Sign and Dine is a time to meet, greet, and practice American Sign Language and also dine at a nice restaurant (Biagios).
We had two sign and dine events that were very successful. At the sign and dine we play games, chat, eat and have fun! Game number one is a Meet and Greet game where you are given a card and you have to ask the questions and respond by using American Sign Language. The second game is Speed Chat, almost the same as speed dating. There is a topic set on the table and participants discuss the topic using American Sign Language for three minutes then partners are switched and you have a new person to talk to, practice your signing skills and get to know new people.
Our Sign and Dine events are open to all - whether you are just learning Sign Language or are proficient in ASL - there is fun for everyone!
Watch the videos from the event! Sorry they are a little dark.
The Center for Collegiate Deaf Education (CCDE) at Bergen Community College hosted an enriching experience for the college and community called, “Journey into the Deaf World” on Friday, April 30th. This was a cultural immersion activity where participants from Bergen, Passaic, and Essex counties had an opportunity to practice their sign language skills as well as increase awareness and understanding of the communication barriers for Deaf & Hard of Hearing people.
Over 70 participants were welcomed into a mock Deaf World where ASL is the only language used. Participants used passports to guide them on their journey that took them to various destinations where they need to complete tasks. Destinations include ASL School, a medical center, a history museum, a career, an ASL café, and an ASL store. Along the way participants will be presented with challenges that they need to strategically overcome in order to accomplish their tasks. Participants who were unable to communicate or didn’t understand were required to request interpreting services. At the end of their journey, participants earned a certificate of participation.
The evening was a fun-filled and worthwhile experience for signers of all levels. The staff of the Center for Collegiate Deaf Education Center is grateful to the support of the participants, volunteers, and DDHH for their time contributions to the event. Hopefully in the upcoming year we can repeat and expand the event activities. Stay Tuned!
On Saturday, May 8th 2010, Bergen Community College’s Center for Collegiate Deaf Education (CCDE) hosted the InspireME Symposium - an event that was the first of its kind since CCDE’s inception. The goal: to inspire students who are attending various programs located in New Jersey that they can DO and BE anything they wish to be.
Workshops presented at the Symposium were indeed "Inspiring!" Attended by approximatedly 9 students and 15 parents workshops were given by:
Lindsay Dunn - a native of South Africa who grew up in the slums of Apartheid South Africa and rural KwaZulu where he tended his grandfathers livestock. Lindsay became deafened at age 11 from spinal meningitis and after a 3 year waiting list, was admitted to a school for black deaf in Cape Town. Lindsay lead a student protest at the school in 1976 in solidarity with the national student movement and also to demand an academic curriculum for all students rather than the vocational based curriculum that black deaf students were force fed. He arrived at Gallaudet University in 1980 with one suitcase, the clothes on his back and 100 dollars in his pocket and went on to graduate with both a BS (Business Admin) and BA (English) from Gallaudet University and also holds dual masters degrees (Deaf Education and Deafness Rehabilitation) from New York University.
Neil McDevitt - A former volunteer firefighter in suburban Philadelphia. Mr. McDevitt was one of a handful of emergency responders in the country who is also profoundly deaf. In addition to hands-on fire and rescue experience with the Fire Department of Montgomery Township, he has provided fire safety presentations to deaf children and adults and given non-verbal communication classes to firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians (EMT's) Mr. McDevitt was originally involved with CEPIN (Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network) as one of its leading subject matter experts in developing the CEPIN course. In addition, Neil brings 10 years of project management experience as a Senior Information Security Specialist with Prudential Financial. He is a graduate of Gallaudet University and lives in Montgomery Township, Pa. with his wife and two children.
Vicki Joy Sullivan and Christiana R. Collazo representing Pep-Net - Ms. Sullivan is the East Coast representative for Pep-Net as well as the current President of The NJ Association of the Deaf. Ms. Collazo lost her hearing at the age of three years old due to a high fever and she attended Summit Speech School during her pre-school years, a hearing school until she was eight years old, and Lake Drive School (Day school for the Deaf) for four years. She was also mainstreamed at Briarcliff School and Mountain Lakes High School. She went to NTID/RIT for one year and completed her Associates degree in Addictions Counseling at Camden County College. She obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at Gallaudet University.
In addition to these inspiring workshops, we hosted a very successful professional panel with a mixture of Deaf and Hard of Hearing professionals sharing their experiences in the "real world" Vendors from various programs were also present to provide information and tools for a successful future.
We are grateful to the NJAD, DDHH and Pep-Net for sponsoring this event and helping to make this a possibility. We hope to offer this again in the future on a bigger scale.
Bergen Community College Center for Collegiate Deaf Education (CCDE)
Pitkin Education Center #L-121B
Office Hours Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
E-Mail: ccde@bergen.edu
