While at the residential school, he appreciated th

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• Deaf Native Americans

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Organizational Structure

• Information has been divided into three Native
  American affiliations
• The Intertribal Deaf Council,
• The Circle of Unity, and
• In Their Own Words
• Several individuals are involved in more than one
  affiliation
• They will be listed under their primary
  affiliations
• Their other affiliations will be listed

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Intertribal Deaf Council

• Originating in Oklahoma City in 1994, the
  Intertribal Deaf Council was formed to serve the
  needs of deaf, blind-deaf, hard of hearing, and
  late-deafened Native Americans.
• IDC provides information about their heritage,
  traditions, and cultural issues as well as
  serving as a support group and advocate for Deaf
  Native American rights. Many of these deaf
  individuals experience poor services and
  frequent isolation in the work force. There has
  been growing recognition of the lack of pride
  felt by young Native Americans.
• IDC warmly welcomes members who are non-deaf and
  non-Native American that share the organizations
  vision to attend meetings and assist the
  organization in their accomplishing their goals.
• IDCs Homepage

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Jerry Hassell, co-founder of IDC

• -Born in Oklahoma City, Jerry attended the
  Oklahoma and Texas schools for the Deaf
  graduating from Texas in 1946, and from Gallaudet
  University in 1951 with his BA in education. He
  received his MA from the University of Texas in
  1959.
• -Mentored by, and with the help of Walter Kelley
  and Tony McGregor, Jerry was encouraged to start
  a national organization dealing with Native
  American affairs. Together in 1993 they began
  their mission and the National Association of the
  Native American Deaf in Oklahoma City was founded
  in 1994. This was later renamed the Intertribal
  Deaf Council.
• -Jerry was not always proud of his heritage and
  fell into the stereotypical image of Native
  Americans in the 1930s. Upon meeting his
  relatives Jerry was intrigued by his ancestry and
  became deeply involved in Native American issues
  and an advocate their rights.
• -Throughout his 30 years of teaching at the
  Texas School for the Deaf he has received 27
  awards for his contribution to services provided
  to deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• For more information on Jerry Hassell and his
  accomplishments see
• Making a Difference, Birth of the IDC, and Bio of
  Jerry Hassell

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Elder Walter P. Kelley, Ph.D,
co-founder of IDC

• Dr. Walter Paul Kelly, co-founder of IDC, is
  highly regarded as an expert on Deaf Native
  Americans, their culture and language. He is
  himself Pamunkey/Chickahominy.
• Dr. Kelly is known for his presence at various
  nationwide conferences and conventions, and his
  presentations on a variety of Deaf Native
  Americans culture and issues. Not only is he a
  well-known presenter but a well-known author of
  childrens books.
• After waiting five years for his first book
  Victory Week, a child friendly version of Deaf
  President Now, Dr. Kelley and Tony McGregor
  decided to found a publishing company of their
  own BuTo Publishers. Dr. Kelleys second book
  (illustrated by Tony), Deaf Culture A to Z is the
  publisher.
• BuTo focuses on publishing childrens picture
  books but plans to expand their scope to include
  books about people with hearing loss and
  disabilities.
• For more information on Dr. Kelly see
• BuTo and Biography of Walter Kelly

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Elder (IDC) Onalee Cooper

• Elder Onalee Cooper was born to Tuscarora Chief
  Clinton Rickard and raised on the Tuscarora
  Reservation. As a deaf child she attended the
  Rochester School for the Deaf. Onalee has spent
  her life preserving the traditions of the
  Tuscarora history and traditions and enjoys
  giving workshops and presentations on her tribe
  in New York.
• For more information see
• Onalee Cooper

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Elder LeRoy EagleBear

• LeRoy EagleBear was personally affected by the
  IDC before joining. LeRoy struggled with his
  identity growing up as a deaf child on and off
  the reservation. While at the residential school,
  he appreciated the education he was receiving and
  yet yearned for the celebrations and rituals he
  was only able to partake in while on breaks, a
  common problem for deaf Native American children.
  
