SLINeurodiversity

05/18/2026

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

Recruiting Massachusetts Deaf Community Members with Lived Mental Health Experience for a One-Time Interview!

WHO CAN JOIN?
🧏‍♀️ Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, or Hard of Hearing
🔞 18 years or older
💜 Lived mental health experience
🏥 Need for MA mental health crisis services in past 5 years

WHAT TO EXPECT
💻 Interview on Zoom
⏱️ 60-90 minutes long
💸 $100 Amazon gift card
📖 Opportunity to share your experiences and stories!

INTERESTED?
📧 Email felicia.mcginnis@umassmed.edu

Visual description located in the comments.

05/14/2026

What does it mean to navigate the U.S. immigration system while also living at the intersection of disability, language access, and family separation?

Join us on May 20th for an important panel discussion exploring the realities immigrant and disabled communities face in the United States. Our panelists will share lived experiences, professional perspectives, and conversations around immigration enforcement, family separation, disability justice, and the weight communities often carry in these systems.

We are honored to welcome:
• Noor Al-Ahmadi
• Claudia Castillo
• Zorayda Avila Toledo
Moderated by Celena Ponce

📅 Wednesday, May 20
🕚 11:00 AM–12:30 PM PT
🕐 1:00–2:30 PM CT
🕑 2:00–3:30 PM ET

CART, ASL, and Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Register today:
bit.ly/4enzs8O

05/11/2026

REGISTRATION IS OPEN: Do you work with students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind and want to learn more how to best serve them? Join our Summer Institute for insightful workshops with presenters from around the country with important topics in deaf education.
For more information and to register: https://bit.ly/2026summerinstitute

05/07/2026

🌼 May Updates 🌼

First and foremost, happy (belated) Interpreter Appreciation Day! Thank you to the Deaf community for allowing us to be apart of your community and lives.🤟

Second, we're hoping to make monthly updates a regular thing. Our other summer goal is to finish and submit our article for publication.

🌼 May 26: Amanda will be in Salt Lake City to present "Interpreting Outside the Box: Lessons from the Neurodiverse Classroom" during the ADARA Pre-Conference Interpreter Track.

🌼June 3: Language First is hosting "Interpreting Outside the Box: Lessons from the Neurodiverse Classroom" as a webinar!

Although it will be similar to the ADARA presentation, this version will be presented at the "Some Content Knowledge Level" for those who are already familiar with the basics of neurodiversity. We will be spending more time focused on the behavioral, socio-emotional, linguistic, and ethical considerations that arise when working in a neurodiverse classroom.

Registration link: https://language1st.org/webinars/p/interpreting-outside-the-box

🌼 July 10: Laura will present "The Intersection of Neurodiversity and Faith for Interpreters" at The Christian Interpreters Conference in OK.

🌼 July 15: Amanda and Celena Ponce (Hands United) are co-presenting "Navigating the Nuance: Language Variation, Trauma, and Systems in Interpreting" at the National Association of Interpreters in Education Conference.



ID: retro-inspired "It's gonna be May" graphic in shades of blue.

05/02/2026

05/01/2026

Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Deaf-Plus, presented by Millicent Musyoka, Ph.D., at the 58th Biennial National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference. Image includes a presenter headshot with NAD and RID/ACET logos. Visit nad.org/sf26/workshops for full listings and CEU details.

05/01/2026

05/01/2026

HEAD-TO-HEAD AND HEART-TO-HEART: CONTEMPORARY DISCOURSE ON DEAF MENTAL HEALTH is now available! Edited by Cathy J. Chovaz, this latest GU Press release offers a comprehensive examination of the critical mental health and rehabilitative issues faced by diverse deaf populations. Chapters are organized around the lived experiences of deaf individuals over the lifespan and in multiple settings. An attempt to bridge the gap between clinical approaches and lived experiences, HEAD-TO-HEAD AND HEART-TO-HEART brings together a theoretical foundation and powerful stories from real people.

Scan the QR code or visit the link below to learn more and to get your copy! https://gupress.gallaudet.edu/Books/H/Head-to-Head-and-Heart-to-Heart

05/01/2026

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is just breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

ID: A square graphic with a soft orange background. Large bold white text reads "INHALE" across the top and "EXHALE" across the bottom. Overlapping both words in the center is a blue line-art illustration of two hands signing - ASL signs for INHALE and EXHALE. A small 58 Creativity logo appears at the bottom center.