
About Clarke Speaks Up
Families and professionals rely on Clarke Speaks Up to learn about uplifting stories from the Clarke community and up-and-coming news from a leader in the field.
The Clarke Speaks Up blog is the exciting evolution of the annually released Clarke Speaks magazine, allowing Clarke to publish content on a regular basis for our community.
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- August 18, 2021
8 min read
With Clarke’s support, families learn various listening and spoken language (LSL) strategies to support language development through play and age-appropriate activities, and share experiences and questions with other families in Clarke’s support groups.
8 min read
- August 17, 2021
4 min read
When children who are deaf or hard of hearing don’t see themselves reflected in pop culture, sports, television and positions of leadership, it’s natural to wonder where or how they fit in.
4 min read
- August 16, 2021
2 min read
“When I was growing up, I didn’t see any meaningful representation of deaf people,” says Torin Early, Clarke alum and college student at UMass Amherst.
2 min read
- August 15, 2021
3 min read
“Specifically in media such as television, representation of deaf/hard of hearing people can be disappointing. There is often a lot of inaccuracy and perpetuation of stereotypes,” says Juliet Corwin, Clarke alum and high school student.
3 min read
- August 14, 2021
6 min read
“When my mom was looking for a ballet class… she was told, ‘No, sorry. I cannot take her in. Deaf children don’t dance. It’s going to be too difficult, and I don’t have time for this,’” says Simoné Welgemoed, a professional ballerina who is deaf.
6 min read
- August 13, 2021
5 min read
In 2020, American Girl doll Joss Kendrick—a surfer who wears hearing aids—was selected as “Girl of the Year.”
5 min read
- August 12, 2021
5 min read
“Pop culture is such a great educator,” says screenwriter Alexandra Dean Grossi. “And there is so much confusion around the deaf experience… I want to show there’s no right way to be deaf.”
5 min read
- August 11, 2021
5 min read
“All of the characters in my book represent one or several students that I’ve had throughout my career in deaf education,” says Jessica Jordan-Hogan, teacher of the deaf and children’s author.
5 min read
- August 10, 2021
4 min read
Like most caregivers who discover their child was born with a hearing loss, Nina and Spencer worried at first how their infant daughter would communicate and if she would struggle academically and socially.
4 min read
- August 9, 2021
4 min read
Clarke preschoolers received a visit from NASA scientist Dr. Mike Hecht in 2021 and had the opportunity to ask questions about outer space.
4 min read
- August 8, 2021
6 min read
Kindergarten is a major transition for young children and their families, and the skills required to take this exciting step won’t be established with last-minute worksheets and number games. At Clarke, preparation for kindergarten begins when a family enrolls in our early intervention (EI) services—and ideally before a baby is even six months old.
6 min read
- August 7, 2021
6 min read
Clarke may be best known for its expertise in helping children with hearing loss develop their listening and spoken language skills, but this process takes place within a larger framework of support to develop many other crucial skills, like executive function and interpersonal communication.
6 min read