July 2022 - Johnson Scholarship Foundation

Representation on the Big Screen: Deaf Actors Portray Deaf Characters

July 20, 2022/in Caroline Oberweger, News

This is a story about representation. It’s a story about normalizing and equity and inclusion and how all those elements can come together on the big screen in a feel-good story featuring kids who happen to be deaf.

The movie is “Rally Caps,” a coming-of-age story set on a backdrop of a Little League Baseball diamond. It features children who are deaf playing the parts of the characters who are deaf. Both characters use hearing technology to access sound, just like students attending Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech (Clarke), a grantee partner of JSF.

Caroline Oberweger, Director of Foundation Relations at Clarke, and a cochlear implant user, got an up-close view of the film. Caroline, her husband Alex, and their children, Natalie and Sam, were all extras in the movie. She shares her experience below. The article below was shared with permission from Clarke.

How did you become extras on the set of Rally Caps?
Rally Caps was filmed at my children’s sleepaway camp. When I read that the film was about a young boy who is deaf and uses a cochlear implant, I immediately jumped at the chance to be a part of this story, even if just in a small way.

What is your hearing loss diagnosis and what technology do you use to access sound?
I was diagnosed with a moderate-severe sensorineural hearing loss at the age of 10. I wore hearing aids for three decades until my hearing loss progressed to profound in my late thirties. I got my first cochlear implant 10 years ago at age 38, and the second two years later.

As a person with hearing loss using listening and spoken language (LSL), do you feel represented in the media?
I have been seeing an increasing number of stories about hearing aids and cochlear implants (CIs) in the news the past few years, and that’s terrific. But as a CI user, I’ve yet to see myself represented in film and television. I’m really thrilled that Rally Caps will be showcasing a character who hears and speaks with the help of a cochlear implant. I think there is still an assumption among the public at large that people who are deaf communicate solely through American Sign Language. Rally Caps counters that perception.

What are you most looking forward to about seeing this film?
I’m proud that the film centers around a boy who is deaf and uses a cochlear implant, as I’ve never seen an actor, or character, with a CI on film. I’ve read the book that the movie is based on and found it very touching; the theme of overcoming obstacles and embracing being different is one that resonates with me very personally. Of course, seeing my children on film — at their very own summer camp, no less! — will be thrilling as well.

Read more about Rally Caps in Clarke Speaks Up.

Caroline Oberweger is Director of Foundation Relations at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.

JSF Grant Supports Alaska Native STEM Students

July 11, 2022/in Allison Heaslet, News

Dedicated to fostering academic opportunity and excellence for students across Alaska, the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) is reshaping education for students in kindergarten all the way through to the Ph.D level. A grant partnership between ANSEP and the Johnson Scholarship Foundation will support these academic opportunities over the next three years through the Acceleration Academy, Summer Bridge, and University Success components.

Serving as an exemplary education model for students across the nation, the Acceleration Academy is improving the lives of high school students and their families by providing access to quality education, reducing costs for families and government, and eliminating chronic remediation. The Johnson Scholarship Foundation grant supports 20 students each year in this component, allowing them to graduate from high school with over 100 college credits that count towards BS degree programs and go from eighth grade to a BS degree in just five years.

Not only do the ANSEP Acceleration Academy students have an 80% completion rate of university courses, they are also among the top students in the nation and 95% advance one level or more in math or science each semester.

ANSEP’s Summer Bridge opportunity gives high school graduates the opportunity to gain first-hand experience as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) or business field professional through a paid summer internship. The Johnson Scholarship Foundation is supporting 10 students each year, which will prepare the students academically, professionally and socially for college and careers. This summer, 20 students – most of whom have been involved with ANSEP precollege components for years – are participating in internships available across Alaska. These recent high school graduates are getting experience doing everything from studying walrus habitats and behaviors to researching permafrost and biodiversity in the field.

The ANSEP University Success component supports college students by providing them with a community on campus, small-group study sessions, professional mentorship, research projects, internships, housing, scholarships and student activities. Over 75% of ANSEP University students who have participated have graduated or are currently enrolled and go on to work in leadership positions in Alaska’s workforce. The Johnson Scholarship Foundation grant provides college students with the community and resources they need to not only succeed academically and socially, but to also freely and comfortably embrace their heritage in the presence of like-minded individuals.

