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Portfolio
Table of Contents
Cover Letter ……………………………………………………………… Page 2
Resume ………………………………………………………………...… Page 3
Mainstreaming the Deaf Community ……………………………………. Pages 4 & 5
Sugar or Spice; What Would be Nice for Deaf Children? ………………. Pages 6 & 7

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September 27th, 2016
52 Delp Road
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 17601
House phone: 717-283-4103
Email: noax0xjan@yahoo.com
Dear Potential Employer,
This letter is to introduce myself as an applicant for a position related to writing,
editing, or proofreading. My skills and passion positions me as a strong candidate
for the role, and I am confident I will be a benefit to your company.
While pursuing my Bachelor’s degree at Millersville University, I developed deeper
understanding of literature and editing for publication. I graduated with a degree in
English and a minor in print media studies. The term “print media studies” refers to
journalism, which has taught me how to write and edit articles in a professional
manner.
My recent internship at the Disability Empowerment Center has taught me how to
work independently and write articles for publication. My work was writing articles
for the Deaf Community Newsletter, therefore I had to learn how to write for a
specific audience. As the company has two offices, my supervisor was not in the
office everyday. I had to learn how to keep communications open and know how to
contact my supervisor in order to proceed with my work. I also performed various
office duties such as mailing letters, filing important documents for tax purposes,
and laminating parking passes.
My attached resume further illustrates my duties at the Disability Empowerment
Center. Also attached are two articles and a short story, which exemplifies my
writing and editing skills. The two articles previously mentioned were from my
work for the Disability Empowerment Center’s Deaf Community Newsletter. In total
I have written seven articles for the newsletter, the rest of which are available upon
request. Further examples of my creative writing are available upon request as well.
With my educational background and internship experience, I feel that I am well
suited to work as a writer, editor, or proofreader. I look forwards to hearing from
you and would be more than happy to come into the office for an interview. Thank
you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jo Anna Faircloth

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Jo Anna Faircloth
52 Delp Road Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 17601 House phone: 717-283-4103 noax0xjan@yahoo.com
Work Experience
Disability Empowerment Center, Lancaster, PA
Summer Intern, Jun 2016 – Aug 2016
 Develop story and content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
 Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability.
 Plan the contents of articles according to the publication’s style, editorial policy,
and publishing requirements.
 Revise articles to meet personal standards.
 Choose subject matter and suitable form to express personal feelings and
experiences or ideas, or to narrate stories or events.
Education
Gallaudet University, Washington D.C.
Millersville University, Lancaster, PA
English, May 2016
Additional Skills
 Bilingual (English and American Sign Language) and bicultural (Deaf
culture)
 Excellent written and verbal communication skills
 Enjoy working as a team member as well as independently
 Analytical reading and reading comprehension
 Strong grammar skills
 Able to edit other people’s works while keeping the original tone of their
writing style
 Creative writing and academic writing
 Journalism
 Able to convey complex ideas and describe new concepts
 Detail-oriented
 Follows precise procedures
 Familiar with Microsoft Office and Excel
 Comfortable with both PC and Mac computers

4. 4
“Mainstreaming the Deaf Community”
Today, almost ¾ of Deaf students nationwide are in public schools instead of in Deaf
institutions. More parents are putting their Deaf children in public school these days, and
the sense of a close-knit deaf community among younger Deaf people isn’t like it used to
be. Due to social change and the legal system, more Deaf children are being
mainstreamed. In the past few decades, more and more Deaf schools are being closed
down due to budget cuts, which is partly because of the declining economy as well as the
fact that there were a greater number of Deaf students in the older generations due to the
rubella epidemic in 1963-1965. Also, there is a more widespread and better quality of
health care and medical care today, as well as a higher awareness of the risks during
pregnancy.
Thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all Deaf children
under age 21 are entitled to a free public education. Due to better quality of healthcare
and medicine, there are less children being born Deaf compared to previous generations.
Also, due to the fact that most Deaf children are born to hearing parents, their hearing
parents are more likely to want to place their Deaf child in a public school. Oftentimes,
Deaf schools are far from where the family live and many hearing parents don’t like the
idea of not being able to see their child every day if they have to live in the dorms. All
these factors amount to the current state: more Deaf children are being mainstreamed
than before.
What does this mean for the Deaf community? There are concerns about the future of
Deaf culture due to less and less younger Deaf people interacting with events and
gatherings within the Deaf community. Some even say that the newer generation of Deaf
children is more isolated than before. One of the reasons for this isolation is that hearing
students are less likely to interact with their Deaf peers on a regular basis due to the
communication barrier. Also, there are reports of Deaf students feeling somewhat
isolated from their hearing classmates. A large part of the Deaf community is worried
about how the younger Deaf generation isn’t as united, and they’re sort of all over the
place. If this is the case, what will happen to the future of the Deaf community?
On the other hand, there are benefits to being mainstreamed such as becoming more
accustomed to the “real world”. They say that the hearing world is the real world, and
therefore it is beneficial for a Deaf child to learn how to overcome the language barrier
early on by being mainstreamed. A preconception is that public schools always have
better quality education in comparison to Deaf schools, but the truth is that the quality of
education varies wildly. Each individual school, public or Deaf, is unique and the quality
of education is a little different for each one.
However, there are many benefits for a Deaf child to go to a Deaf school. One reason
being that they will get to interacts with peers who are the same as them, and
socialization comes more freely. Also, teachers can directly communicate with the
students and there’s no need for an interpreter unless the student is a new signer. This

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method of education gives the Deaf child direct exposure to Deaf culture and they can
have a better connection with their heritage.
There are other options for Deaf students other than Deaf schools or full-time
mainstreaming, such as reverse mainstreaming and home schooling. However, there is a
difference in the amount of Deaf children attending Deaf schools versus public schools
today than, say 30 or 40 years ago. Many of today’s Deaf clubs members or members of
the Deaf community know each other from (Deaf) school. This can indicate that the next
generations of the Deaf community won’t be as close as before, but is this going to be a
reality? There’s an old saying, “Children are our future”, and the same rings true for Deaf
culture. Therefore, it makes sense that this would affect the Deaf community. Ultimately,
only time will tell how our younger Deaf children will form a community someday.

