The Deafhood Foundation Awards Its First Ever Grant to Deaf Teen Leadership Camp

News Release
Media contact: Kathy Say
kathy@deafhoodfoundation.org

May 4, 2012 — The Deafhood Foundation has awarded its first ever grant of $1,250 to Deaf Teen Leadership camp program under Washington State Association of the Deaf. The camp serves Deaf teens from a variety of programs, ranging from residential to oral.

“That is FANTASTIC news! We are so excited to know that you have chosen Deaf Teen Leadership camp and will support our deaf youth!” said Maria Christianson, Camp Director of Deaf Teen Leadership.

Washington State Association of the Deaf has been running the Deaf Teen Leadership camp for 5 years, and they will be having their sixth year this coming June 24th to 28th.

Foundation Organizing Chair Butch Zein said, “We believe that all Deaf teens should and must have the opportunity to understand our people’s history and our struggle in order to see the clear need for leadership and as the Deaf Teen Leadership grant application states, ‘create personal and community change’.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to give out our first ever grant, and we look forward to seeing Deaf youth in Washington come together, learn and blossom as our future leaders,” he added.

The funds will be used towards fees for camp’s challenge course, training of Deaf facilitators of the course and other camp-related needs.

For more information on Deaf Teen Leadership camp, please visit www.wsad.org/DTL. The first camp director of Deaf Teen Leadership camp was well-known and respected Deaf actor, Howie Seago. The current camp director is Maria Christianson.

You can visit the Deafhood Foundation’s web site at www.DeafhoodFoundation.org.

NEW ADDRESS: The Deafhood Foundation has changed its mailing address to 249 W. Jackson St. #303, Hayward, CA 94544-1811.

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Deafhood Foundation
Press Release
Date: February 11, 2012

The Deafhood Foundation (DHF) announces its fundraising campaign in celebration of Paddy Ladd’s 60th birthday throughout the year of 2012. We invite all who care about their journeys (as individuals and as advocates of Deafhood) to contribute to the Deafhood Foundation in Dr.Paddy Ladd’s honor.

Sixty years ago on February 11, 1952, Paddy Ladd was born. He was born Deaf and attended mainstream schools. He found his way to the Deaf community at age 22 and worked with Deaf young people and their families. After seeing the damage done to them all by Oralism, he helped to found the now-defunct, “radical” Deaf group called the National Union of the Deaf.

Paddy’s life is a journey of self-discovery which he shared with the Deaf World and the hearing world through his book Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood which was published by Multilingual Matters Ltd. in 2003. His book was a result of his years as a Deaf Culture researcher in Great Britain and the United States.

He is renowned for his writings and activism. The Federation of Deaf People has awarded Paddy the Deaf Lifetime Achievement Award. The Deafhood Foundation proudly recognizes Paddy as a visionary. His vast knowledge as an academician is truly exemplary.

In celebration of his 60th birthday, the Deafhood Foundation is implementing a variety of fundraising activities. We are requesting personal donations of sixty dollars ($60) or more to be made to DHF with a personal check sent to Treasurer, Deafhood Foundation, 443 Tehama Street, San Francisco CA 94103 or through our Pay Pal system on our website www.deafhoodfoundation.org/donate.

Nancy Rourke is well-known for her Deafhood-inspired artwork and has created items with Paddy’s likeness on printed on them (e.g. cups, t-shirts and posters). She has generously committed to donating 50% from the sales of these items to DHF. You can purchase these items from Nancy Rourke’s Artwork Gallery through its website at http://www.nancyrourke.com/dhfpaddyladdcampaign.htm. This offer will only be good between February 11, 2012 and April 12, 2012.

We are also requesting that you organize a potluck dinner and have your guests put donations in a cup with Paddy’s likeness on it. The donations can be “deposited” through the Foundation’s PayPal on its website www.deafhoodfoundation.org/donate. or mailed by check written out to Deafhood Foundation and sent to: Treasurer, The Deafhood Foundation, 443 Tehama Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103.

In Paddy Ladd’s honor, you can sign up for an automatic, monthly donation of $10.00 on the Deafhood Foundation’s Pay Pal site. You can do this for a total of six months, the entire year of 2012, or any other length of time you wish. See above for our Pay Pal website.

The Deafhood Foundation is a non-profit community foundation incorporated in the state of California with 501(c)3 tax exemptstatus. Tax identification number 26-2603125.

