Deafinitely Communicating

We don't talk enough about the power of community. Community can literally be a life-changing and life-giving resource as we journey through life. Why? We were made to live with, around, and for others. We don't exist for ourselves. We weren't built for isolation. We are wired for connection and community.

Yesterday, we hosted a community event at a local pool. As each family entered the gate, my heart grew more and more full. Some of the families I knew. Some I met for the first time. As I watched each family enter the pool area, I recognized a familiar action - eyes scanning for a place to belong. As each family settled in, I continued to observe the same process. Eyes scanning, eyes meeting, smiles emerging, hands lifting, conversations starting, connections being made, community growing. 😍

There was one family in particular that left a mark on me. They had just moved to the area the night before. And the next day, at 10 AM, they came to meet strangers and hang out at the pool. Why? Community and connection. The need for community is just that powerful. Yesterday reinforced this truth for me.

To every family who attended yesterday's event, THANK YOU!
Thank you for showing up. Your presence confirmed so much for me. 🙌🏾

I look forward to our next gathering. Stay tuned for exciting updates coming soon and more information on our next gathering!

[ID: A graphic with a pool water background. A wide-eyed shocked/amazed emoji on the left, paired with large pink retro lettering that reads "WOW!" Below, three white text blocks stacked vertically, each floating on the pool water background:
"We hosted our first community event yesterday."
"A family who had just moved into the area the night before attended!"
"Why? Community (underlined)."
The Deafinitely Communicating logo (a black speech bubble with a waving hand inside) sits in the bottom right corner.

Registration is OPEN for East Valley Deaf Camp: Mission Possible: Full Bloom!

📅 July 13–17, 2026

⏰ 9AM–12PM

🎒 PreK–6th Grade

👐 Deaf • Hard of Hearing • CODAs • SODAs

Deaf and hard-of-hearing children deserve fun, connected, language-rich summers. Right now, there aren’t enough spaces that offer that. Mission Possible Deaf Day Camp is a bilingual (ASL + English) day camp dedicated to serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families in Arizona’s East Valley. It’s a space where kids get to just be kids - making friends, getting creative, and thriving in a space that was built specifically with them in mind.

This bilingual ASL/English camp is designed to foster language, communication, critical thinking, Deaf identity, and social skills in a safe, fun, and affirming environment. The camp is staffed by Deaf/hard of hearing community members, Deaf-adjacent professionals, an ASL-fluent speech-language pathologist, and signing community volunteers.

💛 $175 per camper

✅ Multicamper discounts available

✅ Scholarships available

✅ ESA/ClassWallet accepted

Camp is limited to 20 campers. 10 spots remain. Grab your ticket while they last! Scan the QR code on the flyer or use the links to register, volunteer, donate or sponsor.

📍 Sossaman x Broadway, East Valley (address shared upon registration)

📞 (480) 442-9597

📧 [email protected]

Feel free to share with a family, school, or organization who needs to know about this camp. Questions - DM us!

Happening today!

Join us for an engaging introduction to Deaf history and culture! 🌟

The American Society for Deaf Children is hosting “Deaf History 101,” a workshop presented in ASL with interpretation provided in English and Spanish. Participants will explore important moments, influential figures, and major movements that have shaped Deaf history and culture in the United States. 🇺🇸🤟

📅 Saturday, May 23
👨‍👩‍👧 Families attend FREE
💼 Professionals: $20 without CEUs | $30 with 0.15 CEUs
🗣 Presented in ASL
🌎 Interpreted in English & Spanish

Whether you are a family member, interpreter, educator, student, or community member, this workshop is a great opportunity to learn more about the Deaf community and its rich history.

Register today https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/deaf-history--101!

Join us to celebrate the end of the school year with pool time, popsicles, and people who get it. All DHH families are welcome to join us! See you poolside 💦🏊.

Registration preferred, not required.

