Clerc Center Bids Farewell to World Around You and the Gallaudet National
Essay, Art, and ASL Contest
For many years now, the Clerc Center and Gallaudet University have
appreciated the opportunity to offer deaf and hard of hearing students
across the country chances to share their writing, artwork, and ASL skills
through the Gallaudet National Essay, Art, and ASL contest. Since 1978, we
have also enjoyed passing along news and stories about deaf role models
through our magazine, and later e-zine, for deaf students, World Around You
(WAY). However, the Clerc Center is now retiring the national contest and
World Around You.
In more recent years, rapid technological advances have greatly opened up
the world for deaf and hard of hearing students. Students now have
information about other deaf people, and opportunities to share their
thoughts and work with a broad audience, at their fingertips. Given the
greater access that deaf and hard of hearing students have to the world
beyond their local communities, the Clerc Center is discontinuing WAY and
the national contest.
Today, the Clerc Center is meeting its legal mandate to provide information,
training, and technical assistance for parents and personnel throughout the
nation to meet the needs of children who are deaf and hard of hearing
through a strategic plan with three goals:
Students will reach their full potential linguistically and academically
from birth through 21 years of age.
The Clerc Center will identify and disseminate resources to ensure that all
deaf and hard of hearing children and their families have early and ongoing
access to information that supports the development of linguistic
competence.
The Clerc Center will provide leadership in the identification, evaluation,
and dissemination of evidence-based instructional practices, strategies, and
resources for deaf and hard of hearing students with disabilities through a
national collaboration with schools and programs.
It has been an honor and privilege to work with students and teachers
throughout the nation for all the years WAY and the national contest have
been in existence. The Clerc Center looks forward to continuing to support
students and the families and professionals through the dissemination of new
ideas and products developed as a result of its strategic plan.
For more information about the Clerc Center and to share your input about
the strategic plan work, visit http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu .