October 31st, 2015



I was five years old when my parents separated. To this day, I can recall exactly what I was wearing, how the furnirture was arranged in our living room, and feeling like it was my fault; that I had done something wrong and my dad was leaving because of it. Of course, he assured me that my sister and I had done nothing wrong, but that feeling remained.

 

While I felt responsible, I was fortunate enough to have the ability to communicate with my dad. 90% of all Deaf and Hard of Hearing children are born to hearing parents which often results in a void in communication. Deaf children often feel guilt or shame for their inability to communicate with their parents, which leaves them feeling isolated, responsible for the void, and that they are "broken" or need to be "fixed".

 

While I am hearing and have always had the ability to communicate freely with my parents, I can personally relate to feeling like you are responsible for the problem. That was a hard thing to accept as a child and I want to be there for all of my students to let them know that they don't need to be fixed; there is nothing wrong with the way they are. My goal as an educator is to enlighten students and parents alike to the beauty of the Deaf World. I want to help bridge the gap of understanding and show everyone that there are many ways to work with Deaf children and have them find success. 



It is my hope for the future that, as an educator, I will be able to express to the hearing world the beauty and pride that encompasses ASL and Deaf Culture. I want to enlighten and inform those who are unaware so that I can help bridge the gap between the worlds and the place to start is with the children.

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