Full Circle
The oldest child in a family feels responsibility for things that they have no control over. I am the oldest daughter of deaf parents. When I was a young child I always felt I was their ears; even though my parents never depended on me as their communicator. There have been many times in my life when I wanted to intervene for them. Growing up in the fifties as I did, I observed many prejudices towards the deaf. Despite this I saw my parents overcome their difficulties due to lack of communications. Their positive attitude, intelligence along with a great deal of patience, helped them accomplish their goals. They wanted my sister and I to have as close to a normal life as they could achieve.
Now many years later, I believe we had a more normal life than some of our hearing friends. Being raised by deaf parents is a very special gift for a hearing child. Deaf people are naturally curious so they ask many questions; therefore we always had open communication. I adjusted naturally to the hearing world as well as the deaf world. I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge being exposed to both cultures. I learned to be logical, extremely adaptable and bilingual. There is a certain bond between the Coda and the deaf community which has given me a sense of security. As a Coda, I am a unique individual because of them. Along with their gift of love my parents instilled in me a sense of persistence, honesty and a positive attitude. A Coda learns early to handle situations in life that other children never face in a lifetime. My experiences in the deaf culture have helped me become a better parent, friend, employee, and coworker. I am thankful God chose me to be the daughter of deaf parents because it has enriched my life beyond words.
In the fall I will enter the Interpreter Training Program at DeKalb College in Atlanta, GA. As a Coda I see a great need for qualified interpreters. In the field of education we now have many children in mainstream program. These children need the benefit of an interpreter who understands their culture. The exposure deaf children receive in the hearing world should be positive. The mainstream program will work so long as the deaf children are given the same advantages and opportunities as the hearing children. I feel strongly concerning this issue, especially when deaf children have deaf parents. The deaf parents should have the same advantages as the hearing parents. Deaf parents should be involved with their children, but we must provide the interpreter within the system. For the mainstream program to work it is very important to have experienced, knowledgeable interpreters within the system. The deaf community gave me an awful lot, so now I want to give back to it. As a Coda interpreter I hope to make a positive difference.
At the age of 44 my life has come full circle. I’ve always loved the deaf community, but continued to put off my interpreter training. My family responsibilities are less, now that my children are in their twenties. It is now the right time for me to become an interpreter. I was raised in the Fifties when being deaf meant being different. My parents didn’t have qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable interpreters. Their generation depended on their family of friends. I know how it feels not to have equal rights, but in the nineties, we go forward through exposure and education. Deaf people have worked hard to achieve their rights, but we must continue with proper education of our deaf children. I hope by becoming an interpreter I can touch a deaf child’s life, in a positive way, as so many deaf adults have touched mine.
