SD EHDI Collaborative

11/13/2025

Tonight!

Registration is still open!

Theory of Mind

Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:30-9PM CT

Andrea is a dynamic speaker and will be presenting on “Theory of Mind”. This will be a great opportunity to tune in from wherever you are and learn more about socialization of deaf and hard of hearing kids.

Registration is still open!

Register here: https://forms.gle/9EvrvKNKNoSCM1Nu7

11/13/2025

😃

11/13/2025

Routine hearing screenings as well per AAP guidelines!

Hearing Assessment in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Recommendations Beyond Neonatal Screening | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics https://share.google/ec6ElhfzujC3CdJTH

Making sure that your child sees their doctor for well-child visits and recommended vaccines is one of the best things you can do to protect your child and community from serious diseases that are easily spread.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/9V0P50Xj0OA

11/11/2025

11/10/2025

Congratulations SDSD on 145 years!

We’re excited to invite you to celebrate SDSD’s 145th anniversary!

Join us on THIS WEEK,Thursday, November 13th, from 4:00-6:00 pm CST / 3:00-5:00 pm MST for an open house at either our Sioux Falls or Rapid City office.

We’ll have light refreshments and a PowerPoint display highlighting SDSD’s incredible history through the years. It’s a chance to connect, reminisce, and celebrate the impact SDSD has made across the state.

Come celebrate 145 years of service, growth, and community - we wouldn’t be here without you!

Hope to see you there!
Kami Van Sickle
Director

SD Services for the Deaf
4101 W 38th St, Suite 101
Sioux Falls, SD 57106

Office: 605-275-7539
VP: 605-496-9058
Fax: 605-367-5209

www.sddeaf.org

11/10/2025

December 3rd in Spearfish!

All that snow over the weekend has us dreaming of the holidays! ❄️ Signing Santa is back, and we’re excited to partner with South Dakota Services for the Deaf and Jitter Joint Play Café again this year.

Join us Wednesday, December 3, from 4–6 PM for ASL story time, photos with Santa, and holiday crafts. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎅

📍Jitter Joint Play Café
714 N Main Street
Spearfish, SD

11/06/2025

Awesome!

11/05/2025

Do you have a child who is birth to 5 and Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH)? Check out this family even at the Sensory Studio in Sioux Falls on Veteran’s Day – November 11th. What a great opportunity to connect with other families with children who are D/HH.

RSVP to laura.scholten@sdsd.sdbor.edu.

Hope to see you there!

11/04/2025

Sioux Falls Noon Sertoma Club wanted us to share information to our SDSD families about their organization. They offer 2-4 grants each month to help with hearing loss-related expenses. Their funding is available statewide and depends on available funds, severity of need, and age (with younger applicants typically given priority).

Here is the link to apply: https://www.noonsertoma.com/project/hearing-aid-info

11/04/2025

We agree! South Dakota Hands & Voices is a fantastic organization!!!

Did you know SD has an amazing parent group for families with children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing? Check out their website for more information and resources! Have any questions? Reach out to: sdhandsandvoices@gmail.com!

https://sdhandsandvoices.org/

11/03/2025

Help celebrate 145 years of wonderful work!

We’re excited to invite you to celebrate SDSD’s 145th anniversary!

Join us on Thursday, November 13th, from 4:00-6:00 pm CST / 3:00-5:00 pm MST for an open house at either our Sioux Falls or Rapid City office.

We’ll have light refreshments and a PowerPoint display highlighting SDSD’s incredible history through the years. It’s a chance to connect, reminisce, and celebrate the impact SDSD has made across the state.

Come celebrate 145 years of service, growth, and community - we wouldn’t be here without you!

Hope to see you there!

10/28/2025

SDSD Outreach consultants Jodi Schnider and Laura Scholten delivered two impactful presentations at Southeast Technical Institute on October 15 and October 20, thanks to an invitation from instructor Suzy Jones. The collaboration aimed to equip future educators with practical strategies for supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students in inclusive settings, as well as the benefits for all children!

The first session focused on language strategies to promote language learning, emphasizing techniques that encourage rich, meaningful interactions. Schnider and Scholten introduced approaches such as following the child’s lead, using imitation to reinforce vocabulary, and employing strategic “sabotage” to create communication opportunities. They also highlighted the importance of limiting test-like questions in favor of open-ended prompts and modeling language naturally throughout daily routines. These strategies help foster engagement, support expressive and receptive language growth, and can be easily embedded into classroom activities.

The second session centered on foundational sign language skills tailored for classroom use. Participants learned the manual alphabet (ABCs), a set of functional core vocabulary words, and signs commonly used in daily routines. The session also included signing familiar children's songs to support engagement and language rhythm. These tools offer a practical starting point for educators to foster communication access and inclusion for D/HH students in everyday classroom settings.

The partnership between Southeast Tech and SDSD Outreach is expected to continue – we are already looking forward to next year!