Deaf adults encourage parents to involve their kids in Deaf culture

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The Family Support Connection
July/August 2005
FOCUS
—for families with kids who are deaf or hard of hearing —
Aslinfo.com/trivia.cfm is a time-line of historic events in
Deaf culture, including the “Deaf President Now” protest
at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. in 1988 that
galvanized the Deaf community.
Deaf adults encourage parents to
involve their kids in Deaf culture
“We use the
lowercase deaf
when referring
to the audiological condition
of not hearing,
and the uppercase Deaf when
referring to a
particular group
of deaf people
who share a
language—
American Sign
Language
(ASL)—and a
culture.” From
Deaf In America:
Voices From A
Culture by Carol
Padden and
Tom
Humphries
The Deaf community these days is recognized as having
its own culture with its own language, history and arts. Yet
90% of babies who have a hearing loss are born to hearing
parents, for whom Deaf culture can feel foreign and intimidating. Should these parents encourage their kids to learn
about Deaf culture? The answer from members of the Deaf
community is a resounding “YES!”
Deaf culture has its roots in the country’s residential
schools where deaf students forged friendships with others
who shared similar experiences and the common language
of American Sign Language (ASL). Over the past hundred
years, Deaf culture has spread from residential schools
through Deaf clubs, summer camps, churches and events
where people who are deaf and communicate in ASL can
gather and communicate without barriers.
The Deaf community is not limited to people who are
deaf. The group also includes CODAs—children of Deaf
adults—and other people who are hearing and fluent in ASL.
Besides a common language, people in this community
also share cultural norms. For example, in American hearing culture, it is considered rude to point. In the Deaf community, pointing is not only culturally acceptable, but is
necessary for communication. The same is true of staring.
Hugging is another cultural norm in the Deaf community.
It’s not uncommon for people who have just met to give
each other a hug in greeting.
Children who are born deaf to parents who are Deaf
usually grow up in the Deaf community and are “native
signers.” Trudy Suggs, a writer from Faribault, grew up in a
Deaf family, but says she didn’t really identify herself as
Deaf until she was 14 and attended the Deaf Way cultural
celebration in 1989 at Gallaudet University.
“I finally understood that I was truly, happily and gloriously Deaf,” Trudy said. “It was there that I saw thousands
of people of all ages from every country in the world sharing the same cultural norms that my family always had....
With that, I came home and felt so incredibly empowered. I
finally knew I was normal, that my family was normal, and
that I wasn’t wrong for signing the way I did.
“You see, most of my life, my (hearing) teachers and
interpreters would criticize my signing, the way I was, or
things we Deaf kids did,” Trudy explained. “They would also say that we
needed to learn how to behave properly
and ‘more like hearing people.’ At Deaf
Way, I discovered that we had been
behaving properly and that those teachers/interpreters simply didn’t understand our language or culture.”
Katy Kelley, who is the only deaf
child in a hearing family, says she has
always felt supported by her family and
loved for who she is, and that gaining a
place in the Deaf community only added
to her sense of self worth. Even though
she attended high school at Minnesota
State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault,
Katy feels she entered the Deaf community last Fall as a freshman at Gallaudet.
“Everyone is signing,” she said. “It
is amazing.”
Katy credits her parents for helping
her discover her Deaf identity. She said
they went out of their way to meet Deaf
adults when she was little that she could
look up to as role models.
“I strongly suggest that parents
expose their children to Deaf culture
and meet many Deaf role models,” Katy
added. “Kids will think it’s so fantastic to
meet older good Deaf mature people.”
Cindy Dively, who works for District
917 and also is a pastor and missionary,
agrees. Being involved in the Deaf community gives children the chance to see
that “deaf people can do anything except hear!” Cindy said. Cindy, who has
been deaf since birth, attended an Oral
Deaf school and didn’t learn ASL until
she was 18. She said she had to ease
into the Deaf community.
Deaf Culture...continued on Page 4
FOCUS
2
Here’s What’s Happening
Tuesdays
The free Summer Reading Program will be ASL-interpreted at 2 p.m. at Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall
Ave. in St. Paul.
July 12—Dakota Wild Animals
July 19—Steve Abrams with the National Puppetry Festival
July 26—Professor Bear
August 2—Airplane Annie
August 9—Magician Matt Dunn
Saturday,
July 16
David Phelps performs an interpreted concert at
Celebration Church in Lakeville from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets
are $20. Contact amboydfam@hotmail.com.
