Since 1909
PRESERVE. PROTECT. PROMOTE.
civil, human, linguistic, DEAF GAINS and RIGHTS of Deaf Kansans.
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Marvin T. Miller has taught over 600 hours of Deafhood classes which began during his term as president of the Indiana Association of the Deaf in January 2011. A dynamic and powerful presenter, Marvin currently teaches Deafhood 101 and 201 classes as well as Deafhood Allies workshops all over the country.
His prior accomplishments include launching several monthly newspapers of, for and by the Deaf and signing community including: The Deaf Michigander and DeafNation (www.deafnation.com); he later helped launch SignNews with Communication Services for the Deaf. Marvin has worked in media, video relay service and he has consulted with organizations on business development. He is a founding board member on the Deafhood Foundation.
He is currently attending Gallaudet University pursuing a degree in Deaf Studies. Marvin lives in Washington, D.C., with his four Deaf children where he enjoys thinking about how to create a better future for the Deaf and signing community.
Presentation: The Future of Deaf People
Description: Presentation that is open to community and offers ideas of how we can realize a Deaf Vision of what a future could look like based on lessons of our past and actions of the present.
Jeffrey Mansfield is a design director at MASS Design Group and a John W. Kluge Fellow at the Library of Congress, whose work explores the systemic impact of architecture and landscape. He received a Graham Foundation grantee for his work on The Architecture of Deafness and his work has been published in the Economist, Cooper Hewitt Design Journal, AD, Tacet and presented at MoMA PS1, Bergen Assembly, Sao Paulo Biennale, and the Sharjah Biennial. Jeffrey leads the publications team at MASS, and is currently working on books about the history of hospitals and the architecture of prison. Jeffrey holds a Master of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and an AB in Architecture from Princeton University.
Presentation: Deaf Schools Architecture
Description: Deaf schools are architecturally and spatially ambiguous. Featuring elements of campus and asylum architecture, their intentions are unclear: were they to educate or exclude? Through eras of welfare, assimilation, and empowerment, deaf schools tell a broader story of evolving attitudes towards deafness, disability, and normalcy. Their story is one of biology, pathology, politics, and power. Although the deaf school is often physically and cognitively separated from society, it is also the site of earliest interactions among deaf people, and resulted in subversive behaviors and outcomes. Yet, architectural discourse has tended to focus on more visible structures like prisons, factories, and hospitals, and deaf education have focused on cognitive and linguistic development as well as instructional modes and methodologies. Although the story of the deaf school remains largely uncaptured in these disciplines, its folklore is embedded in cultural memory and inscribed into the bricks and mortar and onto the grounds of deaf schools throughout America, with much to offer in architectural, educational, and psychological discourse.
Melissa Yingst - All communities have hidden narratives, and Melissa Elmira Yingst is all about finding and bringing awareness to them, especially when they celebrate women and muxeristas.As a child in Southern California, she sought for deep connections with other people. As she grew, she realized she wanted to do something more. She ventured off to Gallaudet University to earn her Bachelor’s in Psychology, and to Arizona State University for her Master’s in Social Work. Since then, she held different positions as a social worker and school counselor in New York City and Phoenix. She currently teaches at CSUN and works at Convo as an Outreach Strategist. She is a co-anchor for Tru Biz under the D-PAN umbrella. She recently completed her terms as a board member for Council de Manos and Deaf Women United, where she worked on numerous projects to dismantle white supremacy practices. She also is the co-founder of Alma de Muxeristas, an organization for muxeristas who are Deaf, DeafBlind, Deaf Disabled, Late-Deafened, or Hard of Hearing. Now back home in Los Angeles with her signature red lipstick (which gives her powers) and her brown Chicana self, she is ready to take on the world with MELMIRA, her new show!
Presentation: Mental Health Panel - Moderator
Description: A panel organized by KAD to discuss about mental health in the deaf community. Panel participants will talk about their mental health experiences. The goal of this panel is to stop the stigma of mental health in the deaf community.
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TWILA LATINI, M.A., is the Early Intervention Specialist (birth-three) & Deaf Mentor Coordinator at the Kansas State School for the Deaf Outreach Team. Twila has worked at Arizona School for the Deaf & Blind (Tucson) for six years as an elementary bilingual teacher teaching kindergarten & 1st grade. She received her B.A. degree in Early Childhood Education and M.A. degree in Deaf Education at Gallaudet University. Twila has two children Abigail (21) is currently attending Arizona State University (ASU) for her nursing major, Ricky IV (19) resides in Tucson, Arizona working at small family owned restaurant which led him to plan his next adventure as a real estate agent and/or owning a business. Twila is currently a Midwest Region (17 states) Board Member for National American Sign Language Early Childhood Education (NASLECE) and recognized as a Nationally Certified ASL Assessor/Trainer. During her free time, she enjoys nature, outdoor activities, road trips, visiting her family, or just simply staying home and watching movies with her two pets.
Presentation: Collaboration: You & Me: How?
Description: How can an early intervention specialist [me] and you as a Deaf community member support each family who has a deaf or hard of hearing child? As soon as after a child has been identified as deaf/hard of hearing through newborn hearing screening test, an early intervention service provided to the family is the next step. Typically, parents experience the process of grieving then it takes a while for them to accept that their child is deaf. This presentation will cover what early intervention services look like for the families as well as my personal experience working with families as a deaf early interventionist and the child’s first advocate. The content will address comprehensively on how members of the deaf community can expedite the level of support for the families in a constructive way. At the end of this presentation, the participants will have tools to foster positive experiences for the families as deaf role models.