Snapp Shots: Berkeley center for deaf kids offers new program for parents

I swear the Center for Early Intervention on Deafness CEID in Berkeley never ceases to amaze me Founded in by Jill Ellis and Mary Molcavage it s based on an obvious fact that a great number of people don t seem to realize The time between ages and is the bulk central stage in your life because that s when you re installing the operating system in the preponderance sophisticated computer in the world your own brain Unfortunately there s a big if You won t start learning how to read until you re or so you have to learn all the basic concepts hot and cold up and down in and out mom and dad day and night etc through your eyes and ears instead But what if you were born deaf If somebody doesn t figure out how to get that crucial information to you anyway you re going to be stuck playing catch-up for the rest of your life That s where CEID comes in It s a preschool project that assesses each child and develops a personalized approach to overcoming any obstacles whether those may be hearing aids cochlear implants or other sponsorship In the meantime it starts teaching the kids American Sign Language right away CEID has come up with a lot of avenues to do it Now under the leadership of Cindy Dickeson who succeeded Ellis as executive director in the center has come up with a new one the Deaf Coaching Undertaking With the increase of deaf teachers at CEID we thought Why not have them work with the parents who majority of often are not deaf hard-of-hearing themselves says Davana Jackson who coordinates the Deaf Coach Initiative and was a CEID pupil herself before ultimately becoming a role model Any time I see a little light go on in a child s eyes as they realize that they can use their hands to talk and see their confidence slowly emerging it makes me cry with happiness It gives them the vocabulary to be better advocates for their deaf identity The biggest fans of the operation are the parents themselves The Deaf Coach Venture has meant so much to my family says one mom Both of our children are deaf and also have a rare genetic deaf blind condition and one of our primary goals is to foster a confident strong sense of self in them Being deaf blind our children straddle two different communities and may face challenges in finding a place where they belong Davana is such a wonderful influence on them She helps them practice different language modalities and validates that deafness and deaf identity is a diverse spectrum so they can choose their identity for themselves She also shares aspects of deaf society and history with them for example that the internationally recognized Deaf Flag was designed by a French artist with their own genetic condition We have a lot of fun laughs and meaningful moments together We invariably look forward to our time with her and the kids say she is their best friend If you d like to find more about CEID you can find a lot of stimulating stuff on their website at ceid org You also can have an informal tour if you like I guarantee you ll come out showing pleasure it s a very happy place Call them at - - and they ll set it up CEID s Greatest need right now is aid from the public If you want to donate you can do it on their website or send them a check at Grayson St Berkeley CA P S The last time I wrote about CEID it was about their partnership with Prospect Sierra Elementary School in El Cerrito with the third-graders acting as big brothers and sisters to the little kids at CEID which I thought was a very generous thing for them to do What I didn t fully realize until I sat down to write this column is how much it s really a win-win situation Yes the little kids are thrilled After all if you re a little kid a big kid is the next thing to God To have one even acknowledge your existence let alone be nice to you is the thrill of a lifetime As for the big kids it s an introduction to one of life s greatest pleasures the warm feeling that comes from being kind Martin Snapp can be reached at catman comcast net