CORRECTION: The interview in the recent edition of Maine-Lines included an education answer from an incorrect interviewee. We have updated the answer to that of Regan Thibodeau's. 

• Director's Report
• Maine Association for the Deaf (MeAD) Annual Conference
• May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Enjoy an Interview with Regan Thibodeau

Director's Report

Terry Morrell, Director Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened

I am excited to share that September 21, 2017, will be the 26th Annual Deaf Tea awards. I would also like to remind people to please submit nominations for the Annual Deaf Tea Awards. If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their hard work in the Deaf community please nominate them. If you have questions or need help filling out the form, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you.

May is Better Speech and Hearing month. We have included an article in this issue related to that.

Deaf Annual Tea Invitation

http://www.maine.gov/rehab/advisory_councils/dod/minutes/index.shtml

Deaf Culture Tea Awards Nomination Form & Deaf Culture Tea Awards to Date

http://www.maine.gov/rehab/advisory_councils/dod/minutes/index.shtml

Maine Association for the Deaf (MeAD) Annual Conference

On May 5-7, 2017 the Maine Association of the Deaf (MeAD) had their annual conference in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was well attended with approximately 50 people. 

MeAD, Inc. presented the Dominque J. Morin Volunteerism Award to Barbara Burbank on May 6, 2017. Pictured are Barbara Burbank and Lois Morin. Barbara was recognized for volunteering for MeAD and Maine Deaf Senior Citizens and for her contribution to the community. Congratulations Barbara! 

The 2015-2017 MeAD board also presented Sitara Sheikh with a Special Recognition Award. Sitara was recognized for her contributions to the Deaf community and the MeAD organization.

The members of MeAD shared ideas with the Maine Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (MeRID), http://www.mainerid.org, regarding resources to compensate and coordinate interpreters for weddings, funerals and other family events. The second workshop focused on Deaf senior citizens in Maine and their affordable, accessible housing. Resources were also discussed including information about New England Homes for the Deaf (http://nehd.org).

2017-2019 MeAD board officers - Terry Morrell was re-elected president for a second term. The following people were elected: Darleen Hutchins as vice-president, Sitara Sheikh as secretary and Kate Strack as treasurer.

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders May Is Better Hearing and Speech Month.

To raise awareness about communication disorders, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) joins the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in observing Better Hearing and Speech Month each May.

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/2017/may-better-hearing-and-speech-month

May Is Better Hearing and Speech Month

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

31 Center Drive, MSC 2320, Bethesda, MD USA 20892-2320

Email: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov

Last Updated Date: April 28, 2017

Enjoy an Interview with Regan Thibodeau

Could you share with us what your family life was like as a child?

Being the only culturally Deaf person in the family, I was the first to sign. I was raised by my father in Falmouth. My only sibling was a dog named Terra.

What mode of communication did you use as a child? 

I finally acquired a language through Simultaneous Communication (Sim-Com) at the age of 4 ½. Other methods such as Spoken Language and Listening (SLL) and Cued Speech did not work for me. Because I was so actively expressive verbally, the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf (GBSD) mainstreamed me in Falmouth schools. I did not get an interpreter until the 6th grade. Only then did school become accessible and relevant. I finally received high grades and my Individual Evaluation Plan (IEP) team realized I benefited more from sign language than from spoken language.

Where did you go to school?

I went to Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD), USM, Teachers College at Columbia University, and am currently in a PhD program.

What is your family life like now?

I have two Codas (child/ren of deaf adults) and a husband who signs with me. We also have three adorable Chi type (Chihuahua) dogs.  

Have you always lived in Maine?

Yes, but I have left many times for educational reasons, such as high school in Washington DC, college in Vermont and New York City, and a five-month study abroad in Costa Rica.

What kind of work have you done? 

My first job was as a landscaper and babysitter. I have had 30 odd jobs, such as a dishwasher, before I worked professionally as an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor and Deaf interpreter. I have always also volunteered in various venues, which include community service, theatre and transliteration work.

As a deaf professional what would be your proudest accomplishments? 

I am proud that I traveled both nationally and internationally to give presentations on linguistic and Deaf culture topics.

Where do you work? 

I am a freelancer so I follow contracts as they come. Currently, I contracted to interpret in a public school and I’m a doctoral student for a PhD in Public Policy with a concentration in Educational Leadership at University of Southern Maine (USM).

What population do you work with? 

I work mostly with the linguistic minority group within the Deaf community for Deaf interpreting work. As for teaching ASL, it can be anyone deaf or hearing of any age or any educational level.

What are some of your successes? 

Being accepted into the PhD program, assisting the Congress of Peru to pass a law to officially recognize Peruvian Sign Language (PRL) as an official language of the Peruvian Deaf and assisting the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH) to implement ASL instruction as a formal and necessary component for Deaf students and to be the first Deaf school in the nation to utilize Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI) in K-12 consistently for 11 years now..

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