Wheelock Family Theater
Family Welcome Packet
Welcome to Rhode Island Sign Language Initiatives! (RISLI)
RISLI is an American Sign Language instruction program for families with deaf and hard of hearing children in Rhode Island, provided by the Gallaudet University Regional Center-East with funding from your early intervention provider. We are so pleased that your family is able to participate!
The goal of these classes is for you the guardian, and any other adults you’d like to invite, to learn from the tutor. You can invite as many people as you like to class and it can be anyone you like, ie. Relatives, friends, service providers, anyone who might interact with you and your child. That way you and the people in your child’s life can be language role models and have an accessible way to communicate! Children and siblings are welcome as well but the child them self is not required to be there.
All of our tutors are either Deaf or hard of hearing so you know you’re learning from someone with native level fluency in American Sign Language. We send an interpreter for the first class so that you can communicate as seamlessly as possible, get to know one another, ask all your questions. The rest of the classes are done immersion style, in the same way that you might go to France to learn French. Some people feel nervous about that but our tutors are very experienced and have plenty of ways to communicate. They will match you and work at your pace. If you have any trouble feel free to contact us but most families do just fine.
Classes are generally held online, over zoom, but we’re also able to provide in home classes if you would prefer them. Please let us know if you’d rather have in person classes; It’s no trouble at all.
Classes take place once a week, on the same day and time, for two hours. The meeting day and time are arranged to meet your scheduling needs. If you need to cancel one week, or if you need to take a break during the holidays, we’re amenable. We just ask that you communicate that in advance to your tutor so that there are no surprises. Whenever possible please try to give your tutor 24-48 hours advanced notice of any cancellations. Repeat no shows and last minute cancellations may be grounds to discontinue services.
Once a tutor is identified who meets your scheduling needs, we will contact you and work with you and the tutor on choosing a start date and time for your classes to begin! Our tutors are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, and it may take time to be paired, depending on the number of families waiting and number of tutors available.
Please feel free to contact us at any time, by e-mail, phone, or videophone. Our office is open 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. Our e-mail address is gurc.necc@gallaudet.edu and is checked daily by our team. Our voice phone number is 978-556-3701 and the RISLI Coordinator’s video phone number for Deaf and hard of hearing callers is 978-241-7417.
Once you get started we will ask you to periodically fill out a class evaluation. You can access the evaluation any time you like at the following link: tinyurl.com/RISLISurvey
The following is your family information packet. We know that you’re receiving a lot of new information right now and that can be overwhelming. Conversely some families come to us without much information at all. We want to empower you with knowledge to help you understand, care for, and bond with your child. We’ve broken it down into bite sized sections. Take your time reviewing this information. Your tutor will go over it with you as well and be available to answer any questions you might have. You will always have access to this website and you can review it at any time. If you would like a paper copy of any of the following we’re happy to send it to you in the mail upon request!
Rhode Island Sign Language Initiatives (RISLI)
This first section is information specifically pertaining to this program. It will be vital for you to read this information.
- Handbook with RISLI Rules and Expectations
- The Importance of Family Involvement in American Sign Language Acquisition – Research from Visual Language Visual Learning (VL2)
- Our Collection of Online Language Access, Family support, and Sign Language Resources to Supplement your Learning
- Preparing for Virtual Visits
- Preparing for In-Person Visits
- We’ve made some games for tutors to play with their families during class! Click this link to print and cut out the games!
(If you don’t have access to a printer email aneefus@necc.mass.edu and we can mail them to you.) - We’ve also made two click and learn games for you
Gallaudet Regional Center – East (GURC-East)
This second section is about the office that runs the program you’re about to participate in
and what other programs, resources and workshops we provide.
Information about Deafness and Local Resources
This next section is information about Deafness in general and local resources that will be helpful to you.
Reading with Deaf Children
The fourth section is all about reading with your kids, because sign language and
English support one another, and literacy is vital to student success.
Laurent Clerc Center
The final paragraph is information from the leading National Science Foundation
organization on deaf education and teaching your deaf or hard of hearing children.
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- Learn about the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
- Setting Language in Motion – online self-paced modules for families and early intervention providers
- Clerc Center Online Community resources
- Research Summaries from the National Deaf Education Center
- Odyssey Magazine: New Directions in Deaf Education
helpful links
got questions?
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John Smith
(xxx)xxx-xxxx
john.smith@necc.edu
