This month's newsletter features stories on DDW's organizational development work in Costa Rica, Deaf youth in Pakistan, a cultural exchange in Ethiopia, and the history of International Week of the Deaf.
Volume 6, Issue 1 September 2012 The Magic of Organizational Development: Working with Siglo 21 in Costa Rica www.discoveringdeafworlds.org By W. Scot Atkins, Ed.D. A colleague asked me what organization- al development was like in working with DDW. I replied that it was “like magic.” I am sure that this made my colleague think of Da- vid, Davin and me pull- ing rabbits out of hats, sawing each other in half, and making each other disappear. No, nothing of that sort happened. However, DDW’s or- ganizational development process in both Costa Rica and the Philippines revealed itself in a magical way. This is what happens when a group of highly motivated people gets together, there is a pressing problem, and there is a facilitation process that provides direction to foster changes within their countries. The process is both overwhelming and magnificent. To illustrate this process, I will share our initial work in Costa Rica with Siglo 21 last summer. I joined DDW as a volunteer because DDW want- ed someone who had knowledge and background in organizational development. Our first trip was to San Jose, Costa Rica, to meet with a newly formed group of seven very highly motivated individuals. Several times during the week, David shared that he was nervous about how the week would unfold and whether or not we would be effective in helping Equipo Siglo 21 (which translates to Team 21 st Century) to achieve its goals. I told David we needed to “trust the process” because if the right people were in the room, they would make it happen. Even so, I was apprehensive because I was also unsure what the outcomes would be, even though such acts of facilitation tend to work. After conducting interviews with differ- ent stakeholders, Da- vid and I showed the group the interview data. They were very engaged and thought- ful as they discussed the data. David and I were mere facilitators, asking questions such as, “What do you think about this?”, “What do you want to do with the information?” and “Where do you want to go with this?” Just like magic, the answers came from them. In no way did we offer advice unless they asked for ideas on how they could achieve certain things. For example, during the interviews, we discovered 22 goals that the group wanted to achieve. David and I discussed how to proceed with the next step because we both knew that 22 goals were probably unmanage- able. We decided to ask the Siglo 21 members what they should do next, instead of telling them that they needed to streamline their goals. At the next meeting, we showed them the 22 goals, and everyone went silent for a few minutes, over- whelmed by the sheer number of goals. Finally, one of the members stood up and explained his concern that there were too many goals and they needed to con- dense the list. After much discussion, everyone soon agreed. We decided that we would spend the next day prioritizing and coming up with action plans. This gave the group time to “sleep on their ideas” and come back with a fresh outlook. We assembled the next day and immediately delved into a discussion of the goals posted around the room. The DDW and Siglo 21 teams.
Transcript
September 2012 1
Volume 6, Issue 1
September 2012
The Magic of Organizational Development: Working with Siglo 21 in Costa Rica
www.discoveringdeafworlds.org
By W. Scot Atkins, Ed.D.
A colleague asked
me what organization-al development was like in working with DDW. I replied that it was “like magic.” I am sure that this made my colleague think of Da-vid, Davin and me pull-ing rabbits out of hats, sawing each other in half, and making each other disappear. No, nothing of that sort happened. However, DDW’s or-ganizational development process in both Costa Rica and the Philippines revealed itself in a magical way. This is what happens when a group of highly motivated people gets together, there is a pressing problem, and there is a facilitation process that provides direction to foster changes within their countries. The process is both overwhelming and magnificent. To illustrate this process, I will share our initial work in Costa Rica with Siglo 21 last summer.
I joined DDW as a volunteer because DDW want-ed someone who had knowledge and background in organizational development. Our first trip was to San Jose, Costa Rica, to meet with a newly formed group of seven very highly motivated individuals. Several times during the week, David shared that he was nervous about how the week would unfold and whether or not we would be effective in helping Equipo Siglo 21 (which translates to Team 21st Century) to achieve its goals. I told David we needed to “trust the process” because if the right people were in the room, they would make it happen. Even so, I was apprehensive because I was also unsure what the outcomes would be, even though
such acts of facilitation tend to work.
After conducting interviews with differ-ent stakeholders, Da-vid and I showed the group the interview data. They were very engaged and thought-ful as they discussed the data. David and I were mere facilitators, asking questions such as, “What do you think about this?”, “What do you want to do with the
information?” and “Where do you want to go with this?” Just like magic, the answers came from them.
