes) |
| Mismatch Day (this can be quite a sight) |
| Pattern Day (stripes, checkers, plaid, paisley...) |
| PJ. / Slipper Day (a very comfortable day) |
| Sibling Day (brothers and sisters can visit the school) |
| Sports Shirt Day (our school's teams, college, or professional teams) |
In the past few years, there has been a surge of interest in the use of FM systems in the classroom setting. While in the past these devices had been used primarily with children having severe to profound hearing losses, they are now frequently recommended for individuals demonstrating any degree of hearing impairment, including mild, high frequency, fluctuating, or unilateral losses. FM systems have also been used successfully with normally hearing students who exhibit LD or ADD characteristics.
This increasing interest in the use of FM systems, however, has begun to place a huge financial burden on school districts (and intermediate units in the case of preschool children) since they are required to provide such equipment if it is determined that an FM system is necessary for a child's successful functioning in the classroom. Fortunately, a statewide program called PennTech has been able to step in to ease this burden.
The PennTech program is designed to provide long-term loan of assistive devices (including many other types of devices, such as Touchtalkers) to handicapped students after a rather extensive application procedure has been completed. The procedure initially involves a short-term trial loan of the device to determine potential benefits. If the team determines that the trial period has been a success, a four-page application form, feature match checklist, and supporting documents (MDE, IEP, audiological, medical clearance) are then completed and forwarded to a reviewer at the regional Instructional Support Center. If the application is accepted, it is sent to the PennTech headquarters in Harrisburg, where the equipment order is filled and sent to the student.
As the educational audiologist at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, I've been involved in setting up and managing an FM system short term trial loan program for hearing impaired students in Montgomery County, to meet the increased interest in FM systems. As part of the MCIU program, I apply to the PennTech program on behalf of the student for long-term loan of the FM system, and then manage the equipment once it is received. In this way, many Montgomery County students have been very fortunate in obtaining FM systems.
The PennTech procedure is not without its drawbacks. The application process is time-consuming. There is also a substantial waiting period from the time the application is accepted until the equipment is received. However, despite these drawbacks, the PennTech program has been a wonderful source of assistance for obtaining FM systems, and I could certainly encourage others to investigate this resource. To obtain more information about the Penn Tech program, you can contact the hearing consultant at your regional Instructional Support Center, or contact PennTech directly at (800) 360-7282.
Who daily negotiates weather, road hazards, road closures, domestic and wild animals - like bears?
Who could start the day in a high school, go to a preschool, work in a middle school and end the day with a staff meeting?
Who can be called on to use sign language, auditory/oral communication, cued speech, or any combination thereof (and may have to train interpreters)?
Who works individually with hearing impaired children and their hearing aids, FM and other equipment and collaboratively with the students' teachers, parents and school personnel?
Who assists with (and may have to organize) hearing screenings?
Who helps parents through the initial referral process, conducts the auditory, lipreading, and language section of the educational evaluation, sits on the In School Teams, helps to write IEP's, carries them out, and tracks progress?
Who is the student's advocate, while teaching him to advocate for himself? and...
Who works to meet the student's academic and social needs while educating the family and the student about the impact of hearing loss?
The answer to all of these questions is your local itinerant hearing specialist.
Many of these itinerant hearing specialists, whether in rural areas or not, often do not see another itinerant for weeks or even months. For many of us there is a feeling of being disenfranchised from the groups we serve on a daily basis. Therefore, we find it necessary to communicate with others crazy enough to enjoy this multifaceted life. To this end we will soon be starting several round robin letters which will be sent from itinerant to itinerant within specific groups with planned transfer of information between groups. Through this system, we hope to share concerns, problems, questions, stories, and successes.
We are also in the process of developing a pen pal program which could link hearing-impaired students throughout the state. (This, thanks to an idea begun last year by a Delaware County Hearing Specialist.)
If you are an itinerant and wish to help us out by asking a question, giving us a success story, or sharing information OR if you would like to know more about our itinerant domain, please write.
Tell me and I forget
Show me and I remember
Let me do it and I understand
|
CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
|
|---|---|
| March 4 | Teleconference Deaf Culture: Enhancing the Understanding of Educational Interpreting 9AM-3PM Presenters: Art Dignan, interpreter trainer; and Patty Clark, interpreter, Bloomsburg University. The program will be uplinked from the Distance Learning Center at the Western Instructional Support Center. Please contact the Distance Learning Center at 800-446-5607 Ext.210 for nearest downlink site. |
| Mar. 14 -19Mar. 14 -19 | World Games for the Deaf, in Yllas, Finland. Information from World Games Organizing Committee, Skul, llkantie 4, SF-00400, Helsinki, Finland. |
| March 31 - April 2 | SHHH PA State Convention, Holiday Inn at Grantville Friday evening through Sunday at 3 PM. |
| April 1 | Teleconference Tactile Interpreting for Students who are Deaf-Blind 9AM-3PM The program will be uplinked from the Distance Learning Center at the Western Instructional Support Center. Please contact the Distance Learning Center at 800-446-5607 Ext.210 for nearest downlink site. |
| May 30 - June 3 | Surviving and Thriving into the Third Milennium, conference of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association. To be held in Kansas City, KS. Contact David Rosenthal, 913-865-3274 (V/T). |
| June 24 - 29 | CAID/CEASD Conference (Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf and Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf) in Minneapolis, MN. Contact Debra Wilcox or Carl Kirchner at TRIPOD, 818-972-2080 (V/T). |
| June 26 - July 1 | Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. Boston, MA. Contact TDI at (301)589-3007 (TTY) and (301)589-3786 (V). |
| July 6 -15 | World Federation of the Deaf, International Conference, Vienna, Austria. Sponsored by WFD, llkantie 4, Box 65, SF-00401, Helsinki, Finland. In US, contact Dr. Yerker Andersson, Gallaudet University, 202-651 -5160 (V/T). |
| Aug.10-11 | PESDHH Convocation IV at Bloomsburg University. |
>Editor's Note: This newsletter was written by members of the Pennsylvania Educators of Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The following people have contributed articles or personal time to the publishing of this issue:
| Robert Aker - Western Pa School for the Deaf |
| Ruth Cella - Phila. School for the Deaf |
| Jean Comeforo - Delaware Co. IU #25 |
| John Corkill - Scranton State School for the Deaf |
| Rita Delullis - Western Pa School for the Deaf |
| Joan Evans - Montgomery Co. l.U. |
| Nora Gaynord - The DePaul Institute |
| Barbara Goodman - Western Pa. School for the Deaf |
| Valerie Houser - Phila. School for the Deaf |
| Rosemary Garrity - Center On Deafness, Western Pa School for the Deaf |
| Anita lurlano - Western Instructional Support Center |
| Joyce Maravich - Western Pa School for the Deaf |
| Tammi Pfeifer - Pittsburgh Public Schools |
| Jean Sandusky - Phila. School District |
| Jean Saunders - Western Pa School. for the Deaf |
| Barbara Taylor - The DePaul Institute |
If your school, or individual classroom has news of interest to our members, write an article for the next issue of the newsletter. Send a copy to
Linda Burik
c/o the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
300 E. Swissvale Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA. 15218
FAX (412) 244-4223