1.  One of my favorite questions when I want to learn about someone is by asking them to give me their 5 second introduction when I pose the question:  “What do you do for a living?”

I’m a writer. This is a new hat for me even though I’ve been writing for several years.  I produce web content articles for a writing company that handles Thompson Gale assignments. I am a feature writer for Disaboom.com, focusing on topics about people with disabilities. I recently became a writer for ParentingSquad.com.  

On top of the writing, I run a non-profit organization, Illinois Hands & Voices, which provides support for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.  I’m a board member of the national organization, Hands & Voices.

Looks like that was more than a five-second introduction!

Stephen’s Response:  It sure was more than 5 seconds but you did a great job getting us “comfy” with you at the start of our interview!

2.  Tell me in 3 to 5 sentences something we can’t read in your bio or at the “About Page” at your blog, “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World.”

I love being a mom.  I’m a Mom to three great kids who are 14, 12 and 10.  They really rock my world and I’m going to be one sad Mom in a few years when they all go off to college. So I’m trying to hang on to each moment that I have with them, even on the days when they’ve left yet another glass out, lost a homework assignment or dropped a twenty-dollar library book in the bathtub.

Stephen’s Response:  Well, if you think you had it “rough,” imagine the day my Mom discovered me shaving my teenager head in her bathroom one morning.  I had just gotten the idea from the Olympics on TV to shave my head for the high school swimming championships.  She was shocked beyond belief!  Imagine if you walked in on the same scenario! 

3.  How long have you been blogging at “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World”?

I started the blog on a whim in July, 2006.

4.  How did you come up with that eye-catching title?

It was a two-second, impulsive decision.  I didn’t know anything about SEO, keywords or branding.  I thought to myself– I’m a mom and I’m deaf, well, I guess I’ll share that with the world… and poof, the title was born.

Stephen’s Response:  Well, guess what?  I STILL don’t know much about SEO and I’d rather not get all caught up in that.  Like you, I just want to share my stories and hope for the best. 

5.  What was the motivation behind starting “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World”?

The idea of a blog appealed to me mostly because of the informal nature of the writing.  I love seeing the “humanness” behind the writing, and a lot of blogs share that.  Also, I’m always doing 25 things at once, and a blog seemed like an easy, quick way to write without a lot of thinking involved.  Ahem, that’s what I thought!

Stephen’s Response:  I can definitely relate to the “25 things at once” syndrome.  LOL.  Yes, blogging does give me a certain sense of satisfaction.  There are no editors to report to (except my inner spirit), no deadlines to adhere to (except my own self imposed deadlines) and no rejection letters to deal with.  Just publish your thoughts and BOOM, it’s available to anyone in the world who cares to read them.

6.  One of the reasons why you’re being interviewed, Karen, is because you write with a sense of authenticity.  We get to experience, through your words, what you’re going through, good and bad, making it extraordinarily easy for the rest of us to connect with you.  How did you learn to write so well?

Because the auditory world was so fragmented for me as a kid, I turned to books to fill in the gaps with what I couldn’t hear.  With books, I could dive into entire worlds that I couldn’t access around me.  Radio was useless to me, I couldn’t understand a single word on the radio.  I enjoyed watching television as a kid, but I grew up during a time when shows weren’t captioned.  So books became my key to information access. 

When I was eleven years old, I amused myself by playing with my Dad’s typewriter in the basement.  The very first story I wrote was about a fisherman having a bad day on Christie Lake, which is up in Michigan where my family had a summer home.  When I was in high school, I wrote for the newspaper and had a few poems published in the school’s yearly writing publication.  I thought about going into journalism, but I struggled so much with the interviews I did for the high school newspaper that I thought I’d never make it as a news reporter.  I also had no exposure to deaf or hard of hearing role models.  It wasn’t until many years later, I discovered that there were indeed deaf and hard of hearing people working at newspapers!

Stephen’s Response:  Like you, I’m a huge book lover - I LOVE reading.  Right now I have a stack of books waiting to be read.  In fact, I just ordered myself 3 more books from Amazon - can you believe it? 

I’m curious - have you ever published the “fisherman story” for all to read?  I bet it’d be a cute story, especially since you were only 11 when you first wrote it.  I’d love to see it!   Like you, I had no deaf or hard of hearing role models - try finding a deaf pilot to look up to!  Even though they have been in existence since 1948, I had no idea there were such people - it was through the power of the Internet that I found out about them many years later.

7.  The reason “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World” is so appealing is because there is a real human being behind it.  You allow yourself to be transparent and honest.  If I were to ask you to dig a little further, how would you define who you really are?

I’m pretty much a “what you see is what you get” kind of gal.  I’m also a person who has trouble saying the word “no,” although I’m slowly learning to add that word in my vocabulary.  Not saying “no” has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion– by double-booking myself or spreading myself so thin that I end up doing a poor job.  I often bite off more than I can chew in my jest to experience everything. 

Stephen’s Response:  That’s actually pretty refreshing.  I can tell just by looking at your photo that you’re the kind of person who is pretty comfortable with herself.  You’re a nice gal but I get the feeling that you’re someone who will stand her ground and fight if necessary. 

8.  You’ve become very famous in the blogging world because of the “Steak and Shake” fiasco.  You could be the next Rosa Parks for deaf and hard of hearing people!  How has your life changed as a result of this incident?

Well, I no longer drive the kids to school in my pajamas!  Life is back to normal now that time has passed and the number of comments and emails have slowed down.  However, we are just beginning the first steps towards change with the Steak ‘n Shake company.  I say “we” because I’m working closely with Patrick Hughes, Jr., the owner of Inclusion Solutions, a company that makes the “Order Assist,” a drive thru access solution.  I am hoping for a positive outcome that will make all of the Steak ‘n Shake drive-thrus accessible.  I also hope to direct advocacy efforts towards making ALL the drive-thrus accessible at every restaurant across America.

Stephen’s Response:  This story was by far the most riveting I had seen in a very long time.  You definitely got a lot of attention from this fiasco, garnering support from heavy hitters in the blogging world.  Several people responded via comments (almost 200 comments was generated just from that one article alone!) - obviously you touched a nerve out there with your story.  Like you, we are all hopeful that a solution is found peacefully in the end. 

9.  What is the best advice you’ve ever received?  Given?

Received:  The best advice I ever received came from a teacher of the deaf who worked with me in high school.  She gave me a plaque that read:  “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are:  something to do, something to love and something to hope for.”  I have that hanging up in my office.

Given:  I always tell my kids, “Be authentic, and be yourself.”

Stephen’s Response:  Doing what you love is definitely the key to anyone’s success and happiness, for sure.  And of course, I love what you told your kids about being authentic.  I hope to someday meet them because I know they are very special people as a result of being raised by a Mom like you.

Stephen turning to the audience:  Let’s give Karen a hand of thanks for joining us today.  Wasn’t she cool or what?  Did you get that special feeling of love from her?  I did.  And I’m excited to tell you that we will be meeting at the SOBCon08 in May!  Can’t wait!

A week from today will be the second part of our interview.  Be sure to stay tuned for that.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of the week…….

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