Welcome to the Club SODA Activity Book! Ways of welcoming hearing siblings into the Deaf Community to encourage feelings of Acceptance, Belonging, and Lifelong Allyship.

Through a careful human-centered design process, these activities (done with a caregiver) can encourage resiliency and belonging, solidifying a healthy family system during a time of transition.

Sibling relationships can play a powerful role in a person’s life, and positive sibling connections can offer a lifetime of love and support. S.O.D.A. is the acronym for a Sibling of a Deaf Adult/Child.

A variety of opportunities and challenges can emerge when a Deaf child is welcomed into a family.

This social design project explores how families of Deaf children can be supported in healthy ways.

In this book, I focus on three potential root obstacles for a SODA:  feelings of belonging and acceptance, communication, and the differential impact of caregivers (or the balance of time and attention given to each child).

Acceptance: Following an Acceptance Commitment Therapy methodology, moments of reflection and mindfulness are paired with play.

Studies show that children who engage in pretend play have higher levels of emotional regulation.

Belonging is activated with the “Community Web” activity in combination with Club SODA gear.

Lifelong Allyship: The "Interview activity" is designed to create more empathy and understanding between participants. The “Special Time Tickets” are used to balance the directional impact of caregivers.

    “I think that the book does a really nice job inviting parents and kids to have a conversation… about deafness and Deaf culture.”

    Kira Avery, A Fellow SODA

    “This is a fabulous and much-needed resource for families navigating their worlds with deaf children and hearing siblings. It is easy to read and very  hands-on.”

    Elise Brady, A Pediatric Social Worker

    Sample Page: The Community Web

    Girls hands pointing to open Club SODA community web page.
    Photos by Elizabeth Lamark

    Sample Page: The Interview

    Interview pages from Club SODA.

    Club SODA

    Free PDF version of The Club Soda Activity Book.

    Download Here

    Greyscale Version

    A free black and white version of the activity book with lower ink pages.

    Download Here

    Coloring Page

    Download a Club SODA coloring page here!

    Dowload Here

    Screen Reader

    Click here for a more screen reader-accessible, text-only version of the book.

    Text Only

    Reach out! I always love getting feedback and learning how you use the work.  I am open to collaboration or can produce a customized (S)ODA version that's just right for your location and needs.

    You are also free to modify the work yourself! In the spirit of community, this project is openly licensed via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 Deed (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International) meaning that you are free to share and build upon the work (include credit and non-commercial distribution only please).