Personal Narrative: Teaching For The Deaf

“A Journey Into the Deaf World” is a book written by Harlan Lee and ________. Chapter 1 serves as the intro into the Deaf community. Ben Bahan is the narrator of the book and in this chapter we are introduced to pivotal people in the book: Jake Cohan, Laurel Case, Roberto Rivera, and Henry Byrne. Ben is a Child of Deaf Adults, also known as CODA. He tried to stay away from the Deaf community but he eventually got drawn back to it.

Louise was informed by doctors and Friends not to use gestures or sign to Lynn but to only talk to her and treat her as a normal child so that she someday may become oral and learn to speak.

This scholarship would greatly aid in my ambition to become a Dental Hygienist. With it, I will be able to afford to attend the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith and to provide myself with the lifestyle that I want. It means that I will make my parents proud that their child has achieved her life goal.

I would also like to continue on the fact that it would help rid of anxiety and stress. This scholarship would allow me to purchase all of my books, pencils, classes, and other basic needs to go to school. Covering that cost would definitely take away stress, anxiety and heart aches. I would not go into serious debt from college which would help me financially now and

I grew up at a Deaf residential school. For most of the time I slept there at the dorm. We –they had a night supervisor who also slept on site. Aww, she was such a very sweet old women. She retired at her old job and got a new job here at the Deaf residential school where I was staying. It was four of us girls she would watch. Nine-nine-thirty the lights were out. But at midnight, me and my three roommates decided we’d meet at- meet up. So I waited till midnight. I kept looking at my clock- is it time, is it time? And then the clock struck midnight. Me and my friends we met up. One of the girl had a boyfriend who came back from Canada. He had bought a whole sack of c-f- firecrackers when he was there. They’re not allowed here in the states but he bought them anyway.

The National Deaf Education Project was founded in 1998 by Lawrence Siegel. Lawrence M. Siegel has been an advocate and attorney for special education cases beginning in 1979 (National Deaf Education Project). He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley (National Deaf Education Project). He has strong beliefs regarding the Deaf community and culture and the Deaf’s rights and liberties as Americans. Specifically, he believes that communication and language is a right for human beings and should become a necessity for learning. He established the NDEP to become the model and articulate a plan for communication in the educational setting for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States (National Deaf Education Project). The board of the NDEP consists of representatives of Gallaudet University and collaborators of the project of the American Society for Deaf Children, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools for the Deaf, the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and the National Association of the Deaf (Gallaudet). This organization continues to aid in reforming the communication systems for the deaf and hard of hearing in public educational systems.

Going to college has been a dream of mine growing up. I am the first ever in my family to go to college but figuring out how to pay for it has been a challenge. I desire to achieve my academic and career goals and this scholarship can help me succeed in my journey.

For my second Deaf Community Contact, I chose to eat at Panjo’s on Sept. 18th during Deaf Chat. I arrived at 6:15pm with my daughter Aymiah, my best friend Ashley, and her sister Lola. We stood in line for about 45 mins before we saw the front door, and it was hot, but I enjoyed watching the conversations from outside the window. I spoke briefly with Michelle, whom I met at Cole Park at another event. I waved hello to her, and she responded with a nod, and a smile, but continued to move her way thru the crowd. I remained in line, and practiced the words I learned to sign in class with my two friends. It was a life-time before we entered the building, and I was starving, none the less we made our way into the cold air, and the terrific smell.

My experience working as a COTA at the MS School for the Deaf has been one of my favorite!. In this setting I have encountered many experiences where my knowledge and appreciation of various cultures and diversity factors, has impacted my therapeutic relationships with my students, their teachers and their families. When I started working at the school I had little experience in the school setting in general, and very little experience with the deaf culture. I knew two things after my first day. I was very intrigued with the deaf culture and also, that I had a lot to learn! I took time to enroll in a beginner community sign language course, bought a beginner sign language book and browsed the internet for proper communication etiquette within

It has never ceased to amaze me 1when my sister signs to the Deaf members of our church their faces light up with excitement and the desire to share their language with her. Watching my sister interact with members of our church and the Deaf community was how I knew that like my older sister, I also wanted to have the privilege of communicating with these members of our church family and other members of the Deaf community. When I enrolled in Liberty University I knew that the language the Lord was calling me to take was American Sign Language. ASL is a course I am excited to start learning because of how unique and beautiful the language is it compared to every other language. Although I currently have little knowledge about ASL I’m greatly looking forward to learning more about the language and about Deaf Culture. When I become more proficient in American Sign Language I feel that the Lord will allow me to use this language while fellowshipping with people who I otherwise wouldn’t have been able connect with or get to

As we glide through life we tend to gravitate toward those that are like us, often ignoring people and places that are different than we are. I don’t believe this is due to acceptance of others as much as it is about fear of the unknown. As a student of Eastern Washington University, I am a confident student of social work and the aspect of human development and engagement but when I walk into Clark College taking my elective of American sign language and the instructor only signs I am unsure of my skills and afraid that I will mess up. My insecurities of failing all come alive and then to be told that it is a signing class only I fear that I will miss pertinent information and that I will never know what is going on. Week one is scary,

Today I have an interview. I obtain nervousness, while thinking about the possession of this position and being the only deaf person.I have skepticism that if the boss even knows sign language, so I philosophize about how to talk to him. If I brought a translator that would prevail unprofessional, yet not understanding what I'm putting forth is too. When I flew out of the shower, I could feel the anxiety rise as I viciously repeatedly crack my cold clammy knuckles. I try to slowly breath in no out one breath at a time, but it doesn't work it just makes it worse. When I annex the office, I identify the boss giving off a warm welcome. I start exceeding clamminess , when our own selves glared at each other. I feel my face turning into a

I am planted by strangers, in a field that never ends. I was found in Central America, where I was domesticated 5,ooo years ago. They decided to call me sweet potato, but to scientist I am called Ipomoea batatas a name I can’t even pronounce. I also am a pain to take care of. I need lots of water in a day, need sunlight, and the temperature needs to be 65 to 70F. I am harvested every year around summer time. Lots of people buy, my friends and I at the market for calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. My friends and I are jostled around in carts getting bruises and cuts. Finally the person places me down with some of my friends, in front of the cash register. The beep noise goes right into my ear and for a second I think I’m deaf.

It is hard for me to imagine being Deaf. It is hard to imagine going through life in utter silence, or with small traces of ambient noise. I think I would miss the subtle things the most. Namely the pitter patter of rain on the windows and the “kerchunk” of a closing door. Those are the noises I take for granted, but, of course, there are more important things to think about then the sounds I would no longer hear. I could not imagine living in an environment where most of the people around me do not speak the same language. I know I would get used to the pointing and gesturing involved in communicating with hearing people, but it still seems so disheartening to almost be forced into not having a sufficient means of communicating with the general

Overall, earning a scholarship will allow me to earn a degree in college, which will increase my ability to give back to my community, as well as my ability to support my family. Thank you for the honor of allowing me to share my story. Hopefully, the LEAD Foundation will assist me in my plans of achieving higher bars of