The Vagina Monologues – A SMASH SUCCESS!
by Meme Kerr
UAD hosted The Vagina Monologues (TVM) on February 22nd at University of Utah with support of U of U Student Union and ASL Club to raise funds for Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf. Over $1200 was raised and a great time was had by all! TVM’s mission is to raise public awareness about violence against women and girls. Eve Ensler, the author of TVM, collected stories from women and girls all over the world. Fourteen ladies, ranging from 7 to 50 years old, participated in retelling the stories in ASL. Six interpreters also were present to provide voice for hearing attendees to enjoy the show as well. This type of event was a first time for Utah and while the topic was controversial, the stories had to be told.
Back & Left row: Gabby Humlicek, Stephanie Belshe, Laurie Bishop, Jennifer Caldwell, Yvonne Montalette, Emisha Corona, Lora Berness
Middle & Left row: Mary Beth Baierl, Charity Diven, Reese Diven, Stephanie Mathis
Front & Left row: Kelly Leeper, Pamela Mower, Meme Kerr
President’s Corner
Our annual UAD general meeting was successful. There were 25 UAD members who showed up. We appreciated that they showed their respect and gave voices to various issues. After the meeting, we served a good lunch with soup and bread.
Good news, our annual UAD membership fee is reduced to $15.00 per year. Plus, we have added business and association affiliation membership – a first!. The new fees start immediately.
A summary of the general meeting minutes will be in the April Bulletin issue.
What you would do this July? Why don’t you consider attending the biennial NAD convention? It will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, July 1 to 5. To find more information, please check http://new.nad.org Hope to see you at convention. UAD board is sending JR Goff, Vice-President and Dan Hoffman, member at large.
We encourage you to join UAD as a member and show your support to UAD and strengthen the organization. UAD needs your voice and your opinions to help us move forward for future generations.
Philippe Montalette
President
Wheeler Scholarships Available for 2014-2015 School Year
The Ned C. Wheeler Scholarship Foundation for the Deaf is pleased to announce that two scholarships of $1,000 each are available this spring for the 2014-2015 academic year, with a deadline of July 31 to apply.
The organization has awarded scholarships to deserving deaf students in colleges and universities for more than 30 years. Awards are given based on student grades, financial need, and maintaining a full time status.
Criteria for qualifying includes three years residency in Utah, GPA of 3.0 or higher, proof of deafness, and more.
Eligible candidates for the scholarships need to apply now and gather up all required documentation to be sent in well before the deadline.
Applications are available at the UAD website, www.uad.org. On the home page, look at the right side near the bottom where you see the Ned C. Wheeler Scholarship Foundation for the Deaf information. Click on “Application.”
For further information or to request an application, contact Valerie Kinney, secretary at vkinney@comcast.net or call her by VP 801-784-6962. You may also contact Melainie Garcia, chair, at melainie@gmail.com or call her at 801-731-1038.
ASL Interpreted Performance at The Grand Theatre
The Grand Theatre and Salt Lake Community College are happy to announce an ASL interpreted performance of the upcoming production of “Once On This Island” on Saturday, March 15 at 2:00 pm.
The show is a re-telling of “The Little Mermaid” by the composers of “Ragtime.” A young girl asks, “Where do I belong?” and sets off on a life-changing quest to find out. Her sassy guides on the journey lead her through trials to unexpected paths of her own heart.
When purchasing your tickets, please call the box office at 801-957-3322 and request to sit in the sections placed near the ASL interpreters. Information on the show can be viewed on the Grand Theatre’s website: http://the-grand.org/
Captioned Theater – “Bring It On”
Bring It On, the Musical will be in Salt Lake at the Capitol Theatre next week. The matinee performance on Saturday, March 1 will be captioned! What a great time to catch this Tony Award winning production.
Tickets are still available at http://www.arttix.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=10405
But I recommend that you call the ticket office for special seating accommodations at 801-355-ARTS (2787). Ask for seating where you will be able to read the captions – this will put you on the main floor but you will pay the ADA price, which is equivalent to the least expensive seats in the house.
Utah-CAN has worked hard to make captioned theatre a reality in Utah. Please support it so we can continue to have these opportunities. Questions? Contact Kathy Evans at patches313@msn.com.
March 2014 Holidays
2 Oscar Night 2014
4 Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)
5 Ash Wednesday
8 International Women’s Day
9 Daylight Savings Begin
17 St. Patrick Day
20 International Earth Day
20 Spring Day
Jean Massieu School News
Michelle Tanner
Although February was a short month, JMS has accomplished a great deal since the last report. Our students participated in the Western States Basketball and Cheerleading Classic. We were able to send a boys and girls basketball team. Although this was the first year for the girls in a number of years, they performed very well and won the Sportsmanship award for the tournament. Our boys’ basketball team performed very well and competed in the championship game against the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf. At the end of the game, Phoenix won by a few points. It was a heartbreaking loss for our team, but we are proud of our 2nd place finish.
