“Terms of Engagement: The Counselor’s Role in Building Effective Home-School Community Relationships”
March 11-14
Kansas School for the Deaf, Olathe KS
Huge thanks to the Kansas School for the Deaf for hosting the conference. Great appreciation is given for hard work and dedication of the NCDA Conference Committee, Presenters, KSD Volunteers, and JCCC Student Interpreter Volunteers. Sponsors which made the conference financially feasible included: Gallaudet University Regional Center at Johnson County Community College, National Deaf Academy, Z VRS, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Greater Kansas City Chapter of ADARA, and the Deaf Women of Oz.
The conference began on Thursday evening with welcome remarks given by Suzanne Dennis, NCDA Conference Co-Chair and Dr. Robert Maile, KSD Superintendent. Dr. Maile praised the association for coming together to share ideas and recognized that counselors are often an underappreciated group due to the many environmental and interpersonal challenges counselors must face to provide support deaf students. Jennifer Hampton, NCDA Conference Chair, presented Dr. Maile with an appreciation plaque to Kansas School for the Deaf for hosting this year’s conference. A reception followed the welcome remarks, giving everyone the opportunity to meet each other and network.
A NCDA map was posted in the cafeteria for all of the attendees to sign their names on their respective state. The map was drawn by Gallaudet University School Psychology Intern, Lindsay Jones. The attendees were from the following states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas.
Dr. Stephen Weiner, Provost of Gallaudet University, provided the keynote address on Friday morning. The address included a potpourri of items, including the sharing of his experiences as a son observing his mother's experience with the mental health system of its’ time; an emphasis for counselors and mental health providers to be educated and culturally sensitive to mental health consumers from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds; and an emphasis on counselors educating deaf students on international issues impacting our society to assist them in transitioning out of the education system to the working/postsecondary world.
The 15 workshops which took place Friday through Sunday morning, were well-received and all of them received good evaluations. The sessions covered a wide range of topics: Shaping deaf children and their families for success; “Deaf Teenz”, a HIV/AIDS education program for deaf and hard of hearing youth; Social skills for elementary students; PEPNet transition workshops; writing a transition-rich IEP; role of counselors for the deaf in public schools; bully prevention; impact of domestic violence on families and teen dating violence; Love and Logic; play therapy with families; behavioral interventions in a school setting using the UCC and Ziggurat Model and Positive Behavior Support. A poster session was held on Saturday morning, which was well-attended. These colleagues deserve much thanks for their hard work in preparing their presentations and handouts/other resources. We also thank them and the attendees for being flexible with our limitations in space, as we realize the workshop rooms were small for the number of people present. The attendance was beyond our original expectations!
On Saturday afternoon, Sandra Kelly, Executive Director of the Kansas Educational Foundation Deaf Cultural Center and William J. Marra Museum provided a tour to NCDA conference.
Evon Black a nationally known Deaf performer, gave a performance “It Runz in the Family” on Saturday evening in Murphy Auditorium at Kansas School for the Deaf. The performance was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended, which included members of the local Deaf community. A few members of the NCDA Conference Committee were surprised with an impromptu request to become part of the performance! The performance began with the story of the Biblical figures Aaron (portrayed by Norman Bauman) and Hur (portrayed by Jennifer Hampton) holding up Moses’ (portrayed by Suzanne Dennis) arms while sitting on a rock when he became tired while holding the rod of God during the battle between Amalekites and the Iraelites. Ms. Black called upon the audience to further support the trio and several attendees rushed to the stage. The morale was professionals in the mental health and counseling fields need to support each other to help those we serve. The rest of the performance consisted of a lively and humorous mixture of short stories, all with a morale while celebrating diversity. The performance’s content was a perfect match for our audience and gave us plenty of inspiration to continue the work we do. After the performance, a cake and beverage reception was held in the cafeteria for the public.
Bonnie Goben, Director of Training and Development of Sign Language Specialists in Lee’s Summit, MO conducted a project during the conference in which several deaf and hard of hearing conference attendees participated. The project involved taping the participants’ descriptions of mental health/illness and counseling for the purpose of training interpreters.
After the workshop sessions on Sunday morning, a business meeting took place and a group photo was taken. The business meeting consisted of the financial report, proposals for the 2012 conference were given, clarification of ad hoc group representative roles, and the traditional “wellness / state” gift exchange. For the 2012 NCDA Conference, proposals from New Mexico School for the Deaf and Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf have been submitted. The proposals will be reviewed by the NCDA Officers and a vote to the membership will take place. The association decided to have the officers remain until 2012 for the purpose of focusing on continuing the work current officers have done.
- NCDA Officers for the term Spring 2010-Spring 2012
- President: Suzanne Dennis
- Vice President: Nancy Quinn
- Secretary: Janet Pennington
- Treasurer: Jennifer Hampton
- Webmaster: Joe Butt
Special thanks again to the Kansas School for the Deaf Administration for allowing the conference to be hosted at KSD. A special thanks are in order for the KSD Roth Dormitory students who cleared their rooms for the conference attendees. NCDA gave each student a $5 Wal-Mart gift card to show our appreciation. The following KSD departments deserve a big pat on the back for their hard work in preparing for this conference: Maintenance, Dietary / Kitchen, Student Life, Information Technology, and Related Services. Special thanks to Suzanne Dennis, NCDA Conference Co-Chair, Jennifer Hampton, NCDA Conference Co-Chair, Norman Bauman – Transportation Coordinator, Janna Wiesner – Food Coordinator, Annie Wallace-Volunteer Coordinator and Lindsay Jones - Coordinator of “Miscellaneous”.
Keep an eye out for postings regarding the location of the NCDA 2012 conference and information regarding ADHOC action team members and regional contact information. Information on NCDA membership and an application form may be found on the NCDA website: www.ncdacounselors.org. Photos from the conference will be posted soon.
