High Five Awards
Nominations for High Five Awards are accepted annually from May 1st to July 1st.
Help us recognize the amazing individuals in our community.
Nominate a parent, teacher, interpreter, medical provider, community advocate, role model who is deaf or hard of hearing, child who is deaf or hard of hearing—anyone who inspires you!
Email your nomination to mnhv@lifetrackresources.org with the subject “High Five Award,” explaining why you think this person deserves recognition.
MNHV staff and members of our Advisory Board will review all submissions and select one or more winners. Awards will be handed out at our Annual Family Picnic at Como Park in St. Paul.
2011 MN Hands & Voices’ “High Five” Award Winners
Jada Johnson – Deaf Mentor – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
Jada has been serving as our family's mentor since January, 2011 through the Deaf Mentor Program sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division.
Jada consistently presents thoughtful and creative lessons in American Sign Language vocabulary and grammar, as well as Deaf culture and history. She is always very good about including our children, using games, storybooks and toys to hold their interest while they learn!
Jada has incredible patience and a delightful sense of humor which are much appreciated as we stumble our way through this new language and culture.
Quite simply, Jada makes us better and more confident parents - and for that, we give a "High-Five" to the Deaf Mentor Program and to our amazing mentor, Jada Johnson.
--Nominated by Rachel & Jason Thimjon - Parent
Jody Waldo – Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing – Intermediate District 916
Jody Waldo is a teacher for our daughter with Intermediate 916 and District 623. Jody has been the leader of our daughter's IEP team for almost 3 years helping us navigate the waters from an oral school for D/HH kids to mainstream kindergarten. Our daughter had a tremendously successful kindergarten year because of Jody's support of our daughter and her teachers.
Additionally, Jody has been an expert opinion for us as parents. She has taught us things and told us options that we never knew existed for our daughter, like assistive technologies available on school field trips. When I reached out to Jody to discuss teacher options for the next school year she told me she had already done classroom visits.
She has been more than we could have dreamed for in a teacher and a support for our daughter. There is no way that I will ever have enough words or thank you's to express my gratitude for Jody. Jody Waldo has the true spirit of a teacher, and I am forever indebted to her for sharing her gifts with my family.
--Nominated by Sheridan Malloy- Parent
Linda Murrans – Audiologist – Children’s Hospital and Clinics-St. Paul location
Linda has been a tireless advocate for children with a hearing loss and their families. Being a pediatric audiologist for many years, Linda has been involved in newborn hearing screening since use of the “Crib-o-gram.” She was a contributing member of the MDH 1998 Work Group to develop a plan for voluntary Newborn Hearing Screening in Minnesota and to promote Universal Newborn Hearing Screening as the standard of care in our state. She also initiated a universal newborn hearing screening program in the well-baby nursery at United hospital in 2000. She provides diagnostic audiologic evaluation and follow-up services for infants/children and their families from Children’s NICU, the well-baby nursery from United and from other hospitals and clinics. Since 2001, Linda has also been an enthusiastic advisor for the MN EHDI advisory committee and a leader in a group of experienced pediatric audiologists to develop guidelines for hearing screening, diagnosis, amplification and early intervention for children with a confirmed hearing loss.
--Nominated by Yaoli Li – MN Department of Health
