Language Acquisition for Deaf Children in Mexico

All of us at EEESMA School for the Deaf extend our heartfelt thanks for the invaluable support you have shown throughout the last year; be it financial support or moral support.

This is the time of the year when we most often reflect on past accomplishments and begin the process of making plans for the future. Your support has allowed the school to continue its journey to bring the best education possible to children who are Deaf in San Miguel de Allende.

Teacher training was a big priority in 2024 and the positive results are reflected in the minds and hearts of the children themselves. They love being at school, have a thirst for knowledge and work hard to advance. This is the recipe for their future success. With seven adolescents now enrolled in high school (preparatoria) and 14 young ones enrolled in primary class, along with other children in middle school, our numbers have increased substantially. Besides academic classes, the students enjoy karate, chess, theatre and volleyball. Most notably computer skills are front and center and incorporated into most classes. Your support has created a huge impact, one that we can all be proud of.

2025 holds more promise than ever before. We look for ways to become more sustainable, improve the curriculum and broaden our reach. With one teacher and three teachers’ assistants who are Deaf themselves, creating great role models for the younger ones, we are confident of a bright future ahead. Thank you for the important role you have played in making this happen.

Wishing you joy, love and peace this holiday season.

With sincere appreciation, John and Sharon Doherty, on behalf of

the Students, Teachers, Staff and Board of Directors

EEESMA School for the Deaf

Links:

• School Website

This project. funded by a Rotary Global Grant, represents a huge leap forward for the advancement in literacy and education for deaf children in Mexico.

The grant is being implemented by a Vocational Training Team from the fine organization Signs and Smiles.org USA in partnership with EEESMA School for the Deaf.

The most recent training workshops, taking place in August 2024, were attended in person by 22 deaf education professionals from almost every corner of the State of Guanajuato, as well as participants from the State of Queretaro and focused on Language Concepts & Strategies, Socio-emotional Learning, Sign Language Instruction, and General Literacy Strategies.

On the final day a “Family Day” was held, led by Signs and Smiles and attended by students, teachers and their family members, with many moms and dads and grandparents of deaf children. There was over one hundred sharing in the joy of the day!

This special day enabled the rolling out of the new Signs and Smiles App, downloaded to mobile phones empowering parents of deaf children by providing resources including:

-Mexican Sign Language (LSM) Dictionary

-Sign Language Learning Tools

-Best Practices for Parenting Deaf Children

Thank you so, so much Rotary and Signs & Smiles for the giant leap forward! 

All of us at EEESMA School for the Deaf look for ways to continue this important work. We know that creating more and better teachers paves the way to better deaf education. Thank you, GlobalGiving supporters, for the contribution you have made to bring Language Acquisition to the Deaf Chilldren in our area. Together we can make a difference and in the process, change the life of a child who is deaf.

Links:

• EEESMA School for the Deaf Website