Mishkazena An Ex-Oralist
Some of you don’t know who I am. I guess it’s because I am ordinarily a private person.
Growing up, I was 100% oral. When I first arrived at Gallaudet at the age of 17, I knew no signs except two: Gallaudet and College, taught me by a local deaf person, as well as the manual alphabet I learned from a book.
Gallaudet changed my life. Not only did it give me my newfound deaf identity, it also instilled in me a deep pride in being deaf. I never went back to the old oral ways and traveled forward on the exciting journey to an enriching life as a proud deaf person. For my personal, educational and professional growth, I thank Gallaudet. I also thank Gallaudet for enabling me to become a strong civil rights advocate, something I’ve been since the age of 21.
When I joined the deaf cyberworld late last year, I read with concern the stories of my former professors and colleagues at Gallaudet where I also taught for almost six years before leaving due to an illness. These people I know personally and professionally and whom I still to this day hold in high regard. I listened to the students with increasing concern. As an adjunct faculty member, I’ve always had respect for the students and encouraged them to speak freely. Even though I haven’t taught in over ten years, I still hold in my heart a special place for Gallaudet students.
As a DPN protester, I was outraged upon hearing how Jordan attempted to have 100 protesters arrested last May and the final straw for me was the new controversial policy “Restrictions of Students’ Expressions” established last June. These went against my personal beliefs as a deaf civil rights activist. Oppression and censorship were the reasons I opened my personal blog to Gallaudet Community.
I am formerly oral and I support Unity for Gallaudet.
I can attest personally that this protest has nothing to do with ” Not Deaf Enough” or a “deaf identity crisis”.
Fernandes does not have the skills to be a good President. Furthermore, in the last few weeks , she has proved that she lacks the capacity to resolve the crisis.
Elizabeth Gillespie
Class of 1980 and 1987
Adjunct Faculty, Biology Department 1989-1995
Citizens Advisory Committee, Laurel, MD 1997-2004
Lighthearted Trivia: many asked me why the name MishkaZena. It is actually a combination of two pet names: Mishka, my doberman, and Zena, my cat. I do have a penchant for odd names 
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Animals rocks!!
*hands waving for MZ*
We all love you girl!
Ah! I have long suspected it was you and I was going to ask you in a private email. It’s good to see you even if it’s in the cyberworld.
Mike Boucher aka Barinthus
One of your introdutionary Biology Honors students – ‘94-’95
Welcome home, sister! :>
D. McClintock,
former oralist
You do good job! I am an ex-oralist too! Damn those audists!
Thank you dearly for sharing a piece of yourself. I am a Deaf mother of a bilaterally implanted deaf child who signs ASL at home and attends an oral school in St. Louis. The protest has my vote now that I am starting to see the Deaf embracing diversity within the world of deafness (or Deaf world whichever suits you better).
Thank you all of the deafies who are accepting diversity and saying that its perfectly fine to be an oralist, an ASL-ist, to sim-com, or to wear cochlear implants. I was against the protest from the beginning and had a change of heart last week when I started to see the slow change among the deaf community saying it again and again that deaf of different walks of life are respected. I now know I will be respected for having my child at CID. He is doing well and who knows one day he will be a Gallaudet student!
I am with you “all the way.”
Always loved the name Mishka Zane. I don’t know why exactly but it’s an inspiring name during this whole Gallaudet crisis.
Thank you for your excellent reporting.
Oh my gosh, I remember you! We were in many classes together at Gallaudet! As for my pets’ names, I’m not very creative at all, because I usually keep the names that they came home to me with.
Anyway, awesome, awesome job you’ve done with this site. It’s actually the very first site I check when I sign on when I want to know what’s going on at Gallaudet!
P.S. I was oral until I was 16!
Being an oral student, being an ex-oral,… its nothing wrong. I am proud of my oral background and I am blessed to have learned ASL at age 18.
Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful suprise!!. You are doing an awesome job. Thanks for identifying yourself. Your long lost friend. TerryB
Elizabeth,
I love you! I went to an oral school in Holland, and, yes, I am a former oralist. LOL
Carl
Thank you, Elizabeth!
We have to show the world that it is not only us, the ASL natives or users, who opposed to the selection of Fernandes. It is deaf people from all walks of life.
My late grandparents were a product of an oral education.
Kudos to you, MZ!
I, as well as Elizabeth and others, who made comments, I am an ex oralist although I still speak with hearies. My utmost identity is Deaf. It took many years until I attended Gally from 1984 til 85 before i realized my true Deaf identity. I grew up missing a piece of puzzle, even though I learned sign language from the Deafies at NIH at age of 18. I was more than ready to be immersed into Deaf culture. NLM Deafies were patient and we had a ball! That was 1978 when I first started working parttime H.S. Student. It wasn’t til 1984 when I was completely immersed at Gally and that was where I knew who I was as a Deaf individual. Got married and had babies, now are college aged kids.
