NEW DIRECTIONS IN DEAF EDUCATION VOL. 21 • 2020 ODYSSEY Diversity and Fostering Inclusive Learning ODYSSEY Roberta J. Cordano , President, Gallaudet University Marianne Belsky , Chief Academic Officer, Clerc Center Nicole Sutliffe , Chief Administrative Officer, Clerc Center Leslie Page , Interim Co-Director, Planning, Development, and Dissemination Debra Trapani , Interim Co-Director, Planning, Development, and Dissemination Catherine Valcourt-Pearce , Managing Editor, Catherine.Valcourt- [email protected] Sara Stallard , Editorial Advisor, [email protected] Cathryn Carroll , Content Editor, [email protected] Aparna Lele , Manager, Public Relations and Communications, [email protected] Matthew Vita , Photographer, [email protected] Michelle Jefferson , Circulation, [email protected] John T. Consoli , Image Impact Design & Photography, Inc. ODYSSEY • CLERC CENTER MISSION STATEMENT The Clerc Center, a federally funded national deaf education center, ensures that the diverse population of deaf and hard of hearing students (birth through age 21) in the nation are educated and empowered and have the linguistic competence to maximize their potential as productive and contributing members of society. This is accomplished through early access to and acquisition of language, excellence in teaching, family involvement, research, identification and implementation of best practices, collaboration, and information sharing among schools and programs across the nation. Published articles are the personal expressions of their authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Gallaudet University or the Clerc Center. Copyright © 2020 by Gallaudet University Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. The Clerc Center includes Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and units that work with schools and programs throughout the country. All rights reserved. Subscription information: Subscribe to Odyssey by visiting http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu and clicking on the Subscribe tab at the top of our webpage. The activities reported in this publication were supported by federal funding. Publication of these activities shall not imply approval or acceptance by the U.S. Department of Education of the findings, conclusions, or recommendations herein. Gallaudet University is an equal opportunity employer/educational institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, hearing status, disability, covered veteran status, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of business or residence, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other unlawful basis. About the cover: Taiyabah Naeem, one of the inclusive excellence ambassadors from the Clerc Center, answers questions from middle school students after a presentation on her culture. Learn more about how Gallaudet and the Clerc Center are fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion on page 76. We would like to thank all of our student, parent, teacher, and staff models from the Clerc Center, and Cathleen Kleiler and Brad Weiner from Stephen Knolls School, for their assistance in illustrating this issue. NEW DIRECTIONS IN DEAF EDUCATION VOL. 21 • 2020 FEATURES LETTER FROM THE CAOS WHY DEAF EDUCATION MATTERS: 3 By Marianne Belsky and Nicole Sutliffe 52 INCLUDING DEAF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES 4 GRANDPARENTS, PARENTS, CHILDREN— By Flavia Fleischer, Rachel Friedman Narr, and AND FOUR LANGUAGES: A DEAF Will Garrow FAMILY’S STORY By Norma Morán and Franklin C. Torres HARD TRUTHS ABOUT SUSPENSION AND 8 58 SOCIAL JUSTICE: A LOOK AT A SCHOOL 8 FAMILY LANGUAGE PLANNING WITH DEAF FOR DEAF STUDENTS AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN: By Todd LaMarr and Lisalee D. Egbert FOSTERING MULTILINGUAL DEVELOPMENT LESSONS LEARNED: A RETIRED PRINCIPAL By Christi Batamula, Bobbie Jo Kite Herbold, 62 RETURNING TO UNIVERSITY TEACHING and Julie Mitchiner OFFERS ADVICE FOR NEW TEACHERS By Candi Mascia Reed GENDER INCLUSION IN THE CLERC 14 CENTER’S DEMONSTRATION SCHOOLS 18 FIRST COMES A LOOK AT THE SELF: By Stephen Farias 66 INTEGRATING THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO A TEACHER PREPARATION MAKING ARTS EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE PROGRAM 18 FOR DEAF CHILDREN WITH MULTIPLE By Gloshanda Lawyer, Cheryl Shahan, Leala DISABILITIES: A PARTNERSHIP Holcomb, and David H. Smith By Michelle A. Veyvoda and Jodi L. Falk FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: A TOOL FOR IN THE U.S. MILITARY: GLEANING 72 CLOSING ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN DIVERSE 24 SUPPORT FOR OUR DEAF SONS 24 CLASSROOMS By LaShawna Sims By Julie Tibbitt INCREASING SOCIAL AWARENESS FOR FOSTERING EQUITY AND INCLUSION AT 28 DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN 76 THE CLERC CENTER AND GALLAUDET ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM: INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITY: THREE PERSPECTIVES STRATEGIES By Lisa Montalvo, Taiyabah Naeem, and Lia By Patrick Graham, Raschelle Neild, and Aaron Bengtson Shield 34 THE BACK PAGE: EMBRACING DIVERSITY YES, WE CAN!: ADDRESSING PERSONAL 88 AND INCLUSION IN OUR SCHOOLS: 34 AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN EMPOWERING ALL EVIDENCE-BASED READING INSTRUCTION By Evon J. Black By Jennifer S. Beal and Davinique Small TERESA: CURIOUS AND FUN LOVING— CLERC CENTER NEWS 40 A FAMILY’S JOURNEY By Kristi Arsenault 83 Seeking Submissions for the 2021 Issue of 44 Odyssey SHARED CULTURAL CONNECTIONS HELP REAL Project: A New Partnership Between the 44 STUDENTS ANALYZE LITERATURE 84 Clerc Center and AIDB By Arathy Manoharan 84 Clerc Center Partners with Michigan ONE-STOP LESSON PLANNING: HOW Department of Education to Support MSD 48 UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING CAN 85 Focusing on Early Accessible Language Webcast HELP STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD 85 Free Online Training from the Clerc Center OF HEARING for Parent Leaders By Katie Taylor 76 86 Clerc Center Hosts Educatio n&Advocacy Summit 87 Clerc Center Educators Present at NCTE 2020 ODYSSEY 1 LETTER FROM THE CAOS Preparing Today’s Students to Be WHILE NCAiVtIiGzAeTnINsG o Af C tHhAeN GWINGo LrAldNDSCAPE “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro As we move through this time of a worldwide anti-racist protest movement and calls for change against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been heartened to see communities and individuals pulling together to support each other across the nation. The pandemic upended school life, and we spent vast amounts of time and care working with families, teachers, staff, and administrators in making the switch to online learning. With the death of George Floyd, the national dialogue quickly shifted to racial justice, spearheaded by the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to dismantle systemic racism at all levels of our communities, including in our schools. In many ways, these crises have brought to the forefront the inequities of our communities and challenges faced by both schools and families in providing education Marianne Belsky in this new reality. Our commitment to inclusive practices in education remains as important as ever while the demographics of schools across the United States continue to rapidly shift. How do we foster the senses of belonging, ownership, social justice, social-emotional growth, and personal connection in the learning experiences of students coming from backgrounds and homes that vary by race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, locality, age, level of education, disability, language use, and other social conditions? In this issue of Odyssey , compiled prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide protests, professionals and families share stories and experiences on a multitude of topics. Gloshanda Lawyer, Cheryl Shahan, Leala Holcomb, and David H. Smith discuss how to integrate principles of social justice into a teacher preparation Nicole Sutliffe program. Arathy Manoharan discusses the anti-bias curriculum related to young adult literature that she utilizes in her high school English classroom. LaShawna Sims, who is part of a military family, shares how she acquired services and support for her children with cochlear implants. Flavia Fleischer, Rachel Friedman-Narr, and Will Garrow explain the importance of Deaf Community Cultural Wealth for deaf students with disabilities. Also included are articles about promoting gender inclusivity in schools, a parent’s journey from identifying her deaf-blind daughter’s medical issues to finding the appropriate educational placement, making arts education accessible for deaf children with multiple disabilities, and how to utilize Universal Design for Learning. Evon J. Black reflects on the theme of this issue in her endnote, sharing how embracing diversity and inclusion in our schools empowers everyone and how there is still much work to be done. Next year’s Odyssey issue will focus on transformative practices in education, collaboration, and administration. We must direct our focus to the profound and vital changes now taking place in education—not only through innovative approaches involving interpersonal and technological skills but also, more importantly, through leveraging strategies and committing to new practices aimed at dismantling systemic racism and other forms of inequities in our schools and educational programs. Please share your stories with us at [email protected] . —Marianne Belsky and Nicole Sutliffe Chief Academic Officer/Chief Administrative Officer Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Gallaudet University