Frontrunners in Ghana
Not too long ago I was backpacking in Central America, exploring the nomad’s life through three different countries. Having said this, I recall meeting a deaf dude at a cafe in Costa Rica. He expounded to me about a leadership program in Denmark infused with leaders. He said the leadership program consisted of an [...]
ASL Literature, Reborn on the iPad
In addition to being a first-grade teacher, I’m also the geekminister for 15 brand-new iPad 2s at P.S. 347 The ASL and English Lower School in Manhattan. This is the first in what I hope will be a regular series on how my students and I are using the iPad to learn, read, create, and [...]
i was a deaf child
i was a deaf child. It was me Stumbling, Somewhat confounded By the towering blocks of An invisible maze that i Physically slammed into With your every determination It was my young, blank-slate life That you painted bitter, Folded into neat perfection And tucked away on a dusty shelf In a cabinet that you [...]
Could you close those hatches?
(Photo by Mr. T in DC) I’m working at an essay on an early Greyhound about to depart Washington for New York City. All of a sudden, the driver stands up. “Close those hatches, folks. That stuff is going to jump out on you,” he says. Despite the groggy hour, passengers pop up to stuff [...]
An Open Letter to Deafblind People Out There
Life is created by you only. People, objects, events, and education come into your life and they leave with some kind of mark, but only you as a human being remain. So it’s important to live your life the way you want to. If you find purpose in your life, then you have found [...]
Cued Speech and ASL—Why I Use Both
When we first confirmed my son was deaf, I had several communication choices presented to me by his Early Intervention coordinator. I had never heard of cued speech, and at first I was ready to dismiss it solely because it was not the dominant form of communication among Deaf people. But when an advocate of [...]
Sheldon Avenue
It was nice and sunny on Sheldon Avenue Then a black family moved there The girl Wilma was nice and became my sister’s best friend and we gave her a neat name sign like wine But Wilma’s little brother was a pest Every day he ran up to us and made faces and beat [...]
The Canary in the Coal Mine
Just as I’m flying to California State University Northridge to present at their Deaf College Student Leadership Conference, I was reading a copy of Newsweek. There was a story on the infectious appeal of the #Occupy Wall Street movement. One particular quote stood out to me: “In 2008 vast new numbers of Americans transformed [...]
Announcement: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Showing at MSSD!
…an ASL rendition of Jabberwocky, lots of nonsense in-between, and a video clip of Gallaudet President Alan Hurwitz and First Lady Vicki Hurwitz at the end of the play!” -Tami Santimyer, Director Announcing Director Tami Santimyer’s new play: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!” Where: Model Secondary School for the Deaf, Theatre Malz, 800 Florida Avenue, [...]
From Sesame Street to Self-Discovery
Ninety-five percent of deaf children have hearing parents. What does that mean? It means that many of us are used to being the only deaf person in the family, in the community, or in school unless we are at a deaf school. It means that our family is our first introduction to the ways [...]