Successful Diverse Deaf Individuals: Who Are They

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Successful Diverse Deaf Individuals Who Are They?

• Transition Service Preparation and Training for
  Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
• Kent State University
• Dr. Pamela Luft
• Laurie Sutherin and Chrissy Williams
• OSERS Funded Grant Project

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Introduction

• Many programs have Deaf Awareness activities,
  and there are months for Black History and
  Womens History
• Rarely are these combined to exhibit successful
  diverse deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals
• The following information can be used to help
  promote pride and self-esteem in students, many
  of whom struggle with identity and self-esteem
  issues..

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Deaf Women who dare to challenge the WORLD

• Kitty O'Neil
• Kitty ONeal, the worlds fastest woman, was born
  in Corpus Christi, Texas and became deaf when she
  was 4 years old. At the University of Texas she
  studied the methods of teaching deaf children and
  received her degree in Education. Through
  teaching children, she founded School Listening
  Eyes in Witchita Falls. As well as performing
  stunts in movies such as Bionic Woman and
  Wonder Woman, Kitty has participated in a
  number of vehicle races and driving competitions.
  One of her greatest accomplishments was being
  listed in the Guinness Book of World Record for
  traveling at the speed of 512.710 miles per hour.
• For more information on Kitty ONeil
• http//www.the-rocketman.com/kitty.html
• http//digital.library.upenn.edu/women/holland/spi
  ndrift/kitty.html
• http//p3.csun.edu/p3access/Calendar2001/0301facts
  .html

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Deaf Women who dare to challenge the WORLD

• Organizations
• DEAF WOMEN UNITED, an organization that is of,
  for and by Deaf women is at the forefront of
  these changing times.
• http//www.dwu.org/
• Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS) is
  committed to providing services to Deaf and
  Deaf-Blind victims of sexual assault and/or
  domestic violence. The mission of ADWAS is a
  belief that violence is a learned behavior and it
  should not be tolerated.
• http//adwas.org

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Successful Deaf African Americans

• Fred Beam
• Fred Beam, an avid dancer and actor, has become a
  star in the Deaf community. Beam was born near
  Atlanta, Georgia. He was hearing until he was
  three years old when he developed chicken pox and
  mumps at the same time. The illnesses left him
  deaf. Beam is a dedicated member of the National
  Black Deaf Advocates. He is the founder of
  Invisible Hands Inc., which is made up of a
  number of different companies including The Wild
  Zappers, an all male deaf dance company which has
  toured nationally and internationally National
  Deaf Dance Theatre, a mainstream dance company
  for both deaf and hearing communities and I
  Didnt Hear That Color, a deaf African American
  touring theater troupe.
• For more information on Fred Beam
• http//clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/se
  p-oct2001/wild-zappers.html

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Successful Deaf African Americans

• Organizations
• National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) is a
  national organization for African American deaf
  and hard of hearing people.
• http//www.nbda.org/index.html
• Resources
• http//www.deafweb.org/bdahistory.htm
• http//www.deafamerica.com/DeafOrganizations.htm

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Successful Deaf Latinos

• Angel Ramos, Ph.D.Executive Director of Angel
  Ramos Foundation, Inc.
• On August 1, 2001, Dr. Ramos, at age 51,  was
  named superintendent of  the Idaho School for the
  Deaf and the Blind. He was also a Fulbright
  Scholar, author, and chairman of  various deaf
  organizations and projects. He was also the
  founder of  the National Hispanic Council of the
  Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Washington, D.C.
   Angel Ramos chaired the Deaf President Now fund.
  His participation in the DPN movement led to his
  book, Triumph of the Spirit The DPN Chronicle.
• For more information on Dr. Angel Ramos
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Ramos_(educator
  )

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Successful Deaf Latinos

• Organizations
• The Hispanic Deaf Club represents people working
  together toward a common goal. Their goal is to
  help those around them understand their culture
  and what it means to "be Latino".
• http//www.rit.edu/hdcwww/
• Resources
• http//deafness.about.com/cs/subcultures/a/hispani
  c.html
• http//www.imageone.com/goya/index1.html
• http//www.manoamano-unidos.org/

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Successful Deaf Native Americans

• Damara Goff Paris, President of IDC
• Damara Paris is of Cherokee/ Blackfoot decent.She
  is not only a part of the writing team for Circle
  of Unity, but also participated as co-editor on
  Step Into the Circle. She has published six books
  since 1997 and owns her own publishing company,
  AGO Publications. Paris received her MA in
  Rehabilitation Counseling and graduated in 1994
  from Western Oregon University. She then managed
  a community based rehabilitation center for the
  Deaf in Salem, Oregon.
• For more information on Damara Goff Paris
• http//www.deafnative.com/Damara_Paris.htm

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Successful Deaf Native Americans

• Organizations
• Intertribal Deaf Council (IDC), IDC provides
  information about their heritage, traditions, and
  cultural issues as well as serving as an advocate
  for Deaf Native American Rights.
• http//www.deafnative.com/
• The Circle of Unity is a publication designed to
  improve rehabilitation services to American
  Indians and Alaskan Natives who are Deaf,
  Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing.
• http//www.uark.edu/depts/rehabres/AmIndian/AImain
  .htm

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Successful Deaf Asian Americans

• John Yeh
• John and his family moved from Taiwan in 1962,
  when he was 15, so that he and his sister, who
  are both deaf, could receive a better education.
  He received his bachelors degree in mathematics
  from Gallaudet University and then his masters
  in computer science at another college. He
  founded a software company with his brother
  called Integrated Microcomputer Systems, Inc.
  (IMS), which they eventually sold. Two years
  later John founded Viable Technologies, Inc.,
  which offers real-time captioning transcription
  services to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. He
  has served on boards such as the National
  Captioning Institute, the National Asian Deaf
  Congress, and the National Deaf Business
  Institute.
• For more information on John Yeh
• http//www.ntac.hawaii.edu/products/Vol520Success
  Briefs/SSB-Vol5-Iss01-JohnYeh.pdf

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Successful Deaf Asian Americans

• Organizations
• National Asian Deaf Congress, (NADC) is a
  non-profit organization whose mission is to
  define and address the cultural, political and
  social issues experienced by the Asian Deaf
  Community.
• http//www.nadc-usa.org/
• The Asian Deaf Club is located at RIT (Rochester
  Institute of Technology) and the Asian Pacific
  Association is at Gallaudet University in
  Washington D. C.
• http//www.rit.edu/adc/

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For more information

• Additional information including complete
  powerpoint presentations for each cultural group
  can be found at
• http//www.educ.kent.edu/fundedprojects/TSPT/grant
  .htm