December 2011 1

Volume 5, Issue 2

December 2011

2011: A Year in Review

www.discoveringdeafworlds.org

What a year it’s been! In the past 12 months, DDW has made a number of accomplishments in its mission to reinforce local capacities of Deaf and hard of hear-ing individuals in developing countries. Here are just a few examples:Partnered with Costa Rican Deaf community leaders to develop the SIGLO 21 project. When our staff first visited Costa Rica in March 2010, we asked what issues the Deaf community was facing, and were given a long list: 90% illiteracy rate among Deaf people, only 10 qualified interpreters in the whole country, limited job opportunities for Deaf people, and so on. The SIGLO 21 Team, led by Leo Lopez, indicated one of the most critical issues was that Deaf students do not learn on par with their hearing classmates because their teachers do not sign well. There is limited communication accessibility.

Over the past year, we have had extensive dialogue with Leo and his team. What started as making a DVD on LESCO has since evolved into a 10-step plan the SIGLO 21 team created to lobby the government for bilingual-bicultural Deaf education. DDW will continue to provide organizational development training, maxi-mizing local skills and capability to fulfill this project for

a nationwide impact on Deaf education.Led two successful DDW Journeys programs in Thailand/Cambodia and Costa Rica. Over 25 participants from England, Germany, Australia, and the United States joined our staff visiting local Deaf schools and non-profits focused on Deaf advocacy work. A participant said, “This was truly a life-changing experience. Our group learned firsthand about native sign language, culture, history, and local foods. We visited various organizations and met incredible individuals striving to promote and empower Deaf people through vocational training, education and communication access. This opened my eyes to the needs of others around the globe!”Promoted the efforts of Deaf advocacy leaders around the world. DDW has shared numerous success stories with 10,000-plus people worldwide—people like you! We have encountered many extraordinary individuals and organizations that are making a difference, and we are always delighted to share their stories with others. Take a look at what Deaf advocates around the globe are doing through our vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html.

DDW also attended the World Federation of the Deaf XVI World Congress in South Africa, expanded its international network to over 250 schools and or-ganizations in 50 countries, and added two new board members—and we are still 100% volunteer-run!

As 2012 approaches, we eagerly look forward to expanding DDW’s organizational development and capacity-building efforts with our partner organiza-tions in the Philippines, Costa Rica, India, and other countries. Our board of directors and staff have been hard at work to strengthen DDW’s mission, strategy and impact. None of this would be possible without your support.

Whether or not we see each other once a month, once a year, or have yet to meet in person, please know that we appreciate each and every one of you. It is truly inspiring to know that so many people believe in us. We are immensely grateful to start this new year with all of you and wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy 2012.

The DDW Journeys group at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

2 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Reflections from a Deaf Moroccan By Marouane Idrissi

I am from Morocco, where we welcome visitors with a dish of chicken, sweet French fries and olive oil, and our famous mint tea. In Casablanca, people mill around everyday in the main square selling clothes, tea, art, and other things. Friday is our holy day, and the city is very quiet. The men are in mosque and the women are home cooking a special meal of couscous, vegetables, and beef or chicken. At three in the afternoon, after ev-eryone has eaten, the city returns to its normal, lively state.

My father is from a farm outside Casablanca; my mother is from the city. When they first found out I was Deaf, my parents panicked, but the older Deaf people at my school in Casablanca reassured them. I admired the fluent, poetic sign language of the older Deaf stu-dents at the school, and they taught me their language. They said they could not write and that sign was their only language; they told me one day I would understand why this was.

My classmates wondered why the teachers were not more concerned with our reading and writing, but we were too afraid of them to push the point. When my parents realized my writing and reading were not up to par, my father tutored me, pressing lessons into me with spanks and smacks.

Mehdi, my best friend, had Deaf parents. I often visited their house and talked with his father, Ahmed, who is now deceased. Ahmed said that he had gone to school with Jewish Deaf children who had found refuge in Morocco after World War II, before they went to Pal-estine. Ahmed said the school was very good, but when the Jews left and hearing Moroccans took over teaching responsibilities, the standard of education went down. This made him very emotional.

I asked Ahmed if he thought the future held promise for Deaf people of Morocco. He said he doubted it, that he had been optimistic in his youth but had become tired and jaded after years of unsuccessfully trying to fight discrimination. The lack of hope that Ahmed felt for the Deaf community in Morocco moved me deeply and made me determined to make a difference one day. I did not want to see myself lost and dependent, as so many older Moroccan Deaf people seemed to be.

