{"id":28732,"date":"2014-09-30T02:34:16","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T07:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=28732"},"modified":"2014-09-30T02:34:16","modified_gmt":"2014-09-30T07:34:16","slug":"baylor-grads-share-passion-for-deaf-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/09\/30\/baylor-grads-share-passion-for-deaf-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Baylor grads share passion for deaf community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baylor grads share passion for deaf community<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Hannah Neumann<\/p>\n

Staff Writer<\/p>\n

September 26, 2014<\/p>\n

Three Baylor graduates following separate career paths and living in three different parts of the world have two things in common \u2014 a passion for the deaf community and an attribution to Baylor for their success.<\/p>\n

Dr. Serena Johnson, a 2008 alumna, said she knew from the time she was in the third grade she wanted to be a teacher. When she took American Sign Language as a language credit in high school, she fell in love and began her journey in the deaf education and searched for a university to aid her in her career choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI decided I wanted to be a teacher of the deaf, so when I was looking at schools, one of my criteria was that the school had to offer deaf education as a major,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI came to Baylor and I fell in love with the campus and the people and I knew this was where God needed me to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson said she started immediately on the deaf education track and attributed her success at Baylor to its teachers and the internships they provided to students in the major.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the teachers was just truly phenomenal,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cOther than that, what really set<\/span> Baylor\u2019s program<\/span> over the top was the fact that I interned at the Texas School for the Deaf. There\u2019s nothing like that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson said a large part of Baylor\u2019s success in the program was preparation for students in the field. Particularly by having deaf faculty members.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a deaf person on staff really helps you understand the deaf view of education and of life in general,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re teaching a group of people and you\u2019re not in that group, it\u2019s really important that you have their perspective. By Baylor having<\/span> deaf faculty in their program, it really allows deaf people to have input in the training of the people who are going to be working with their population and I think that\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Baylor, Johnson went on to receive her master\u2019s degree in literacy and English as a second language. She received a Ph.D. in<\/span> higher education with her dissertation focusing on deaf children in community college.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I work as the director of education at a nonprofit that benefits deaf and hard-of-hearing people,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019m responsible for developing and implimenting<\/span> adult basic education curriculum for our deaf consumers as they come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Bacak<\/span> also had a passion for American Sign Language but entered Baylor on different terms. Bacak<\/span> came to Baylor in 1993 as a communications disorders major before the deaf education program was implemented. She said one of the reasons she chose the track was because only speech majors could take American Sign Language, which she was interested in doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took ASL my very first semester with Lori Wrzesinski and she was my teacher all the way through,\u201d Bacak<\/span> said. \u201cShe taught me to sign and I just ate it up. I picked it up quickly, I fell in love with it and I knew that I wanted to use it in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bacak<\/span> said in her second semester of the language, a deaf student joined Baylor\u2019s campus and Bacak<\/span> was hired as a social interpreter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey hired me during Welcome Week and other social events that she needed an interpreter for,\u201d Bacak<\/span> said. \u201cSo I started interpreting really quickly and I really enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bacak<\/span> said she became fluent and was hired to interpret classes during her final years at Baylor, providing her more experience than most students studying communication disabilities would have at that point in their path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became really capable as an interpreter so as soon as I graduated, I took my test and became a certified interpreter,\u201d Bacak<\/span> said. \u201cI didn\u2019t pursue graduate school because I already knew what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

After having two children, she and her husband decided to adopt. They adopted two children domestically and then Ella, a deaf child from Ghana who lived in extreme poverty.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was deprived of language her whole life,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we found her, she had very little language, but she\u2019s a really bright girl so she picked up ASL really quickly and I was able to teach her because of the skills I have, along with teaching my husband and my children, and now it\u2019s the language of our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from adopting Ella, deaf culture and community have remained a part of Bacak\u2019s life, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started a deaf church here in town and we minister to all of the deaf in the area,\u201d Bacak<\/span> said. \u201cWe have deaf church every week and organize deaf socials and try to provide as much of that as we can. Our life is just really entrenched in the deaf world now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bacak<\/span> said she got back in touch with Wrzesinski after all of this to thank her and share with her what a tremendous impact her teaching had on Bacak\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cLori taught me to sign<\/span> and without those skills, our life would look drastically different right now,\u201d Bacak<\/span> said. \u201cAnd Ella\u2019s life would look drastically different. I\u2019ve seen parents really struggle to learn enough sign language to communicate with their child and I already have that ability because of my experience at Baylor.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Honduras, Jessie Fox, a 2008 alumna, is using her knowledge from<\/span> the program to change the lives of deaf individuals through an organization called Signs of Love.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe deaf are treated poorly here,\u201d Fox said. \u201cIt can be anything from them being locked in a cage and having never worn clothes in their life, to just functioning as a household slave, or even just being ignored by everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fox<\/span> said part of the Signs of Love organization\u2019s goal is just to spread awareness and to define the deaf to the community and their families and help the hearing realize the deaf community\u2019s equality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to empower the families and let them know that their child has value not only to society and to us, but that they are valued by God and that their lives mean something,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