We are very grateful to Craig Radford, Matt Cerar and Johnny Hill for all the time and effort they put into making this season a success. In particular, we would like to recognize Craig Radford for coaching the boys’ basketball teams over the past 10 years. He has been a tremendous asset to USD over the years and we are very appreciative of his dedication.
We hope all of you will be willing to support USD next year as Utah will be hosting the WSBCC for 2015. We will look forward to involving the community in this tournament. Stay tuned for more information over the upcoming months on how you could be of service.
This month JMS sent our kindergarten class to the Capitol for the USDB Day on the Hill. Our kindergarten students wrote letters to the legislators before arriving at the Capitol. Many legislators made personal visits to meet our students and invited them to tour some restricted areas of the Capitol. The students continued class throughout the day and were a shining example of why the USDB is such a valuable resource to the state of Utah.
All of our building blocks were highly prioritized by the Public Education Appropriations Committee at the legislature. These building blocks will provide increased funding for more teaching positions, days of professional development for our teachers, purchasing a much needed database management tool and funding for a new building to be located on the JMS Campus.
Finally, JMS held its annual science fair this month. There were numerous science fair projects submitted and many science experiments completed. We are proud of the wonderful participation of our student body and we were impressed with the knowledge that was gained by participation in this activity.
After school activities are in full swing! Girl Scouts are being held on Tuesdays and dance is being taught on Thursdays. Drama has also begun once again. We will soon be competing in a regional theatre competition. Watch for their next performance in May. We are thrilled with the number of students that have joined these activities.
Next month expect a report about the performance of our Academic Bowl team. The next sports activities of golf and soccer. We hope many students will be involved.
Thank you for all your support of JMS! We love it!!!
“Moving It Forward” Social Justice Awards
The University of Utah College of Social Work — with the ASUU student group, Voices of Diversity (VOD) — invites the community to submit nominations for the first annual Moving It Forward Social Justice Awards. These awards recognize the work of those who are dedicated to the goal of social and economic justice.
The College of Social Work, along with the Suazo family, recognizes that change comes to everything. As such, we will be moving forward with the Pete Suazo Social Justice Awards under a new name. The College of Social Work will to continue to recognize individuals and organizations who work to advance social justice advocacy and action—the individuals and organizations who keep “Moving it Forward.”
Nominees can be individuals, programs, agencies, organizations, or community leaders (public or private) who have shown initiative and leadership in furthering the cause of social and economic justice for all in the following categories: Community Organization Advocacy through Education; Individual Advocacy through Education; Community Organization Leadership and Advocacy; Individual Leadership and Advocacy; and Lifetime Achievement. Examples include, but are not limited to: developing cultural competency training programs, providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services, being instrumental in effecting policy change, or serving as an advocate for underrepresented and/or disenfranchised individuals/groups.
We will be presenting two awards: 1) one individual award, and 2) one organization award. Nomination forms can be found www.socwk.utah.edu
Completed nominations must be received by Friday, March 14, 2014. The Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 4, 2014, at the College of Social Work.
Deaf Studies Today! Conference 2014
6th Biennial Deaf Studies Today! Conference
Utah Valley University
April 10-12, 2014
The Deaf Studies Today! Conference is a professional, academic conference that brings together the brightest minds and latest thinking within the interdisciplinary field of Deaf Studies. The theme for this year’s conference is “Waypoints,” suggesting recognition of significant progress in the field while acknowledging that no final destination has been reached.
3 Excellent Keynote Speakers:
Beth Benedict
Tom Humphries
Carol Padden
This conference makes a concerted effort to combine the conference activities with a variety of concurrent events such as the expo, entertainment, kids-only storytelling sessions, etc. Participants in these events included members of the local Deaf community, students of ASL, Deaf Studies, Interpreting, etc. as well as parents of deaf children, educators, and other interested parties. Admission for parents of deaf children and for UVU students is very affordable. http://deafstudies.org/
To register: http://www.uvu.edu/asl/dst/register.html
USDB Advisory Council Openings
The State Board of Education is now seeking applications for positions on the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Advisory Council.
Interested individuals must send in the attached application, a short bio and two letters of recommendation by March 14, 2014 to:
Tamara A. Flint, Executive Assistant
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
742 Harrison Blvd.
Ogden, Utah 84404
Email: tamaraf@usdb.org
(801) 629-4712 (phone)
(801) 629 4896 (fax)
(800) 990-9328 (toll free)
Hamilton Relay $500 Scholarship
As the Telecommunications Relay and/or Captioned Telephone service provider for the State of Utah, Hamilton Relay acknowledges that opportunities for higher education affect the future of Utah’s high school students.