Katherine Sakeagak

JSF Scholarship recipient Katherine Sakeagak (Inupiaq) was familiar with ANSEP before ever joining the program. Her father was one of the very first ANSEP students. Sakeagak has participated in several components, including Acceleration Academy and now University Success. She first became involved with ANSEP seven years ago through the Middle School Academy and now she will be graduating in the fall of 2023 from University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Mathematics.

For Sakeagak, ANSEP has helped in a multitude of ways including making connections with peers and professionals.

“Taking college courses in high school helped me be able to connect with peers in my classes at UAA,” said Sakeagak. “I was a pretty shy person, but with all of the opportunities ANSEP has provided me, like our weekly team-building meetings with STEM professionals, faculty, staff and other students in attendance, it’s been really helpful for me to get out of my shell and make connections.”

With the support of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, ANSEP and the work it does to power systemic change for Alaska Natives will continue to expand and provide students across the state with access to a quality education. This three-year, $450,000 grant will give students the opportunity to attend ANSEP’s award-winning Acceleration Academy, Summer Bridge, and University Success components and have access to academic support, internships and research opportunities that deliver intensive training for university academics and industry involvement.

To learn more about the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program, visit www.ANSEP.net.

Allison Heaslet is Social Media and Marketing Director for the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program at the University of Alaska.

Mobilized to Act: The Power of Young Adult Leaders to Bring About Change

July 1, 2022/in Marcus Soutra, News

Eye to Eye is national organization whose mission is to improve the educational experience and outcomes of every student who learns differently, including those with specific learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or other similar challenges related to learning. Eye to Eye is a grantee partner of Johnson Scholarship Foundation.

Youth voice has always been at the center of everything we do at Eye to Eye. It’s core to our values, the partnerships we make, and the programs we lead. We have a fundamental belief that not only young people but those who have lived experience are the ones who should be guiding our organization and the movement of neurodiverse individuals. That philosophy was never more alive and well than a few weeks ago in Washington DC.

In mid-June, 50 young people from around the United States came together to continue a long history of advocacy toward a more equitable and just society. Young leaders from the National Center for Learning Disabilities Young Adult Leadership Council and young leaders of Eye to Eye Mentoring and Learn Different Alliance (LD Alliance) programs gathered in community to plan, discuss, and prepare for a series of meetings and events. Over two days – June 14-15, 2022, these young leaders met with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, hosted 56 different Congressional meetings, and met with the White House Disability Liaison. They asked difficult questions and told their stories with passion and data. They represented their community with pride and knowledge. They lived up to the phrase given to us by the disability activists of the past “nothing about us without us.”

Their ask of members of Congress was to support the bi-partisan RISE Act. The RISE Act is a crucial piece of legislation that would greatly improve the lives of students with disabilities all over the country. Namely, it would do three key things:

It would require that colleges accept a student’s IEP, 504 plan, or prior evaluation as sufficient proof of their disability when seeking accommodations.
It authorizes more funding for a technical assistance center, the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), that provides students and families with information about available disability services and offers faculty training and resources on best practices to support students with disabilities.
It requires colleges to report on how many students with disabilities are being served, the accommodations provided, and the outcomes of these students.

Caden, an engineering student with LD/ADHD, met with his Senator’s office (Mitch McConnell) and shared his experience attending public middle and high schools in Kentucky. He pointed out how the in access and inequity he experienced could have been eliminated with the passage and full funding of the provisions of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and the RISE Act.

As he shared his experience, he said: “I wasn’t just there to share my LD/ADHD story in overcoming barriers to access education. I was there on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of LD/ADHD students across the country who have stories that are still being written.” In a similar way, another student shared that they “feel the need to help people like me that don’t feel they have a voice.”

Another student shared that her two main takeaways from the event were that individuals are much closer to initiating sizable political change than what is typically perceived and that a community of unique individuals that live similar daily experiences can come from anywhere. The collection of those voices creates a force that is very hard to ignore.

The powerful impact of LD Day of Action showed up in our students’ willingness to see their own power and strength in what they were doing, and their ability to advocate not only for themselves but on behalf of others. At Eye to Eye, we remain committed to providing these types of opportunities and resources for young people to enact change.

Marcus Soutra is Co-Founder and President of Eye to Eye