“You are Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Wonderful!”
By Dawn West

Inspired by students in Mrs. G. A. Thomas class
at Norman S. Weir School:

You are beautiful and handsome
with your hearing aids and cochlear implants.
You are beautiful and handsome
if you don’t have hearing aids and cochlear implants.

You are smart, intelligent and talented,
just like hearing children.

You are brave and courageous:
be proud of yourself as a person.
Be proud of yourself
whether you talk or don’t talk.
Be proud of yourself
whether you can hear some things,
a little bit, or nothing at all.
Be proud of yourself
like the person who hears everything.

Do the best that you can
as a person and as a student
whether you are hard of hearing or d/Deaf,
just as a hearing person must do their best too.

We all should accept each other as we are
if it is the best we can be.

Remember Class:
You are d/Deaf, hard of hearing and WONDERFUL!

(ps: Your individual "voices" profoundly tell your stories and sing your songs that are beautifully composed of your own musical notes.  Your "signing hands" are motions of poetry which skillfully describes every human emotion and life experience.  Your hands delicately and powerfully dance and float in the air to artfully and colorfully illustrate the pictures that forms your sign language. Your hands and your voices dramatically, soulfully, dynamically and wonderfully express YOU.)