I recently watched Bernard Bragg’s new DVD, Bragg on Bragg, a delightful glimpse into Bragg’s life. Although there are numerous memorable moments on that DVD, one thing Bragg said jumped out at me. In talking about teachers and deaf children, he said that too often teachers prioritize grammar before communication—something that should not happen. As[.....]

Two incidents took place recently that made me think about the inherent, subconscious biases that we all carry and how they spill over into our interactions with others. The first incident was when I took my two-year-old daughter  in for allergy testing. We went to a different clinic from the one we usually go to,[.....]

This article originally appeared in American Society for Deaf Children’s The Endeavor, Fall 2010. I saw a post on Facebook recently that made me pause. A friend wrote that she had told her two-year-old son, “Mommy’s ears are broken, cannot hear…can’t hear, I use my hands to talk.” Her son then looked inside her ears[.....]

When I see a company name that includes the word “Deaf,” I automatically assume that it’s a Deaf-owned company. And more often than not, I’m disappointed to learn the opposite is true. I once worked with an individual who ran a company that I’ll call Deaf 123. Given the company name, I assumed the company[.....]

This article originally appeared in Gallaudet Today’s Spring 2009 issue. Click here to view the print version. In the changing face of higher education, a student body composed mainly of new high school graduates is being replaced by students of all ages and experiences. Stepping onto a new campus with hundreds – or even thousands[.....]

This article originally appeared in the Faribault Daily News, Faribault, MN. FARIBAULT – More than 1,000 miles away from Faribault, protests at Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf people, in Washington, D.C., have been of keen interest to local residents. When Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, a deaf woman, was chosen as[.....]

This article originally appeared at i711. A friend recently referred to the head of a major deaf services agency as Dr. Smith (Smith, of course, being a fictitious name). I asked why he was referred to as a “Dr.” when he didn’t have a doctorate and wasn’t a medical doctor. “But this guy has a[.....]

This originally appeared at NAD’s Members-Only website area at www.nad.org. Recently, I was preparing a press release for one of my clients who owns a deaf-run business. As the client and I were talking about where to send the press release, I suddenly had a startling realization. There weren’t any deaf newspapers I could send[.....]