This is not (necessarily) work related.
This is my daughter, Finley. Yesterday at school she learned how to sign “I am a unicorn” (gif link). I consider this an important life skill.
She regularly comes home and tells me about the various new signs she has learned like “exuberant” (one of her favorites). Finley does not have any hearing or speech impairments. Her Kindergarten teacher is using American Sign Language (ASL) and Spanish as tools for teaching reading and writing. She has a friend Felicity (the daughter a dear friend) who lost her hearing and recently got a cochlear implant. While the other kids teased Felicity, Finley showed curiosity and compassion. She has told us that when she grows up, she wants to be “a voter” and wants to live with “deaf people because they can teach me so much”. I am indescribably proud of her. But this doesn’t happen by accident.
My uncle Ron taught me ASL for the alphabet, numbers to 10, relationships (mother, father, etc), basic courtesy, and some animals that would interest a 9-year-old. It was survival level ASL and a gift that he gave to as many of his nephews and nieces. It was also a glimpse into a world that most people don’t know exists. Ron was born blind and deaf because of a congenital condition that also impacted my sister to an extreme degree. He would teach ASL by moving your hands into the correct shapes. I learned the nuanced differences between F and 9 that a sighted practitioner of ASL wouldn’t care about (even within the deaf community, there are subcommunities). He also taught braille at the Iowa School for the Blind and was a professional computer programmer. I also learned recently that he was a well-respected advocate for disability rights (Ron referred to himself as disabled. He hated the recent trend towards “differently abled” because, in his words, “being blind isn’t an ability”). He built communities everywhere he went in his life. Through him I learned about nuanced parts of the deaf community that a hearing person would never interact with.
I have always talked to my children about my uncle and my sister and the things they experienced. I can see in the three generations how much the world has changed. Ron struggled and fought for understanding and support for his whole life. I was ambidextrous leaning towards left-handed as a kid, the teachers wouldn’t let me write with my left hand. Finely is learning ASL in Kindergarten and her teacher protect and encourage her left-handedness. The world has evolved. Slowly and in ways sometimes too small to see. But at least now my child knows how to say “I am a unicorn” in multiple languages.
This part is work related.
I think my new hero is Frances Haugen (who also is an Iowan, btw). What she has done, the bravery it displays, is breathtaking. She talks about the possibility for social media that brings out the best in humanity. Recently, every time I have written a document I have thought “how would I feel if someone like Frances was looking at this?” This has been especially true as I have been trying to get clarity around our data capture and tracking policy. Because I want what we do here to be for the general good. Because I believe that there is a need for people to build communities. And that should happen in a way that isn’t creepy and isn’t just trying to manipulate people. I am equally motivated in my work by a consciousness of how understanding different cultures and life experiences makes us less cruel and more compassionate towards each other. And by my 6-year-old who is being exposed to those differences in a way that makes her curious instead of afraid. How different her world is, already, from the one my uncle was born into.
Jennie Ocken 
