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During the past few years, the teachers and staff at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) have reviewed research to identify factors that positively impact language development for deaf and hard of hearing children, and established language and communication practices to reflect what they have learned. Based on the research, which details the advantages of early accessible visual language (Baker, 2011) and documents the variations in spoken language outcomes regardless of the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants (Yoshinaga-Itano, 2006), they have examined how an American Sign Language (ASL)/English bilingual program can be designed to benefit children with a wide range of characteristics--from children who have minimal access to spoken language through hearing aids and cochlear implants to those who benefit greatly from these technologies. They refer to this as an "ASL/English bimodal bilingual approach," which includes establishment of language foundations and access to learning through two modalities, e.g., auditory and visual, and two languages, e.g., ASL and English (Berent, 2004; Bishop, 2006; Emmorey, Bornstein, & Thompson, 2005). Through their experience in establishing a bimodal bilingual program at KDES and through their consultations with schools and programs throughout the United States, they are finding that with purposeful planning this multisensory approach can be implemented to effectively support the overall development of deaf and hard of hearing children. (Contains 1 figure.)

This article describes the power of the word "CAN". The author, Laurene E. Simms reports that as a poor, black, deaf youngster her teacher's facial expressions conveyed their feelings that she was of low IQ and mentally retarded, however two persons had a positive impact on her, her father and 7th grade math teacher. They challenged her with high expectations and firm belief in her potential and she reports this had a "transforming power" over her. Belief in her own ability made her study hard and earn good grades. She graduated valedictorian. Whatever challenge life presented her father was there with encouraging words, "to always work to the best of her ability whether with good or bad situations." It was up to her to decide to overcome whatever obstacles arose and fight for her success. She had to decide to read and study hard; to make the decision to refuse to allow lousy teachers to control her grades, or to control her destiny. She had to determine her future. "CAN" came true, Simms today holds a PhD and is a professor in Deaf Education at Gallaudet University.