The results of the study have recently been published:
(Click below for your copy of the pdf file of the book.)
Circle of Unity
Pathways to Improving Outreach
to American Indians and Alaska Natives
Improving Outreach by Rehabilitation Counselors: American Indians and Alaska Natives who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind
A NIDRR-funded Research Project
The purpose of this project is to write a publication that will address key rehabilitation outreach needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind, and who are living in urban settings or are in transition from tribal lands.
This study is made possible by a Section 21 grant award from the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research. Section 21 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments identified the need to improve rehabilitation efforts to reach and serve minority persons with disabilities.
We hope you will read the Project Outline and share your feedback with the writing team. The page will be open for public comment online until May 31, 2003.
You may submit your comments to Project Coordinator Katrina
Miller by email or conventional mail at: Rehabilitation Research & Training
Center, 4601 W. Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205.
How did this project get started?
This project was inspired by the publication Step
Into The Circle: The Heartbeat of American Indian, Alaska Native, and First
Nations Deaf Communities. The book is the collective effort of indigenous
Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind who shared their stories to promote understanding
of their cultures. Rehabilitation counselors should be aware of this information,
thus, this project was developed.
When will the project be completed?
The NIDRR Section 21 grant supports the project for one year. The completed
publication is expected to come out in the first quarter of 2004.
Who is responsible for this project?
Funding for this project was awarded to the University
of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Persons who are
Deaf and Hard of Hearing NIDDR Grant H1333B01501. The Center is responsible
to select project writers and prepare the final draft for publication and distribution.
The project will be open for public
comment online until May 31, 2003.
We know that consumers are the experts about what they want and need from rehabilitation
and human service providers. We have several ways for you to share your knowledge
and experience with the writing team.
You may read the Project Outline and submit your comments and feedback to Katrina Miller, Project Coordinator, by email. The project will be open for public comment online from April 10 to May 31, 2003.
Or, you may prefer to attend an upcoming national presentation and give your feedback in person.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to identify and remove barriers experienced by American Indian
and Alaska Natives who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind. We will be
developing a set of standards for an holistic approach to rehabilitation and
human services for this underserved population.
Study Plan
Phase 1: Planning
On January 23-25, 2003, the members of the writing team met with the project
coordinator at the University
of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Persons who are
Deaf and Hard of Hearing, in Little Rock.
The team developed a mission statement and worked hard for three days to outline the publication.
Phase 2: Feedback
There were a number of skilled writers who are knowledgeable about Deaf and
American Indian/Alaska Native cultures who were recommended for the writing
team. Unfortunately, we could not select them all! We also recognized that we
need to get the perspectives of the consumers of rehabilitation services.
Phase 3: Writing
The writing team has outlined the publication and begun to write a rough draft.
After the public has had a chance to make comments, their feedback will be reviewed
and added into the writing wherever relevant.
Additionally, several professionals in the field of rehabilitation, Deaf culture, and American Indian culture will review the work prior to publication. This process includes the Elders and Board Members of the Intertribal Deaf Council.
Phase 4: Publication
After the work of the writers has been commented on by the public, reviewed
by professionals, and edited by the project coordinator, it will be published
and disseminated.
Writing Team
The writing team is a group of dedicated volunteers. They do not receive wages
for sharing their expertise and experiences. They chose to work on this project
because of their strong desire to improve rehabilitation services for indigenous
peoples who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind by educating rehabilitation
counselors about their cultures.
Project Coordinator
Katrina Miller
Dr. Katrina Miller has worked as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center since November, 2001. Her current research projects focus on job coaching with deaf people who have minimal language skills and/or multiple disabilities, and the development of culturally appropriate rehabilitation outreach methods for indigenous people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind. krmille@uark.edu
Howard Busby
Dr. Howard Busby (Hatak Falaya), Ph.D., (Mississippi Choctaw/Eastern Cherokee) has provided academic and vocational education to deaf students at a number of residential schools for deaf students across the nation. Currently, he is a professor in the Counseling Department at Gallaudet University, where he is researching the educational experiences of American Indians and Alaska Natives who are Deaf.
Alan Cartwright
Mr. Cartwright is Director of the Arc of Anchorage Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center (DHCC), a program serving a high volume of Alaska Natives who are Deaf. Prior to his work at the DHCC, Mr. Cartwright worked with Deaf people in Nepal (1987-1989), Singapore (1990), and Ecuador (1991-1993) as a volunteer in the Peace Corps. He is the cofounder of Global Deaf Connections, a non-profit organization focused on the exchange of cultural information.
Linda Carroll
Ms. Carroll (Eastern Band Cherokee-Wolf Clan) is a trainer who focuses on increasing
the quality of interpreting services to American Indians who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind,
and Hard of Hearing. She is an RID-certified Deaf interpreter. Ms. Carroll also
holds the distinction of being the first woman elected president of the Intertribal
Deaf Council, and she served in this capacity from 1998-2001.
Dan LaBrosse
Mr. LaBrosse received his master's in Rehabilitation Counseling at Gallaudet in 1989. He has served as Executive Director of Deaf Community Services (1991-1998), and as an adjunct professor teaching ASL at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mr. LaBrosse is a former counselor at the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and currently works as a counselor with Compensation Risk Consultants, a community rehabilitation organization. He is a board member of ADARA.
