The S.E.E. Center has information on services for Deaf children nationwide. In addition, questions about communication and deafness can be answered or referrals made to appropriate sources.
We provide basic introductory information about deafness, communication and resources.
Also includes a List of questions parents may wish to ask their child's audiologist, school, speech therapist etc.
These are available by request to individuals, schools, school districts, and parent groups.
Informational DVDs emphasizing early medical and educational needs.
"With children who are born deaf, early intervention to maximize language development is critical. In my experience, Signing Exact English (SEE) was what teachers and my parents used to communicate with me almost from the beginning.It helped supplement my reading exposure and benefited my academic abilities. Yes, there are other excellent options available to parents and their newborn deaf babies such as ASL to successfully facilitate communication and language, but I can only speak from my own experience growing up. There is no "right" or "wrong" here. SEE is what happened to work for me and I'm grateful that it did."
Dr. Max Ryser
"I passed! I'm so excited to reach this milestone!"
I am so thankful to you all at the SEE Center for your feedback and workshops you offer. Both the feedback and workshops have proven very useful. I reviewed my feedback carefully and worked to incorporate it in my interpreting. Looks like worked! I also appreciate the positive, low stress, and open minded environment you foster with feedback and workshops. It helps ease the testing process. Thanks so much!
Sylvia O
"I am writing to share my endless appreciation and gratefulness. My son Riley will be 18, in a few months and he just finished his junior year at Harrison Prep, an International Baccalaureate Prep high school in Lakewood Washington, and received the Principal's award for having over a 3.5 gpa the whole year. He has attended the school for 5 years - one more left. He went to NWS in Shoreline, WA, for 10 years starting on his 3rd birthday and SEE and NWS deserve so much credit for providing the foundation that he is launching from. Riley wanted to stop having an interpreter this year (always having been the only deaf student in the school) and switched to live - remote - real time captioning in all of his classes. He became much more social and interactive, made many friends, started going to sleep overs and gave all of his oral presentations to the whole class- even in Spanish for his IB oral examinations. He wouldn't have been confident enough or capable enough had he not at SEE for those 17 years- that is what is supporting his academic success now with CART. Any way, all this bragging comes from the grateful heart because SEE and NWS combined, have provided Riley with access, confidence and ambition. He is who he is because of your hard work and dedication. He gives his friends rides after school and volunteers with younger skaters and lives in a world as welcoming and as accessible as I grew up in. He travels across the country changing planes alone and steps up to assist elderly people at stores, airports and restaurants and he is happy. Thank you- from every bit of my heart. You are part of his village."
Heidi Halsey
Gerilee “Geri” Gustason, of Sequim, was born on July 5, 1939 to Arthur D. and Martha (Andersen) Gustason in Blair, Nebraska. She passed away unexpectedly from a stroke at the age of 79 at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles on November 9, 2018.
Gerilee was deafened at an early age due to spinal meningitis, and went on to devote her life to improving the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children worldwide. She received Master of Arts degrees from three universities: Gallaudet College, California State University, Northridge, and University of Maryland. She received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Southern California. She taught deaf students in California, at Gallaudet College, and directed a training program for teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children at San Jose State University before retiring to Sequim in 2000.
As a professor, researcher, and author, she was best known for “Signing Exact
English” (SEE) which she co-authored with her colleague and good friend Esther Zawolkow. SEE is a sign language system designed to be an exact representation of English vocabulary and grammar.
After retiring to Sequim, she remained active as an advocate for deaf children, authoring legislation, teaching sign language courses at Peninsula College, and presenting workshops about SEE.
Geri had a remarkable sense of humor, and loved examining the strange nuances of the English language and the puzzling pronunciation of many words. “Why does ‘rough’ rhyme with ‘bluff’ while ‘though’ rhymes with ‘throw?’” She had a passion for our language and was eager to see deaf children master it as their native language. She was a true animal lover, and always lavished attention on the rescued dogs and cats that were fortunate enough to share her home. She adored living in Sequim and loved the view of the mountains and valley from her back deck.
Geri was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Jayne, Maxine and Gloria, and brothers Billy and Arthur (Dale). She is survived by her daughter, Zoey Wolfe, whom she loved dearly, and her grandson Seamus Sexton who brightened her life every day. She is also survived by her many colleagues, students, and friends who enjoyed her wit and greatly respected her accomplishments.