Miss-Delectable
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" + artTitle.replace("-","") + " - " + "The Northern Iowan" + "
Karlene Kischer-Browne was born into a family of two deaf parents. Before she learned how to speak, she learned how to sign.
"I had never really thought of going into the ‘family business,'" she said with a chuckle. But for Kischer-Browne, a University of Northern Iowa instructor of American Sign Language, the "family business" is more than just a job, it's a lifestyle.
Learning sign language before English was normal for her. "Little kids normally pick it up through their ears while learning spoken English, and I just picked it up through my eyes," she said. "But the family doctor was very concerned that there was not someone in the house who spoke."
The doctor's recommendation? Get a radio and a TV, and learn how to speak.
"I can tell all kinds of stories about shows I watched as a child and remember very well," she said.
Before Kischer-Browne was old enough to interpret on the phone for her parents, they used to have to drive to even schedule a doctor's appointment. She remembers a humorous incident where she had to interpret for her mom to schedule an appointment. When the nurses told her that the doctor was busy, she said, "Why don't you get Dr. Kildare?" The nurses had a good laugh, as she had just requested to see a fictional doctor who only existed on TV.
Growing up in a family of deaf parents led to other unique situations and responsibilities. Whereas most families have chore charts that list regular jobs such as "take out the trash" and "do the dishes," one of the chores in the Kischer household was "phone duty."
"We would take turns interpreting for our parents … my dad would call us over to the phone and interpret what he had written on paper," she said.
Having control over interpretations had its advantages, especially for the mischievous child.
At parent-teacher conferences, Kischer-Browne admitted that she used to stretch the truth a little.
"When the teacher was describing my behavior problems, I signed to my mom, ‘She is doing great! She is very well-behaved!'"
But her mom caught on.
"After looking at the teacher's concerned look, she looked back at my face and signed ‘You are finished!'" she said. Her mother took over with a pad and paper from there.
Lighthearted situations like that made it seem like living with deaf parents wasn't so bad after all! However, people often misunderstood.
"They'd ask, ‘Can your folks even drive?'" she said.
They could, and they were great at it.
"Deaf people are some of the best drivers I know because they're hypervisual," she said. "There would be times when they could see a siren long before I could hear it."
And even though conversing with her family in public places was normal for her, it was always frustrating when people made comments about them. But since Kischer-Browne was hearing, she could always catch them at their own game.
"We'd let them go on for awhile and dig their own grave and then I'd turn around and say, ‘Gosh, it's too bad that you pity us so much,'" she said with a laugh. "When people won't stop staring at us and not look away, that can be kind of frustrating and insulting. That kind of stuff tells us that even despite teaching years of ASL, they are still not being educated."
This is why Kischer-Browne teaches sign language to hearing students at UNI. In her classes, she makes sure to teach not only the language, but the history and culture behind the deaf community -- a group of which she has always considered herself a member.
"It is my hope to educate students so that if they're in a situation where they encounter a deaf person, they can have a decent conversation and sense of understanding," she said.
After talking with Kischer-Browne, I developed a new outlook on the deaf community. Despite their obvious disadvantage, there is no reason to pity deaf people.
"You have contact with deaf people every day and you probably don't even know it because it is an invisible disability," she said.
And when I asked her if there is any deaf person who she believed defeated all odds to achieve success?
"I don't think of it that way," she said. "In a way, every person of the deaf community is a living success story."
Karlene Kischer-Browne was born into a family of two deaf parents. Before she learned how to speak, she learned how to sign.
"I had never really thought of going into the ‘family business,'" she said with a chuckle. But for Kischer-Browne, a University of Northern Iowa instructor of American Sign Language, the "family business" is more than just a job, it's a lifestyle.
Learning sign language before English was normal for her. "Little kids normally pick it up through their ears while learning spoken English, and I just picked it up through my eyes," she said. "But the family doctor was very concerned that there was not someone in the house who spoke."
The doctor's recommendation? Get a radio and a TV, and learn how to speak.
"I can tell all kinds of stories about shows I watched as a child and remember very well," she said.
Before Kischer-Browne was old enough to interpret on the phone for her parents, they used to have to drive to even schedule a doctor's appointment. She remembers a humorous incident where she had to interpret for her mom to schedule an appointment. When the nurses told her that the doctor was busy, she said, "Why don't you get Dr. Kildare?" The nurses had a good laugh, as she had just requested to see a fictional doctor who only existed on TV.
Growing up in a family of deaf parents led to other unique situations and responsibilities. Whereas most families have chore charts that list regular jobs such as "take out the trash" and "do the dishes," one of the chores in the Kischer household was "phone duty."
"We would take turns interpreting for our parents … my dad would call us over to the phone and interpret what he had written on paper," she said.
Having control over interpretations had its advantages, especially for the mischievous child.
At parent-teacher conferences, Kischer-Browne admitted that she used to stretch the truth a little.
"When the teacher was describing my behavior problems, I signed to my mom, ‘She is doing great! She is very well-behaved!'"
But her mom caught on.
"After looking at the teacher's concerned look, she looked back at my face and signed ‘You are finished!'" she said. Her mother took over with a pad and paper from there.
Lighthearted situations like that made it seem like living with deaf parents wasn't so bad after all! However, people often misunderstood.
"They'd ask, ‘Can your folks even drive?'" she said.
They could, and they were great at it.
"Deaf people are some of the best drivers I know because they're hypervisual," she said. "There would be times when they could see a siren long before I could hear it."
And even though conversing with her family in public places was normal for her, it was always frustrating when people made comments about them. But since Kischer-Browne was hearing, she could always catch them at their own game.
"We'd let them go on for awhile and dig their own grave and then I'd turn around and say, ‘Gosh, it's too bad that you pity us so much,'" she said with a laugh. "When people won't stop staring at us and not look away, that can be kind of frustrating and insulting. That kind of stuff tells us that even despite teaching years of ASL, they are still not being educated."
This is why Kischer-Browne teaches sign language to hearing students at UNI. In her classes, she makes sure to teach not only the language, but the history and culture behind the deaf community -- a group of which she has always considered herself a member.
"It is my hope to educate students so that if they're in a situation where they encounter a deaf person, they can have a decent conversation and sense of understanding," she said.
After talking with Kischer-Browne, I developed a new outlook on the deaf community. Despite their obvious disadvantage, there is no reason to pity deaf people.
"You have contact with deaf people every day and you probably don't even know it because it is an invisible disability," she said.
And when I asked her if there is any deaf person who she believed defeated all odds to achieve success?
"I don't think of it that way," she said. "In a way, every person of the deaf community is a living success story."