Keynote: Identity, Sovereignty, and Cultural Safety for Native American Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Students

Keynote description

This keynote provides educators and interpreters with a culturally grounded understanding of how to support Native American Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind students. Participants will explore tribal identity, Dakota/Ojibwe/Ho‑Chunk history and culture, Indigenous sign languages, and why accurate terminology and respectful language use matter in educational settings. The session addresses stereotypes, boarding school trauma, American Indian Education, and the differences between Deaf residential schools and Native boarding schools. It also covers cultural safety practices—such as smudging, beading, regulation rooms, and respecting sacred items—as well as laws like Tribal Consultation requirements and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Participants will leave with practical strategies to build trust with Native families, honor sovereignty, support cultural and linguistic preservation, and create learning environments where Native American D/HH/DB students feel safe, respected, and seen.

Cindi Martin

Cindi Martin (Red Lake Ojibwe) is the founder of Bezhig Binese LLC and a multidisciplinary Indigenous Deaf educator, interpreter, artist, and cultural specialist whose work sharpens the cultural and historical presence of Native Deaf people. She serves Native and Deaf nations as an Indigenous Deaf interpreter, poet, cultural consultant, seamstress, and actress—carrying her bloodline, teachings, and Deaf identity with clarity, conviction, and purpose. Cindi mentors emerging Indigenous interpreters and teaches ASL and Native Sign Language in learning spaces intentionally led by Native Deaf faculty. Her advocacy for Native Sign Language is grounded in direct learning from Native Deaf knowledge holders who collectively affirmed shared signs across tribal nations. A powerful national presence, Cindi has presented at RID and organizations across the country, delivering keynotes, workshops, and storytelling that confront erasure, reclaim Indigenous Deaf narratives, and center cultural truth. Her work advances Indigenous and Deaf communities through uncompromising leadership, community accountability, and a commitment to restoring what was always ours.