Gifted Hands: Sign Language in the Digital Archive
In my sophomore year of college, I took a course in American Sign Language (ASL). Since that course, I have used ASL with nonverbal and minimally verbal children as a way to communicate with their peers. For my final blog post, I wanted to explore stories from HistoryMakers about their experiences with sign language and individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
HistoryMaker The Honorable Dorothy Jackson signing with members of the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters as they rehearse with the Gospel Meets Symphony at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Akron, Ohio [PHOTO CREDITS: Akron Beacon Journal]
When I searched, “sign language”, 21 stories appeared. The first African-American Deputy Mayor of Akron, Ohio The Honorable Dorothy Jackson (1933 - 2021) discusses how she received a scholarship to learn ASL at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.:
“And one day in the cafeteria a girl said to me, "Congratulations." I said, "For what?" And she grabbed her mouth. And I went to my boss and said, "Why is she congratulating me?" And she said, "Well it's never mind now." I said, "Why?" She said, "Well we got you a scholarship for Gallaudet. But you said you couldn't go away." Oh I said, "Oh I can go." So I went to my babysitter. And I said to her--well I went to my sister first that I lived with. My sister, Lucille [Jackson]. And I said, "I have a chance to go to Gallaudet to learn sign language. Will you keep [daughter] Rene [Lynn Jackson-Aniere] for me? And will you pick her up from the babysitter?" And she said, "Yes." And I went to the babysitter. And I said, "I have a chance to go to Gallaudet to learn sign language.” [1]
Jackson further discusses career as a sign language interpreter after going to Gallaudet and learning ASL:
“And when I came home, I knew seven hundred words. And I started interpreting the day I came home. I've interpreted for [U.S.] President [William] Clinton. And one of those pictures is in there with me and [U.S. President] Jimmy Carter. That I met to talk about the needs of the handicapped. I think I really put interpreting on the front burner in Akron [Ohio]. And I taught the first beginners' sign language class at Akron U [University of Akron, Akron, Ohio].” [1].
HistoryMaker The Honorable Dorothy Jackson pictured with former President of the United States Bill Clinton (PHOTO CREDITS: Akron Beacon Journal)
HistoryMaker Mike Glenn as a broadcast commentator on Fox Sports Net (PHOTO CREDITS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikestingerglenn)
Additionally, I found clips from television sports commentator and basketball player Mike Glenn (1955-) describing his relationship with the Georgia School for the Deaf. Within this story, Glenn discusses how he learned sign language:
“Of course I could sign before I could talk, you know. The girls really started teaching me first. I remember dad [Charles Glenn, Sr.] had this one girl on his team. Her name was Mildred, M-I-L-D-R-E-D, and her last name was Nelson, N-E-L-S-O-N. She was the best player on his team. Matter of fact, Mildred was the best player in the history of Georgia School for the Deaf. Mildred was a beautiful girl. She had smooth, dark beautiful skin. At that time, I thought she looked like a Hershey's bar (laughter). So, Mildred would start teaching me my ABCs and she started teaching me sign language and lessons on inclusion and lessons on sharing, and I would go to the games and I would clap for Mildred. Mildred was knocking down those jump shots and everybody always talked about Mildred Nelson. She was such a great player” [2].
