Kathleen O'Regan ~ Deaf Education

My flexible pathway experience was profoundly meaningful and transformative, both during high school and beyond. My Community-Based Learning (CBL) experience took place at the Austine School’s satellite Deaf education program in Williston, VT, where I had the unique opportunity to put to use the American Sign Language (ASL) I was learning through the University of Vermont’s continuing education night classes. During this time, I supported classroom teachers and engaged with students whose natural language was visual, with ASL being the primary language of instruction. This semi-immersive experience was invaluable in helping me develop critical skills and dispositions, such as cultural competence, empathy, and effective communication in a visual language. This initial exposure led me to meet educators at Austin’s School, which connected me to a summer opportunity as a camp counselor before college. This role was eye-opening, challenging my assumptions about spoken language norms and highlighting the biases I held. Living, interacting and being fully immersed with Deaf peers in Brattleboro, VT, I became acutely aware of my own lack of experience and awareness of Deaf languaculture. In addition, the dynamics and languacultural barriers between deaf and non-deaf individuals started to come to light. Inspired by these experiences, I pursued an undergraduate degree in ASL-Spoken English Interpreting at Northeastern University. There, not only did I hone the technical linguistic skill set needed to effectively interpret, I deepened my understanding of the social justice issues prevalent in serving an oppressed language minority. This awareness fueled my passion for advocacy and led me to found a company dedicated to supporting the deaf community. By committing 10% of our revenue to advocacy, we saw significant social impacts locally in central Virginia and beyond. After selling that company to a young Deaf female entrepreneur, I now work at the federal level, designing and sustaining communication access accommodation systems for federal agencies. Additionally, I serve on the Board of Directors as the treasurer of our national organization of sign language interpreters. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the flexible learning experience, CBL, and the unwavering support of Montpelier High School faculty, who advocated for alternative learning opportunities. I am grateful every day for these formative experiences that have shaped my career and life.