July 22,
Aug. 5 & 20
The Cued Speech Association of Minnesota (CSAM)
sponsors “Play and Cue” events from 10 a.m. to noon
July 22 at Jensen Lake Park in Eagan, Aug. 5 at Cliff Sen
Park in Burnsville, Aug. 20 at Staring Lake Park in Eden
Prairie. For details: KBC29@aol.com or 952-929-3965.
Saturday,
July 23
“Cue at the Zoo” at Como Park in St. Paul. Meet at 10
a.m. at the giraffe statue near the hooved-animals exhibit.
The 11:30 a.m. “Sparky the Sea Lion” show is cued. Bring
a picnic lunch. Contact KBC29@aol.com or 952-929-3965.
Saturday,
July 23
Join the Deaf community at Family Fun Day at Charles
Thompson Hall, 1824 Marshall Ave. in St. Paul. Activities
include a pig roast from noon to 7 p.m. and a craft and
rummage sale starting at 9 a.m. Cost is $7 for adults and $5
for kids 12 and under.
Saturday,
July 30
PACER’s Simon Technology Center hosts a free Toy
Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with toys to try, art
activities,and refreshments. To register, call 952-838-9000.
Thursday,
August 4
Picnic at Como Park with the Family Support Connection from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Como Park in St. Paul.
Reservations are needed by Aug. 1. See the attached flyer.
Sunday,
Aug. 7
“The Pursuit of Pleasure and Reward: European Art
and Architecture of the 18th Century,” an ASL-interpreted tour at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, begins at 2 p.m.
For details, call 612-870-3131(v), 612-870-3132(tty) or email
dhegstro@artsmia.org.
Aug. 10-14
Saturday,
August 13
Aug. 19-20
Several performances will have ASL interpreters at the
Minnesota Fringe Festival of art, dance and theater. For
details, see www.fringefestival.org or call 612-872-1212.
Cool off at Cascade Bay Water Park Social Day for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community from 1 to 8:30
p.m. at Cascade Bay, 3830 Pilot Knob Road in Eagan. $8
tickets are available at the water park. Directions to the park
are at www.cascadebay.com.
Hands In Motion will interpret the “Higher Ground”
Christian Music Festival in Winstead. For details, see
www.hgmusicfest.com.
ASL-Interpreted
Performances
*Ask for VSA discount.
Music Man
Thursday, July 28, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Reduced to $8*
Applause Community Theatre at
Burnsville High School , 600 E Hwy 13,
(just east of I-35W), 952-895-1234;
www.applausecommunitytheatre.com.
Oliver!
Friday, July 29, 7:30 p.m., Tickets: $5-8
District 622 Community Theater, North
High School, 2416 E. 11th Ave., North
St. Paul, 651-748-6299.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Saturday, July 30, 8 p.m.
Tickets: Reduced to $13*
University of MN Showboat Players,
Harriet Island in St. Paul, 651-227-1100;
www.ShowboatTheater.com.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Sunday, July 31, 2 p.m.
Tickets: Reduced to $10*
Commonweal Theatre, 206 Parkway
Ave. N., Lanesboro, 800-657-7025,
www.commonwealtheatre.org.
Bye, Bye, Birdie
Friday, Aug. 5, 9 p.m. FREE*
New Hope Outdoor Theatre, 4401 Xylon,
763-531-5151; www.ci.new-hope.mn.us.
Movin' Out
Sunday, Aug. 7, 1 p.m.
Request ASL: accessible@orpheum.com.
Orpheum Theatre, 910 Henne-pin Ave.S.,
Mpls.; 612-373-5639, -5655(tty);
www.hennepintheatredistrict.com/servicesd.asp.
Doctor Dolittle
Friday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts,
345 Washington, St.Paul; 651-224-4222,
651-282-3100(tty); www.ordway.org.
FOCUS is published by the Family
Support Connection at Lifetrack
Resources. Submissions are welcome
and can be sent to the editor via e-mail.
Newsletter Editor:
Audrey Alwell
herwell@wwt.net
Please note that information about
events, services, or other organizations
does not imply endorsement by the
Family Support Connection.
The Family Support Connection’s mission
is to build better lives for children who
are deaf or hard of hearing by providing
parent-to-parent support to families. Past
issues of FOCUS are on our website at
www.familysupportconnection.org.
