{"id":23517,"date":"2013-06-22T13:28:48","date_gmt":"2013-06-22T18:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=23517"},"modified":"2013-06-22T13:28:48","modified_gmt":"2013-06-22T18:28:48","slug":"elizabeth-criswell-dallas-advocate-who-bridged-hearing-and-deaf-worlds-dies-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/06\/22\/elizabeth-criswell-dallas-advocate-who-bridged-hearing-and-deaf-worlds-dies-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth Criswell, Dallas advocate who bridged hearing and deaf worlds, dies at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dn_logo_thumbnail\"<\/a>Elizabeth Criswell, Dallas advocate who bridged hearing and deaf worlds, dies at 75<\/strong><\/p>\n

By JOE SIMNACHER
\nStaff Writer
\njsimnacher@dallasnews.com<\/p>\n

June 20, 2013<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Myatt Criswell was born to profoundly deaf parents and communicated with her hands before she learned to speak.<\/p>\n

From childhood she worked to bridge the gap between the hearing and deaf worlds. Her accomplishments included founding the Deaf Action Center in Dallas and countless works of advocacy for people with hearing disorders.<\/p>\n

Criswell, 75, died June 14 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano of complications following emergency back surgery.<\/p>\n

Services will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe bridged the gap culturally between the hearing world and the world of deafness \u2026 in a way that not many people have done,\u201d said her husband, John Criswell of Carrollton. \u201cShe had a foot in both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout her life, many people assumed Criswell was deaf, because she had deaf parents and was such an advocate as an adult.<\/p>\n

Criswell\u2019s natural perspective was that of a deaf person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d take a car trip someplace and she would doze in the front seat \u2026 she would talk to herself in sign language,\u201d said her husband, a former Dallas TV anchorman. \u201cShe would dream in sign language. I would wake up in the night and she would be signing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Houston, Criswell interpreted for the deaf as a child and was signing services for First Baptist Church of Houston at 9.<\/p>\n

In 1958, Criswell moved to Dallas, where she became director of adult deaf services at the Callier Hearing and Speech Center, now the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. She was later an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University.<\/p>\n

In Dallas, she was on 24-hour call to assist deaf people, helping them communicate with police and at hospitals in emergencies. She interpreted for people in surgery and in court.<\/p>\n

In 1963, she was one of 24 professionals who founded the Texas Society of Interpreters for the Deaf, a nonprofit organization established to develop and strengthen the profession of interpreting.<\/p>\n

Criswell\u2019s work included signing the morning newscasts at WFAA-TV (Channel 8), where she met John Criswell. She also interpreted the Sunday services for Highland Park United Methodist Church on KDFW-TV (Channel 4).<\/p>\n

Criswell was married to Marion Carlton until 1974.<\/p>\n

In 1975, she married John Criswell, left the Callier center and established the Deaf Action Center, which was incorporated two years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe spent a great deal of time with the Legislature in Austin \u2026 seeing to it that laws got passed to protect the rights of deaf people, who were accused or in prison,\u201d her husband said.<\/p>\n

