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DAD Nominations Requested

 

Hello Members of D.A.D. Sept. 23, 2021

I, Denis Munn, have been selected as the chairperson of the nominating committee for Delaware Association of the Deaf.

Joey DeLusant and Dennise Scott are also on the nominating committee.

We are seeking nominations for the upcoming election which will be held either in October or November 2021. All positions listed below need to be filled. Those who are listed have expressed interest in serving again.

President:

Vice President:

Secretary :

Treasurer :

Board member:

Board member:

Board member :

 

 Feta Fernsler, President

Keith Robertson, VP

New Castle (2)

Kent County (1)

Sussex County (2)

 

Please let me know if you are interested in any position for officers or board member. Or you may nominate someone for any of the above positions.

Deadline Date for nomination is October 14th.

My email is denmu212 at gmail dot com.

Any questions you can VP me at this # 443-365-2640, Dennise’s 302-541-6175 or Joey’s 302-231-1320.

D.A.D. needs your help! Please consider running for one of officers/board positions. Deaf Delaware residents NEED YOU, too!

Thank you,

Denis Munn, Chair, Dennise Scott & Joey DeLusant, Nomination Committee

 

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Important Notice – Bylaws Suspension

Requesting our current Delaware Association of the Deaf Bylaws to be suspended due to covid and low recent turn out.  The reason for this is to resolve our election obligations and Bylaws will be restored once elections end.  This also applies to a motion made in June to have an in person election which we tried to do on September 9, 2021 but only 2 outside people (non-board members) came.  The deadline to object is Tuesday, September 28, 2021.  Contact delawaredeaf at gmail com or use the contact us link (at top of page in menu). 

Once we resolve this emergency issue, we will schedule a zoom meeting for our election instead. 

 

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New Visor Card rolled out (Sept. 14, 2021)

front side of new visor card titled 'I am Deaf or Hard of Hearing' along with some communication tips below it for the police and icons to indicate communication preferences. back side of visor card with various icons for common automobile issues including violations, help issues, type of ticket, etc.

DOVER — It’s less wordy and communicates through more images.

Best of all, the redesigned visor communication card just might save a life.

A host of project partners attended a rollout ceremony in front of the Dover Police Department early Tuesday afternoon to extol the benefits of holding the card.

The automobile visor cards are designed to allow better communication between law enforcement officers and those who are deaf or hard of hearing during a vehicle stop.

Through an interpreter, Delaware Association of the Deaf President Feta Fernsler signed that, “I noticed that the old visor card used a lot of English.

“It was very wordy, so in the event of a traffic stop, law enforcement doesn’t really have time to sit and read a novel.

“Also, the driver may not be fully fluent in English, which is very common given that (American Sign Language) is their primary language.

“I wanted to make sure that the communication between law enforcement and deaf and hard of hearing drivers was as efficient and safe as possible.”

As to the redesign, Mr. Fernsler explained that, “We switched to the icons to represent what they would need to communicate most often to help reduce the stress level on both parts.

Read the rest of the article at (from Delaware State News) – https://baytobaynews.com/stories/updated-visor-card-facilitates-communication-between-delaware-police-and-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing,58454.

Pictures of the event can be found at https://www.delawaredeaf.org/about-us/pics/nggallery/dad-pics/visor-card-sept-14-2021.

News announcement prior to event – https://www.coastalpoint.com/news/state/new-communication-cards-designed-to-help-law-enforcement-deaf-hard-of-hearing/article_6a9ec894-14f1-11ec-b2bd-f3bc2af270d4.html.

 

** To request the new visor cards, contact Loretta Sarro at Delaware Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing or file an application which is listed at https://labor.delaware.gov/divisions/dvr/dodhh.  Deaf Outreach and DAD may have some in stock for use at events. **

 

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The Deaf Mentor Program (Update)

Deaf Mentor Program Delaware Families with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children aged Birth-5

The Deaf Mentor Program provides families, with deaf/hard of hearing children, an opportunity to work with highly trained deaf/hard of hearing adult role models to enhance children’s language, social, and emotional development. The program is FREE for the families!

What the Deaf Mentor will provide:
• Ongoing interactions with an individual deaf mentor
• Use of National SKI-HI Deaf Mentor Curriculum
• Services based on family’s individual needs and goals
• A bridge between the family and Deaf community through events and activities

What you will learn:
• What it is like to be deaf in a hearing world
• How to create an accessible environment for your Deaf/Hard of Hearing child
• How to interact with your Deaf/Hard of Hearing child
• American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture
• First hand experiences growing up being a Deaf/Hard of Hearing person
• Communication choices, technology use, and educational placement

Who can sign up:
• Parents/Guardians of Deaf/Hard of Children aged Birth-5 years old
• Residents of Delaware

If you are interested in receiving deaf mentor services, please fill out the family intake form: https://forms.gle/yg9mmzz5bxChJ1Zd9

For more information, please contact Kathy O’Donnell, Deaf Mentor Coordinator at kathodonnell5@gmail.com

The Deaf Mentor Program is a grant funded initiative developed by the Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind in collaboration with the Delaware Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) at the Delaware Department of Public Health (DPH).

PDF icon DE Deaf Mentor Program Flyer (Requires Adobe Acrobat PDF reader)

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Delaware Deaf Mentor Annoucement

white area on left displays a hand with a cochlea on it with words saying Delaware Families for Hands & Voices

We are happy to announce the NEW Deaf Mentor program is officially up and running. If you are interested in working with one of our trained mentors, a great resource for our Delaware families, a request can be made through Delaware Hands & Voices. We are all excited to begin this program and get families matched!

 
Sincerely,
Arielle Morris
Delaware Families for Hands & Voices
 
– Thanks to Hands & Voices newsletter for this announcement. 
– Update 2 – apparently the National Hands and Voices has  more info about this program as Delaware’s site has not yet added the info online.  See https://handsandvoices.org/virtual-waiting-room/other-pros.html under Deaf Mentors section.
 
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NEW DEAF MENTOR PROGRAM

Tuesday, May 25, 6pm via Zoom

LEARNING COMMUNITY MEETING:

Topic: Learning Community Meeting: New Deaf Mentor Program, Panel discussion and time for questions with several of the new Deaf Mentors. Learn about this awesome new resource for Delaware families, and how it could be helpful for you, your family, or the families you serve. Captions and ASL interpreter provided.

Time: May 25, 2021 at 6:00pm

Register in advance for this meeting:   REGISTER HERE