Community Newsletter

January 14, 2022
IMPORTANT SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS



PB CORNER VLOG

Peter Bailey,
Head of School
Update from PSD as of January 4, 2022
Due to the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and staff shortage in the City of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, PSD will move to virtual learning from January 5 to January 18 for all of our students and staff.  

As always, PSD will continue to work with our city and state partners to ensure we are following the most up-to-date guidance and guidelines. While this is not the return to school we had hoped for, we are hopeful that our students will remain safe and continue to learn until we can all safely return to campus.
 
Masks in public spaces and when people cannot maintain social distancing are required. PSD will continue to limit access for any nonessential visitors or volunteers, and cancel activities involving external groups or organizations until further notice.

PSD Is So Proud to partner with Google and Deaf Kids Code to help increase access and shape new technology.


PSD recently collaborated with Google on the launch of their new Pixel phone which includes new “Live Transcribe” technology in it. Along with producing this beautiful video featuring Pennsylvania School for the Deaf students, Google and Deaf Kids Code gave away 1,000 Pixel phones to partner schools across the country.

Congratulations to Warren “Wawa” Snipe
PSD's 2022 George W. Nevil Award Recipient 
Known affectionately by many as Wawa, he has been a trailblazer as an acclaimed recording artist in the Hip Hop world and developed his own niche: Dip Hop, which he defines as “Hip Hop through deaf eyes.” Read more......
Happy New Year from
the PSD Family Resource Center (FRC)!
We are excited to relaunch the Family Education Series (FES) on our PSD website with our newest posts, Inclusive Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness ASL Vocabulary and Emergency Common Phrases ! FES consists of various videos and information/resources for families with deaf/hard of hearing children on a variety of topics related to raising deaf/hard of hearing children.
All videos can be found at www.psd.org/fes.  

Contact: Lynette Mattiacci, Coordinator of Family Resource Center
Introducing Lauren Ridloff,
PSD's 200th Anniversary Gala Special Guest and
the Deaf actress who grabbed a breakthrough role in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s movie Eternals (released on November 5). In the article for Vogue, Ms. Ridloff penned how she unlearned the concept that speech equals power and as a result, reclaimed sign language as her own preferred method of communication. Because of ASL, she found power from within.

We are excited to welcome Ms. Ridloff to our grand gala
celebrationon on Saturday, March 5, 2022!



NEW! COVID-19 VACCINE PROOF REQUIREMENT:
Please note that the Crystal Tea Room/Finley Catering requires that all guests be FULLY VACCINATED to attend events at their facilities. All guests will be asked to show proof of vaccination (a photo/digital copy is acceptable) at registration and check-in.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
AND ACTIVITIES
Girard College
2101 S College Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121

January 17, 2022
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
FREE COVID-19 vaccinations and testing
No pre-registration is required for this event.

Vaccines will be administered by our partners at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and testing will be led by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, in partnership with Global Citizen physicians, health care workers, institutions, and community organizations.
 
Vaccines will include doses for individuals between the ages of 5-11. Onsite activities and resources will be available for young people and adults.


TWO OTHER VACCINE LOCATIONS BELOW
Learn about the PA ABLE Savings Program!
Free webinar for individuals with disabilities

A PA ABLE Savings Program account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals), and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for a wide range of disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Topics discussed include: eligibility requirements for opening a PA ABLE account, the federal and state tax benefits of PA ABLE, and how PA ABLE account interacts with current benefits.

Congratulations Neil McDevitt!
Local Leader elected as the first Mayor in the U.S. who is deaf.

