Dr. Paul Ogden, professor emeritus of Deaf Education at Fresno State, and Desiree Castro, CEO of Personalized Education Inc. and Deaf Education alumnus, stopped by Univision 21’s morning talk show Arriba Valle Central with host, Sayra Vasquez, to discuss the Silent Garden Program and future plans to provide a workshop specifically for Latinos, who make up the largest minority within the deaf community.
There are very few services that offer resources to this deaf population and their Spanish-speaking families, but Ogden hopes to change that. He is the author of “El Jardin Silencioso: Criando A Su Hijo Sordo” – a book and resource guide for Spanish-speaking parents and families who are not familiar with deafness or hearing loss. The book is one of the first of its kind nationally.
Through Personalized Education Inc., Castro and her team provide tailored educational plans for students with special needs, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing or have speech and language difficulties. In the California school system alone, Latino students who identify as deaf or hard of hearing make up 50-60% of the population.
In February, the fourth annual Silent Garden Lecture will address this topic and will feature Irma Sanchez of Los Angeles, who will discuss her experiences raising three deaf children in her bilingual home. The lecture, which will be entirely in Spanish, will offer opportunities for families to connect and share their own experiences – and receive much-needed resources.
To learn more about the Silent Garden Lecture, contact 559.278.5276.
Click above to view segment, filmed entirely in Spanish. Video courtesy of Univision. June 19, 2015.
Fresno State College of Health and Human Services 