As my friends and I finished school, we began to look for jobs. We were patronized and told we were only fit to scrub floors and tables, but I found a job in the candy factory where my father worked for many years before he retired last year.

Around this time, I met a Deaf girl from London, who encouraged me to move there. My parents were wor-ried about me, but I told them I needed to go and try my luck. I had money saved up from my job. I was sad to leave my soil, the country I was brought up in, my culture, but I went to London. I immediately went to the local Deaf club, learned the sign language and began to realize all the things Deaf people in my country do not have.

The first time I returned to Morocco after moving to London, my parents saw my increased confidence and ambition. They now recognize the value of sign language. My mother was even inspired to volunteer with Deaf children, and successfully campaigned to get funds for them. My younger brother, who is also Deaf, is still in Casablanca, where he works six days a week with many other Deaf people at a jewelry workshop. Af-ter work, he comes home and talks with other Deaf men over coffee, though he still cannot write or read.

Now I am working to bring even more to the Deaf people of Morocco. I have a hearing contact who works in the court system in Casablanca and has seen other disabled groups fight for their rights. He tells me it is time for our Deaf community to fight, and I am fighting. My friends and I decided to advocate for a government assessment of the Deaf school in Casablanca. Once I gather enough resources and knowledge about what Deaf people in other parts of the world have access to, I will begin to organize my appeal to the government.

We are also recruiting teachers of the Deaf from Eu-rope to visit Morocco and train Deaf people to educate Deaf children on par with hearing children. We hope to see the Deaf clubs reopen, promote access to interpret-

A young Marouane and his classmates.

Continued on page 4

December 2011 3

Marouane Idrissi is advocating for improved Deaf rights and education in Morocco.

4 Discovering Deaf Worlds

• Morocco gained independence from France in 1956.• The University in Fes, founded in 859 AD, claims to be the oldest

university in the world.• The official language of Morocco is Arabic. However, Berber (another

dialect) and French are also spoken widely.• Date palms, which can remain productive for over a hundred years,

have always been important in Morocco. It used to be unlawful to sell a tree, because the tree was the family’s source of food.

• It is said that the Greek hero Hercules decided to pull Africa and Spain apart, using Gibraltar and the Moroccan mountain of Jbel Musa as his handgrips. They are known as the Pillars of Hercules.

Did You Know?

ers, people signing on television, and a weekly television show for Deaf people similar to the ones in the UK. This would help the government become more Deaf-aware.

The support of individuals from the global Deaf com-munity—individuals knowledgeable about what resources can benefit Deaf people and who are proof of what Deaf people can do if offered opportunities —will help us show the government what is possible for the Deaf people of Morocco. The Deaf community of Morocco will always be thankful for this support and will deeply value our relation-ship with the global Deaf community. With this, we can forge a strong, steady path forward for the Deaf people in Morocco.

For more information on the Deaf community in Mo-rocco, contact Marouane Idrissi at idrissi_casablnca@hotmail.com.

Continued from page 2

A Deaf Moroccan

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.

Check out DDW’s weekly vlogs at www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/videos/frontpage.html!

View DDW’s weekly vlogs

There is always room in your life for thinking bigger, pushing limits and imagining the impossible.

– Tony Robbins

December 2011 5

A Support Group for Parents of Deaf Children in Kenya Has Been Born By Ruth Akinyi

The Mombasa Deaf Children Parents Group was formed in August 2011 following a proposal made by Ruth Akinyi. Her time spent teaching sign language to deaf children, as well as her constant contact with their parents, has added a wealth of knowledge re-garding deep-rooted conflicts between parents, Deaf children, and non-Deaf siblings.

The primary mission of this recently established support group is to create a conducive family environ-ment for Deaf children through community awareness education and communication training of both Deaf children and their parents so that these children will no longer be seen as a “family burden.” This support group envisions a community where all Deaf children receive equal care, education and other opportunities through informed parents and the general public.

In just four months, the group has attracted 13 par-ents, with a number of other parents inquiring. Ruth has taken on the role of program chair, sign language instructor, and finance officer, often donating her time to this cause.

This group provides a forum for parents to come together to share experiences and new knowledge. They will learn how other parents cope with the chal-lenge of caring for their Deaf children, strategies for proper communication, how to teach Deaf chil-dren sign language, and the opportunities available for Deaf education, sponsorship, government plans, employment, and sources of funding for the Deaf in Mombasa and throughout Kenya. In addition, this

group will share skills and experiences with hardship resolutions, respect for parents, and other unexpect-ed developments.

