TSBVI Coffee Hour: Through Native Eyes: Serving Native American Families and Tribal Communities 4-29-21

>> . Hi. Everyone, we'll get started in a couple of minutes.  As you are coming in, and you will hear me say this a lot, please make sure that this in your chatbox, the little drop down menu says all panelists and attendees.

>> That way as you make comments or ask questions, everyone can see what you have to say.

>> So again, in your chatbox make sure it says all panelists and attendees and we'll get started in about one more minute. We'll let people come into the room.

>> Good morning, Megan. If you want to hop in the chat and let us know where you're coming from that's always fun to see.

>> A lot of folks from New Mexico. We have Arizona and Utah. That's my mom!

>> Norfolk, Virginia. Prince William county.

>> Farmington, New Mexico.

>> All right. We'll go ahead and get started. We have some announcements and I want to give as much time to our presenters and panelists today as possible.

>> So again, welcome to our coffee hour and western regional early intervention conference session entitled through native eyes, serving Native American families and tribal communities. And we are so excited to share this time with all of you.

>> Please, if you have a question or a comment during the time that the presenters are talking, post that in the chatbox. Please make sure that it says all panelists and attendees in that little drop-down menu so that everyone can see and have access to what you have to say.

>> Your microphones and cameras are automatically muted so you don't need to worry about that. You're not going to suddenly pop on screen, so don't worry.

>> The handout for today's session has been shared in the chat and we'll share it a few more times throughout the session today. You can see that you immediately. It will also be available along with the recording of this session through a link on our coffee hour web page. You can find that at TSBVI.edu/coffeehour. And once you're on that page

>> scroll down under the list of sessions to where it says visit the new TSBVI could outreach coffee hour arrest ties.

>> We wanted you to be able to make it easy to find. Be sure to check that and you can see all the Coffee Hours and transcripts and chat information from previous sessions.

>> To obtain your professional development credit and your CEUs, you will respond to the evaluation that will be emailed to you from our registration website, ESDworks. There is no opening code. At the end of the session today I will give you a closing code and you will enter that into the evaluation and then your certificate will automatically generate

>> once you complete that evaluation.

>> So again, no opening code, just a closing code.

>> We'll stop the presentation at 12:55 central time to give that code and some announcements.

>> I am really happy to introduce today's presenters. We have Kathy Boye, Carla Gregory and Wendy Prouse joining us from New Mexico and I will let them introduce our parent panelists that will be joining us as well

>> >> Wendy: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for taking this time to join us today for this presentation. My name is Wendy Prouse. I would like to share my experience working within native communities.

>> My first experience was in Alaska. I provided American Sign Language interpreting services to two children who were both from the Alute tribe. While I was in Alaska I lived just outside of an old believers Russian orthodox fishing village.

>> The student I was providing services for, who was aluet, went to school within this village.

>> I learned two different cultures while providing services and living there. I moved from Alaska to the northwest corner of New Mexico in 2000 and worked as a teacher of the Deaf on the Dine' reservation.

>> And now in my current position as the northwest regional supervisor for the New Mexico School for the Deaf early intervention and developmental services department.

>> My educational background includes graduating from an American Sign Language interpreter training program and receiving my Bachelor's degree in communication disorders with an emphasis in speech language pathology while I was in Minuteman Early Intervention Program.

>> I then went on to move my master's degree in Deaf education at Lewis and Clarke college in Oregon.

>> I have been providing services in Native American communities for 23 years.

>> >> Carla: Hi, everyone and welcome. My name is Carla Gregory and I am from the Pueblo of laguna. Laguna is one of 19 Pueblos in the state of New Mexico. Laguna also has six villages and I am from the village of Miseta. I have a degree in criminal justice and way back long time ago I used to be a probation officer.

>> Then in 1996 my daughter was born and she was born Deaf. So we came active members of the early intervention here in laguna, which at that time was like in its infancy, it was just starting.

>> And we also participate in the step hi program at the New Mexico school for the Deaf.

>> We were active numbers. We never missed a therapy session. There was an opening with the Early Childhood Intervention program here so I was encouraged to apply, which I did, and I was hired. So I worked there for about 10 years, then I was given this wonderful opportunity to work for New Mexico School for the Deaf.

>> So I completed it's called the Deaf and hard of hearing infant, toddlers and families collaboration and leadership interdisciplinary certificate program at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

>> Because I didn't have a background in, you know, helping families and supporting, other than being a parent. So that was a really great program to complete.

>> So I've been in the filed for about 24 years, first as a parent and then now as a professional.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Hello, good morning, everyone. My name is Kathy Boye and so I am from a community called Yatae, New Mexico. And I am Navajo Dine' is what we usually call ourselves. So clanship promotes peace within the family and community.

>> I will introduce first my mothers clan, which is [indiscernible] red running into water.

>> My father's clan is waters edge clan. There is actually four clans, but I'll just introduce those two because of time.

>> Clanship plays a huge role in identifying one's self and where you come from so I've worked with many different ethic groups and also many with different cultural backgrounds during this time. I've worked with New Mexico School for the Deaf for almost 20 years and I've traveled quite a bit of the reservation. So that is who I am, Kathy Boye from

>> Y atae, New Mexico. Thank you very much.

>> >> Wendy: I'd like to let you all know that we are planning to trying to leave some time towards the end of this presentation. So if you have any questions, please feel free to submit them in the chatbox and we will try to answer as many of the questions as we can at the end of this presentation.

>> I also just want to let you know that the information that we are sharing today is coming directly from our own personal experiences working within native communities. We are not experts but we are providing this information transmission our hearts and our own experiences, and what we cherish and volume within these native communities.

>> So thank you for -- again for all being here.

>> >> Carla: Okay. I think it's my turn. I'm trying to maneuver this video and the mute button at the same time.

>> Okay. So I would like to just give a little bit of some background information and how Federal policy had an impact on Native American communities.

>> The American sociological association understands culture as the languages, customs, beliefs, rules, art, knowledge, collective identities and memories developed by members of all social groups that make their social environments meaningful.

>> So in order to provide culturally responsive services to native families, I think it's important that we need to understand how Federal policy impacts their lives and the results of the historical trauma.

>> So we are going to have just a brief history lesson. So back in 1947, approximately 73 years ago, the U.S. government started a program with the Navajo and the Hopi people.

>> This program was designed to provide them with vocational training.  Three years later in 1950, the Navajo Hopi law was passed and this law was designed to relocate tribal members to a few large cities.

>> One year later in 1951, the amount of relocation cities grew. In 1952 relocation was expanded to include all Native Americans. And this was just like five years since the program started to provide just the Navajo and Hopi people with vocational training. Now it's affecting all Native Americans.

>> So curiosity, the attraction of city life and financial incentives, these three things influenced many Native Americans to apply for this relocation program. So that by 1954 approximately 6,200 Native Americans had been relocated.

>> The Indian relocation act of 1956 was intended to encourage Native Americans to leave the reservation, their traditional lands, and to blend into the general population in urban areas.

>> This always gets me kind of emotional, but assimilation wasn't new, but now there was this sense of urgency that with or without consent tribes must be terminated and begin to live as American.

>> So I wanted to share a few stories regarding relocation.

>> My mom, she signed up for the program and she was sent to Los Angeles. And there she met her husband and he was from fort Yates, North Dakota.

>> So with no family around, she came from the reservation where on the spur of the moment you just gather and eat and visit and socialize with your family. And move into this large city where she didn't know anyone.

>> So they turned to socializing in bars. And she lasted for about a year out there and with encouragement from her family she moved back to New Mexico.

>> But when she came back home, she had to struggle. She struggled to become sober and she struggled to maintain that sobriety. And I'm happy to report that she remains zonetory this day.

>> And then another story is my mother-in-law, my husband's mom, she was relocated to San Francisco and there she met and married a black man and they have four children. When she left San Francisco to come back home she left her children in California.

