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San Diego DEAFestival Virtual

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Asian Signers is a nonprofit organization by Asian Deaf founders. Asian Signers' purpose is to integrate both Asian heritage and Deaf culture through signed literature in the United States. Asian literature in various forms is narrated by diverse Asian representations.

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The Daily Moth

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EDEC - International Week of the Deaf 2020

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EDEC - International Week of the Deaf 2020

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Marshallese Sign Language

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by Yeh Kim

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Austin

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Everyone in This Village Can Speak Sign Language

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Everyone in This Village Can Speak Sign Language

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Everyone in This Village Can Speak Sign Language

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Second place in GU youth programs contest

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2019 NLC ASL Storytelling Second Place Winner - Middle School (TIE)

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Signer: Chella Man

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#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2

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#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2 https://t.co/GlKGP7Ed5X

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#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

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Don’t miss what’s happening

People on Twitter are the first to know.

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#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2 pic.twitter.com/GlKGP7Ed5X
— CHELLA MAN (@chellamanart) September 3, 2020

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#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2 https://t.co/GlKGP7Ed5X

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#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

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#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2 https://t.co/GlKGP7Ed5X

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
#ThisIsMyHistory

The Story of Section 504: Part 2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

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Signer: Chella Man

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Don’t miss what’s happening

People on Twitter are the first to know.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
#ThisIsMyHistory

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 pic.twitter.com/lu0yDW1GMU
— CHELLA MAN (@chellamanart) September 2, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1 https://t.co/lu0yDW1GMU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
#ThisIsMyHistory 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about MY history.
It is on me to learn and discover as it was not taught at my school.

Relatable to many queer, disabled and/or POC who feel their history has been erased.

Story of Section 504 : Part 1

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For MAC: Command + F
For PC: Ctrl+ F

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SCSU Deaf Chinese Team: Zero Project Anthem

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SCSU Deaf Chinese Team: Zero Project Anthem

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“if the tanks succeeds, victory follows” 

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“if the tanks succeeds, victory follows” 

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Signer: Lisa McBee

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Journey to Inner Peace-In Memoriam: Dr. Mike Kemp by Monique Holt (signer) 

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Journey to Inner Peace-In Memoriam: Dr. Mike Kemp by Monique Holt (signer) 

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Journey to Inner Peace-In Memoriam: Dr. Mike Kemp - by Monique Holt

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ASL for the Theatre 101| I Was Most Alive With You

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ASL for the Theatre 101| I Was Most Alive With You

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Signer: Monique Holt

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ASL for the Theatre 101| I Was Most Alive With You

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2 of 31| Monique Holt | Seattle, Washington | Deaf Women Her story Month 2020

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2 of 31| Monique Holt | Seattle, Washington | Deaf Women Her story Month 2020

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2 of 31| Monique Holt | Seattle, Washington | Deaf Women Herstory Month 2020

Image Description: 
A close up image of a woman with short, blonde hair wearing a short-sleeved black top. She is
looking...

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"A Reflection in the Painting" (Sonnet XXIV) by Monique Holt (signer)

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"A Reflection in the Painting" (Sonnet XXIV) by Monique Holt (signer)

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What children can learn from MaxASL

15+ Stories And More On The Way!!

Stories are divided into parts so that users can learn at their own pace. Each story includes three sections: Watch, Read, and Learn. This ensures that each concept is clearly and thoroughly discussed.

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The ASL storybook for everyone to enjoy together! The MaxASL app is the perfect way for parents and educators to connect with deaf children. MaxASL stories combines text, art and design to promote literacy and communication in a visual and vibrant way for everyone involved!

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Max ASL App: Bilingual Visual Stories for Deaf Kids

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Max ASL App: Bilingual Visual Stories for Deaf Kids

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Signer: Fanghai Ku; interviewer: Calvin

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Center for Deaf Health Equity: Fast Fact: Heart Disease 

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Center for Deaf Health Equity: Fast Fact: Heart Disease 

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Signer: young South Asian female

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Korea Sign Language and Fiji Sign Language

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Korea Sign Language and Fiji Sign Language

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Meet the deaf and mute Kochi girl who is now a celebrated model and athlete

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Meet the deaf and mute Kochi girl who is now a celebrated model and athlete

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24-year-old Sophia M Joe was born with hearing and speech disabilities. Neither of these could, however, stop her from reaching the heights of success. Sophia is today a celebrated model and an athlete. A three-time national champion at shot put and discus throw, she has represented India at numerous international events. She is also a talented painter and jewellery designer.

Image : Facebook

Childhood was not easy for the Kochi girl. Schools wouldn't admit her. Her brother, Richard also suffers from the same condition. "It's neither my children's fault nor mine. They were born this way and nothing could help their state. But people made fun of us, taunted us as if we'd committed some sin," Sophia's father Joe Francis told Ken Folios.

Today, Sophia has a BA degree in English Literature from St Xavier's College and is a celebrated model and sportsperson. Her mother Goriatty told India Today, "She has grown up like any other ordinary student. Though we home-schooled her for some years, later we admitted her to an ordinary school in Kerala and trained her ourselves. We are always with her in fulfilling her ambitions and this infused much confidence in her."

Sophia was the first runner-up in Miss India Deaf and Dumb contest in 2014 and represented India at the Miss World Deaf and Dumb Contest in Prague, Czech Republic. She has also acted in a film titled Best Wishes and is training in dance. Sophia also became the first woman from Kerala with a hearing disability to receive a driving licence, for which she went on to knock on the doors of the Delhi High Court. The talented soul aspires to become a car racer in the times to come.
Do you have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at Want to make your startup journey smooth? YS Education brings a comprehensive Funding Course, where you also get a chance to pitch your business plan to top investors. Click here to know more. tci@yourstory.com. To stay updated with more positive news, please connect with us on

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Meet the deaf and mute Kochi girl who is now a celebrated model and athlete

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24-year-old Sophia M Joe was born with hearing and speech disabilities. Neither of these could, however, stop her from reaching the heights of success. Sophia is today a celebrated model and an athlete. A three-time national champion at shot put and discus throw, she has represented India at numerous international events.

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Zionsville Monthly Magazine - Zionsville, Indiana

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April 2018

Writer // Janelle Morrison Photography // Submitted and JJ Kaplan

The story of Zionsville resident Amy Duarte is far from a fairytale but rather an inspiring tale of a woman who was greeted with challenges upon birth and fought her way to a life of success without limitations. Duarte is the epitome of perseverance and courage. She shares her story in hopes of inspiring others who have challenges, disabilities or obstacles to never give up on their dreams and ambitions. All things are possible where there is faith and determination.

Duarte was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she lived with her parents and older brother. At 18 months, her parents knew that something was not right with their daughter. She did not respond to sound.

"Back then, the doctors in Indonesia did not have newborn hearing screenings," Duarte explained. "So the doctors missed that when I was born. We take that [screenings] for granted, but a developing nation, they don't have the resources that we do here in the U.S."

The doctors advised Duarte's parents to come back when she was 4 for lack of knowing any better or how to treat Duarte.

"Sure enough, my parents took me back to the doctor when I was 4 and confirmed my hearing loss," she said. "I was behind in language development, and my parents got me powerful hearing aids to assist, but they had to put me in speech therapy. They never gave up on me. I hated speech therapy and didn't understand why I had to go, but my brother, cousin and friends didn't. It was one the biggest battles between my mom and I. She had to resort to bribing me with Kentucky Fried Chicken. It really worked. I wouldn't be surprised if 'Kentucky' wasn't one of my first words."

Durate would continue to have speech therapies over a 12-year period. The issue of schooling and lack of resources in her home country led Duarte's parents to make a selfless and heartbreaking decision.

"My parents never gave up and would tell me that I had to keep trying," Duarte said. "I thank them for that, and because of them, I learned the tools of how to be self-sufficient. They had the foresight to know that I had to learn to communicate as it would open more doors for me during my life. Back in Indonesia, the schools would not accept what they considered handicapped children. They would not accept me."

Out of options, Duarte's parents sent her out of the country to Montreal, Canada, to stay with her mother's sister and her family.

"I remember going to the airport, and my parents telling me that they were sorry that there just were no other options," Duarte recalled. "I told my parents that I would miss them so much, but I knew that what they were doing was out of pure love."

Duarte was 11 years old when she left for Canada, and rather than falling into despair, she chose to make the best of it. In spite of her hearing deficiency, Duarte had learned to speak Indonesian and English, and due to her surroundings in Quebec, she learned French.

"I learned French from the children's programs on TV and from being submersed in a culture that was 97 percent French-speaking," Duarte explained. "How I learn a language is by watching movies with subtitles. I find that the quickest way to learn. You are not only learning what is being said but how it is being said."

After two years in Canada, Duarte grew quite homesick and flew back to Indonesia to be with her family during summer break. While on break, her father had found a school that was open to meeting Duarte and would consider accepting her admission on the basis that she exhibited hard work and acceptable grades.

"That put a fire under my feet," Duarte exclaimed. "I did not go back to Montreal, and instead, I worked so hard and did very well. My parents decided to immigrate to the U.S. and moved our family to L.A., California, in 1991. I had just turned 14."

As a teenager in high school, Duarte learned sign language. She could communicate with both the hearing and the hearing impaired worlds. Rather than finding refuge in a journal, Duarte documented her experiences and expressed her feelings through sketches. Drawing had been her own therapeutic hobby since she was 5.

"My parents bought me the tape of 'Cinderella' when I was 5," she said. "How can you not fall in love with the little mice and Cinderella's dress? The facial expressions of the mice would make me laugh because they were so animated. That was the spark that made me think to myself that I wanted to create art for the film business one day. Drawing is very therapeutic for me. I show my emotions better through drawing than through my words."

While she was studying and honing her artistic talent, Duarte continued to learn languages despite her physical limitations. In total, Duarte speaks six languages fluently.

She graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a BA in Fine/Studio Arts, General, in 1999. Her hard work ethic and ambitious thirst for becoming an animator paid off. Duarte began her career as an intern for Walt Disney Animation Studios and would become a layout production assistant there. Growing in her talent and her connections, Duarte rose in the ranks and worked as compositor for companies such as Furious FX where she contributed to the films, "Fever Pitch" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," just to name a few.

Duarte became the lighting technical director for Sony Pictures Imageworks and then as technical director for Industrial Light and Magic where she worked on "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Her career would take her to other production companies in L.A. Her resume includes other major films like "The Amazing Spider-Man." She was appointed as a lead artist for several films, including "Fantastic Four," where she advised and guided a team of artists on creating the special effects of Jessica Alba's character (Sue Storm). She was also on the design team that created the top-secret commercial for the Apple Watch before the product was launched.

An avid polo player and spectator, Duarte met her husband Max, the brother of Zionsville resident Susana Suarez, at a match in California. Married with two children, it was time for a new chapter - one that led Duarte and her family to Zionsville in 2016 where she is contently raising her children, creating and selling her personal art and enjoying the creative role as motion designer at Avant Healthcare in Carmel.

For more on Amy Duarte's professional portfolio and art portfolio, visit amyduarte.com.

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April 2018 Writer // Janelle Morrison Photography // Submitted and JJ Kaplan The story of Zionsville resident Amy Duarte is far from a fairytale but rather an inspiring tale of a woman who was greeted with challenges upon birth and fought her way to a life of success without limitations.

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A Hollywood ending: Former Disney artist continues to defy the odds in new hometown 

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A Hollywood ending: Former Disney artist continues to defy the odds in new hometown 

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In her case, it included saying goodbye to her career as a visual effects artist for major film studios and a cross-country relocation from Los Angeles to Indiana.

Now, Duarte, who has been defying the odds since she was born almost completely deaf in Indonesia, works as a motion designer at Avant Healthcare in Carmel, a far cry from Tinseltown. But she couldn't be happier.

"It's almost like the marriage between the medical field and the artistic field. It just worked out perfectly," said Duarte, who creates graphics and videos to make medical concepts understandable for the average consumer. "I'm using the skills that I used in Hollywood here."
'Magically enthralled'
Duarte, 40, spent the first decade of her life in Jakarta, a place that provided few opportunities for people with disabilities despite being the largest city in Indonesia.

So, when she was 11 years old, her parents sent her to live with her aunt and attend school in Quebec, where she received a better education than she could have back home. Two years later she moved back, but not for long. In 1991, the entire family moved to Los Angeles.

It was a welcome move for Duarte, who had a lifelong dream of working in the film industry.

"(As a kid) I was watching the Disney cartoon 'Cinderella' and was magically enthralled by it, the way the mice would make the dress for Cinderella and the part where they were singing, 'We can do it, we can do it,'" Duarte said. "It just stayed with me, the magic of drawing something and bringing it to life. I just knew it's something I wanted to create."

Duarte enrolled in classes at California State University, Northridge and caught her first big break during her freshman year. She had been mailing comic book-style letters to her friends, using cartoons to depict life events. One friend had left a letter on a coffee table when a commercial director stopped by for a visit and requested to connect with the artist behind the images.

That led to a job creating commercial storyboards for McDonald's when Duarte was just 19 years old. And that was just the beginning.
A dream come true
During her junior year, Duarte landed an internship with Disney. After graduating college, the studio hired her full time. She began as a layout assistant during a period when studios were transitioning to digital methods of filmmaking. Her youth worked to her advantage.

"I was a relative newcomer to the field, but I was able to host little workshops to teach the veterans digital media," Duarte said.

Duarte rose through the ranks at Disney and eventually worked for other studios, too. Her first major credit was as a compositor on "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Other works include "Fantastic Four," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Spider-Man 3," "Iron Man 3" and many others.

As an artist, Duarte was responsible for creating backgrounds, special effects and modifications to real life. In the movie "Fever Pitch," for example, the director tasked her with sculpting some of the former professional athletes-turned-actors to resemble what they looked like during their playing days years earlier.

Clara Chan, a computer graphics supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada, worked with Duarte on a few movies in Los Angeles. She described Duarte as kindhearted and trustworthy, both personally and professionally.

"Amy is a very kind person who is always optimistic and cheerful. She is very animated and brings a fun energy to everywhere she goes," Chan said. "She is a hard worker who always does her best and is eager to learn. She is extremely creative and has a unique artistic style in her design."

Duarte experienced the frustrations of anyone working in a Hollywood visual effects studio.

"Sometimes film directors can be like a kid in a candy store," Duarte said. "They don't know what they want because there are too many options."

She faced unique challenges as well. Because she is dependent on reading lips during a conversation, she often had a difficult time during sequence review meetings in crowded, dark theater rooms.

"It wasn't easy," she said. "There were days I felt defeated, but I never gave up."
Trust the journey
After more than two decades living her Hollywood dream, Duarte and her husband, Max, decided they were ready for a scene change. They had visited Zionsville often to visit Max's sister, Susana Suarez, a member of the Zionsville Town Council, and had long felt it would make a good home, Duarte said.

The couple and their two young children moved in May 2016 and have not been disappointed.

"Everybody here has been so welcoming," Duarte said. "I really see the meaning of Hoosier hospitality."

Duarte's path to Zionsville was not the traditional route. Through her struggles and successes, she's followed her life motto: Trust the journey.

"It was the harder path, but at the end I see that there was a purpose for it," Duarte said. "Growing up there were times when I questioned God and it felt so unfair. I saw all my friends who didn't have the struggles I did, but in the long run I saw that God had a purpose for me. Maybe I'm still figuring out what my ultimate purpose is."

Despite her many accomplishments, Duarte is still dreaming. She wants to one day have an art exhibition of her own in or near Zionsville.

So, in many ways, her move to Zionsville was just the beginning.
SWEET LITTLE BIOGRAPHIES
Amy Duarte sometimes misses working in Hollywood, but she's letting her creative juices flow through a project that makes stars out of local children.

Sweet Little Biographies allows parents to capture some of their favorite aspects of their children through a personalized design by Duarte. She draws the child doing one of their favorite things and surrounds the image with things he or she loves, such as favorite foods, movies or pets.

"Parents can capture their child at that moment," Duarte said.

The project has been so successful that some parents have said they want a new drawing every year, Duarte said. She has a waitlist for orders.

"I'm very honored that I can do this to make a lot of local moms happy," Duarte said.

Each Sweet Little Biography costs $120. Learn more at amyduarte.com.

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A Hollywood ending: Former Disney artist continues to defy the odds in new hometown

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For Amy Duarte, moving to Zionsville was the perfect Hollywood ending. In her case, it included saying goodbye to her career as a visual effects artist for major film studios and a cross-country relocation from Los Angeles to Indiana.

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First UN Volunteer with Disabilities from India

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First UN Volunteer with Disabilities from India

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Signer: Rupmani

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Nestle Cream: T-L-C that turns Adobo in Sign Language

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Nestle Cream: T-L-C that turns Adobo in Sign Language

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Deafinity Without Barriers: Vietnam Series: Visiting the Deaf School in Hanoi 

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Deafinity Without Barriers: Vietnam Series: Visiting the Deaf School in Hanoi 

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Signer: Lieurene Tran

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In Bali's Deaf Village, Everyone Speaks Sign Language

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In Bali's Deaf Village, Everyone Speaks Sign Language

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The Philippines Native, Jessel Ariola, is Working As a Deaf Visual Stylist 

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The Philippines Native, Jessel Ariola, is Working As a Deaf Visual Stylist 

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Signer: Jessel Ariola

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Today we'd like to introduce you to Kaye Fernandez.

Kaye, can you briefly walk us through your story - how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was 13 years old when I realized the cultural intelligence of design in the fashion world. I found fashion magazines that showed different styles of clothing but with sharp precision. I noticed that there were different patterns and design theories that were tied with the culture of the people. As a visual person, I enjoyed studying what each culture recognized and saw within their environments by seeing them a project onto their designs. That's why I started Kaye Beauty Fashion Travel. I felt like it was a platform for me to share with the deaf community what other cultures or communities see visually. I think you can really see a person through their paring/style/design of clothing. I want to encourage other people to actively express themselves through their clothing.

We're always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. - but we've spoken with enough people to know that it's not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think something that I've learned with my journey is realizing that fashion is an expensive interest. I think so many people think that fashion has to be a high brand. That's not true. It's about how you put things together not what you put together. I would say to really own and explore all factors of fashion. Don't be afraid to try off the wall styles. Sometimes, you don't realize the clothes on the hanger will look different on you! Just explore! Add a belt, put funky socks, wear jewelry, have fun!

We'd love to hear more about Kaye Faith Style.
I am a deaf fashion and hairstyle influencer. I share my styles and tips with everyone. My biggest demographic is the deaf community and I'm proud of that. I just want to take people on my fashion journey and share what I learn with them. I hope in doing that, other fashion/hair influencers will consider adding captions so that my community has access to more information than just through my vlogs.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I am currently obsessed with "YOU," a Netflix series about a stalker. It's intense and everyone needs to watch it! I am also a big fan of Instagram and YouTube. I enjoy watching other artist's ideas and seeing their work.
Contact Info:

Instagram: @kaye.faith

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaye.faithstyle

Image Credit:
Jake C., Marizol, Joshua Castille, Charly U., Victoria Lum

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it's how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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Today we'd like to introduce you to Kaye Fernandez. Kaye, can you briefly walk us through your story - how you started and how you got to where you are today. I was 13 years old when I realized the cultural intelligence of design in the fashion world.

