A Journey of Resilience and Advocacy
My name is Jeremy, I am a 33-year-old male that identifies as DeafPlus which means, Deaf with an additional disability. I also use a wheelchair.
I was born to a hearing family including my hearing brother who is three years older than me. They all have learned and use sign language. There were severe complications within hours of my birth. My deafness was not discovered until I was nine months old. I share more about my diagnosis in the blog.
Academic Pursuits and Advocacy
My early education was in a self-contained class with 7 or 8 other Deaf children. I would be with these same kids for 8 years. I needed more socialization and exposure to Deaf Culture. I attend Model Secondary School For the Deaf (MSSD) for high school. There were major victories, challenges and lessons at MSSD.
With much family support, accommodations and hard work I graduated from MSSD and was accepted at Gallaudet University. It was at Gallaudet that I discovered my mission to advocate.
After graduation in 2016, it was time to find meaningful work. Not so easy if you cannot walk or talk. I had all available job search resources and took advantage of them. Over the next few years could only find part-time, dead-end opportunities.
Continuing the Mission
After the pandemic, I launched DeafPlusAdvocate on social media and found my voice! Here I share my message as to how I “Live My Best DeafPlus Live” with my DeafPlus Community, other Disabled, their family and friends.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. My journey continues with the launch of DeafplusAdvocate.com. I invite you to learn more about my DeafPlus journey by exploring the site. I also invite you to share how you or someone you care about is Living Their Best Life.
