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Click on picture to see larger whole image							"Breakthrough" Lois Smiley, 47 years old, Newark, California, Biographical materials	Picture Details Click on the pictures below to see details of the painting
							Watercolor by Julie Cohn This painting, "Breakthrough" is Julie Cohn's interpretation of feelings arising from an interview with Lois Smiley. The accompanying text, written by Robert F. Panara, provides one perspective on the deaf community.
Deaf President Now!
The vote was cast at Gallaudet And shattered every dream -- "Deaf people are not ready yet To rule in academe." The students soon rose up in arms With reason to complain And cried, The Chairman of the Board Had caused this day of shame! "They chose a hearing president Who does not even Sign, Not one to represent us -- A man of our own kind." So in protest, they closed their ranks And formed a barricade To block the Board from trespassing Their campus-wide crusade. They chose four student leaders To represent their bloc -- Tim Rarus, Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne and Greg Hlibok. The foursome voiced their joint concern Of all that was unfair, And made their Deaf Identity A common cause to share. They said, "As history has shown Throughout a hundred years, Deaf people still can hold their own When matched with hearing peers. "The Board has heard this quote before -- A truth that's very clear -- It isn't what you use them for But what's between the ears! We want to shape the destiny Of those who come to learn At this great University WhereSign is our concern, Where hands are used to make the words for eyes to understand And, just as worthy, Youth is served To lead and to command. "Yes, now it's time to draw the line And we will show them how ln unison our hands will sign We want DEAF PRESIDENT NOW! "Our buttons shall read DPN, Which means DEAF PRESIDENT NOW! It only takes three words to sign -- Our cause - DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!"							And soon five thousand tramping feet Begin their great parade, As "DPN" their hands repeat The cause of their crusade. Their ranks are swelled as thousands pour To Washington, D.C. The scene which twenty million more Are watching on TV. Where deaf and hearing join as one In justice to avow: "For Gallaudet, the time has come -- We want DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!" Vote DPN! Vote DPN! The message went around. The Board was forced to meet again To heed the sight and sound. The Chairman of the Board resigned; The President-elect Had reconsidered and declined (And did so with respect). The balloting began again, And when the voted were in, They tallied up a DPN And a smashing student win! And, by this act, a precedent Was subsequently set -- The new Chairman and the President Were schooled at Gallaudet. They presented I. King Jordan, A man so aptly named, Who stood tall and proud before them As they drowned him with acclaim. As I. King Jordan took the stage To greet his student fans Wave after wave of "DPN" Erupted from their hands! He said, "If we have learned one thing, Its truth is very clear -- Deaf people can do anything, yes, anything but hear! "I accept your acclamation And I'll do my best to be The first deaf president to run Our University." L' Envoi Four weary students rolled their eyes And marvelled, "Holy Cow! Can you believe what we achieved -- We have DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!" - by Robert F. Panara
The Athlete, Lois Smiley:
I enjoyed watching Lois Smiley signing American Sign Language (ASL) to tell me her life story. Her daughter, Nanette, translated for her. Lois was raised on a Georgian farm with six siblings. When she was five years old, she tried to make a toy house out of lit matches. Not realizing the danger of fire, Lois moved the flames too close, and most of her body was badly burned except for her face. The doctor who treated her was a veterinarian, the only nearby doctor who could treat an emergency. He treated her burns with a drug that kept her alive; that same drug caused her to go deaf. This drug is no longer used in the medical profession. Children were cruel to Lois when she was growing up. Lois had no way to defend herself from their teasing. From the age of five to eight or nine years old, she communicated very little with others. Because she went to a public school during the 1950s when the needs of people who were deaf often were ignored, she sat in her chair at school either staring at the board or crying as children taunted her. Neither the teachers at school nor her family and friends realized her desperate need to learn a language with which she could communicate her emotions, desires, and acquired knowledge. Finally, by fourth grade, Lois was sent to a private school for the deaf. There she learned ASL. At last she could defend herself against the cruel children who teased her about her burns. She lived away from her family, missing their love and support. Her family didn't sign in ASL, but even those at the school who did, often didn't provide adequate emotional support. She had to tough it out on her own most of the time, except for a few friends who stood by her. The one major consolation was a teacher who believed in her. He let her know she should be college bound and that her contribution to society was going to be great. Lois held on to this dream and entered Gallaudet, the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the United States. There she received her degree in math. Despite her tough childhood, Lois made many breakthroughs in her life. After college she worked with the disabled community, including those who were deaf, helping them to live and work independently. She came out to California for a conference of people with disabilities and learned to express fears and doubts linked with being burned and deaf. She found acceptance from others, and most importantly of herself. Staying in California, Lois broke through her fear of communicating in front of an audience by taking advice from those she met at the conference and covering relevant issues in front of large audiences at disability conferences. She taught sign to her children when they were still in their cribs so that they could communicate well together. Lois believes the elementary tools of sign language should be taught to all children. Lois spoke with a wisdom that changed my innocence about people who are deaf. She believes that if someone is deaf, he or she will be happiest at an all deaf school, where the students mature naturally as they struggle with growing-up issues without having to also contend with teachers who don't speak their comfortable language. Hearing children have enough difficulty maturing while communicating in a language they know well. She also dispelled my belief that ASL is a universal language. Sign languages are as varied as spoken languages; also, lip reading among people who are deaf is quite rare. Typically only those who have some limited hearing can determine accurately the often slurred, colloquial words people speak rapidly. In my painting, Breakthrough, Lois is a glass bird, shedding a closed-in, introverted childhood by pushing past a hard unforgiving wall and taking flight to an expanded view of herself. The fists represent the sign "break" as they click together and then move apart. The open hand with the index and second fingers parted receives the other hand (in this case a bird) going through it and indicates the word "through." Lois's breakthrough, or should I say many breakthroughs, are continually leading to future flights. The painting also represents my breakthrough in understanding the deaf community as a thriving culture.