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Commonly: Patients' Sign Language Interpreter 

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Commonly: Patients' Sign Language Interpreter 

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Signer: Bian Haifang

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Meet A 24-Year-Old Deaf Japanese Film Director Mika Imai (signer)

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Meet A 24-Year-Old Deaf Japanese Film Director Mika Imai (signer)

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Signer: Zaineb "Zee"

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Small Fishing Community's Own Unique Sign Language In Japan

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Small Fishing Community's Own Unique Sign Language In Japan

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Miyakubo Sign Language; Signer: Uiko Yano

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AJ+ What Is It Like to Perform in a Deaf Musical? 

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AJ+ What Is It Like to Perform in a Deaf Musical? 

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Signer: Yan Liu

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#WhyISign Youmee Lee and her mother (signers)

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#WhyISign Youmee Lee and her mother (signers)

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Signer: Anna Lim Franck

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Signer: Kikukawa Ren

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From quarantine baking to a pastry business: Deaf Pinay bakers serve up traditional Filipino goodies in Southern California

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From quarantine baking to a pastry business: Deaf Pinay bakers serve up traditional Filipino goodies in Southern California

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AT a time when the supply for motivation and optimism in humanity is not meeting the demand, it is important to remember that goodness is still the rule and not the exception.

Throughout the past four and a half months of the COVID-19 pandemic, local Filipino-owned businesses have done more than their share, staying open to provide food staples like rice and bread for a community in a time of cloudy uncertainty.

Case in point, meet Aina Mulleda and Sunshine Enriquez, the owners of A&S Sweet, a new Filipino bakery in Panorama City, California that has been serving the greater Los Angeles community with traditional Filipino baked goods via their and pages.

Both born and raised in the Philippines, millennial partners Mulleda and Enriquez were inspired to start their business the way that many people have started new hobbies in the age of quarantine: out of boredom and the need to do something fulfilling.

"It was one of those days when we're not doing anything at home and decided to bake pan de sal and Spanish bread for our family," Mulleda told the Asian Journal in an email. "My aunt decided to have her co-workers try our homemade Filipino breads and we got good feedback from them and that's when people started ordering."

Although the business is young, A&S Sweet's affordable menu ranges from simple staples like pan de sal ($5 for a dozen) and ensaymada ($7 for eight pieces) to delectable desserts like ube custard cake ($16) and mango cake ($23). Every baked good is homemade and made to order and can be customized to address a variety of dietary limitations.

"As long as our customers are satisfied and happy with our breads, we will do our best to serve them," Mulleda said.

Both Mulleda and Enriquez are deaf, which, to some business owners, can be seen as a major obstacle that could negatively affect business. Strength in customer-to-business communication is the backbone of any successful enterprise, but in a world that is becoming more accepting and inclusive of all people regardless of ability, Mulleda doesn't perceive their deafness as a deterrent.

In many ways, it is an asset that reminds other folks in the disabled community that no weapon formed against them will prosper.

"Communication is the most common issue in our deaf community but we always find a way to solve it," Mulleda said, noting that social media has made it easier for business owners of all abilities to operate. "Nothing will stop us from achieving our dream despite [the] communication barrier."

Aside from this new business venture, Mulleda is a graphic design student at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and part-time sales associate at Urban Outfitters, Enriquez has an extensive background in baking.

After graduating from the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila in the Philippines, Enriquez worked at Malacañang Palace for 8 years, cooking and baking. The couple has also traveled around Asia, strengthening their palettes and further invigorating their love for cuisine and cooking.

"She learned a lot from working with other chefs. Her passion for cooking and baking turned into [a] business," Mulleda remarked. When we bake, we want our bread to serve as a sweet reminder of the days when we were living back home."

Though neither Filipina has ever owned a food service business, they hope that their business continues on after the pandemic. Though they started A&S Sweet during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, the young, tenacious bakers don't fear the precarity plaguing businesses across all industries.

As a small, currently home-based bakery, A&S Sweet operates with the knowledge that there will always be a demand for the flavors of the motherland and the inherent desire to serve the community.

"Apart from rice, we Filipinos can't live without bread," Mulleda shared, adding that the bakers plan to expand their menu and, hopefully, open up a brick and mortar shop in the future. "And since most Filipino stores are closed, we still want our Filipino customers to be able to eat their favorite Filipino breads for breakfast or even merienda."

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From quarantine baking to a pastry business: Deaf Pinay bakers serve up traditional Filipino goodies in Southern California

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AT a time when the supply for motivation and optimism in humanity is not meeting the demand, it is important to remember that goodness is still the rule and not the exception. Throughout the past four and a half months of the COVID-19 pandemic, local Filipino-owned businesses have done more than their share, staying open...

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Using Social Justice Standards to Plan Instruction for Deaf and HoH Youth – Arathy Manoharan (signer)

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Using Social Justice Standards to Plan Instruction for Deaf and HoH Youth – Arathy Manoharan (signer)

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Using Social Justice Standards to Plan Instruction for Deaf and HoH Youth – Arathy Manoharan

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Deaf student from Framingham graduates with honors

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Deaf student from Framingham graduates with honors

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Signer: Louise Applegate

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Louise Applegate is graduating from high school today. An athlete, actress, and honors student with two academic bowls under her belt, Louise's accomplishments are made even more impressive considering she is graduating from the Learning Center for the Deaf.

Applegate, 18, is one of 12 seniors who will be receiving their diplomas from the Learning Center this morning. Having attended the Learning Center since elementary school, it marks the end of a long journey.

Born in China, Applegate was put up for adoption when she was 18 months old because she was deaf. With no one to teach her sign language, she spent the first four-and-a-half years without any means of formal communication. It wasn't until her mother Sharon Applegate, who is also deaf, adopted Louise and brought her back to the U.S. that girl was able to begin learning American Sign Language.

According to Judy Vreeland, executive director of the Learning Center, from birth to three years old is the most critical time for language development in children who are born deaf, and those who don't learn until later tend to suffer academically.

"I want to make clear how incredibly exceptional Louise is," Vreeland said. "Deaf children who aren't taught language until after they're four years old typically struggle for the rest of their lives with academics. But Louise is a star student. It's incredible and her mother deserves a lot of credit."

She spent three years living in New Jersey before her mother relocated them to Framingham, where Louise enrolled in the Learning Center for the Deaf.

"I remember when my mother first took me to the U.S. I was ecstatic," Louise said through an ASL interpreter. "It was a whole new world. I was a little shy at the start but I quickly became a social butterfly."

In school, Applegate excels in her classes, having also taken AP History and upper-level science electives at Framingham High School. She has been an active volleyball player and swim team member, and acted in two school plays at the Learning Center.

In the fall, she will attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of the nine colleges that make up the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Her goal is to become a forensic scientist.

"I've changed my mind a few times about what I wanted to do, but I've always been interested in the sciences," she said. "I watch a lot of 'Law and Order' and 'Special Victims Unit.' I've always been fascinated by how they solve the cases."

Her decision to go into the forensic science field was solidified after she took a class in the subject at Framingham High School. She also added that she thinks forensic science will be a good fit for her because there's less verbal communication involved.

"I don't have to talk to dead people," she said.

Louise was one of three students to become the Learning Center's first inductees into the National Honor Society. She also served as a member of the student government, attended a youth leadership conference with the Junior National Association of the Deaf, and has worked as a lifeguard and taught swim lessons to other students at the Learning Center.

"All the younger kids are begging for me to teach swim lessons again," she said. "I'm going to miss watching the kids grow up (after I graduate)."

But as hard as it is to move on, Applegate is excited to get the full college experience. She will be living in the dorms with deaf and hearing students.

"Being at the Learning Center has been a rich experience," she said. "I've met so many people and everyone uses sign language so it's fully accessible. But I don't want to be 100 percent immersed in the deaf world. It is my heritage and my culture but this is a hearing world."

Brad Avery can be reached at 508-626-4449 or by e-mail at bavery@wickedlocal.com. You can follow him on Twitter @BradAvery_MW.

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Deaf student from Framingham graduates with honors

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Louise Applegate is graduating from high school today. An athlete, actress, and honors student with two academic bowls under her belt, Louise's accomplishments are made even more impressive considering she is graduating from the Learning Center for the Deaf. Applegate, 18, is one of 12 seniors who will be receiving their diplomas from the Learning Center this morning.

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SoCal Stories - Christina Somo & Hadel Somo

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SoCal Stories - Christina Somo & Hadel Somo

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Signers: Hadel and Christina (Hala) Somo

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Signers: Hadel and Hala Somo

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When Hala and Hadel Somo immigrated to the United States from Iraq seven years ago they couldn't speak - or even hear - English. Both were born deaf and had no formal training in any form of sign language. Now, as California State University, Northridge students, they're on the way to becoming advocates for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Growing up in Northern Iraq, Hala and Hadel Somo weren't expected to amount to much. Born deaf, the sisters had no formal education, and their only sign language was a system of rudimentary hand gestures they developed to communicate with family members. Few in their small farming village could have imagined they would ever become the strong, confident CSUN students they are today.

Hala, a sociology (criminology and criminal justice) major, and Hadel, a deaf studies major, are both in their freshman year. They're succeeding academically thanks to sheer will, a supportive family and CSUN's strong network of resources.

"In Iraq we were looked down upon, we were considered disabled," Hala says, who is three years younger than Hadel. "There, I couldn't. Here, I have a sense of 'I can.'"

The sisters' journey started seven years ago when they left Iraq. Their father had been threatened, and rather than risk his family's safety he appealed to the United Nations. The entire Somo family - including Hala, Hadel and their six siblings - was granted asylum in the United States.

"Our dad showed us pictures of New York, cowboys and movies so that we would understand we were going to the United States," Hala says.

Once settled in Southern California, Hala, who was 12 at the time, and Hadel, 15, set their sights on education. But it wasn't easy.

"When I first came into high school I didn't know any [American Sign Language (ASL)] or how to read or write English," Hadel says.

