A Korean Deaf Child can sing and play the piano!

Pictured above is Park Jeong In's younger sister, 8. She loves playing video games and reading Disney books.

Jeong, 10, is wearing a striped shirt in this picture. She listens to her teacher very well in class in Seoul. This class was studying Social Studies.

Pictured above clockwise from left to right: neighbor, Jeong's mother, and 8-year-old sister.

Group of deaf children who are part of the choir "Miracle" in Seoul.

I met Park Jeong In at her concert "Miracle" in Seoul. All singers in "Miracle" are deaf children who hear with hearing aids or cochlear implants. Her mother was kind enough to allow me record her singing and playing the piano. Jeong is 10 and attends the 5th grade at her local public school in Seoul.

Sound of Water Flowing in South Korea

I visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, and once I entered the palace I heard water flowing from somewhere.

I went and looked in the gutter and saw water flowing. I thought I was imagining the sound!

I saw gross bugs too, and my legs were sore from climbing so many steps!

Deaf Community Members Can Dance at House of Blues

Gospel Choir members pulled audience members to dance with them at GLAD's fundraising event at House of Blues on May 16, 2010. Photos by Megan Clancy

See Deaf community people dance here with Gospel music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVuc2HpRZho

Listen to the music here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Xxb379ByA

Agency for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing had fundraising at House of Blues May 16, 2010

Left: Bob Hiltermann Right: Dr. Patricia Hughes, CEO of GLAD

Bob Hiltermann hosted GLAD's event on May 16, 2010 at House of Blues.

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) had its 8th annual fundraising event at House of Blues on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood on May 16, 2010.

Well-known deaf performers Lexi Marman, Brian Michael Cole and Bob Hiltermann entertained the audience at the beginning of the show before the Gospel Choir came on stage.

See Bob Hiltermann hosting the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn_r3HZJBM

"I'm supportive of those who have cochlear implants, and I ask them what do they hear," Hiltermann said. "I would like to hear, but I won't get the cochlear implant because I know it will change me. Deafness is who I am."

GLAD's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Patricia Hughes shared information about how GLAD can help adults and children with cochlear implants.

GLAD has services that can help adults who are losing their hearing, Hughes said. Employees at GLAD have experience with losing their hearing, so they can help adults learn how to cope with their hearing loss.

For children who have cochlear implants, Hughes encourages them to learn sign language because they are still deaf when the implants are off. See our interview here on video (sign language version only): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GogBWNPOvg

"This year was one of the best fundraising events at House of Blues," Hughes said. "I strive to remove all the negative attitudes and communication barriers through my work with GLAD. I will keep working until I'm burned out."

According to Hughes, more deaf children are mainstreamed compared to in the past, however according to California Law, schools for the deaf must remain open. This is because these schools provide deaf children the least restrictive environments compared to regular schools for normal hearing children. See a video here talking about CA AB 2072, a bill that cuts budget plans for schools for the deaf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f_DBRhI6kg.

Prelingual deaf adults/parents can find tutors on Craigslist

David Kim and his family. Photo by David Kim David has a cochlear implant.

You can find a great tutor on Craigslist if your family or friends cannot help you at a regular basis.

You can type a post like: I'm deaf and am an adult. I'm looking for a speech language tutor. I prefer native English speakers and those who want to help and are patient with repetition. We can meet at my home or at the library.

You can easily create your own materials with the daily newspaper, your kids' books, and games like:

Apples for Apples
Boggle
Guess Who?
Taboo!
Scrabble
Memory game

Deaf Performers Can Struggle In Entertainment Industry Like Anyone Else

Fans with Actor CJ Jones in Santa Monica, Calif. May 2010

Photo: Courtesy of Hilari Scarl (above poster) and others by Megan Clancy

Hilari Scarl, director of "See What I'm Saying?" documentary, wanted to film deaf people about their lives for a long time. Scarl originally planned on writing a film about deaf people, but she felt it made more sense to film deaf people themselves and produce a documentary, according to Scarl. Scarl started filming four performers: CJ Jones, Robert DeMayo, TL Foresberg and Bob Hiltermann in 2007. Their real lives have a much more empowering effect compared to what I can invent, Scarl said.

Microsoft sponsored the film by covering fees for open captioning, and this film is the first film at a theater that came with open captions, Scarl said. Scarl hopes to influence other filmmakers and people in the movie industry to do the same--to allow open communication access for both communities, hearing and the deaf.

Sprint was the film's title sponsor, covering fees for their opening music video that had both singing and sign language.

See Bob Hiltermann host Greater Los Angeles Agency for the Deaf (GLAD)'s annual fundraising brunch at House of Blues here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjjS-eAE2_I.

Auditory Verbal Therapy is a lot of work especially for prelingual deaf adults

Megan Clancy is a bilateral cochlear implant user, who was profoundly deaf at birth. She got her first implant in 2002 and her second one in 2007. She got them both during her young adult years.

Family, private speech language tutors and an experienced auditory-oral teacher of the deaf/auditory verbal therapist work with Megan for developing her auditory vocabulary and comprehension. See a speech language tutor session here:

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl76RMb-dPw

Megan no longer uses sign language at school and uses her Phonak FM system in situations where there are bad acoustics.

Megan struggled to find an audiologist who can serve her needs, since she was born completely deaf with no pre-built auditory vocabulary. She finally found Project Talk in San Diego, Calif. There are pediatric audiologists like Joan Hewitt, AuD and Lori Owen, M.A. who specialize in MAPping in children and adults who have prelingual onset of deafness.

Since Megan received two cochlear implants and with the help of Project Talk, Megan's auditory vocabulary and comprehension is increasing every day. Megan is able to take some notes by herself at school which she was never able to before meeting the staff at Project Talk.

Through ProjectTalk, Megan receives auditory-oral services with Gwen Suennen, who is a teacher of the deaf.