Mélange Accessibility for All Magazine July 2021 | Page 21

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Angela Lynn ' s internship in Malaysia
When she enrolled at Gallaudet University , Angela decided that she wanted to teach deaf children . With her mother as her role model , she hoped to follow in her footsteps and become a teacher . In Malaysia , Angela supported Gallaudet ’ s Summer English Program and enjoyed working with the children so much that she returned the following year for her second internship . At the start , the hearing teachers said they did not think deaf students could learn English . Angela disagreed and continued to teach it throughout the summer , and at the end they did learn English !
The deaf children inspired her to be a better person and teacher . While she enjoyed the teaching experience , initially she was disappointed to see signs of audism . Teachers did not value the brilliance of the deaf students but the students were eager for more literacy opportunities . The teachers did allow her to experiment with sign language and at the end of the summer program , the benefits of having used this instead of only oral teaching methods were visible - learning occurred at a faster pace . One of the most rewarding outcomes of her second visit was the positive impression she made on the hearing teachers . They wanted to work with her because they were inspired seeing the way the deaf were taught in sign language . At the end of it all , audism was no longer a factor . The positive results were that deaf students were learning English / Malay and teachers were teaching in sign language , not using the oral method . This brought Angela to joyful tears knowing hers was an accomplished mission .
International globetrotter
Being a deaf international globetrotter has been Angela Lynn ' s passion her entire life . While in high school in Phoenix , Arizona , her first vacation experience was to Hawaii . During her college years , she fell in love with travel , visiting many countries : Egypt , Australia , Mexico , Canada , Europe , Barbados , the Bahamas , and others . During her travels , no communication barriers were experienced . Why ? Because , she always let people know that she was deaf , and it worked out smoothly , she said . Angela communicates with paper and pen , through text messages , Google , over the phone or by using informal gestural communication . She continues to have positive interactions at all destinations she visits .
She suggests the best thing to do before leaving home , is to do your homework ! There are many travel-friendly information sources available before you get to an actual destination . Angela Lynn always does her research for communication access in advance to make her travels successful . " If you want things to go smoothly , you must prepare ," she advises . " I continue to have never-ending gratitude for the experience and growth that comes with the ability to travel around the world . My dream destination is to go to Dubai ," she shared .
Personal accomplishments
Angela Lynn has experienced many personal accomplishments in her life that she is proud of . Her first personal achievement was becoming the first person in her entire family to graduate from college with a B . A . Degree . That was an exciting moment !
Angela Lynn ' s second accomplishment was attending New York University ( NYU ) for her MA degree . " This is especially meaningful because it almost didn ’ t happen ," she said . " One week after arriving at NYU in September 2001 , the World Trade Centre was attacked . New York and the entire Nation was shaken . It would have been easy to leave , and many said that I