I was born on Nov 29, 1982 as a hearing baby. A year after my birth, I caught spinal meningitis and ran a high fever which severely diminished my hearing. My parents consulted with specialists to help them in deciding which would be the best course of action for me – deaf school or mainstream. Ultimately, they chose to mainstream me so that I could speak well. I have to admit, it paid off and I am comfortable with my voice.
During elementary, middle and high school – my parents made me use an FM device. I never knew sign language, because my parents wanted me to learn how to talk, so they put a lot of emphasis on the usage of the FM device. I hated it entirely but eventually convinced everyone to discontinue the use of it during my sophomore year at high school.
Once I got into RIT, I finally started accepting my deafness and learned sign language. Sign language made it so much easier for me to communicate with my peers at RIT. I felt comfortable and felt like I actually “fit in”.
My biggest problem that I had growing up was the communication barrier between myself and others in the general public. People always assumed I could “hear” because I talked so well. I hated that and I also hid the fact that I was deaf to “fit in” as much as possible. It actually only made things worse on myself. Yes, I could “hear” but the understanding part is an entirely different story. I tried hard every day to understand what people were saying to me and finally caught on. Sign language was much easier for me and also led me to accept my “deafness” which then made it easier on myself when people try to talk to me. I would say “I’m deaf” and people were much nicer about it.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Lemarc Williamson
My schooling started at The Lexington Hearing and Speech Center (The Yellow School) in Lexington, Kentucky. After a few years, I then enrolled as a boarding student at St. Joseph’s Institute for the Deaf, an oral school in St. Louis, MO. At the age of 13, I moved back home to Lexington and mainstreamed at Sayre School for 7th grade through 12th as the school’s only deaf student. After graduating from Sayre, I went to Lenoir-Rhyne College (now, University) in Hickory, North Carolina for two years before transferring to Eastern Kentucky University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting.
Throughout my school years, I used hearing aids and AM/FM loops. In St. Louis, I was adapted to learning how to talk and communicate with fellow classmates and teachers in classroom, before mainstreaming to a hearing environment. I did not have an interpreter until my 1st year in college at Lenoir-Rhyne-College. Today as a Financial Auditor, I use different methods communication from speaking, emails, interpreters, note takers and other reasonable accommodations that is provided to me to enable me to do the job duties. Not everything is a easy process, but to be honest, I have the best of both worlds socially and career wise!
Lemarc Williamson, Financial Auditor,
Commonwealth of Kentucky, Auditor of Public Accounts
Throughout my school years, I used hearing aids and AM/FM loops. In St. Louis, I was adapted to learning how to talk and communicate with fellow classmates and teachers in classroom, before mainstreaming to a hearing environment. I did not have an interpreter until my 1st year in college at Lenoir-Rhyne-College. Today as a Financial Auditor, I use different methods communication from speaking, emails, interpreters, note takers and other reasonable accommodations that is provided to me to enable me to do the job duties. Not everything is a easy process, but to be honest, I have the best of both worlds socially and career wise!
Lemarc Williamson, Financial Auditor,
Commonwealth of Kentucky, Auditor of Public Accounts
Introducing Josh
I was born deaf and my family consists of my hearing parents, my older hearing sister and my twin deaf brother. We moved to Danville, Kentucky from Virginia Beach, Virginia when I was six years old. My parents gave up their jobs for my education, believing that Boyle County is the best place where I could acquire the best education possible. It was an overwhelming academic and social change for me. I was, according my teachers, academically challenged. In addition, my classmates made me feel socially inferior because of my inability to speak orally. My deaf twin brother and I naturally developed our own sign languages since our parents received information from “well-established” oral-oriented institutions making handsome profits by manipulating hearing parents of a deaf child that to be able to speak orally would elevate our “status” and to prepare us to become “career-oriented” in the real world. Thus to be able to speak orally means we are not primitive. I was suddenly very much aware of what it meant to be a minority in a pre-dominantly hearing school and community. That kind of attitude has become a norm and it has become a subconscious one in each one of us.
Mrs White adds...Josh attended KSD and later Boyle County High School.
Mrs White adds...Josh attended KSD and later Boyle County High School.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Introducing JENA!
My first draft writing about my background turned out to be two pages long. I felt that was a very brief summary of my life but it is 2 pages long! So I’m going to summarize my very brief summary. Can you fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times? Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel say no. We’ll see! First of all, my name is Jena White. J-e-n-a. If you can count, you’ll notice I only have 1 ‘n’ in my unique name.