>> She's never said why she left them, but I just have a feeling that she was afraid to bring biracial children back to the reservation and this had a huge emotional impact on my husband and his siblings.

>> And then one of my sisters relocated to Chicago. She only lasted maybe about a month because her upstairs neighbor set her mattress on fire and her mattress just laid on the floor, it wasn't up on a frame or anything, so the fire came down into my sister's apartment.

>> And she was gone. She left there ASAP and came back here.

>> So those are just a few of three stories about relocation. And I'm sure there were some successes but I don't know of them.

>> So anyway, so the following is a quote from the U.S. Senator Ben horse knight Campbell in his opening address, and he states "If you can't change them, absorb them until they simply disappear into the mainstream culture" much.

>> In Washington's infinite wisdom it was decided that tribes should no longer be tribes. Never mind that they were tribes for thousands of years

>> So from 1953 to 1964, about 11 years, more than 100 tribes were terminated. 1,365,801 acres of trust land were removed from protected status and converted to private ownership.

>> 13,263 Native Americans lost tribal affiliation.

>> So historical trauma is cumulative, multi-generational, collective experience of emotional and psychology injury in communities and accident ENTs. Effects of historical trauma among Native Americans include changes in traditional ways of child rearing, feelings of inadequacy in parenting roles, family structure and relationship.

>> Some responses to historical trauma include poor physical and emotional health, low self-esteem, depression, substance abuse and high rates of suicide.

>> So keeping all of that in minding this a well-founded mistrust of outsiders and government providers based on long-term negative experiences with non-native Americans.

>> Many of the native families that we are providing services to are affected by multi-generational historical trauma.

>> They have heard stories from their great grandparents, their grandparents, and there parents that are still living today and maybe even living in the same household.

>> So just know that it will take time for the families to open their homes to you and to trust that your intentions are helpful.

>> While you may not agree with the customs of the people you're working with, it is so critical that you are respectful of their culture, traditions and values. Thank you.

>> >> Kathy: Hi there, everyone, again. Some of you there in the audience I know many of you I'll be meeting for the first time.

>> I would like you to get to know us and the communities that we live and serve in.

>> I live in northwestern New Mexico in a small community just north of Gallup, New Mexico. Yatae means everything is good on the earth.  And the county that I live in, which is considered one of the poorest counties in the United States, I am Dine' Navajo tribe and I have lived in different areas of the reservation most of my life. I grew up in

>> Arizona. I am a mother of four children, two grandchildren and I've been married for over 30 years.

>> I speak Navajo Dine' fluently. English is my second language.

>> I know ASL in order to work with some of the families and children in our area.

>> And the reason why I became involved with American Sign Language is because I had friends who were Deaf adults and they would go to church with us and so a bunch of us women got together and we started learning through videos and book.

>> So that's a little bit of my ground background of why I'm in this area.

>> And I've always loved the area of early intervention.

>> To give you an idea about how vast the Navajo reservation is, it's the largest and most populated Indian reservation in the United States. 27,413 square Miles, larger than the state of West Virginia.

>> It is located in three states, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

>> From the cooperative extension university of air Asia the Navajo nation claims to have 298,000 enrolled members with over 170,000 living on the reservation, but I know those figures have been changing the last few months just due to the pandemic because many people have enrolled to be part -- to be enrolled members of the Navajo tribe.

>> So now from an Internet a the systemic poverty on the Navajo is a national travesty. It reports that 80% of the people in the Navajo reservation live in poverty. 19% suffer extreme poverty, which is compared to other native reservations.

>> So the Navajo reservation an estimate of 32% of all homes lack electricity. 30% do not have indoor plumbing. 80 -- 38 lack running water.

>> With all these statistics we have other things to consider, which is language barrier. And then a lot of the things that Gloria talked about, those are things that kind of impact our ability to work with families as early interventionists or other health professionals.

>> So the spiritual and cultural beliefs are specific to some of the tribes here in our practice. So I'm glad to give you these status so it gives you an idea of why sometimes it's hard to work with families, but then always remembering we need to learn how to walk in their shoes. Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Let's now travel down the road of your own memories by thinking of the answers to these next questions.

>> The road of your journey may probably be like the roads of New Mexico. It may be calm, the calm smooth road that you see on the top of the screen, of the picture.

>> Or when weather hits there can be impassable roads which you see at the bottom of the screen some weather causing mud everywhere.

>> So these are actual pictures from traveling to provide services to families in very rural areas of New Mexico.

>> So think about these four questions.

>> What are the beliefs that you feel molded who you are today?

>> When you were a young child, who was there to teach you about your family history, culture and community?

>> Who supported you in the beginning of your journey and along the way.

>> What have you shared from your journey with those around you?

>> Now that you have walked down through your memories and traveled the road that has led you to where you are today, let's hear about how the journey begins for a native child. We will now hear how a native culture respects the time of pregnancy.

>> >> Carla: Okay. I click the buttons and I go off and then I come back on.

>> Okay. So I have two stories that I would like to share with you.  Just to emphasize, some of the beliefs in our native culture, especially during pregnancy. So the first story it was relayed to me by an old high school classmate and he's an Apache. His wife is Hispanic. And so they were expecting their first child.

>> And he was raised by his grandmother so he's excited to share the news, it was just him and his grandmother.

>> And grandma knew that there was an eclipse coming. So after he was done sharing the news she told him, she said there's an eclipse coming. You need to get a key and put it on a chain and give it to your wife so she can put it on. And she needs to wear that neck class until the eclipse is done, the day after the eclipse is done.

>> So he's like, why? So she told him that if he doesn't do that, if the wife doesn't wear the necklace, the baby is going to be born with a strawberry mark on his face.

>> And so he's like, okay. So he got the necklace ready, prepared and then he gave it to his wife. And his wife didn't believe. She didn't believe and she's like, I'm not going to wear that.

>> And she didn't. So eclipse happened and then their baby was born and he didn't have a strawberry mark on his face and so his wife was like, you know, ha-ha it didn't happen.

>> And so I'm not quite sure, but the little boy grew up to be a toddler and he couldn't get a toy so he started crying and crying and crying.

>> And so the more he cried, the angrier he got, they noticed the red mark started coming out on his forehead and came all the way down to the bridge of his nose.

>> And my classmate looked at his wife with those eyes, like hmm. And she was like oh no.

>> Then he remembered that he had cousins who were born with that strawberry mark and some of them came out with their cheeks or their forebeds and so they would wear their hair to kind of hide their strawberry mark.

>> So that's one story. And then the next story is about weaving.

>> So in many native cultures weaving is not permitting, weaving, knitting, crocheting is not permitted while the woman is pregnant.

>> So there was a weaving class and this pregnant woman was taking the class and another instructor just happened to walk by and saw and she let the instructor know, you know, you need to have her stop weaving immediately until after the baby's born.

>> So the instructor told his student you need to stop weaving. And she didn't believe. I'm not sure if she was native or not.

>> I didn't recall that part of the story. But she didn't believe and she continued to weave and she completed her belt.

>> And the instructor of the weaving class was talking with her mother a couple of months after the class was over and he found out that she had lost the baby, student had lost her baby.

>> So that was really sad.

>> And then these are just other little things to think -- to be aware of. So other beliefs are not to drink ice water because if you do when your water breaks it will be painful.

>> Don't put heat on your back or the placenta will get stuck.

>> It is also forbidden for the husband to go hunting when his wife is pregnant. And this story comes from my village. This was some time back there was a hunter who did go hunting and his wife was pregnant.

>> He shot a dear, but he shot the dear like right here like right by the elbow. And he didn't kill it and they couldn't find the dear.

>> So he came home and then his baby was born and she was born without her harm, exactly where he shot that dear she didn't have an arm.

>> He it only went to her elbow.

>> And they say don't get pinons because the baby will come out with this heavy White coating. And I was guilty of that. When my first baby was born she had this White coating because I ate pinons like crazy.