Congratulations to Neil McDevitt, the first known Mayor that is deaf in the United States! Prior to being elected Mayor of North Wales, PA in November of 2021, Neil was the Executive Director of DHCC - Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre, Inc.  DHCC provides support to the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities. Representation matters, and we celebrate this milestone not just for Neil, but for all people with disabilities! The Daily Moth featured this in a recent blog post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SWg9y2-5M4
DHCC - Safety Net Focus Groups

Dates: January 24th & 25th
Times: Times are available between 11am and 8pm

1. DHCC Page and video re: Safety Net:  www.DHCC.org/safetynet

2. To register:  https://tinyurl.com/yckx6cpn


THIS IS URGENT - as the focus groups will be taking place in Philadelphia in the upcoming weeks to meet project deadlines. 
Public Meeting
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
7:00pm

Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities' Public Meeting:
  • The Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities invites you to an upcoming public meeting on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm via Zoom.
  • ​Topics to be discussed include updates from the Commission, COVID-19, and updates from Parks and Recreation.
  • Please register in advance here: 
  • https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OfLX1tMpRiuCgmDyifs8TA.
  • ASL and closed captions will be provided. If you require additional ADA reasonable accommodations, please email or call Claudia Tasco at Claudia.Tasco@phila.gov or 215-686-2798 by January 20, 2022.
Be sure to sign up for our virtual mailing list so you can stay up to date with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. 

Deaf Social Group in American Sign Language
January 28, 2:00pm - 3:00pm 
Socialize with old friends and meet new friends. Discuss what is happening in the world. Learn about Deaf rights. This is a group for people who wish to interact through American Sign Language. RSVP: gorKhmil@libertyresources.org
267-507-1178 (VP)
COVID-19, HEALTH,
EMERGENCY & SAFETY RESOURCES
GEORGIA TECH

COVID-19 Adapted & Accessible Resources!

Georgia Tech has created many adapted and accessible versions of the CDC's COVID-19 guidance resources. Click here for Resources in ASL. Topics include vaccines, symptoms-testing-treatments, prevention & cleaning, mental health & therapy animals, school safety, and travel & community. Plus the full CDC COVID-19 ASL playlist.

Request a Smoke Alarm
Red Cross of Southeastern PA Region has Bed Shaker alarms and 10 year lithium smoke alarms. The Red Cross installs them to ensure they are in the correct location and that they are installed correctly. 
The Red Cross does not have strobe smoke alarms.
 

In Philadelphia, residents can call 311 to request alarms
from the Fire Department. 
Deaf Mental Health & Substance Use
Resource Guide

CLICK HERE for Resource Guide
Department of Public Health 

COVID VACCINE INFORMATION
 Vaccine appointments are available by calling 311 or online at www.phila.gov/vaccine
Many clinics will also take walk-ins. COVID vaccines are FREE.
NEWS & RESOURCES
What is Wavello App? :

Through the Wavello app, you can now see the person you are chatting with as well as the ASL interpreter. 

  • Download the free Wavello app. 
  • Register your phone number.

Inclusively 

Inclusively provides employment matching for job seekers with disabilities for FREE.
 
How Inclusively Works: Create a free profile with experience, skills, education, industry, Success Enablers & more Search, get matched, and connect to jobs that fit your profile Interested employers will contact you to follow up & learn more Keep your profile updated to stay connected and be notified as new jobs are posted. Explore the website here. Check out the Inclusively video today. 
LIHEAP offers heating assistance
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now open to help families pay their heating bills. Find information to see if you qualify and learn how to apply here.
Food Services
City of Philadelphia:
The City of Philadelphia listing of Food Distribution Sites is available online here. MANNA cooks and delivers nutritious meals to neighbors in the Greater Philadelphia area who are battling a serious illness. More information is available online here.
Need assistive technology but not sure how you’ll pay for it? That’s our job. [ Read Who We Are ]. Watch our "About Us" in ASL. https://patf.us/


We're Hiring!
DeafCAN! provides services to Deaf, DeafBlind, Late-Deafened, Hard of Hearing individuals and their families living in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Check out our
Updated Website at
We are excited to show our new features including Services, Programs, and a better Resource Page.
Consider a gift today to support the important work
we do for our students.

United Way #737
Combined Federal Campaign #87714

Thank You!
Past issues of the PSD Community Newsletter are posted at https://psd.org/news/#Newsletters.
Please forward comments and announcements for posting considerations to:
Karen Leslie-Henry, Community Relations Coordinator: klesliehenry@psd.org
Content Disclaimer
The information contained in the e-newsletter is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the newsletter or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the e-newsletter for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this e-newsletter. Through this e-newsletter you are able to link to other websites that are not under the control of PSD. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.