[ID: A bright, pool-themed event flyer with a top-down swimming pool photo as the background. Decorative clip art (beach ball, surfboard, pool floats, umbrellas) frame the edges. Key text includes: DEAF/HH Pool Playdate — All Families Welcome
Sat, May 30 | 10:00am–Noon, Cooley Station Pool, 3781 E Turley St, Gilbert, AZ 85295. Pool time, popsicles, connection & community. QR code for registration (preferred, not required). Contact: Lindsay, 801-358-7331. The Deafinitely Communicating logo appears in the bottom right corner.]

THIS IS WHAT AN SLP LOOKS LIKE! 😬😉✨

Happy National SLP day to my fellow speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs)!

Today is our day 🥰! No matter what age you serve, the population you work with, your setting, your years of experience, your specialty, or your title - collectively, today is OUR day!

🥳 TAG your favorite SLP/SLP account in the comments.
😍 ENCOURAGE - drop a message of appreciation and encouragement.
🤩 SHARE - post this to your story and celebrate with us!

[ID: The text ‘Happy National SLP Day’ appears in stenciled caps at the top of the graphic. ‘May 18th’ is just below in a handwritten, scripted font. The ‘Deafinitely Communicating logo (hand waving inside of a thought bubble) is shown to the left of the main text. The subtext ‘Celebrate fellow speech language pathologists. Today is our day. Tag your favorite SLP’ appears just below.

An image of Germaine, a Black SLP, is left justified. She smiles brightly and wears a yellow ‘SLP’ shirt . Her long, black box braids hang just behind her back.]

👋🏾 Summer is almost here... and so is Deaf Camp!!

Deafinitely Communicating is excited to announce that after taking last year off, we will be hosting camp again this year in Mesa, Arizona. We are seeking volunteers from our local community to help us make this camp another memorable and exciting experience for our campers.

Volunteer criteria:
🌵High school age and above
🌵Conversational American Sign Language (ASL) skills and willingness to learn
🌵A passion for Deaf and hard of hearing children and deaf education
😆 Commitment to FUN, LEARNING, and PLAY!!!

Note: This is a bilingual/bimodal camp - American Sign Language will be used during the entire camp with interpreters available on site to support campers and volunteers as needed.

To receive a link to the survey-
Families/caregivers - 'FAMILY'
DHH community - 'DHH'
Volunteers - 'HELP'

[ID: A bright yellow square flyer with bold black text. At the top, a white rounded pill-shaped banner reads "WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!" in bold black letters. To the left is a cheerful illustrated child with dark hair and brown skin, wearing a yellow shirt and blue shorts, standing with arms raised among green cacti and desert succulents. To the right, large bold block letters read "2026 DEAF CAMP." Below the illustration, centered text reads: "Help us plan an amazing camp for Deaf and hard-of-hearing campers in Arizona's East Valley. Three short surveys are now open! Comment to receive the corresponding survey link!" Beneath that are three black-outlined rounded rectangle buttons labeled "FAMILY/CAREGIVERS," "DEAF/HH COMMUNITY," and "VOLUNTEERS" in bold black text. In the bottom right corner is a small logo of a hand with sound waves, with the text "DEAFINITELY COMMUNICATING" below it.]

Today is Word Hearing Day 🌎👂

Hearing health and Deaf identity are not opposing ideas. We can champion both access to hearing technology and advocate for signed languages. We can encourage people to pursue medical care and simultaneously recognize and celebrate identity. We should do both.

Every child deserves access to it all.

Do you have thoughts on World Hearing Day? Let's continue the conversation in the comments.

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Shontaye Glover, , about the work that I do and supporting deaf and hard of hearing students and their families. During our conversation, we chatted about understanding language access and language acquisition, language deprivation, connecting families with resources, and so much more.

Comment 'ACCESS' for a direct link to the podcast!

👋🏾 Let's keep the conversation going.
Share your thoughts, takeaways, reflections, or questions in the comments.

When we focus on the ear, the eye, the hand, the mouth, we miss the real emergency in the discussion about language access - the brain.

As we continue to discuss language access and the brain, we invite you to consider this question ⬇⬇

🤔Is the brain getting consistent, accessible LANGUAGE? How often?

ID in comments.