Articles

Amplification and Assistive Devices for Children

What is a hearing aid? Will it cure my child’s hearing loss? Hearing aids are devices which make sounds louder. Different models are chosen to suit an individual’s unique needs. Hearing aids do not make hearing “normal.” Depending on the loss, there may be some “holes” in what is heard, even with the best hearing aid. Some children may hear some sounds, but not others; other children may not hear any speech at all. Some children with hearing losses can use hearing aids to understand environmental sounds, words, or phrases. Others may not be able to understand any sounds through listening skills alone but can use a hearing aid to help with speech reading. A child’s ability to understand sound through listening skills will depend both on the degree of hearing loss and the amount of exposure to sound.

Language Workshop at UWI

A Language Workshop will be conducted July 7 -11 at the Interfaculty Lecture Theatre, Chemistry Department at UWI Mona . The workshop will explore issues & strategies related to developing literacy for Deaf students in a bilingual environment. You can register by calling Mr. Dunbar at 927-1098 or by completing the online form . Click the Full Article link below for more details.

Public Lecture / Discussion on July 10

Dr. Laurene Gallimore of Gallaudet University will be presenting a public lecture / discussion on developing English literacy for Deaf students in a bilingual environment. The discussion will target parents and families of Deaf persons, educators and other professionals in the field of education, the Deaf community and persons working in the disability field. Click on the Full Article link below for more details.

Bilingual Education for the Deaf

Efforts towards bilingual education of the Deaf received a boost over the past week with the visit of Dr. Laurene Gallimore, a Professor/ Director of the Deaf Education Programme at Gallaudet University , Washington D.C. During her one-week visit to Jamaica, Professor Gallimore conducted a four-day workshop at the UWI Mona - July 7-10. She shared a wealth of information on literacy development for the Deaf child in a bilingual environment with parents, the Deaf community, teachers and other professionals in the field of Deaf Education.

Deaf Drivers !!!

What do you think? Should Deaf persons in Jamaica be allowed to drive? Read our "Questions and Answers on Deaf Drivers" and voice your opinions in our user forum, "Deaf and Driving" .

International Deaf Children's Society - LOGGED ON!'

The International Deaf Children's Society (IDCS) has just launched its brand new website at www.idcs.info - a global, online forum on all aspects of childhood deafness encouraging the exchange of information and ideas.'

How Hearing Aids Work - An Audio Door to the World

Hearing aids give a wonderful assistance to the partially hearing today, allowing their lives to be both fuller and richer. Thus enabling these people to play an active part in many aspects of the modern world that they would otherwise be excluded from. But just how do they work? What goes on in your ear?<br /> <br /> Read all about it in today's fact lesson.'

Helping Children Who Are Deaf

A fabulous new book has been published by the Hesperian Foundation, Berley, California, USA. "Helping Children Who Are Deaf" is an open source of activities aimed at assisiting families and communities promote the healthy development of children who are Deaf or who do not hear well.

Hearing Awareness and Assessment Project - June 2005-Nov 2006

The Ministries of Education and Health have recognized the importance of screening, and assessment in order to identify children with disabilities for early intervention. However, the infrastructure to support these activities is inadequate and as a result the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) wants to build awareness and strengthen the capacity to support these services. <br /> <br /> The JAD has identified as a priority the need for public awareness of hearing health in order to provide comprehensive hearing enhancement and conservation programs. With this awareness, JAD can more easily identify children at risk for hearing loss and deafness through screening methodologies in the communities. By conducting screenings, a referral process can take place to ensure early and appropriate interventions.

JAD Health Fair 2006

In keeping with its goal of increasing public awareness of hearing health, The Hearing Services Division of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf had its first Health Fair on Saturday March 25, 2006 at the Social Development Commission (SDC) at 1 Springfield Road, Morant Bay, St. Thomas. The aim of the Heath Fair was to provide free medical consultation for members of the community and to increase the awareness on the care of the body and maintenance of healthy lifestyles.

STARKEY Mission to Jamaica 2005

The Starkey Hearing Foundation, which is based in the United States, conducts more than 150 missions in countries across the globe "So the World May Hear." These missions include giving away hearing instruments and promoting hearing impairment education. Since 2000, The Starkey Hearing Foundation has touched more than 78,000 lives worldwide and in December 2005 it was Jamaica’s turn to benefit from their generosity.

Bindings of Excellence

For the first time in its history, JAD Binders recently hosted and concluded an exciting adrenalin-high two-week workshop entitled Bindings of Excellence. There were nine deaf and five hearing individuals, a total of fourteen including the facilitator Prof. Charles Jones a and Project Coordinator, Miriam Hinds. The focus of the workshop was to assess and hone the skills of the current bindery compliment in new techniques and verify our current binding practices and procedures. Other objectives of the workshop were also to develop additional instructional training materials, to experience first hand demonstrations of new styles and techniques in finishing processes. This workshop is also a precursor to our accreditation as a training facility with HEART/NCTVET in this skill area.

Continuing Education Revised and Expanded

Because of the large number of graduates from Lister Mair/Gilby this year, the Continuing Education Unit programmes have been revised and expanded to provide young adults with adequate resources and training opportunities for their intellectual and vocational self-development.

Social Services Relocated

As of August 7th, the Social Services Department moved to new quarters on South Camp Road. The move provides the Social Services Department with a more spacious layout that is conducive to an improved service delivery for their clientele.

GKRS Cricket League

Under the inspired direction of David Robertson, the Western Union – GKRS Deaf Cricket League held its first match in June and continued play into July.

JAD Fun Day: 5 April 2002

Over 150 persons from the JAD family met at James Bond Beach in Oracabessa, St. Mary to swim, eat, dance, talk, and play games for the first annual JAD Fun Day.

Deaf Way II Conference

25 persons from Jamaica attended the Deaf Way II Conference in Washington, DC during July 8 – 13, 2002. The conference was an international gathering of over 10,000 participants from every corner of the United States and the world to share and celebrate the experiences of Deaf people.

K2/GOT Project

Action Research, Phase II At the May 2002 Schools’ Management Meeting, feedback was collated from the different school sites in the JAD system, and analysed to determine the best course for the renewed direction of the Action Research efforts. Recognising the difficulty in providing adequate support to the Action Research Teams, the decision was made to consolidate the project at the JAD Pre-School Centre/Danny Williams School site for the 2002-03 academic year. The proximity to the JAD Administration and Training Departments permits extensive monitoring and support from additional personnel. In addition, gathering the Deaf Culture Facilitators (DCFs) at the Papine site allows them to take advantage of the CXC evening programme offered at Lister Mair/Gilby High School. This factor is crucial as the DCFs are expected to earn the requisite CXCs necessary for entry into Mico Teachers’ College within the next three years.