• Years after graduating LeRoy began attending IDC
  meetings, where he readily took advantage of the
  opportunity to understand and embrace his
  heritage that he missed while being away at the
  residential school. LeRoy became a member by
  accepting the invitation to join the Board of IDC
  for two years and has worked closely with them
  ever since, currently working as a chairperson.
• For more information about LeRoy EagleBear see
• Reclaiming My True Heritage

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Tina Terrance, IDC Treasurer

• Born in 1960, Tina has lived on the Akwesasne
  Mohawk Reservation in Malone, New York all her
  life.
• Growing up in New York, Tina took advantage of
  the opportunity to be an active member in the
  deaf community which lead to her current position
  as President of the Northern New York Association
  of the Deaf.
• Other activities that are of interest to her and
  hence actively involved in are sewing, bowling,
  and of course, her family. She has been married
  for 25 years and in 2005 Tina was blessed to
  become a grandmother.
• Tina has been someone who is proud of her
  heritage. She has been a role model to her
  children and now, her grandchild.
• She takes pride in her eleven years of service
  to the IDC, and three years serving as treasurer.
  

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Circle of Unity

• The Circle of Unity is a publication designed to
  improve rehabilitation services to American
  Indians and Alaskan Natives who are Deaf,
  Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing.
• Six expert volunteers from the fields of
  counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and
  cultural awareness used their expertise and
  experience to discuss various social expectations
  Deaf Native Americans face on a daily basis.
• Their commitment and desire motivated them to
  contribute to this project in order to improve
  rehabilitation services offered to American
  Indians and Alaskan Natives by educating
  rehabilitation counselors about their culture.
• The following individuals are part of the Circle
  of Unity writing team some are also involved in
  the IDC.

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Damara Goff Paris, President of IDC

• Damara Paris is of Cherokee/ Blackfoot decent.
• She is not only a part of the writing team for
• Circle of Unity, but also participated as
  co-editor
• on Step Into the Circle.
• She has published six books since 1997 and owns
  her own publishing company, AGO Publications.
• Paris received her MA in Rehabilitation
  Counseling and graduated in 1994 from Western
  Oregon University.
• She then managed a community based
  rehabilitation center for the Deaf in Salem,
  Oregon.
• Currently, Paris also is President of the IDC.
• For more information see
• IDC and Circle of Unity

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Judy C. Stout, VP of IDC

• Judy Stout is a Native American of the Lumbee
  tribe.
• She is deeply involved in politics which she
  believes is essential in achieving greater
  opportunities and recognition for the deaf and
  hard of hearing. Consequently she has
  participated in a variety of campaigns including
  the Kerry/Edwards campaign serving as National
  co-chair for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  Steering committee.
• She is also the current president and founder of
  the Maryland Deaf and Hard of Hearing Democratic
  Club. Judy invests a major part of her time in
  the deaf community working as a full time family
  educator for the Laurent Clerc Center, and
  part-time at Gallaudet teaching political
  leadership. She also offers political leadership
  training in the community.
• As Vice-President of the IDC, Judy is
  knowledgeable of the Native Americans culture,
  heritage, and traditions and uses her knowledge
  to educate those around her.
• For more information on Judy Stout see
• Native American History Month, Circle of Unity,
  and IDC

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Dr. Howard Busby, Ph.D

• Dr. Howard Busby (Mississippi Choctaw/Eastern
  Cherokee) has participated in a variety events
  and activities for Deaf Native Americans. Not
  only was he on the writing team for Circle of
  Unity but he is also a board member of IDC.
  Through IDC he served as a media evaluator for
  the Captioned Media Program (CMP) screening and
  evaluating commercially produced video tapes
  involving Native Americans.
• Dr. Busby has worked with residential schools
  for the deaf across the country providing
  academic and vocational education to deaf
  students.
• Currently, Dr. Busby is researching educational
  experiences of Native Americans at Gallaudet
  University as a professor in the Counseling
  Department.
• For more information on Dr. Howard Busby see
• Captioning and Circle of Unity

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Alan Cartwright

• Alan Cartwright currently serves as the director
  for The Arc of Anchorage Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  Center. DHHC provides a variety of rehabilitation
  services focused on assisting Alaskans who are
  Deaf and Hard of Hearing in becoming more
  independent.
• Mr. Cartwright previously served as a volunteer
  in the Peace Corps, working with deaf people in
  Nepal (1987-1989), Singapore (1990), and Ecuador
  (1991-1993).
• His experiences led him to become the cofounder
  and director of the Global Deaf Connection.
  Developed in 1998, GCDs vision is to support
  Deaf people around the world in using their
  native sign, especially for teaching deaf
  children. This will allow the children to
  achieve success in academics, employment, and to
  make contributions to their deaf community.
• For more information on Alan Cartwright see
• GDC, DHHC, and Circle of Unity

