August 2008 1

Volume 2 Issue 1

August 2008

Friends, we are only one month away from com-pleting an around-the-world journey that began nearly one year ago. With your help and support, we have been able to capture over 100 hours of video footage of thriving deaf clubs in New Zealand, bril-liant student dancers in China, inspirational callig-raphy artists in Japan, homes for children without families in India, empowering games in Australia, isolated villagers in the mountains of Nepal, thrifty street market vendors in Thailand, and hard work-ing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Cambodia.

Without a doubt, DDW has been well received in every country. The international deaf communi-ties of these countries have welcomed our efforts to research and document their unique cultures. We all share a vision to make a difference. We all strive to improve the standards, rights, and opportunities for deaf people. And we are all committed to strength-ening the bonds that were made crossing borders this past year.

“So what’s next for DDW?” is the question many people ask. “Is this the end of the line for your trav-

els?” Well, not exactly. Since we’ve only been to eight out of 200-plus countries in this world, we figure: “Let’s keep on truckin’!” We have seen the impor-tance and direct impact of DDW’s outreach from one country to the next, and value the feedback we get following our travels. So, as we wrap up this first journey by returning to the United States in Septem-ber, DDW will enter a new phase. And this is what we envision:

Future onward travels through South Amer-1. ica, Africa, Europe and Asia to continue dis-covering deaf worlds. Many of the schools, organizations and NGOs we visited do not have easily accessible contact information. Online research is unsuccessful for schools without websites or with only non-English websites. We discovering such places only by visiting that country and diving into the local deaf communities. As DDW grows, we intend to continue traveling, as well as sponsor addi-tional duos of deaf and hearing people to film, interview, and document their international experiences.Create possibilities by becoming more deeply 2. involved with select schools, organizations and

What’s Next for Discovering Deaf Worlds?

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

What is DDW?

Dave Justice and Christy Smith are travel-ing the world to learn and share stories of empowerment, inspiration, and connection between international Deaf communities.

Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW) is an opportunity to give deaf people worldwide a voice. For more information, photos, vid-eo logs, and newsletter stories, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?, continued on page 5

Dave and Christy filming at a school in India

2 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Throughout the world, the name Mohandas Gandhi is syn-onymous with non-violence. Ded-icated to issues of unjust poverty, religious harmony, and women’s rights, Gandhi shined as a leader for his ability to organize social protest. He showed the world how non-violent civil disobedience could free a nation from foreign control.

Gandhi was often referred to as Mahatma, which means “Great Soul.” Regardless of his immense popularity, he maintained a sim-ple, modest life in a self-sufficient community. He hand-spun his own Indian shawls for clothing, was a vegetarian, and traveled by train or bus as any aver-age farmer would do.

Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader to India and in-spired civil rights movements throughout the world. On Jan. 30, 1948, he was assassinated by a Hindu Mahasabha radical ex-tremist. There had been five previ-ous attempts on his life.

With honorable dedication, Gandhi practiced the principles he promoted: truth, non-vio-lence, vegetarianism, Brahmacha-rya (spiritual and practical purity), simplicity and faith.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi. Photo credit: www.s9.com/Biography/Ma-hatma-Gandhi. Quotes credited to http://www.quo-tationspage.com/quotes/Mahatma_Gandhi.

Truth, Non-Violence and Simplicity

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)

Dave and Christy have dedicated their time to the boys and girls of Shuktara this past month in Kolkata, India (see the June issue for more details on Shuktara; this issue may be downloaded from www.discoveringdeafworlds.com/DDW%20Newslet-ter%20Archive/ddwjune08.pdf ). Strong connec-tions have been made, and ongoing support will be exchanged between DDW and this magical non-governmental organization throughout the next several years.

In addition, DDW has dedicated this time to documenting the schools, organizations, and businesses involved with the Kolkata deaf com-munity. Continued travels through India will take Dave and Christy to Varanasi, Jaipur and New Delhi.