© 2005 Lifetrack Resources
FOCUS
3
In Your Corner
By Candace Lindow-Davies,
Family Support Coordinator
It’s summer! I hope you’re all enjoying some great
summer activities. My children have all sorts of
plans…if I can only keep up with them! There is
something very exciting about the beginning of the
summer break. I happened to be waiting for my children on their last day, and when the final bell rang, a
collective roar went up through the school. The doors
burst open and kids flooded out throwing backpacks
up in the air, shouting, “We’re free. It’s summer!” All
the parents looked at each other and just laughed
because we all remember that moment well. I have to
admit; I’m looking forward to a little bit more freedom, too.
We hope you enjoy this issue of FOCUS. We are
pleased to be able to discuss Deaf Culture, as some
parents have limited knowledge about the topic. We
believe that by interviewing many different individuals,
we can give our readers a better understanding of the
diversity of the Deaf Community. And, with understanding comes opportunity.
We are also looking forward to next month’s
newsletter. We will be discussing the most common
reason for non-genetic hearing loss present at birth,
cytomegalovirus or CMV. Even if this is not the cause
of your child’s hearing loss, the research and possible
interventions are promising and fascinating. Once
again, we are fortunate to have a top researcher
author an article for us.
Well, back to work and back to organizing kid
activities! I hope to see you all at the Family Picnic
next month. Look for the flyer attached to this issue.
Government seeks comments on IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act (IDEA) of 2004 took effect July 1. IDEA is the federal
law that provides a free, appropriate public education for
children with disabilities. The Department of Education is
seeking feedback on the regulations that interpret and clarify
this law.
PACER Center has information on the changes made to
IDEA in 2004, as well as links for contacting the Department of Education. For details, see www.pacer.org and click
on “Legislative Info.”
National advocacy group for deaf, hard of hearing
wants suggestions for future plans
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is conducting a survey now through November on its website to get
recommendations from members and nonmembers about
the organization’s future goals. The survey is at
www.nad.org/f3survey.
The NAD is an advocacy group that has been defending
the rights of people who are deaf or hard of hearing since
1880. The group’s main offices are in Maryland. In addition
to its advocacy work, the NAD also offers youth camps as
well as biennial conventions that include exhibits; workshops
on a variety of topics; the NAD College Bowl finals; NAD
Miss Deaf America finals; award presentations, and special
programs for senior citizens and youth. The next convention
will be in July 2006 in New Orleans.
The NAD, through a cooperative agreement with the
U.S. Department of Education, administers the Captioned
Media Program (CMP). CMP, while serving as a captioning
information and training center, also provides a free-loan
media program of over 4,000 open-captioned titles, including videos, CD-ROM, and DVDs. Individuals who are deaf or
hard of hearing, parents, teachers and other professionals
may borrow materials after registering with the service. To
register, see the CMP website, www.cfv.org.
Mary Hartnett receives award
The Ramsey County Bar Association recently honored
Mary Hartnett, Executive Director of the Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing People, with a
Liberty Bell Award for promoting a better understanding of
government and the judicial system.
Among the achievements mentioned for the award
were Hartnett’s efforts to educate the public about voting
rights and access to the legal system.
The Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of
Hearing People (MCDHH) serves as the principal state
agency advocating on behalf of deaf, deaf-blind, and hardof-hearing Minnesotans. The Governor appoints the
commission’s 15 members. MCDHH’s website currently is
being developed. To contact the commission call 651-2977305 (V/TTY) or e-mail mary.hartnett@state.mn.us.
Minnesota college students who are
deaf and qualify for state or federal Pell
Grants can now obtain tuition and fee
waivers to attend state colleges and
universities thanks to a provision
included in the state’s higher-education
bill, which passed May 26.
FOCUS
4
Deaf Culture...continued from Page 1
“I had to ‘achieve’ my identity,”
Cindy said. “I was taught that using
sign language was wrong and I had to
change my attitude—that I was the one
with the problem, not them. When I
arrived at National Technical Institute for
the Deaf in Rochester, New York, I became a part of the Deaf community, and
they accepted me for who I was. Now I
have been in the Deaf community for
about 22 years. I love it! I love socializing
with my Deaf friends. We all share the
common ground of being Deaf.”
Kevin Kovacs, a teacher at Metro
Deaf School, believes that common
ground is what makes the Deaf community so strong.
“What really allows the culture to
remain what it is today is the common
language we share and the challenges
and struggles we experience as human
beings,” Kevin explained. Becoming
involved in the Deaf community gives
adults and children “a sense of belonging,” he added. “There can be no
words to describe how much children
can gain by being a part of the community. We will never know the answer
until they are given the opportunity.”