>> And they say not to stand in front of a mirror window or the baby will get stuck and have difficulty being born.

>> When walking out the door and if you forget something, walking out the front door and you forget something, don't turn around in the doorway. Go out and come back in.

>> And again, the baby might get stuck when he's being born.

>> So those are just a few things to think about. When dealing with native families we have so many of these beliefs that do affect our daily life, do affect us when we're pregnant. Well, not me anymore, but affect younger women when they are pregnant and kids, babies.

>> So now Kathy she's going to share some more cultural considerations for Dine' families.

>> Oops.

>> >> Kathy: I try to get myself in a situation where I can get better Internet so hopefully I won't be breaking up any time.

>> So doing a presentationtation through native eyes, serving tribal communities, you will get a chance to know some of the native tribal communities. The historical traumas, the mistrust related to outsiders as related by Carla and establishing relationships with these communities by considering cultural beliefs.

>> As I mentioned, I am Navajo and I was able to interview two well informed women on the Navajo traditions related to pregnancies. For a typical Navajo woman I was able to draw on my experience as a daughter of a medicine man.

>> Traditional taboos for pregnant women. They may have a negative connotation, but for the Navajo people it is shared standards and acceptable behavior within their culture.

>> During pregnancy, the avoidance of certain activities is made known to the mother and father alike. The avoidance of certain activity is for the well-being of a baby and family. For here are some things for a woman and father to avoid.

>> A mother should never view anything violent or listen to abusive peach. Mother will refrain from watching violent movies because it will affect the baby, which is referred to with my interview with a heritage and culture teacher from New Mexico.

>> She emphasized how these things will affect the unborn baby in utero. And mother and father will not witness any animal eating another animal, especially on TVI.

>> If it happens, the baby might be born a deformities. Mothers should not view an eclipse of the moon or sun. Necessity need to stay inside during the eclipse.

>> Mother will refrain from weaving rugs, baskets or any twisting motion which may call the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby's neck.

>> The father will also avoid working with lather crafts like saddles and so forth,. Avoid funerals, traditional ceremonies, fan painting related to a ceremony.

>> Running animals over. A child may look like the animal that was injured.

>> So Gloria woody, wife of a medicine man, reported that during our interview that the father should never participate in a traditional ceremony called the abecche mask. If he puts on that mask the child will be born with a deformity or have hearing loss.

>> Some Navajos do not like mirrors. Avoid having any photo taken of them in the belief that they will -- that they will steal their spirit or they will be used for malicious activity.

>> One of the -- when the child is born they also avoid cutting the child's hair until he or she has spoken their first word.

>> The umbilical cord when it falls off will be returned to the sheep corral to be buried to ensure that the child always remember where they come from.

>> There are so many things to avoid, which some of our panels may mention, but I only mentioned a few.

>> During diagnosis some Navajos believe that if a child is born with a disability, the parents will have -- must have done something wrong.

>> Now the Navajo family, how they're going to address this is how they describe a healing ceremony done by a medicine man for them and on behalf of the child.

>> Then they're back in harmony with the universe and the order of things.

>> It is not unusual for a family to seek a medicine man or woman before proceeding with western medicine. They may say we're going to go talk to our family medicine man and if we should proceed with the care, we might have some traditional ceremony done before training with this prescribed western medicine.

>> The belief is fromception to birth that parents are encouraged to avoid violent movies, violent acts, negative speech, a violation of animals and participating in native ceremonial practices.

>> This is important to the well-being of the child and the family.  Early interventionists and health professionals can work congestionfully with Native American families as long as they listen, respect family beliefs sensitive to cultural practices that shape a family, role of extended family, traditional medicine versus western

>> medicine.

>> And the family's own trauma and also also their life experiences.

>> So that's some of the things that I wanted to share with everyone at this presentation. And I hope that you will continue to work with Native American families and just respect again what they believe and what their core family believes.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Kathy and Carla for sharing that information about what is critical information about during a pregnancy.

>> And now we have a new life entered into the world, we're going to go past pregnancy and we have the baby. We are going hear directly from parents who have had early intervention services provided to their family.

>> I'm so glad that these four parents have taken the time to be here with us today. So we're going to have a parent panel and just to let you know, all of the parents are sharing their own personal experience with early intervention. They all received early intervention. The tribes that will be represented are from Dine' nation and from Zuni and

>> from the Pueblo of zia. These are all in the northwest corner of New Mexico.

>> So let's meet the parents.

>> Okay. Again like I said, thank you so much for faking the time to be here with -- for taking the time to be here with us today. I'd like to first start with having Gloria introduce herself.

>> >> Gloria: [Speaking foreign language].

>> I'd like to introduce myself, and that was in my native language.  That's how my introduce is done, provided to you through my native language, which is oh Navajo.

>> Now I'll introduce myself in English.

>> Hello, my name is Gloria Woody. My clans are I am of the folded arms people. I am of the metal people. My maternal clan is sleeping rock. My paternal clan the black street forest people. My children are born from bitter water and their paternal clans are Zuni red street people. And I come from a community south of Gallup, New Mexico.

>> And there are certain landmarks, red rock is where I originally come from, I have parents there.

>> And I currently reside in church rock, New Mexico, which is east of Gallup and that's where Fi I have my home.

>> I am a parent of a child with a disability. She was born in 1998 and she just turned 23 years old, she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

>> So I went through this ei program, Early Childhood Intervention services and through IEP and we have -- she has graduated from Win gait high school in 2017. Can you believe that she was also class salutatorian of her 2017 class graduation? Which was very exciting for me that time she told me she was selected to do that.

>> I've worked for the early intervention services I think for a good 20 plus years now. I started out with -- as being a developmental specialist under a program, non-profit organization DSI, disability services, incorporated, when my daughter was still very little.

>> Then we transitioned into the preschool setting. That's when stated working for the Navajo nation.

>> Growing in beauty for 17 years as a family service coordinator and I'm still here as -- doing that position, I'm ready to do my early retirement this year.

>> So I love doing my job. I love being -- doing what I do with the families and it's challenging at times and the resources and we don't have very many. I have been on a disability waiver for 15 years. They told me it was going to take 15 years on a waitlist, which it did take me that long to get on there.

>> So now I have services, she's at home with a care provider so I like to spend more time with her, that's the reason why I want to -- this year will be my early retirement.

>> So I just wanted to share that with you. Thank you.

>> >> Thank you, Gloria.

>> Michaela.

>> [Speaking native language].

>> >> Hello, good morning. My name is Michaela. I am part spin and [indiscernible]. My son has been in this program since he was three. I was referred to the New Mexico school for the Deaf from Zuni head start. Once my son was diagnosed as Deaf on the right side, I didn't know what to do. Until I was provided to this early interventionist

>> program. I can't thank them enough for teaching us sign language and learning how to cope.

>> My son just graduated last year so we're going to miss the program and we will continue to work with him and learn more sign language as we go. I take classes, other classes for ASL so that's where I get my resources from.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Michaela.

>> Krystle?

>> >> Krystle: [Speaking native language].

>> Good morning, everybody. Thank you for joining us.

>> And I also thank you to the conference for inviting parents to get our insight.

>> I am the big water people clan, mother the red water people clan.  My parents are towering house and Ma paternal grandfather is the -- paternal grandfather is the [indiscernible] people. I live in Kirkland about five Miles west of Farmington also from the and a half highway nation tribe. My son is Eli as, he's 11 years old now and he's profoundly

>> Deaf, born profoundly Deaf on both sides his left and right side.

>> It was a struggle. It is a hard to accept when you're being told that your child can't hear and has failed the newborn screening. We knew the day that he was born that he didn't have any hearing. It took me about three years to finally accept that he was Deaf. We visited medicine men. We were given false hope by doctors.

>> It just came down to acceptance. He needed language and we needed to communicate with him.