Much more is to come in the September issue about what’s happening in the deaf community of Northern India. The September issue will be the final full- length newsletter for this remarkable journey.

A warm welcome return from the Shuktara home!

You must be the change you want to see in the world.–Mohandas Gandhi

August 2008 3

Throughout DDW’s visits to deaf schools and orga-nizations in Kolkata, a shared concern has been raised regarding parental and family involvement. When more than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, the common response among parents tends to be dis-appointment, denial, and anger. In India, deafness is often viewed as a result of bad karma from a past life. Therefore, it is not uncommon for uninformed parents to remain withdrawn from the early development stages of their deaf children.

Formerly known as the International Deaf Chil-dren’s Society, VAANI is an organization responding to such concerns. Their motto is to empower deaf chil-dren and their families. Vaani is a Hindi word meaning sound, or voice. The translation of this word does not

infer sound only by ears, but also through the soul, the wind, the eyes, and all of one’s inner and outer senses. It is an all-encompassing word to represent one of the organization’s main objectives: correcting the myth that “if you can not speak, you can not communicate.” Vi-sual language is communication the same as any spoken language. When we give deaf children a world without barriers to develop a language, they will prove them-selves capable the same as any hearing child.

“When parents are better informed on options for education, communication, hearing aids, and support networks,” states a VAANI staff member, “they can make wiser choices for their deaf child.” To generate such empowerment, VAANI conducts training pro-grams with parents and special educators. They also in-fluence policy makers to provide more quality services and balanced information.

In addition to trainings and government meetings, VAANI aims to maintain a supportive network of par-ents who have deaf children. Recently, the organization hosted its first official family fun day. “There were no lectures, or workshops, or trainings,” says Communica-tions Manager Sandhya Srinivasar. “This was solely an opportunity for parents of deaf children to get together and socialize.” Over 300 people turned up, proving to one another that they are not alone.

Visit VAANI’s website at www.vaani.in.

A World Without Barriers

For Every Deaf Child

There are 12 million deaf people in India; of •that number, approximately 300,000 are aged 0-4 years.Over 25,000 children are born deaf every year •in India.81% of parents with a deaf child in India never •learn to fully communicate with the child.An undiagnosed deaf child at age three may •only know about 25 words, compared to 700 words for a hearing child of the same age.

Source: VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation

Did You Know...

Sandhya, Inky, and Debasis of VAANI share their services with DDW

Since July 23, Discovering Deaf Worlds has been in Northern India,the final destination for this year’s journey. Dave and Christy will re-main there until Sept. 16.

Check for updates and stories at www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

4 Discovering Deaf Worlds

A Thank You to Our Sponsors

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Donate to DDW by going online!

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

Janet Brower of Red Cross and Jessica Germano & Jenna Weintraub of Planned Parenthood…we are so grateful for your professional guidance before returning to India. You are generous warm-hearted people making a difference out there!

Subhavkar Roy of FPA-Kolkata…we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us and share your cultural perspective and knowledge. You are doing wonderful things to educate the community in Kolkata.

David and Alison…you have made Kolkata our home away from home. There is no doubt we will see you again!

Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!

Newsletter services provided byT.S. Writing Services, LLC

www.tswriting.comA Deaf-Owned Company

August 2008 5

schools we have discovered. Although raising awareness through our newsletter, blog and vid-eo has been successful, we now want to provide consistent, ongoing support. Such involvement will include both financial assistance (such as sponsoring a deaf child in India to go to school) and matching resources (sending qualified role models abroad to work with deaf students in Cambodia on language development, or gath-ering hearing aids to donate to a deaf school in Nepal). Stay tuned for how you can get in-volved with Discovering Deaf Worlds: Creat-ing Possibilities!

Naturally, the continuation of DDW will depend on regular, ongoing sources of funding. We will begin writing grants and searching for potential sponsorship connections to continue our fundraising efforts. If you have recommendations for funding opportunities, please e-mail info@discoveringdeafworlds.com.