Trudy, though, is quick to describe
the value of the Deaf community in a
child’s life.
“They will have incredible selfconfidence, incredible communication
skills as soon as they become part of
the community,” she said. She cites her
own experience in support of her enthusiasm of Deaf culture.
“While I was in mainstreamed settings, I struggled with why hearing
teachers at school wouldn’t let me be
the way I was—which was Deaf,” Trudy
said. “They kept telling me that I
should try to be more like them and
that I signed ‘too ASL.’ But when I
went home to my Deaf parents and
friends, I was considered normal.
“Now I look back on those days in
wonder,” she added. “If I could have
such feelings of insecurity about my
identity—coming from a family who
communicated very well—how did the
other Deaf kids at my school, with
parents who could barely communicate, deal with it? And I know for a fact
that every one of them had identity
struggles, because they did things as a
result or often talked about it."
Trudy feels strongly that those
struggles could have been weathered
better if she and her classmates had
been taught about Deaf culture—
“whether we identified with it or not,”
she said. Deaf culture is taught at
schools with programs for students who
are deaf. But, deaf students who are
mainstreamed usually don’t have a class
in Deaf culture. For those students, the
Deaf community is a rich resource.
Mike Cashman, who works for
CSD, a non-profit organization that
provides services such as interpreting,
human services and video relay, explains that introducing a deaf child with
hearing parents to the Deaf community
helps that child learn to “code switch
between the deaf community and the
child’s upbringing background.” The
child can learn to be fluent in both ASL
and the family’s native language.
“I think it is important that parents
are open-minded and attend information sessions about deaf culture,” Mike
added. “Deaf Culture Salon is a good
example of learning about deaf culturerelated issues.” (See below.)
Trudy points out that hearing
parents first may need to overcome
their own fears of the Deaf community.
“So many parents—understandably—are so afraid of having their children be ‘deaf’ (or ‘Deaf’),” Trudy said.
“They want children to be just like them
or at least share their cultures/norms/
values/beliefs. This is absolutely and
completely understandable. What they
should realize, though, is that a Deaf
person can easily be Deaf and still share
the same values/norms/belief system
that they have—a Deaf person just has
an extra and possibly predominant culture/identity that is based on language.”
Kevin has seen parents who avoided
the Deaf community because they didn’t
want to “lose” their child to it. He says
the irony is that when those kids discover
the Deaf community—“which is bound
to happen”—they are often the people
who become immersed in the Deaf community the most because they’ve been
lacking it for most of their lives.
“So the bottom line is that, if parents become involved with the Deaf
community and their child, the likelihood is that they will share the same
bond and respect for the community
that lasts a lifetime,” Kevin said. “The
easiest way to become a part of the
community is to learn the language of
Becoming Involved in the Deaf
the Deaf community...and become
Community:
involved in Deaf community or school
• Attend a Deaf Culture Salon,
events. The more parents are seen and
a discussion in ASL offered several involved, the trust, respect, and opentimes a year about cultural issues ness increases,” he added.
Kevin also notes the misconception
in the Deaf community.
that the Deaf community looks down
on cochlear implants.
• Go to parties at the local Deaf
“This may have been true in the
club,Thompson Hall, 1824
initial
stages, but I think the community
Marshall Ave., St. Paul. There’s
now sees the perspective of any parent
one this month. See Page 2.
who wants the best for their child, and
that often involves the idea of trying to
• Participate in activities at
have their child hear because it is what
schools for the deaf.
all or most of their families do,” he
• Visit the biennial Aware Fair,
explained. Learning to listen and
speak, though, doesn’t mean a child
a gathering of companies and
can’t also learn ASL, he said.
products for the deaf. The next
“There is nothing wrong in doing
fair will be in Fall 2006.
both speech and sign language,” he
• Check www.tcdeaf.com for
added. And that might just be “a winwin situation for everyone involved.”
other activities to join.
FOCUS
Tuition help available for
female doctoral students
Women who are deaf and are pursuing a Ph.D. can apply for a $1,200
fellowship award from the International
Alumnae of Delta Epsilon Sorority of
Gallaudet University.
The award is intended for tuition
costs only during the 2006 spring academic year, and which will be payable
to the recipient's college or university in
January. Candidates must take 12 or
more credits and have a GPA of at
least 3.0.
To request an application, e-mail
Fellowship@iades.org. The deadline for
completed applications is Sept. 15.
