ASL Immersion Academy: A Dream Comes True
An Interview with Susan Burnett, Erin O’Donnell, Evermore Learning
By Sara Kennedy, H&V Headquarters
I had a chance to interview a start-up company called Evermore Learning located in Vernon, Texas, which is set-up to serve deaf/hard of hearing students and their families with a unique service model.
Q: When did this dream begin and why is the pandemic the perfect time to launch it?
A: Evermore Learning has been a dream that’s been in the works for over 20 years. Two sisters, both teachers, came together to create what is now Evermore Learning. Susan Burnett has been a public school teacher for 20+ years. She hails from Baylor University and has raised two children into adulthood and has personal experience with raising a child with special needs. Erin O’Donnell has been a homeschooling mom for 16+ years, and is Deaf herself. She graduated from Texas Tech University, is a mother of seven children (three who are Deaf and four who are hearing) and also is raising a special needs child. We longed for a place that Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing students could come together and take classes with equal amounts of access. Evermore Learning is a place where anyone of all ages, stages, and abilities can take classes and grow together as a community whether near or far. Classes range from academic to fun, hobbies, and entertainment.
Our physical location began coming together in December of 2019. The physical location can be rented for parties, classes, tutoring, and games. When Covid-19 hit, the vision transformed and our online connection began to take focus.
Evermore Learning is not just the vision of two sisters, but one that was inspired by decades of friends, families, even strangers’ experiences. It is a community dream come to life. It’s a dream that is within each of us– to make a place where we can grow, together.
Q: What are you most excited about providing?
A. We are excited about – ALL of it!! We both love teaching (Susan teaches math, Erin teaches history, science, health, and ASL). But I think my (Erin’s) favorite part is the Deaf aspect. There are lots of places for hearing kids to get classes (online and offline) but very few classes besides ASL that are actually provided IN a Deaf child’s language, whether they use ASL, Total Communication, Cued Speech, etc. We want to expand to have teachers with ALL types of communication styles available for students.
Q: Is your program for everyone? Is there anyone who would not be a good fit?
3. Evermore has a motto- For ALL ages and ALL stages. We want children from birth to 120 years of age (grin). We hope to have seniors doing chair yoga and bridge as well as academics and fun things for kids and teens. As for the online aspect, the only issues are attention span and connectivity. (Parents would have to know their child’s ability to be in classes). I wish we lived in Star Trek times and could beam over to your homes. Since Susan and I both have special needs kids, and I have Deaf children as well as my special needs child, we both know the feeling of being left behind. We hope this is never an issue for any of our students.
Q: Literacy is always a hot topic. What are you planning to use for curriculum and strategies to get kids to the next level?
A: Literacy- now that IS a big subject! We have a few language teachers… we are ALWAYS looking for more. There is a severe lack of language curriculums out there for Deaf/hard of hearing students (in my opinion). We have the two main curriculums currently available (Bedrock Literacy and Reading Milestones) BUT we need more teachers. Literacy will always have ongoing growth in our program.
Q: What should we be asking that we haven’t asked yet?
A: I’m not sure! We want to be a resource for parents even if they don’t end up taking classes from Evermore Learning. Both of our passions are education and resources. If parents find they can’t afford a class, but still have questions, they are ALWAYS welcome to message us. We will also have a FREE social time 1-2x a week where students can mingle with their Deaf/ hard of hearing peers in Google Meet groups (an adult will be present to lead icebreaker games). Scholarships are given by outside donors from time to time and we accept applications for those at the beginning of each semester. We are working on grants to make all classes low cost or possibly even free!
Q: What should a family do to get started?
A: To get started- simply go to https://www.evermoreaslimmersionacademy.com/. Look at the classes and choose the ones you want to buy for each child. Payment plans ARE available. For example, if a parent sees a semester class at $200/semester, we can do monthly or even weekly payment plans billed to PayPal, Cashapp, or Venmo. Semester classes start August 31-December. Class lengths vary, from three, ten or 14 weeks. The Spring semester will be January to May. We will offer one-day classes every month as well (like jewelry making, crochet, workshops, etc.). Times range from day times to evenings, and even some weekends. ~
H&V Communicator – Fall 2020