I’m pleased to share an article by Poppy Steele from the NPL staff published in the January/February 2022 edition of the “Tennessee Bar Journal!”  The article entitled “Illiteracy is the Disability: Equal Protection for the Deaf in Tennessee Classrooms” is directly related to the work LSDHH is doing through our Deaf Literacy Initiative. It is bringing together government officials (TN Dept. of Education and TN Dept. of Health), educators (professors from Vanderbilt, UTK, and teachers and administrators from local school systems), deaf community members, and parents to serve as a catalyst for meaningful change to combat the prevalence of language deprivation and illiteracy. This has far-reaching impacts on the socialization, education, mental health, abuse rate, and economic tolls of the people experiencing profound hearing loss from infancy. I encourage you to read the attached article to gain a better understanding of the issues involved.  NPL is proud of Poppy and the great work being done in our Equal Access division.

 

Best, Kent

 

Kent Oliver  | Library Director  (he/him/his)

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Nashville Public Library | Main Library

615 Church Street | Nashville  TN | 37219

615 862 5768

 

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