Damara Goff Paris
Ms. Paris, M.S., (Cherokee, Blackfoot/Caucasian) is a nationally certified counselor who managed a community based rehabilitation center for Deaf persons over a 3 year period in Salem, Oregon. She is the director of 3 telecommunications assistance programs for the state of Oregon, and the current president of the Intertribal Deaf Council. Ms. Paris is the owner of AGO Publications and, coeditor of Step Into The Circle: The Heartbeat of American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations Deaf Communities. She is an adjunct faculty member at Western Oregon University.
Judy Stout
Ms. Stout is a member of the Lumbee tribe, the largest non-federally recognized tribe in the U.S. However, they are a state-recognized tribe. Ms. Stout is a family educator at the Laurent Clerc Center and an adjunct professor teaching political leadership at Gallaudet. She is the current president of the Maryland Deaf & Hard of Hearing Democratic Club. lumbeejudy@aol.com
A. Description of the Populations:
American Indians and Alaska Natives who are:
and living in:
B. Numbers of American Indians and Alaska Natives:
C. Numbers of Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
D. Numbers of Native American Rehabilitation Centers
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review will be focused on general American Indian/Alaska Native issues with information about how deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind people are impacted by these issues in rehabilitation settings and related human service delivery in the United States.
A. Chemical Dependency
C. Mental Health
E. Criminal Legal Problems & Incarceration
CHAPTER THREE: MULTICULTURAL ASPECTS
American Indians and Alaska Natives who are Deaf, hard of hearing,
or deaf-blind have a minimum of four cultures they must interact and move between.
Those who move between the groups successfully are multicultural individuals,
and those who cannot do so become marginalized.
Please note that this chapter is still under construction.
Recommendations for VR counselors will be developed in response to the cultural issues defined in Chapter 3.
A. Training areas: Train the trainers
B. Develop a 3-year position to coordinate training, outreach, and evaluation
C. Develop a centralized database
D. Develop a centralized resource center for AI/AN Deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind people
E. Define areas in need of attention by researchers
F. Publications
J. Future studies should include or focus on Indian Reservations
CHAPTER FIVE: RESOURCES
This chapter will list and outline national and local resources for VR counselors
and AI/AN who are deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing.
PROJECT DISSEMINATION:
Tribal VR
State VR
Consumers
National Presentations
The following presentations will be made by writing team members throughout 2003. Attendees who wish to offer their feedback on this project in person are welcomed to do so.
"Book Talk on Deaf Culture"
Martin King, Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, D.C.
April 4, 2003
Judy Stout, a contributing author of
Step
Into The Circle: The Heartbeat of American Indian, Alaska Native, and First
Nations Deaf Communities, will talk about her experiences growing up
on tribal lands as a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
"Culturally Appropriate Outreach and Transition Methods for American Indians and Alaska Natives who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf Blind"
Western
Symposium on Rehabilitation and the Deaf
April 10, 2003
Seattle, Washington
Presented by Alan Cartwright, Dan
LaBrosse, Katrina Miller, and
Damara Goff Paris
"Improving Outreach to American Indians and Alaska Native Individuals who are Deaf"
American Deafness
and Rehabilitation Association Conference
May 2003
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Presented by Dan LaBrosse and Katrina
Miller
"Native & Deaf: Celebrating Contributions of an Indigenous Nation to the Deaf Community"
Arkansas Association of the
Deaf Biennial Conference
July 4, 2003
Little Rock, Arkansas
Damara Goff Paris will present on American
Indian & Deaf cultures.
Please contact Dr.
Glenn Anderson for more information about this lecture.
"Cultural Awareness of Deaf and Hard of Hearing American Indians in Rehabilitation Settings"
Lumbee PowWow Celebration
July 5, 2003
Pembroke, North Carolina
Judy Stout will facilitate a discussion.
You may contact Judy for more information at lumbeejudy@aol.com
Share Comments
If you are interested in this project and have something to share, please read
the Project Outline and e-mail
your ideas, comments, feedback, and suggestions to Katrina
Miller, Project Coordinator.
Submit Title
The publication does not yet have a title. If you would like to suggest a title,
please email Katrina
Miller, Project Coordinator.
If your title is selected, you will receive a free copy of Step Into The Circle: The Heartbeat of American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations Deaf Communities, generously donated by Damara Goff Paris of AGO Publications.
Submit Artwork
This publication needs an attractive cover that will reflect the cultural of
American
Indians and Alaska Native people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind.
If you have the same dedication to improving rehabilitation services for this population as the writing team, perhaps you would be willing to donate your artwork for the cover.
If so, please submit your sample work to Katrina Miller, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, 4601 W. Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205. You will receive full credit for your donation in the publication, as well as a copy of it.
Request a Copy
If you would like to request a copy of this publication in 2004, please email
Katrina Miller,
Project Coordinator, with:
If you would like to suggest rehabilitation, tribal, or other organization that you feel could benefit from this a copy of the completed publication, please e-mail Katrina Miller, Project Coordinator, with:
In Acknowledgement
We consider this project to be a community effort. We value the input of consumers
and former consumers of rehabilitation services. The project is greatly enhanced
by the expertise and guidance provided by the Intertribal
Deaf Council. We wish to acknowledge and thank the President, Board Members,
and Council of Elders for their commitment to improving cultural awareness in
rehabilitation services for indigenous people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
and Deaf-Blind.