Summer 2013 - Deaf Literacy Initiative

DLI 2013 Issue #2
Welcome to our
Summer 2013
Newsletter!
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
― Kofi Annan ( Former United Nations, Secretary-General)
Deaf Literacy Initiative
420 Britannia Road East, Unit #109
(905) 897-6772 (TTY)
(905) 897-5656 (Voice)
(905) 897-6676 (FAX)
http://www.deafliteracy.ca
dli@deafliteracy.ca
1
THE DLI NEWSLETTER
Deaf Literacy Initiative is committed
to strengthening communication
between DLI and all 15 literacy
programs in Ontario. As a way to
do this, we have developed this
newsletter to share all up-to-date
information about DLI projects the
projects of all 15 programs.
Contributors
Thank you very much to all of our contributors!
Peggy Anne Gordon — Executive Director of
Deaf Literacy Initiative
Anselmo DeSousa — DLI Project Coordinator
This newsletter is published three
times per year. An electronic
version is available on the
DLI website.
Michelle Smedes — CNIB Toronto
Christine Nelson — BRCD
Bruce Belcher — Mohawk College
Deanne Bradley — George Brown College
If you have anything, of interest,
such as learner successes or
pictures, that you would like to
share with your associates in other
programs please send it to
bernie@deafliteracy.ca
Jessica Kingsbury — DLI Project Staff
Bernie McClennan — Editor
Thank you!
Bernie McClennan, Editor
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Contents
In this Issue:
Message from Executive Director
4
DLI Board of Directors
Thanks and farewell to Wanda Berrette
Thanks and welcome to Wanda Blackett
5
PROGRAM UPDATES:
Deaf Learn Now!
Learner Success Story – GBC
College Sector Committee Conference
CNIB Toronto – Technical update
6-7
8
9-12
13
SPOTLIGHT:
BRCD
14
DLI ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New Project Staff – Jessica Kingsbury
Summer Student – Tristan Kong
Mayfest
Field Supervisor’s Appreciation Breakfast
15
16
17
18
NEWS FLASH:
Task-Based Activities for LBS
19
DLI RESOURCES AND PRODUCTS:
Bridging to Deaf Success (BDS)
Forms to order books/videos
20
21-22
ENTERTAINMENT:
Funny English Idioms
DLI Word Search – Canadian Words
Wizard of Oz in American Sign Language
23
24
25
DLI’s Values
DLI’s Vision
26
27
3
Message from DLI’s
Executive Director
Hello everyone,
Summer finally arrived on time with several hot days before that. I am
sure that you are all looking forward to nice weather, vacation, family
BBQ dinners and being outdoors enjoying nature. Just make sure you set aside time to
enjoy the summer, and spend time with your family.
There are several exciting things happening for the future. Loyalist College, in Bellville
wishes to set up a Deaf literacy program, and DLI has been working with them on that.
In order to submit a proposal to MTCU, for their consideration, we must collect statistics
on the needs and rationale for such a program. This takes time and effort.
DLI has been working with Lori Cooper at Employment Access, Pah! They have a long
list of clients who need literacy support. We are hoping to set up something with them
soon.
DLI also met with Becky Barber from MTML about ESKARGO training along with
OALCF Implementation Strategy (ISR). The good news is that we are considering
hosting a one day workshop on November 28, 2013 in Toronto with support from MTML.
They have funding for the training sessions. DLI needs to add cultural content for the
deaf stream with ESKARGO. DLI also needs to discuss funding for travel, with MTML
as DLI has limited funding, for that. MTML has limited funds, also, so we are working
together to see how to make it happen without any impact on both sides. Before the
workshop DLI will be meeting with MTCU to discuss the training needs such as webinars
and ESKARGO.
We are now looking into our project deliverables, including funding, to see if we could
add one more workshop related to BDS and one for the Assessment Tool for
Independence Goal Path. We are hoping to host this on November 29 th, 2013. More
information to come later and please look out for an announcement from DLI regarding
the workshop, and registration.
At the last DLI board we discussed holding a raffle to raise funds. The funds would
help to cover the cost of a presenter, who would visit each deaf literacy program.
The presenter would provide VLog workshops to learners at no cost. We will be
sending out information, regarding selling tickets and prizes very soon, and we will
ask for your assistance to sell tickets and to help make this a successful fundraiser.