I went to Lexington Hearing Speech Center and started oral classes at 11 months old. I lost my hearing completely at 3 years of age so I was transferred to a total communication class to learn signing exact English and pursuing in speech therapy. We focused mostly on language and more language.
When of age, I moved on to kindergarten across the street at Ashland Elementary. I had Mrs. Cecil and Ms. Brandt (your very beloved Mrs. White, my adoptive mommy!) as my teachers and we mainstreamed part time with the other kids in the school. We kept the total communication thing and more speech therapy. I got my cochlear implant in 1st grade.
In 5th grade, I whined to my biological mom to let me stay with my home district schools and she felt I was capable to go on my own so I did. Jessie Clark was easy. Nothing too exciting. I did regular classes with my classmates with an interpreter. I converted slowly to Pidgin. I finished middle school with flying colors.
In high school, I was a teenager but forced to learn to advocate for myself. Quite a challenge. I had a few obstacles but overcame them. I had friends all over the place. Some classmates were good friends and I also had friends at KSD so I could have more of a social life. Once more, I finished public high school with a 4.0 GPA.
College is a completely different story. I went back and forth between RIT and UK three times. Yes three. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. It would be awesome if RIT and UK could be combined. I eventually ended up staying at UK working towards my Agriculture Biotechnology degree. I just found out a few months ago, its one of the hardest undergrad degrees. Grr. If I knew that before I would have gone to biology instead. It is hard work but with effort it can be done.
Nowadays, I am married and have a full time job and living the life. I still wear my cochlear implant but unlike my childhood days, I depend on it more than you depend on your cell phone and car. I still use total communication, voice only, or sign only, depending who I’m talking to. I dream in voice only except for special occasions. I get asked this question all the time.
I went to Lexington Hearing Speech Center and started oral classes at 11 months old. I lost my hearing completely at 3 years of age so I was transferred to a total communication class to learn signing exact English and pursuing in speech therapy. We focused mostly on language and more language.
When of age, I moved on to kindergarten across the street at Ashland Elementary. I had Mrs. Cecil and Ms. Brandt (your very beloved Mrs. White, my adoptive mommy!) as my teachers and we mainstreamed part time with the other kids in the school. We kept the total communication thing and more speech therapy. I got my cochlear implant in 1st grade.
In 5th grade, I whined to my biological mom to let me stay with my home district schools and she felt I was capable to go on my own so I did. Jessie Clark was easy. Nothing too exciting. I did regular classes with my classmates with an interpreter. I converted slowly to Pidgin. I finished middle school with flying colors.
In high school, I was a teenager but forced to learn to advocate for myself. Quite a challenge. I had a few obstacles but overcame them. I had friends all over the place. Some classmates were good friends and I also had friends at KSD so I could have more of a social life. Once more, I finished public high school with a 4.0 GPA.
College is a completely different story. I went back and forth between RIT and UK three times. Yes three. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. It would be awesome if RIT and UK could be combined. I eventually ended up staying at UK working towards my Agriculture Biotechnology degree. I just found out a few months ago, its one of the hardest undergrad degrees. Grr. If I knew that before I would have gone to biology instead. It is hard work but with effort it can be done.
Nowadays, I am married and have a full time job and living the life. I still wear my cochlear implant but unlike my childhood days, I depend on it more than you depend on your cell phone and car. I still use total communication, voice only, or sign only, depending who I’m talking to. I dream in voice only except for special occasions. I get asked this question all the time.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Schools to Watch
Mandy asked about this program last week in class. Here is some information...
Schools to Watch® is an initiative launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in 1999. The National Forum is an alliance of more than 60 educators, researchers, and officers of national associations and foundations dedicated to improving schools for young adolescents across the country. The National Forum’s mission is to unite key stakeholders to speak with a common voice to leverage research, policy, leadership, and replicable model practices to drive middle grades reform.
The criteria that is used in evaluating a school relates to the following four major areas: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structure.
Kentucky does participate in this national program. You can view specific information at Kentucky Schools to Watch .
Schools to Watch® is an initiative launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in 1999. The National Forum is an alliance of more than 60 educators, researchers, and officers of national associations and foundations dedicated to improving schools for young adolescents across the country. The National Forum’s mission is to unite key stakeholders to speak with a common voice to leverage research, policy, leadership, and replicable model practices to drive middle grades reform.
