Jenny Jewell Kramer Kramer detailed her experiences at 宾州州立银行 and the assistance she received along the way from Keystone Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and the college for the March 2024 issue of 博克斯 County Living magazine.
WYOMISSING,爸爸. — Jenny Jewell Kramer never dreamed that she could attend college, much less earn a degree. But that’s exactly what she’s doing at 宾州州立银行 with the assistance of interpreters from Keystone Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (KDHHS) and support from the college.
Kramer was born to hearing parents in Sinking Spring, 宾西法尼亚. “I grew up in the '70s and my parents didn’t feel it was necessary for me to learn sign language. It’s common for some hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children to want their children to be hearing. I was mainstreamed in ‘hearing’ schools and raised with speech therapists since I was 3, but the problem was no matter how hard I tried to learn to speak or read lips, 我还是听不见老师讲课. 我感到非常孤独，”克莱默说.
高中毕业后, 克莱默做了调查，发现波特兰, 俄勒冈州, 为聋哑人和听障人士提供了很好的服务吗. “所以，我搬到了波特兰. I met a deaf counselor who inspired and encouraged me to try college,”她说。. “She informed me of my rights to have interpreters in class.”
克莱默被波特兰社区学院录取, 她和手语翻译一起工作的地方. “The experience ultimately changed my life: It enabled me to understand what my professors and classmates were saying,”她说。. “My interpreters paved a portal into the education system that generated my thirst for knowledge. 我发现了我对文学和写作的热爱.”
在她受教育的过程中, 克莱默搬回了下沉泉, where she is assisting with caring for her senior parent. 但她并没有放弃获得学位的梦想. She enrolled at 阅读 Area Community College and earned an associate degree in creative writing in 2022. Not only did she earn an associate degree but she also graduated cum laude.
Kramer did not stop there: She decided to pursue a baccalaureate degree. 就在那时，她遇到了克里斯蒂安·威瑟, professor of English and program chair of the 宾州州立银行 writing and digital media program.
“Dr. Weisser has been an inspiration and mentor to me throughout my studies here,” Kramer stated. “One of my goals is to write articles, and maybe go into journalism. 我曾在布朗博士手下实习. Weisser’s class, working for Keystone Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (KDHHS).”
事实上, Kramer wrote an article about her experiences at 宾州州立银行 and the assistance she received along the way from KDHHS and the college for the March 2024 issue of 博克斯 County Living magazine.
“I want to be an inspiration to others who are deaf and hard-of-hearing through my articles,克莱默说.
克莱默还赞扬了丽莎·扎科夫斯基, coordinator of Student Disability Services at the 博克斯 campus, 感谢她在十大正规赌博平台大全得到的支持. “Lisa is also an inspiration and mentor to me 太: She is the one who coordinates the interpreters for me for my classes,克莱默说.
When asked what it’s like to take classes with an interpreter, Kramer said, “It’s a dream come true! I can finally understand what my teachers and classmates are saying through sign language.”
Kramer wants to find a career in which she can work with other deaf and hard-of-hearing students and let them know that they are not alone, 如果她能拿到学位, 他们可以, 太.
“最终, my goal via writing is to reach out to other deaf and hard-of-hearing people to let them know how Penn State supports these individuals and provides interpreters to help break down the communication barriers and enable them to achieve their dream of earning a degree,克莱默说。. “I can’t express how thankful I am to 宾州州立银行 for helping me overcome the obstacles I have experienced in the past.
“I truly am so thankful that they support 多样性 and are inclusive of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. 同时, I’m so thankful for KDHHS for their interpreters who helped open the doors for me as a deaf student at Penn State.”