Mike Glenn communicating with ASL (PHOTO CREDITS: Rome News Tribune)
Within Glenn’s clips, I decided to search “Deaf” which yielded 10 results. I found another clip that details Glenn’s experience on being a founder of the first deaf basketball camp in the nation:
“Even when I was in college [Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois], I would go to places where deaf kids were and I would spend time with them, and as a member of the Knicks, Mill Neck School for the Deaf [Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, Mill Neck, New York] which is on Long Island, New York, wanted one of the Knicks to come out to their tournament. They had the tournaments just like my dad [Charles Glenn, Sr.] used to have where the schools in that area would all get together. It would be New Jersey, New York, Connecticut--those schools in that area would get together and they wanted one of the Knicks to come. So, I went to that camp. I went to that game, that tournament, came out on the court, and I started signing for myself, and a hush went over the crowd. How does he know sign language? Is he deaf? Someone in his family deaf? Are one of the Knicks deaf? So, you know, I just explained to them about my dad and my background and they just adopted me. Here was a Knick that could sign and communicate to them, and I told the athletic director and the coach that at one day I wanted to even start a camp for deaf kids and they said, "Mike [HistoryMaker Mike Glenn], why don't you start your camp right here? We got a nice facility." So I said, "Let's do it," and so I started the nation's first recognized basketball camp--summer basketball camp for deaf kids in 1980 in Mill Neck, New York…” [3]
Mike Glenn coaching players at the Mike Glenn Camp for the Hearing Impaired (PHOTO CREDITS: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Gallaudet University, a world-renowned university for deaf and hard of hearing students is located in Washington D.C. (PHOTO CREDITS: https://www.startasl.com/gallaudet-university-2/)
Watching Jackson’s and Mike Glenn’s clips led me to search, Gallaudet which yielded 15 results. A story from former president of the District of Columbia Teachers College Paul Cooke (1917-2010) describes his involvement with the landmark case Miller v. Board of Education in District of Columbia of 1952:
“Black deaf children were being sent to Overlea [Maryland] a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. Whereas, the white deaf children were kept in the city, went to Kendall Green and part of that Gallaudet College [later, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.]. The American Veteran's Committee said, "This cannot be tolerated." We brought the parents of the deaf children into the American Veterans Committee clubhouse, said, "Can we serve you by taking the steps to end this practice of sending your children to Baltimore [Maryland]?" They all agreed to our being for a strong forum, I guess. And the Miller case [Miller v. Board of Education of District of Columbia, 1952] was filed eventually…” [4]
At Kendall School, on the Gallaudet campus in Washington, D.C., African American and white students were taught in separate buildings and had segregated dormitories. This 1954 photo shows Kendall School 1students receiving oral training. (PHOTO CREDITS: Gallaudet University Archives)
Additionally, Cooke provides the rationale behind the judge’s decision in desegregation of Deaf schools:
“The 1938 [U.S.] Supreme Court decision [Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 1938] said, with respect to a man in Missouri who wanted to get a law degree…And so that lead the way for the judge in the deaf children case. Judge David Pine would say, "Can't send those children to Maryland. You got to educate them the same place you educate the white children." [4]
A picture of Louise B. Milller, a Washington, D.C. mother of four children — three deaf sons and one hearing daughter who filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of her Black Deaf son, Kenneth, and other Black Deaf children who were denied admission to Kendall School in efforts of desegregating the school district (PHOTO CREDITS: https://gallaudet.edu/louise-b-miller-memorial/)
HistoryMaker Peyton Williams, Jr.
After finding stories pertaining with the search term, “sign language”, I decided to broaden my search and search for “Deaf”, which yielded 131 stories. Within the results, I found a clip from state education administrator Peyton Williams, Jr. (1942-2011) describing his experience with deaf education:
“I was in charge of two schools for the deaf. And the charge that I'd been given when those schools were placed under me was get in there and clean them up, or help us close them down. And I found out that most of the folks at the state knew very little about what was going on with those three schools. I was, as a result of that, I was placed on the advisory board of Gallaudet College [Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.] in their Office of Demographic Studies.” [5]
Williams, Jr. discusses his Ph.D. dissertation on schools for the deaf and the context surrounding it:
“At that time the Disabilities Act was--94-142 [Public Law No. 94-142; Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975] was very prevalent, as to whether or not it was more appropriate to educate these children in a restricted environment with other children like them, or to put them in a least restricted environment, in public schools. So I did my Ph.D. dissertation on the governance of schools for the deaf in the United States. How were they governed? Were they under the state department of education? Were they under a local board of trustees that was unrelated to the state department? Or were they privately handled? And that was to give me some sense of policy directions in terms of my own work with the state…” [5]
A child photographed as part of the Georgia PINES Program’s SKI-HI Program (PHOTO CREDITS: https://dhhpathways.georgia.gov/programs-partners/georgia-pines)
In a separate clip, Williams, Jr. discusses career highlights in the Georgia Department of Education and his work in servicing deaf and hard of hearing individuals:
“I think another highlight was the work that we did with our state-operated schools for the handicapped, and building new facilities for the campuses for the school for the deaf and the School for the Blind [Georgia Academy for the Blind, Macon, Georgia]. I'm particularly proud of the work we did there, and especially in implementing a program for young hearing impaired students. We had many young people who were born with hearing impairments. And the idea started with a teacher in the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf [Clarkston, Georgia], of having a program where there would be a cadre of people to work with parents of these young children who were born deaf or hearing impaired, to get them prepared for coming toward the school. And that program developed into what's known as the Georgia PINES program [Georgia Parent Infant Network for Educational Services]. And from that work, a lot of good came forth for deaf students.” [6]
Georgia PINES Logo
A photo of HistoryMaker Joseph Dyer. Dyer was one of the first African American reporters in Los Angeles who covered the 1965 Watts Riots.
