Stories of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Individuals with Learning Disabilities
I hope to collect personal stories of deaf and hard of hearing individuals with learning disabilities and their experiences beating the odds throughout their college completion and/or career success. Their diagnosis must be official and evaluated by an evaluator. A written story and/or video (with captions) are accepted. I can be reached via email at [email protected]
I look forward to getting your story posted on the website!
I look forward to getting your story posted on the website!
In Memory of Dr. Cristina Berdichevsky
Dr. Cristina Berdichevsky, a Gallaudet University professor, was enthusiastic and passionate about raising deaf and learning disability awareness in the Deaf community in the 1990s. She assisted in planning a conference called "Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice in the Fields of Learning Disabilities and Deafness," hosted by Gallaudet University in 1998. The conference drew 164 participants from all over the country. It was a huge success. Remarkably, she wished to raise awareness of deafness and learning disabilities beyond the Gallaudet University campus. She gave a few more conference presentations.
Dr. Berdickvesky died of cancer in 2014. Everyone who had the honor of crossing her path will miss her and remember her fondly. I put her on this website to honor her memory and to thank her for all the hard work she did to advocate for people who were deaf or had learning disabilities.
Dr. Berdickvesky died of cancer in 2014. Everyone who had the honor of crossing her path will miss her and remember her fondly. I put her on this website to honor her memory and to thank her for all the hard work she did to advocate for people who were deaf or had learning disabilities.
Dawn Watts
Dawn Watts, a Deaf child of Deaf parents, Gallaudet class of '92, and Interim President of Ohio Citizens for Deaf Cultures, created a video in which she describes her experience dealing with a learning disability in writing and how her diagnosis was confirmed through a psychological evaluation process. The English Department at Gallaudet University was initially reluctant to grant her extra time for her writing exam. After meeting with the Students with Disabilities Office and a psychologist, the English Department agreed to give Dawn the extension. She passed her writing exams and was able to graduate! Enjoy watching her video!
While a student at Gallaudet, I recall reading her story in the "Spring 1992 Gallaudet Today" article titled "Learning Disabilities and Deafness: An Emerging Field." According to the article, "Dawn reads well, is fluent in ASL, has excellent social comprehension, and has completed the majority of her graduation requirements, she failed to pass an upper-level English course three times." Dawn described it as bittersweet in an interview with Gallaudet Today. When her learning disability was confirmed, she was happy and relieved. Nonetheless, she was enraged and frustrated by the educational system's failure to recognize her learning disability. "Some of the teachers looked down on her as a lazy deaf student looking for an easy way out, rather than a student with a legitimate concern," Dawn explained (Spring 1992 Gallaudet Today, p. 20).
Congratulations to Dawn for succeeding against the odds!
While a student at Gallaudet, I recall reading her story in the "Spring 1992 Gallaudet Today" article titled "Learning Disabilities and Deafness: An Emerging Field." According to the article, "Dawn reads well, is fluent in ASL, has excellent social comprehension, and has completed the majority of her graduation requirements, she failed to pass an upper-level English course three times." Dawn described it as bittersweet in an interview with Gallaudet Today. When her learning disability was confirmed, she was happy and relieved. Nonetheless, she was enraged and frustrated by the educational system's failure to recognize her learning disability. "Some of the teachers looked down on her as a lazy deaf student looking for an easy way out, rather than a student with a legitimate concern," Dawn explained (Spring 1992 Gallaudet Today, p. 20).
Congratulations to Dawn for succeeding against the odds!