Download the Ladd’s 60th Birthday Press Release PDF version.

Direct link: http://youtu.be/s_3vHjppVWc

Organizing Chair, Butch Zein, announces the Foundation is very close to achieving the goal of $50,000 to give out our very first grant (approximately $1000). More information to come later.

ASLIronGal shares her observations and experience attending a Deafhood workshop led by Deafhood Foundation board member Kathy Say.

NEWS RELEASE

Press Release [Download PDF Version]

The Deafhood Foundation

Contact: Kathy Say, Marketing Chair

kathysay@deafhoodfoundation.org

THE DEAFHOOD FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 1st BIRTHDAY ALONG WITH RIVETING PRESENTATION ON EUGENICS BY EDWIN BLACK, VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE ON WEB SITE!

Over 500 people attended the presentation on Eugenics and its implications for the Deaf community given by author and researcher Edwin Black. This event was held at California School for the Deaf’s Little Theater on Friday, February 11, 2011. This night marked the first time the Deafhood Foundation provided livestream of the presentation and over 215 people watched the show from beginning to end.

The video of presentation is now available on the Deafhood Foundation’s web site with thanks to Nick Horn and Joey Baer.

Later in the evening, the Deafhood Foundation celebrated its first birthday at private clubhouse nearby with over 100 people in attendance. The Foundation also unveiled new logo on its website as well as glossy postcards emblazing the new logo designed by Deaf graphic artist Matt Daigle.

Edwin Black talked about the ugly truth behind eugenics movement, and how it evolved into today’s genetic engineering as well as its implications for the Deaf community. Black has published over 80 books, and “War against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race”.

Eugenics is a pseudo-science with a goal of “bettering” the human race, or in other words, creating a superior race without any defects or weaknesses. Black said that Alexander Graham Bell was involved in the eugenics movement.

In his presentation, he said the Deaf community should seriously consider pushing for a national law called “Deaf Culture Protection Act” that gives the Deaf people their right to American Sign Language and culture.

A panel of Deaf experts joined Edwin Black to discuss eugenics and the Deaf community was skillfully moderated by Dr. Genie Gertz, Recording Chair of the Deafhood Foundation. The panelists were: Dr. Thomas (Tom) Holcomb, professor of Deaf culture at Ohlone College, Ms. Nancy Baldwin, Deaf survivor of US internment camp for Japanese Americans and Dr. Patrick Boudreault, professor and researcher on Deaf Genetics.

This event was chaired by Deafhood Foundation’s Fundraising Chair, Kevin Clark, who was key person in making the first contact with Edwin Black. This resulted in Black helping out the Deaf community with A.B. 2072, which some considered Mendoza’s eugenics bill, that aimed to divert referrals and key information to being dispensed by audiologists. Clark said, “Many people in our community do not realize the true history and negative impact of the eugenics movement. When you also add in the fact that Alexander Graham Bell himself was involved in this speaks volumes. The organization’s complete and utter disregard for Deaf child’s human right to express themselves freely through American Sign Language needs to be stopped.”

Clark also added, “This event could not be possible without wonderful team of volunteers and Deafhood Foundation board members as well as our sponsors.”

Over $1,100 in donations were raised in a single night for the Foundation, and an audience member, Joey Baer, challenged everyone in the audience to consider making recurring monthly donations. Baer said, “No matter how small your donations are, they will add up and eventually snowball into something big for our community!”

Organizing Co-Chair Ella Mae Lentz said, “We were thrilled with the turn out, and I believe we will do more of this type of events with live stream available for everyone to watch.”

The Deafhood Foundation thanks the wonderful line up of sponsors for making this evening possible, and they are: ASL Wave, Bay Area Chapter of California Association of the Deaf, CONVO, and Gallaudet University Regional Center (GURC) at Ohlone College. In-kind sponsors are California School for the Deaf at Fremont, DCARA, Sweetwater Media and Ohlone College Deaf Studies Division. In addition, the Foundation thanks these individuals: Jeanne Ewald for organizing the clubhouse where the anniversary party was held, and the interpreters Aaron Brace and Patricia Lessard.

The Deafhood Foundation has raised over $34,000, bringing us closer to the $50,000 mark when the Foundation will issue its first Deaf-centered grant ever in areas of activism, arts, education, media and research.