The criteria that is used in evaluating a school relates to the following four major areas: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structure.
Kentucky does participate in this national program. You can view specific information at Kentucky Schools to Watch .
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
KSD Homecoming
As we are studying "Deafness" I have an OPTIONAL opportunity/invitation that I would like to make available to you. On February 5th and 6th the Kentucky School for the Deaf is hosting their LEGENDS/HOMECOMING CLASSIC WEEKEND. I am planning on going to the basketball game on Saturday evening, the 6th. I would love to have students to accompany me to the game. We can meet there or meet on campus and carpool. I have a van and am happy to have anyone ride with me who wants/needs a ride to Danville.
Click on the link above (Post title) to see a schedule for the full events of the day. I plan to attend the girls and boys game on Saturday afternoon/evening which begins at 5:30. This means we would need to meet on campus in the parking lot beside Wallace at 4:30.
If you would like to attend please leave a comment and let us know if you will drive and meet in Richmond or Danville or if you would like to ride.
Click on the link above (Post title) to see a schedule for the full events of the day. I plan to attend the girls and boys game on Saturday afternoon/evening which begins at 5:30. This means we would need to meet on campus in the parking lot beside Wallace at 4:30.
If you would like to attend please leave a comment and let us know if you will drive and meet in Richmond or Danville or if you would like to ride.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Hello hello!
just wanted to say hi! looking forward to getting to know some of you! and to recognize the faces of the rest of you lol!
Lauren
Lauren
Multimedia Presentation Rubric
A new rubric has been posted on Blackboard to be used with the multimedia presentation that groups will create. Groups will be working on these in class on Wednesday and present them in class on February, 10th.
Feel free to ask questions about "how" to address or reach the expectation of each category.
Here are the categories and the highest rating/expectation for each level of the rubric:
Connection to Deafness
The project shows significant awareness of teaching to students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. The majority of the content and many of the ideas are fresh, original, and inventive.
Quality of Text Information
No errors. Information is accurate, complete, shows excellent writing technique.
Language Mechanics
No spelling, punctuation, grammar usage problems.
Interactivity
Technical features of the multimedia presentation are used to effectively engage the audience.
Citing Sources
All sources are properly cited.
Group Participation in Project
Communicated frequently with other members of the group to facilitate project work. Student actively contributed to the development of ideas, creation of and delivery of the multimedia presentation.
Feel free to ask questions about "how" to address or reach the expectation of each category.
Here are the categories and the highest rating/expectation for each level of the rubric:
Connection to Deafness
The project shows significant awareness of teaching to students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. The majority of the content and many of the ideas are fresh, original, and inventive.
Quality of Text Information
No errors. Information is accurate, complete, shows excellent writing technique.
Language Mechanics
No spelling, punctuation, grammar usage problems.
Interactivity
Technical features of the multimedia presentation are used to effectively engage the audience.
Citing Sources
All sources are properly cited.
Group Participation in Project
Communicated frequently with other members of the group to facilitate project work. Student actively contributed to the development of ideas, creation of and delivery of the multimedia presentation.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Group Work For First Assignment
The first assignment that is due for this class is a multimedia presentation about the life of a famous D/deaf or Hard of Hearing individual. This is a GROUP PROJECT. You will also have to present your work AS A GROUP on February 3rd.
Time will be given IN CLASS to work on this on the 27th but some outside work will be necessary.
I am interested in your thoughts and ideas on HOW YOU WISH the groups to be created. Would you like to:
1. Self-select your own groups
2. Have me specifically choose the groups
3. Randomly choose the groups
Discussion is welcome here on the blog and I will use this in making my final decision prior to class on Wednesday, the 20th when groups will be determined.
Time will be given IN CLASS to work on this on the 27th but some outside work will be necessary.
I am interested in your thoughts and ideas on HOW YOU WISH the groups to be created. Would you like to:
1. Self-select your own groups
2. Have me specifically choose the groups
3. Randomly choose the groups
Discussion is welcome here on the blog and I will use this in making my final decision prior to class on Wednesday, the 20th when groups will be determined.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Welcome Spring 2010 SED337
Greetings to the Class Blog!
Here I will post info about class topics, assignments and assessments. Feel free to post any items relative to the course as well as other matters to engage one another in meaningful conversations.
Here I will post info about class topics, assignments and assessments. Feel free to post any items relative to the course as well as other matters to engage one another in meaningful conversations.
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