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Sugar or Spice; What Would be Nice for Deaf Children?
An ongoing feud has been fired up recently involving the Deaf community and the
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. For the Deaf
community, this has also lead to a dramatic increase of debates on Facebook about
bilingualism, and whether ASL for Deaf children should be a requirement or an option.
Nyle DiMarco appeared on Good Morning America in late May, and talked about his
foundation and his goal of requiring the teaching and use of ASL for all young Deaf
children. The Washington Post wrote an article in response to DiMarco’s appearance,
which was featured in their The Reliable Source column. The Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing wrote a reaction piece to the Washington
Post’s article on Nyle DiMarco.
President Meredith Sugar wrote the response article, Dispelling Myths About Deafness.
Sugar clarified that while the AG Bell Association recognizes ASL as a good option for
some Deaf children, they are concerned that DiMarco’s political activism will hurt their
cause, which is the endorsement of Deaf children using Listening and Spoken Language.
Sugar states, “…it [ASL] is just one such option and its use is declining. The reality is
that most deaf children – more than 95 percent – are born to parents with typical hearing,
and 90 percent of these families are choosing listening and spoken language for their deaf
child.” Meredith Sugar has been the president of the association since 2014, and her third
son named Jonah is Deaf. Jonah is eight years old and he has bilateral cochlear implants,
and he uses LSL (listening and spoken language). Her son’s Deafness and the uncertainty
that followed led Sugar to do research into hearing loss and that’s how she found the
A.G. Bell association.
The AG Bell Assoc. for the Deaf and HoH promote the use of oralism, which is teaching
Deaf children to solely use spoken English, and discourages the use of Sign Language,
pointing out that “a young child whose family desires spoken language often achieves
their desired outcome better through a full immersion in spoken language.” The Bell
Association endorses early diagnoses and intervention, and the use of hearing technology,
which includes cochlear implants and hearing aids. The article claims that Deaf children
who are taught Listening and Spoken Language have proven to perform better in school
and are on par with their hearing peers. Sugar mentioned that most Deaf children are born
to a hearing family, also that their parents deserve to have the power to choose which
option is best for their child, and that DiMarco’s activism will take that choice away from
the parents or guardians.
Due to Nyle DiMarco’s actions, California passed a bill in October, Bill SB-210, which
makes it a requirement for all Deaf children up to age 5 in the state to be taught American
Sign Language. DiMarco believes that when a Deaf child isn’t taught ASL, it is
considered language deprivation. He feels that all Deaf children deserve the right to
language and accessibility, which is possible through the use of Sign Language. Sugar
and her association disagree with this assessment. She feels that there are different kinds

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of Deaf people, and not all Deaf people use ASL. Sugar concluded, “It is our hope to
dispel the myths about deafness and spread the word that deaf children can hear and talk.
What it means to be ‘deaf’ has changed.”
Conversely, Sugar’s article got a strong reaction from the Deaf community, a large part
of who disagrees with the article. Many Deaf people are supportive of DiMarco’s
endorsement of ASL access for young children, and many detest the use of Listening and
Spoken Language (LSL). They retaliated that the use of ASL does not impede speech and
listening development, and that there is no “short window” for Deaf children to acquire
listening and speaking skills, which Sugar claimed in her article. The endorsement of
ASL for Deaf children doesn’t mean that the Deaf community is against bilingualism.
Rather, the Deaf community feels that ASL actually helps Deaf children with listening
and speaking acquisition.
Bilingualism, being proficient in both ASL and spoken English, is very common in the
Deaf community. A letter to Meredith Sugar, written by Gallaudet’s Buff and Blue
student newspaper in response to AG Bell’s article, titled AG Bell President Sugar,
You’re Not So Sweet reasoned, “Encouraging deaf children to communicate in sign
language from a very early age, before cochlear implantation, appears to improve their
ability to learn spoken language after cochlear implantation…” Furthermore, the article
criticizes Sugar’s facts, retorting that there’s no actual evidence or concrete sources to
back up her statements. The article also disagree with Sugar’s statement on Deaf children
using LSL with CI (cochlear implants) are able to do as well as hearing children. Their
article revealed, “… Children with cochlear implants demonstrate lower vocabulary
knowledge than children with normal hearing…” Their point isn’t that Deaf children
aren’t capable of performing as well as hearing children in academics, but rather that
Deaf children need ASL and maybe bilingualism to do as well in school as hearing
children.
Everyone has their own preferences; some people prefer sugar whereas others prefer
spice. Some people prefer oralism, while other people prefer ASL for Deaf children. With
so much at stake for Deaf children, it’s easy to see why people have strong opinions on
this issue. Those who support the A.G. Bell Association’s stance and LSL, and those who
support Nyle DiMarco’s stance and ASL both feel very strongly about this and made this
issue a heated one. The futures of Deaf children are in the hands of the adults who decide
which policy to enact. The different sides to this issue all shares the same common goal:
to find a solution to ensure all Deaf children receive the language accessibility they
deserve.