>> He is now 11 in the fifth grade, thriving at New Mexico School for the Deaf. We received early intervention services. They have done their outreach to us in my parents' home and I'm definitely excited to be here today to give you part of our story and share with you and giver you some insight into our cultural and our beliefs.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Krystle.

>> Andrea.

>> >> Andrea: Am I okay now? Can you hear me? Why can't I hear you?

>> >> Yes, we can hear you.

>> >> Andrea: I would like to say hello to everybody from my home.  It's very beautiful, very sunny. Yesterday it was crazy raining, which we enjoy.

>> My name is Andrea. I have two sons that were born Deaf in yay and '91. So my children are very respected in the Pueblo here in Zia and that's where we're from. If you look at the state flag you will see a sun symbol and that belongs to my tribe and that will bring you closer to who we are and where we come from.

>> One of my sons today is a Governor's assistant, so he was elected by the elders to be supportive to the village. They gave him a cane and a badge and some hand gloves. He has some hearing to do and for a Deaf person he's doing very, very well with what we're doing here in our village and in our pub low.

>> We have a lot of family members that are Deaf. We've got maybe at least a good maybe 13 people with hearing impairments and so we've taught the tribe how to work with the Deaf community because I thought it was very important for that to have been.

>> I support other parents today in my job, the Hands and Voices of New Mexico. And I believe that it's really, really important to get parents with other parents and I've been working with deaf or hard of hearing children for about 33 years. I took a job with Albuquerque public schools in a deaf and hard of hearing classroom to learn to sign and

>> that was 15 years of it.

>> And I also thought, you know, what can I do next? What's so important?

>> And I'm like as a parent I didn't really have the support I needed at first until I started working with step hi when Patrick was first diagnosed.

>> It took some time for Patrick to be diagnosed as Deaf or having a hearing impairment because the Indian hospital kept refusing to do an ADR test. And I kept telling them he cannot hear, and they kept telling him, no, he can, he's doing really good.

>> And then one day a truck was parked outside our house and honking and he didn't even turn. And I'm like we've got to get him tested.

>> So that's where we were. And if it wasn't for New Mexico school for the Deaf and the step hi program at the time because that was a long time ago and that was what it was called, I won't have known what else to do next.

>> And because of them I found out there was a preschool which saved our life. Thank you!

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Andrea.

>> Now I'd like to start with a question for the parents and we'll take turns answering this question.

>> I'd like for you to share what you felt like the best or really nice experience that you had with an early intervention provider, and how that experience had to do culturally and they were culturally sensitive when they came into your home.

>> And we'll start with Gloria.

>> >> Gloria: Okay. My experience with an early intervention provider respecting my beliefs, I had a provider that I remembered most that stood out when I was going through the early intervention Fannie Mae, the birth to three.

>> When she strongly showed interest in my cultural beliefs when I started knowing that she wanted to join a share moan that I was holding for my daughter -- a ceremony that I was holding for my daughter and she came and she participated and we -- which I was honored that he was going to be there to show.

>> Some support for me.

>> And she also would bring like tobacco which would be like an offering, arrest cedar, some sort of smudge that showed that I was being supported in my culture.

>> So that really shows that you're interested and that wanting to support that family and what we're going through the struggles that we have with the child having a disability, that really shows that you're going to be there to be supportive as being an early intervention provider.

>> >> Thank you, Gloria. Michaela, can you share a good experience that you felt was culturally sensitive when an early intervention provider came to your home?

>> >> Yes. The best experience we had with our son's first early interventionist program provider would be when she was interested in the cochinas on the wall and she was asking us questions. And I guess she kind of heard about when our [indiscernible] took place.  And teaching her some of our languages like hello and good morning, come in. She

>> started to repeat them and it just made us file like teachers as well as she was respecting our culture. And that made us happy. And in our Zuni tradition we're supposed to offer our guests food. When she came we were eating and they would eat with us. She became part of our family as well.

>> >> Krystle. Would you like to share an experience?

>> >> Krystle: Sure. Our experience at the time that we started, my husband and my son and I we still lived with my parents. And when she would come over she was always respectful, respectful to our beliefs, to our environments. She didn't question, you know, how our living situation was.

>> Again, we were always offering water, food and it was mostly coming from my parents, my dad, who would be like do you want water? Do you want soda, downtown diet soda, TEA, coffee?

>> To make them comfortable in our home.

>> And she would always come in and just so happy and immediately just make that connection with my son. And to me as mom I was still not knowing what was happening, but she made me feel comfortable with getting to know sign language, getting started with simple words.  And I was able to see that amazement of Elias just looking at her and she's looking

>> at him and that adoring that they had of each other.

>> And she really came into our home and is still welcome today. So again, dad would be like do you want somebody something to eat?  What do you want to eat? How can I accommodate you into my home?

>> And that's the lessons that I've learned from my parents and just to be always welcoming and for our early interventionists who came in to our lives.

>> She just definitely came in with the utmost respect and showed my parents, showed me, showed my son and it still happens today she will stop in. We're definitely blessed with who she is.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Krystle for sharing that. Andrea, do you have a best experience with an early intervention provider understanding your culture coming in?

>> >> Andrea: The thing is they seem so comfortable in the homes that we have. I still live in an Adobe home. The dirt gets on the floor. It used to make me very uncomfortable when they would sit down on the floor and there was all kinds of dirt and their pants would get all dusty.

>> It didn't seem to matter to the step high person that came to visit with us that she was out of her environment. And I felt very blessed to have her giving me information that I really, really needed because nobody else would give me the information that I needed, how to cope with my son's Deafness. And I didn't find out -- these parents nowadays,

>> the day that he was born, that he was Deaf, it took some time, he was pretty much three and a half years old before I actually got them to tell me that he did have a hearing impairment and that he was profoundly Deaf. And that was something I didn't ever expect.

>> But because I have my husband's uncles I got comfortable. It was very comfortable knowing that my husband had their uncles and they were very successful and they could live in the Pueblo and participate like everybody else.

>> They would come to the dances and watch and later on they became very good friends of mine because they started working along alongside with me at the preschool of the Deaf or the elementaries so I got to know them again because now they moved on.

>> So that was interesting to get to know them later on in their life and in my life and seeing how the boys were little, which is interesting.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Yes, thank you.

>> Our next question for all of you was there a somewhat uncomfortable situation that happened when the early intervention provider came in, and if that uncomfortable -- having to do with cultural sensitivity? And if that was a situation that did happen, how could you repair that relationship with that early intervention provider?  Gloria.

>> >> Gloria: Yes. When I'm going through the early program and my daughter was not three yet, there was an EI provider that I worked with and she was from back east. I guess these were traveling therapists.

>> And there are certain okay, sir and toys that are used in their work to provide services for the EI program, the early intervention. But I have my beliefs and it seems like it wasn't seen. So she brought in a mirror that she used to ask questions for my daughter to answer.

>> And she set that up and I told her I'm not comfortable with that to use a mirror. She asked me why and I said because there are certain taboos in my beliefs that I cannot use that. The mirror in our tradition is believed to use if your child has not spoken language yet, that will cause more speech delay is what the saying goes.

>> And I explained to her the purpose of not using that. She also used a form of bear to produce a bear sound, a noise. And I told her I can't use that either because that represents like a bear sickness and that would require like nine nights of chanting and other ceremonies that will happen.

>> So I told her we couldn't use that and then she also bought in a doll to name body parts. And this particular doll had moving body parts and then like for the eyes and to use for that.

>> And that one I couldn't use because it was going to effective my child in a ceremony that will effect her and we have to get ceremonies done and it will cause her more things that I need to do with these ceremonies.

>> But then we talked about it later and then why these things are happening and she's new to all of this.

>> And that replacing these objects with other items is what we talked about. And from then on she would ask me, I'm going to use this today and is it okay?

>> So one of the things that you might want to do to provide services is that okay, I have this and we're going to use this for this purpose.

>> Then if it's okay with the parent then you got the go ahead to do that.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Gloria.

