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Within a week of arrival, Alison had
crafted a letter to parents, describing the
nature of our Shared Reading Project
trial and study, and the commitment
that they would be expected to make if
they wanted to participate. It was not
long until we had the permission slips
signed and returned by parents eager to
participate. We met again and divided
the list of students that she and I would
each visit weekly over an eight-week
period. We set up our first meetings
with the families, and we were ready to
begin.
Trial Pe r i o d , Existing Pro g r a m
Provide Key to Success
We wanted extensive documentation of
our progress, the format for much of it
coming from the materials we received
at the Shared Reading training.
Each family was asked to complete the
“Shared Reading Project Parent Pre-
Participation Survey” provided by the
Clerc Center. This form asks parents to
clarify their expectations for the
program. We also asked each family to
complete two more evaluation forms
from the training: the weekly “Family
Reading Records” and, on completion of
the trial period, the “Shared Reading
Project Parent Post-Participation
Survey.”
We used all of the data to compile a
summary that affirmed that the Shared
Reading program would benefit our
students. Before we presented this
information to our administration,
however, we felt we needed to show
where this project could be incorporated
into our existing programs.
We felt that the Shared Reading
Project goals would fit perfectly within
our Deaf Mentor program. This is a
group of culturally deaf tutors hired by
the Utah Schools for the Deaf and
Blind that go into homes and
function as guides and tutors for
parents and their young children
by teaching them sign language
and issues specific to deaf
culture. They use a program
that was developed as part of
SKI-HI, which stands for
Sensory Impaired Home
Intervention and is
pronounced sky-high in
reflection of the commitment
to and expectations for the
children. SKI-HI began in
1972 as an early intervention
and early childhood program for
infants and young children, ages
birth to 5, with hearing and vision
impairments and other disabilities.
The SKI-HI curriculum for deaf and
hard of hearing children focuses on deaf
culture and American Sign Language.
The Deaf Mentor program is an
extension of this program. The Shared
Reading Project seemed a natural
extension of this existing program.
When we approached Barbara Bass,
the director of the Deaf Mentor
program, we were excited to learn that
she thought it would be a positive
addition to the existing curriculum.
With this research and knowledge ready,
Alison and I presented our information
and recommendations to our
administrators and the Institutional
Council (our school governing board).
To our great relief, the Institutional
Council and then superintendent Lee
Robinson agreed.
Training began immediately for our
deaf tutors, and it has continued over
the years as new tutors have been hired.
Today we work on various areas that
need improvement, and we keep on
making progress as we try to improve
our services. The learning is ongoing.
FA L L / W I N 2 0 0 6 O DY S S E Y 3 1