National Kids of Deaf Adults (KODA) Family Conference To be Held at Camp Mark 7, Old Forge, New York from June 24 to 27, 2010
Washington, DC. September 1, 2009. The Organizing Committee of the National KODA Family Conference (NKFC) is pleased to announce that this long-awaited conference for deaf parents of hearing children and their families will take place at Camp Mark 7, Old Forge, New York from June 24 to 27, 2010.
The idea of having a national conference geared toward the needs of families with deaf parents and hearing children (commonly referred to as “kids of deaf adults” or “koda” families) was born from the desire to provide a forum that would connect people from all over the country. By examining and celebrating the special relationship and cultural identities of hearing children and their deaf parents, as well as the family dynamic as a whole, we believe that a greater understanding and awareness of ourselves and our families will be achieved. And as a result, we will also have a deeper, stronger family bond.
Advocacy and development programs for our “koda children”, particularly in the critical areas of education and psychosocial development, are another major focus of our conference. We see brilliant examples of this in the highly successful KODA camps and regional KODA organizations. We hope this conference will provide a way to share and build on those best practices.
A dynamic program of speakers, workshops, activities and events is being planned for parents, professionals -- and perhaps most importantly – the kids and family! Plans are underway to provide a camp program for children and youth. We encourage readers to visit our website from time to time as new, updated information will be posted as events unfold.
The organizing committee of NKFC is a group of professionals in the metro Washington DC area comprised of parents with koda kids, and all are enthused about bringing together other families like theirs at the National KODA Family Conference.
For more information about NKFC, please visit the NKFC website at www.nkodafc.org or contact Amy Crumrine and Julie Perry at nkfcchair@nkodafc.org.
