CREATEIn the Treehouse by Warehouse TV
A children's show that merges ASL and spoken English languages exposing kids to topics ranging from the basics to emotional issues akin to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Burbank
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Pilot project or new program
What is the need you’re responding to?
This is our immediate response to the fact that 85% of deaf kids don’t have families who sign. As a deaf person we grew up witnessing firsthand the damages lack of access can have on a person. Secondly, many studies prove that ASL contributes to cognitive development for kids, not just for deaf people but for hearing kids as well. Signing is the fastest growing trend for infant education. Equipping and educating them to communicate earlier whether it be words or expressing feelings allows them to further develop their emotional maturity. In merging both demographics, we aim to fill in the gap for those who are deaf, nonverbal, and visual/tactile learners.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Warehouse TV is run by deaf people from very different backgrounds who have firsthand experience in this and are invested mind, body, and soul in this cause. Warehouse TV being run by deaf people means we all are bilingual as well, and can better serve the bilingual community.
Specifically for our project, we have connections with various professional psychiatrist and counseling organizations that can provide guidance about emotional development, such as Deaf Hope in Louisiana, and Sound Health in Seattle.
As far as credibility as individuals, one of our staff has an MFA in film (Jules Dameron), and another one of our staff is an Emmy winner for his work on “Deaf Code” (Chase Chambers). As a whole, we have pooled our resources and acquired a large arsenal of filming and photography equipment available to us at moment's notice, a dedicated studio space in Burbank, and a wonderful team of experienced filmmakers.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 800,000
Indirect Impact: 1,000,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
The target audience of this series is both for children whether they be deaf or hearing, and for parents who need to learn sign language and have a way to connect with their children through the language. There are at least 800,000 deaf and hard of hearing children in the United States and only 15% of these have a family who make the effort to learn sign language to communicate. This is mainly because of a lack of access to information and materials. In the case of a household that does not communicate well, we aim to be a source that kids can depend on to learn vital pieces of information that would not otherwise be accessible to them. Hearing children will benefit from the show just as well with captions, voice-overs, and exposure to ASL.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
When our project makes it into classrooms in schools nationwide as educational materials, and developing long-lasting partnerships with other organizations with a common goal, like LEAD-K, is our ultimate metric of success.
More immediately we aim to help kids learn, and more importantly, equip them with the tools to understand the world around them even if they live in a household with limited communication. Having children thrive in life making educated choices is the very core of what we hope to succeed.
Which of the CREATE metrics will your submission impact?
Arts establishments, instillations, and exhibitions
Employment in the creative industries
Minority- and women-owned businesses
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to LEARN
LA is the best place to CONNECT
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Communications support
Strategy assistance and implementation