Lastly, on a sad note, Wanda Berrette, has resigned from her position as Chair, of
DLI’s Board of Directors, due to increased workload back east in NB. We wish
her the best.
The good news is that, Wanda Blackett from DDS, has accepted the position
as Acting Chair until Fall 2013. We are looking forward to working with her.
Have a safe summer! See you in the fall.
Peggy Anne
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DLI BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Acting Chair
-
Wanda Blackett, Durham Deaf Services
Vice Chair
-
Karen Higginson, CHS Thunder Bay
Treasurer
-
Edward (Ted) McClennan, Applewood Enterprises
Secretary
-
Mara Waern, CHS Sudbury
Director at Large
-
Maureen Mitchell, CHS Mississauga
Director at Large
-
Simone Edwards-Forde, ALSO Ottawa
We would like to acknowledge the work of all of our Board of Directors and thank
them for volunteering their time, talents, and skills to Deaf Literacy Initiative.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are interested in becoming a member of the
Deaf Literacy Initiative Board of Directors, please contact
Peggy Anne Gordon at peggyanne@deafliteracy.ca
A Big Thank You to Wanda & Fond Farewell!
DLI Board of Directors and Staff would like to thank Wanda Berrette for her work over
the past 22 years as a volunteer. Wanda was one of the founders of “GOLD” which
has since become Deaf Literacy Initiative.
Wanda served in many capacities on the DLI Board of Directors, and over the past
few couple of years, as Chair. She was the Chair when we celebrated DLI’s 20th
Anniversary in November of 2011.
Wanda works for Saint John Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services in St. John,
New Brunswick, and has been flying in for the DLI meetings on a regular basis.
We wish her farewell and all the very best in her future endevours. She will be sadly
missed.
The DLI Board of Directors and Staff
Welcome Wanda!
Wanda Blackett of Durham Deaf Services will be the interim Chair until the election in
November at DLI’s AGM.
Welcome Wanda and we look forward to working with you, and assisting you in any
way possible.
The DLI Board of Directors and Staff
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PROGRAM UPDATES:
DEAF LEARN NOW
Greetings Folks!
Hope all is well with everyone and that all of the programs had a good year!
The Deaf Learn Now updates:
Promotional Video
The Deaf Learn Now team created a video about online learning for promotional
purposes. It is posted on the DLN website (www.deafeducationonline.ca). Have
you seen it yet? If not, we encourage you to watch it.
Here are some highlights about the video. Wanda
and Andrea worked hard to create the script, and
design the overall video.
The background in the video was not ‘wallpaper’ that
was downloaded, and Wanda created that from
scratch! All of the symbols/pictures were designed
and created by Andrea. They worked with Deanne
(overall concept of online learning etc), Anselmo
(explanation of the 5 goal paths) and Sonia (how to register etc) to ensure that the
script was followed and that the ASL was clear. After the completion of the video,
Wanda created subtitles and Andrea did the voice over.
Online Courses
Sonia completed the Deaf Studies Part 1 course and will begin the Part 2 course on
July 2nd. Here are some comments from the students about the course –
“The Deaf Studies Course was perfect!”
“The instructor’s signing (ASL) was perfect! Very Clear!”
“I can’t wait for Deaf Studies Part 2.”
“I want more courses.”
“I like Deaf Learn Now – it is the best!”
DLN will set up a Math course and hope to have some of it ready for the fall.
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PROGRAM UPDATES:
DEAF LEARN NOW—Cont’d…..
Sonia continues to send out emails/updates to everyone who is registered with
DLN. The updates include:
What’s New
Tip of the Week
Course and Material Highlights
If you have not received any ‘updates’, please contact Sonia
(Sonia@deaflearnnow.ca). But first, make sure you are registered with DLN .
Other:
Continue to continue to revise/update DLN
(make sure technology is up to speed)
Continue to work on courses –
Andrea is hard at work with the Driver’s Education Course
Wanda is creating a template to assist online practitioners to
build a course
Plato continues to be reviewed
Videos:
Will create ASL video for Notice of Collection and Consent
(specific to online learning)
Will create ASL video for Service Charter
That’s it for now folks! Have a wonderful and safe summer!
