On October 21st, seniors in the Professions in Deafness (PID) program instructed their first webinar for teachers of Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students across North Carolina.
The webinar was titled “Online Resources for Online Instruction” and it was the first in what will be a series of webinars. It was attended virtually by more than 30 educators from 18 different counties as well as from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
These efforts are headed by Alexis Johnson (Deaf Education) as part of her Senior Honors Project, and address a need expressed by NCDPI. Others involved included Deaf Education seniors Emily Berger, Jordon Lilly, and Abigail Smith. Interpreting seniors Kristine Coppley and Makayla Radford provided the American Sign Language translation.
On November 12th, the PID students held two more webinars with the theme “Zombie Outbreak.” The first session was designed for DHH children who use listening and spoken English, and the second session was designed for DHH children who use ASL. Dr. Claudia Pagliaro (SES professor) and Alexis Johnson led these efforts with the help of Kailyn Herold-Rhoe (an Advocacy senior) and Avery Campbell (an Interpreting senior).
More webinars are planned for DHH children and their families across North Carolina. The next session will be for families of DHH students grades 7-12, and will focus on mental health — including resources, information, and signs (ASL and indicators). Date TBD.