In addition to her husband, Criswell is survived by two daughters, Kendra Leigh Branden of Carrollton and Karen Ann Drennan of Flower Mound; her brother, Ronnie J. Myatt of Aurora, Colo.; two stepdaughters, Katherine Elaine Criswell of Long Beach, Miss., and Julie Elizabeth Govan of Clearwater, Fla.; and seven grandchildren.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/obituary-headlines\/20130620-elizabeth-criswell-dallas-advocate-who-bridged-hearing-and-deaf-worlds-dies-at-75.ece<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Criswell, Dallas advocate who bridged hearing and deaf worlds, dies at 75 By JOE SIMNACHER Staff Writer jsimnacher@dallasnews.com June 20, 2013 Elizabeth Myatt Criswell was born to profoundly deaf parents and communicated with her hands before she learned to…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[18975,18974,19,451,18955,18973,40,18972,14255,14257,18971,18976],"class_list":["post-23517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-callier-center-for-communication-disorders","tag-callier-hearing-and-speech-cente","tag-dallas-dfw","tag-deaf-action-center","tag-elizabeth-m-criswell","tag-first-baptist-church-of-houston","tag-interpreter","tag-john-criswell","tag-smu","tag-southern-methodist-university","tag-texas-health-presbyterian-hospital-plano","tag-wfaa-tv"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-67j","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44226,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2023\/07\/20\/former-wfaa-news-anchor-john-criswell-wednesdays-child-originator-dies-at-83\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":0},"title":"Former WFAA news anchor John Criswell, Wednesday\u2019s Child originator, dies at 83","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"July 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Former WFAA news anchor John Criswell, Wednesday\u2019s Child originator, dies at 83 Criswell, a news anchor for WFAA from 1973 to 1990, died Wednesday in his Carrollton home, his family confirmed. John Criswell was a longtime anchor at WFAA (Channel 8) and originator of its popular Wednesday's Child segment.(KADOCH, Ariane\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/criswell-dac.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/criswell-dac.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/criswell-dac.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/criswell-dac.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23490,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/06\/17\/obituary-elizabeth-m-criswell\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":1},"title":"Obituary: Elizabeth M. Criswell","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"June 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Obituary: Elizabeth Criswell - Dallas Elizabeth Criswell passed away Friday night, June 14, 2013 following complications after surgery. Visitation: Thursday evening, June 20, 2013 at 5:30 - 8:30 P.M. Restland Funeral Home 13005 Greenville Ave Dallas, Texas 75243 Funeral Services: Friday, June 21, 2013 at 12:30 P.M. Prestonwood Baptist Church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ElizabethCriswell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/ElizabethCriswell1-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31156,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/06\/17\/dac-redevelopment-for-marthas-vineyard-place-begins-october-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":2},"title":"DAC: Redevelopment For Martha\u2019s Vineyard Place Begins October 2015","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"June 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Redevelopment For Martha\u2019s Vineyard Place Begins October 2015 ADDRESS: 3115 Crestview Dr. Dallas, Texas WEBSITE: http:\/\/www.dactexas.org Deaf Action Center receives $2.8 million in grants to redevelop affordable housing. DALLAS, TX: Much like the current redevelopment boom in the City of Dallas, the Deaf Action Center is going through a renaissance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"dac_logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/dac_logo.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31267,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/07\/01\/marthas-vineyard-place-a-deaf-action-center-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":3},"title":"Martha\u2019s Vineyard Place \u2013 A Deaf Action Center Community","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"July 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Martha\u2019s Vineyard Place \u2013 A Deaf Action Center Community June 2, 2015 Much like the current redevelopment boom in the City of Dallas, the Deaf Action Center (DAC) is going through a renaissance of our own. There has recently been renewed recognition in the validity of Deaf history and its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3846,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2008\/08\/11\/kickn-chickn-drumstick-cook-off-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":4},"title":"Kick’n Chick’n Drumstick Cook-Off","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Kick\u2019n Chick\u2019n Drumstick Cook-Off By Kim Nguyen, Staff Writer (Created: Tuesday, August 05, 2008) The Plano Legacy YMCA will be hosting the first annual Labor Day Kick\u2019n Chick\u2019n Drumstick Cook-Off that will benefit the Deaf Action Center in Dallas. Cooks will meet to compete for a $1,000 cash prize for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11255,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/07\/31\/mattie-ford-august-longtime-teacher-dies-at-75\/","url_meta":{"origin":23517,"position":5},"title":"Mattie Ford August, longtime teacher, dies at 75","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"July 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Mattie Ford August, longtime teacher, dies at 75 July 28, 2010 By JOE SIMNACHER \/ The Dallas Morning News jsimnacher@dallasnews.com Mattie Ford August had a special quality for giving nursing care, and she used those skills to help students and children with hearing disabilities. She taught at state schools in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23517"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23519,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23517\/revisions\/23519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}