Cue Camp Virginia (CCVA) is a workshop intended to educate those who want to know more about Cued Speech and its many applications. In the tranquility of the 4-H Center on the James River, participants can learn and improve Cued Speech skills, learn about raising, educating and communicating with a deaf or hard-of-hearing child, and share the experiences of other families and professionals. We will have adult Cued Speech classes at the Beginner and Intermediate/ Advanced levels, as well as presentations of interest to both parents and professionals. Children K-12 will be in age-appropriate groups that will include activities as well as instruction in Cued Speech. Pre-schoolers will be entertained with arts and crafts and other recreational activities, while receiving constant exposure to Cued Speech. Family-oriented activities and social events abound. Cue Camp Virginia is run by the Northern Virginia Cued Speech Association and is sponsored by the National Cued Speech Association and the Fairfax (VA) Lions Club.

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What's New at Cue Camp Virginia 2008?

Sunday Morning Breakfast Club – Enjoy a continental breakfast and interaction with a panel of adult deaf cuers (ADC’s). It’s not a surprise ending: Cued Speech works! Talk with these successful young adults about their challenges, accomplishments, and suggestions for future generations of deaf cuers.

Scholarships and financial assistance for camp participants – The following scholarships and financial assistance opportunities are available for CCVA attendees:

• Individual Volunteer Staff Program – The last several years have seen a significant rise in volunteerism, particularly among the growing group of Adult Deaf Cuers (ADCs). To accommodate the large number of volunteers who are essential to the operation of Cue Camp Virginia, we are implementing an Individual Volunteer Staff Program (IVSP). For each individual full-time adult volunteer, payment of the $50 registration fee will cover the cost of lodging, meals, and camp activities. For full-time volunteers accompanied by other family members, the $110 discount for each adult volunteer will be deducted from the total family cost. There are also some part-time volunteer opportunities available. For each part-time (partial scholarship) adult volunteer, a discount of $55 will be deducted from the individual or family cost. Please complete an Individual Volunteer Staff Application form on the Registration Page for each adult volunteer. We will be accepting IVSP applications until September 12, 2008. Late applications will be considered based on the needs of the camp.
  
  
• Fairfax Lions Club Scholarship for Northern Virginia pre-school families – Assisting people with hearing loss is a core mission for the Lions, and the Fairfax organization’s support of Cue Camp Virginia continues to be phenomenal. Northern Virginia families of preschoolers may attend Cue Camp Virginia for the incredible all-inclusive price of $25.00. This fee includes classes, lodging, meals, presentations and all social events for the entire weekend. Complete the form available on the Registration page and return with your registration fee of $25.00. Application deadline is September 10, 2008.
  
  
• Adam Schuler Scholarship for a Professional or Aspiring Professional - Adam Schuler was an original CCVA camper, and the son of founders Barb and Doug Schuler. Deafened from medications used to treat his Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), Adam benefited from the skills of many professionals in fields related to deafness. This scholarship is an all-inclusive full scholarship for a professional or an individual studying to be a professional in a field related to deafness (deaf education, cued language transliteration, audiology, speech and language, research, etc.). Send us a short essay, along with the application form available on the Registration page, explaining your interest in Cued Speech and how you feel Cue Camp Virginia will apply to your future goals. Application deadline is September 10, 2008.
  
  
• Roddy McKendree Scholarship/Tuition Assistance for any CCVA Family – Roddy McKendree was a “founding father” of Cue Camp Virginia, and a selfless volunteer at CCVA until his untimely passing in 2007. Roddy wanted everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of attending Cue Camp. If you are in need of full or partial financial assistance, please send us an explanation of your situation, with a request for the desired relief of expenses along with the application form available on the Registration page. Please indicate that you are applying for the Roddy McKendree Scholarship. Application deadline is September 10, 2008.
  
