sign: WHO for WHO I am as a SLP, mom, & ASL lover

Who am I?

• First and foremost I am a mom, wife, sister, and daughter
• I am a student getting my SLP.D (speech language pathology doctorate) and some day finishing my interpreting degree. But most importantly, I believe I will always be learning. The best advise I received was just last summer, 'it's when you think you are an expert is really when you are an egg-pert'.
• I am a Deaf culture advocate
• I am a language lover but I am only fluent in ASL and English
• I am a certified and licensed speech language pathologist
• I am a sign language teacher
• I love yoga, dogs, horseback riding, and traveling

How I got to where I am?

• I always loved ASL. I remember staring at the interpreter during concerts or other large events when I was supposed to be paying attention to the everything else.
• I moved to San Diego after high school, which while hard to leave my family - was the best decision I could have made! Why? Because I learned not only ASL but Deaf culture and the importance of community. I didn't just learn ASL from a book, I learned it from events, Deaf coffee  chats, Deaf bowling nights and pizza nights ... the list goes on! I met awesome people and created invaluable relationships and I knew ASL needed to be in my life for good. 
• I moved to DC where I continue classes and my close San Diego contacts. I moved again back home to South Jersey and that's where things took a different turn. I started going to two colleges at once while living in DC so I could pursue ASL interpreting but pursue a degree greater than an associates - so I began my education in speech-language pathology as my back-up plan (from all the worker's comp situations I heard about from friends in the interpreting business).
• After moving back home, I was in a car accident and my dream of interpreting went out the window. My back-up plan quickly took the front seat and I had to keep moving forward. 
• I wanted to share my love so I figured out how to use ASL in and out of therapy. 

 WHY I am doing this? 

•  I truly love ASL and what it stands for. 
• I started this business New Years Eve 2011 while my baby was sleeping and my family was enjoying their holiday and I thought, this is what I enjoy. Viola - in my 5th month, I'm humbled by others WHO share my passion for one reason or another. I'm blessed knowing I can help others for a variety of reasons. 

So for Better Speech Hearing Month - I wanted to tell you WHO I am, How I go to where I am, WHY I'm doing what I'm doing ...  

Better Speech Hearing Month - I don't look at it as let's improve speech, let's improve hearing ... I look at it like "Let's Improve Communication".            


Sign: WHO