In no way did we offer advice unless they asked for ideas on how they could achieve certain things. For example, during the interviews, we discovered 22 goals that the group wanted to achieve. David and I discussed how to proceed with the next step because we both knew that 22 goals were probably unmanage-able. We decided to ask the Siglo 21 members what they should do next, instead of telling them that they needed to streamline their goals.
At the next meeting, we showed them the 22 goals, and everyone went silent for a few minutes, over-whelmed by the sheer number of goals. Finally, one of the members stood up and explained his concern that there were too many goals and they needed to con-dense the list. After much discussion, everyone soon agreed. We decided that we would spend the next day prioritizing and coming up with action plans. This gave the group time to “sleep on their ideas” and come back with a fresh outlook.
We assembled the next day and immediately delved into a discussion of the goals posted around the room.
The DDW and Siglo 21 teams.
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After much discussion, we asked the group if they were ready to start the process of streamlining those goals. Each person would get five red stickers to vote for the goal or goals that he or she wanted to focus on. All five stickers could be put on one goal or they could disperse the stickers among several goals. David and I were mesmerized as we watched them place stickers and the goals quickly became clear. The group mem-bers looked at each other with satisfaction. For the next several hours, we discussed the identified goals
and came up with initial action plans. Siglo 21 quickly developed a preliminary plan. Wasn’t that magic?
The process is not over. In the weeks since, the Si-glo 21 members have come together to flesh out their plans and begin their work in earnest. I received an email from Siglo 21 with an outline of what has trans-pired and what will happen in the next few months. The Siglo 21 folks have certainly accomplished a lot and will do great things in the years to come. This is the crux of what DDW is all about—unleashing the magic in others so that they can have the skills and the tools to be able to do good things in their countries themselves.
Scot Atkins, Ed.D., is DDW’s volunteer organization-al development consultant, working in the Philippines and Costa Rica. He has over 20 years of experience in human resources, organizational development and training. He has done organizational development work in other countries, including an in-depth project in Kiev, Ukraine, and is now working on several re-search initiatives regarding deaf entrepreneurship. He is a faculty member in the Rochester Institute of Tech-nology’s NTID Business Studies Department.
Siglo 21 team members discuss how to best prioritize their goals.
What is organizational development?Sometimes, people in organizations get stuck trying to address the many demands they encounter
on the path to achieving their goals. Sometimes leaders are stuck in trying to facilitate a process that will help prioritize their goals. Sometimes, people in an organization need an outside perspective, to see things in a new light.
Organizational development (OD) is the process of having a change agent that helps unlock the po-tential within specific organizations. OD has taken off as a legitimate field as teams and organizations cope with the need for sustainable change. According to Edgar Schein, one of the foremost experts on OD, a key element involves generating dialogue to institute change within organizations. Discovering Deaf Worlds, as part of its new operational plan, has adopted this approach.
The hard work of ensuring positive social change within a community cannot happen in a short amount of time. DDW has established long-term commitments with specific deaf-related organizations in Costa Rica and the Philippines.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that these groups are sustainable by ensuring they develop the structure and leadership for long-term success. DDW’s vision is for people in the partner groups to facilitate the change process for other groups, and continue their good work long after their collabora-tion with DDW has ended.
If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the end-less immensity of the sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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FESF Pakistan: Investing in the youth of today to build the leaders of tomorrow
By Aaron Geary
There are upwards of 1.5 million Deaf children in Pakistan of school age, yet because they lack educa-tional opportunities, less than 5% attend school. Em-powerment through academic education and skills training can ensure that Deaf children are given the chance to succeed and lead a quality life.
Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) is a non-profit, educational, volunteer organization estab-lished in Pakistan in 1984. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for all members of the community, espe-cially the disadvantaged. FESF invests in the lives of youth today to build the leaders of tomorrow, providing knowledge and education and guidance to strengthen them, their families and their communities.
FESF currently administers several programs, including Deaf Reach (DR) Schools and Training Centers, Eduserve Training, Youth Leadership Devel-opment, and Community Services programs.
DR Schools and Training Centers offer academic and vocational training for Deaf students, empowering them to become knowledgeable, self-sufficient, and di-verse in their talents and abilities. Seven schools and centers are located in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Lahore, with a new large campus un-der construction in Rashidabad, Tando Allahyar. Focus on the training of parents, families and communities is emphasized. This holistic, community-centered ap-proach is an educational model that can meet the in-creasing need for Deaf education in Pakistan, and is replicable in all areas of the country.
