Keri November held a reunion of friends and students from her ongoing 8-week American Sign Language class, held at the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) Jefferson Branch semi-annually.
Below is a 2022 article submission to The Tremonster from Keri November describing the class and her own journey as a deaf person, finding her way to Tremont, and her American Sign Language class offering.
by Keri November
[Originally published in The Tremonster May 25, 2022] Some of you may wonder what day-to-day life is like for a Deaf person. Well, here it goes!I was born Deaf. I did not learn American Sign Language (ASL) until I was 15. I had hearing aids which were not helpful. It was not until I was 17 years old that I received a Cochlear Implant and learned how to recognize sounds and words. I can read lips, but it is challenging to have a conversation without the Cochlear Implant if an individual does not know ASL.
It was difficult to meet and connect with new people in NYC/Long Island as the mentality is different. People are always in a rush and usually stressed out. It was uncommon for me to meet someone willing to take the time to communicate with me.
You may be wondering how did I end up in Cleveland?
I met my husband at 13 years old at a sleepaway camp. We were each other’s first kiss. At the time, AOL was in its infancy, and social media as we know it did not exist. We did not exchange phone numbers because I did not have enough hearing with my hearing aids to use the phone effectively. I then reconnected with my husband in 2015 on Facebook, and the rest is history!
We lived downtown until 2016, when we found our home in Tremont. We fell in love with the sense of community, and we were thrilled we were able to move here as quickly as we did!
While living in Cleveland, I have been fortunate to meet so many people that expressed a desire to learn some ASL to communicate with other Deaf people and me. I embraced the Midwest mentality right away! I often teach a few essential words to those I meet who want to learn ASL.
It wasn’t until last year when Jack Ricchiuto approached me and asked if I had any ideas for community engagement, that we came up with the concept of Tremont Brainery. I realized that starting this organization would be the perfect way to give back to the community!
I have so much fun teaching ASL, and it helps when my students are motivated to learn and apply their ASL vocabulary to other Deaf individuals and me. I get to teach our neighbors, but I also get to teach my wonderful students at Case Western Reserve University!
If you are interested in signing up for an ASL workshop, email the CPL Jefferson Branch (jefferson.branch@cpl.org) and check The Tremonster for updates.