>> Michaela, can you share an experience if you had one?

>> >> Michaela: One of the not so great experiences we had with our intervention provider is when they tickled my son's feet. In a Zuni way you're not supposed to tickle baby's feet because then if you tickle their feet then they're going to start wanting to touch their feces when you change their diaper and that's going to be pretty hard to get

>> them to not do that.

>> So that was one.

>> And then just having them with the mirror too.

>> When she was trying to teach them -- like let's see your several, she was saying that. What do you look like? Let's find out.

>> And I told her no -- I had to stop her because we can't have babies looking in the mirror because then they are bound to see bad things and things that we can't see like ghosts and stuff. So that was mine. Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Okay, great.

>> Krystle, was there an experience that you would like to share that was maybe uncomfortable?

>> >> Krystle: Yeah, for myself she came into our home and it seemed like she was trying to teach me about my culture and my beliefs.

>> I already understood and know and she kind of overstepped that line like oh, you're not supposed to do this.

>> And it's like how do you know? What else are you going to teach me?  You're here to teach my child, not teach me about my culture.

>> That made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like she knew more than I did.

>> And so because of that our services were affected by me not wanting to set up an appointment, cancel appointments. Just kind of dreading to see her.

>> And afterwards I didn't hold anything against her and you know, I haven't seen her since, but I'm not going to be bitter towards her.  You know, I've moved past that.

>> And I would still like to catch up and learning from mistakes, learning to get past them and not holding that against anybody.

>> That would be my experience that I remember.

>> >> Wendy: Okay, thank you, Krystle.

>> Andrea, do you have any experience that might have been uncomfortable?

>> >> Andrea: Only when she got lost and went to a traditional home that they were doing something. But she found her way back and apologized. Didn't really have anything other than getting lost and going to the wrong place the first time she came to visit.

>> Like I said, she was a very respectful young woman and it was nice to learn. All I did from her which helped me along the way. So I really can't say much about anything that wasn't supposed to be.  Thanks.

>> >> Wendy: Sure, that's okay. And that is fun trying to find places where families are living that can be a challenge.

>> Our last question for you all I think is not that the others weren't important, but this would be really good information for providers that are coming in to homes that are native families. So what I would like for you all to share is what we need to know as early intervention providers to understand our what can we do before we come into your

>> home or while we are first coming?, what do we need to know?

>> Can you share information to us?

>> Gloria.

>> >> Gloria: Yes, when a provider comes into a home, particularly the Native Americans, for me as -- I am an EI provider. When I started working with the early intervention program, and there are certain, you know, things that you can't do when you go into a home, and when I go into a home as a provider, I notice that you sit on the floor.

>> One thing because you need to have that contact with the child, which my job was new to me and my traditional teaching was disrespectful to sit on the floor in a home.

>> And then because these ceremonies are being held when you're sitting on the floor so you kind of like are representing that it seems like to me. And then one would bring in the medicine bundle, place it on the fabric.

>> And I saw that happening mostly with what the EI providers are doing, they bring in their things and then they ask for a blanket for the child to sit on, and then it seemed like also like you're sitting on the floor, you're doing your work with the child and the parent is there as providing early intervention.

>> And you sit on the floor and then you start rolling around because you need the child to start rolling side to side and whatever, but that was also kind of caught me off guard because, you know, when you go into a home, you don't do that.

>> And then we're taught that also like what Krystle was talking about, when you have a visitor in the home you offer them something to eat, you offer them something to drink, wherever they came from, I take that.

>> And it's disrespectful when it seems like you're not taking that.  And they say no thank you or if they give you some water take it to go.

>> So that will make a family feel, you know, good about themselves that they have offered something.

>> Also a good greeting and a handshake. That is respectful. And then you have your introductions. Let them know that the work -- what work is going to be done, how are you going to do this by sitting on the floor. There's going to be these toys, objects, these will be used, explained.

>> If you have pictures of these things that you're going to do, that is really going to be hellful to the families since we're kind of visual learners.

>> And so then they will understand it better. the purpose of these visits.

>> And then they will be more understanding about that.

>> Sometimes when -- if they're not going to handshake and give that handshake to you, that's not disrespecting who you are, that would just only mean that they just had a traditional ceremony that was provided and they can't do that.

>> And then also if there's different markings on the body, like maybe a bead in their hair, there's White corn smeared all over or black markings on their body, then that will mean that there is some type of a a ceremony that has been done.

>> Also if you smell like a good scent. I don't know if you know what the smudge is, if you know what cedar is you might smell that when you come into the home. There was a prayer that was done that morning when you were coming.

>> Or something that -- a ceremony that has taken place or offerings or prayers that were provided for the provider or the session that was going to take place.

>> To be respectful, you know, you might say should I cancel the visit?  Because you know, you're there to -- for your congestion until they have washed up or cleansed and then -- for your session until they have washed up an cleansed and then go on with your day.

>> Usually four days after a ceremony they tell you to wait until four days and then the family members will talk to you about the visits again and they will share with you what is expected from them, if there was a traditional ceremony that was provided.

>> And so with all of this happening, when I was an EI provider, I'm also married to a traditional practitioner who is really, really big on a lot of these things.

>> And I wish I could share with you so many of these things that are hooping out there with our children and the why's of all these things and it could probably take another day if we talked about it all. Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Thank you, Gloria. There's a lot of information.

>> Michaela.

>> >> Michaela: This one is a hard one because the person didn't know the do's and don't's at the time. So that day was really windy and she had brought an umbrella with her and we thought she had been working with other Zunis before. So we didn't mention anything.

>> And we thought she wasn't going to open it inside, but she didn't touch her umbrella until she was leaving, but as she got to the door she on opened her umbrella and unfortunately that's a bad sign for us.

>> If you open an umbrella inside it can give us bad luck for three years. And we can't undo that.

>> So culturally that's cursing us with bad luck and we did have some of that after that.

>> We still got along because it wasn't her fault and we didn't mention it can.

>> And I learned that I will speak up now just so that we won't have that happening again.

>> We just let it go. That's how we got along.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Wendy: Okay. Thank you, Michaela.

>> Krystle, is there -- are there things that you can share too about what early intervention providers should know before we come into your home?

>> >> Krystle: We as 21st century Native Americans are acontinuous Tommed to the western culture. We are all adaptive and have all grown to be mindful of our own beliefs as well as being a modern day family.

>> Our parents grew up in a boarding school era and were told not to speak their own language.

>> So as the next generation, we have lost a lot of teachings and beliefs. I myself don't speak Navajo. My parents are fluent. And I can't speak for all native families, I can only share what I've been taught my my parents whom I still have today.

>> Go to sleep every night knowing you did not waste a day. A child with special needs such as deafness is not a curse, but to embrace it, learn to embrace

>> The new language and meeting new families and perhaps even becoming a part of that family.

>> In our beliefs, we have a natural process that is identified with the four directions, the four cardinal directions.

>> To the east, that is our thinking.

>> To the south is planning.

>> To the west is living. And to the north it is reflecting.

>> In the beginning, my son, when he was born, I kept thinking about how am I going to communicate with him. How am I going to be able to raise him,

>> and I would stay up late at night thinking, okay, is he ever going to tell me, Mom, is he ever going to tell me that he loves me, or that I love him.

>> You know, I went through a deep depression not knowing what was going to happen.

>> And that was my thinking. But it wasn't in a positive manner.

>> I kept thinking of all the negative things, like how -- I was going to be compared to other hearing families.

>> You know, I thought I was going to have a family here, raise my -- have my kid go to the same school I did.

>> And now we're on a different path, and going to school four hours away, living there for the school season and coming home for the summer.

>> In the next few years, there was a plan to get him into school and learn to sign, and that was through intervention providers.

>> That was the planning process.

>> And now we are in the third stage of living our lives, growing together as a family, continually praying each day that our path is straight and looking forward to the future.