Both sisters faced bullying and prejudice because of their deafness and their ethnic background, and they agree the challenges only made them want to work harder.

Graduating from Helix Charter High School, both Hala and Hadel wanted to pursue higher education. It was expected that they follow an older sister - the only family member to attend college - to San Diego State University, but after learning about CSUN through a teacher who is a CSUN alumna, they were determined to become Matadors.

"We want to show our family that we can succeed and make them proud of what we can achieve in life," Hadel says. "We also want the chance to become independent and manage our own responsibilities."

Hala and Hadel both rely on the resources and support of CSUN's National Center on Deafness (NCOD) and the deaf studies program.

"NCOD provides interpreters and volunteer note takers, and offers tutoring in same building which makes it really easy," Hadel says. "I think this is great for giving us opportunities for access."

She hopes to eventually teach ASL and ASL literature and Hala plans to become a disability rights advocate focusing on deaf and hard-of-hearing issues. She is the chair for Just Ask! (JASK), a deaf awareness event held on campus each spring.

"CSUN has helped me to continue to form my own identity and understand Deaf people as a group because I'm continuing to gain full access to communication and understanding by connecting with faculty and other deaf students," Hadel says.

Both sisters are now U.S. citizens and plan to eventually attend graduate school programs.

"I'm so happy we're here and that my life has gone in the direction it has, that this is now my life," Hala says.

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When Hala and Hadel Somo immigrated to the United States from Iraq seven years ago they couldn't speak - or even hear - English. Both were born deaf and had no formal training in any form of sign language. Now, as California State University, Northridge students, they're on the way to becoming advocates for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

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Graduate of School for the Deaf aims to break barriers

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Graduate of School for the Deaf aims to break barriers

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Signer: Joseph Lewis

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Joseph Lewis has never been one to let his deafness limit his opportunities, interning at the White House, spending two years with AmeriCorps and now working for the federal government in Washington, D.C.

And Lewis, who was adopted from South Korea at age 5 and grew up in Marion, has his sights set on breaking ground in politics, hoping to be a future deaf trailblazer in that arena.

After a 2009 internship in Sen. Tom Harkin's office in Washington, Lewis told Harkin "when he retires, I'll take his position, and he said OK," Lewis said through an interpreter during an interview this week, smiling at the memory.

Politics is one of his passions, and Lewis hopes to move back to his home state someday to pursue elected office.

"I want to break that barrier," he said. "I want to break through and do it and show people that deaf people can."

He encourages other deaf and hearing-impaired students to follow their passions, including politics, where he says there are few deaf leaders as role models.

"No matter what their limitations are ... they need to go for it and face their limitations and don't let those barriers prevent them from doing things," he said.

Lewis, 26, attended school in Marion for a few years before enrolling at the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs during middle school. He was an advocate for the deaf school during recent discussions about its future, and he says he'll remain a supporter on its behalf because of the difference it made in his life.

"The education, yes, is important, but the culture is something that I really needed," he said of being around a community of deaf people. "I visited the deaf school and it was like culture shock. I saw all the students signing, I saw the teachers, the nurse, everybody was signing."

Lewis graduated as the Iowa School for the Deaf valedictorian in 2005 and went on to attend Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., a school that's well known in the deaf community.

Gallaudet is a campus of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and some hearing students, from around the world. That diversity served him well and boosted his confidence, Lewis said. He also felt fortunate to be in a city that's so political, a locale that fit in with his interest in government.

During his summer 2009 internship with Harkin's office, Lewis handled the mail and helped with new office policies and research. The experience meant a lot to Lewis because Harkin knows American Sign Language, and he got to meet the senator several times.

"It really inspired me," Lewis said.

Armed with a letter of recommendation from Harkin, Lewis landed the White House internship for spring 2010. Along with 23 other interns, Lewis read thousands of letters and correspondence to President Barack Obama. The interns forwarded on what they thought were the most important letters to the director of correspondence, who chose the ones the president would read.

"I got to read how other people feel, and understand what Americans really need from President Obama," Lewis said. "It was our job to pick the letters that we felt were more impactful or inspiring."

One of the most impressive memories, he said, was getting to bowl in the Truman bowling alley in the White House on the interns' last day.

After graduating with a degree in government, Lewis served two years with AmeriCorps before taking his job as a correspondence specialist in the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The department has three staff sign language interpreters, and he also uses technology to communicate with co-workers who don't sign. Lewis gets together for monthly lunches with other deaf employees in the department, a good way to talk about work issues with mentors, he said."If you want to thrive, you have to work hard and have a positive attitude, don't get frustrated and move on," Lewis said.

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Graduate of School for the Deaf aims to break barriers

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Joseph Lewis has never been one to let his deafness limit his opportunities, interning at the White House, spending two years with AmeriCorps and now working for the federal government in Washington, D.C.

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Signer: Ronnie Cuartero

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It's a familiar scene: one player telling a friend about their latest match. The life totals, the cards in hand, the big topdeck that changed it all. It's a conversation repeated a thousand times throughout the event hall at Grand Prix Washington D.C., and one that will be repeated until Magic has spent its last life point.

This time, it was different.

As Ryan Modica shared his story with teammate Ronnie Cuartero, two longtime friends from New York, not a single word passed between the two.

Not that it needed to. They've played Magic together for years, ever since meeting while in school at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the first and largest technological college in the world for students deaf or hard of hearing. Bonding over classes, homework, and Magic, they began playing together regularly, and after conquering the basics of the game, they were ready to take it to the next level.

That's exactly what they did in D.C., teaming with fellow friend and classmate Gregory Croke to play in their first-ever Grand Prix.

Ronnie Cuartero and Ryan Modica began playing Magic together in college, and along Gregory Croke they they played in their first Grand Prix as a team in Washington, D.C.

Magic is a complicated game, with complex rules, deep strategy, and no shortage of intricate decisions. All of these things are labored over by players worldwide - what hands to mulligan, what lands to play, how to build their draft deck - and they're the subject of intense and constant discussion that players spend hours thinking about.

What they don't think about is something most take for granted - the ability to speak to an opponent.

Something that seems so simple to many at the largest team event in Magic's history is anything but the trio from New York. For them, nearly every round began with the same routine: a written note to their opponents explaining, and a quiet match driven by hand signals and written notes after that.

It may seem difficult - and it certainly wasn't easy - but for Modica, Cuartero, and Croke, it was a lot less complicated than it might seem.

After all, Magic is Magic.

"It's really not that hard to play with a hearing person," Cuartero explained through an interpreter. "When two deaf people play, it's actually very talkative. They chat, get excited, use a lot of big gestures. When you play with a hearing person it's usually very quiet, you only communicate when you need to because not many people can sign.

"And some people don't want to communicate at all and never even realize you're deaf," he added with a smile.

It may not seem obvious, but for a game that regularly transcends language barriers, it shouldn't come as any surprise that it transcends the barrier of spoken language itself. Even so, it's not easy to play a Grand Prix - the first for Modica and Croke and the second for Cuartero - while communicating differently than most of your opponents. For many following along from home, it can be intimidating. Even if playing games is manageable, there are practical concerns; announcements made over the speaker system such as round pairings aren't made for people who can't hear the speaker.

"There are challenges, but you have to be proud of yourself, and be yourself," Cuartero said. "If you are, you will be okay."

That self-assurance comes through clearly in the team's play.

"We played against them in Round 5, and they wrote us a note at the beginning of the match explaining," Steve Scholten said. "The biggest thing we kept in mind during our match was respect, and there was a lot of mutual respect. What they're doing is pretty courageous in a way; they could end up playing against people who were rude or not very good at communication. It's not something I know I'd be brave enough to do.

"Even though we couldn't speak, communication was very clear - that was the part I found most surprising. Ronnie wrote down 'good luck' on his notepad when we began the match, and I pointed back at it before we started the next game. We understood each other. I'm very glad to have had that experience, and it is one of the most memorable Magic moments of my life."

The tournament itself didn't end exactly the way Cuartero, Modica, and Croke would have liked - they dropped after going 3-3-1 on Saturday. Then again, they didn't measure their first Grand Prix as a team in terms of wins and losses.

"Most people are nice, so just be yourself and people will be nice to you," Croke said. "We feel welcome here."

As the friends turned to leave the hall, just one question remained: how would they describe their first Grand Prix experience?

Modica's answer took no words - spoken or signed - to understand.

A fast-spreading smile and a big thumbs up.
Special thanks to Nicolette Apraez for translating.
Gregory Croke, Ronnie Cuartero, and Ryan Modica.

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It's a familiar scene: one player telling a friend about their latest match. The life totals, the cards in hand, the big topdeck that changed it all. It's a conversation repeated a thousand times throughout the event hall at Grand Prix Washington D.C., and one that will be repeated until Magic has spent its last life point.

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Signers: Nageena Ahmadzai and Ronnie Cuartero

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Signer: Sophia Hu

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Sophia Hu rugby portrait Credit: Abby Graham , Abby Graham

Sophia Hu adeptly navigates the crowds of the Night Market in Chinatown, avoiding sloshing cups of beer. We are searching for ice cream to top off the night. This is when Sophia's rugby skills become apparent, as she pushes through the throngs of people like she's trying to score a goal against Princeton.

What is not so apparent is that, in addition to being a sophomore at Penn, an athlete and a chemistry major, Sophia also happens to be deaf.

She's adamant about the terminology - she is deaf, not hearing impaired. "I've never thought of deaf culture as a disability," she says. "Deaf culture is an actual culture ... it means you recognize deafness as an identity and not a disability."

Related: University approves ASL/Deaf Studies minor

Being deaf certainly has not stopped Sophia. As a member of the rugby team, she runs around and gets tackled on a field for four hours every week. "It's awesome ... I've always been fascinated with rugby since I was little," she said.

Her love of rugby doesn't stem from winning games. "Rugby emphasizes a lot of teamwork ... It's amazing how whenever I'm down and I need someone to support me, I always have a teammate there behind me to help me."

