The Clipboard

In This Issue...

A Message from the President: Scott A. Dougherty

In a matter of a few months we will be converging on Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania for the seventh annual convocation. In my conversations with members throughout the year, I have heard about ideas for presentations and have been approached about new ways that PESDHH can be an active force in Pennsylvania. Our members are searching for ways to furfill PESDHH's mission and its commitment to the organization and to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing students we serve. I would like to give you an update on some of the things that have been occurring in recent months.

The Convocation VII Committee has been hard at work planning for our annual get-together. Under the direction of our cochairs, the committee has just wrapped up the call for papers and will begin working on the schedule. Keep your eyes open for registration forms, and encourage colleagues to join you as participants in what surely will be another spectacular Bloomsburg convocation.

Looking ahead to 1999, the Executive Board has begun its search for convocation committee chairs and members. Since the western region will be responsible for convocation VIII, I encourage our members in that area to consider taking roles.

Recently the Pennsylvania Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (PARID) held its annual convention in the eastern region of the state. PESDHH members from across the state participated in this convention in various capacities. In an effort to promote educational improvements among Pennsylvania interpreters, the PESDHH Executive Committee provided $800 for participant stipends and to help underwrite the honorarium of Gary Sanderson, one of the keynote speakers at the convention. Our participation in this event was a healthy step toward promoting harmony and professional growth among our members and professionals involved with PARID. Perhaps our continued cooperation with PARID and other organizations (e.g., SHHH, PSAD) will lead to increased opportunities for professional growth among our members and a strengthening bond among statewide organizations.

In recent weeks I have sent surveys to prospective committee members who will be investigating year-round activities for PESDHH. You may recall the motion passed at last August's business meeting calling for PESDHH to explore increased networking and training. With the establishment of the Special Activities Committee, the organization is making a commitment to identify topics relevant to our membership. The committee is charged with identifying appropriate forums for these activities and making recommendations at the business meeting in August 1998.

Our application for exempt status with the IRS is currently under review. The one thing I have learned through this entire process is how thankful I need to be to my parents for dissuading me from entering law. You can find out more about our application status on page six.

All of the events that have taken place this year prove that an active membership results in a worthwhile organization. With that in mind some members have expressed interest in seeing PESDHH accomplish even more in the coming years. Numerous people have discussed the idea of offering small scholarships to interpreting, education, and speech and language students in commonwealth colleges and universities. Still others have raised the question of sponsoring contests and awards to recognize outstanding achievement among the students we serve in our schools and programs. If you have a project you would like to see PESDHH involved in, talk with the people in your school, district, or intermediate unit. Attend the business meeting at Bloomsburg and present your idea to the organization. The most important step is to get involved in the process to make your idea a reality.

Some members would like to see PESDHH take a more active role in influencing legislation in Pennsylvania and beyond. As we currently stand, the PESDHH by-laws prohibit such activities. If you would like to propose a change to the by-laws at this year's convocation (regarding this matter or a separate issue), you need to make your proposal public for at least 30 days prior to our annual meeting. The Clipboard and its online counterpart are excellent ways to present such proposals. If you need a copy of the by-laws, contact one of the officers or view a copy on our website.

No matter how you decide to get involved, I look forward to working with you in the remaining months of my term as president. As always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to get in touch with me. I'll see you in August!

State and National Training Opportunities 1998

PESDHH Election of Officers

Nominations are being accepted for the PESDHH offices of president and recording secretary. The elections will take place on August 7 during the business meeting at the annual convocation in Bloomsburg. Each office involves a two year term of service. The descriptions of these offices, as outlined in the PESDHH by-laws, are as follows:

For more information about these offices, consult the by-laws or contact any one of the current officers. If you are interested in becoming a candidate or would like to nominate someone for an office, please contact me at the address below.

Sandy C. Duncan
Nomination Committee Chairperson
30 Winding Hill Drive
Etters, PA 17319
717-938-4784 V/TTY

Reflections on Quality . . . Focused on Success: Convocation VII

The seventh annual convocation of Pennsylvania Educators of Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing will be held in Bloomsburg on August 6 and 7, 1998. A special preconvocation will be available on August 5. The committee planning this year's convocation is hard at work organizing presenters and coordinating arrangements to make this convocation the best one yet.

