Let’s say here.  You might not believe me about going to UM when I was a kid.   I was the student to classroom with all student teachers who work with me.  There were disabilities kids attended there and had difficulty learning because there was no accessibility for us.   You might find this program best for deaf study in Alabama, which I meant all of citywide in Alabama.

There was an early program called Speech and Hearing Center Resources, but there is residence for the kids to stay and have classrooms there with all speech therapy and audiologist.  Also, there are teachers who teach for the kids.  It started in 1974, and it has been up and down like rollercoaster in all years.  Now they have 50th anniversary this year and now called Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs for those who study in deaf study.

Okay, let’s go back to my time in 1976 to 1978 experience with UM.  I was about 6 years old and started attending to residence center and learning from classrooms.   I can remember all moments with a lot of kids and teachers I have been among them.  

How did I attend UM?  I am originally from Dothan, Alabama, and went to one classroom with 3 years old to 12 years old in one room! We have deaf education teacher, but a secret, she was my first speech therapy from Colorado!   I started at 3 years old and continued schooling with hearing class and transferring to my deaf class.   I have been swinging a lot in my school years.  Just in note.   My parents are looking for some places to put me in dorms with classrooms that have disabilities in it.  There is UM, and they send me to there as 6 years old.   My favorite teacher had moved and a new job in Florida that was the last time I remembered.  My parents drove all the way to drop me off on Sundays and picked me up on Fridays every week during live in Dothan.   Dothan to Montevallo travels about 3 to 4 hours!  Sometimes, they left me there over the weekend, and a few teachers or home mother took me to their home for the weekend.

I lived there for three years until my dad found the job in Birmingham in 1978.  I stopped attending to UM and started attending a regular deaf program classroom at Lakeview School and put me in 3rd grade.  Bad experience for me is sitting in the classroom with all deaf kids.  I know one girl who went to UM with me.  She is in my classroom.  Anyway, the teacher asked us to do the task.  I sat there and actually LOST.   I have no idea what is going on.  I used oral and had some telecommunications in my life.  The teacher noticed me and asked me why I didn’t do the task.   I looked at her, I only knew my name….that is it.   The teacher and parents discussed me moving to K to start over again. 

I started K and learned everything that I had been MISSED in the classroom at UM.  I know I had learned in Dothan, but I was a young kid with all varied ages between 3 and 12 years old in one room.   When I became 10 in 1980, I asked my mom to come to visit the University of Montevallo, where I used resident.   We went and saw the sort changed.  I asked one of the teachers about friends.  One thing, I have noticed that they knew me and spoke to me like I can understand or whatever.  I was so shocked, but I couldn’t believe I had been born as an oral kid with telecommunications in my young years.   I doubt I would talk to my friends anymore.  Later on, I learned he went to ASD (Alabama School for the Deaf) and graduated in 1989.

I learned sign language as SEE (Signing Exact English) more often when I started Lakeview school and Epic School in Birmingham,  Alabama.  

When I was in 1st grade, and they learned I have the highest IQ, the teacher decided me to go to an older deaf kids’ class for reading and writing.   Also, I was about 9 that time and the rest of the year, and I walked forth and backward from class to class in Epic School.  At the end of 2nd grade, I learned that my dad has a job transferring to Dallas and moving to Texas.

In 1981, when I started in Stonewall Jackson (now Mockingbird) elementary school as deaf program with 4th grade but the teacher decided me to move back to 3rd grade in a hearing class instead of deaf class due to my highest IQ.   While I was in grade school, my English became bad because I didn’t use SEE anymore and used ASL (American Sign Language) more.  That is my opinion. 

Yeah, I have sign language accessible as telecommunications,  SEE, and ASL, so I am using PSE. 

The rest of the year, I still attended hearing classes til Alex W. Spence middle school.   I asked my counselor about credits for half deaf classes and half hearing classes for two years.  They approved.  I went to hearing classes for science, math, and English.  I went deaf classes for current events, reading, and history.    In the next 4 years at high school, I kept taking half deaf classes and hearing classes in varied courses.  