However, there are some complications in playing rugby due to being deaf. "I have to be more visually aware. I can call out but they can't call out to me."

Sophia is by definition, completely deaf. But she is able to hear at least partially, because she received a cochlear implant at age three. She then lip reads to match the sounds from the implant to words. It is an imperfect process, especially when there is a lot of ambient noise or when many people are speaking.

This becomes clear as we join a few hallmates at the Night Market for bubble tea. The flurry of voices and loud music make conversation difficult, and we end up communicating through facial expressions, or in the end, inadvertently leaving Sophia out.

Sophia's sister Jennifer, a senior at Swarthmore College, describes this phenomenon as a subtle example of the "isolation in the hearing world" that deaf people face. Called "dinner party syndrome," it occurs when a deaf person is interacting with a group of hearing people who do not sign, so the deaf person ends up "pretty much sitting and eating dinner alone."

The social aspect of interacting with other people can at times be difficult. Although Penn barely has a deaf culture, Sophia decided to attend Penn over the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology, which has a population of 1,269 undergraduates who are deaf. According to Sophia, there are two completely deaf undergraduates at Penn - she and her friend Connor McLauren, a College sophomore.

"You can keep up academically, but not socially.... I don't go to dances [or] parties much. If it's a debate club I'll never join that," Sophia said. Penn also provides less romantic prospects, since according to her, "most deaf people tend to date other people in the deaf culture."

Connor agrees that the lack of deaf culture can be disappointing at times. "Sophia and I are pretty good friends and we have each other and that's pretty much it."

However, he also sees his time at Penn as an opportunity. "I think Sophia and I are going to help educate people on deaf culture."

Sophia has experienced this lack of understanding of deaf culture in her life. She recalled an experience where a woman she met at a restaurant, upon learning that Sophia was deaf, immediately started shouting and using exaggerated hand motions to communicate. "I wish I could let them know deaf people are normal.... I tell them to think of deaf people as foreigners who speak a different language."

But Sophia doesn't let these experiences dishearten her. "There are things that are harder for me to do but I can still do them." After a beat, she admits, "Of course, I can't sing."

Related: Comedy groups perform for charity
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Sophia Hu adeptly navigates the crowds of the Night Market in Chinatown, avoiding sloshing cups of beer. We are searching for ice cream to top off the night. This is when Sophia's rugby skills become apparent, as she pushes through the throngs of people like she's trying to score a goal against Princeton.

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March for Science - Boston : Alicia Wooten Deaf Speaker

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March for Science - Boston : Alicia Wooten Deaf Speaker

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March for Science - Boston : Alicia Wooten Deaf Speaker

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Signer: Alicia Wooten

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Signer: Alicia Wooten

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Signer: Alicia Wooten

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Signer: Alicia Wooten

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Signer: Alicia Wooten

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Dlected members of CSUN’s student government, Associated Students 

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Dlected members of CSUN’s student government, Associated Students 

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Signers: Jaspreet Ghotra and John Pak

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Hoping to tear down misconceptions that college is beyond the reach of deaf students, California State University, Northridge seniors Jaspreet Ghotra and John Pak made university history this year as elected members of CSUN's student government, Associated Students.

This is the first time that two Deaf senators have served together in the CSUN Associated Student governing body, and the first time since 1990 that a deaf student has served in student government.

"Last year, a friend of mine who was a senator urged me to run," said Ghotra. "I was actually really scared because everyone is hearing and I would be the only Deaf candidate running, and [I wondered] would they even accept me? I met the other candidates, who were so open-minded and accommodating that I fell in love with it. I felt really supported with AS and I also saw how AS supports students rights and solves issues for students on campus."

Pak said he too was drawn to the advocacy done through the student government.

"I've been coming to CSUN since my freshman year and I've been heavily involved with different organizations, but I always felt like there was something missing," he said. "Jaspreet knew I was interested and motivated so she told me about applying to be a senator for the College of Education. I wanted to advocate for the college on the school level and the state level."

David Crandall, general manager for Associated Students, said Ghotra and Pak were valued members of the student government.

"CSUN is a very special place in part because of our culture, which embraces and accommodates deaf and hard-of-hearing students, faculty and staff," said Crandall. "I realized, when I looked at Jaspreet and John, that the CSUN Associated Students was probably the only college or university student government in the United States, and maybe in the world, except for Gallaudet and Rochester, where there were two student senators who were deaf or hard-of-hearing."

Ghotra, a graduating senior who is originally from Portland, Ore., said she felt there were few educational choices for a Deaf community member in her hometown. While attending community college and trying to figure out her options, she met a friend who told her about CSUN.

"I was shocked, because I thought there were only two options for me - Rochester and Gallaudet," she said. "Those were the only ones that I had heard of. CSUN was a perfect place for me as a deaf student. I changed my major from interior design to deaf studies because I love the education that is offered here."

Pak, a senior graduating in the fall of 2015, agreed.

"In high school I was a straight-A student, but I didn't really have future aspirations for college," he said. "I didn't think it was for me. I couldn't do that. But my teacher, who is a CSUN alumnus, said that I was bright and smart enough to go to college and that I should check out CSUN."

Pak is a deaf studies major with emphasis on cultural studies and a minor in psychology.

CSUN's Department of Deaf Studies is designed specifically to educate our society about the value of human diversity centered on Deaf people and their lived experiences, explained Flavia Fleischer, chair of CSUN's Department of Deaf Studies. Objectives of the program are to provide students with a deeper understanding of the Deaf community, and of themselves, so that they gain self-confidence and make an impact on the world.

"Deaf people have very limited opportunities to advance their education and often lack the appropriate and necessary support and resources to successfully navigate through education," said Fleischer. "As a result, many deaf students drop out of college during their first two years."

Ghotra and Pak have devoted their undergraduate education to changing prevalent perceptions about deaf and hard-of-hearing people, both within the Deaf community and with the population at large. As student senators, they had the opportunity to advocate for the Deaf community.

"Young deaf people feel like we can't do things because we are deaf and that's something you just accept growing up. As a result, you ignore things on a bigger scale because you feel like it has nothing to do with you," said Pak. "There are huge gaps [in equity]. We try to make things equitable for everyone and bring all demographics together to pull everyone up at the same time. That's definitely our goal."

Ghotra concurs.

"I wanted to show the Deaf community, and the general population, that I am a deaf individual and I am capable. The only person that can stop me is myself," she said. "[Being in AS,] helped me to think outside of my own box and know that I really can do this. Before I graduate I really want to tell people that deaf students can be involved just as much as hearing people - you have a voice and you can fight so just do it!"

Fleischer noted that Ghotra and Pak's election as AS senators "indicates our students' commitment to ensuring that diverse student groups are included in student representation."

Jim Macaluso, associate director of CSUN's National Center on Deafness, agreed.

"Both student ambassadors consistently demonstrate service to the campus community on behalf of all deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals," he said. "Such persistent commitment and energy, over and above academic rigors, while maintaining unwavering civility is a rarity to behold."

Although John and Jaspreet will soon embark on new adventures, the education they have received at CSUN has inspired them to continue their work in advocacy.

"The norm out there right now are that [deaf] students feel like they can't go to school, work, college or anything and they just accept that. I want to let K-12 students know that there are opportunities for them in education," said Ghotra. "We are learning from Professor Fleischer to come at education in a positive way to try and make things equitable."

"You can't really educate through criticism, you've got to educate through love," said Pak. "I want to lift the community as a whole and show deaf people that there really is nothing stopping you but yourself. You just have to be persistent and resilient in the hearing world. I can tell them that I've been in those same shoes, when I felt like I couldn't do things because I was deaf. Now I know that I can do it. There's nothing really to lose, only things to gain, by being involved."

Associated Students, Deaf Community, Students

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CSUN Senators Make Campus History, Refuse to Allow Deafness to Become a Barrier to Success

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Hoping to tear down misconceptions that college is beyond the reach of deaf students, California State University, Northridge seniors Jaspreet Ghotra and John Pak made university history this year as elected members of CSUN's student government, Associated Students. This is the first time that tw

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Amy Grindrod: CEO & Creative Director | Pink Crown Media

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Amy Grindrod: CEO & Creative Director | Pink Crown Media

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Amy Grindrod

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Amy Grindrod

CEO & Creative Director | Pink Crown Media

Amy Grindrod is the Founder and CEO of Pink Crown Media. She has a background as a creative data driven marketing and business professional focusing on business and digital strategy by working with the latest technology and platforms.

She has worked with several organizations and consulted clients on B2B or B2C marketing and public relations strategy and launched several PR and digital marketing campaigns to gain new market share, expand the market and generate bottom line results. She also has a background in and knowledge of web design & front-end development.

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Amy Grindrod is the Founder and CEO of Pink Crown Media.

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Signer: Asian person

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Signer: Cameron

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Signer: Abdulrahman

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American Sign Language - Numbers 1 to 10

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Signer: Cameron

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Signer: Joey Antonio

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Signer: Yeh Kim

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Signers: Ketsi Hottle and Mai

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Signer: Junman Lee

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Dorothy S. Casterline: Linguist, Writer and Teacher

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Dorothy S. Casterline: Linguist, Writer and Teacher

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Dorothy S. Casterline
Linguist, Writer and Teacher

Pioneer of ASL
Dorothy Sueoka Casterline - a Deaf Asian woman from Honolulu, Hawaii, graduated from Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, then...

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Partnership brings Chinese language instruction to Delaware School for the Deaf

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Partnership brings Chinese language instruction to Delaware School for the Deaf

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A new program at the Delaware School for the Deaf is expected to pay dividends both here in Newark and in China.

Zhiyuan Hou, a deaf graduate student from China, will spend the next year at DSD teaching the students about Chinese Sign Language and Chinese culture. At the same time, he will learn more about deaf education in the United States and be able to take that knowledge back to his home country.

