Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership Boosts Skills

 

Instructors Marla Berkowitz, Laura Smith, and Charisse Heine lead students through an exercise.

 

Launched in the fall of 2018, the Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership (ODLP) provides adult basic literacy to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing through a partnership between Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the Ohio School for the Deaf, and the Delaware Area Career Center Aspire. The program offers adult learners who are deaf and hard of hearing, literacy in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English. The program seeks to provide individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing with the literacy and communication skills needed to further their career potential. 

 

“We’re helping Ohioans who are deaf and hard of hearing further their communication skills so that they can be successful in their communities and careers,” OOD Director Kevin L. Miller said. 

 

Participants of ODLP become more fluent in both ASL and English through 8-12 hours per week of learning opportunities through group classes, online modules, and one-on-one sessions with an instructor. All learning features direct communication without the intervention of a sign language interpreter. The program focuses on improving overall communication abilities, workplace communication skills, reading levels, and independent living skills. 

 

One of the two 2023 ODLP groups includes individuals who are immigrants and refugees. Partners actively recruited individuals who are deaf from other countries to boost literacy to help address the challenges facing those who have left sometimes dire situations in their homelands with the hope of a better future. 

 

The skills students are gaining in ODLP are changing their lives. Students shared how they entered the program to improve their reading, writing, and ASL abilities, which they are doing, but they are also learning important life skills. Valued learning activities including banking and finance, using video interpreting services, working with in-person interpreters, and communicating through email. 

 

The class discussed the possibilities they see thanks to ODLP: expanded vocabularies, reading comprehension, better money management, social confidence, and greater independence in the community. They also disclosed that as they develop skills, they are growing their knowledge and laying the groundwork to advance their careers. Future areas of interest include commercial driving, graphic design, and working with deaf children. 

 

ODLP has been featured in national reports, a gallery of innovative practices, and a recorded webinar released in observance of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. In 2021, the Manhattan Strategy Group recognized the partnership for its innovative and effective practices in adult education, as selected by the Advancing Innovation in Adult Education project. 

 

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, visit the deaf services webpage for information about the services available.