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| A First Year Free ASDC Membership |
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Program for Newly Identified Families
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Through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor, families of deaf and hard of hearing children may join ASDC for a year at no cost through First Year Free. First Year Free families receive all the benefits of ASDC membership, including The Endeavor, parent information and referral line, Lending Library, and more. If you are the parent of deaf or hard of hearing child and would like to start your First Year Free Membership, send you name, address, telephone number, email, and names and birthdates of your deaf or hard of hearing child/children to ASDC@deafchildren.org or call ASDC at 1-800-942-2732 with the information. |
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| Advocacy |
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A Lifetime of Learning and Earning - Vocational Rehabilitation Services FAQ
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This free transition guide for parents of deaf and hard of hearing students was compiled by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center to make it easier for parents, school and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors to team up to prepare high schoolers for life beyond the classroom. This guide is an excellent resource. It answers the most common questions presented to VR counselors. In addition, parents can get an idea what VR services are available for their child, information on career planning, and what kind of financial support is available. |
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ASDC Comments to the U.S. Department of Education
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In January 2007, ASDC submitted these comments to the U.S. Department of Education in response to the Department's proposed comprehensive plan for Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. |
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DHHCAN Airline Travel Action Guide 2009
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As a deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing traveler, you want your airline experiences to be safe, reliable, and satisfactory. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) sets out requirements for disability access at airports and on airlines.
The purpose of this document is to inform you of your ACAA reights and to describe how to file a complaints if your rights are violated |
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IDEA and Deaf Children
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A document by Celeste D. Johnson, M.A. regarding the law, its implementing regulations, and its particular implications for families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. |
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Movie Captions Letter to the Department of Justice
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) proposes to require movie theater owners and operators to show films with closed captioning. The DOJ proposes to limit this requirement to no more than 50% of the films shown, and the DOJ is willing to give owners and operators up to 5 years to get to the 50% mark.
The Hearing Loss Association of America believes that "full and equal enjoyment" of services under the Americans with Disabilities Act means that people with hearing loss must be provided the kind of accommodations that would allow us to attend any movie anytime. For people with significant hearing loss, that means 100% captioning. They believe that an across the board industry cap of 50% is arbitrary and inconsistent with the law. ASDC supports HLAA in this effort and encourages our members to support HLAA's effort by submitting comments to the DOJ.
HLAA's position on movie captioning is:
All movies should be made accessible to movie goers with hearing loss through captioning.
People with hearing loss should be able to see any movie at any time on any day.
There are many ways to caption movies today. HLAA does not specify the method used to caption the movie so long as it provides effective communication.
The DOJ is seeking comments in response to 26 questions. The entire document with all the questions can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov. You can reply to some or all of the questions. We suggest at a minimum, that you respond to DOJ Question #1:
1. DOJ is proposing that the percentage of movie screens offering closed captioning be set at 10% after one year and increased 10% a year until 50% is reached. Dos this approach provide a proper balance between providing accessibility to consumers, one one hand, and giving owners and operators time to acquire the necessary equipment, on the other hand?
Comments sent by U.S. Mail must be postmarked and electronic comments must be transmitted on or before January 24, 2011.
A sample letter is attached.
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Preparing for Special Education Mediation Resolution
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The Advocacy Institute and the Children's Law Clinic at Duke Law School have developed this publication to contribute to better outcomes for children with special needs. Through a collection of articles, this guides seeks to provide families and advocates with an array of information that will equip them to make the most of the new and expanded dispute resolution options offered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) |
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Special Education Resource Website
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The Let Them Hear Foundation (LTHF) announced its creation of a new Special Education Resource website for parents of children with disabilities and for professionals who would like to learn about the special education services that are available to children with disabilities (IDEA.letthemhear.org).
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| American Sign Language |
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ASL Pro
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ASL Pro offers a free sign language dictionary and other valuable resources. |
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Baby Sign Language
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This Website is a collection of free resources created to teach baby sign language. The Website contains a series of free tutorials, video dictionary, flash cards and wall charts. |
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Through Your Child's Eyes - Video
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Through Your Child?s Eyes? is beautiful new video from California State University at Northridge, made possible through support from the California Department of Education and the Annenberg Foundation. Throughout the video you?ll see children with hearing loss interact with their families and in education settings as you learn about the importance of American Sign Language and why it makes a difference in their lives.
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| Articles |
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Closed Captioning Guide
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This informative paper explains closed captioning in an easy to understand informative way. |
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Communication Options
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This article describes what options parents have in making communications decisions for their families. |
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Decision-Making for Parents
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How does one sort through the information provided in books, articles, web sites, from professionals, family and friends, and from other rsources to arrive at decisions that are right for your child and family? Here are some tips that may help. |
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Sign Language Use
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Sign Language Use for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Babies:The Evidence Supports It |
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| ASDC Advocacy Coalitions and Partnerships |
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Council on Education of the Deaf (CED)
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CED is an organization sponsored by the national premiere organizations in deafness: Association of College Educators - Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; American Society of Deaf Children; Council of American Instructors of the Deaf; Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf; National Association of the Deaf; and Council on Exceptional Children/Division on Communication Disorders and Deafness. CED maintains high standards for persons working with deaf and/or hard of hearing students in the education process by certifying professionals according to established guidelines in specific areas of training and experience. ASDC Member Cathy Rhoten is President of CED. |
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Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA): A Coalition of Professional and Consumer Organizations
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DHHA focuses on public policy related to improving the quality of life for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Members include: Alexander Graham Bell Association; American Academy of Audiology; American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; American Society for Deaf Children; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf; Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf; Cued Language Network of America; Hearing Loss Association of America; National Association of the Deaf; National Court Reporters Association; National Cued Speech Association; Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.; Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Unit. (No web site.)
