Deaf Mentor Program News
July 2022
Upcoming Events
Book Spotlight
Resource Spotlight
Program Updates
The Deaf Mentor Program is available through in-person and virtual visits.

SPAN Deaf Mentor Spotlight
Krystyna Makowski has joined our team as a Deaf Mentor Program Coordinator! Since 2018, she has been involved with SPAN as a Snapshots and ASL Deaf Mentor and brings with her a wealth of experience in deaf education and language acquisition. Krystyna has a cochlear implant and code-switches between American Sign Language and Listening and Spoken Language. Her circuitous journey from her first signs and spoken words to becoming a high school Biology Teacher of the Deaf has led her to become an advocate for families with deaf children. 

Email paasen@spanadvocacy.org for more information about the program for families.

Email kmakowski@spanadvocacy.org if you are interested in becoming a Deaf Mentor.

Photo description: Still shot of Krystyna in front of a white wall. She has blonde, wavy hair and is wearing a black top.
Book Spotlight: Sounds of the Heart
Latisha Porter-Vaughn chronicles her journey of hearing loss in the book, Sounds of the Heart: A Story of a HearStrong Champion Persisting Against All Odds.

She knows very well what it is to fall, as well as the fight and the trials to reach her triumph of today. Born with a hearing loss and the passing of her mother at 6 weeks old, many may have viewed it as a strike against her. Learning to live well with hearing loss was no easy feat, but she had a contender in her corner called "determination."

Hailing from Hamilton, Ohio, it wasn't until a 1986 infraction with the law that Latisha Porter-Vaughn began to see clearly. She picked herself up and packed a suitcase full of lessons and a mindset for change. After settling in New Jersey, Latisha's dreams began to be realized. Sounds of the Heart is the perfect blueprint to let all know — hearing loss or hearing — that you can overcome the opposition.

Research Participants Wanted
If you have a child under the age of 6 who was born in New Jersey, you may be eligible to participate in a PAID research study about New Jersey's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (sponsored by Montclair State University). Participants will be asked to share their experiences with newborn hearing screenings and testing during a 30-minute Zoom interview. 
LSL Corner

Join our Facebook page to check out resources, videos, tips, and articles shared regularly with the group. Resources to support deaf children virtually are also shared as they become available. Click on the Facebook button to join!

If you would like to receive information about the COVID-19 vaccine for your child(ren), please email mdujue@spanadvocacy.org.
Contact kmakowski@spanadvocacy.org if you have any questions about our program.
SPAN Parent Advocacy Network Deaf Mentor Program
spanadvocacy.org/programs/ehdi