POPDHH e-news: Have a great summer

Updates about our three-year project funded by the Ministry of Education to address the unique needs of students who are DHH who are learning how to read.

• The POPDHH literacy team is fully staffed. Dana and Tracey have been busy creating and piloting accessible resources and materials in ASL and English (including lessons, activities, handouts, and videos).  

• These materials were developed for the Satellite Program to deliver direct literacy instruction and intervention to 18 elementary students. All of these students use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary or most accessible mode of communication and utilize various listening technologies, including cochlear implants, hearing aids, and FM systems.

• In addition to the direct instruction provided by our team, we also provided follow-up information and materials to the students and over 30 school-based staff members. This was designed to expand learning opportunities between our online sessions. Below is a picture of the first page of a unit; to see the entire package included in the school communication click [here].

• Evidence-based intervention tools were adapted specifically to support the learning needs of DHH students by incorporating visual language and visual tactile strategies.  The resources created and adapted by POPDHH can be used in conjunction with widely available science of reading materials that are currently being used in mainstream classrooms.

• POPDHH hosted educators from 15 school districts for the Fingerspelling Our Way to Reading training.  POPDHH facilitated a discussion with over 60 educators for the BC DHH Learner Outcome Measure (a tool developed to determine the level of instruction or intervention that individual students require to maximize growth and development).  

• The POPDHH literacy team explored materials by participating in training opportunities and reviewing materials from: Bedrock Curriculum, Bilingual Grammar Curriculum, 58-In-Mind.

• To address accessibility in mainstream classrooms, An Environmental Audit for DHH Learners is being developed in conjunction with the TDHH Mentorship group. 

We are pleased to announce the winner of the contest to select the theme for our DHHproud 2026: Emilie Paquin, Grade 11, Revelstoke. The theme: Not a disability, a difference! Congratulations to Emilie and her TDHH Lisa Meneian.

We look forward to next year’s DHHproud on April 13th and 14th, 2026!

Rockies’ students at Blue Lake

BCSD students with their friends from Abby, Chilliwack, Fraser Canyon, Langley, Mission, North and West Vancouver

111 students from 21 school districts and the BCSD were joined by their teachers, school staff, POPDHH reps Alana and Lynley, Literacy Team Dana and Tracey, interpreters Francois, Monica and Nathalie; and even everyone’s favourite albeit retired ASL specialist John made an appearance to provide an ASL crash course and tell stories by the firepit.
The only “customer complaint” was that 3 days is not long enough for these camps! Now, who can wait for next spring?!

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In addition to regional camps, POPDHH team has sponsored and guest starred at several annual one day events:

May 6th – Laser Tag and Pizza in Terrace
May 28  – Ice cream at Gyro Beach in Victoria – even made it to the media outlets!
June 11 – Scavenger Hunt and Escape Room in Fort St. John

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A Thank you Letter from a DHH Student:

Over the past 5 years,  being able to go to all of the competitions I have and be able to make connections with people that are also Deaf and Hard of Hearing, has really helped me grow as a person.  These camps are really valuable because they can help re-immerse people like me who live in an isolating environment, with DHH people my age. It really helps bring a sense of community and belonging most important of all, I get to learn and grow my ASL skills. By doing that I can reconnect even further with the Deaf community because I know that I relate to all the little Deaf things that people experience…..and I know that there are a lot of people out there that relate to the same struggles that I do.
As I keep going in life and in high school, learning ASL and being part of a community as such, has really benefited me as I have connections with people that will last a long time and that will help me keep going. ASL is an important skill that I can use in so many ways. If more people in Revelstoke use ASL, this would be really beneficial and make me feel included and make me feel that I know that I understand and be able to recognize my perspective because they would know that I can understand more with ASL.
I truly enjoy….my favourite part of any Deaf camp is seeing my friends and being able to communicate in either spoken language or ASL.  I feel like 2 days is too short. I feel like 3-4 days would be great. In 24 hours I made so many new connections, especially at the first dinner at the Cactus Club….by the time the second day rolled around I was good friends with all the people I had met. I think having more time together would help me to make deeper connections in the Deaf community. It would be great to have ASL workshops for us.
Outward Bound was such an amazing experience for me and I am sure for everyone else. I made a lot of new friendships. When I came to the speech competition and saw people from Outward Bound it was cool to see those people again and reconnect. I was really happy I got to expand my mapping skills. It helped me in the way they taught us to use maps and gave me a new skill to keep going with. I really enjoyed socializing with a bunch of people my age which I don’t really get to do at home. From hiking with other people, I got to form a connection with them.  With the outdoor skills I already had, I was able to add to my skills in Outward bound and I am sure that it will be helpful in whatever outdoor job I choose.
I am looking forward to Camp Elkanoe and it has been an awesome experience in the past.  However I think it would be beneficial if we add more days (……..like 4 ) so that younger kids in the area can join for a day and so I can have more time with the Deaf community, have more ASL workshops, just more of everything. I enjoy seeing people from the speech competition and others that come to the camp.  I am excited to do a lot of the fun activities again and be in the Deaf community again…..and see Kristina, a wonderful Teacher of the Deaf that has taken me in as one of her own students in the speech competition and camp.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I hope that next year will be as successful as the last !

Upcoming workshops, information sessions, seminars, career opportunities and more

Events in the Community

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K-12 DHH Education Postings – June 2025

Our mailing address is:
Provincial Outreach Program: Deaf and Hard of Hearing
4446 Watling Street Burnaby, BC V5J 5H3
Voice: 604-296-9062
Text: 778-889-5663 Email: office@popdhh.ca
To unsubscribe, email office@popdhh.ca, but we’ll be sad to see you go!