Deaf Connection

After several years of research, development, and implementation at Gallaudet University, the Clerc Center disseminated a national "Request For Collaboration" to encourage other sites around the U.S. to develop Shared Reading Projects for their local communities. Deaf Connection, a non-profit community organization in Seattle, was one of the five outreach sites funded by Gallaudet University for local implementation of the Shared Reading Project. During the 1997-98 project year, seventeen families in the Puget Sound region participated under the leadership of Chris Opie, president of Deaf Connection, and Howie Seago, Deaf actor/director, who was hired as project coordinator.

Local response to SRP was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and families in other parts of the state began clamoring for the program in their communities. Because of the difficulties inherent in implementing SRP in rural areas where there are often few Deaf adults and limited funds, the prospect of expanding the Shared Reading Project beyond urban centers seemed futile.