Cheers,
Deaf Learn Now team
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GBC Deaf Upgrading Program
Learner Success Story
Maryam Hafizirad, a Deaf artist from Iran, recently participated in an art competition
hosted by Neighbourhood Arts Network. This competition is funded by the
BMO (Bank of Montreal) Seed Fund. Out of hundreds of applicants, only ten
candidates were selected. Maryam was one of the ten that was chosen. Out of the ten
artists, only 6 would be awarded the BMO fund to set up an Art Workshop in the
community. This was determined by the amount of ‘likes’ on the Facebook page.
Maryam made it! WAVE HANDS! Thank you to all of you who voted for her!
She will set up an Art Workshop during the annual International Deaf Awareness Week
in September (September 23 – 29th 2013) at GBC. More details will follow at a later
date. Below is a blurb about her upcoming workshop:
“Dancing Hands – providing a telescope into the world of the Deaf” – My goal for
this project is to bring the Deaf and hearing communities together by creating an
environment for hearing people to learn about and understand our language
(sign language) and culture. This will provide an opportunity for all people
(Deaf and non-deaf) to be able to interact together with a common ‘language’ – through
art! I hope to be able to instill a positive vision to people about the deaf community so
that everyone can look towards the future with a clearer vision in creating positive
changes in local communities.
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CSC ANNUAL CONFERENCE
ANGELA HOYT OF EVOLUTION GROUP INC .
JUNE 3 , 2013
By Bruce Belcher
Greetings fellow literacy brothers and sisters!
We hope you all survived this year working with your learners and finding time to deal
with OALCF, OALC, EOIS, CaMS, Participant Registration Form, Learner Plans,
Checklists, Milestones, Performance Management Framework, Performance
Management Systems, ESKARGO........the list goes on and on! I bet every one of
you is looking forward to the summer break to get away from all this jargon chasing
after you!
A lot of time has passed since the last time Patrick and I went to a conference hosted
by DLI and we certainly missed networking with each one of you. This year, we
decided to attend the Annual College Sector Committee (CSC) Conference for the
first time ever. The conference took place on June 3 – 5, 2013. The theme of the
conference was “All Aboard”.
Barrie was the host city this year, with the conference being held at the beautiful
Georgian College campus. We stayed in the student residence and it has been a
while since feeling what it was like to feel like a college student again! Some of you
will remember the 2003 Summer Institute workshop where we stayed in the Ryerson
University student residence – it was a lot like that.
The opening keynote presentation was given by Angela Hoyt of the Evolution Group,
who is contracted by MTCU to provide training in regards to the Performance
Management Framework (PMF) which will be called the LBS Performance
Management Systems (LBS-PMS). This is what MTCU will be using to follow
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CSC ANNUAL CONFERENCE… Cont’d..
an outcomes and evidence based PMS to measure your program’s Effectiveness,
Customer Service and Efficiency. In other words, the LBS-PMS will help your
program to be more effective, customer-focused and efficient in achieving high
standard overall service quality. One of the points she made is that many people waste
a lot of energy resisting change before finally accepting that change is needed in
order to get better at our jobs. People don’t like change when they don’t understand
what it is about at first.
We had the opportunity to breakout into three groups (Faculty, Management and
Support Staff). We had the opportunity to discuss the following relating to the first year
of the “new” LBS (OALCF, EOIS-CaMS, LBS-PMS):
- Successes
- Challenges/lessons learned
- Interests
- Burning questions needed to be asked
The burning questions were interesting as many people had stories of frustration or
needed to vent their feelings about the whole system.
Patrick asked a burning question: “Is it fair to expect too much from us when MTCU
themselves admit that they are still not fully comfortable with the EOIS-CaMS system
and do not always have the answers ready?”. This brought about a lot of discussion
with the speaker and the audience.
Throughout this presentation, we have learned key points that are very important to
know and realize that the LBS-PMS tool is a requirement for you and your program to
know what is important and what to follow to ensure that service delivery and core
measures are being followed and measured. This is what MTCU will be using during
their Annual Site Compliance Visit (Program Monitoring Visit).
The mantra is LEOPGBYG ... “Let EOPG Be Your Guide”.
We also attended four breakout workshops over the two days.
The “New” LBS – Looking Forward – Plenary Session
Analysis of the breakout sessions from Monday afternoon and a summary of the “little
things” that will make a big difference in the LBS world for 2013 – 2014 plus a
discussion of next steps to come.