The theme of Convocation VII is Reflections on Quality . . . Focused on Success. The convocation committee is currently seeking individuals and groups that are interested in presenting to their colleagues on topics that reflect quality programming and student success in the field of deaf education. For further information, or to submit a proposal for consideration, please contact Debbie Genet, Capital Area Intermediate Unit, 55 Miller Street, Box 489, Summerdale, Pennsylvania 17093-0489. Keep in mind that up to two presenters per session will have their convocation registration fees waived.

It is great to be going back to Bloomsburg University. There were many positive comments about the university and the excellent cooperation that was afforded to PESDHH to make Convocation IV a success in 1995. Bloomsburg is unique in Pennsylvania as the only training institution in the state that has programs in deaf education, audiology, interpreting, and speech and language therapy. This will be a marvelous opportunity for Bloomsburg graduates who have done such good work in our fields to become enriched professionally while getting a chance to return to their alma mater.

Those of you who are members of PESDHH and who have been involved in previous convocations know how valuable and vital the PESDHH convocation is to our profession and to our organization. The convocation is a great opportunity for all of us to get together and to share our successes while we work to solve our problems. Please plan to attend and help us to spread the word about the dates and location for this year's convocation. I'll look forward to seeing all of you.

Auditory Neuropathy

A newly recognized type of hearing problem is raising puzzling questions for audiologists and educators of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Termed auditory neuropathy, the condition is characterized by the absence of auditory brainstem response (ABR) or the presence of abnormal auditory brainstem response, and the presence of otoacoustic emissions (OAE). This suggests that some brainstem or neural problem is present but that the peripheral hearing mechanism, the cochlea, might be normal.

Hearing losses in children with auditory neuropathy can range from mild to severe. Sometimes thresholds fluctuate more than is typical of sensorineural loss. Some of these children experience speech perception difficulties in quiet that are much greater than would be expected given the degree of pure tone loss.

Although auditory neuropathy is often confused with cochlear hearing loss, some evidence suggests that children with this condition do not function well with hearing aids because loudness is not a problem for them. Some children seem to respond better to manual or tactile approaches to language development, but there is not yet a clearly preferred method of management and education. Conditions that tend to coexist with auditory neuropathy include hyperbilirubinemia in newborn infants and such retrocochlear or neurologic disorders as acoustic neuroma, multiple sclerosis, Friedrich's ataxia, and CharcotMarie tooth disease.

If you have questions about auditory neuropathy or possible referrals, please contact Diane Sabo, PhD, Department of Audiology, Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, 3705 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, 412-692-5576, dls+@pitt.edu.

The Transitional/Instructional Program at the Center on Deafness

Spring is upon us. How many of us take a long look at our students at this time of year? We comment on how much progress they've made, how much they have accomplished. But if you are like me you also think, "If only I could give them that extra little boost in reading," or "If I could find that perfect on-the-job training placement, then I would know they would be ready to succeed in the world after high school."

If you've ever said that to yourself, then you need to visit the Center on Deafness at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. The center offers a comprehensive, integrated network of services for young adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. Services include the transitional/instructional program, vocational services, mental health services, adult education, communication skills training, and job placement.

For young adults who are deaf and hard of hearing who have graduated from magnet schools for the deaf or public school programs, the transitional/instructional program offers unique opportunities. The goal of the program is to provide intensive training that will enable the client to become better prepared to meet the academic and vocational challenges of postsecondary training and eventual employment. Participation in the program is based upon a three-week evaluation. If it is determined that a candidate would benefit from the services provided by the transitional/instructional program, an individualized schedule is created for the client.

While enrolled in the transitional/instructional program, the client is encouraged to focus his/her attention and effort on academic work to better prepare for postsecondary training or employment. Improving organizational skills, developing better problem-solving and decision-making skills, learning to adapt to and cope with change, managing personal problems, increasing and improving communication skills, and adopting skills essential for successful independent living are all addressed during a client's stay at the center. The program is short term, usually requiring two semesters (32 weeks) to complete. For the majority of clients, the transitional/instructional program is funded by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

So, if you are like me, and you think that your students could use that extra support, share this idea with them: 32 weeks, improved academic and/or vocational skills, independent living, and so much more. The Center on Deafness Transitional/Instructional Program opens doors to new opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing young adults. If you can arrange a trip to Pittsburgh, stop by to visit. The staff would be happy to show you our program.

