About Me

I am one of the lucky 30% who did not grow up with language deprivation.
I was born before universal neonatal hearing screening, and my parents had no idea that they could have a child who couldn't hear. After all, they were both hearing, as were all their siblings and their parents. By six months of age, it was apparent to my family that I was not responding to environmental sounds, and I was diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss. I started early intervention services right away. My hearing parents followed medical and cultural advice and raised me orally. Signing was discouraged because doctors told my parents that I would never learn to speak English if I used ASL as a "crutch."
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So, my parents followed the doctor's advice and sent me to hearing schools (mainstream), where I was in honors classes, receiving no special support. Every year, I was the only d/Deaf student in my school, with the rare exceptions where my younger sister (4 grades below me and hard of hearing) shared a building. I enrolled at Drew University, an excellent and small liberal arts school following high school. I did well there, primarily because of the smaller class sizes and the addition of note-taking support. After obtaining my BA, I still felt like something was missing from my life, so I decided to learn American Sign Language at Ocean Community College with Kathleen Basilotto.
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Once I had a grasp of ASL, I knew what I was supposed to do. I enrolled in Rutgers' Masters in Social Work program, intending to focus my education on issues related to Deafness and disability. After graduation, I worked for several years before returning to Rutgers to pursue my Doctorate in Social Work.  I am the second Deaf person to earn a doctorate from Rutgers, and the second Deaf DSW in the United States. According to Deaf researchers, I am #755 of Deaf people who have received a doctorate since 1743.
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It should go without saying, but all parents want what's best for their child, but sometimes what's best isn't always evident or straightforward or easy. 

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My father, who died in 2020, always told me that the important things in life are worth working hard for. During this project, my mother and I had many discussions about my childhood and her choices as a parent who wants what's best for their children. She set me up for success, though I was raised orally. That's because my hearing loss was diagnosed early (at six months, which is a rarity before universal neonatal hearing screening), bilateral hearing aids work well for me, and my mother was at home with me when I was younger, reading to me, bringing me to intensive services like audiology and speech, and making sure I was surrounded by accessible language. 
Thank you, Mom.
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Though I didn't grow up language-deprived, I see the devastation of a life without a strong language foundation daily in my clinical work with d/Deaf adults. I see the adverse effects of increased addiction, estrangement from their birth families, increased risk of abuse and intimate partner violence, poverty, and wasted promise. 

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I know it doesn't have to be this way. I hope that this website has been helpful for your and your family, and I hope you use ASL in your home and provide your d/Deaf child a chance to explore their d/Deaf identity, knowing that you love and support them always. 

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