DEAF EMPOWERMENT ABROAD FOUNDATION COLLABORATION

FOJ awarded funding to a project by the Deaf Empowerment Abroad Foundation (D-E-A-F) to support the professional development of educators for deaf students in Jamaica.

The grant supported the ongoing project “Bridging The Gap.” The first part of the project involved training primarily at the Jamaica Association of the Deaf (JAD) Kingston campus with executive director Dr. Iris Soutar, selected hearing teachers, and Deaf teaching assistants. Focus was placed on educating hearing teachers and staff on Deaf cultural sensitivity, approaches to language learning for hearing staff and teachers, introduction to JSL (Jamaican Sign Language), the significance of children being instructed in their natural language, and establishing a mentorship program to offer continued language support from a distance.

As Tisha Ewen-Smith, Director of Education and Training at JAD, said, “Having a successful Deaf tutor address our Deaf staff was very helpful as they were able to relate, and as you know Deaf to Deaf is always more received than Hearing to Deaf. We hope to build on this in the future.”

D-E-A-F met its goals of training 60 hearing teachers/staff and 25 Deaf teaching assistants/staff at combined schools. The impact extended beyond to 3 Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf (CCCD) sister campuses and 7 JAD campuses outside of Kingston.

The foundation was firmly laid, opening dialogue between two diverse cultures. Through exposure to the language in use, hearing teachers became more open to learning JSL for themselves—a vital step toward bettering the quality of education for deaf students across Jamaica.