When she first began to communicate with the deaf children, Fox said most had very little means of communication and those that did thought their role in society would never be greater than the duties of a household slave.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our deaf kids here were never taught that their opinion matters and that their thoughts matter,\u201d Fox said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want them to just know how to ask for water, we want to know who they are and what their dreams are and to help them achieve them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But before there was Signs of Love, Fox visited Honduras on a mission trip as a student at Baylor during her sophomore year where a seed for helping others was planted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one thing I really liked about Baylor,\u201d Fox said. \u201cThe general atmosphere of valuing people and having a heart for people was something that Baylor really instilled in me during my time there.\u201d<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/baylorlariat.com\/2014\/09\/26\/baylor-grads-share-passion-for-deaf-community\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baylor grads share passion for deaf community By Hannah Neumann Staff Writer September 26, 2014 Three Baylor graduates following separate career paths and living in three different parts of the world have two things in common \u2014 a passion for…<\/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":[1629,4621,23,5141,35,22418,22417,22419,22421,22420,88],"class_list":["post-28732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-article","tag-asl","tag-baylor","tag-community","tag-dr-serena-johnson","tag-hannah-neumann","tag-jennifer-bacak","tag-jessie-fox","tag-lori-wrzesinski","tag-teacher"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-7tq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28737,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/09\/30\/bu-campus-to-celebrate-deaf-awareness-this-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":0},"title":"BU campus to celebrate deaf awareness this week","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"BU campus to celebrate deaf awareness this week September 23, 2014 By Hannah Neumann Staff Writer If the world fell completely silent, if birds ceased to chirp and sirens became only a blur of lights flashing through traffic, most would find their worlds completely shaken. But for some, this silence\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":30703,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/05\/09\/deaf-education-scholar-to-lecture-on-sign-language-in-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":1},"title":"Deaf Education Scholar to Lecture on Sign Language in Education","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf Education Scholar to Lecture on Sign Language in Education March 25, 2015 Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321 WACO, Texas (March 25, 2015) - Baylor University\u2019s department of communication sciences and disorders in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences will welcome deaf\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":37192,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2018\/02\/15\/brothers-fight-to-change-baylors-asl-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":2},"title":"Brothers fight to change Baylor\u2019s ASL policy","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Brothers fight to change Baylor\u2019s ASL policy February 7, 2018 Story by Christina Soto | Broadcast Managing Editor For over 20 years, Baylor students have wanted to take American Sign Language as a foreign language. However, ASL is not considered a foreign language at Baylor and is only offered to\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\/2018\/02\/Baylor-ASL.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26257,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/02\/12\/26257\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":3},"title":"Deaf chapel presenter to be first in history of UMHB","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf chapel presenter to be first in history of UMHB February 4, 2014 By Cody Weems The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will welcome the Rev. Tom Coughlin to present at its weekly chapel services on Wednesday. Coughlin is Director of the Deaf Apostolate of the San Antonio Archdiocese. Coughlin will\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":35325,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/03\/10\/a-deaf-perspective-social-justice-in-the-medical-and-educational-fields-4317-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":4},"title":"A Deaf Perspective: Social Justice in the Medical and Educational Fields 4\/3\/17 – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A Deaf Perspective: Social Justice in the Medical and Educational Fields DATE: April 3, 2017 TIME: 6-8 PM ADDRESS: Kayser Auditorium in the Hankamer Academic Center at Baylor University CITY: Waco, Texas The Baylor ASL Club hosts: \"A Deaf Perspective\": Social Justice in the Medical and Educational Fields. D\/deaf and\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":14528,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/05\/31\/62nd-annual-texas-baptist-conference-of-the-deaf\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":5},"title":"62nd Annual Texas Baptist Conference of the Deaf","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"62ND ANNUAL TEXAS BAPTIST CONFERENCE OF THE DEAF WHEN: JUNE 10-12, 2011 WHERE: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY WACO, TEXAS THEME: GOD GRACE G.R.A.C.E. 2011-2015 SCRIPTURE VERSE: Ephesians 2:8-9 - God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation\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\/28732","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=28732"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28736,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28732\/revisions\/28736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}