Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program Newsletter

Collage of three images: the first image is of three male actors, the other two images each show a female with flowers.
Catch-up with Courtney Dunne ED.D, the program director for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program (DHHP), her staff, and students as they share tips and updates about what they've been up to!

A Note from the DHHP Director,
Courtney Dunne, ED.D

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” -Socrates

As I sit at my desk staring into the Friday afternoon sun, I am invigorated by the extra minutes of daylight, the passage of time, and their connection to growth and change. The memories of these crazily anomalous two years do not seem to fade away. All of us have come to expect that school will be an emotional anchor, of sorts, in the best of times, but especially in times of great challenge and struggle. At this time last year, still in the heat of the pandemic and hybrid learning, we learned of the finality of EDCO Collaborative and questioned the future of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at FA Day and Newton North. These were scary times indeed. We sent staff off to their February vacation with the news that EDCO would dissolve and we would need to find a new “home”. It quickly became clear that we needed to shift our focus to make something happen. We needed to be the change–and so we were. We worked with DESE to find a new partner–one who would value our foothold in Newton and the importance of not having a “one size fits all” program. We found that in CAPS Collaborative, who both shared our program’s values and were eager to partner and expand their services for deaf and hard of hearing students across the Commonwealth…