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Linda Carroll, Deaf Interpreter

• Linda Carroll (Eastern Band Cherokee-Wolf Clan)
  served on the Circle of Unity writing teams and
  maintains an interest in improving the quality of
  interpreting services for the Deaf, Dead-Blind,
  and Hard of Hearing.
• Being Deaf herself, Linda has acquired her
  Interpreting Certificate from RID as a Deaf
  Interpreter.
• She was also the first woman to be president of
  IDC serving from 1998-2001.

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In Their Own Words Researching Stories About
the Lives of Deaf People of Color

• Authored by Glenn Anderson and Katrina Miller,
  In Their Own Words focuses on the lives and
  experiences of individuals who identify
  themselves as deaf people of color, including
  professional interpreters. Information for this
  book was taken from biographies found in various
  resources published in the United States in 1988
  or after. The publication is centered around four
  themes
• - overcoming educational obstacles,
• - stories about personal role models that
  influenced their
• lives,
• - family experiences, and
• - experiences relating to cultural conflicts
  including prejudice
• and discrimination.
• The following stories are summaries of people
  featured in In Their Own Words

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Karen Billie Johnson

• Karen Johnson began her life as a Dine Navajo
  deaf infant but experienced a variety of cultural
  conflicts between the Deaf Culture and Native
  American culture.
• She first experienced cultural differences when
  she was sent to the New Mexico School for the
  Deaf at age 6
• She experienced running water and electricity for
  the first time.
• She began learning ASL and found out how
  important pointing was to set up objects or
  people in conversation.
• However, when she returned home she quickly
  discovered that pointing was considered to be
  an insult in the Navajo culture.
• Johnson was forced to learn how to adjust her
  behaviors when at home and at school.
• As an adult, her passion is to work as a
  teachers aid with American Indians who are deaf
  in the Navajo nation. From her experiences
  Johnson sees the need for schools and communities
  to work together in order to understand what
  makes a culture and how to appreciate its
  values.

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Jonathan Hopkins one of the three Native
American interpreters in the country.
- At age 12, Jonathan Hopkins met a young deaf
girl while at a summer camp who taught him
fingerspelling and introduced him to other deaf
campers he has been fluent ever since. -
Hopkins is a Tlingit Indian raised by white
parents in Maine, making him very comfortable
with ethnic cultures. As a result he primarily
interprets for deaf students who are ethnic
minorities at Rochester Institute of Technology,
and is usually their first choice when choosing
interpreters. - Off campus Hopkins also
interprets for sports games, Native American
events, on stage at Eastman Theatre, as well as
other music venues. - Hopkins has also organized
a committee to help draw more Native Americans to
RIT and founded in Intertribal Deaf Association.
For more information see RIT and Fluent Fingers

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Resources

• http//www.deaflinx.com/dna.html
• Intertribal Deaf Council
• http//www.deafnative.com/
• Circle of Unity http//www.uark.edu/depts/rehabres
  /AmIndian/AImain.htm
• Glenn B. Anderson, Katrina R. Miller. In Their
  Own Words Researching Stories About the Lives of
  Deaf People of Color. Multicultural
  Perspectives, 2004, Vol. 6, No. 2, Pages 28-33
• Rochester Institute of technology
  http//www.democratandchronicle.com/homes/communit
  y/rit/stories16.shtml
• Hassell, Jerry. Birth of the Intertribal Deaf
  Council. http//www.drf.org/hearing_health/Archiv
  e/2004/fall04_birthofintertribal_ex.htm

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Additional Deaf Native American websites

• For Deaf Native American Children
• http//storystones.com/
• Deaf Native American Reading List
• http//www.uark.edu/depts/rehabres/mcnai.html
• Native American Sign Language
• http//www.inquiry.net/outdoor/native/sign/

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A special thanks to

• Damara Paris, President of the Intertribal Deaf
  Council and Judy Stout, Vice President for
  supporting this project and for sharing your
  passions for Deaf Native Americans.