Learning To Not Always Run Away For years, I had only one option when facing conflict: run away. This is not always a bad solution, but I also knew sometimes it would have been much better to stand up for myself. Going to an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), I learned the importance of choosing theContinue reading “Blog Post # 9: Asserting Myself”
Author Archives: Donna Gateley
Blog Post # 8: Narrow Escape: Copperhead!
My husband and I were living in a ranger cabin in the middle of a national forest, doing biological research. One day he caught a copperhead snake. We promptly put it in the tall garbage can, with no lid, because, as everyone knows, poisonous snakes don’t have strong muscles. This is because poisonous snakes useContinue reading “Blog Post # 8: Narrow Escape: Copperhead!”
Blog Post #7: “Holding” to Help Our Special Needs Son
Today I’m going to talk about how I used “Holding” with our special needs son, when he was 4 – 7 years old. BACKGROUND: I explained some of his background before in my blog post “A Young Child with a 2 “Word” Vocabulary”. He grew up in a Romanian orphanage until we broughtContinue reading “Blog Post #7: “Holding” to Help Our Special Needs Son”
Blog Post #6: Lessons Learned From A Narrow Escape At The Post Office
It was after business hours, about 7:00 pm. I was on my way to my computer users group meeting, and I wanted to stop by the Post Office and mail the stack of our wedding invitations. It was January 1988. There weren’t many folks there at the Main Post Office. I had to finish addressingContinue reading “Blog Post #6: Lessons Learned From A Narrow Escape At The Post Office”
Blog Post #5: Important Travel Tips Learned the Hard Way
Today I’m taking a “Break” (# 7 Word of the Day, smiles) from talking about ASL, Cued Speech, and raising our special needs deaf child. Instead I will share a few handy travel tips with you. I learned these tips the hard way, by experience. My hope by sharing them is it may save youContinue reading “Blog Post #5: Important Travel Tips Learned the Hard Way”
Blog Post #4: A Young Child with a 2 “Word” Vocabulary
Here is the story of how our youngest son came into our lives with a vocabulary of 2 words. Our youngest son spent the first 3 years and 11 months of his life in an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania. He was the only deaf baby among 500 children in the orphanage. The care-givers gaveContinue reading “Blog Post #4: A Young Child with a 2 “Word” Vocabulary”
Blog Post #3: Is It Ever Okay To Be Scammed?
I believe those who scam vulnerable people are disgusting. HOWEVER … consider this story about our special needs adult son. THE BACKGROUND: Our son has craved a sweetheart for the past 5 or 6 years. It was one of his main goals. He had not been able to find one during all that time, butContinue reading “Blog Post #3: Is It Ever Okay To Be Scammed?”
Blog Post #2: How I Fell in Love with Cued Speech
About the time our deaf son was 4 or 5, a wonderful woman came into our lives. I was in awe of Stevie Fenton, she seemed to know every thing deaf related. I was overjoyed when she agreed to work with our son for a few hours a week. They connected right away and heContinue reading “Blog Post #2: How I Fell in Love with Cued Speech”
Blog Post #1: How I Fell in Love with ASL
Here is the story of how I fell in love with ASL. I was 34 years old. One Sunday I entered church with no idea something was about to happen that would change my life in so many ways! We had a special song for the service, and I saw in the program a friend’sContinue reading “Blog Post #1: How I Fell in Love with ASL”
My Life, by DAG 