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Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (DHHCAN)
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DHHCAN is a coalition of, by, and for deaf and hard of hearing Americans working to improve access and opportunities for our nations 28 million citizens with hearing loss. DHHCAN members include the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB), the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA), the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC), the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD), Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), Deaf Seniors of America (DSA), Gallaudet University, Gallaudet University Alumni Association (GUAA), National Association of the Deaf (NAD), National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA), National Catholic Office of the Deaf (NCOD), Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.(TDI), USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF), and The Caption Center/WGBH.
CSD, Gallaudet University and Sorenson Communications are corporate members.
(No web site.)
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Described and Captioned Media Project (DCMP)
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The mission of DCMP is to provide all persons who are deaf or hard of hearing awareness of and equal access to communication and learning through the use of captioned educational media and supportive collateral materials. The CMP also acts as a captioning information and training center. The ultimate goal of the CMP is to permit media to be an integral part in the lifelong learning process for all stakeholders in the deaf and hard of hearing community: adults, students, parents, and educators. ASDC serves on the DCMP Advisory Board. |
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Partnership
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The IDEA Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than 55 national organizations, as well as technical assistance providers and State and local organizations and agencies. Together with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Partner organizations form a community to transform the way we serve students and families through IDEA implementation. |
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National Deaf Education Project (NDEP)
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NDEP is an initiative to reform state policies and practices in the education of deaf and hard of hearing students. ASDC is a Founder and Board Member of this project, and ASDC Board Member Larry Siegel is Executive Director. |
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| ASDC Scholarship Opportunities |
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American Association of Heath and Disability Scholarship Program
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The American Association of Health and Disability (AAHD) has announced the creation of the 2009 AAHD Scholarship Program.
The AAHD Scholarship Program will support students with disabilities who are pursuing higher education. Preference will be given to students who plan to pursue undergraduate/graduate studies in the field of public health, health promotion, or disability studies, to include disability policy and disability research.
For more information about this Scholarship opportunity please visit their website at www.aahd.us |
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Roy K. Holcomb Scholarship Fund
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The Roy K. Holcomb Scholarship Fund was established in 1994. When looking at the history of the American Society for Deaf Children there is one name that continually appears, Mr. Roy K. Holcomb. Mr. Holcomb was one of the original founders of the International Association of Parents of the Deaf, the organization we now know as the American Society for Deaf Children. Mr. Holcomb had a vision that parents of Deaf children needed to come together for the purpose of trying to improve the potential of deaf people. In April 1971 this vision became a reality with the first meeting through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in Washington, DC. Mr. Holcomb continued his quest with a second meeting held at the Arkansas School for the Deaf in June 1971. This meeting was attended by hundreds of parents. Roy Holcomb was there every step of the way encouraging, promoting and providing information to all. Through the years Mr. Holcomb continued to be an active part of the International Association of Parents of the Deaf (IAPD) and the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC).
Mr. Holcomb was responsible for establishing the prestigious Lee Katz Award which recognizes the dedication of parents who go above and beyond the call of duty and Mr. Holcomb himself received this award in 1984 at the ASDC Convention in Fremont, California.
To Roy Holcomb, ASDC owes a debt that the Roy K. Holcomb Scholarship Fund can never repay. Mr. Holcomb provided an example for all parents to learn from. ASDC thanks Mr. Holcomb for his dedication and service provided to IAPD and ASDC over the years.
The Roy K. Holcomb Scholarship Fund was established to provide parents scholarship funds in order to attend the ASDC Biennial Conferences. If you would like to apply for this scholarship please fill out the attached form and return to ASDC.
For the Scholarship Application please click on the title "Roy K Holcomb Scholarship Fund" |
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| ASDC Speakers Bureau |
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ASDC is available to speak at your next meeting, convention, support group, etc. For more informaton contact Cheri Dowling at 800-942-2732 or asdc@deafchildren.org |
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| Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) |
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| Library Resources |
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The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
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Our mission is to promote and provide equal access to communication and learning through described and captioned educational media. The ultimate goal of the DCMP is for accessible media to be an integral tool in the teaching and learning process for all stakeholders in the educational community, including students, educators and other school personnel, parents, service providers, businesses, and agencies.
The DCMP supports the U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan for 2007?2012 by committing to the following goals:
Ensuring that all students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind have the opportunity to achieve the standards of academic excellence.
Advocating for equal access to educational media as well as the establishment and maintenance of quality standards for captioning and description by service providers.
Providing a collection of free-loan described and captioned educational media.
Furnishing a clearinghouse of information and research about accessible media.
Acting as a gateway to Internet resources related to accessibility.
Exploring and adapting new media and technologies that assist students in obtaining and using available information.
The Described and Captioned Media Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.
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| Research Study Opportunities for Families |
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VL2 - Visual Language & Visual Learning
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VL2 is a Science of Learning Center (SLC) on Visual Language and Visual Learning, one of six SLCs funded by the National Science Foundation. The purpose of VL2 is to gain a greater understanding of the biological, cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural, and pedagogical conditions that influence the acquisition of language and knowledge through the visual modality. |
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| Transition for High School Students |
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