5
Des Moines Area Community College recently received a
$400,000 grant from the Department of Education to create a
Midwestern center for sign language education. Planners say the
center will offer a bachelor’s degree in interpreting and prepare
students for national certification.
Entrepreneur honored
A Little Grin
Visor card alerts traffic police
that driver can’t hear well
Drivers who are deaf or hard of
hearing can get a free card to place on
their vehicle’s visor to alert police in a
traffic stop of communication issues.
In a typical traffic stop, a police
officer gives verbal orders and expects
them to be followed immediately or
suspects the driver is a threat. By displaying a card on the vehicle’s visor,
the driver lets the officer know right
away that voice commands might not
be understood. The card also tells officers how to communicate with the
driver, for example in writing.
Drivers who are hard of hearing
now can get a card specifically designed
for them. The card and instructions on
using it are at www.hearinglosshelp.com/
VisorCards.htm. The site also offers a
wallet card that can be offered to an
officer along with the driver’s license.
As a public service, Volkswagen
and Wyndtell each offer visor cards that
say “Driver is Deaf.” Wyndtell phone
and pager customers can contact the
company for details. To obtain a card
from Volkswagen, see www.vw.com/
vwlife/socialaction.html#5.
The “Driver is Deaf” cards have
been around for a couple of years, but
some drivers have reservations about
displaying them. A discussion about
these concerns is online at
www.hearinglossweb.com/Issues/law/
law.htm#card.
By Trudy Suggs
Sometimes people are, well,
naïve, about how Deaf people do
the most simple things....
A few years ago, I met with
the coordinator of an ASL project
I was involved with. She was a
nice, young hearing woman who
knew almost nothing about ASL or
Deaf people. At the meeting, I
apologized for not being able to
start sooner since I was housesitting for my parents and dogsitting a new deaf puppy I had just
gotten. She asked out of the blue,
“How do you communicate with
your dog if you’re both deaf?” I
burst out laughing, thinking she
was joking around. The interpreter,
also a friend of mine, signed privately to me, “I don’t think she’s
kidding.”
I looked at the woman. Sure
enough, she was staring at me in
complete seriousness. Oh boy. I
managed to coax my giggle into a
polite smile and said lightly, “My
dog probably knows more signs
than you do!” The interpreter burst
out laughing at that, and I smiled.
Thankfully, the woman didn’t take
it as an insult, and we moved on.
And, then there’s the time a
girl asked me how deaf people
brush their hair....
A Minnesotan who is deaf recently
was honored as one of the world's
“Best Emerging Social Entrepreneurs”
by the global nonprofit organization
Echoing Green.
Anita Buel will receive $60,000 in
seed funding as well as strategic and
technical assistance over the next two
years to train the nation’s first Deaf
Community Health Workers (DCHW).
Buel’s project will be based in St. Paul
and will partner with health practitioners and educators to incorporate
American Sign Language and other
modes of communication into health
education and advocacy to improve
access to health care for people who
are deaf.
Film about teaching deaf to
listen wins Academy Award
A young woman who is deaf recently won a Student Academy Award
for her documentary called “Listen,”
which gives voice to the struggles and
triumphs of growing up deaf and learning to speak and listen with help.
Kimby Caplan, a 31-year-old
Southern Methodist University graduate
student, used footage of her own
speech therapy sessions as a child in
the film. She also features the influential
speech therapist Doreen Pollack, who
passed away last month.
The Academy of Motion Pictures
Arts and Sciences, the group that gives
out the Oscars, hands out Student
Academy Awards each year. Caplan
was the Documentary bronze winner.
She’ll be using her prize money to
make a longer film about Doreen
Pollack’s life.
“Listen” is online at www.smu.edu/
newsinfo/stories/filmmaker-KimbyCaplan.asp.
FOCUS
6
Chat rooms, forums offer ways to
connect to Deaf community
Off The Shelf
By Robin Coninx, FSC Specialist
The Family Support Connection Library offers
many items in many formats to help you learn about
Deaf Culture. We can provide books, videos and even
computer programs.
The first book that I will point out is “Deaf in
America” written by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries.
The authors, who are deaf, write about all the aspects
that make them unique in life. Another good book is
“Lessons in Laughter: the Autobiography of a Deaf
Actor” written by Bernard Bragg. We also have picture
books with ASL signs for children.
