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Luke's life has changed so much you just wouldn't believe the amazing story that has evolved. I know you remember when I was giving him several baths a day because he could say so little and “bath” was something he could ask for from me, his grandmother.

Now he is going to school (it's a mainstream school, but a special class for three year olds called "Babies Can't Wait"). He calls it "boy school" because his sister go to another school, and his class is all little boys. He knows most of his letters, and practices them all the time. He has pictures of ASL signs all around his room. He can count to 10, and he tests out at a level higher than hearing speaking children his age.

His father remarried and Luke’s new stepmom is WONDERFUL. I got Luke when he was still banging his head on the floor because he couldn't communicate to anyone. I brought him a little way and with your help and the people we met who connected us to mentors and teachers. Now my fantastic daughter-in-law has taken over and she is the one who puts in the hard work, making sure he is included in every aspect of life. Their home has ASL flash cards in every room (examples: table, chair, plate, spoon, fork, taste, etc... in the dining room). Everyone in the family learns ASL and must use it and sign to Luke. (Luke's oldest sister Alexis, teaches her 2nd grade class a word a day at school.)

Luke is an amazing little boy, his sign name is an L that touches each cheek, because he is always smiling. He has come so far from that frustrated little boy who banged his head on the floor when I got him at 18 months of age.

A DBC member told me way back when I first contacted DBC that he would be fine; now I know he will be great. My daughter-in-law took it all so much further as she became a mother to a wonderful, frustrated deaf child who has bloomed into a brilliant little boy with a thirst for life. At their wedding, they had an interpreter sign the entire ceremony just for Luke, and he sat with me and attempted to keep up with the fastest-paced signing he had ever seen, and he was glued to watching it except for the times he looked at me with the biggest smile, as if to say, "Hey are you seeing what I see?" He was enthralled, and I was one delighted grandma.

Next year Luke will be enrolled at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. His parents are moving to Oxford, Alabama because it has a great school system for the girls and is close enough to be able to drive Luke to school each day. We are all so excited for him to be at that school. It is so beautiful. Luke is such a boy and he loves sports, and this school not only has great academics, but also a fantastic athletic department.

Mom and Dad have taken him (and his sisters) to things like "The Circus of the Senses" and the organized meetings for deaf children. His Deaf mentor has brought her family to meet Luke. I am sure the move will bring even more opportunities to join the Deaf community.

P.S. I had added recent photos of Luke, including one super imposed over the wedding where you can see him signing with the ASL interpreter. He is not only smart, he is adorable :o)

Ever grateful,

Angie Albright

Click on the small green buttons below to view the photos.

2010 EHDI Conference: Leadership, Involvement, and Employment of Deaf Professionals in all levels of EHDI programming is critical.

In a collaborative effort, Deaf organizations and individuals met with the federal directors of EHDI on March 2, 2010 to recommend that a stakeholders group made up of bilingual (ASL/English) professionals be established. There are many other stakeholder groups in the EHDI system who collaborate at the national level with the EHDI directors, for example, representing AGBell, the American Academy of Audiology, the Marion Downs Hearing Center, etc. This year, for the first time in history, the Bilingual (ASL/English) Professionals will begin the process of setting their own stakeholder group specifically designed to give input to the national directors of programs in regards to the area of bilingual language development.

Recently, the Deaf Bilingual Coalition attended the 2010 Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference to support Deaf children and their rights to be bilingual through American Sign Languages and English. The conference was held March 1 and 2nd in Chicago.

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention is a federal program that gives support, guidelines, and resources to states so they can set up their own EHDI programs. These programs provide services to families of children ages 0 to 2 who are Deaf or hard of hearing. EHDI services fall under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

One way in which the federal EHDI program brings together diverse groups of stakeholders is through annual conferences. These conferences provide training to state EHDI directors and staff, early intervention service providers, teachers, audiologists, speech language pathologists, doctors, parents, and others who work with families of children who are Deaf and hard of hearing. There are a variety of training activities and networking sessions, workshops, presentations, poster sessions, exhibits, and state meetings.

This year there were over 600 people who attended the conference. Through a multi-year grassroots effort, the DBC and other organizations were able to increase the number of ASL-using Deaf participants and presenters. There were approximately 30 ASL Deaf professionals at the conference. Out of 286 total presenters, there were 12 who were Deaf. There were approximately 20 presentations that included some kind of bilingual ASL/English theme. This is very important as it helps those who are attending to meet, learn, and communicate directly with ASL/English bilingual professionals in a face-to-face environment.