Millie Brother Scholarship Partial Award 2016 My Life Experience and Aspirations: Being a Child of Deaf Parents Dorothy Oloo

I’m the first born in a family of twelve children. One of my sisters, the only Deaf of the siblings is an adopted sister. The rest of us are all hearing and the biological children of my Deaf parents. According to our family records which I’ve also confirmed, I was born when my father and mother were still in high school. They were not yet wife and husband at the time but just students who so happened to have fallen in love while in school. And as is the case here in Kenya and of course in Africa, women carry the ultimate burden in time of pregnancy. So my mom simply dropped out of school after she was sent home, where I was born. After a year or so mom went back to complete her high school studies and left me in the care of my ageing grandmother. For two years or so I was not close to mom and would see her only occasionally, primarily during school holidays. However, my instinct to recognize my unique mother, and my longing for her warmth could not be erased by her constant absence. In 1996, mom took me away from my grandmother’s home to a new place near Lake Victoria in Nyanza Province to what would later become our new home. My dad worked as a fisherman, and we all lived at the lakeshore happily. At this time, I began to clearly realise that, unlike other people, both my parents communicated with their hands, and used “gestures” which I later learned was a sign language. At first it looked a bit frightening and at times odd. However here were the only two people I was closest to, and who took such good care of me. So it was simply natural that I quickly adapted to the new way of life. It even became great fun and joy communicating in sign language with my parents despite occasional ridicule and stigma from other hearing children and even teachers about my “strange” parents when I started attending school. By the time I was in class four, I could very well help with basic interpretation with parents’ meetings at school and with neighbors back home. Year after year, new siblings arrived, and by 2000, we were four girls. Unlike me, my younger siblings found learning sign language instinctive and were using it as early as six months of age. Regardless, I found myself thrust into the family role of the leader, teacher, and mentor on matters sign language. Even though they were fast learners, sometimes far ahead of me, I still gave them guidance on fingerspelling, on using numbers and using the right handshape and orientation of a sign. These were some of the events that significantly influenced my destiny and defined who I became as time went by in our humble life. My mother mentored me on basic life skills, and on how to remain focused hardworking, to be honest, and above all God-fearing. I also realized that even though I was a hearing person, I had greater

feeling of being Deaf myself and not belonging in the hearing world. This was particularly because of the hearing community’s negative attitude toward my Deaf family. I considered my options, then embarked on a mission to teach the hearing community about Deaf people, Deaf culture, respect, and co-existence. I was frequently invited to school and community meetings, to sports events and other gatherings to speak about Deaf culture, but I would instead invite my parents or other Deaf leaders to speak about themselves and their life aspirations, their challenges and the greater need to recognise and respect Deaf people. This strategy worked. We won, we celebrated! I felt encouraged and continued this approach into my high school years. I graduated from high school in 2012 and continued working closely with Deaf community. My parents supporting me a lot and would often involve me in Deaf activities. In 2013 I enrolled for basic computer course at a local college because I could not advance to university due to lack of school fees since my other three siblings were still in high school while seven others were in both upper and lower primary/pre-school. The educational needs of my family were a big challenge. Now, I’m enrolled at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology undertaking a bridge course in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This bridge course will facilitate my direct admission into Diploma level for a three year professional degree in ICT. I would like to become an ICT expert. Apart from the fact that the ICT program has assurances of getting direct employment upon graduation, there are opportunities and gaps in ICT for Deaf people in Kenya. Despite widespread use of the internet and mobile phones in Kenya, the Deaf people lag far behind in getting key information that could enhance awareness and transform their lives in significant ways. For example, Kenya has a devolved government system where basic services including job opportunities are brought closer to the communities. However, most information or advertisements about these are usually passed through written memos, newspapers or through radio or television – all of which are significantly inaccessible to the Deaf. This leads to missed opportunities! Therefore, through undertaking ICT training I envision a future where I would directly or otherwise contribute towards the empowerment of Deaf people through ICT, capacity building, and skill development to be able to access basic services, including employment and also advocate for the rights of Deaf people. I’m passionate about establishment of Deaf-friendly information centers, digital villages, or a system that provides free training and cheaper internet connections and access. This will be a game changer towards empowerment of Deaf people, especially the young girls/boys and women who are mostly disadvantaged and vulnerable. The only barrier that stands in between advancing my university education and achieving my dreams and aspirations in life is the lack of University fees. My deaf parents are struggling. They have defied many odds to raise a big family. But here, and now I’m at the crossroad, staring at a promising future so near yet so far. If CODA could only lift up my hands at this hour of need through a scholarship, I could be closer to

achieving my dreams. I really look forward to that great moment when I would become an independent and secure young woman with Deaf parents, when I’m able to touch the lives of Deaf families in a positive way. I hope to contribute to the empowerment of the Deaf community in Kenya with support from the CODA community. I also look forward to supporting and promoting CODA’s great work in continuing to transform the lives of other children of Deaf adults worldwide. Thank you so much for considering my application to support my education.