>> In school with the help of the outreach program, his language has developed, and so have my husband and I. I have to give credit, I said a lot of "I" as me in mom, but I have my husband

>> who is definitely a big part of it. He's my supporter. I couldn't have done this without him.

>> And up until later in our lives, we'll reflect back and have assurances that we have raised our child as he makes his way to adulthood.

>> And all I can say to early intervention providers, is do your best.

>> Walk into a home with an open mind. Just be respectful.

>> You know, there are many different living situations, you know, we're not all going to live off of a paved road.

>> You know, you have to go on dirt roads, you have to travel on muddy roads.

>> You are going to be the grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunties.

>> As I said, in the beginning I was living with my parents in their home, and here we are, six, seven years later, and we're neighbors.

>> I live right next to them rather than with them.

>> They just mean that much to me.

>> And not even me, it's Elias. Everything I do is for my son Elias. My sister lives next to us.

>> You know, so Elias has really, you know, brought us all together. Like I said, it's more to embrace the special child rather than see it as a curse.

>> You know, our creator entrusted us with this special child.

>> So all we can do is, you know, every day, we'll pray for him, and he knows it.

>> He knows his Navaho culture as well as his deaf culture.

>> And I can say that collectively, you know, through all these services, that we have raised a wonderful son.

>> His language has just developed, and we couldn't be any more proud of him because of all his milestones that he is reaching, all of our milestones as a mom who didn't know any sign language at all, who was embarrassed,

>> who was ashamed to go out in public and sign because we didn't want to be any different.

>> But he was brought into our lives to be different, to be standing out.

>> And me as a mom, all I want to do is just live long enough to be his voice, to be his support, to be his advocate, because, you know, he's my only child.

>> He's my baby, and he'll always be my baby.

>> And just to understand, you know, that -- you know, the history before, and definitely just be thankful.

>> So thank you all.

>> >> Thank you, Krystle. Andrea, would you like to share what early prevention providers need to know before coming to the Pueblo of Zia?

>> >> I would say to be very respectful and to the village, or the Pueblo you're going to on the reservation,

>> just be aware of your surroundings, what you're doing. The questions you're asking is probably what I will say that providers need to really be aware of when they're going into a family home.

>> Like I said, a lot of our homes are not like the city. Some people do have city homes.

>> Like I said, I still live the old, old way.

>> And I do love my home where I live.

>> It's been a very interesting journey. I won't be who I am if it weren't for my sons born deaf, because that was never what I was planning to do in my life was going into that kind of career

>> where I work alongside my sons, and learn what people are teaching me.

>> And that's what I would say is, just be aware of your surroundings.

>> It's been very interesting.

>> I'll read one of Andy's poems, if people don't mind.

>> It was featured on Deaf Way Conference in 2002 in Washington, D.C. And this is one of his poems. He liked to write poems as a young boy.

>> I am a monster. I am a monster. I wonder who I can scare.

>> I hear with my nose. My mouth is a secret. I am quiet. I am a monster.

>> I pretend I have feathers.

>> I feel paint on my face. I have hot medicine on my face. I worry my spots are burned from a volcano erupting. My spots hurt.

>> I cry because my mask has been stuck for a long time.

>> I am a monster. I understand my green feathers belong to a bird. I say I need more paint.

>> I dream heaven to see. I try to steal more beads.

>> I want to make more jewelry. I am a monster.

>> Thank you. I love to read that. Because it brings me back to when he was a little boy.

>> Thank you.

>> >> That's great.

>> >> If you want to learn about Native Americans, Step Into the Circle is a very good book. It's about Native American communities. Thank you.

>> >> Thank you, Andrea. That was great.

>> Thank you.

>> Now we are going to -- let me quickly show back the PowerPoint.

>> So right now I think we have time -- we still have time available that we're going to try to open this up for questions.

>> And so I'm going to -- I'll stop sharing again so we can see all the parents, and we'll have Kathi join again. And we'll have help with the questions that's going to be put in the chat. We'll see if we can answer as many questions as we can.

>> I don't know how many are there, but we'll try to answer those questions.

>> >> This is Kate. We've had a few come in already, and have ready to go.

>> And then to our participants, feel free to go ahead and put more in the chat.

>> So first, Sally asks, how do you deal with those feelings a parent feels?

>> >> Is there anyone that would like to answer about parent gut?

>> guilt?

>> >> I will.

>> >> Gloria?

>> >> Yeah.

>> >> And then Krystle.

>> >> Parent guilt, when I -- when my daughter was born, you know, it was really something that is not in my beliefs of Down Syndrome. I never thought it was going to, you know, affect me.

>> And I just thought that, you know, I went through a whole lot of -- this is wrong, this is not what it is.

>> And so much of that.

>> And with my traditional beliefs, I thought, well, let me do this first, get ahold of myself, so I won't get stressed out, depressed about it, anything like that.

>> So I had some traditional ceremonies that were done for me, as a whole, to move on with my journey with my daughter.

>> And then I had some that were done for her. And then also when she was like, maybe six months, or coming to one year old.

>> That's when I started doing the early intervention part. So I had to deal with a lot of these things. But through my cultural beliefs and Native American part

>> of the Native healings, and the ceremonies done for myself to be able to carry on what I need to do for her.

>> I had to resort to that, too.

>> Then traditional medicine, and then also the Western medicine, to try to help. We can't make her as a whole person and normal, but if we all work together, I figure that we can try to help her with whatever we can, the sources that we have.

>> >> Thank you. Krystle, did you want to respond to the parent guilt?

>> >> I do. I think I was the poster child for having parent guilt. Because like I said, Elias was diagnosed being deaf the first day he was born, his first breath, his hearing test, you know, he failed.

>> As a mother, you don't want to hear that on your first day. You want to cherish this baby.

>> You want to hold him, and for them to say, there's something wrong, it hurts.

>> You have that guilt. I didn't give him language until he was three. And I blame myself every day for that.

>> I carry that still today, because in his school, he's behind by a couple of grades.

>> He's not up to where other children are at.

>> And I always think, God, if I had just accepted his deafness at birth and signing, and understood the language, he would be -- I can't even say where he would be.

>> Maybe he wouldn't be struggling with reading, maybe he would be able to understand more.

>> But then I had to get over that guilt. I'm trying every day to get over that guilt.

>> Whether it's I come to accept not paying attention to standardized tests, to not paying attention to others, because they don't see him like I do. He has an incredible skill in art.

>> I love to see him draw, I love to see what he's thinking of. I thought, if he only had that language, and I see babies now and I'm like, start signing with your child, you know?

>> Start with the ABCs. They're observing you, they're constantly watching you.

>> And for me, I pulled him from intimacy, I've gone through a mainstream school, done homeschool. But I've come to realize that his signing is only going to be as strong as mine.

>> And I'm not that great.

>> So we sent him back to NMSD. As a mom, you try -- you figure it out, you just want the best for him.

>> But he's a resilient child. Everything that I put him through, I kept overthinking, how is he going to do it. How is he going to respond.

>> Is he going to like it, is he going to hate it.

>> And he was just happy the entire time. He was just born a happy child.

>> Never frustrated, never quick to anger, never questioning, why, Mom. It was like, okay, okay, I understand. I understand.

>> And that's -- you know, that's what helped me get over my guilt because I'm like, I just love you, son. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for understanding me.

>> And I just want to hold and embrace him and tell him to stop growing. You're going to be taller than me soon. I still hold him as my child.

>> Even though I always say he can hear me, I hold him here next to my chest and I tell him -- I love you, I love you so much.

>> And I'm going to take care of you each and every day.

>> So that's what happens -- that's what helped me get over that guilt is being able to see him reach his milestones.

>> It's not going to be the same as any standardized test, but I know that he's going to meet them, he's going to exceed, he's going to be a wonderful adult.

>> And I can't wait for that, and to share it later on with our early interventionist. And this is what we started out with, and this is where we are at right now.

