Welcome Back, SFDS!

A new school year is here, and we are excited to welcome our students, families, faculty and staff back to SFDS for the 2026–2027 school year!

There is something special about the beginning of a new school year and we're excited to return. As our classrooms and hallways come together, we look forward to another year of connection, discovery and growing as a community.

Celebrating the SFDS Anniversary

This season also marks another important milestone for SFDS; the anniversary of St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf.

For 66 years, SFDS has served Deaf, DeafBlind and Deaf Disabled children and their families across New York City. While education, technology and our understanding of how children learn have continued to evolve, our commitment remains true... meet students where they are and ensure that they have access to the communication tools, resources, relationships and opportunities they need to thrive.

Our anniversary is an opportunity to honor the students, families, educators, staff, supporters and community members who have shaped SFDS throughout its history.

September is Deaf Awareness Month

September is Deaf Awareness Month, making the start of our school year especially meaningful.

At SFDS, we celebrate the many identities, languages, cultures, communication styles and experiences within our community throughout the year. This month gives us another opportunity to recognize our community, increase awareness and understanding, and affirm the importance of access and belonging.

We are looking forward to everything this year will bring and we're excited to share our progress, student accomplishments, opportunities for families and community events.

To our returning families and staff, welcome back. To everyone joining the SFDS community for the first time, welcome to SFDS.

Here’s to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year!

With gratitude,

Dr. Jodi L. Falk

Executive Director

St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf

Dr. Jodi L. Falk Positionality Statement

I approach my work through the intersection of professional expertise, lived experience, and allyship. As a hearing, sighted, nondisabled White woman with 30 years in Deaf Education, I recognize that some of my identities afford me privileges that differ from the experiences of many Deaf, DeafBlind, and Deaf Disabled students and families I serve, many of whom are people of color and experience socioeconomic inequities. I remain mindful of how race, disability, language, socioeconomic status, and access intersect, and of my responsibility to examine my assumptions and recognize how power and privilege shape the systems in which I work and lead.

As an educator, researcher, and school leader, my perspective has been shaped by decades of experience, research, relationships, and a commitment to language and communication rights and educational equity. I also recognize the limits of professional expertise—it does not equate to lived experience. I do not know what it means to move through the world as a Deaf, DeafBlind, or Deaf Disabled person.

My positionality is also shaped by being the single mother of a neurodivergent child. Like many families I serve, I have navigated special education, healthcare, and support systems while advocating for my child and confronting barriers to appropriate services. This shared experience of navigating complex systems and parent advocacy deeply informs how I understand, listen to, and partner with families.

As a school leader, these perspectives inform my leadership and my vision for what our school can be. I strive to build a model school for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Deaf Disabled students, translating that vision into practices that support students’ success. The lived experiences of our students, families, and communities are essential to shaping that vision.

My positionality also informs my leadership beyond my school and within the broader field of Deaf Education. As I work to influence educational policy and support professional learning across the field, I recognize the responsibility that comes with that influence and the importance of centering the experiences and needs of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Deaf Disabled students and their families.