We are pleased to once again be extending the Hamilton Relay Scholarship opportunity to graduating high school students in Utah who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking to assist in their goals of continuing their education.
We would appreciate your assistance in sharing the attached scholarship application and information with your eligible students. Hamilton Relay selects one candidate from each of the states where Hamilton is the contracted service provider. All candidates are required to submit an application, write an essay under the topic of communication technology and provide a letter of recommendation in order to qualify. The application documents can also be found online at www.hamiltonrelay.com.
The scholarship deadline is March 3, 2014 and applications must be received or postmarked by this date. The scholarship is in the amount of $500 and the winner will be determined on or before April 30, 2014.
If you have any questions about Hamilton Relay or the Hamilton Relay Scholarship Program, please contact me directly. My contact information is listed below.
Hamilton Relay is excited to give back to the community by offering this scholarship opportunity to students who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking. We look forward to learning more about the outstanding students in Utah. Thank you for helping us share this opportunity!
Katherine Anderson, Utah Outreach Coordinator
Katie.Anderson@hamiltonrelay.com
O: 801-643-3728
F: 801- 715-3473
168 N 1950 W Suite 103,
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
Hamilton Relay Nominations for Better Hearing and Speech Month Award 2014
Hamilton Relay, the contracted service provider of Utah, is seeking your assistance in identifying candidates for the Hamilton Relay 2014 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award. We are looking for individuals who are hard of hearing, late deafened or have difficulty speaking and who have been a positive influence in Utah, demonstrating commitment to advocacy, leadership and enhancing the lives of those around them. The award will be presented during Better Hearing and Speech Month in May.
Hamilton Relay Better Hearing and Speech Award Recipients from previous years include:
Ann Lovell – 2013 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award Recipient
Kathy Evans – 2012 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award Recipient
Marilyn Call – 2011 Better Hearing and Speech Month Recognition Award Recipient
Is there someone you wish to nominate for 2014?
A questionnaire to assist in providing information about your candidate, including a brief description about the individual and what this person has done that causes you to nominate him/her. Please send your nominations directly to me by March 19th via e-mail, fax or by mail. My contact information is included under my signature below. Please contact me for the questionnaire.
Celebrating community leaders during Better Hearing and Speech Month is something we look forward to each year. Thank you in advance for your participation in nominating deserving individuals from your community. We are eager to learn more about the community leaders in Utah.
Katherine Anderson, Relay Utah Outreach Coordinator
Katie.Anderson@hamiltonrelay.com
C: (801) 643-3728
F: (801) 715-3473
Utah Deaf Academic Bowl Team Fundraiser
We are excited to have an ASL Storytelling night for our fundraiser to support the Utah Deaf Academic Bowl Team in the competition in the SouthWest Region Competition. We have asked several members of the Deaf Community to share stories for this event and are excited to share their stories with you.
This fundraiser will be held on Friday, March 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the JMS Auditorium, located at 1655 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City. Admission will be $3.00 per person or $7.00 per family (up to 6 per family).
We would love to have your SUPPORT! If you would like to make a donation to the Utah Deaf Academic Bowl outside of this event, please contact Jenefer Reudter or contact Kristi Mortensen. Their contact information is listed below.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Kristi Mortensen – kristim@usdb.org or 801-259-4001 text
Jenefer Reudter – jenefer.reudter@gmail.com or 801-726-0005 text
Coaches – Academic Bowl Team
Are You Hungry for Some Luau??
The Utah Schools for the Deaf (USD) Alumni Reunion is excited to host its first fundraising event of the year!! Come on and join us to socialize with old & new friends while enjoying delicious Luau dinner. There will be an entertainment to enjoy as well!!
The event will take place on Friday, March 14, 2014 In the Gym at the Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 5 p.m. Dinner will be provided at 6 p.m.
Pre-Paid Tickets: $5 (age 5-12); $10 (age 13 & up); $5 for 2nd Helping Plate.
Ticket includes: Dinner and Entertainment. Photo Booth will be sold separately.
**At the Door, we will only sell 40 tickets for $15 for all ages and 2nd helping plates.**
Come dressed in Polynesian styled (tropical) clothes!
Please reserve your tickets (you may pay for your tickets, you will be marked down as reserves and paid for or pay at the door, be ready to come & support the USDAR!!
Contact Anne Fife for the name and email address of an alumni close to where you live – Utah County, Weber County, Salt Lake West County, Salt Lake East County so that you can purchase tickets..