  
• College Student Supplement – This scholarship is provided by the Tidewater Association for Hearing Impaired Children (TAHIC). This scholarship reduces the cost of an individual college student from the single adult attendee price of $160 to $110.00 for the entire camp or $55 for Saturday - Sunday only. Indicate that you are eligible for this scholarship and request to have it applied on your CCVA registration form. This scholarship is available until funding runs out (apply early!).

Application essays and requests for the Adam Schuler Scholarship or the Roddy McKendree Scholarship may be sent either via email (nvcsa@yahoo.com) or mail (NVCSA, P.O. Box 2733, Fairfax, VA 22031). These applications must be received by September 10th.

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Classes, events and activities

Check-in Thursday night and Friday morning – Once again, camp will kick off on Friday morning at 9:30. Classes will be held all day Friday and Saturday. Participants who live within a few hours of Williamsburg may prefer to arrive at CCVA on Friday morning instead of driving through rush-hour traffic on Thursday evening. For those who choose to come Thursday, check-in and lodging assignments (no meals) will be available from 6:00-10:00 p.m.

Adult Beginning Cued Speech Class – We are very fortunate that this class is taught perennially by Claire Klossner, certified Cued Language Instructor and Transliterator. Claire has been a part of the Cue Camp Virginia family since its inception, and her class is the heart of the CCVA experience. Beginning Friday morning and concluding with practice sessions on Saturday, the Beginning Cued Speech Class explains the system and takes attendees through understanding and application of each of the eight consonant hand shapes and four vowel positions. In one Cued Speech-packed weekend, students come away with the tools to clearly and unambiguously represent all the sounds of spoken English, empowering them with a key to language acquisition and literacy. Attendees of this class include parents, adult family members, friends, educators and professionals in the field of deafness. Older teens who are committed to learning the system are also welcome. Groups for children of all ages will be active all day Friday and Saturday, so parents don’t need to be concerned about child care while attending the Adult Beginning Cued Speech class.

Intermediate/Advanced Cued Speech Class –This year’s class will again be taught by Lauren Pruitt of Education Matters. Lauren has an impressive history of Cued Speech instruction and regularly travels the country conducting training for Cued Language Transliterators. Participants should come to this class with a knowledge of, and ability to apply, all the basic hand shapes and positions of the Cued Speech system. Increased speed, proficiency, and use of advanced skills such as liaisons are goals of this class. Attendees will have questions answered and will participate in exercises designed to improve both speed and accuracy. Various stations and several assistant instructors will allow participants to progress at their own individual pace. Those desiring increased proficiency should be prepared to practice, practice, practice! This class will be conducted on Friday and Saturday.

Children’s Groups and Cued Speech Classes – Children from infants to high school seniors are placed in age appropriate groups, with a group leader and one or more assistants. Each group will have staff members who cue, and may also have staff who sign, if required for any member of the group. Children ages 5 and up will receive formal Cued Speech instruction. Younger children will participate in games designed to familiarize them with cue hand shapes and learn to cue simple words. Recreational activities for all ages include organized outdoor games, time in a “moon walk”, crafts, a nature walk, a music/dance class, and for older groups, a ropes course and canoeing. Children’s group activities will take place on Friday and Saturday. Child care will be available on Sunday morning for children whose parents are attending the Sunday Morning Breakfast Club.

Presentations – Each year there is more research to prove the correlation between consistent use of Cued Speech (in the home and at school) and the development of age-appropriate language and reading skills. Researchers and professionals provide presentations on timely topics of interest, including how language is acquired, use of Cued Speech with cochlear implants, advocating for your child with special needs, use of Cued Speech with disabilities other than hearing loss, use of Cued Speech and speech production, and the significance of a clear language model during the early prime language-learning years. Contact us for presenter information as camp approaches.

Individual Appointments – Many of our presenters stay for all or most of the camp, and are happy to schedule individual appointments with campers who would like to discuss specific issues or individual situations. The two wonderful professionals listed below are long-time camp participants, “Professional Partners” and true institutions of Cue Camp Virginia. If you can benefit from the knowledge and expertise they so generously share, please don’t hesitate to approach them on campus, or sign up for an appointment at the Registration Desk.