I’m not about the same as the middle school classes I took.   There is a requirement to have Texas history, so have it in the hearing class.   RME.   You know there are electives.  I took business, accounting, social, drafting, typing, and computer math classes with sign language interpreters.

Before graduating high school, I took SAT and was on the least in the top of 20s.  I chose the University of Montevallo and put it as a general decision.   Texas Women’s University was my second choice.   I wrote a letter to the University of Montevallo and accepted me for Fall 91.  I did write a letter to Texas Women’s University and not accepted me.   I learned my friends planned to go to TWU, and I begged Vocation Rehabilitation to pay for which TWU not accepted, so they accepted a second chance.  I went to TWU in Fall 91.

THAT IS HISTORY. 

~DW

Am I looking bad?  Am I looking beautiful?  Etc..  No, actually, everyone looks at me because of my looking like healthy or young something like that.

Why?  Okay, I have heart issues, and the doctor wanted to be sure it was okay because of my age.   That day, I needed to make an appointment with the heart doctor, and I was waiting for the next window to talk.  Anyway, the lady stands before me looking at me like “why you come in for heart, or do you look so young and not need the doctor, or why are you coming here?”  Many things in mind, I would guess.    She not know my age because impossible for them to believe me, and yeah, I am healthy looking.   No one knows what is inside me.  That’s right.

Another one.  I went to the gym to put pause on my personal trainer for a couple of months because my leg had been painful.    The worker laughed at me by telling him about pause and the reason my leg was in pain!   I sighed.  He does not know what is inside me.  I can tell it is painful when I twisted or walked normal.  I was kind of limping on one side.  That was terrible, but I went to the gym.    Today I went to the gym and swims.   I know it is better for legs and good therapy, too.  Yeah, that is right.

Hope you have a good week!

~DW

I had a list to say in blogs or vlogs and kept forgetting what I was trying to say.

In the car, I have to drive and can’t stop to give notes for reminding me when I get back to write.   Remember, I am deaf and can’t talk well.  My phone would think I was a foreign person!  Lol.

At work, I can’t stop and give notes to remind for the blogs or vlogs.   I have walk and do the duties in any minutes so not think I would stop to do it. 

~DW

I bet you are wondering why the casting director kicked me out from the audition. Remember, it was in the 1990s and did not have good news for the deaf.

When my talent agent asked me to go audition for Walker, Texas Ranger tv show, and that casting director know my agent. She walked with me to the studio and auditioned. The director decided to let me go because of my look like a kid. That role is for wife.

So, the next audition was for Helen Keller role and not sure what kind of role I was auditioning for. My agent told me to match with one young boy. I accepted. I went to different places for audition, and many people were there. Anyway, CD was there and saw me. Before they called our names for audition, she told me to go home, and I puzzled why she wanted me to go home. Worse, my partner, young boy, passed off at her.

He was mad and called the talent agent immediately. He looked at me, and I told him I had no idea why. I drove to my talent agent and talked with her about it. She told me that a young boy called before I came by. All of us disappointed with the casting manager.

That happened.

~DW

Why my life deprives? Let’s go back to 1990s and I have pretty much good job in Dallas, Texas as Administrative Assistant. I thought I took it seriously and put myself more imagine so took the acting classes. I actually do enjoy the classes and learned lot from mentors and celebrities. They suggested me to join the talent agent and I did one of talent agent has been sending me to few auditions and casting director kept kicked me out from auditions. I still going and going until my contact running out. I performed at theater and find me another talent agent and pretty much goal for it.  I signed the contract for SAG and set up the goal for a year to play with one of their sons in feature film. I was so exciting as unfortunately laid off from my job. But in the couple months later, I found me next job as Data Entry. I have no idea what life would like to be.

During the time, I met one girl and have few friends. I thought great to meet few friends that I never go out often, so I did and enjoy my life in middle 20s. On April 1997, I have promised my talent agent to come back for sign contract for another year and this girl actually take my life away from acting career. The contract and SAG gone! I was so confused and new to me with this relationship and my jobs are gone. I meant my new job as Data Entry gone! I was so shamed and upset because I do not understand the universal among me. I never find me a job or acting career anymore. I tried many jobs applications after I decided to leave this girl who I loved so much. I felt so low and shamed.

