Dear Blog Followers,
I sincerely apologize I wrote that initial introduction blog and then never posted since. I have been travelling all over this summer and have not had much time to do a whole lot of blogging. But, I am back for good and therefore will have more time to blog.I will tell you a bit more about one of my trips, as it is related to the Deaf Community, in a future blog.
I thought I should tell you how I became involved with the Deaf Community and American Sign Language in the first place.
Deaf Education wasn’t always what I dreamed of. You know how many individuals grow up having either one career dream or several? Well, I was one of the individuals who pretty much had one: being a veterinarian. In fact, every summer during my High School years, I went to Colorado Springs, Colorado to watch and help out at my Aunt’s Vet Clinic. Well, Senior Year, God came tapping on my shoulder and was like, “Nope! That may be your plan but that’s not MY plan.” That is when everything came completely to a halt (in terms of college searching) and we went down a new path: Deaf Education and Speech Pathology. Speech Pathology was never really a strong interest, but a path my mother wanted me to look into. If I were to do anything with this, it would have to work with specifically Cochlear Implant individuals.
But, let me tell you how I got involved with American Sign Language and the Deaf Community in the first place. Many have been asking me lately, so instead of typing it up again and again, I thought I’d make a note.
In 2nd grade, Ms. Toomay was going to have a hysterectomy. She would be out for 6 weeks. As her substitute, this pretty young really nice blonde woman came in. I wish I knew her name. Every day for those 6 weeks she taught us the manual alphabet (abc’s in ASL) and a few basic signs. After that, I started buying and borrowing books from the library… picture dictionaries. I was teaching myself. One day, I was sitting at a chair in the library when a man came up to me. I remember I had just learned the sign, “What?” So he asked me if I was Deaf, and I said, “What?” Haha. Then he tried it again and I understood. This really sparked an interest. Over time, I saw him again and again at the library.
With my eyes open, I started seeing more and more Deaf people every where I went. One time, I was at Six Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. I saw a Deaf man trying to order Dippin Dots. I went up to him and asked if I could help. Keep in mind my ASL vocab was still very limited, but I had the abc’s down fast. So he told me he was trying to order mint. When the cashier saw that I knew some sign she said, “oh you sign?! Thank God.” That was interesting. So then she said that there wasn’t any mint so he ordered vanilla ice cream for him and his wife. I went and sat back down a little far away. And then across the room, his wife asked me how I learned sign. Except I couldn’t see her real well. She was lipping it though, so my Mom knew what she said, and I just signed back without being able to see. I loved this experience. I thought it was so cool that I could use what I taught myself to help another person.
Then, my Dad found this psychologist who worked with a lot of Deaf individuals and was going to host a small private group lesson and teach ASL for beginners. My sister and I signed up. This is where we got our sign names. A Deaf woman came in one day to show us what it is like and teach us about Deaf Culture. She gave my sister her sign name, for “shy,” and me my sign name for “Good attitude.” I learned a lot in this class.
That class ended and we waited to see if she would start up another one. She never did. So I started looking for more opportunities to learn more ASL. I started volunteering at the Deaf Action Center. When I began, my ASL was very poor. I learned a lot there, though and had a lot of fun meeting Deaf teens. This is actually where I first met Nicole and Geoff. However, it was one of those casual “hello how are you? goodbye” kind of conversations and nothing more. I do remember asking if they were brother and sister though. If you know them, you may get why this is kinda funny.
I wanted to keep learning more and more. So I started taking ASL classes at Lovers Lane. Somehow I had heard about it, and so I started taking classes there. I went through one class with Stephen Haynes, another with Evelyn Pasqua. And then for some reason, I stopped after that. One day, Reverend Hudspeth taught the class as a substitute. I talked to Reverend Hudspeth after the class because I was planning on doing my Girl Scout Gold Award Project for Deaf individuals and wanted his input. I was still in the brainstorming stages. This was towards the end of my Sophomore year or the beginning of my Junior year. May of my Junior Year I held an event at Herbert Marcus. I put on a day of activities for Deaf individuals and their families. Ms. Witty, one of my mother’s friends, had helped me plan this. I had recently met her for this sole reason through my mother. I met Chris at this event. It was a lot of fun, and I think everybody will agree.
