John Doherty With EEESMA Update

EEESMA

"A good education is the greatest gift you can give yourself or anyone else."

Mahtab Narsimhan

So Much to Celebrate!

Congratulations to all the students and teachers

for a job well done during another challenging year!

There is much for Escuela de Educación Especial de San Miguel de Allende to celebrate as the 2021-2022 school term comes to a close. Although many things around the Covid-19 Pandemic have improved, personal health safety for all the students and staff is still ever present on our minds.

The past few weeks have seen more new programs added, visitors encouraged to come, and more normal activities restarted at the school. Sights are set on ways to continue to further improve next term, EEESMA's 10th Anniversary Year.

The recent acquisition of a 15-seater passenger van to bring students who live in rural communities to school safely everyday is a real game changer. This has major benefits to the students and their families. Most importantly the students under the schools care will safely continue to study, learn and advance in their grade levels despite the odds stacked against them. A recent grant and other fundraising efforts made this long term wish a reality. We send a big thank you to all those who helped make it happen!

We know you, as a loyal supporter, will join in the pride of accomplishment we all feel for what the students and teachers achieved during the past year. And as we look forward to next term, join us in chanting "Onward and Upward"!

With appreciation, John Doherty

End of Year Celebrations

Graduates include Valeria from primary, with Jamie, Adrian, Jeime and Saul from middle school.

Congratulations to all five students! Unfortunately Saul missed the photo as his rural public bus was late.

The End of Year Celebration Party included family, song, dance, games, gifts, food and refreshments. And best of all, lots of fun!

Signs and Smiles Group Visit

EEESMA welcomed, for the first time, seven members of the Washington, D.C. NGO "Signs & Smiles" for a one week professional visit in July.

Dr. Chris Kurz of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf headed the team made up of American Deaf Ed professionals, three of whom are Deaf, and two American Sign Language interpretors. All seven briefly studied Mexican Sign Language before making the trip. This virtual course was presented by our very own school staff, so the visitors could better meld the two sign languages upon their arrival. The plan worked flawlessly!

A couple of the many highlights of the S&S visit was a "Storytelling" workshop creating better written language acquisition presented by Dr. Onudeah Nicolarakis of Gallaudet University. And the recording of signs featuring the students themselves in order to create a digital LSM dictionary by Dr. Kurz.

It is our hope this project and relationship will continue well into the future to better support not only Deaf individuals at EEESMA but throughout Mexico. We feel so grateful to be chosen by this amazing organization for their visit; an organization consisting of Deaf Education Super Stars!

Update: We are excited to report there is discussion taking place about planning a repeat Signs & Smiles visit in January 2023!

A Simple Thank You Hardly Seems Enough

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"Getting Deaf Kids to School"

EEESMA's biggest and most successful fundraiser in its 10 year history!

A big "Thank You" to all those who helped make it happen.

Link

There are no government supported schools for the Deaf in the state of Guanajuato. Public schools offer little or no sign language instruction.

Opened in 2012, EEESMA offers kids who are Deaf a better chance in life.

We need your help to ensure Escuela de Educación Especial de San Miguel de Allende continues to offer Deaf Education to children and young adults in the area.

There are no other options.

The ability to attract and retain well qualified teachers

with Mexican Sign Language skills continues to be a big challenge.

Please join us in continuing to build a great school for Deaf children.

Fundraising at EEESMA is accomplished exclusively by volunteers.

#deafeducation

#deafpride

#signlanguage

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."