Deaf Reach SchoolsDeaf Reach Schools provide a supportive environ-
ment where Deaf students can receive quality educa-tion and an introduction to a variety of skills. Since the majority of students come from low-income families, education, transportation, uniforms, and all school ma-terials are provided free of cost. Classes for the 813 students range from KG-Class 10. The curriculum emphasizes interactive learning and student participa-tion, and includes a variety of field trips. All students are given introductory training in a variety of vocational skills, which can later be mastered according to their preferences and abilities.
Mentoring ProgramOf 72 full-time teachers, 65% are Deaf. There were
30 new teachers added to the staff this past year. Se-nior Deaf students began a unique internship program working as teacher’s assistants in the morning, then continuing their personal studies in the afternoon. This peer learning model has had a very positive impact on the younger children, and fosters the skills to ultimately become a teacher of Deaf students, building local ca-pacity in the country to help meet this great need.
Deaf Reach Training CentersDR Training Centers provide training in marketable
skills and preparation for entering the job market. Certi-fied vocational courses develop student skills in such areas as information technology, hardware and net-working, tailoring, sewing and embroidery, cooking and nutrition, and handicrafts. Via the Financial Inclusion Program, students are trained with the goal of self-reli-ance via employment and/or income-generating skills.
Over 100 students were connected to jobs this past year. Twenty-six new Deaf teachers, the majority being former DR School students, were trained and then hired to teach in the DR school system. FESF is proud to partner with the following organizations to provide jobs for the Deaf: Shell Ltd., six KFC restau-rant branches, UBL Bank, DHL Global Forwarding, and Continental Biscuits Ltd.
The DR Program was founded by Richard and Vic-toria Geary, FESF directors and the parents of a Deaf child. The program was initiated in 1986 in the Philip-pines, and came to Pakistan in 1992 when an informal education club for the Deaf was established in Karachi
The students at right have been with Deaf Reach schools for more than four years.
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This was formalized in 1999 when the first Deaf Reach School and Training Center opened in a small center in the heart of Karachi. From there the school grew quickly; there are now two campuses in Karachi, with branches in rural Pakistan, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Lahore.
DR is the only school for Deaf students in Pakistan with a branch network. It currently employs 152 full-time salaried teachers and staff. DR is also lending its expertise and experience to benefit a partner organization in Adana, Turkey. A memorandum of understanding was signed in early 2012, ensuring that the exchange of teach-ers, information, curriculum and vocational courses will be freely shared between the partner organizations. The DR school in Turkey opened in March 2012.
For more information, visit www.fesf.org.pk or email [email protected].
One of Deaf Reach’s original students, Abdul Majeed, is now one of the school’s leading
English instructors.
Deaf interns work at a restaurant in Karachi’s most prestigious hotel.
September 2012 5
Deaf Youth Empowerment in Ethiopia
By Dr. Betsy Finigan
The Deaf Youth Education and Empowerment Proj-ect brought together seven international volunteers from the United States, two Deaf professionals from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and two Ethiopian interpret-ing/sign language experts, for a unique program in Ethiopia.
In Addis Ababa, we toured the Deaf Development and Information Association (DDIA), formed to pro-mote independence, job skills training and sports ac-tivities for Deaf people. The first of its kind in Ethiopia, DDIA is an organization of primarily Deaf profession-als working to engage and empower Deaf people. The association director, Workneh Getachew, who is Deaf, presented a workshop on the organization’s history, current activities, and hopes for the future.
Our second activity in Addis Ababa was an after-noon lecture and workshop conducted with the Addis Ababa University Department of Linguistics, where the bachelor’s degree program in sign language prepares both teachers of Deaf students and Ethiopian Sign Language Interpreters. Our group provided a lecture to Deaf and hearing students, which was also attend-ed by Deaf and hearing faculty members.
I shared my reflections as a researcher, sign lan-guage interpreter and teacher of deaf students in a presentation, Lessons from the Field: An Ally to the Deaf Community. I presented in American Sign Lan-guage with slides. Volunteers and program participants divided into groups of Deaf and hearing colleagues to discuss how working together as allies with common goals could be applied at Addis Ababa University.
The next day, we piled into a van for the 10-hour drive to Bahir Dar, on the shores of Lake Tana, a ru-
ral and remote area in northwest Ethiopia. Education for Deaf children is rudimentary and services for Deaf adults are non-existent. The Ethiopian Deaf Youth Em-powerment Program (DYEP) provided a one-week, camp-like experience for Deaf children, demonstrated integrative teaching activities to teachers in the region, introduced Deaf professionals from Addis Ababa to the educators in this rural part of Ethiopia, and pro-vided volunteers a chance to impact the lives of Deaf children.