Publication Review: . . . but what about my deaf child?

Parent Education Network, the federally funded parent training and information center serving all of Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce the publication of . . . but what about my deaf child? This comprehensive guide for parents focuses on federal and Pennsylvania special education laws as they apply to children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The guide is divided into sections addressing the issues of early intervention, preschool children, school-age children, and transition to adult living. There is an emphasis on the unique learning needs of deaf and hard of hearing students and how federal and state laws can be used to support them in the educational environment.

This publication explains the special education referral, evaluation, and placement process in easy-to-read terms. It allows the individuals involved in the process - parents, teachers, and administrators - to be aware of each other's roles while emphasizing the importance of having a teacher specially trained in the unique needs of children who are deaf and hard of hearing involved in this process. All teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing should have copies of this guide.

Funded by a grant from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, . . . but what about my deaf child? can be obtained from Parent Education Network, 333 East Seventh Avenue, York, Pennsylvania 19404, 800-522-5827 (V/TTY). It is free to parents and is available to educators for $3.00 per copy plus $1.25 for postage and handling.

Duncan, G . . . but what about my deaf child? York: PEN, 1998.

McDonalds Can Be Educational!

A group of elementary level students enrolled in the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Classroom Program have found that a trip to McDonalds can be a learning experience. These students, all of whom have severe to profound hearing losses, prepared for the trip during their speech and hearing support classes. A series of lessons designed by itinerant hearing support teacher Melanie Stefanatos and speech and language clinician Liz Gerber was aimed at developing the ability to communicate independently in an appropriate manner. The students used role playing and props to practice ordering their food and drink choices through a variety of modalities, including speech, speechreading, and writing. The vocabulary and phrases they needed to understand and to use were developed and practiced during their support sessions, and then sent home for additional practice. Pragmatic and social skills also were emphasized, including eye contact, greetings, saying thank you, holding doors for others, cleaning up the table, and so forth.

PESDHH Application for Recognition of Exemption: A Status Report

One of the issues associated with the Special Activities Committee, as well as the past few convocation committees, has been the availability of grants to fund some of PESDHH's activities and presenters. Most of the grants available to organizations require tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The issue of applying for exempt status with the IRS was raised a number of times in the past, and an official request to begin the application process was made by members two years ago during the general business meeting.

Since that time, James Noschese and I have gathered the required information needed to complete the booklets and forms the IRS supplied. The completed application was sent to the IRS in February 1998. In the time since then, I have received a letter from an IRS exempt organizations specialist informing me that the application had not passed the IRS district director's initial review. The problem lies in the organizing document. This document establishes an organization's purposes and structure, and outlines the procedure for asset distribution if an organization disbands. At last year's convocation I expressed some concerns about our ability to meet the requirements of the organizing document. While our bylaws discuss each of these points in its entirety, the IRS states that by-laws are not viewed as organizing documents.

Lacking such a qualifying document, we decided to try our luck by submitting select committee minutes to support the information contained in the application and bylaws. To our surprise, the IRS declared that our by-laws would pass their test for an organizing document as long as they contained specific text out of the tax code. Since the founding committee and officers of our organization did not have intentions of applying for exempt status, it is understandable that this language was never included in the by-laws.

Our solution to this problem now is to draft articles of association which include the required tax code paragraphs. Since the by-laws already contain the information that needs to be included in the articles, the new document would simply contain the information in the format required by the IRS. We have been given until April 10 to submit this document for review. Our only alternative to this approach is to propose that the changes be incorporated into the bylaws at our August meeting. By that time our "window of active status" would have closed, so we would need to complete new forms and submit an application fee (increased in January to $500) to reactivate the application. I will present an update on this application at the annual meeting.

Getting Published

Have you ever thought about publishing some of the materials you develop for your students? LinguiSystems is always looking for new ideas. Its staff members work with teachers to develop their creations into marketable products.

LinguiSystems has a two-page Get Published packet that comes with simple directions and an outline of the procedures used in reviewing new product ideas. To obtain this packet or for additional information, contact LinguiSystems at the following address:

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