Do you have a young person that you want to teach
about Deaf History? We have a student textbook that
explains the rich deaf heritage from 1816 to the 1970s
called “Deaf History” written by Felicia Alexander and
Jack Gannon. Another format is a video named “Deaf
Heroes,” with humorous stories told by Deaf storytellers
Billy Yount and Leslie Elert Yount about famous Deaf
people such as Laurent Clerc.
If you want to review or learn ASL, you can access
videos and computer programs to help. You’ll find a
complete list on our website at: www.familysupport
connection.org. (no spaces). To request materials, e-mail
fsc@lifetrackresources.org or call 651-265-2435 (v) or
651-265-2379 (tty).
There are opportunities across the metro that can
provide exposure to Deaf Culture. Thompson Hall in St.
Paul is a place for people who are deaf to go to socialize. To learn ASL, the Barnes and Noble at Har Mar
Mall hosts ASL night on Fridays starting at 6:30 p.m.
Other Barnes and Noble stores around the metro have
offered ASL nights, too. Check with the store nearest
you. The biennial Aware Fair (the next one is in 2006)
put on by the state’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
provides an opportunity to meet a variety of vendors
who serve the deaf community. And CSD, an interpreter referral agency, provides interpreters and various
social activities to the Deaf Community. The website
www.tcdeaf.com lists events in the Deaf Community and
has links to other resources. Our website also lists other
local and national resources you can contact for information about Deaf Culture.
If you’re having trouble finding a way to get involved in
the Deaf community, you might try connecting online.
There are many online chat rooms, bulletin boards and
forums for people who are deaf or hard of hearing along
with sites for parents or professionals in the field. Some
sites are designed for kids, others just for adults.
A chat room is an Internet area where you can type
live, real-time conversations with many people at the same
time. Bulletin boards and forums, on the other hand, are
not live. You type a response to a topic, and it gets posted
on the website later along with other people’s responses.
These avenues allow for more supervision of content. Chat
rooms can be unsupervised, although many are moderated
by someone who can kick out people who don’t follow
“netiquette,” the generally accepted rules of behavior for
chatting online.
With chat rooms or bulletin boards, safety experts recommend that users protect their personal identity by using a
screen name and never sharing personal information. To
teach kids to use chat rooms safely, start at
www.kidsturncentral.com and click on “chat” at the bottom
of the page. The tips listed apply to adults, too.
A popular site in the Deaf community, AllDeaf.com has
dozens of forums on topics such as wireless phones, colleges for the deaf, and Americans with Disabilities (ADA)
compliance issues.
Deaf.com hosts moderated chat rooms: DeafChat.com
for adults and DeafKids.com. DeafChat has been around
since 1998. The kids site is newer and is geared towards
kids ages 17 and under as a place to make friends and discuss issues with other kids around the world who are deaf or
hard of hearing.
HearingExchange has chat rooms that function as support groups and are specific to topics such as cochlear implants, Auditory Neuropathy, and Cued Speech. The topics
are listed on the home page at www.hearingexchange.com.
Camp & Cue
Aug 12-14
Lebanon Hills, Eagan
Campfire party with S’mores
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13
Join other families who Cue for a fun camping weekend
at Lebanon Hills, which offers electrical sites plus swimming and boating. Or, drop by Saturday for S’mores,
courtesy of the Cued Speech Association of Minnesota.
Questions? Contact Mary Stadelman at 952-894-0469.
Make friends at the
Family Support Connection’s
Family Picnic!
For families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Thursday, August 4th
5–8:30 P.M (Rain or Shine!)
Como Park Midway Pavilion South
(Midway Parkway and Horton Avenue in St. Paul)
free for the family:
•
•
•
•
Dinner at 5:30
Face Painting & Games
Temporary Tattoos
Door Prizes!
Also at Como Park:
• Zoo and Conservatory
(open 10-6)
• Cafesjian Carousel
(open 11-4)
• NEW! Amusement Rides
(open 10-8)
• Mini Golf
(open 12-6)
For more information about Como Park,
Zoo or Conservatory call 651/487-8200
or visit www.comozooconservatory.org
Please RSVP!
Call before Monday, August 1 to let us know
how many from your family will attend
709 University Avenue West • St. Paul, MN 55104-4804
651/265-2435 (voice) • 651/265-2379 (TTY)
1-866-DHOHKID (toll-free) • 1-866-857-2379 (toll-free TTY)
www.familysupportconnection.org
Family Support Connection’s
Family Picnic!
For families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Como Park Midway Pavilion South
(Midway Parkway and Horton Avenue in St. Paul)
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