Michele Westfall
Speech Therapists I’ve Known
Can’t remember one Too many to remember All had their hands on my throat Saw their tongues Too many times One had huge boobs With last name “Hay” Sign name looked strange Too much like ‘roll in hay’ Another one was from Jersey With last name Tague Learned ‘ue’ was silent Speech is so [...]
Indiana School for the Deaf vs. Hear Indiana
Maybe you have been hearing stories coming out of Indiana and wondered what the fuss was all about. To understand the situation in Indiana, you need to know the back story. I will give you a hint upfront: oralists are up to no good. The back story begins with Indiana School for the Deaf [...]
Hearing-Minded
Today I’d like to talk with you about a word: “hearing-minded.” This is basically a sign using “hearing” on the forehead. This article is specifically for lowercase-deaf readers of Deaf Echo, since this word would not normally ever be said to a hearing person. Let’s look at this word a little more closely. Deaf Echo [...]
Who’s the Authority on Deaf Culture?
Let me share with you a couple of things about myself. I was born Deaf, attended schools for the deaf, have spoken ASL since I was a toddler, and I have given birth to two Deaf children. So if I share factual information with you about Deaf culture, you would take it seriously and treat it [...]
I Speak and Talk, Too
I don’t normally like audiologists and speech therapists. But my perspective on talking and speaking was forever changed by an audiologist, and I will always be grateful to her for that. Her name was Venita Gragg, and I was a 4th grade student at Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Campus when I met her. [...]
Choices
Henry Ford famously said that his customers could have their cars in any color they wanted, as long as it was black. How’s that for wide variety of choices, eh? Well, the same is true when it comes to Deaf education. If I was oral, and wanted my child to be raised orally, I wouldn’t [...]