Dr. Debbie Lang is a practicing psychologist. She assists our families with issues such as dealing with the diagnosis of hearing loss, family adjustment, discipline, advocacy, social development, etc. With parental permission, “Dr. Debbie” also conducts age-group meetings with hearing siblings. Dr. Lang is the cueing mother of three children, two with hearing loss, one of whom has bilateral cochlear implants.

Dr. Donna Morere is an Associate Professor in the Gallaudet University Department of Neuropsychology and is a practicing neuropsychologist. She assists families with identification and remediation of learning disabilities, processing problems and other roadblocks to language acquisition and learning. “Dr. Donna” is the cueing mother of a deaf son with a cochlear implant.

Family-oriented Activities and Social Events - Friday evening activities will kick off with the landing and display of a helicopter from the District of Columbia Army National Guard. Campers can sit in the aircraft and ask questions of the flight crews. A truck from the Jamestown Fire Department will also be on hand.

The Cue Camp Carnival will be back on Friday night, complete with cotton candy, spin art, face painting, crafts and games. Bubbles the Clown will entertain children of all ages. The carnival will be followed by marshmallow roasting and sing-along at the campfire.

Late Nite dance class will take place Friday night for teens and young adults.

Saturday Lunch has officially been renamed “Cue-sine!” Campers will be asked to make an extra effort to cue throughout lunchtime at whatever level they are able.

Cueing lunch (Cue-sine) will be followed by the traditional family Tug-o-War.

When Saturday afternoon classes are over, there will be family canoeing time on the James River (if wind, weather and waves permit).

After dinner the annual slide show presentation will highlight camp participants and activities, followed by the outdoor family dance in the pavilion.

Sunday morning will bring the debut of the Sunday Morning Breakfast Club, a panel of young deaf adults willing to share their experiences and perspectives on Cued Speech.

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Education, Advocacy and Support....

In 1966, R. Orin Cornett, Ph.D., invented Cued Speech to address the problem of low literacy rates among the deaf. Cued Speech is a simple and finite system that allows the deaf or hard-of-hearing person to have a clear and unambiguous visual representation of all the sounds of a spoken language. (At Cue Camp Virginia we teach Cued English, but Cued Speech has been adapted for 56 different languages.) A family that cues to a deaf child can provide complete access to the language spoken by the family, regardless of the degree of the child’s hearing loss. Research has shown that the family provides the most influential language model in the child’s early life. Cueing in the home has been proven to provide a deaf child with the greatest understanding of language. This is the key to an ability to read, write, communicate and reach his or her full potential. Access to language also contributes greatly to self-esteem and the development of age-appropriate social skills. At Cue Camp Virginia, families and professionals can learn the entire system of Cued English in one weekend, without the distractions of everyday life. Participants can gain confidence and be supported by others who are on the same journey, and see first-hand the successes of families and professionals who have been using Cued Speech for many years. Camp provides an opportunity to learn about the many benefits of Cued Speech, to learn how to advocate for Cued Speech as a way to meet your child’s academic needs, and to receive educational and emotional support for the efforts of the family and/or professional.

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Registration

Camp costs have gone up again! The Jamestown 4-H Center is under new management and rates for use of the camp have risen 20 percent! Thanks to the steadily increasing generosity of the Fairfax Lions Club, and the continued support of the National Cued Speech Association, we have been able to minimize cost increases.

A deposit of $50 must accompany the registration form with the balance due upon arrival at the 4-H Center. The deposit will be applied to the total camp fee shown below. Registration forms post-marked after September 16th, and on-line registrations submitted after September 19th, must include a $10.00 late charge. We cannot accept family overnight camper registrations after Sunday, September 21st (only hotels or other off-campus housing are available after this date). Please honor these deadlines!

