An “Equal Communication Access” ASL/Captioned Poem ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 22nd, 2007
YouTubers: Go Here
Equal Communication Access Poem:
Archive for the 'Deafhood' Category
Deafhood: A Parent’s Journey ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 15th, 2007
As a Parent Educator, I often teach parents that just as a child goes through different ages and stages, parents will go through stages as well. Most parents start out in the usual way, as Dreamers and Planners, sharing hopes and dreams with each other and their families and friends of what their child might be like. They wonder about how their child will look, whose temperament or personality traits he or she will have, things they want to do with and tell and teach their child some day, and how they hope to raise their family. They envision connecting and sharing the world with their child, and passing on family heritage, culture and traditions.
LaRonda’s Storyblog: The Journey’s End ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 8th, 2007In this vlog, LaRonda summarizes the personal journey of posting her summer storyblog up on DeafRead and gives thanks to readers. (Transcripts below.)
Transcript:
My Journey Into Deafhood: A Hero’s Journey ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 8th, 2007(Ch. 64 — the FINAL CHAPTER of my summer storyblog about my journey into Deafhood…)
“Each one of us is destined to become the hero in at least one story – our own.”
~ Joseph Campbell
While Joseph Campbell explained and popularized “the hero’s journey” in his book, The Hero With 1,000 Faces, the concept of the hero’s journey is an ancient one. Like the mythical Phoenix who sets itself on fire and then rises from its own ashes, born anew, the hero’s story is one of birth, death and resurrection. Each of us receives a call to adventure sometime in our lives.
As deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, deaf-blind or hearing individuals with deaf parents or families, everything that comes our way in life, our everyday occurrences, can be seen as a call to adventure. We are all heroes in our own journey and story of deafhood. We are all searching to find our way through and beyond…
My Journey Into Deafhood: Angels, Sages, Mentors and Guides ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 7th, 2007(Ch. 63 of my storyblog of my journey into Deafhood…)
I believe we are all Spirits put on this earth to have a human experience. I believe our Spirits are on a journey to find their way back home. I also believe we are given angels and sages and guides along our journey into Deafhood if we only recognize them.
Angels, helpers and guides come in many forms and at different times in our lives. I have had more than a few in my company along the stretch of my existence. Some passed briefly in and out of my days, while other were found living right along side of me, day in and day out.
My Journey Into Deafhood: Embracing My Deaf Self ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 7th, 2007(Ch. 62 of my storyblog of my journey into Deafhood…)
Not all Late-Deafened adults embrace their deafness by making it their career, but I did. All of my life experiences after losing my hearing led me to establish a career working with Deaf people, and I know it was meant to be. Yet coming to this realization has not been an easy process.
Late-Deafened people sometimes have to deal with strong, cultural and political opinions from certain members of the Deaf community about whether or not they are “Deaf enough” to be leading or working with culturally and linguistically Deaf people. This is not a new concept. People who are bi-racial or are of mixed decent have also dealt with similar issues throughout time. I understand what this is about and I am supportive of their primary need for appropriate leadership and social justice.
Yet, these judgments are sometimes passed before people even meet each other. Late-Deafened individuals are sometimes automatically judged as “not Deaf enough” simply because they could once hear.
My Journey Into Deafhood: Parenting Without Sound: The Awe and the Awful ~
Posted by LaRonda on August 6th, 2007(Ch. 61 of my storyblog of my journey into Deafhood…)
While I firmly believe in the ability for deaf parents to be good parents and raise healthy children, life as a deaf parent is not without its scary moments. One came when my son was just 3.
We were living in a small cottage isolated on a mountainside in the hills of Fairfax, north of San Francisco. Our cottage was so small that we had to share a bedroom with our son downstairs. My husband was away at work. I had just put my son down in his own bed for his nap and crawled into my bed nearby to catch a few winks as well.
