Welcome! Glad you popped up here! One option that you could look into (b/c there's not a huge deaf community where you are) is going to Deaf Camp this summer.....there's all kinds of Deaf camps, from State School based to sports, to religious to traditional. Check them out here....https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-cen...l-resources-and-directories/summer-camps.html You might also want to see about Deaf Schools or dhh programs in your area..that's also an option and might be fun! There's also a "national Deaf High School on the campus of Gallaudet..... Don't feel worried about if you're still new to ASL....;there are usually a lot of HOH (either functionally or audilogically) kids, or kids who speak and sign. Most kids who sign also talk....and they are very welcome to new signers. One of my friends is HOH. Took the plunge with going to Deaf camp and ended up going to a Deaf School, which she loved!
Oh definitly!!! It's important to be able to function both with and without your CI! I'd look into http://www.rit.edu/NTID/EYF/ and http://www.gallaudet.edu/outreach-programs/youth-programs/summer-youth-camps.html Also, check out your State's School for the Deaf and see if they offer anything. Heck, maybe you could even attend! Many schools have year round enrollment. What state are you in?
I live in the state of Georgia, and for the 16 years I have lived here I have not seen any deaf culture. I think the closest deaf school is a couple hours away and since my mom and Dad are split it would be hard to move.
Deaf Schools do have dorms you know! http://www.gsdweb.org/ If you're close to Atlanta, there's a Deaf School there. http://www.aasdweb.com/ Also, there's MSSD, which is in Washington DC, on the campus of Gally, and it's open to kids from all 50 states. http://www.gallaudet.edu/mssd.html There's also a Georgia specific Deaf Camp: http://www.gcdhh.org/gcdhh-programs/camp-juliena/
