Testimony of Laura Colin Klein, Director, The Children’s Aid Society’s Rhinelander Children’s Center

March 10, 2009

Good afternoon Council Member Fidler, Council Member Vann and members of the Youth Services and Community Development Committees. Thank you for holding this hearing and for the opportunity to address a critical issue in the Mayor’s 2010 Preliminary Budget. My name is Laura Colin Klein. I am the Director of the Rhinelander Children’s Center, a branch of the Children’s Aid Society. I am here to present my own testimony as well as testimony from Janice Bennett, whose niece, Alexa Patterson, is a participant in our Saturday Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Teens (the Saturday Program).

The Mayor’s 2010 Preliminary Budget eliminates the Department of Youth and Community Development’s Out of School Time (OST) Option II Program. OST Option II is a key source of funding for Rhinelander’s Saturday Program, providing $60,000 per year, or more than 40% of our $144,000 annual budget. The Saturday Program is the only free program offered to Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people in New York City outside of school. We will not be able to operate a top quality program providing our full set of services and a low participant/staff ratio if our OST Option II contract is eliminated.

Rhinelander Children’s Center Saturday Program was established in 1989 after a comprehensive assessment of the needs of children and youth citywide determined that there was no weekend programming for Deaf children or teens in New York City. In 1997, a teen group was added.

There are many Deaf young people in New York City who can benefit from the opportunity to participate in the Saturday Program. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 28 million people in the U.S. have some degree of reduced hearing sensitivity. And hearing loss occurs in approximately 12,000 children each year (up to 3 of every 1,000 births)."¹ This year we estimate there are approximately 3,000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) youth who have hearing loss so severe that they are enrolled in special programs in New York City public schools and another approximately 800 enrolled in State schools located in New York City that are specifically for the Deaf. Outside the school system, this population is not served by other targeted programming. To this day, the Saturday Program remains unique. There is no other program outside a school setting specifically for Deaf children and teens.

Isolation is a common feeling for Deaf young people. A typical Saturday Program participant does not live near other Deaf young people and has few peers to relate to when school is out. Many participants are in schools with hearing children and struggle to keep up academically and socially. They cannot fully participate in sports, music and movies like hearing children. Weekend downtime should be relaxing and fun, yet too many of these young people feel pressured and lonely during weekends.

The Saturday Program’s goal is to develop confidence and new skills among Deaf young people so they can grow up to be vital members of their own communities. This is done by exposing children and teens to sports, cultural experiences and other opportunities that would normally be unavailable and providing a connection to Deaf peers and adult role models in an informal (non-school) setting.

Enrollment Data:

• 147 children and teens, ages 5-20 are enrolled; we have exceeded our target enrollment of 100 by 30% or more for the past 4 years;
• Participants live in 75 different zip codes all over New York City;
• Participant households are low- to moderate-income and families could not afford this type of program for their children if they had to pay a fee;
• The program represents great ethnic and racial diversity (including almost equal numbers of Black, White, and Hispanic students as well as several Asians); and,
• In addition to being Deaf, many participants’ have secondary disabilities such as mild cerebral palsy, developmental and learning delays, Sensory Integration Disorder, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, speech impairments and Klippel-Fiel Syndrome.

Program Data:

• 20 sessions per year, September – June;
• All activities are free of charge to families;
• Activities at Rhinelander include dance, drama, cooking, mentoring, and facilitated workshops for teens on relationship building, violence prevention, and communication among other topics;
• Field trips include camping, swimming, basketball, mini golf, apple picking, theater, bowling, museums (the NY Aquarium, the Planetarium), cultural attractions (NBC Studios, Sony Wonder), and more
• A parent group for parents and guardians led by a licensed social worker.

Results from Parent Surveys

• 91% report that their child feels a sense of belonging in the program;
• 83% report that their child feels proud of themselves in the program;
• 82% report that their child has a better attitude towards school since joining the Saturday Program;
• 76% report that their child is more helpful at home after participating in the Saturday Program.²

The Saturday Program has always been funded by a mix of public, foundation and individual support. The budget for the current year is $144,000. As noted, the Mayor’s 2010 Preliminary Budget Proposal eliminates the OST Option II Program. The Saturday Program is one of the successful grantees of this program. We rely on it for $60,000 per year.

If the OST funding is eliminated, we will not be able to operate the high quality program that will meet the varied needs of participants and their families:

• We would have to eliminate 3 months of services;
• We would have to eliminate 4 staff members who are fluent in American Sign Language and have longstanding relationships with young people in the program;
• We would not be able to continue to serve children with secondary disabilities because of the staff reduction – we would have to develop new policies to exclude these children;
• It would be difficult to meet our goals for improving participants’ communication skills and social confidence. Friendships and mentoring relationships are a challenge to maintain when there is a long gap in service; and
• We would eliminate the Parent Group which offers free American Sign Language lessons for parents and information about health, education and other services helpful for raising Deaf children. There are not other nonprofits that typically offer these services.

While we are always seeking new sources of support, all of our other grants and contracts are relatively small ($1,000 - $25,000). There is no other funding to make up this gap. In fact, with the exception of OST Option II, all of our funding must be renewed annually and while we strive for strong relationships with our funders, there are no guarantees. We also have looked at costs and see very little room for cuts.

The Saturday Program provides a great environment for Deaf young people to play and learn with others like themselves. Janice Bennett is the aunt of one program participant. She was able to join me to testify at a budget hearing sponsored by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office but was unable to join me today. Her comments follow:

My niece Alexa is completing her first year in the program, but there is no question that she has benefited greatly from her involvement. It has boosted her self esteem tremendously. She is more outgoing and is less hesitant to socialize with hearing children and adults. She has discovered that she enjoys art and cooking. She is eager to get transit training so she can navigate the city with her friends. She drives me crazy, with phone calls and emails, to remind me of the program dates so that she won’t miss a thing. She is more patient with family members who do not sign (know American Sign Language). Her hearing loss slowly but surely seems less of a disability because now that she has a community of friends who are just like her she does not feel so much like an outsider.

We, the parents and guardians, also benefit from the program. We value the help and guidance with dealing with the issues and challenges of caring for a child with a disability, and we learn from each other and outside professionals who speak to our support group. We are discovering how to help our children be independent despite their disabilities and learning how and when to let go so that they will live as independent and productive members of society.

We receive a number of thoughtful letters from family members of our participants. These comments from Judith Waldman are echoed by others:

(My granddaughter) Zayla has benefited so much from being part of a program with children who are hearing impaired like her. She now realizes that her limitations are only the ones she imposes upon herself and that she really can do pretty much what ever she wants to do in her life. Although she has always been told this, the program made it a reality for her.

While I certainly understand the need to eliminate underperforming and redundant programs in this climate, the Saturday Program is a unique and vital resource that fosters the development of successful Deaf young people who will become successful Deaf adults. This is the only program in the city for Deaf children and one of a very few for the Deaf community. It is important that it be preserved.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to testify. I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

¹ www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/FAQ/questionsgeneralHL.htm, update February 13, 2009
² “Saturday Program Survey Summary,” The Rhinelander Children’s Center, June 2008.