"Continuously" work with Deaf Organizations?

When I was young, I thought there were only a few deaf people in this world. I was wrong! Enrolling at the National Technical of Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY, I realized there were plenty of deaf people and I got a chance to meet a lot of them. Since then, I have wanted to meet more deaf people. I have always looked forward to meeting new deaf people.

I always feel “honored” to be invited by interpreters at different Interpreter Conferences to help them, the interpreters, improve their training skills. I also have been doing a lot of storytelling for years. I credit the interpreters for letting me explore the “storyteller” in me.

I am extremely lucky to have so many friends who have shown their unwavering support. They gave me the confidence to go out and perform in the hearing world. Most of all, being accepted as a Deaf storyteller by the Deaf community means a lot to me. It is the “seal of approval” from my own peers. I am going to be there for the “deaf community or deaf organization” that asks for my “services” as a performer. I am who I am now because of the “deaf community”.

(Photo: ASL/Interpreter Teacher's Dog in New Mexico: Red Tail and Me)

I am a workaholic and I love the challenges that I meet along the way. It is through the challenges and obstacles that I “strive” to do better at the same challenges and obstacles that kept me feeling alive and kept me going. Besides, I think I have the best job in the world, doing what I love to do and meeting a lot of people (and their pets).