"It's a win-win," said Kathy Johnson, a professor and director of the Confucius Institute at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Johnson and her colleague, Amy Knopf, are researching deaf education in China and whether learning a second sign language improves cognition for deaf kids like learning a second spoken language does for hearing students.

Hou is one of three Chinese grad students who are interning in American K-12 schools through a pilot program established by St. Cloud State. The others were placed in deaf schools in Minnesota and Iowa.

He will live in the dorms at DSD and spend a year working with the students. The East Chestnut Hill Road school, which serves about 115 students from birth to 21, is operated by the Christina School District but provides support to all public schools and charters in Delaware.

"I want them to learn Chinese Sign Language, learn a second language, so we can communicate through different cultures," Hou said.

Chinese Sign Language and American Sign Language are as different as the two spoken languages, said Xiaorong Zhou, a deaf Chinese researcher working with St. Cloud State and spending two weeks at DSD. Many of the signs are different, and the two languages employ different hand shapes and facial expressions.

"I'm so happy to come to the U.S. to collaborate," said Zhou, who speaks six languages and runs a company that trains Chinese teachers in Chinese Sign Language.

DSD held a school-wide assembly on Friday to introduce the students to Hou and Zhou, who talked briefly about their experiences growing up in China and answered questions from the DSD students, who excitedly asked about the Chinese signs for various words.

DSD is also encouraging families to invite Hou to their homes or take him sightseeing around Delaware.

Christine Sharkey, a teacher at DSD, said the chance to learn Chinese Sign Language is a big deal for her students.

"They're going to be learning another language. Deaf kids don't have that opportunity anywhere," Sharkey said. "They're so excited."

She is still developing the curriculum but said she expects it to involve learning about the Chinese culture, not just the language.

"You can't learn a language in isolation," she said. "You have to put it with a culture."

Johnson and Knopf, who have traveled to China to work with deaf educators there, said they hope the program continues, with DSD getting a new intern each year and the initiative eventually expanding to other deaf schools around the country.

They also hope to take a group of DSD students to China in 2021.

While helping American kids learn Chinese Sign Language, the interns will develop the leadership skills they need to improve deaf education in China.

In China, education for deaf students is less student-centered.

"In China, it's memorizing word for word and very limited," Zhou said.

Most of the teachers in China aren't deaf, and they receive little training in how to teach deaf kids, Knopf said.

Career opportunities are limited for Chinese deaf students, who are generally limited to studying either computers or art in college, she added.

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Partnership brings Chinese language instruction to Delaware School for the Deaf

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A new program at the Delaware School for the Deaf is expected to pay dividends both here in Newark and in China. Zhiyuan Hou, a deaf graduate student from China, will spend the next year at DSD teaching the students about Chinese Sign Language and Chinese culture.

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Whitewashing Culture by Leang Ngov (signer)

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Whitewashing Culture by Leang Ngov (signer)

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image description: long haired Leang, wearing beige t-shirt with long necklace, sitting in front of a fireplace with mantle which holds four Cambodian statues and glide chair next to the fireplace]

Titled "Whitewashing Culture"

[transcription: When I posted a while ago about whitewashing culture, I noticed that people had difficult time accepting that. As the first generation here in America, which means I was born here and my family were not, I have experienced a lot of cultural clashes. Using my own life experiences, I can tell you that we do indeed live in whitewashing culture.

Let me give you several examples from my experience:

When I was a kid, let me say first I grew up eating homemade food from my culture, anyway once I wanted to bring a lunch from home to school because I was tired of eating lunch at school and we were on a field trip. I actually made my own lunch and I was only 7 years old because my family didn't know how to make American lunch. Ironically, what I packed wasn't your typical American lunch like PB + jelly sandwich lunch. I thought the food I packed were normal and I was so excited. When it was lunchtime, we were eating our lunch. I'd get comments, like "Umm...what is that?" and disgusted looks from my peers and even my teachers, too.
If I were to dress "strangely" or behave differently, I'd get labeled "FOB" which stands for fresh off boat. That term is a racial slur.
The only times I'd get compliments for wearing my traditional cultural clothes is when we celebrate Cultural Appreciation Day at school, or for photo op. However, if I were to wear them on street on everyday thing, I'd get called "gook" or "FOB," or comments like "Aren't you proud to be American?" "You're not patriotic!" "Go back to where you came from!" Even though I could've said the same thing to them because if you look far back in their family history, they were originated from Europe or elsewhere. I personally have seen many white people wearing clothes from other cultures and they would be praised for being well-rounded people, or for being open-minded or for being enlightened. I have personally seen white folks wearing loose yoga pants with tank top, having already traveled from India and they'd get praised that they looked like they've had such awakening journey. Can the same thing be said about Indians for wearing the clothes from their own culture here? I'm not talking about wedding but in general. On a side note, I wanted to add my recent epiphany: my firstborn was wanting to wear a sarong from my family's culture to school, and I protested against this and caught myself before telling them to not wear such clothing because it would look strange. This was the result of me being whitewashed for so long and I nearly passed that onto my children, who are the 2nd generation.

Those were just few examples of what I went through every day growing up and it taught me to judge other races if they were not being whitewashed enough to blend in.

As I continue to unpack, the more disgusted I get at the concerning social injustice issues. I admit, at first I didn't understand why Native Americans were upset that people were wearing their cultural clothes and accessories, and I didn't understand the concept of cultural appropriation. Now, I understand that my identity as an minority....as the first generation here in America...was being taken away, yet white people are profiting from my culture. It is upsetting because after unpacking and recognizing this problem, I'm noticing that this is happening in my family's country. I recently visited Cambodia and I see organization and business being run in Cambodia by white people. We're being made fun of for our culture...for our cultural clothing...for our language...for our physical appearance. As our identity are being stripped away by this whitewashing culture, people who have not experienced racism and oppression on the same level as us get to move in and profit from all these things that were stolen from us? Hearing people are not the only cultural appropriation offenders...I see this happening in my own Deaf community. I'm calling for the community accountability. People don't realize that by swooping in my country and run their business using MY people...using MY culture...using MY country...to profit for themselves, they're taking the opportunities away from Deaf Khmers. They...no, I mean, we, as Deaf Khmers, do not need saviors. Why not partner up or set up workshops to show us how to run our own businesses or start our own organizations? Think of Deaf President Now...who's better suited to run the world's 1st Deaf university than a Deaf member of our community? Or what about Baby Signs? Who's better suited to teach hearing babies AND Deaf babies than a Deaf member of our community whose primary language is sign language? Now, the question is, who is better suited to run the organizations and businesses that have to do with my culture...with my country in Cambodia than those who were born and raised in my culture? It is not something that people can "study" for a few years and be qualified as an expert.

Ending this vlog with this thought: if you wanted to purchase items or obtain the services, please consider doing so from authentic sources.]

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image description: long haired Leang, wearing beige t-shirt with long necklace, sitting in front of a fireplace with mantle which holds four Cambodian statues and glide chair next to the fireplace] Titled "Whitewashing Culture" [transcription: When I posted a while ago about whitewashing culture, I noticed that people had difficult time accepting that.

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Surdna Foundation Announces Nearly $13 Million Investment in Artists of Color to Advance Racial Justice

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Surdna Foundation Announces Nearly $13 Million Investment in Artists of Color to Advance Racial Justice

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Signer: Lee Ann Tang

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Surdna's Artist Regranting Initiative Will Support up to 260 Projects in Communities Across the Nation over Three Years

The Surdna Foundation announced today a nearly $13 million commitment to support artists of color working to advance racial justice within their local communities. The funds will be distributed through an artist regranting initiative featuring a diverse cohort of eleven intermediary organizations, which are national and regional in scope, and include several municipal and local partnerships.

As part of Surdna's Thriving Cultures program, the artist regranting initiative will support artists of color around the country, funding up to 87 artist-led projects each year and approximately 260 projects over three years. Regranting partners will distribute Surdna's funds to artists, artist collectives, and small artist organizations to work with their communities to imagine and practice racially just systems and structures at a local scale.
Signed by interpreter Lee Ann Tang via Creando Lazos and captioned by ACS Captions.
Surdna's regranting initiative reflects its commitment to its social justice values and the core strategy of its Thriving Cultures program: Radical Imagination for Racial Justice. As Culture/Strike, a long-standing partner to Surdna's Thriving Cultures program, reminds us, "arts have a history of successfully speaking to our hearts and minds by shining a light on injustice and by articulating alternatives that can make communities more sustainable." This truth is foundational to Surdna's artist regranting initiative under its Create strategic approach.

"As communities across our nation work together to survive COVID-19, artists are uniquely positioned to help us imagine and build a more just future in which we all can thrive," said F. Javier Torres, Program Director of the Foundation's Thriving Cultures program. "We are proud to partner with organizations that provide direct, on-the-ground support and technical assistance to artists of color. Our artist regranting cohort invests in the leaders and communities most impacted by injustice because they bring the necessary lived experience, strategies, and creativity to realize racially just societies."

The key aspect of the Foundation's regranting initiative is its diverse cohort containing several learning clusters attempting to impact prevailing inequities in arts grantmaking in specific ways. Among the clusters are organizations focused on the U.S. South, local cross-sector partnerships between municipal governments and local arts nonprofits, and culturally specific intermediaries serving Latinx and Indigenous communities.

The eleven member organizations of the regranting cohort are listed below with additional information on partnerships and funding regions.
Learn More Correction: At 00:42, the video says the program funds "at least 87 artist-led projects per year and a total of 260 projects over three years." It should say "up to 87 artists artist-led projects per year and approximately 260 projects over three years" instead.

