As I proceed in this inquiry and tumble deeper into the research and learning that I have done so far, the element that is sticking out to me the most is tech access for my Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. There are currently four in my school and I have recently been engaged by teachers and parents to come up with resources for these students and I feel a bit empty-handed. The library collection does not have many books that are geared towards children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and so far, all I can think to recommend are two books (that are fabulous in their own right) but no real, concrete resources. The aforementioned fabulous books are:
El Deafo by Cece Bell, a graphic novel that is based on a true story about a girl and her hearing aids. I also just learned that it is a new series on Apple+. I can relate to this clip too much in that we use transmitter mikes at our school and I am always afraid that I will forget I have it on and take it to the bathroom with me…
Also, Boy by Phil Cummings, a picture book about a Deaf boy who stops a war between vikings and dragons with his quiet approach. I was thrilled to find it on You Tube as a read aloud with ASL by the ASL Deaf Mentor Program:
I was so happy to see that these two resources were available in some form online because I love both of the books so much and also because it would be nice to be able to present something beyond storybooks to teachers to use with their students. As more technology becomes available for our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, we need to incorporate them as seamlessly as possible into our practices.
In my search for ASL apps similar to the one I had used in a previous post, Deaf World Around You, I came across the app, ASL with Care Bears. Why it has Care Bears, I have no idea. I can only assume all of the appropriate licensing and copyright has been observed. Regardless, this took me on a bit of a deep dive into You Tube and I very nearly re-watched one of my most beloved movies: The Care Bear Movie! My cousin still teases me about a babysitting night where he was looking after me and wanted to watch the news about the war in Iraq, but I cried unrelentingly because I wanted to watch the Care Bears; I won.
The app is very cool, cute and colourful and teaches signing to kids and adults. I could see this being used in the class to expand the minds of the students and teach them how to communicate better with their Deaf/HoH classmates.
I also found Signed Stories that is an app that reads stories through Sign. This app most closely resembles the Deaf World Around You in that there is a translator reading the stories in Sign and also has voiceover. I found another app that did this as well, but the reviews lamented that it was lacking voiceover and so would not be useful in the classroom because it would exclude the Hearing children. Of course, this is something I would not have thought of, so I was thankful for that learning and something to keep in mind if I planned to share this with parents or colleagues.
In terms of format for my upcoming project, I am still thinking about using Canva to present it, as well as creating my own infographic. These are my next steps as I continue to shape how I want all of this to look. when I think about how many ways one could interpret this assignment, I get dizzy at all of the options. I’m excited to see how everyone shape’s their own and I will do my best to keep my envy in check. I am trying really hard to meet myself where I’m at and not overwhelm myself. Baby steps.
Boy by Phil Cummings in American sign language with English voice-over. YouTube. (2022, January 31). Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://youtu.be/GI4BvmO0E3Q
Care bears: ASL with care bears app. YouTube. (2016, November 17). Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://youtu.be/OoC1gGbzt9I
El Deafo – official trailer: Apple TV+. YouTube. (2021, December 15). Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://youtu.be/SqZ9ncOYRS4
Signed stories. YouTube. (2019, January 29). Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://youtu.be/MMPm_371cc0