Deaf Outdoor Accessibility Workshop

This video is the ASL Version of the letter below. 

Hello Friends, Family and Strangers,

We invite you to make a difference in the field of accessible outdoor programs for Deaf people by donating to our campaign.  Your support will directly influence the future of this important programming.

The money we raise will send us to Portland, Oregon in October 2015, to give a compelling  workshop  about creating accessible outdoor programs for Deaf people.

The Association for Experiential Education (AEE) invited us to share our experience, expertise, and resources on this topic at their 43rd International Conference. The theme for this year's conference is: "Social Justice: Creating Change."   We believe that the content and message of our workshop highlighting accessibility is very important for everyone committed to social justice issues.


Our workshop: "The Deaf Community in the Outdoor Field: Strategies for Providing Full Access and Training Opportunities" is based on several years of collaboration between Deaf and hearing students, administrators, instructors and interpreters at the Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, Massachusetts.


We have valuable lessons, strategies, and techniques for creating successful accessible programs that are critical for others in the outdoor field, especially our unique approach of using Deaf Interpreters.


Please see our bios below for more information about who we are and what our specific roles are in this workshop.

We want to thank you for your support in this project.  By presenting at the AEE International Conference, we will be a positive ripple effect for both the Deaf community and the outdoor education community by emphasizing accessibility and inclusion.

Who we are:
Hannah Lewis, NIC, Boston, MA.  Hannah has been a central ASL/English Interpreter for OLP, specializing in back country expeditions and technical training courses.  Hannah and Raylene have developed a unique hearing/Deaf Interpreter teamed approach which they will be explaining in the workshop.


Raylene Lotz, Boston, MA.   Raylene is a graduate of OLP and a Deaf Interpreter.  She will be speaking about her experience as a Deaf student at OLP and now as a Deaf Interpreter working at OLP.  Raylene's Deaf perspective and experience in an all hearing educational environment is central to why this workshop is important for others in the field.  


Evan Perkins, Barnett, VT. Instructor Trainer.  Evan has had several years of experience incorporating Deaf students into the learning community at OLP.  He has learned many lessons about what works best in the unique outdoor context and feels it is important to share that with other instructors.


Lauren Sprague,   Lauren graduated from OLP Spring 2015 and has begun her career as an outdoor instructor. Her status as a recent graduate allows her a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't when it comes to creating full access for a deaf student in  a primarily hearing outdoor program.


Rye Zemelsky, NIC-A, Northampton, MA.  As a graduate of OLP and an ASL/English Interpreter, Rye has been the Interpreter Coordinator and Lead Interpreter for OLP.  She has worked to, and seen, the program evolve to become more accessible for Deaf students over the years and will be highlighting many of the "lessons learned" from this process.




Rye, Lauren, Raylene, and Evan at the Northeast Regional AEE Conference, April 2015, where this workshop was originally presented. 
(Hannah Lewis is behind the camera)