After exploring stories within the search result, “Deaf”, I decided to search for “hard of hearing” and “hearing impediment”, which yielded 24 and 29 stories, respectively. Within the search term, “hearing impediment”, I found stories from broadcast executive and television reporter Joseph Dyer (1934 - 2011) discussing his mother’s background:
“Well my mother was disabled. She was among the hearing impaired. She was very strong and even to this day, even though she's gone, when I feel I'm being overly challenged, quite frankly, I often think about the challenge she had because throughout her life, I'm sure she suffered many indignities because of her hearing impediment. Well-meaning people tended to shout at her and shouting was not necessary. In fact, since I was the oldest child, I many times found myself trying to become a buffer between well-meaning friends and relatives, the person who didn't know that you didn't have to shout, you just had to speak clearly, slowly, and she did a pretty good job of lip reading.” [7]
In a separate clip, Dyer further discusses his mother’s difficulty with hearing and how she managed it:
“But she never let her impediment make her gun-shy about talking to people. And I theorized years later that in a group session, like we are right now, my mother usually led the conversation. I think she did it because she could control the conversation. She knew exactly what the conversation was about 'cause she was controlling it, quite frankly, so she didn't have to feel embarrassed by saying something totally counter to what the conversation was all about, and I respected that. [8]
MORE RESOURCES:
Center for Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University:
https://gallaudet.edu/center-black-deaf-studies/
Georgia PINES
https://dhhpathways.georgia.gov/programs-partners/georgia-pines
Louise B. Miller Memorial
https://gallaudet.edu/louise-b-miller-memorial/
National Black Deaf Advocates
SEARCH RESULTS:
American Sign Language [37 stories]
“American Sign Language” [1 story]
“Black Sign Language” [0 stories]
“Sign language” [21 stories]
“Deaf” [131 stories]
“Gallaudet” [15 stories]
“Hearing impaired” [16 results]
“Hard of hearing” [24 results]
Hearing impediment [29 results]
“Hearing impediment” [3 results]
Student Ambassador Update:
Biweekly update for the weeks of 4/7/2023 and 4/14/2023.
4/7/2023:
I have designed my final outreach plan for the rest of my tenure with the HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Unfortunately, The Hampton HistoryMakers were unable to secure a table at the Student Center 4-6 on 4/7/2023 due to Spring Fest. For Spring Fest, there are more organizations on campus who want to organize at 4-6 PM and some are given more of a priority. However, Lillian and I discussed and secured tables for 4/14/2023 and 4/21/2023.
OUTREACH PLAN
As discussed in one of the first meetings in the program, I started drafting an End of Action Plan. If the HistoryMakers Student Ambassador program returns to Hampton University, I would like for the selected ambassador(s) to have a guide on the highlights and weaknesses of my tenure as a Student Ambassador. Additionally, The HistoryMakers team may use my End of Action Plan to facilitate planning and discussions for the future.
