Photo by: “Inky Bob”

. Even though I enjoyed my experience at Gallaudet immensely, I missed the sun, my family and my love, Brent. I was ready to move back to the West Coast. I learned that CSUN had a Deaf Studies program so I decided I would give it a try…

…My grades remained good while at CSUN, but my social life, compared to Gallaudet, was practically non-existent…

…It was such a contrast after feeling so included at Gallaudet!…

…While I enjoyed my part-time jobs, in truth, neither was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted something more challenging and gainful, so I decided to return to college and pursue a Master’s degree…

Photo by: “Pandiyan V”

…My deafness had now become a boon in that it allowed me to take full advantage of the support systems available for disabled students. I am grateful that I never had to work while going to school. This allowed me to focus fully on my studies…

…In 1996, I became a mom. It was soon clear that working full-time was not something I wanted to do as a new parent. My husband and I both knew it was time for us to shift focus…

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ASL - Sign Language, Deaf, Deafhood, Family, Gallaudet, Hearing Loss, Late-Deaf, Miscellaneous, My Story, Parenting, Support | 1 Comment »

While attending Gallaudet in 1984, I became more fluent in ASL and more acclimated to the environment and culture of my Deaf peers….

…One of the most unusual and memorable Deaf-cultural events at Gallaudet back then was the traditional “Rat Funeral”…

Photo by: Karin Reichert-Frei

…My roommates explained how each freshman class puts something of individual value or special meaning to their group in the small coffin or box with the dead rats. The rats were then buried somewhere on Gallaudet’s campus…

…I had wondered if these memorials were for classmates or professors or donors to the college. I was surprised at how many there were. Once I learned these memorials were actually burial sites for dead rats, I was a little creeped out!…

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ASL - Sign Language, Deaf, Deafhood, Gallaudet, Hearing Loss, Humor, Late-Deaf, Miscellaneous, My Story | 1 Comment »

Photo by:”digitalkatie”

Photo by: Emily Hoyer

By immersing myself in the environment, language, and culture of Deaf people, I hoped to come to a clearer knowing of who I was and who I was not. I hoped Gallaudet and its Deaf population might guide me on my quest to a deeper understanding of my hearing loss and what it meant to be Deaf…

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ASL - Sign Language, Deaf, Deafhood, Gallaudet, Health, Hearing Loss, Late-Deaf, Meaning, Miscellaneous, My Story, Support | 3 Comments »