Dana Miles: Exploring a Magical World for Deaf Students

Part 2 of 5 in a series

Dana Miles, the 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year, has produced a multimedia project in partnership with OSPI. This five-part series is comprised of video interviews that Dana conducts with experts on Deaf education, as well as articles she wrote to accompany each video.

This is the second part of the series. Find all parts of the series here:

• Part 1: Creating Magic with Deaf Students
• Part 2: Exploring a Magical World for Deaf Students
• Part 3: Unlocking Magic Potential in Deaf Students
• Part 4: Equipping Deaf Students with Magic
• Part 5: Embarking on a Magical Journey for Deaf Students

Key Question: Preserving a Space of Belonging

How do we create an environment that is inclusive and accessible for Deaf children?

Introduction

Whenever I dream of a magical place, I imagine a place where I can find excitement, adventure and, of course, magic. The magical place I often think of is Hogwarts, the school from the Harry Potter series. Hogwarts, as readers may know, is a place of magic, excitement, and adventure. It’s also a place where Harry Potter feels at home. He’s allowed to use his magic. More importantly: he belongs.

How does Hogwarts fit into the Deaf community and Deaf education? I like to compare Hogwarts to Deaf schools since they are somewhat similar. They both are residential programs, and they serve a specific population. Like I usually share during my presentations, our disability as deaf people is unique since it’s related to communication. When we’re in an environment where everybody signs, our disability disappears. Now, that’s magical!

Creating a safe and inclusive space is important for all educational programs. With this understanding, I value Deaf schools and Deaf spaces since they allow Deaf children to be fully and wholly themselves. There are no obstacles to overcome. We have access to information around us. Everybody signs. Teachers, cafeteria staff, coaches, principals, dorm staff sign, and even the nurses sign! Best yet, all students sign. We can just be.

Dr. Czubek and Janet Greenwald published an article about this, discussing the Deaf World in-depth to help you better understand the Deaf community. Let’s explore the magical world of Hogwarts with Dr. Todd Czubek.

About Dr. Todd Czubek

Dr. Todd Czubek is a Senior Lecturer and the Director of Field Work for the Boston University Deaf Education Program, where he has served for the past 15 years. He has presented keynotes and other speeches at a variety of conferences, including the Reading 4 Life International Conference, the International Conference on Sign Language Acquisition, and the Deaf Adults as Role Models for the Hearing World Conference. Dr. Czubek has also taught Deaf children for 15 years and served as a bilingual coordinator.

Guiding Discussion Questions

1. Identify the components of inclusive spaces at your school.
2. Is there any particular group of members that may need a safe and inclusive space? Who are they, and how will their needs be addressed?
3. Discuss what creates a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
4. Discuss opposing views on LRE. Consider how our biases or assumptions influence what a LRE should look like.
5. What should a LRE look like for Deaf children?

Additional Resources

• National Association of the Deaf: Position Statement on Inclusion
• Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf: What Constitutes the Least Restrictive Environment for a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Student?
• Indiana Department of Health: Language Rich Environments for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Gallaudet University: Growing Together: Creating Language-Rich Environments
• Gallaudet University: The Benefits of Bilingualism
• Gallaudet University: Raising the Whole Child
• National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes: Determining Appropriate Accommodations
• Michael Stultz, University of North Florida: Hogwarts and Deaf School
• John Maucere, actor: How Harry Potter Parallels with the Deaf World
• TEDxKlagenfurt: Making Education Accessible to Deaf Children

DISCLAIMERS: This article was written by Dana Miles, the 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year. The author’s opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of OSPI, and publication of this story does not constitute OSPI’s approval or endorsement of its contents. With questions, please contact OSPI’s Communications team at commteam@k12.wa.us.

Dana’s use of the term “Deaf” includes, but is not limited to, different types of members of the deaf community: Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDisabled. Dana uses the term “sign language” in place of American Sign Language (ASL) to include all sign languages worldwide. The terms used here are meant to be inclusive.