30 students, from Victoria, Saanich, Cowichan Valley and independent schools attended our ASL Activity day put on by POPDHH. The students, staff and parents had an opportunity to learn some ASL through games. Deaf teachers/Deaf mentors Dana, John and Terry presented about their experiences, Deaf culture and language. It was a wonderful opportunity for all who attended.
Here are some quotes from our students:
” When is the next one? This is great, I want more days like this.”
” When can I learn more ASL? Are their classes? Can we start a club at school?”
From adults:
” This is incredible, we need more of this!”
“Look at the connections kids are making, look at how involved and engaged they are!”
” Wow, I wish more kids and staff could have attended, seen and participated in this!”
From classroom teachers who heard about the event:
“My student came back to class so excited to share some of the new signs they learned. My student is so excited to continue learning more ASL, how can I support this?”
“My student wants to continue to learn ASL, how do I go about supporting him and getting his access to an ASL tutor?”
November 26th, 2024 – Comox Valley – by Katelin Miller, TDHH, SD 71
Students from the Comox Valley, Campbell River, Powell River, Gold River, and Parksville school districts were delighted to be joined by Terry, John, and Dana for an ASL Day. They met in the Comox Valley and got to learn a little about each presenter. Students engaged in fun games and activities while learning and practicing ASL. High school students then branched off to sit with Terry and Jolene from PDHHS to chat and get to know each other. Elementary students continued to play games and were dazzled by John’s storytelling. Students and staff then enjoyed a pizza lunch before departing for home. This is an event that students look forward to every year! Thank you POPDHH for coming to visit us, sharing your language, and providing an opportunity for our students to get together!
November 21st – Post Secondary Workshop in Victoria – by Jane Rowlands, TDHH, SD 61
Victoria School District hosted 17 DHH students in grades 10-12 from Victoria, Sooke, Saanich and Cowichan Valley for a morning of everything post-secondary. Piper from ACE-BC gave a presentation that outlined her online course, which covers many topics such as accommodations, bursaries and rights and responsibilities. The students had an opportunity to access the presentation using a remote Typewell transcription on their personal laptops, which was a wonderful way to experience an accommodation that can be requested for post-secondary courses. The students then enjoyed a pizza lunch provided by POPDHH and teamed up for an ‘advocacy boardgame’ led by Piper.
The group was later able to meet Dylan, who used to be a student in the Cowichan School District and is now a third year engineering student at UVic. He joined the workshop to answer some questions and give some tips and strategies that helped him be successful at high school and post-secondary.
The purpose of the workshop was to get students thinking about next steps after high school and leave them with useful insights for this journey.