What we have learned: A lot of people are not thrilled with the EOIS-CaMS system
in particular! We’re reminded to stay on top of the eopg.ca website as there are always changes being put into place or improvements made to existing
documents.
10
CSC ANNUAL CONFERENCE… Cont’d..
Strategies to Help Improve Reading Comprehension
Experience in the classroom reveals that many students either do not read
assigned reading material and/or do not know how to process and synthesize
material they have read. In this interactive session participants will have an
opportunity to explore the effectiveness of integrating reading strategies into the
classroom. Through various participatory activities, participants will be able to
incorporate 3 reading strategies into their daily teaching to help students become
better readers.
Presenters: Sarah Hunter & Cindy Korpatnicki, Georgian College
What we have learned: This was an interesting workshop to look at different ways
of reading and to see what works for some types of students and what works for
other students, and also analyzed the differences between average and expert
readers.
One idea that might be worth exploring in the Deaf stream is to break down a story
into parts – for example, an article with 9 paragraphs, you could break it into 3 parts
with three groups of learners, then have each group discuss only the part they are
given and write down key points about what they’ve read. After the groups are
finished, they each explain to the other groups what their part is about. This would be
worth seeing if it helps the learners to understand the whole story better if they work in
teams and discuss only the parts they are given to read. Would they do better on
quizzes or essays if they split up the reading in this way?
Another reading comprehension method is to use the “It Says, I Know, So What?”
method. It Says = write down important idea from text. I Know = what do you know
about that idea and make a personal connection to it. So What = make connection to
future career, last week’s class or terminology, etc. This helps the reader to
understand the story better if he/she can make a connection to what they already
know about the subject.
Barriers to Success
Adult students participating in college upgrading programs often have multiple barriers
to success beyond the academic challenges. This workshop will help participants
examine the various personal, family, emotional and health issues beyond the
classroom which impact on success. The focus will be on identification and more
important helping students to transcend the obstacles on their road to success.
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CSC ANNUAL CONFERENCE… Cont’d..
Presenters: Greg Taylor and Crystal Cooke, Georgian College
What we have learned: A good analysis of the different types of learners we meet
in our jobs and to break down the different barriers our students go through
(there’s more than you think!). We also discussed some strategies that
instructors could use to assist students to remove these barriers.
Mental Health and Addictions: What College Staff Need to Know
Besides budget, the number one agenda item at every postsecondary institution
in North America is mental health. The workshop will be, in essence, a primer
covering what you need to know, why this issue is worth attention and how
government and colleges are currently responding to the challenges.
Presenter: Jim Lees, Confederation College
What we have learned: This was an important discussion about the mental health
aspects that learners go through, and the facilitator shared a story about The Jack
Project where a young man who seemed to have everything going for him
suddenly went into depression and then killed himself three months later, without
people realizing they needed to do something to help him. This generation is
being labeled as the “Broken Generation” and pointing out that youth mental
health is currently going through a crisis and government/colleges are finally
recognizing the need to step up and find solutions.
The evening of Tuesday June 4th, we had the opportunity to take a dinner cruise
around Kempenfelt Bay downtown Barrie aboard the paddle-wheeler Serendipity
Princess. The cruise offered breathtaking views looking at lush greenery along the
shore, landmarks, and nice beautiful homes. As we returned to port, we saw the sun
peering at us as it slowly disappeared into darkness.
In the early morning hours
of Wednesday June 5th,
2013, Bruce became a
victim to food poisoning!
Patrick was lucky enough
to escape this. There were
at least 20 other conference
participants who also had a
case of food poisoning as
well.
**Interpreting services for this conference were provided through the DLI ASL pool**
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CNIB
The Most Current Technology for Deaf – Blind People
How I use my Magnifier:
My name is Michelle and I am Deaf-Blind. I recently bought a
Video Magnifier, also known as a Field Enhancer. It is called
Compact 5 HD and is made by the company Optelec. I got it with
the help of the Assistive Devices Program, a government program
that pays 75% of the cost of the magnifier. I had to pay $325.00,
which was 25% of the cost.
I use this magnifier to read my mail, flyers for grocery stores, and to
read prices of clothing and food. I also read magazine articles and my church’s
weekly bulletin. The magnifier can zoom smoothly and can change the contrast.
