-
Acknowledgments
- Gallaudet University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
vii Acknowledgments I am grateful to the many people who made this work possible. I especially want to thank the interpreters, teachers, and Deaf and hard of hearing students and their parents who welcomed me into their classrooms (with three video cameras, no less). Your courage and commitment are admirable. I hope that my telling of your stories honors your experiences and heightens appreciation of and respect for the work of educational interpreters while making a difference in the lives of Deaf and hard of hearing students. I would also like to thank PInES students for opening my clouded eyes to how hard K–12 interpreters are willing to work. I have been fortunate to work with outstanding University of California , San Diego, faculty and committee members. I would like to thank my chair, Claire Ramsey, for believing this work is important and for thoughtful guidance, Tom Humphries for reminding me to look toward the possibilities, Rachel Mayberry for high expectations and insightful feedback, Jerry Balzano for stepping in, Jim Levin for willingness to answer questions, and Paula Levin for being an inspiring teacher. I will always be grateful for the education I received at UCSD. I hope that publishing my dissertation research in the form of this book will lead toward better education for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Thank you to Ron Jacobs and Kathee Christensen for opening doors and for your unwavering belief in my potential, even as I was beginning my academic and professional career. Part of Chapter 5 of this volume was published in a chapter called “Opening Our Eyes: The Complexity of Competing Visual Demands in Interpreted Classrooms” in Ethical Considerations in Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Gallaudet University Press, 2010), edited by Kathee Christensen. I was the sole investigator and author of the submitted chapter. Thank you, Kathee, for the opportunity. One hundred grams and a donut to Stephanie Latkovski for being an inquisitive, responsive, and encouraging dissertation coach. Thank you for restoring my confidence as a writer when I needed it most. I learned so much from my cohort and my writing colleagues, especially Pam Long and Cheryl Forbes, who made it bearable (and sometimes almost fun) to write and who cheered for me to write one more paragraph when I didn’t think I had it in me. Pam, thank you for helping viii : acknowledgments me figure out what needed to be said and for teaching me more about writing than I learned in my entire advanced academic career. Cheryl, when it seemed there was nobody who really understood the challenges of “extreme parenting,” you were there. Thanks for your strength and compassion. UG hugs to you both! I am deeply grateful for the support, input, love, and encouragement of my family through the years and tears of my graduate studies and dissertation writing. I will forever appreciate my mom for teaching me to love learning and for setting an example of living that I admire, my dad for weed-whacking so I could spend time working, and both of my parents for financial support, hugs, and unconditional love. Thank you for being such phenomenal parents and grandparents. Thanks to my sister, Holly, for coming to San Diego to help watch our four kids so I could write. To my in-laws, Fred and Barb, thank you for both financial and family support. Patrick, Julio, and Josie, you have opened my eyes forever to the truth of how important it is to give Deaf children the opportunity to see. Thank you for teaching me and sharing your love, hugs, and unbridled giggles. My deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks go to my wife and kids. Annette, I know how hard this was for you. Thank you for letting me go write even when you wanted me to stay home, for countless discussions to help me clarify my thoughts, for knowing this is important, and for sticking with me through the ups and downs. You are my love of a lifetime. To my beautiful boys, Patrick and Hunter, thoughts of laughing , hugs and kisses, bedtime stories, and days at the beach carried me through some of the toughest times. I can’t wait to make up for the many long days I spent writing rather than being with you. I love you so very much. ...