During the school year, more than 2,000 children attend Primary School #23 in two shifts. Classrooms have no electricity, toilet facilities or cafeterias. Deaf students have only four grades and teachers have lim-ited knowledge or training in deaf education. Once the four grades are completed, Deaf children are placed in regular classrooms; most drop out. Approximately 25 Deaf children are in primary classes, but estimates in the catchment area are believed to be much larger.
The DYEP provided four days of activities fol-lowed by a one-day field trip. Children were divided into groups by language level, rather than by age. The children’s focus was on using interaction and fun ex-periences to create a bracelet or painting. Projects re-quired cooperation (team games and group activities) and allowed the children to express their preferences, needs, and pride of accomplishment. Each child was given a place on the classroom wall to display his or her projects. Activities promoted the children’s grow-ing confidence and pride. Teachers learned to think on their feet, allow children to make choices, and follow natural language development. Deaf professionals from Addis provided role modeling as successful Deaf adults and we all behaved as allies as an example for the children.
Dr. Betsy Finigan (back center) and project participants act out their favorite animal signs.
Participants follow program co-leader Greg Buie to lunch.
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Call for contributing writers!
On our field trip, the bus ride included 35 Deaf chil-dren, our team, the school’s vice principal, and an ed-ucation professional from the district. The ride to the Blue Nile Falls was a jumble of dancing, children laugh-ing and deeply pitted roads. We hiked to the falls over a suspension bridge 300 feet above the Blue Nile and although some were tentative at first, all of us made it across. The children beamed with pride on the other side.
Our trip was a success. We introduced the concept of allies at the university and in two cities of Ethiopia. We provided a first-of-its-kind experiential learning pro-gram to Deaf children, their teachers, Deaf profession-als, and Department of Education representatives in
Bahir Dar. We have been invited back and hope to return in 2013 with more volunteers!
May I stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership… Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
What is DDW?Discovering Deaf Worlds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit international Deaf advocacy or-ganization dedicated to empowering Deaf and hard of hearing communities in devel-oping countries. DDW strives to advance the capacity of local Deaf communities around the globe to meet their social, edu-cational and employment needs.
For more information, visit:www.discoveringdeafworlds.org.
The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) first launched International Day of the Deaf in 1958. Later, this day was extended to a full week, which commemorates the first World Congress of WFD that took place in Septem-ber 1951.
The International Week of the Deaf (IWD) is observed each year during the last full week of September, and culminates with the International Day of the Deaf on the last Sunday of the month.
According to the WFD, “the purpose of IWD is to draw the attention of politicians, authorities and the general public to the achievements of Deaf people and the concerns of the Deaf community. During this week, organ-isations of Deaf people worldwide are encouraged to carry out information campaigns about their work, and to publicise their demands and requests. This week also increases solidarity among Deaf people and their sup-porters, and is used as a time to stimulate greater efforts to promote the rights of Deaf people throughout the world.”
This year’s International Week of the Deaf will take place from September 24-30, and the theme is “Sign Bilin-gualism is a Human Right.” For more information, visit www.wfdeaf.org/news/international-week-of-the-deaf-2012.
Source: https://wfdeaf.org
Did You Know? International Deaf Week
University of Rochester ASL Program on Oct. 12
In or around Roch-ester, NY this fall? Come celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the University of Roch-ester ASL Program on Friday, October 12th! DDW will present at the ASL Program Gone Global banquet from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
at the Staybridge Suites. For tickets and more informa-tion, visit www.rochester.edu/melioraweekend/Schedule/Detail/1069.
View DDW’s weekly vlogs
Our deeds still travel with us from afar, and what we have been makes us what we are. –George Eliot
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Bernard Bragg: You have been one of our most loyal supporters for the past two years and we are grateful to have you on board! Exciting things are in store for DDW and we look forward to your creative ideas on future cross-cultural exchanges. Margit Brazda Poirier: You have helped DDW achieve one of its greatest accomplishments to date! Thank you for your service in writing the Department of State Empower Community Program grant. This proposal’s positive results would not have been possible without your help. We are ready to go to work!
Jim and Pat DeCaro: You are very generous people! Happy 40th Anniversary, and thank you for opening up an opportunity to support DDW among your closest families and friends. We are grateful! Franz Knupfer:THANK YOU! We might never have learned about the State Department grant opportunity if not for your referral. We appreciate you thinking of DDW; that email you sent us last April has led to an incredible opportunity for DDW!
Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!
Check out DDW’s weekly vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html