I prefer yellow on black, but the magnifier can do black on white, white on black, yellow
on blue, and white on blue. It can also do true color which shows the same colors that
the print actually is. I use true color to look at pictures. As well, the magnifier can
change brightness. The magnifier can also take pictures.
I take pictures of prices in the store that are too far away or too small for me to see. I
take the picture and then hold it up to my eye and zoom in until I can read it. I love this
magnifier because it gives me independence. I don’t need to wait for another person to
be available to read me my mail. I can read short articles all on my own. I highly
recommend it to other Deaf-Blind people.
Regards,
Michelle Smedes
Note: Michelle is a student at CNIB location.
The link where you can find more information about this product: http://nwww.optelec.com/
en_US/product/electronic-low-vision/portable-video-magnifier/compact-5-hd
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SPOTLIGHT ON BRCD
By Christine Nelson
As a student, one can face many challenges in the
academic world. As an adult student who moved to
Canada for a better life, learning English is often the
most difficult challenge that a newcomer faces. We have
many successful learners here in our Adult Education
Program. One brave woman who had the courage to
change her normal everyday life and leave her haven to
start a new life, is Lida Jamshidpoor.
As a newcomer to this country and a new student to a
program, where she did not know anyone, Lida was very timid with her teachers and
peers. The Adult Education Program welcomed her with open arms from the day she
arrived and she has become acquainted with her fellow peers and teachers. She is now
no longer that timid newcomer with little to no English.
As one of her teachers, I can say that Lida has improved significantly in English and
ASL. She is motivated, determined and a hard worker who continues to strive in her
academics. When she was asked what BRCD helped her with she replied “ I was
scared and shy, but the people here, they are very kind and heartwarming.” It is the
moments when she is challenged, she tries her utmost to succeed.
“ Mary Jane and Angela helped me improve my English, I remember what you taught me
and always look back in my notes when I forget. Thank you for helping me” said Lida as
she beamed.
Lida has only begun blooming and her
commitment to school demonstrates she will
only continue to blossom into a successful
independent woman.
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DLI Welcomes New Staff
Jessica Kingsbury
All the staff at, DLI, want to welcome back Jessica
Kingsbury. Jessica worked with us last summer
and we are delighted that she has returned to
work on the Independence Goal Pathway.
Jessica’s enthusiasm lifts all of our spirits at the
office. Jessica is a real asset to Deaf Literacy
Initiative, and we are all looking forward to
working with her, once again.
FROM JESSICA:
First of all, I want to start by saying that I’m thrilled to be back at DLI. Last summer I
loved my time here and I felt that it went by way too fast. Now, I am excited to be again
working in the Literacy field. While here I will be working on developing an
assessment tool to assess the Independence Goal Pathway. There is a need for a
standardized tool for the Deaf community and our goal is to begin to create one. If you
are currently using an assessment tool, please email me to let me know which tools you
are using. With the assistance of Peggy Anne, Anselmo and various Consultants, I will
be gathering information and modifying it with input from the 15 LBS programs. You will
be hearing from me periodically over the next several months with updates as to how
this project is progressing.
On a personal note, I have just recently graduated from George Brown College with a
diploma in American Sign Language/English Interpreting. I am a graduate of York
University with a degree in Linguistics. While at York University I studied word patterns,
sentence structure, how language is used, how it changes over time and how
languages are acquired. I also have a Communicative Disorders Assistant Graduate
Certificate from Durham College.
And of course, life cannot be all work and no play, so in addition to my work at
Deaf Literacy Initiative, I am an avid cyclist and canoeist and I am looking forward to
spending some time in the great outdoors, this summer.
I hope you’re all taking advantage of the nicer weather,
Jessica
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DLI Welcomes Summer Student
Tristan Kong
Welcome Tristan
Welcome to Tristan Kong, who was hired for the
summer student job, and will work at DLI until
August 2013, before heading back to Sheridan
College. As part of the DLI team, Tristan will learn
about different projects concerning literacy and pathways. Some of his work will be
administrative, working with Bernie. He will also work with Jessica and Anselmo to
learn their work process on the current projects.
We are happy to have Tristan with us, and look forward to working with him. Tristan
has many skills that will be a great asset to DLI.
