Hello everyone! Welcome back to SoF (Signs of Fun). We start soon, and I'm sure these last few months before the month of June will go by quickly! Are you all ready? I know I am. My name is Lauren, and my name sign (shown) because of my long, curly hair. I recently cut it, but it grew out again. I'm hearing, but I've been learning ASL since I was 11 years old. My first experience with the d/Deaf community was with Mrs. Becky Bennett (ILY!). Since then, I've been involved with SoF. I believe this is my fourth year! Previously, my role was as a counselor, but this year, things have changed. You know how things are always changing. This year, my role is as an interpreting intern, and I am thrilled. I want to discuss a few things that relate to me as a person and my identity. I'll share two positives and one negative about myself in this video, but after that, I will talk more about accessibility and accommodations that relate to the deaf community.
I am extremely passionate about d/Deaf advocacy, equal rights for those with Disabilities, and equal access. Because my goal is to become an interpreter, this means my life must become fully immersed and interconnected with the d/Deaf community. Because I actually care about the d/Deaf community, this means that I should be knowledgeable about the issues the d/Deaf community faces and their experiences. I have recognized a lot of struggles with qualified interpreters, closed captions (CC) or open captions (OC), and how terrible VRI services can be. I recognize the need for Deaf/Disability advocacy and stand WITH the Deaf community in that way.
I am obsessed with spicy foods like Takis (a kind of spicy potato chip). My favorite spice combination is chili + lime because it has a perfect blend of spicy and sour. It's delicious.
One negative about myself is my struggle with time management. I've improved, but I do have ADHD, so it's a struggle to understand the concept of time. Sometimes it works quickly, and sometimes it works slowly. For academic and professional meetings, I do much better with arriving places on time.