My point is, Gallaudet was a great place and I hope hope hope that Jk will realize the importance of Unity for Gallaudet. I hope you, JK, are reading this and realize there are all kinds of people at Gallaudet. I hope you will quit harping on “new order” or not deaf enough and be humble enough to step down.
Elizabeth, I am proud of you and I’m proud that you are one of good friends. You have done a wonderful job! I,too, check the MZ site every, well, lets say at least 20 or more times! So much has been happening every few minutes.
Thank you mom of deaf oral child! You allow ASL at home and oral at the school, how many parents allow that? You are doing the right thing and thank you for your support!
Kudos to the students who have been fighting peacefully. Also the hunger strikers, I am deeply concerned, but kudos to them!
Love ya MZ!
We sure learn some things from each other! We need to meet and have a nice chat. I am former oralist as well. Especially former CI user.
It is amazing how everyone try to insults us with audism messages without know us from background. We must remain strong no matter what. We must un-oppress our heroes via blogging the truth!
I am proud of your site and without it, there is no other better advocate than alone.
Wow! I am ex-oralist from SJI !!
Oralist, I am glad it worked for you, but it didn’t for me. I wish I was permitted to learn sign language when I was growing up. Oralism had deprived me full communication access and I didn’t feel whole until I learned sign language.
Thanks, Iammine, DeafAdvocate, DMcCintock, Adam, Patty (hi there!), Carl!, Terry B (hello there!), Tory!, Aaron, and Champ!
As readers can see, there are many ex-oralists and C.I. supporting Unity for Gallaudet, like you all and Mom. Thanks for sharing with us about your grandparents, Katherine
Hey, Mike, Always a pleasure to see a former student again!
Glad to hear my reporting helps keep you informed what’s happening at Gallaudet. They cannot silence us, right?!
I gotta pitch in a little more…ok, maybe a little more than that.
I went to an oral school, but it was my mother who FOUGHT the school board to allow sign language because she was frustrated that I could NOT lip-read the teachers. She knew I was too smart to be behind and she would NOT have it!
At age 19, she was a lone fighter and she WON.
Granted, it was Sim-Com (sighs – anyone remembers those famous yellow sign language books?! Oh my! I wish I had kept it as a treasure and history!), but it was the “better than thing” situtation.
To this day, they still are using Sim-Com… someone else has to take my mom’s place to fight for ASL!!!
In response to #13 – actually, I am seeing more and more hearing parents willing to learn ASL with their CI children – stating they want to provide them “opportunities” and DO realize that it is NOT like a hearing person. They know it’s just a different kind of tool (”better than hearing aids”). Many parents I spoke to stated that they are aware that Deaf is their identity. Their biggest problem with the “deaf” thing – education at deaf institutions are not equal to hearing schools. You either take away their socialization or education. It should NOT be that way.
Yes, there are others who will not teach theirs sign language – but like many oralists, they will find their identity later in life, either at NTID or Gallaudet. I even see some CI’ers quitting using(or removing) them for various reasons.
I parallel this to old days of raising deaf/hoh children – there were parents who wanted to raise their children orally, Sim-Com, or just sign language.
Same thing with the CI – there are oral CI’ers, mainstreamed CI-ers, or just deaf CI’ers. Hell, even the old thinking of oralism still exist for the deaf/hoh children who do NOT have cochlear implants.
I really hate to label myself – it just feels too weird. I feel like a robot or something? I just say I’m deaf.
I mean, I NEVER said this when I had hearing aids :
“Hi, I’m a hearing aid person! My name is…*inserts here*”
Ugh. I wish we’d just get rid of labels – it automatically divides us in people’s minds.
So I say nothing because it does NOT stand out to ME at all and I don’t want others to think that way of me.
I’m just a frigging human being – or should I say, a grain of salt.
I hope that is the last time I ever mention CI because I realize it’s NOT what every deafie wants or likes, or even what the deaf community truly represents – so I don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb. I respect you, you respect me. Period.
Oh, I don’t still use Sim-Com, by the way…
My mother still does and I make fun of her. 
Deaf Culture will alwayysssss live on – and for many, saves our lives, especially our sane part!
Ok, this robot is shutting down…*electric sparks all over*
U-U-U-NITY FOR G-G-GALLAUDET!
Wow… nice autobio! I come from a family with deaf parents and a hearing sister. Both my parents were raised orally, and they taught me how to speak…ASL was used at home and in schools, mainly total communication (simcom). Ive been mainstreamed, deaf-schooled, and now a soon to be college graduate with 3 kids, one deaf and 2 hearies…
I have met so many people from all walks of life, and I have never thought of them differently based on their educational background. Diversity is what makes life interesting….
Kudos!
Elizabeth,
I went to A. G. Bell school for the deaf for many years and was taught to use oral but I never successed being an oralist. It is like teaching a total blind to identify the color of the shirt. I was one of your students and never knew that you was an ex-oralist. You did a good job!!
