The Spiritual Lives of the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Date: Wednesday, November 13
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Institute for Spirituality and Health
Cost: $20
Sign language interpretation will be provided | Dinner will be served
Deafness is hidden, yet American Sign Language is the third most used language in the United States. What are the lived experiences of those who are deaf or hard of hearing? How do people with hearing loss connect with one another, with the world, with themselves, and with God? What lessons can be learned by bearing witness to the spiritual journeys of those who cannot hear?
Presenters
Fiona Cato has been an educator of the Deaf for over 10 years. Born and raised in Jamaica, she developed hearing loss at the age of eight; the cause of the hearing loss is still unknown. Upon completion of secondary education in Jamaica, she migrated to the United States where she earned degrees in Fort Myers, Florida and from the University of Houston. She also holds a Master’s in Education of the Deaf from Texas Woman’s University. An avid bookworm and traveler, Ms. Cato is blessed to be the mother of two wonderful children. Raised with a Christian upbringing, her relationship with God remains at the forefront of her endeavors.
Sara Covert is a Teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for a Regional Day School Program for the Deaf. This year is her 9th year of teaching. Sara lost her hearing from an illness called meningitis at the age of 14 months old. The illness caused damage to her hearing, and she became profoundly deaf in the left year and moderately-severe in the right ear. She has worn a hearing aid in the right ear since she was 2 years old. About 4 years ago, Sara received a cochlear implant in the left ear, but unfortunately after two years she was not able to get the benefits cochlear implants can provide. Sara lives in Rosenberg, TX with her husband of 11 years and their two shih-tzu dogs, Suki and Brownie.
Shelly Higgins has been a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 15 years. Shelly has several family members with hearing loss and found that she too indeed had bilateral moderate sensorineural hearing loss. She has worn behind-the-ear hearing aids for a little over a year now. Shelly is married with four children ranging from preschool to college ages. She is a marathon runner and lives in Pearland, TX.
Moderator:
Leigh Leslie is an Itinerant Teacher of Students who are deaf and/or hard of hearing. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Deaf Education from Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon. Ms. Leslie has worked for numerous statewide disability non-profit organizations, training parents, educators, and other professionals on inclusive educational practices. Being diagnosed with a moderate hearing loss, most likely caused by attending too many rock concerts in her youth, she is learning to cope with severe tinnitus (ringing in the ears) through meditation. Ms. Leslie embraces an ecumenical spiritual perspective and has studied Buddhism for the past 17 years. When she is not teaching, she is painting, hiking, or volunteering with The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
Breaking Whole: Exploring Spirituality Through Conditions of the Body
The state of one’s physical body is inherently intertwined with a person’s spiritual identity, and physical conditions can challenge, strengthen, and transform that identity. Breaking Whole seminars bring together patients, caregivers, and clergy to discuss the spiritual dimensions of various health conditions.
This semester we explore spirituality and the senses, asking what spiritual lessons can be gleaned by bearing witness to the stories and experiences of those who are living with visual or hearing loss.