Tristan’s bio:
Tristan Kong graduated in 2010 from E.C.Drury School for the Deaf in Milton. He
then graduated from Loyalist College in Belleville with a diploma in Photojournalism
in 2012. After a three-week internship with the magazine, Canada Business and
MoneySense in Toronto, Tristan learned so much about the industry. He is currently
studying Advertising and Marketing Communication at Sheridan College in Oakville.
He is excited to work with the Deaf Literacy Initiative team this summer.
Some of Tristan’s activities include camping with his friends, photography and
cooking. He says he is not the best cook, but enjoys cooking. He also enjoys
travelling, whenever he can.
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DLI GOES TO MAYFEST
DLI at Mayfest
Maureen Mitchell, a member of the DLI Board and I
attended Mayfest 2013. We arrived early, at 7:20 am,
and set up the DLI booth.
We enjoyed meeting everyone and chatting about DLI.
There were a lot of people from 9am to 1pm. Maureen
enjoyed herself very much, as it was her first experience
to assist at the DLI booth.
DLI‘s Anselmo DeSousa and Maureen Mitchell
A lot of people came to our booth, interested in what we offered, and to gather
information about Literacy Programs in Ontario. So many of the people were not
aware that Literacy Programs provide many different skills, which can lead to
employment, independence, apprenticeships, post-secondary studies, and that they
can also receive credits to continue their education. It was a wonderful opportunity to
show them the resources that are available and to make them aware of all the literacy
programs that are offered in Ontario.
Later in the afternoon, Peggy Anne, Pat Morano and Deanne Bradley-Coelho arrived at
the booth. Maureen and I left the booth to see other booths and to gather information
about their services.
We look forward to going back again to Mayfest 2014
and look forward to seeing you all there!
Have a wonderful summer!
Anselmo
DLI‘s ED Peggy Anne Gordon and
Deanne Bradley-Coelho
17
DLI OUT AND ABOUT
Field Placement Supervisors’ Breakfast
June 20, 2013
Waterfront Campus 51 Dockside Drive Room 237
Interpreters: Monique LeDrew & Gloria Brifoglio
Anselmo and Bernie attended the Field Placement
Supervisors’ Breakfast and enjoyed the reception and
wonderful buffet breakfast, served in the most beautiful
setting. The room has wall to wall windows which over- look
Lake Ontario! Breath taking! Everyone wanted to sit there
all day! But alas, we could not do that.
The professors, students and Deans thanked the supervisors
for their work and said how much they were appreciated, and
how their work with the placement supervisors was so
beneficial to their programs.
The keynote speaker, Mr. Gordon Cressy, gave an inspiring
talk about dreaming, and following those dreams. He also
spoke of when he was a student and how his supervisor, at
his placement, inspired him.
Gloria Brifoglio and Student speaker
It was a lovely time and enjoyed
by all.
Anselmo and Bernie, DLI
Monique LeDrew and GBC Deans
Bernie McClennan & Anselmo DeSousa
Phyllis Vazquez, Co-ordinator
American Sign Language/English
Interpreting Program
GBC Waterfront Campus
18
QUILL LEARNING NETWORK
Task-Based Activities for LBS
TASK-BASED
ACTVITIES
for LBS
“DEAF PORTAL AVAILABLE “
QUILL Learning Network’s Task-Based Activities for LBS portal contains a collection
of activities that are aligned to the Ontario Adult Literacy curriculum Framework and
organized by stream, goal path and level. This fully searchable database, available in
English, French and designed for the Anglophone, Deaf, Native and Francophone
streams, provides task-based activities to help practitioners support students to
achieve their goals. The tasks have been submitted by the literacy field and are
available in both Microsoft word and PDF formats.
The Task-Based Activities for LBS portal was created by the QUILL Learning
Network, in partnership with AlphaPlus and other organizations and individuals. It
was funded by MTCU.
You can access this extremely helpful online resource at:
http://taskbasedactivitiesforlbs.ca
19
Bridging to Deaf Success (BDS)
What is BDS?
BDS, Bridging to Deaf Success, is adapted from Signposts, a resource used in the
Anglophone stream. The adaptation has specifically considered the needs of the
Deaf Literacy stream and has been crafted to be a Deaf friendly resource. Because
BDS uses plain language and is visually organized, it is a resource that can also be
used in other literacy streams. It is an easy to use resource for learners whose goal is
“Employment”.
BDS focuses on skill levels in reading, writing, document use, and numeracy.