DDW is not a one-time operation. Though it is un-likely we will travel again at this magnitude, we will continue to travel and reach each continent, one coun-try at a time. So until that next plane ticket is pur-chased, our full-time efforts are dedicated to sharing why this organization is important. Here is our plan as we regroup back home over the next few months:

Work with a video production team to edit and •caption a one-hour length film, in the style of

a PBS or Discovery Channel special, to raise awareness on deafness worldwide.Provide public appearances at schools and as-•sociations to share stories of what struggles and opportunities deaf people are facing around the world and inspire others to travel (see page 6).Maintain solid international connections and •continue being an intermediary network to in-ternational deaf communities. Throughout our travels, we receive regular e-mails from those researching deaf culture or participating in project development in other countries. We will continue to link such people and organizations together.

Thanks to all of you for your ongoing support. The start-up of DDW has been a huge success and we are anxious to see what’s to come in the next five years, ten years, and beyond. We are on our way!

Dave and Christy tell schoolchildren about their travels around the world.

WHAT’S NEXT?, continued from front page

Confirmation Not Found?!

When flying internationally, always have a printout of your flight information with you until you arrive at your destination, especially if changing airlines for connecting flights. Don’t assume your information will be in the computer. Many airports, especially in developing countries, still rely on paper printouts for verification. Without that precious piece of paper, you may fall victim to hours and hours of tedious haggling over purchasing another flight.

Where do I wash my hands?

Public restrooms can be hard to find when traveling through underdeveloped countries. Often, your only option is a severely neglected squat toilet with a bucket of not-so-fresh water used for both wiping (with the left hand) and flushing. Even in a fancy restaurant, you’re lucky to get soap and running water. Don’t expect a butler handing out warm towels, breath mints and perfumes. It’s best to keep some wet wipes sealed in a plastic bag in your pocket if you want to wash your hands before lunch.

International Travel Tidbits

6 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Name as you would like it to appear in the program

Contact person

Address City State Zip

Phone Email

Please return this lower form with your underwriting gift to:

Rochester School for the Deaf

1545 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY 14621

1545 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY 14621 • For tickets, please call 585-544-1240 (voice/TTY) • Visit www.RSDeaf.org/Adventures

UNDERWRITING LEVELS$ 250-499

2 complimentary ticketsand listing in program

$ 500-9994 complimentary ticketsand listing in program

$ 1,000+6 complimentary tickets

and logo in program

For more information, please contact the Superintendent’s Office at 585.336.5800

Thursday, October 23, 2008

5:00–6:30 pm Hors d’oeuvre & Dessert Reception7:00–8:30 pm Presentation in the RSD Auditorium

$45 per person / $20 lecture only

For tickets, please call 585-544-1240 (voice/TTY). Visit www.RSDeaf.org/Adventures

DiscoverinGDeaf WorldS

withChristy Smith & Dave Justice

Major underwritingsupport provided by

Want to schedule a presentation with Discovering Deaf Worlds at your school,

organization or club? contact info@discoveringdeafworlds.com.

August 2008 7

Indian Sign LanguageIn each issue, DDW prints the fingerspelled alphabet of a visited country.

While traveling through Northern India, DDW is still searching for a more accurate image of the ISL fingerspelling alphabet. The ISL department of the National Institute for the Hearing Handi-capped (NIHH) in Kolkata only had this image to pass on as a resource, but explained that there are a few differences between this image and the actual ISL alphabet.

More information about NIHH is at www.ayjnihh.nic.in.

Thank you for believing in us!

We have only one month left to make it back to the States and fulfill our year long journey of discovering deaf worlds. If you have enjoyed reading our newsletter and are feeling generous today, please make a small donation to help us see this project through. We are living on a combined budget of $20-$25 per day in India, so dona-tions of any size can have a profound impact. You will be helping us cover additional project expenses we have for video equipment and editing, interpreting services, the newsletter you are reading right now and much more. Donations can be made online or by mail. To donate, stop by www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

The Home Stretch!

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.–Mohandas Gandhi