For more information, visit www.DeafhoodFoundation.org

Enjoy this great adaption by Adrean Clark based on “Whip My Hair” song by Willow Smith.

Press Release
The Deafhood Foundation

Contact: Kathy Say, Marketing Chair
kathysay@deafhoodfoundation.org
Deafhood Foundation Press Release

THE DEAFHOOD MONOLOGUES PERFORMANCES A HUGE SUCCESS IN FREMONT!

The Deafhood Foundation held its first showing of The Deafhood Monologues which drew over 900 people over the weekend of December 3-4, 2010 at California School for the Deaf Theater in Fremont. The impressive cast and crew worked for weeks to prepare for the performance, and audience has reacted positively.

The performances raised over $12,000 for The Deafhood Foundation.

Sheri Farinha, Director of NorCal immediately tweeted on Twitter after the Friday’s night performance, “Theatrical, Powerful, Inspiring! KUDOS to All!”

Producer and founding member of the Deafhood Foundation Patrick Boudreault e-mailed his cast and crew, “This was a fabulous weekend for everyone, including for those who enjoyed our performances. You did great and I am very grateful to
work with a such extraordinary team [...] for future generations of our Deaf and hearing ASL users, Hearing Allies. I believe that our production has reached a level of professionalism unattained by a community performance and it is because
of your commitment since the beginning.”

The Deafhood Monologues is an episodic play of Deaf experiences, chronicles and reflections delivered through poetry, stories, and presentations in American Sign Language. The performance was inspired by “The Vagina Monologues” and
“Understanding Deaf Culture: in search of Deafhood,” by Dr. Paddy Ladd.

Ella Mae Lentz who authored the Deafhood Monologues and Organizing co-Chair of the Foundation, said, “This production has been an amazing and inspiring example of beautiful collaboration on all levels and all sides. It all started with the few of us meeting and sharing ideas, leads and stories back in 2005 and revised over the time in the ensuing productions that helped make the script stronger and clearer. The recent production was a result of those several years and productions and the wonderful cast and crew, director and producer, bringing in all their talents, commitment and love. The result was simply awesome!” Ella Mae Lentz is also a founding member of the Deafhood Foundation.

Cast member Kristen Weiner, owner of Deafhood Yoga also tweeted, “Immense inner journey with The Deafhood Monologues play, cast, crew & community this weekend.Thank you all [with] love & compassion.”

Dr. Paddy Ladd, author of “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood”, said, “We think of history of something that has happened in the past. But history is also what we choose to do in the present time, that influences the future — we ‘make history’.”

Ladd continued, “And that’s what we’re doing on this Deafhood journey of exploring our past and our present, working to understand ourselves and each other and the world around us — and how each has affected the other — so that we can build a better future for Sign Language Peoples everywhere.”

The Deafhood Monolgoues was produced by founding member of the Deafhood Foundation board, Patrick Boudreault and directed by renowned JAC. The cast members are: Natalee Franck, Melinda Harrison, Shira Grabelski, Jon A. Kastrup,
Don Lee Hanaumi, Melvin Patterson, Alyce S. Reynolds, David O. Reynolds, and Kristen Weiner.

A total of 12 sponsors lined up to support The Deafhood Monologues, and they are: California School for the Deaf, Convo, Purple, Sorenson, Alternative Solutions Center, Sweetwater Media, ASL Films, ASL Presents, DeafNexus, Deafhood Yoga and University of San Francisco.

“Our sponsors truly embraced the idea that our community’s journey to Deafhood is an essential step towards realizing true freedom from oppression and audism, and the Deafhood Foundation thanks each one of them for their amazing support,”
said Butch Zein, Organizing Chair of the Foundation.

Butch also added, “Not only that, we had a great number of people attending Encore gathering both evenings and they got to meet the cast, crew and board members of the Foundation. It was a wonderful time together. Their extra dollars
made it possible for the Deafhood Foundation to raise even more money. Thank you to all who went!”

Over ten cities across the country has expressed interest in staging The Deafhood Monologues in their city, and the Foundation is now studying the best possible way to bring this to as many people as possible.

In 2010, the Deafhood Foundation has raised over $30,000, bringing us closer to the $50,000 mark when the Foundation will issue its first Deaf-centered grant ever in areas of activism, arts, education, media and research.

For more information, visit www.DeafhoodFoundation.org and www.DeafhoodMonologues.com