Direct Service
Concept Cue
What do you know about a social issue being addressed and how has it affected the Deaf community? What would be a direct service activity that could relieve some connected symptoms of the issue?
An issue that affects the Deaf Community is language deprivation. When a deaf child is born to parents who can hear, the first advice they receive tends to come from doctors. Doctors may have a lot to say about the level of hearing loss and possible treatments, but they often leave parents ill-equipped to address the social and language needs of the deaf child. "If spoken language is not fully accessible to the deaf child and sign language exposure is delayed, then there is a strong possibility of permanent brain changes" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5392137/). Parents are not always made aware of this. They pin their hopes on surgery and other treatments and miss a critical window for language (and relationship) development with their child.
This is why Parent Infant Programs (PIP's) are so important. A Parent Infant Program, like USDB's provides parents with information, classes, home visits, resources, the opportunity to learn ASL, and to connect with other parents and children that are going through the same thing. Early exposure to ASL can prevent language deprivation from taking hold. One way that I can provide direct service to combat the issue of Language deprivation is to volunteer at an upcoming PIP event with USDB Ogden. They have asked for volunteers for next weekend's Family Camp. We will be attending and volunteering as a class. Volunteers will provide childcare while the parents are in a workshop training. Providing this service will help the PIP fulfill its mission which is for "Deaf and hard of hearing children to reach developmental appropriate language and become preschool ready."
Community Partner Report
Robert G. Sanderson Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
I decided to research the Robert Sanderson Community center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I have made several in-person visits to the center. Through these as well as through information online, I have learned several things about this community partner.
Mission: The mission of the center is "to elevate, unify, and empower the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Utahns by building an inclusive community with full communication access."
DSDHH was created under the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation in 1988 and provides services for people with hearing loss (both Deaf and Hard of Hearing). They provide services out of two locations, one in Taylorsville and one in St. George. The Taylorsville location is housed in a 32,000 sq. ft. facility named the Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. "Built in 1992, and expanded in 2001, it remains one of the largest state-funded facilities in the nation" (https://jobs.utah.gov/usor/dhh/about/overview.html).
In 2003 the center was named after Robert Sanderson in honor of his contributions to the Deaf community. Dr. Robert G. Sanderson was the first Deaf person to graduate from BYU with a PhD in 1974. He was also the first to provide Deaf adults with job training and placement in the state of Utah. "He was the first Deaf professional hired by the Utah State Board of Education for this coordinator position. In 1983, Dr. Sanderson became the first director of the Utah Community Center for the Deaf" (https://www.utahdeafhistory.com/biographies-of-prominent-utah-deaf-men.html).
The center offers many services and events and classes. One of the classes offered is an ASL class offered to the community that is taught by staff at the center. These classes are offered for free. They are filled with people curious to learn about ASL, often because of a Deaf family member or friend. I had the opportunity to volunteer as an interpreter for these classes to facilitate communication between these beginning ASL students and their Deaf teacher (who was also a mentor in the ASL/English Interpreting program at the time.) These classes are a direct service to the community. I saw firsthand how the classes were allowing grandparents and aunts and uncles of Deaf children to communicate more effectively with their family members, and for employees to form connections with their Deaf coworkers.
Deaf people can often face isolation and barriers to full communication access when dealing with the hearing world. The center provides a place for those with hearing loss (both Deaf and hard of hearing) to connect with each other. The center offers a variety of social events and gatherings, sports, classes, meetings and services. I can definitely see myself volunteering with this organization again in various capacities.