JJ (prefers to stay private as usual)
Hi Elizabeth, In my mother tongue Hungarian, Mishka is a nickname for Michael. Many people all called Mis(h)ka, much more than Zoltan.
))))))))))))
See, here is the proof. So many of us came from different communiative backgrounds!
iammine, you got it right!
Congrats on soon getting your degree, Deaf Canadian.. with three kids, not an easy task!
JJ, now I am curious. Who may you be? Can you fill me in a private e mail? I love hearing from my old students!
Testing, my grandparents were from Hungary,too. So hence giving the dobermans hungarian, german, and russian names.
MK,
Remember one of your mantras you drilled into us – your students? “Don’t assume – it makes an ass out of you and me.” I often and still do quote that one with friends and students!
Hi Elizabeth,
Fear no more. I, too, am a former oralist. I attended St.
Francis Xavier’s. I love deaf people of all walks of life,
be they oralie, signer, CI, Cuer — as long as we respect one another. I opposed Fernandes because she exercised
management by intimidation which is an undemocratic
approach. Once again, fear not about your oral background.
I hope that you continue blogging. I have high regard for your blog because you are very objective — not like some
bloggers who are too subjective in their blogs. Rationality
is lost when being emotional. Cheers.
Jean Boutcher
Elzabeth, MZ, anybody who admits to being oral in younger years is dating themselves to the 50’s and thereabouts. ;-D
Now most schools for the deaf today are introducing sign language in preschool years, but oralism still exists in a few schools and damages the linguistic abilities of too many deaf people so that they never reach the level of Gallaudet students.
(Oh, I know, there are exceptional people who like Jane Fernandes manage to make it all the way through mainstream and top out with PhD’s without seeing even one interpreter. Show me one oral school where this is more the rule than the exception.)
Sign language in itself is the great unifier of the diverse adult deaf community.
DPG
Hi MZ,
Thanks for your nice mini-auto — I was also raised oral and mainstreamed. I support Unity for Gallaudet and the Deaf community. I didn’t formally learn ASL until age 15, and now I’m an ASL instructor at a community college.
I definitely know it’s not about “being deaf enough” — and I’m truly grateful that the deaf community is able to embrace diversity quite well.
Note: When I introduce myself: I usually go “My name is Kristen, I am Deaf. I just happen to have the CI.”
I grew up oral til I came to Gallaudet in 1984. I love Deaf people of all walks of life – Anyone!
Mishka Zena = Elizabeth Gillespie! No wonder as I do remember you, during our student years, as a person who thinks objectively and don’t cut any bull crap! You are indeed a perfect fit to work in the biology department!
I need to tell you this that I don’t frequent many bloggers’sites lately but during the recent Gally Protest, I have a high value for your blog site more than any other Deaf bloggers because you seem to be very objective and get to the point without flaming emotional fire to it.
You may know, I attended oral school for the 1st 4 years of my schooling life. At that time during my 4th year, I realized that my reading and math skills were SO FAR behind vis-à-vis my “hearing” friends’ skill. I first discovered my educational deficiency when I had to bring books home from school for after school study with cubs scout group – those boys and the cub masters were wondering why I still using the 2nd grade math book with me while the rests were using either 4th or 5th grade book. At the oral school, I complained about it and spoke out against how stupid this school is (Morrell School in South Side of Chicago). Subsequently, I was sent to the principal office again and again for causing disruption in the class room, then the principle gave me the best warning of my life – “One more trip to the principle office, you will be suspended from school for good.” I really wanted to attend my local home school – Mount Greenwood School – because that is where all my “hearing” friends go and able to play basketball and football, etc; while deaf students are not allow to try out for any Morrell School sporting teams. So, I was a young daredevil and aiming to be suspended from oral school and hoping to go to my local home school. In a few days after my last visit to the principle’s office, I finally got expelled from Morrell School for good and didn’t go to school at all because according to the Chicago Board of Education (BOE) any deaf child living inside the city line MUST attend oral school – no question ask. But the problem is I am expelled and there isn’t any oral school left for me to attend! I tried Illinois School for the Deaf and Indiana School for the Deaf, both will not accept me because they think I am better off going to mainstreamed program. The problem with that is Chicago BOE does not support having deaf kids going to mainstreamed program and they don’t have one back then. (around 1965). Eventually, they (BOE) formed an experimental mainstreamed program (Shield School) to allow only two deaf kids to go there. I was one of the two kids. It was a blast and very rewarding educational experiences for me. Yet, through out my younger years, I still don’t know “Who am I?”… Why I am deaf and why I have to deal with it…. Until I arrived Gally, from there I found my real identity and I flourishing positively from that point on.
Having said this, I without doubt recognize it’s not about “being deaf enough” as JKF & IKJ alleged. I’m sincerely appreciative of the fact that the deaf community is adept to welcome all kind of deaf people and cultural & racial diversity as well.
Please keep up the good work!
Regards, David