Notes from Ethiopia | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

This June, the Coordinator of the Deaf Studies program, Rebecca Swenson and seven and New Paltz students embarked on a Deaf education and empowerment study abroad trip to Ethiopia. Here are some notes and photos of their adventure so far:

From Rebecca Swenson on June 17:

Rebecca Swenson and Deafness Center students around a table

Rebecca, New Paltz students, and Bahir Dar Deafness Center students in the classroom

I am just checking in to let you know we have started working with the Deaf here in Bahir Dar. Yesterday we had a site visit to the school and the new Deafness Center where we were given a show put on by the children. Then we started working with the Deaf young adults to put together skits for short educational films to raise public awareness about deafness. Our New Paltz students are doing well with communicating using their sign skill and with the interpreters. It is really quite an experience with 4 languages going on at one time! Today we will visit two new classrooms for deaf students and we will put on a program and lead some activities for them. This is really an amazing learning experience for our New Paltz students; and it is wonderful to see their enthusiastic participation.

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: Departing for a 2-week accredited service-learning program to work with the Deaf community in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. L to R: Katie Capulli, Kalie Hagen, Maria Gillin, Jada Quinlan, Cathryn Brown, DeeYan McCarthy, Alexa Venezia, Rebecca Swenson

: 11-hour layover in Cairo

: Visiting Yekatit 23 School in Bahir Dar — with Hailemarkos Kebede Dimiru, Becky Swenson, Maria Gillin, DeeYan McCarthy and others in Bahir Dar

: Rebecca Swenson leading planning session for the making of 5 short educational films on deafness

: Prep session for the making of 5 short educational films on deafness — with Cathryn Brown, Fikadu Woldemickael, Yehuna Wale and Demelash Tsegaye