DEAF WATCH MEMORIAL
Memorial Tributes To Our Fallen Guardians
The Deaf Watch Memorial exists to recognize and remember members of the Deaf community, be they adult leaders or youth members, men or women, boys or girls, whose lives exemplified the ways, methods and principles of Deaf advocacy and who each in their own way made the world a little better place for the Deaf community.
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Fred Schreiber (1921- 1979)
He was the first Executive Secretary of the National Association of the Deaf from 1964 to 1979. He fought on behalf of deaf people and their rights. Fred had a
great vision. He participated in the 1st Deaf Protest at the U.S. Dept
of Education along with T.J. O'Rourke and the others in demanding the passage
of Bill 504 in 1977
Priscilla Vinci (1954-1987)
She championed the rights of Deaf. She was brutally murdered in 1987 at a very young age and with a lot of work left to do for the Deaf community. She was our activist that was taken from us. She founded the Orange County chapter of Southern California Recreational Association of the Deaf (S.C.R.A.D.-OC). She appeared before Councils to get better training for the Deaf and net support for Deaf awareness programs. Thank you Priscilla and may you rest in peace.
I. Lee Brody (1926-1997)
I. Lee Brody a man of vision, a telecommunications pioneer and advocate, was dedicated to improving the quality of living amongst the Deaf community. Lee was the one that helped us tear down one of the big walls that stood between us and the hearing community for centuries! His dedication and contributions to telecommunications will never be forgotten. When you make that phone call on your TDD, REMEMBER...... I. Lee Brody is the one that put it there for you. Thank you Lee and may you rest in peace.
Hubert Anderson Jr. (1938-1997)
Hubert Anderson Jr. one of our Black Deaf trailblazers was the Executive Director of The West Virginia Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing passed asway after a long bout with cancer. He was an extraordinary leader. His acomplishments put him in the history books. His leadership roles included the board of National Association of the Deaf, West Virginia State Rehabilitation Advisory Council, West Virginia Assistive Technology Systems, West Virginia Supported Employment Partnership Project Project, and advocated with the Public Service Commission on issues relating to telecommuncation relay service. Hubert was one of our great leaders and he will be missed! Thank you Hubert and may you rest in peace.
Roy K. Holcomb (1923-1998)
Roy K. Holcomb's top grades and athletic ability earned him a full scholarship to what is now Gallaudet University for the Deaf in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Holcomb worked as area supervisor for the Deaf program of the Santa Ana
Unified School District and as superintendent of Sterck School, Delaware's
school for the hearing impaired, before going to San Jose in 1977.
Roy's controversial "Total Communication," was his trademark cause. He wanted schools to use everything that might help the Deaf student overcome the disability. His quote "If the best way to communicate a thought to a Deaf child is to use speech, talk;
if it is through sign language, sign; and if you need to stand on your head
to get the message across, just do it." In 1977, Mr. Holcomb wrote "Hazards of Deafness," a book about deaf culture, and it was published in two subsequent editions, "Silence is Golden, Sometimes" and "Deaf Culture, Our Way." Mr. Holcomb had Parkinson's disease. Roy was instrumental in eliminating the barriers that have prevented Deaf people from receiving appropriate education, from obtaining positions of power
within the educational system and from having a normal relationship with
parents and other family members. Today, thanks to Roy K. Holcomb, we now have
Deaf administrators, sign language in schools with young Deaf children,
Deaf teachers working with Deaf infants and their parents, interpreters
working with Deaf students in mainstreaming settings. Thank you Roy and may you rest in peace.
Bill R. White (19-19)
Bill R. White was a prominent activist in the California deaf community.
For many years he championed the rights and needs of the deaf, especially advocating on our issues long before the Americans with Disabilities Act came to the scene. He was instrumental in getting the bill passed in the early eighties to have TTYs distributed free of charge in the state. Thank you Bill and may you rest in peace.
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