For this support group to achieve its goal there are some challenges to be overcome. Those respon-sible for training the parents still need training them-selves from experienced organizations. Members of the support group also need to attend international conferences to gather a wealth of expertise to utilize back home. Parents need more access to informa-tion booklets and other resources. The support group needs to establish a sound office and website with access to computers.

Africa Deaf Education Development and Foun-dation, the local Deaf advocacy group in Mombasa, has limited financial resources for promoting the ad-vancement of the group’s activities. However, the Foundation will use its advocacy mandate to lobby the government for support to honor what the parents want.

All in all, the group needs both moral and financial support to establish its operation base before mobiliz-ing and training additional members on how to com-municate with their Deaf children.

While in East Africa this past summer, DDW staff members Davin Searls and David Justice attended this group’s very first meeting, and have maintained regular contact and support from abroad. If you would like more information about this group, or have sug-gestions for how this group can achieve its mission, contact Ruth Akinyi at ruthakinyi2004@yahoo.co.uk.

Parents of deaf children in Mombasa (standing from left): Cindy, Ruth, Anthony, Evanson, Josephat and Salim; (sitting from left)

Shafina, Fatuma, Mrs. Musyoka, Peter and Mr. Musyoka..

Anthony Mundia works as an audiologist, and Ruth Akinyi as a sign language training program officer.

6 Discovering Deaf Worlds

DDW Board Member Dr. Madan Vasishta was recent-ly appointed as the director of the Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLRTC). The ISLRTC will be a full-time teaching and training center for Indian Sign Language, providing capacity-building and dis-tance learning opportunities to India’s Deaf population. This center is the first of its kind in India.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/mQaNfg or http://bit.ly/ouVscK.

Congratulations, Madan!

Dr. Vasishta has done numerous presentations, workshops, and trainings for organizations

and schools across India.

Deaf in DCBy Madan Vasishta

Now on sale!

To order a copy, visithttp://gupress.gallaudet.edu

Fifty percent of the royalties from this memoir will be donated to

Discovering Deaf Worlds.

Chris Cuculick and Anthony DiGiovanni: Thank you for making sure the technology for our board meetings runs smoothly!

Tanya Andrews and Annette Quiroga: Your patience and inventiveness are truly re-markable. You are appreciated.

To our board members and volunteers: Thank you! It has been an honor and plea-sure to work with you as DDW grows. Here’s to another fantastic year!

Martin & Suzi Oppenheimer: We are grate-ful for your generosity time and time again. Thank you!

To all of our generous supporters who have made year-end donations, thank you for believing in us!

Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!

September 2011 7

Newsletter services provided byT.S. Writing Services, LLC

www.tswriting.comA Deaf-Owned Company

Your digital camera can be used for more than just documenting your adventures to show your friends and family back home.• Since your luggage probably looks quite similar to most others, take a few pictures of your

luggage before you fly. If it gets lost along the way, you can show the airline clerk exactly what it looks like.

• Want to ensure you make it back to your hotel when the day is over? Take a picture of your hotel, the nearest street sign, and any landmarks. If you get lost on your way back, just show these pictures to a taxi driver and off you go!

• Take a picture of a map you’ll need (such as the local subway system or bus routes). If you get lost, you can easily find a local person, zoom in on your destination, and point it out to them. This can be easier than trying to say or spell a foreign place!

• What if you lose your camera itself? Draw up a reward flyer with your e-mail address and a reward amount, then take a picture of it and “lock” the file. This way, anyone who finds it has a way to contact you.

Source: www.vagabondish.com/clever-uses-digital-camera-traveling

Travel Tidbits

Happy Holidays

from Discovering Deaf Worldsfrom Discovering Deaf Worlds

“The healthiest response to life is joy.” - Deepak Chopra

Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!

If you have connected with the Deaf community in a developing country and want to share your story, e-mail a brief summary of your experience to ddwteam@discoveringdeafworlds.org.

Call for contributing writers!

December 2011 7

8 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Follow DDW on Twitter!

Our handle is @DDW_Team, or go to

www.twitter.com/DDW_TeamSpecial Features Include:

More stories from Shuktara, Meet Pappu and DDW: Journeys slideshow

www.discoveringdeafworlds.org/support

Discovering: Shuktara was edited and co-produced by

Save the Date!

APRIL 20, 2012DDW’s Second Annual Benefit

Harro East Ballroom Downtown Rochester, NY

More information coming soon!