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Surdna Foundation Announces Nearly $13 Million Investment in Artists of Color to Advance Racial Justice - Surdna Foundation

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Surdna Foundation announced a nearly $13 million commitment to support artists of color working to advance racial justice within their local communities. The funds will be distributed through an artist regranting initiative featuring a diverse cohort of eleven intermediary organizations, which are national and regional in scope, and include several municipal and local partnerships.

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IN BETWEEN WORLDS: ASIAN DEAF PERSPECTIVES

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IN BETWEEN WORLDS: ASIAN DEAF PERSPECTIVES

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Signers:  John Pak, Lee Ann Tang, Desiree Duong, Kimberly Han, Mingchen and Jaspreet Ghotra

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Huge thanks to Deaf Studies Association and Deaf Studies Department for hosting annual Social Justice workshop on first weekend of November 2018.

Mingchen and Kimberly were asked to be part of the panel focusing on our Asian Deaf perspectives. Along with three wonderful individuals: John Pak, Leeann Tang, and Desiree Duong, this panel was a success. Not only that, workshops offered were eye-opening. See the flyer below.

The panel took about an hour and fifteen minutes and the questions asked by the facilitator, Jaspereet Ghorta were excellent. Answering these questions had the audience learn something new about our cultures and words as Deaf Asian individuals. It had been a honor to be part of the panel because it was the first time Social Justice had Asian Deaf panel since 2009.

Cheers!

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In Between Worlds: Asian Deaf Perspectives

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Huge thanks to Deaf Studies Association and Deaf Studies Department for hosting annual Social Justice workshop on first weekend of November 2018. Mingchen and Kimberly were asked to be part of the panel focusing on our Asian Deaf perspectives. Along with three wonderful individuals: John Pak, Leeann Tang, and Desiree Duong, this panel was a...

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20-Year-Old Artist Chella Man Is the Face of A Movement

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20-Year-Old Artist Chella Man Is the Face of A Movement

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Amidst the chaos of a magazine photo shoot, Chella Man is easily spotted by his natural benevolence. Preparing for the camera, he's arrived in a pair of oversized pants covered with large drawings-demurely cool, yet attentive. The 20-year-old activist and artist is no stranger to backstage haze: he recently joined IMG agency and added modeling to his growing list of occupations, which placed him on the TEDx Talks stage to lecture about trans visibility earlier in May.

"I still can't grasp being considered on the forefront of a movement," he explains after we post up in a corner of the studio to chat about his last two years in the spotlight. "This is all about anyone who came before me. There is no way I'd be here without them."

In an era brimming with YouTube stars and Instagram influencers, Chella stands out by using social media to chronicle his gender re-affirmation process. He is a Deaf, Asian-American, Jewish trans-man, dismantling one stereotype at a time to re-define what it means to be a role model and public figure. "Instead of waiting for big corporations to decide which faces to bring to public attention, we can all represent ourselves by posting a selfie or sharing an experience on Instagram," he says about the influence of technology on self-expression. "If I only had to rely on faces presented to me, I couldn't find anyone similar to myself. The freedom to choose who I follow or who appears on my feed is amazing."

Born in a small Pennsylvania town, Chella knew he had to pave his way to the city when Trump came to his high school during his presidential campaign. He remembers hearing homophobic chantings along the school corridors. "I was motivated to get out of there and start building a chosen family for myself," he says, comparing having parents as supportive as his own to winning the lottery.

At just 20 years old, Chella has amassed a massive social media presence with Instagram and YouTube accounts that span hundreds of thousands of followers. However, don't expect him to boast about the last dish he had or vacation he took-Chella is aware of his influence on up-and-coming queer kids and utilizes his platform to make them feel supported.

"I am privileged to be safe and publicly open about my identity at the moment," he says, aware of the hefty responsibly on his shoulders. "I am able to speak up but I never want to be the voice of anything. If you have a unique story, it's important to share it."

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20-Year-Old Artist Chella Man Is the Face of A Movement

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Amidst the chaos of a magazine photo shoot, Chella Man is easily spotted by his natural benevolence. Preparing for the camera, he's arrived in a pair of oversized pants covered with large drawings-demurely cool, yet attentive.

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Villages, gifs, and children: Signed languages in real world contexts with linguist Lynn Hou (signer)

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Villages, gifs, and children: Signed languages in real world contexts with linguist Lynn Hou (signer)

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36: Villages, gifs, and children: Signed languages in real world contexts with linguist Lynn Hou

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Signer: Nayo Lim Franck

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Q&A with Anna Lim Franck, Doctoral Student, Co-Creator of “Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19”

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Q&A with Anna Lim Franck, Doctoral Student, Co-Creator of “Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19”

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note: please pardon that a photo of the white woman is irrelevant.

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Anna Lim Franck is a multiethnic queer deaf immigrant womxn from Manila, Philippines. She is a Glenn Fellow and soon-to-be third-year doctoral student in the Educational Studies program with a specialization in Language and Literacy Education. She is a research assistant for Dr. Naomi Caselli's ASL-LEX and ASL Vocabulary Acquisition Project and Dr. Amy Lieberman's Language Acquisition and Visual Attention Lab. She has recently finished collaborating on a video Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19

Anna recently answered some of our questions about this project, sharing insights about her experiences and the creation of the video.
1. Tell us about yourself. What brought you to BU? What are some of your research goals and plans for life after BU?
I'm a multiethnic queer deaf immigrant womxn from a multigenerational deaf family in Manila, Philippines. I'm wife to a transracial and transnational Korean adoptee and mother to a toddler and another son coming this summer. I started out at BU as a research assistant for Dr. Naomi Caselli's LexLab back in 2017 right after I graduated from Gallaudet University with a master's degree in Linguistics. My main lab work right now is related to my capacity as a member of my advisor's, Dr. Amy Lieberman, LavaLab where we look at how deaf children acquire language. I decided to pursue my doctoral studies at BU because I have great experiences working with their ASL and Deaf Studies Department faculty and with the ODS interpreting team. I just finished my second year of the Language and Literacy Education program (now Educational Studies). My research focus is on how deaf immigrant students of color navigate classroom discourse in the U.S. As for life after BU, I aspire to teach a Pilipino Studies class and work in a program that aims to be of assistance to deaf immigrant students of color.
2. Where did the idea to create this video come from?
About a couple of months ago, we watched the first town hall (of a series) called "A Town Hall on Anti-Asian Racism: Race, Struggle, and Solidarity in The Time of A Global Pandemic" presented by The People's Collective for Justice and Liberation and co-hosted by Gregory Cendana of Can't Stop! Won't Stop! Consulting and DJ Kuttin Kandi of Asian Solidarity Collective. My wife, Nayo, got inspired by this town hall to take action to raise awareness in the deaf communities regarding the impact the pandemic has on Asian Americans because it is not widely discussed in circles we're in. She wrote the script and we got together with our Asian Womxn Signers Facebook group co-moderators to discuss about other potential signers to make sure other Asian communities, not just east Asian, are represented especially when their communities have also been impacted.
3. How do you know all of these amazing women? Do you collaborate with them in any other way?
Two of them, Leang Ngov and Lina Hou, are my co-moderators for the Asian Womxn Signers FB group. Nayo Lim Franck is my wife and also one of the moderators. I met Noel King, Janele Alarcon, and Kimberly Han through mutual friends. All of them are currently based in California. We've known each other for a few years now except for Desiree Duong who I just met through Leang.

Back in 2016, my wife and I have collaborated with our co-moderators and other members of the Asian Womxn Signers group on "Black Lives Matter to Us, Too: An Open Letter to Our Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, Grandfather, Grandmother" (interpreted into ASL) at https://youtu.be/LFxE9hUqSMA
4. How did your time here at BU Wheelock shape your decision to respond to the current crises (yes, it's plural!) in this way?
In most of the classes I took the last two years, I've had many opportunities to delve into analyses of how the forces of hegemonic power/status quo in society have shaped and are still shaping the way education is set up for different student populations. My learning has compelled me to argue for a more transformative approach to education in which equity and diversity is honored even if it means disrupting the dominant forms of pedagogy rooted in perpetuating colonialism. I'm very lucky to have the opportunities to take classes from and sit down and talk with the wonderful BU Wheelock faculty members who have shifted the way I think about the current crises. For one of the classes, I'm deeply grateful to be allowed to create videos for my final papers. Because this modality (signing) works better for me in terms of content reception and production, it has strengthened my conviction that for any message to be able to make a visceral impact on the deaf communities, it must be visual and through sign. So when my wife decided to respond to the crises through a video, I jumped at the chance to participate.
5. In these times, people are grappling with a lot of stress and anxiety. This project seems like a really proactive approach. Does it feel that way to you? Was it therapeutic at all?
Yes, it definitely feels proactive and therapeutic for me. I've been raised to stay quiet and not speak up, to do what's best to keep harmony in the group. I'm aware that this video will be perceived as overly negative by many deaf Asians and Asian Americans who think that the only valid way to approach problems (or crises, in this case) is to frame things in a positive light. But we cannot always put on our rose-colored glasses; those who can afford to do so in these times are privileged to be able to gloss over the ugly parts since these do not seem to affect them personally.
6. How does this project help future teachers and counselors, policy makers and advocates, and higher ed professionals,-better understand and respond to the current crisis?
I think this project could make future teachers and counselors, policy makers and advocates, and higher ed professionals understand that certain groups, especially the deaf communities, are often left out from the national, scholarly, political conversations because of accessibility issues. Many deaf Asians may have experienced being targets of violence because of the current crisis but they may not be aware that there is a connection between what they have experienced and the anti-Asian sentiments that are historically situated and becoming as widespread as the virus itself. I managed to attend a few that provided ASL interpretation such as the town hall series presented by The People's Collective for Justice and Liberation but I'm guessing there are many out there that don't.
7. What are the two most important takeaways from this video?
I would like to state three (though the third one is implicit in the message of the video):

Asia is not a monolith (represented only by east Asians). Other Asian ethnic groups are affected as well. Not only are the Chinese and other east Asian groups targeted, but even brown Asians/Pacific Islanders have become victims of harassment, bullying, assaults and other acts of violence stemming from the belief that anyone looking/seemingly vaguely Asian is responsible for bringing the virus and spreading it throughout the U.S.