Anne Fife, (Salt Lake (East) County), tigger5lpn@gmail.com
Interpreted Plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival!
The Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City has announced their 2014 Summer and Fall seasons, including dates with interpreted performances! Captioning is also provided for these performances. Half of the plays are by Williams Shakespeare, and half are by more modern playwrights. The plays this year are:
Twelfth Night
Into the Woods
Sense and Sensibility
Measure for Measure
Henry IV Part One
The Comedy of Errors
Sherklock Holmes: The Final Adventure
Boeing Boeing
You can buy tickets at bard.org and be sure to ask for tickets in the “ASL Section”. Pass this along to anyone who may be interested!
Amelia Williams
ameliawilliams@weber.edu
Utah AB Team Leaves for Texas
By Kristi Mortensen
As of this writing, the Utah Academic Bowl team has left for the Southwestern High School Academic Bowl Competition at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. This year Southwestern Regional is experiencing downsizing in the number of teams. It usually has about 18 or 19 and this time, they have 12 teams competing this weekend. It is really sad that so many wonderful teams lost the opportunity to attend regional competitions. Utah Academic Bowl team has been very fortunate that they are able to go this weekend. We give many rounds of applause to many of you – fans, organizations, parents, families, and the Utah School for the Deaf for their huge support.
The Utah Academic Bowl team started their work in earnest in January, The team players worked really hard, collecting information and drilling themselves with speed in writing answers on a small white board. The three players worked well together in practices. Jenefer Reudter, assistant coach, is chaperoning the Utah Academic Bowl team – Danny Himes, a senior and Josette Savea, a junior, both at Skyline High, and Katie Cook, a freshman at West Hills Middle School.
Without support from you, the Utah Academic Bowl team would not have the opportunity to attend the regional competition. The support you give is very important and we thank you all. Who knows – if our team wins the championship – they get to go to the national competition in Washington, DC in April. The Utah Academic Bowl team must do a lot of fundraising events to earn money to help them attend the yearly regional competitions. The regional competition are held in different states in the Southwestern part of the United States. It includes Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama.
The next issue of the UAD Bulletin will give the news about the competitions in Texas. .The UAD Announce will also give up to date information about the competitions.
The Utah Academic Bowl team is having a fun fundraising event on March 7 on Friday evening from 6 pm till 7 30 pm at the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf at 1655 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City. The admission prices are $3.00 per person and/or $7.00 per family of 6. This is going to be a truly fun filled evening for families with several storytellers telling a story in American Sign Language. And for those who are not able to come to the event but want to donate money to support the team: we are always happy to receive donations from you. When you do, be sure to write a check payable to Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind and include on the memo line, ACADEMIC BOWL, and mail it to Kristi Mortensen, Utah Academic Bowl Coach, 1115 Sunnyside Ave, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102.
We definitely do look forward to seeing you at Jean Massieu School of the Deaf on March 7. You don’t want to miss this event!
Deaf Parent Infant Program
By Paula Pittman
The Parent Infant Program was able to implement a new pilot project, called Listening Time, in January, 2014. We had originally hoped to begin the program last October, but we had some logistical challenges that prevented us from beginning until January. This project provides listening skills training to children and families in our program and is open to any child over the age of 18 months who is wearing his or her listening device all waking hours and whose family is committed to helping their child use their residual hearing to the best of their ability, regardless of the communication approach or approaches the family is using to interact with their child. We currently have 8 children involved in this program, and hope to continue it next year. We look forward to gathering progress data on the children and will be gathering information from families to determine their satisfaction from the service to determine if the project should be sustainable.
We are looking forward to sponsoring a Parent Retreat in conjunction with the Blind PIP Program for all of the families in Deaf or Blind PIP on Friday evening, March 21 and all day Saturday, March 22 at the Robert Sanderson Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We are so grateful to the Deaf Center for their continued support of PIP! We hosted a Parent Retreat last year for our families, which was rated as one of the best events we offered last year. We hope families will be equally satisfied with the Parent Retreat this year. Our theme this year is “A License to Chill”, and we will be helping families explore ways they can take care of themselves first so they have enough energy to take care of their child who is deaf or hard of hearing. This is the only event we have all year that is a ‘parents only’ activity. We have a variety of speakers who will be presenting on a variety of topics that will be of interest to families.
We are still looking for an ASL/English Orientation Specialist and we are looking forward to hiring a new Deaf Mentor, so if anyone is interested in working in PIP in either of these capacities, please consider joining our team. We have more fun things planned for the Summer, so stay tuned to hear about what will be doing in the months to come!
0 Comments