>> >> Thank you, Krystle. Kate, do we have another question?

>> >> We sure do.

>> >> Oh, wait. Hold on.

>> >> I would like to add to what Krystle already mentioned. Because you are feeling a lot of that guilt. So I think a lot of encouragement, a lot of celebrating those little moments.

>> You know, they might not be the best mom, but if they show just one little thing, celebrate it, give them that encouragement. Because they might not be getting that from their parents, or, you know, their sisters, whatever.

>> They might be getting -- I don't want to say berated, but they might not be getting that encouragement for what they are doing, you know?

>> And hearing that encouragement, those little celebrations, it does them a world of good. So just celebrate even little things that they do.

>> >> Thank you, Karna.

>> >> This is Kate. I do want to tell the panelists as well, if you have not had a chance to look at the chat, I encourage you to. There are so many wonderful compliments there.

>> We'll make a sure you get a copy of it after the presentation as well. I just wanted you to know.

>> All right. Paula asks, are deaf and hard-of-hearing children well assimilated into the local village and community as they are growing up, or when they are grown?

>> And what have their challenges been as it relates to that?

>> >> Can I answer that?

>> >> Sure. Go ahead, Andrea. Go ahead.

>> >> Our culture is very, very, very strong here in our Pueblo, where we live, our village closes down when we have dances.

>> We don't share any of our cachina dances with the outside world. Everything is respected. The boys all learn to respect dances and participate.

>> Because we have a large amount of deaf people, I think that we are very blessed that our children and our family members that can't hear can participate and dance,

>> and they're more than welcome with everybody else, like what I was saying about Andy being chosen by the elders of the Pueblo.

>> He didn't volunteer to do the job.

>> He had this year as the governor's assistant. And for them to include him into being with everybody else, and being a part of the governor's assistants, and the governor's cabinet here in the Pueblo,

>> I say that our culture is very understanding.

>> And a lot of the time on our Pueblos, and our reservations, we don't have a word meaning disability.

>> And our children are special.

>> And the thing is, I like to tell parents, your children are going to grow. They're not going to stay little. They grow.

>> Because mine have grown.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Thanks, Andrea. Is there any -- Carla, do you want to --

>> >> I'm sorry, I wanted to share everything.

>> When my baby was little, I wanted her to be a part of the community. Back then we lived here on the reservation, and so instead of sending her to the preschool in Albuquerque, I enrolled her in the head-start program here. The administrators were wonderful.

>> New Mexico school for the deaf was wonderful. They would come out and provide assistance, technical, or, you know, assistance to the head-start teachers out here.

>> And being the mom I am, I would go and check, and sneak in, looking in the window, what's my baby doing, you know.

>> And it was so heartbreaking, because she would be off in the corner by herself. And all the other kids will be in circle time.

>> And I would go complain. I complained, complained, complained. Okay, we're going to do better, Carla, we're going to do better.

>> And it would be better for a week or two. And there I go again, sneaking in to see my baby.

>> And she would be off by herself again, you know? And after probably about the third time, I asked myself, was this really -- is this really worth it?

>> You know, to want my baby to be a part of her culture? Because they did stuff like the dances, you know, the kids would dress up in their traditional clothing and do the dances for, you know, the audience.

>> And I wanted her to do that. I wanted her to be a part of that. And then I had to think to myself, is it really worth it

>> to put my daughter through this, so she can get that cultural piece.

>> And so her dad and I talked about it, and it wasn't worth it.

>> We wanted her to learn to be a part of the community, we could do that at home for her. And then we decided to send her to the preschool, the New Mexico school for the deaf in Albuquerque.

>> >> Thank you, Carla. Krystle?

>> >> Just really quick. You know, the Navaho Nation is huge.

>> And no, we don't shut down. There aren't any special technologies from the government, our own Navaho Nation government.

>> Me, as a mom, I'm still struggling to advocate to voice to our president to tell him during his weekly announcements with COVID, you know,

>> he doesn't have interpreting services, he doesn't have closed captioning on his video,

>> You know, a lot of our deaf tribal members are put aside and are left without any announcements.

>> They don't know when PPE is able to be given away for free, food boxes, you know.

>> We're working with another foundation that brings out special deliveries, especially for deaf and hard-of-hearing Native families. So we have to go outside of our government

>> to get help. You know, we just -- our own government doesn't understand the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

>> So that's where myself as a mom, I get really upset and frustrated because we're still enrolled members, and we don't receive those services.

>> My child doesn't receive them.

>> And the families are not receiving them. We're left in the dark. You know, those who don't have hearing family members to interpret for them, you know, what's happening.

>> You know, I just wanted to share that. We're close to 300,000, maybe over, you know, and it's just going to be hard for them to understand what it's like to raise a deaf and hard-of-hearing child.

>> >> Thank you, Krystle. Is there a next question, Kate? Do we have another question?

>> >> We do. Yes. Julia asked, are there any taboos about being on video camera, such as is used for telehealth for COVID or for teleaudiology?

>> >> That's a good question. Are there any things about being on video culturally?

>> For babies?

>> >> I haven't heard of anything. But ma Kayla?

>> >> Yeah, wouldn't be on camera, like on video be the same as a mirror, because they can see themselves?

>> I mean, I would think so. But I'm not sure.

>> I just wanted to say that.

>> >> Okay.

>> That would be something to consider, or think about. Carla?

>> >> I haven't heard anything, but Makayla, you make a good point. But I do want to point out many Native women, families of parents are shy. So, you know, they don't want to be seen on the video.

>> So take that into consideration when you're doing video on Zoom. They might always face the camera away from them, just leave it on the child and never put it on themselves.

>> Because that's how I would do. But they are shy about being on camera.

>> >> That's true.

>> >> I want to kind of talk about that, because right now with COVID, that's what we're using here in the Pueblo. And we've seen nothing wrong with doing Zoom meetings.

>> We have a woman's social gathering that we're utilizing. And a lot of the taboos come back from a long, long time ago. With technology today that's too new, I would say.

>> I really don't believe in any of the taboos, only because I don't want to be blaming myself, or my children.

>> I just want to make sure that my children are happy men.

>> One thing that I notice is that we really don't laugh a lot. And I'm trying to bring that to my children where I tell them jokes, try to tell them, that is a joke.

>> So, you know, I mean, there is some stuff that, you know, I left out because my children were deaf.

>> But taboos, I really -- all the ones that the ladies talked about are the same pretty much.

>> what my village believes in. When my children were born deaf, I did go see a medicine man, and one thing he told me is to never blame myself, that I didn't do anything to cause my children to be blessed and born the way they are.

>> It's pretty much what they told me.

>> Thank you.

>> >> Okay. Thank you, Andrea.

>> One of the things I was going to share towards the summary, but I think it will share it right now, is that even if there's beliefs within a family, you can have only an hour or two away beliefs that are a little bit different with that family.

>> So a suggestion for early intervention providers is, when you know you're going to be going into a certain community,

>> if you can find a Native person from that community right there to talk to before you go in, that would be the best way to get information.

>> Especially if it is even an early intervention provider from that Native area. So then they can take you in and introduce you to that family.

>> And then you can learn from them before you, you know, enter in, or while you're there, you can understand what the beliefs may be.

>> So some families I saw in the chat, that there was a couple families that said, no, they don't believe in pictures being taken.

>> And so they did not want to do video or pictures. So that certainly can be a belief from that specific native family, that can certainly be there.

>> So next question. Kate, if we have more. I think we do.

>> >> We do. We've got a couple more. Erin asks, does any tribe have their own sign language apart from ASL?

>> >> Carla? Were you going to --

>> >> I haven't -- I don't think so. I know -- you know, like a long time ago, the tribes up in the northeast part of the United States have, so that they could barter, or, you know, communicate to trade goods and stuff like that. But I don't think there is any sign language in the native community.

>> Down here anyway.

