June 27th is commemorated as Helen Keller Day to celebrate the life of Helen Keller. According to Proclamation 4767, this holiday, which is also her birthday, was designated by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 to honor her demonstration of how even the most severely handicapped individual can accomplish great things through training, their determination and faith. Also, the last week of every June is dedicated is Helen Keller Deaf Blind Awareness Week.
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Anne Sullivan, Keller’s visually impaired instructor, broke through the communication barrier, allowing Keller to blossom as she learned to communicate.
The Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), which was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, is a foundation that provides services for individuals for ages 16 and over who, like Helen Keller, have a combination of vision and hearing loss. The HKNC is the only organization of its kind and Unmatched Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Angela Palmer, who is also deaf-blind and recently completed a 3 year internship at HKNC.
Were you born deaf-blind?
No, I was born hearing and my parents learned that I was visually impaired at 5 years of age. However, they did not tell me I could lose more vision or become blind until I was about 15 years old. There was no way to know how slowly or fast my vision would deteriorate. At 5 I contracted the severe case of the mumps, prior to the MMR vaccine, which triggered my hearing loss. The audiologist had never seen someone go from perfect hearing to severe hearing loss within 6 month period. I wore hearing aids in both ears until I got my first CI, cochlear implant, when I was 33 years old. Once I learned how to hear again I could talk on the phone again, have conversations, enjoy music and listen to audio books. I will mention my hearing would have dropped anyway as have a genetic condition called, usher syndrome, which can cause hearing impairment/deafness and visual impairment/blindness. The mumps triggered the hearing loss sooner than it would have if had not gotten the mumps. There are 3 types of Usher syndrome. I have either type 2 or 3.
[Usher syndrome is a relatively rare genetic disorder caused by a mutation in any one of at least 11 genes resulting in a combination of hearing loss and visual impairment, and is a leading cause of deaf-blindness. Usher syndrome is presently incurable.]
What do you do for a living?
Currently, I am looking for a job after being out of the workforce for 4 plus years. I recently completed a 3 month internship at an agency in Sands Point New York, the Helen Keller National Center for deaf blind youth and adults. The center received a grant from the Professional Leadership Learning Institute to assist deafblind persons can experience to assist them in finding employment. I was teaching braille while there.
Last semester I took both ASL and a wheel pottery class at Chabot Community College. I wanted to see if I could learn how to use the pottery wheel. I like to ride recumbent bikes at an agency called, BORP, Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program in Berkeley. I have a pilot guide the bike.
What did you do when you were in the work force?
Depends on when ☺. When I was a teenager, I babysat and had a paper route for 2 years. I did production work, electronics assembly, was gas station attendant, pumped gas, worked as grocery clerk. Later as my vision decreased, I became substitute instructional assistant. Went back to college at 26 and finally got MS in counseling from SFSU. I was a marriage family therapist working on hours during grade school, then as a MFT intern. I worked in substance abuse, chemical dependency, with non-violent offenders, adults, and teenagers and their families. Later I worked at Alameda Family services for 4 months when suddenly in 2011 Sept. my right CI stopped working. A month later my left CI stopped working. I had to stop being a chemical dependency counselor as I could no longer use what is called an FM system. Using an FM system allowed me to get through all my college with my first CI.
[FM Listening Systems let teachers talk into a hand-held microphone, which transmits the sound of the teacher's voice directly to a deaf or hard of hearing child's hearing aid.]
Can you tell me more about your experience as an intern?
I was braille instructor intern at HKNC for 3 months. I learned strategies and different approaches to teaching braille. As with everything, people learning braille have different styles. I used mostly tactile sign language with most my students. I had 2 students that wore hearing aids and could understand my voice. One person used sign language to communicate with me. The other person used print on palm. So he wrote in my palm. This got slightly frustrating as he would not always use bloc letters and would not write as clearly as he had been. I worked 28 hours a week. For pay that is. I went to team meetings, wrote lesson plans, reports etc. One of the biggest advantage to doing the internship is Started having hope again that I can actually get back into the workforce. Maybe even get my hours as a MFT. I have been applying to some possible jobs. Teaching braille was a bit fulfilling especially seeing my students improve in their reading and writing abilities in braille. However, it does not "light my fire" the way being a therapist did.
What do you think the world should know about Deaf-Blind people?
I think the biggest thing they would needs to know is that deafblind people are all unique and different. By this I mean we all have varying levels of either blindness, low vision and/or deafness/hearing impairment. A deaf blind person can be born deaf and be culturally deaf and later lose their vision. Or be visually impaired and born hearing and later lose more vision and become either hearing impaired or deaf. We come from all walks of life, different educational levels, religions and ethnicities. We want to be treated like humans and be respected as well. If you ever see a deafblind person tap their shoulder or elbow. See how they communicate it can be as basic as using your finger to write in block letters on their palm to talk to them. Some deafblind people like myself can use our own voices and do not sound deaf.
What are your thoughts about the technology/devices used nowadays to help deaf-blind people communicate and interact?
In many ways technology has advanced tremendously. A deafblind person can use a refreshable braille display and have it connected either with a USB cable or blue tooth to a computer or iPhone. We can use text, e-mail, skype, and VP, Video Relay calls that use an interpreter for the deaf person to communicate with another person. The deaf person needs enough vision to be able to read the sign language of the ASL interpreter. Or there are refreshable braille displays that can be connected via wireless or blue tooth keyboards in which a sighted and hearing person can type on a keyboard and the deafblind person reads the braille on the refreshable braille display.
How does refreshable Braille work?
There are different brands of braille displays. They all have a single row of braille, with as few as 14 cells of braille, all the way up to 80 cells. As you either braille yourself, meaning the blind person or use a keyboard like I do, the braille appears on the display. The braille pops up with retractable pins that appear in the cell. As you work on a computer, iPhone via Bluetooth or use a braille note taker the braille moves and one can scroll back, forward, etc. Hope that is clear. Maybe we can meet some time and can show you.
Being deaf-blind, what is your communication preference?
This depends on the situation and who I am communicating with. Nowadays, I prefer to use tactile sign language, this is when I feel someone’s hands as they use ASL sign language to communicate with me. IF I’m communicating with a sighted and hearing person I will have the person type on my keyboard and read the braille. If I need someone to contact me I prefer text or e-mail.
Can you tell me a little about your learning style and how it was for you growing up?
Interesting questions. I was in regular public schools until 3rd grade in which was transferred to Hayward school district, they had a program for hard of hearing kids. Was mainstreamed for half of my classes and in Special Ed for half. I was transferred due to falling behind in half my classes. For me, I believe I have a visual learning style. I struggle learning when things are strictly audible. However I believe I may also be kinesthetic learner. It is interesting since I thought I was stupid, I did not apply myself due to my struggles learning. For example, I did not understand algebra until went to community college when I was 26 years old and started out with basic math and worked my way up to statistics. As my vision decreased I had to rely on my hearing to learn, which was a hard transition. I would read some things in braille for college but took too much time so I had to depend on my hearing. Thank goodness I finished my math prior to having no useful vision.
Helen Keller Deaf Blind Awareness Week
BY RAVEN DAVIS