Activity
Deafness: Sounds Like Home (Book)
Est. Time: 2 Weeks Reading/45 Minutes Class Time
Objective
Gain a better understanding of the challenges encountered by individuals who are deaf or have profound hearing loss as they navigate hearing and Deaf communities.
Synopsis
This memoir documents Mary Herring Wright’s passage from a hearing to a silent world as a child and recounts her struggles trying to find acceptance in two worlds.
For Your Information
To learn more about hearing impairments, visit:
- Deafness and Hearing Loss (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
- Hearing Loss in Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Activity
Read the following book and be prepared to discuss the questions below in class.
Title: Sounds like Home (1999)
Author: Mary Herring Wright
Publisher: University Press • New York
- How did Mary discover she was losing her hearing?
- What did she miss most after she lost her hearing?
- Mary resigned from her student teaching job.
- Why did she resign?
- What did she do after she left?
- Do you think she was favored by others or had more opportunities than those who only used American Sign Language (ASL)? Explain.
- List the advantages and disadvantages of Mary attending a separate school for individuals who were deaf or blind.