>> >> Go ahead, Andrea.

>> >> Actually, we do have sign language in our Pueblo, because our Pueblo has a lot of deaf people and they created their own language.

>> Like instead of a rabbit like this, they do it like this.

>> So when my husband is talking to his uncles, I have no clue what they're talking about in their Indian sign language. Because they learned to communicate.

>> He's learned to communicate with his uncles who lived with him pretty much when he was a young boy and growing up to probably about 23, 24 years old when he didn't live with them no more.

>> So they did create their own sign language.

>> And there was a man who was doing a study from Texas named Walter Kelly, and he studied the Native American sign language. And what he did is study the Native American sign language.

>> I guess that's how we used to communicate a long, long time ago when we met each other somewhere and didn't have the same language, because we have close to like seven different languages.

>> And the Pueblo is one. And there's a few of us that speak the same language that we can understand, you know, what each tribal member is saying, even though we're not from the same tribe.

>> So they did say that they used sign language as a way to communicate a long time ago, and they couldn't. So that's kind of something that I know about from what I learned. Thank you.

>> >> Okay. This is Kate. We have just one more question. Is there any type of clothing, jewelry or perfume that service providers need to be mindful of when going into a home?

>> >> Does anybody have any taboos, or anything about jewelry, or perfume? Or what they should wear or not wear? Gloria?

>> >> One of the things that -- that I know is that -- like the -- you know how the snake wrap around your finger, sometimes I see those where they have shiny eyes or whatever, that is a taboo.

>> Because that can bring bad luck, and it can, you know, be a source of bad, you know, vibe in the home.

>> And then also, to be wearing those type of things, you know, and then the other thing I was thinking about is the tattoos.

>> Make sure that -- with some of them, taboo is that when you have those markings, those tattoos on you, the only person that is going to make a mark on you is a medicine man.

>> And so when you do those, and then that's going to affect you in some way in the long run somewhere down the line, it might not affect you, it might be a family member, it might be your child, or things like that.

>> But then you have to get it all corrected. So those are some of the things that I was taught, you know, through our traditional cultural experience.

>> >> Okay. Thank you, GLOR yeah. That also brings up the idea of not only a snake is taboo in a lot of native communities, but also an owl.

>> To understand not to wear a pin that's an owl, that type of thing, too, if you had a decorative something.

>> But to be very careful about owls, too.

>> Is there anybody else?

>> Or do we have another question? I think we have just a few more minutes.

>> >> Can we just follow up about asking about, what about wearing tribal jewelry? Sally had grandparents that were part of her childhood.

>> >> Is it okay, Gloria, to wear tribal jewelry?

>> >> You mean like necklace or turquoise or anything like that? Those are good -- fine, that you're also being respectful in the Native culture also, to be able to be wearing those.

>> Because then I would see, oh, okay, that's good, you know, you're being respectful and you're wearing the -- maybe a turquoise ring or bracelet or necklace, earrings or whatever.

>> And then it seems like you're taking that -- respecting that traditional attire, too.

>> >> Okay. I think that's a good -- so that's a good thing. Sally says thank you. I think you answered her question.

>> Great.

>> Any more that you have found, Kate?

>> >> Kathleen asked, so I guess -- I'm not familiar with it, but there's an app called Dr. Owl. And she's wondering if that's an issue, if that's a problem?

>> >> I can answer that. Yes, it is. So once we start, that's the application that we are using to follow COVID safety precautions so that we can ask the COVID-safe questions before we come into a family's home.

>> And it's a type of app that we can keep track of how families answer.

>> So we are also able to provide just a paper question-and-answer, so those will not be used with Native families.

>> We can ask that Native family ahead of time. We have already done that with a few of our families that we were working on to start providing in-person Visits. And if they say it's fine, then we can use it.

>> But most of the time we'll just be asking the families the questions, and entering the information ourselves, without having them use that app.

>> >> And then one more question has come in. I think we've got time for it. How do Native communities view cochlear implants?

>> >> Carla, do you have --

>> >> This is just -- from our Pueblo, from Laguna, we have a belief that, you know, we're born the way we are, and we struggle with that decision whether to get our daughter a cochlear implant or not. We decided not to.

>> But our belief is that when we die, we need to go back to our mother, to our creator, the way we were born. So if you have that stuff in you, you know, it's like, okay, are we going to have to take it out before we bury them or what?

>> For us, we need to go back to our mother the way we were born.

>> So it's discouraged to get the cochlear implant.

>> >> Krystle?

>> >> I agree with what Carla said.

>> You return to earth just as we came in.

>> And Tim and I, we decided against cochlear implants for Elias, even though we were a bit pressured to get them.

>> They said, oh, he's a perfect candidate. He's going to get it. You know, he'll be able to chat with you and talk.

>> But the more we've learned, the more we've researched, it didn't have to do with anything against our culture, but it was just as a parent, we didn't want Elias to feel like he needed to fit in with us, it was us trying to, you know, be with him.

>> And learn his language.

>> And we honestly didn't want to do that to him, have him suffer with any effects, and us being selfish that we wanted him not to learn a new language.

>> So that is what we definitely went against, because if he's hurting, then me as his mom, how can I comfort him with any pain, any migraines, anything that could go wrong just because I wanted him to hear.

>> You know, that's just our own choice.

>> >> Okay. Thank you, Krystle. I think we're just right at the end of time before Kate takes over.

>> I would just like to say a couple more things.

>> I would really like to thank the New Mexico School For the Deaf interpreters. We have an awesome interpreting department. So thank you for being here and interpreting for us. Their lead is Julie nagel. Thank you so much. I also would like to thank for sure the parents for being willing to be open to do this and share.

>> It's not easy to share your personal experiences. So I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

>> I also would like to thank, we have an incredible early intervention and defendant al services department in the New Mexico school for the deaf. So our awesome director, Jo Ann Corwin, thank you for your support that you always have for us.

>> And we have amazing support from our superintendent, Dr. Giegos.

>> And then special, special thank you to the Texas School For the Blind and Visually Impaired coffee hour to help us get ready for this presentation and all the participants. Thank you for joining.

>> We really appreciate everything that you've asked, and hopefully if there's more questions, we can try to -- we'll save the chat.

>> And we have contact information on the handouts. So if you need to get ahold of us, you can get ahold of us that way.

>> >> Thank you so much. Thank you to Wendy and to Carla and Kathi for organizing this.

>> Thank you to Krystle and to Gloria and to Andrea and Makayla for joining us, and for being our parent panel.

>> We learn more from parents, I think, than just about any other group.

>> So thank you so much. This has been powerful and important.

>> And we appreciate your bravery in coming to talk to us. We know it's an intimidating thing, but we thank you for your openness and your honesty.

>> It has been important. Thank you.

>> Okay. Let me go ahead and give you our closing quote for today. It is 042921. I'll put that in the chat a few times. So again, 042921.

>> Join us again next week, May 3rd. We have Debra and Renee and Kathi. And May 6th exploring your Chromebook. And then on May 10th we have collaborative evaluations. You can find that information at TSBVI coffee hour.

>> To get your CEUs or professional development credit, the evaluation will be e-mailed to you probably later today. For our registration website. Enter that code, which one more time is 042921.

>> On the evaluation, we've got a couple of boxes to type any additional comments.

>> A couple of things we want to know, do you want Coffee Hour to continue next year, and is twice a week still working, do you want that pulled back to once a week? And also let us know topics that you would like to see if we do Coffee Hour next year.

>> Thanks again so much. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our presenters and to our panelists.

>> I see the chat is very busy. So we'll make sure to save that. We'll upload it with the recording that will also make sure our parents and our presenters that you have access to that.

>> So that you can read the great comments that are here.

>> So thank you, everyone. We appreciate you being here.

>> >> Thank you, Kate.

>> >> It's been great.

>> >> Thank you, all. Thank you to the interpreters and captioner. Thank you so much.

>> [Recording stopped]