It is important to situate the current crises in their socio-historical contexts. So much of what has happened in the past in relation to how BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) are treated in the U.S. have been reiterated but in unfamiliar forms and shapes in this time of a global pandemic. Learning from history allows us to bring to the surface the underlying struggles BIPOCs experience since the system was set up to benefit only a few privileged groups. And those groups will resort to violence to keep their status quo. This violence is insidious and will show up to create divisions among BIPOCs.

Indigenous, Black, and Brown people are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in all ways. Collaborating with seven phenomenal Asian deaf womxn in the anti-Asian racism video was an exercise in balancing the highlighting of the exponential rise of violence and hate crimes against Asian Americans in recent years AND the acknowledgement that other communities have suffered deeply as well. I will speak UP for them in situations that warrant it but can't speak FOR communities I don't represent thus co-opting their struggles, hence the focus of the video being on anti-Asian racism. We Asians can't be meek and just take any abuse that comes our way so we are speaking up for ourselves, but we also need to educate members from our own communities who are participating in acts that maltreat other communities.

8. What is something you learned as a result of creating this video?
Creating this video entails looking up on Asian American history (which I haven't studied since I grew up in another country) and I learned that "Asian American" is a political identity established back in the 1960's to promote inter-ethnic solidarity. However, as pointed out by a deaf Desi collaborator, Jerrin George, the term doesn't seem to have accounted for Middle East/West Asians and Desi.

I also learned during the town hall debriefings with fellow deaf Asians that indeed, we need to continue the discussion with other deaf communities that we need to continue the discussion on the history of anti-Asian racism in the U.S. and how it is inextricably tied to oppression of Indigenous tribes and to sentiments and violence borne of anti-Blackness. We've discussed how the Model Minority Myth is a tool used to divide us BIPOCs and play us into the system that seeks to eradicate us. We need to show up for Indigenous, Black, and Brown people and create more spaces for dialogues on inter-ethnic and cross-racial solidarity with calls to action that are not only radical but also something we can actually do.
9. What kinds of responses have you received so far?
Mostly positive. We've been told that this video is much needed especially in the signing communities. However, we've also been told that certain individuals thought there is so much attention on anti-Asian racism and not on Black people in China and countries in Africa who were employed in Chinese businesses and maltreated/fired by their Chinese employers or not welcomed in Chinese establishments. This issue is definitely multilayered and one of things we Asians need to continue addressing is the anti-Blackness prevalent in Asian communities all over the world.
10. Do you have plans for follow up or related projects?
A group of deaf southeast/south/east Asians and I have created FINISH EAT?, an online platform to create and share resources about social justice by and for the Asian and Pacific Islander communities via American Sign Language. "FINISH EAT" is ASL gloss for "Have you eaten yet?". Our first project will be a town hall to be held on May 30. This town hall is private and open only to API signers but we'll open future projects to the public.
11. What gives you hope?
My sons. And their generation.
12. Tell us something we don't know! (About you. About the world. Anything you want us to know.)
One aspect that I can truly relate to in narratives of the immigrant experience is how terrible homesickness can be. I think there's a feeling of taboo against expressing longing to go back to the land you grew up on, to the way of life you used to live, and to the family you left back home, and discontent regarding the land you have willingly moved to. As a multicultural queer deaf womxn, moving to the U.S. alone nearly 7 years ago and living here since then has been very wonderful for me; I have been granted opportunities that I never thought, even in my wildest dreams, I would have - I am able to live with and create a family with the love of my life. And I am able to pursue my MA and PhD degrees with the help of some of the best people I've met.

But I cannot remain silent when I see injustice even on this land that has given me so much. One way for me to give back is to join the efforts in disrupting dominant power structures that perpetuate these injustices. Since the U.S. is a country of immigrants standing on native land, we should fight for the Indigenous peoples who are OF this land. And when we have moments to ourselves, we should be allowed to process what it means to not be on one's native land and, through cultural customs, food, rituals, and spiritual practices, to keep returning to our roots however we can in our own small ways.

Published
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Q&A with Anna Lim Franck, Doctoral Student, Co-Creator of "Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19"

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Anna Lim Franck is a multiethnic queer deaf immigrant womxn from Manila, Philippines. She is a Glenn Fellow and soon-to-be third-year doctoral student in the Educational Studies program with a specialization in Language and Literacy Education. She is a research assistant for Dr. Naomi Caselli's ASL-LEX and ASL Vocabulary Acquisition Project and Dr. Amy Lieberman's Language Acquisition and Visual Attention Lab.

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RIT graduate Peter Yeung found perfect fit within university’s deaf community

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RIT graduate Peter Yeung found perfect fit within university’s deaf community

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Eight years ago, as a high school junior, Peter Yeung participated in Explore Your Future at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a program that introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing high schoolers to career opportunities. Today, Yeung is an RIT/NTID graduate who has completed three degrees and has started his career as a user experience architect with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, Va.

Yeung, who is from West Haven, Conn., grew up deaf in a mainly hearing environment. It was during his time at EYF that he discovered his connection to the deaf community.

"Because of my limited exposure to other deaf people, I felt awkward meeting so many deaf people during the first days of the Explore Your Future program," he recalls. "But, I found my deaf identity and immersed myself in deaf culture. I knew that RIT/NTID was the right place for me because it was a diverse mix of hearing, hard of hearing and deaf students, faculty and staff."

Yeung tested out the waters of learning about emerging technologies and earned an associate degree in applied computer technology from NTID. But knowing that he still needed to narrow his focus while developing his strengths in creativity and problem solving, he continued his education and earned a bachelor's degree in web and mobile computing from RIT in 2016.

"I realized soon after that I didn't really want to work on coding all day. I was encouraged by my family to look into master's degree programs. Through talking with professors, I learned about the human-computer interaction master's degree program, which ultimately allowed me to creatively solve problems through design and research," said Yeung.

As a user experience architect for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Yeung applies user-centered design principles to enhance the customer experience across domains, platforms, and enterprise systems. He also conducts research through surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather data that will provide usability recommendations. In addition, he and his team develop workflows, personas, diagrams, flowcharts, and scenarios that promote intuitive user-centered design navigation and comprehension.

"I absolutely feel prepared for my new role because the materials and topics I learned from the human-computer interaction program are very similar to what I am working on with my current team," he said. "I would personally like to thank Professor Matt Huenerfauth and the other human-computer interaction faculty members for their support."

At RIT/NTID, Yeung held several positions in the Asian Deaf Club, including vice president, secretary and student advisor. He credits his time at NTID with learning to use alternative methods when communicating with hearing people, a skill that he is able to use in the workplace. He also offers some advice for RIT students.

"I have learned that it is essential to find something that really interests you. For me, that was the Asian Deaf Club. Once you find that 'something,' get involved and you will discover your true passions."

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RIT graduate Peter Yeung found perfect fit within university's deaf community

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Eight years ago, as a high school junior, Peter Yeung participated in NTID's Explore Your Future, a program that introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing high schoolers to career opportunities. Today, Yeung is an RIT/NTID graduate who has completed three degrees and has started his career as a user experience architect with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, Va.

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Deaf Queer Resource Center: Noel King (signer)

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Deaf Queer Resource Center: Noel King (signer)

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ASL Lesson- Learning Animal Signs at the Zoo

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ASL Lesson- Learning Animal Signs at the Zoo

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ASL Lesson- Learning Animal Signs at the Zoo

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Signer: Khyroe

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How I Learned Sign Language From My Deaf Boyfriend

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How I Learned Sign Language From My Deaf Boyfriend

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Signer: Asian hearing female

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How I Learned Sign Language From My Deaf Boyfriend

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Nyle DiMarco & Chella Man On Being Queer and Deaf | them.

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Nyle DiMarco & Chella Man On Being Queer and Deaf | them.

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Nyle DiMarco & Chella Man On Being Queer and Deaf | them.

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DO DEAF PEOPLE GO TO MOVIE THEATERS? | With Chella Man | Nyle DiMarco

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DO DEAF PEOPLE GO TO MOVIE THEATERS? | With Chella Man | Nyle DiMarco

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DO DEAF PEOPLE GO TO MOVIE THEATERS? | With Chella Man | Nyle DiMarco

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Signer: Amar Mangat

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ASL Storytelling: Flip the Bird on Street

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ASL Storytelling: Flip the Bird on Street

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Signer: Cuong Nguyen

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asl storytelling: flip the bird on street

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storyteller in asl about flip the bird at the macho man in his muscle car

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25 Sign Language Words To Teach Your Baby

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25 Sign Language Words To Teach Your Baby

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Signer: Ida Mojahedi

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Deaf Women History Month highlighting Ida Mojahedi for her dedication to our community

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Deaf Women History Month highlighting Ida Mojahedi for her dedication to our community

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Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. - GLAD

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Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. - GLAD

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Deaf Women History Month highlighting Ida Mojahedi for her dedication to our community. #DeafWomenHistoryMonth #WomenHistoryMonth

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Signers: DHH Teacher and Students

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Deafinitely Wanderlust: The cities of Myanmar in sign language!

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Deafinitely Wanderlust: The cities of Myanmar in sign language!

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Deafinitely Wanderlust: Taiwan Cities in sign language

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Deafinitely Wanderlust: Taiwan Cities in sign language

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Deaf Queer Resource Center: An Interview with Chinese-American Deaf Gay College Lecturer Jan Wong (signer)

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Deaf Queer Resource Center: An Interview with Chinese-American Deaf Gay College Lecturer Jan Wong (signer)

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An Interview with Chinese-American Deaf Gay College Lecturer Jan Wong