Keith Wann, a child of deaf adults, grew up in two different cultures, the Deaf and Hearing worlds. He has become one of America's funniest American Sign Language performers traveling around the ASL Nation, performing both his solo show and as emcee of the very popular ASL Comedy Tour, on it's third run, which he produces and manages, giving new and veteran ASL performers national exposure. Keith also is a certified sign language interpreter, working in mental health and performing arts for over 20 years. He manages an interpreting agency which provides nationwide services through Video Relay Service, Video Remote Services, and Community Interpreters.
Keith has also started a non-profit organization called coda365, Inc., which supports the ASL community, through ASL events, like picnics, workshops, performances, and sharing resources for deaf parents with hearing children. A scholarship is also being established for deaf and hearing children who want to pursue their ASL education. Please visit the website www.coda365.org and donate to help us support ASL for everyone!
With all the above, Keith still finds time to appear in several movies, Resonare, How I Killed My Girlfriend's Cat, and on TV, Law and Order, and several Pepsi Superbowl commercials. He is also the host of the online travel show, ASL Across America.
For more examples of his online comedy work search YouTube user "codawann" and be ready to laugh your ASL off.
This show is about building cultural bridges that enhance understanding and establish trust between communities. Every week Keith Wann will have guests share their experiences, expertise, opinions, and personal lives with us, to hopefully help us better understand others. The topics and guests will come from the American Sign Language (ASL) Community, or outside guests who can share information that may help us by bringing more awareness that can benefit us. Guests will include ASL performing artists, Interpreters, Teachers, and other ASL community members. Listen with an open mind and willingness to learn and help us with our cultural bridge!

August 25th ASL Video Version - Interview with RID President Cheryl Moose

August 18th ASL Video Version -Arlene Malinowski and Peter Cook

August 11th ASL Video Version- "deaf/hearing relationships"

August 4th ASL Video Version - "coda performers"

Project N.A.D.I.N.E. And callVRS Partner For Childhood Literacy

Project N.A.D.I.N.E. is thrilled to announce that we have the honor to host callVRS ASL Story Videos. This project hopes to promote literacy for children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing.

Earlier this year, callVRS (a Video Relay Service for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing based in Clearwater, Florida) followed through on their promise to not be the average Video Relay Service. In doing so, they shocked the Deaf community with innovative use of Video Phone technology to promote childhood literacy with the use of ASL. callVRS started a program called "ASL Story" that enables Video Phone users to call ASLstory.info on their Video Phones or Video Phone software to view an ASL Story translated from popular children's books.

This new venue is what callVRS co-owner Keith Wann calls supporting Deaf literacy. "As someone who grew up bilingually with ASL and English, and as someone who has children, I understand firsthand the crucial influence of bilingualism upon children, especially those who are deaf," Wann says. "Yet not all of them have easy access to ASL-narrated stories. By combining modern video technology with ASL, we can provide on-demand ASL storytelling at no cost to them."

New ASL Stories will be uploaded monthly. Previous and future performers include: Keith Wann, Crom Saunders, and Windell "Wink" Smith Jr. callVRS has also lined up some other well-known ASL performers, as well as some newcomers.

The National Advocates on Deafness to Inform, Network and Enrich (Project N.A.D.I.N.E.) based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will host all previously aired ASL Stories in hopes to continue their mission for the children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing. This new project will also further their passion for American Sign Language awareness throughout the United States to exhibit the beauty and value of ASL.

Windell Smith Jr, Chief Executive Officer for Project N.A.D.I.N.E. said, "We're so thrilled to host these videos! We have worked with callVRS before with some other upcoming projects and are so excited to continue a business relationship with them. We wanted to host these videos for hearing parents who may not qualify or have resources to attain a Video Phone to watch these beautiful videos that not only help read to their child, that in turns build their literacy skills, but also help develop language between the parents and most importantly the child."

Keith Wann adds, "With this new program, we're already making waves. A mother told me that she was thrilled to see this offering for her deaf children, because she lives in a rural area where there are very few deaf people and even fewer opportunities for her children to see native-level ASL."She says her children ask to watch the story over and over, because they're so excited to see someone other than their mother signing."

Although this program is sponsored by callVRS, all calls into ASLstory.info are not interpreted calls and do not involve interpreters or call placements. Additionally, none of the calls to ASLstory.info result in billable minutes or profits. Wann says, "I've been asked why we have this program, and my answer is simple: this is a way for callVRS to give back to the community. What better way to do it than to reach out to new generations of deaf children through their natural language?"

Dial ASLstory.info on your VP TODAY!

OR

Go to www.ProjectNADINE.org/ASLstory.htm to watch previous editions.

callVRS's mission is to provide quick, effective, and courteous communication linking the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and hearing communities by means of advanced technology to experienced, professional video interpreters. In addition, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of Deaf people by providing innovative programming, education, and counseling services, thus enabling equal access to everyone in the community. For more information please visit www.callVRS.org

Project N.A.D.I.N.E. is a not for profit organization which began in 2008. N.A.D.I.N.E. aspires to provide comprehensive and collaborative resources for parents with Deaf children. These resources assist in fostering leadership and advocacy within the Deaf community and educating the general public about the beauty and value of Deaf culture and its natural language, American Sign Language (ASL). For more information please visit www.ProjectNADINE.org

Windell "Wink" Smith Jr
NIC Master, QA V/V
Chief Executive Officer
Project N.A.D.I.N.E.
(405) 812-4047
wsmith@ProjectNADINE.org
www.ProjectNADINE.org

"We are a culture without a land" - Keith Wann

Welcome to our coda365 Non-profit organization. We have been serving the ASL community all of our coda lives.  We are culturally proud of being a coda 365 days of the year and look to embrace our rich history.   A place where codas can feel a sense of belonging through their language and where deaf parents can share their experiences raising their hearing children with their native language.

Our coda365  community outreach programs are designed to help those in need. We do not require that you belong to any particular affiliation or financially support our organization in any way. We do ask that you return one good coda365 deed with another and perform an act of kindness for both deaf and hearing using ASL. This way, the cycle of compassion and goodwill continues indefinitely.

We encourage the use of ASL in the families.
We encourage deaf and hearing families learning together.

We support hearing people who took time away from their own families to come and learn our families language.  Even if you are not an interpreter but a signing doctor, lawyer, mechanic, etc, we thank you for providing more access to this world for our parents through ASL.

We are always looking for volunteers.
You will find that with coda365 volunteering, you will find happiness, strength, and support
and also are giving back to the culture without a land that helped to define you as a person today.

Our doors are always open.
A place where you can feel normalcy, for we are coda365!
Please join us for one of our many events

Call 727-499-8487 or email Keith@coda365.org for details