Overnight Camper Fees are all-inclusive. The fee covers all meals, lodging, classes, child care (for preschoolers and for the Sunday morning panel), presentations and programmed social activities for all family members. Day Rates are inclusive of all activities and the meals as indicated, but do not include lodging. We have made minimal increases in Camp fees from last year, despite significant increases in costs passed on to us by the Williamsburg 4-H Center.

The College Student Reduced (Supplemented) Rate* is now $110 for the weekend or $55 for Saturday - Sunday only (still less than actual cost). Upon arrival, college students will be asked to sign a statement acknowledging the rules and expectations of camp participation.

Hotel Planning - Many families are more comfortable in a hotel environment, and there are numerous hotels in the Williamsburg area. Listed below are 2 hotels which did provide discounts last year, but have not yet committed to any discount rates for this year. Be sure to ask for military, educational, government, AAA discounts or any other discounts for which you might qualify.

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Gateway
515 Bypass Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
757-229-9990

Country Inn and Suites
400 Bypass Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
757-259-7990

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Pay on Line

You can register for camp and pay on line through PayPal. Go to the website, www.NVCSA.org, and follow the link to Cue Camp Virginia Registration. Of course, you can still print and mail in applications and checks (made payable to NVCSA). The NVCSA can only accept credit cards through PayPal.

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General Information

The Jamestown 4-H Center is located on the James River, minutes from Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown Festival Park, Busch Gardens and the Williamsburg Pottery Factory.

The center has two family lodges, each with six separate rooms. The rooms are dorm style with four sets of bunk beds per room. Families with fewer than 6 members may be sharing a room with other campers, depending on camp attendance. Rooms have heating, light and electrical outlets, but no refrigerators. There is space available for playpens or portable cribs. Central male and female showers and toilet facilities are located in each cabin. Single-sex cabins have one central shower/bathroom, with an open bay room on each side. Each bay has 8 bunk beds. We recommend shower shoes in both types of cabins! You must bring your own pillows, linens and towels. Laundry facilities are not available at the camp.

Recommended packing list:

Light clothing for daytime
Jeans and sweatshirts for evening
Rain gear if appropriate
Sheets (twin) and blankets or sleeping bags; travel crib if applicable
Pillows
Towels and washcloths, shower shoes
Toiletries, to include soap
Bug spray
Cooler, snacks
Camera
Flashlights

There are no telephones in the cabins. No internet connection is provided. A pay phone is available at the main building. Cellular phone reception is adequate throughout the camp.

Meals are served cafeteria style in the Camp Dining Hall beginning with breakfast Friday and concluding with breakfast on Sunday.

The early fall weather has been beautiful in past years, with shorts comfortable during the days and long pants and sweatshirts needed in the evenings. Check the forecasts before you leave for camp, to determine if you’ll need rain gear.

Parents are responsible for their children at mealtime and after class hours. We will make a reasonable effort to provide for everyone’s safety, however accidents can occur. Upon arrival you will need to sign a waiver for yourself and family.

Driving directions are available on the website.

Please note that we cannot accept family registration applications received after the deadline of Sunday, September 21st.

Arrival is 6:00 -10:00 p.m. Thursday evening and 7:00-9:15 a.m. Friday. The welcome meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning in the Rec Hall in the main building. All classes will begin Friday morning at 10:00. All classes will be finished on Saturday afternoon. Checkout is Sunday by 12:00 p.m. It is the responsibility of all campers to ensure that their cabin, including common areas, has been swept and that all trash is bagged and ready for pick up. Be sure to check for "Lost and Found" items in the Rec Hall before leaving the property. Breakfast is the only meal served on Sunday.

For additional information, email NVCSA@yahoo.com  or call Maureen Bellamy, (703) 560-1035 or Rosemary Salvi, (703) 246-9892.

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Cue Camp VA Photo Album

Pictures from prior years

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