Several months went by, and then I felt a little tapping on my shoulder… telling me to go back to church at Lovers Lane. I hadn’t been to church really for a few years. So I went to the Deaf Ministry class knowing nobody except I had met Reverend Hudspeth a few times. I remember now having a conversation with Mrs. Key about how I didn’t know much ASL. Mr. Key was right beside her. She reassured me that I would be fine. And then comes Nicole marching in and she sat on the opposite side of the room. She gave me a look and then I said, ” I remember you from the DAC.” And then she told Mrs. Key. Looking back on that now, it’s kinda cute. That day they were handing out forms to go on a Mission Trip type thing to Alabama. I wanted to go! I got paperwork.
That Spring Break (this was my Senior Year) I went to Mobile, Alabama with the group. Mrs. Key was one of the chaperones. She said, “If you have any questions at all, just ask.” I felt very welcomed. Nicole even asked me to sit by her on the long car ride. Her and I really really started to become friends during this trip. I learned a lot about Deaf Culture and ASL. The boys all signed crazy fast but the girls signed slow enough for me to understand, especially Nicole. I loved that trip.
During this Senior Year, is when I decided that Deaf Education was the better path for me. Sure, it may not make as much money but it will make me happy and that is what is important.
So I continued going to Lovers Lane, and still do when I’m home on breaks. Last summer, I went with the church to Rio Bravo, Mexico to volunteer and do mission work at a Deaf School there. My ASL was really improving, especially because Nicole and I were really close by then. I had hung out with her so much and we were calling each other best friends at the time. I could keep up with most of the conversations, but not all. This was the summer before college.
During my Senior Year, I also took American Sign Language with Ms. Smith at Townview. I knew more than the rest of the class, so I would spend a lot of time over at her desk, or in there before/after school and during lunch breaks. I loved communicationg with her, and she is an awesome person. This really helped me improve my ASL.
So I went to the University of Tulsa majoring in Deaf Education. I skipped out of ASL I and II because I was bored. ASL III and ASL IV were challenging and fun. I learned a lot and now I can keep up with most conversations. I love American Sign Language and I love the Deaf Culture. I have a lot of friends who are Deaf now and I just love it.
So you may be thinking I have everything pretty figured out, right? Well… not really. I am pretty sure I want to be a teacher, but what age? I have no idea. I like all: early intervention, elementary education, and secondary education. So I have no idea there. There is also the idea of getting my undergrad in Deaf Ed and then getting a Masters in Vocational Rehabilition and helping individuals through State Programs. I am involved with a program because of my RP right now for Blind Services so it really interests me. I have no idea where I will really end up but one thing is for sure: I want to work with Deaf individuals.
I am part of the Sign Choir at church and have signed various songs solo for different things as well.
**Added: For my Senior Thesis, I organized an event where the Baltimore Sign Choir came from Baltimore, Maryland and did a Sign Choir Workshop for anybody in Dallas who wanted to come. It was pretty cool!**
Nicole is one of my best friends. She is Deaf and many of you know her, and surely all of you have seen pictures of her. I recently went on another mission trip to Healing Hands Ranch with Lovers Lane and had a blast. I learned so much and it really was an eye opening experience. We worked on a halfway house for Deaf men. It is the only halfway house for Deaf men. Then, I went to the Cayman Islands with Nicole and her family. I love Nicole and her family.. I love American Sign Language.. I love Deaf Education.. and I love the Deaf Community!
Have you ever heard of a halfway house for Deaf individuals? Surely not. Ever wonder why? That is up until the time that Healing Hands started, there wasn’t one. And even now, there isn’t a halfway house for Deaf women.
All of these opportunities have really made me think. Do I want to work in a school? Do I want to work with something like Healing Hands Ranch? Do I want to work with Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, working with specifically Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals? I have no clue. But I do know that I want to work with Deaf individuals. I still have at least 3 more years to figure this out, so we’ll see what happens between now and then.
Comments appreciated. <3
