National Winner |
Month: September 2008 |
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Educational Program of the Month |
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Busey-Evans Sign Language Club |
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| School: |
University of Illinois - Champaign Urbana |
Region: |
GLACURH |
| Person in charge: |
Kathleen Kinsella |
Nominator: |
Aurora Ebert |
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| Target Population: 15 |
Time Needed to Organize: 30-45 min/week |
| Number of People in Attendance: 15 |
Date(s) of Program: Weekly-Fridays |
| Number of People Needed to Organize: 2 |
Cost of Program: $100 for books |
| On-Campus Population: 8500 |
Chapter Size: 40 |
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| Origin of Program: Kate Kinsella has a resident that is deaf. This inspired her to start
a Sign Language Club so that her resident would be able to better
interact with other residents in the building.Word Count: 33 |
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| Please give a short description of the program: Each week, Kate and her resident, Caroline, meet with a group of
about 10-15 residents throughout the building. Caroline teaches
residents some of the basics of American Sign Language, and each
week they progress to a more advanced level of ASL. Kate and
Caroline also teach the girls about the culture, and how it differs
in the United States from other countries (American Sign Language
vs. Sign Language). Many residents return each week, where they
review what they have learned. Each week, they are able to interact
and get to know one another on a more personal level. Word Count: 98 |
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| Goals of the program: The goal of this program is to educate residents about sign language
and the deaf culture. This program aims to allow residents to
communicate with the current and any future residents in the
building that may be deaf. It is also the hope that what they learn
will be useful in the campus community and throughout their lives if
they later meet a deaf patron.Word Count: 65 |
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| Positive and lasting effects of the program: Often in housing, we are very centered on diversity. We focus a lot
on race, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc. We often overlook
physically disability as diversity. This program has allowed us to
do this in Busey-Evans. It will also allow participants to keep this
knowledge of the deaf culture and sign language for future use if
needed. An additional and very important effect is the welcome that
Caroline has felt while meeting with participants each week.Word Count: 76 |
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| Short evaluation of the program: This program has been very successful. The target attendance goal is
often met each week, and many of the same residents return. The
positive turnout has prompted Kate and Caroline to look into
different sign language books and request funding to purchase these
books for participants of the program. They are currently looking
for a children's book, as was requested by residents that attend.Word Count: 64 |
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| How could this program be adapted to other campuses? This program could very easily be adapted to any campus that has
interested students. I believe it is safe to say that most all
campuses have students enrolled that are deaf or hearing impaired.
This being true, this program would have a positive impact on campus
to reach out to the community and help them obtain an awareness for
the deaf culture.Word Count: 62 |
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