BDS includes 44 statements that reflect common tasks in the workplace and the
essential skills needed to do these jobs.
Need to get information?
Please go to the DLI website (www.deafliteracy.ca) or contact the DLI office for
further training or information (905) 897-6772 (TTY) (905) 897-5656 (Voice).
20
Order Your Copy
DLI Publication Purchase Order Form
Fax to: (905) 897-6676. Publication Department, Deaf Literacy Initiative
Pay to:
Deaf Literacy Initiative
420 Britannia Road East, Unit: #109 Mississauga, ON
Name and Program Name:
Ship to:
L4Z 3L5
Bill to:
Item:
Bridging to Deaf Success
Deaf Literacy Skills for the Workforce:
Learners’ Workbook and Practitioners’ Guide Set
Unit Price:
$80.00
$100.00
Quantity: Total:
Subtotal:
HST:
Shipping:
Total:
Contact Information:
Name:
Email:
Phone/TTY:
21
22
1.
The lights are on but nobody’s home – used to describe a person who
is slow thinking. Example: That person really has no clue – the lights are
on but nobody’s home!
2.
When pigs fly – about something that will never happen – Example:
Yeah, right! You will get Taylor Swift to ask you on a date when pigs
fly!
3.
To pig out – to eat a lot very quickly – Example: After the marathon,
the runners pigged out at a dinner buffet.
4.
Everything but the kitchen sink – almost everything has been included –
Example: Maria was trying so hard to get the question right, she was
throwing out everything but the kitchen sink!
5.
To put a sock in it – to tell someone noisy to be quiet - Example:
Jane was yelling while I was studying so I told her to put a sock in it.
6.
To have a cast iron stomach – to have no problems eating or drinking
anything. – Example: I think I would be sick if I ate all that food, but Joe
seems to have a cast iron stomach.
7.
To drink like a fish – to drink heavily – Example: The group at the
bar seems to being having a party and you can tell he’s the
birthday boy because he is drinking like a fish!
8.
Use your loaf – use your head, think smart – Example: Come on
Parker, use your loaf! I know you can solve this problem!
9.
Finger lickin’ good – extremely tasty – Example: My mom
makes the best steak! It’s finger lickin’ good!
10. Pulling someone’s leg – to pull someone's leg means to trick
them by telling them something untrue. – Example: You really are a
millionaire? Are you pulling my leg?
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DLI’s WORD SEARCH
T
N
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W
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B
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W
INK
ALGEBRA
PRINTER
LITERATE
UNIVERSITY
PENS
COLLEGE
TEACHER
PROOF
PROFESSOR
PAPER
PENCILS
WRITING
TEXTBOOKS
24
SCHOOL
READING
COMPUTER
BLACKBOARD
ALICE BURTON
25
DLI VALUES
DLI COMMITS TO:
COLLABORATION:
We will work together with out partners to
advance and empower the Deaf and Deaf-Blind
literacy and community.
CREATIVITY:
We strive to develop new and improved tools and
resources to promote literacy within the Deaf and
Deaf-Blind community.
EXCELLENCE:
We will acknowledge and reward achievement in
the development and growth of literacy in the
Deaf and Deaf-Blind community.
INSPIRE:
We aim to inspire practitioners and Deaf and
Deaf-Blind learners in their pursuit of literacy
with our passion and knowledge.
COMMITMENT:
We commit to promote literacy for Deaf and
Deaf-Blind people with respect, integrity and
transparency to achieve our common goals.
26
THE DLI VISION
Vision
A world leader providing professional expertise and innovations in
specialized literacy services to the Deaf and Deaf-Blind community
and other coalitions.
Mission
Deaf Literacy Initiative leads in:

Developing accessible and accredited training for practitioners
and learners in the Deaf and Deaf-Blind literacy agencies

Undertaking consultation, research and technology initiatives
that advance the Deaf and Deaf-Blind field

Producing accessible and culturally relevant learning resources

Promoting and supporting the needs of Deaf and Deaf-Blind
literacy communities globally
27
To contact us:
Deaf Literacy Initiative
420 Britannia Road East, Unit #109
(905) 897-6772 (TTY)
(905) 897-5656 (Voice)
(905) 897-6676 (FAX)
http://www.deafliteracy.ca
dli@deafliteracy.ca
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