I remembered that I have business classes in high school and college, so I try to take it easy, but no one support me by ideas I had made. No business job for me. No acting, no business or no lifestyle for me.  My life actually taken.

Well, in about 15 years later, I found in St Louis, Missouri where I live in. This guy is great role for me, and he is young director I ever seen.  He made the movie once and wanted to do the second movie, so I joined his team as Production Assistant and started to fall in love with acting again. I took some classes for acting and refreshed.  Yes, I have a job as Billing Processor and soon laid off again. I have partner who support me and own house. After the movie released, I started to be finding me background role in many different film and television. I was so happy to take it back but had scared from the past I had before. It hurts me so much because I can’t get talent agent again. I am free agent and manage myself to those casting director who would take me to play the background role which is fine with me.

After the laid off, a year later, I found me a job as General Clerk II and kept going to his filming and mine acting career same time. I know sound stressed so I moved to condo and live alone. My live partner moved to her condo, too. I got the part for deaf theater so loved it much and you should watch us. My life taken. No.

Moved to Alabama last 5 years ago, I have job changed again and drove to Atlanta, Georgia for filming and television for background roles. No talent agent. No business set up. My life is just building up and there is no suppose under the building, it could be fall apart. I would love to have this business working and acting career working. I am free agent and enjoy the life rest of time.

Forward the future. My life should not take yet.

~ DW

Invite to New Year Eve party at my friend’s barn. I never think I would be chatting with friends on the porch. I have brought a book to read while celebrating the New Year 2024 with them.

Somehow, I get attention to new faces and chatting with others. One person comes in since she was alone, separated from us, and friends called her to come to join us. I never thought about what she would say anything about family and name, etc.

I was normal quiet and shared laughter with them until a new person asked me to introduce myself as name, born here, and move forward and back here for living with my parents.

She started asking me if I was mainstreamed, and I said yeah. She said deaf school is better than mainstreamed. I was like, who doesn’t care about deaf school. She said parents do not understand and do not use sign language, etc. I told her my parents used the sign language and she silence.

Her parents do sign language, so I did not give damm about deaf school. I choose not to go to deaf school, period. It is up to kids, preferably, and parents can be unaware of deaf culture. Who knows. I would go to mainstreamed if there are deaf programs, then no problem at all.

I don’t give a damm!

~DW

There are different sign languages in the world. Many times, I have watched those vlogs and ended up. They use BSL, as known as British Sign Language. In the USA, we only use the ASL, as known as American Sign Language.

It is hard to understand those BSL and other sign languages when come in Tiktok, Facebook, or Instagram videos. We are only aware of universal sign language that is very common to visible communication with those deaf people who come from foreign or overseas.

If we had studied those languages in sign language then that would be great like foreign language at school course.

No one knows about foreign language in school that offers sign language because of the language alike. I have seen sign language classes in my school years. I was in hearing classes with interpreter and teacher sign language to communicate with us (three of us are deaf). Then middle school and high school, there are few students who can sign language when around deaf students too.

That brings me think about this. Thank you!

~DW

I am not sure where to find this title from. Hehe. Anyway, this time about Show and Tell – Expression.

Today, I had conversations with someone and noticed myself being shown and telling by my expression. It made them blown up for nothing. I’m wondering why. Yes, I did make the face looking angry, but I’m just making conversations. It shows that it destroyed my role model to them.

I remembered one CDI (certificate Deaf Interpreter) that made a vlog about pets from the store. I can see his expression and emotional anger at the seller who refused to give him a pet because of deaf. I can understand his frustration about it, but his expression shows the bad advice of the client to the seller. He could lose his role model to them.

That is a kind of deaf culture. Well, there are more cultures in the world. American African, Asian, Middle Eastern, European, Hispanic, and disabilities have their cultures. They have been fighting for the rights, and cultures are different from anyone who believes in.

It not meant everyone has SAME cultures. You have your culture in your life that can be agreed with.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

~DW