Additionally, our Instagram posts will be to continue to highlight HistoryMakers within the archive in addition to our own blog posts. I also recorded a tutorial on how to navigate the digital archive from a mobile device, and plan to post it on social media after making edits (mainly I need to edit out part of the video where I’m typing in my email password).
For this week, my strong clip is “Helen Turner Thompson plays the piano and sings a short medley of gospel tunes”. I have discussed this clip in a previous blog post yet I find myself drawn to this clip I love hearing Turner-Thompson’s voice due to emotional response it evoked in me. I especially loved how she performed the sang the that her mother wrote as part of the short medley. I also selected Turner-Thompson as one of the HistoryMakers featured in the BHM Contest. Upon watching this clip, I went back and created questions for the BHM to ensure that Turner-Thompson’s legacy was being conveyed. Additionally, this clip made me think of my maternal grandmother. Although I did not know her, my mother would always talk about her and how she was heavily involved within the Baptist church in Los Angeles, including the choir.
4/14/2023:
Unfortunately, I am unable to present The HistoryMakers Digital Archive in my Stuttering course due to scheduling conflicts; my professor has cancelled classes for the rest of April and has given us projects in lieu of coming to class in-person. However, she said that there is time to present the digital archive and my selection of stories about stuttering on May 4, 2023. Although my tenure with The HistoryMakers will have concluded, I still plan to show my class this resource.
I spent the majority of my time crafting my blog post, “Gifted Hands: Sign Language within the Digital Archive”. When searching in the archive, I was disappointed to not find any stories featuring “Black Sign Language”, “BSL”, or “African American Sign Language”. Black Sign Language (BSL) has a different syntactical structure and different mannerism than American Sign Language (ASL), and in the future, I would love to see more stories from HistoryMakers discussing the differences between the two. However, I was pleased with the stories I found when I searched “sign language”, especially from Mike Glenn and The Honorable Dorothy Jackson. This post, and my BHM post, “Black People and National Parks System” were two of my favorite posts that I would like to share on our social media page. I am not sure on how I would set up the blog for public access, but I would like to inquire about this at our next meeting. Before the end of my tenure, I also plan to highlight and present clips from HistoryMakers on the social media page as well.
In other news, Lillian and I had another table at the Student Center from 4-6 PM. I felt that the ongoing election season for SGA (Student Government Association) and class elections overshadowed our table at the Student Center. However, we were able to place The HistoryMakers pamphlets around the student center. Within my End of Action plan that I began drafting the previous week, I will note that depending on other on-campus events, having a table at the Student Center may not always be the best option for outreach. Despite this, Lillian and I have secured another table for next Friday, April 21st.
REFERENCES
The Honorable Dorothy Jackson (The HistoryMakers A2002.147), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 1, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 1, Dorothy Jackson discusses her career as a sign language interpreter
Mike Glenn (The HistoryMakers A2006.108), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 9, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 6, Mike Glenn describes his relationship with the Georgia School for the Deaf
Mike Glenn (The HistoryMakers A2006.108), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 9, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 4, Mike Glenn talks about founding basketball camps for deaf children
Paul Cooke (The HistoryMakers A2004.009), interviewed by Racine Tucker Hamilton, March 1, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 2, Paul Cooke talks about his involvement in the 1952 court case, Miller v. Board of Education of District of Columbia
Peyton Williams, Jr. (The HistoryMakers A2005.179), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 2, 2005, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 5, Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his experience with deaf education
Peyton Williams, Jr. (The HistoryMakers A2005.179), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 23, 2005, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 5, story 11, Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls highlights from his career in the Georgia Department of Education
Joseph Dyer (The HistoryMakers A2004.047), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, April 23, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 3, Joseph Dyer describes his mother's family background
Joseph Dyer (The HistoryMakers A2004.047), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, April 23, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 4, Joseph Dyer describes the efforts of his mother, Barbara Parker Brooks, to overcome her hearing impediment
