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ODYSSEY

New Directions in Deaf Education

WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2023 ISSUE OF ODYSSEY ON THE TOPIC OF “ACCESS AND EQUITY IN DEAF EDUCATION.”

Call for Submissions
2024 ISSUE

Language-Rich Environments
in Deaf Education

View the 2024 issue in its entirety here
The 2024 issue of Odyssey focuses on deaf and hard of hearing students’ access to language-rich environments, which serve as the “least restrictive environments” that provide the most access to language and communication. This access, in turn, impacts academic and social-emotional development. Defining a language-rich environment should be at the heart of educational planning. Planning and decisions about placement should take into consideration each child’s unique language, learning, and communication needs, along with what will encourage the child to not just meet expectations but also to thrive. 

This issue includes 14 articles, written by a total of 30 professional and parent authors, on such topics as:

  • A personal perspective on the importance of fostering language-rich environments for deaf and hard of hearing students to enhance educational outcomes so they can thrive

  • How a community-based organization in Florida is collaborating with the local school district and other programs to empower deaf and hard of hearing students and provide them with a language-rich environment

  • The challenges military families face in meeting their deaf and hard of hearing children’s educational needs, the importance of looking at LRE as both the least restrictive environment and as the literacy-rich environment, and the personal story of how an active duty Air Force spouse/parent’s deaf daughter has thrived due to full language access at a school for the deaf

  • Strategies for building language and literacy concurrently both at home and in the classroom

  • How ASL at Home, a curriculum to assist teachers and professionals who work with families, is helping to support and empower parents and caregivers

  • Language and literacy goals to include in a deaf or hard of hearing child’s Individualized Education Program in order to support the development of foundational literacy skills

  • A personal perspective from a parent of an oral deaf child on how she has supported her son at home and in her role of special educator at his school; she also provides some helpful literacy strategies for all parents of deaf or hard of hearing children

  • An “IEP” for SLP candidates developed by a speech-language pathologist and an audiologist as a way to ensure new SLPs can support a language-rich, Deaf-informed environment for the deaf and hard of hearing students with whom they work

We invite you to share your own stories with us on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook with the hashtags of #ClercCenter and #DeafEd or to reach out to us at Odyssey@gallaudet.edu with your thoughts.

Issues

  • Language- and Literacy-Rich Environments: Strategies for Young Deaf Children by Kristen Secora, Marissa Ramos, Brittany Lee, and Cheryl L. Shahan
  • Across All Settings: Fostering Environments Rich in Language Comprehension by Sarah Brandt, Maddy Gibson, and Amy Szarkowski
  • Employment Standards for Our Students’ Interpreters: Lacking and Badly Needed by Laurie A. Bolster, Leilani J. Johnson, and Marty M. Taylor
  • Dual Language Immersion Program Creates a Language-Rich Environment for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students by Rob Hammel
  • Visual Strategies for Engaging Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children by Elaine Gale, Patrice Creamer, Deborah Chen Pichler, and Diane Lillo-Martin
  • Creating a National Imperative So All Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learners Can Thrive by Roberta J. Cordano, Gallaudet University President
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The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is a federally funded center with exemplary elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard of hearing students and is tasked with developing and disseminating innovative curricula, instructional techniques, and products nationwide while providing information, training, and technical assistance for parents and professionals to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students from birth to age 21.

CONNECT WITH THE WORLD LEADER IN DEAF EDUCATION. BECAUSE OUR KIDS DESERVE IT.

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Copyright © 2024 by Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University. All rights reserved.

Seeking Submissions
for the 2023 Issue of Odyssey

THEME: Access and Equity in Deaf Education

The next issue of Odyssey will focus on how deaf and hard of hearing students are being provided with equitable access to education, ensuring they have the resources and services they need to fully participate and succeed in both school and the community—as young children, as students, and, later, as adults.

Often the concept of “access” is defined by experts or regular users of a given system instead of according to the experiences and expectations of exceptional users who engage with the system. Who defines accessibility? The deaf or hard of hearing child or the people surrounding that child? In addition to determining what access means and how it will be provided, accessibility by itself may not be enough. Abundance of experience and ease of use are also important, especially in interactions involving language and socialization. Full and comfortable participation may be the ultimate measure of equitable access.

We want to know how families and educators are providing equitable access and enabling full participation for their deaf and hard of hearing children or students not only through technology but also through programming, activities, and strategies that promote maximum opportunities for learning and interaction:

 

    • Which assistive tools and online technologies have been shown to support academic success and social-emotional development? How can we measure the efficacy of such tools?

 

    • What unique strategies help create inclusive environments and promote an abundance of accessible and interactive language for deaf and hard of hearing children in their families and communities as well as in schools?

 

    • How do we involve deaf and hard of hearing students in determining what access they need? How do we ensure they continue to receive both academic and social-emotional support? 

 

    • What have we learned from our own deaf and hard of hearing children and students, especially about what works best for them? How have we supported their advocacy and self-determination? 

 

The Clerc Center is particularly interested in articles focused on serving students who are deaf or hard of hearing from traditionally underserved groups, including those students who are lower achieving academically, who come from families that speak a language other than English in the home, who are members of diverse racial or cultural groups, who are from rural areas, and/or who are deafdisabled.

Please e-mail your ideas to Odyssey@gallaudet.edu. We will begin accepting submissions on June 13, 2022, and continue until December 2, 2022, or until the magazine reaches capacity. Contact us at any time with questions or to discuss your ideas.

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A woman with dark, curly hair is reading a book to three deaf or hard of hearing boys. The two boys on the left are in Pre-kindergarten and the third boy is a toddler. The middle boy in a short-sleeve button up shirt is using American Sign Language with the woman reading.

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Family Immersion Programs and Deaf Camps

This form is to collect information about family immersion programs and camps for deaf and hard of hearing children. Fill out this form to have your camp or program added to our comprehensive list, organized by state.

Family Immersion Programs and Deaf Camps

  • If you responded "Family Immersion Program," please continue below. If you responded "Deaf Camp" please skip to the next section.

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