Spring 2014

Double Pride's mission is to build stronger bridges at home, school, and work for personal, professional and cross cultural empowerment. We provide Counseling Services, Consulting Services and Training Services

and also offer Phone/Video Phone VP Services (using Pay Pal).

Happy Spring to everyone!

In April my sister, Lisa Jacobs, and I presented at the 2014 EDHI Annual meeting
in Florida. It was a dream come true for the Jacobs Sisters! Our 30 minute presentation,"Secrets to Deaf and Hearing Siblings Success for 0-3 year old DHH Children and Their Older/Younger Hearing Siblings", focused on 3 main sibling goals:

1. Build empathy between Deaf and Hearing Siblings.

2. Develop "Sibling Tool Kits" since this constantly changes for siblings through the various developmental stages of life.

3. Communication Huddles-how to predict and plan for various types of Family events both inside and outside the home.

With 50+ years of our experiences as Deaf and Hearing sisters, we communicated that the 0-3 focus builds an important FOUNDATION for these "Sibling Bridges". The EHDI providers who are coaching the parents (who are in turn the "quarterbacks" for each family) need to understand the big picture for their deaf and hearing infants and toddlers who will go through various stages of the Life Cycle like we have.

Lisa and I attended our first EHDI in Arizona last year. We wanted to understand this nation wide system that is coordinating newborn hearing screenings throughout the country.

The challenge is that all the newborn babies AND their families who are going through various emotional experiences are in the hands of medical professionals who do not have much experience with the diversity of Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults and children/teenagers and the Deaf Community nationwide. Most of them also do not know sign language fluently and are the ones giving the medical advice to the parents.

Our presentation was very well received! We've already received several requests to travel to various schools/children's camps throughout the country....very POSITIVE response to our presentation...and really important networking happened during the conference. Here's our Resources for Parents with Deaf and Hearing Siblings from the presentation.

"I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation regarding Secrets for Sibling Success at the recent EHDI conference. It struck me that we spend an awful lot of time concentrating on the deaf or hard of hearing child, but devote very little attention to sibling relationships in their families."

- Participant, EHDI Conference

Looking forward to continued collaboration with all of you so that we can continue to bridge our two worlds and have Happy Signing Families around the world!

Warm regards,

Sheila Jacobs

Double Pride

4 Key Bilingual Identity Groups

Based on Sheila's work developing Double Pride at Home, School, and Work programs, she has started writing a book about Double Pride and the importance of the 4 key Bilingual Identity Groups:
1.

Deaf People of Deaf Parents
2.

Deaf People of Hearing Parents
3.

Hearing People of Deaf Parents
4.

Hearing People of Hearing Parents

Each Identity Group has a different path to bilingualism. Identifying these groups helps us to understand the 4 "success stories" of Bilingual Identities in children, teenagers, and families.

This will lead to "Double Pride Teamwork" as the 4 groups better understand each of the 4 groups and learn from each other how to better support and respect everyone's individual bilingual journey. We can then build bridges between the Deaf and Hearing Worlds TOGETHER! @ Home, School, and Work!

Foundation for EducationalSuccess
in the Deaf Community:

Understanding the Four Key Paths to Successful Bilingualism for Deaf/HOH Students,their Families, Teachers, Staff, Deaf Community, and Hearing Allies

So inspiring to learn more about

our Deaf Leaders!

Gallaudet Visionary Leaders

Check out our dear Cousin Frank Gallimore in the online Harvard Review.

Powerful poet!

Great Blog, Chris Kaftan!

Thanks for your wonderful thoughts on the Deaf Leadership CHALLENGE in Deaf Schools

and your reflections on the recent Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD).

"Continuing the dialogue about challenges facing Deaf Schools

Stay in touch with Deaf Community Services, San Diego's Literacy Camp
via Nancy Hlibok Amann's Vlog

News from
Mission Springs Community Church

Come join us! 3rd annual Deaf Christian Family Retreat this coming September 5-7 at Calvin Crest Christian Camp near Oakhurst, California.

Summer Fun!

Here is a compiled list of national and local Summer Camps for deaf and hard-of-hearing children!

Thanks, JAC Cook, at CSD, Fremont for this great resource!

Double Pride Goes to the

New York School for the Deaf, Fanwood

Sheila was very honored to present a 3-day "Double Pride @ School" Training to NY School for the Deaf, Fanwood in March. We discussed new and creative ways to improve Family Communication using "Double Pride @ Home" approaches.

By linking up communication in the classroom to communication at home, we believe we can more successfully address the Deaf Achievement Gap. We talked about innovative ways that Fanwood can assist every student in getting support from teachers and staff to have more successful family communication.

Sheila presented the four (4) key paths to bilingualism for the 4 "Bilingual Identity Groups":

1. Deaf students and teachers from Deaf parents (10%)

2. Deaf students and teachers from Hearing parents (90%)
3. Hearing students and teachers from Deaf parents (Codas/Kodas)
4. Hearing students and teachers from Hearing parents (Hearing parents, siblings, teachers, staff)

Thank you, Fanwood, for all your support and feedback so that Double Pride can keep growing from your experiences, reactions, and discussions. Your campus is in the process of

figuring out what will work for each of you as teachers and staff. Fanwood is in the process of creating your own 'double pride' for each of your diverse deaf and hard of hearing students

and families as you work to create your own blueprint as they work towards becoming a "Double Pride School".

"Many people definitely felt inspired by the presentation you gave on Wednesday to staff members, and on Thursday to students. The students really took your message, and began discussing it in other places, such as with me in SBG.

I believe you have a gift and a tremendous message. It is a message that needs to be heard around the nation, and I believe you have just the right background and personality to get the message to those who need to hear it.

OVERALL: Please know that there was a sense from many people that you have an amazing gift of wisdom, and they love your idea of Double Pride. In fact, some people (including ME!) saw moments of brilliance, where we felt we should be