Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/819093
I do not have the option to hear or speak the majority language, so I appreciate it when people make accommodations to grant me communication access. I am very fortunate to have a mother, father, and younger brother who are supportive and understanding when it comes to communica- tion access. Unlike the experience of many of my Deaf peers, everyone in my family knows American Sign Language. This has allowed me to develop a close relationship with my parents as well as a wonderful, adventure-filled friend- ship with my brother, Garret, for which I am extremely grateful. Additionally, where appro- priate, this also allows my family to interpret for me to ensure that I'm included in conver- sations with extended family and friends who don't sign. It has always been my goal to strad- dle both worlds. A lot of my hearing friends actually learned ASL, and some even serve as mediators between their hearing friend groups and me. Similar to my years in Framingham public WWM: How do you communicate? CL: ASL is my primary means of communication. While I can lip-read fairly well, it is mostly guesswork, and I rely on it as a last resort. To communicate with people who don't know ASL, I usually engage in some form of typing/writing back and forth — on my phone, laptop, or simply on a piece of paper —or I use an ASL interpreter. WWM: Do you ever wish you were a hearing person? CL: Since being a Deaf person is an integral part of my identity, I've never yearned to be a hear- ing person. I am not frustrated that I am Deaf, but instead, by the fact that communication can be challenging. Although I can obviously read and write English, since I am profoundly Deaf, "Princeton stood apart from other schools because it offered the resources of a large research university with the experience of a small liberal arts college." an interview with colin lualdi 68 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s u m m e r 2 0 1 7