Touch Seeds is grounded in the belief that we all have a seed waiting to be sprouted and nurtured, regardless of stage and time in our lives. We truly believe that it begins at home, and protactile language is what DeafBlind persons have been missing and deprived of.
DeafBlind individuals are not subjects of a medical problem to be fixed.
In a nutshell, it is a language problem.
Touch Seeds Service Overview
We offer services focused on protactile language as the foundation of everything.
- Protactile language learning for DeafBlind individuals and any professionals working with DeafBlind persons
- Training, support, and resources for paraprofessionals working with DeafBlind students within academic settings
- Training, support, and resources for families with DeafBlind family members
- Training and support for interpreters, as well as prospective and current Co-Navigators working with DeafBlind persons
- Interpreter and Co-Navigator referral services
From Hayley at Touch Seeds
Hello, my name is Hayley Broadway. I am proudly and shamelessly DeafBlind. I live through protactile, after years of being Deaf and in a pool of shame about the DeafBlind person that was waiting inside me to explode.
After discovering protactile language, I suddenly felt human. Connections were made, and my protactile journey began in 2014.
My desire to teach began years ago, with degrees in General and Special Education. But I felt lost in the academic field of research and education trainings that did not click. Something was missing. That is until I experienced my first protactile interaction, which changed my life. I had an “AHA!” moment.
Following that experience, I knew I could teach and do all the things I wanted to pursue. I did not meet a DeafBlind role model until later in my life, and it is my hope and desire to change that for others.
I pursued a protactile language immersion training at a DeafBlind-founded and -led training center, Tactile Communications, LLC when it was based in Seattle. It is now based in Oregon. I have been fortunate to become one of their teachers. I continued my studies in Education by pursuing a Masters in Sign Language Education at Gallaudet University, which includes language policy planning and acquisition coursework.
I am also a mother to my two loving boys; one of them is blind. We all grew and bonded through protactile language at my home. I am a better person, mother, and teacher because of protactile and the freedom it gives me.
On this journey of protactile language and experiences, I have been involved in federal and state grants that consist of different mediums of protactile language research, curriculum design and instruction, and DeafBlind Interpreting. I also have been advocating for a Support Service Provider/Co-Navigator legislation bill and implementation of such services in Texas and beyond. I have established and expanded community resources locally and nationally, and I have consulted on a wide range of programs and services. Thus far, I am immensely grateful to have experienced so many more of those “AHA!” moments from others.
From one parent to another, or from one DeafBlind person to another, it can become overwhelming to navigate DeafBlind education and other DeafBlind-related services. I experienced first hand the feeling of disconnection, burnout, and exhaustion. The system and a mountain of textbooks and well-intended research into how to work with DeafBlind children and adults unfortunately fails us.
As someone with unique background in education studies, a parent to two who have Special Education and 504 services, and a DeafBlind protactile expert, I hope to bring Touch Seeds to all who are ready to sow your seeds and grow with us.
My tactile description
Wears fashionable, textured attire; Wiggles her fingers on you when she is deep in thought. When you talk to her, you feel a steady stream of taps and squeezes. Sometimes, when she is really excited, she slaps you. Engage at your own risk.
To learn more about protactile language, go to Protactile Research Network – click here.