Heather Whitestone Thesis
Heather Whitestone is an incredibly talented dancer and, most importantly, the first Deaf woman to ever be crowned the winner at the Miss America pageant. At the age of 21, Heather received the crown in the 1995 pageant, thus making history for Deaf people in America.
Heather Whitestone was born in Alabama in February of 1973. When she was only eighteen months old, Whitestone was rushed to the hospital with a dreadful case of influenza. Though she came frighteningly close to death, she was successfully treated and taken home. Her family assumed all was back to normal, but eventually it became obvious that their toddler had changed. Her parents eventually took her back to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where she tested officially as …show more content…
She enrolled in the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Missouri but later graduated from a public Alabama high school in 1991. She did not learn ASL until she was a senior in high school.
Since childhood Whitestone has had an incredibly positive outlook. Her family inspired her to work hard and never give up, lessons she has taken to heart and has acted upon daily. During her time as Miss America, Heather worked with Deaf children in an attempt to instill a sense of positive thinking in them. Heather cares deeply for children and she believes everyone has their own talents and abilities that are uniquely important. In addition to her work with children and in schools, Whitestone is a part of the executive board for the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She also served as a spokesperson for the Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation as well as the Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation.
Today, Heather is happily married and has written 3 books. In September of 2002, Heather received cochlear implants and had them activated for the first time. I find Heather Whitestone to be incredibly inspiring and I hope she is doing well on this whole new
Heather Whitestone was born in Alabama in February of 1973. When she was only eighteen months old, Whitestone was rushed to the hospital with a dreadful case of influenza. Though she came frighteningly close to death, she was successfully treated and taken home. Her family assumed all was back to normal, but eventually it became obvious that their toddler had changed. Her parents eventually took her back to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where she tested officially as …show more content…
She enrolled in the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Missouri but later graduated from a public Alabama high school in 1991. She did not learn ASL until she was a senior in high school.
Since childhood Whitestone has had an incredibly positive outlook. Her family inspired her to work hard and never give up, lessons she has taken to heart and has acted upon daily. During her time as Miss America, Heather worked with Deaf children in an attempt to instill a sense of positive thinking in them. Heather cares deeply for children and she believes everyone has their own talents and abilities that are uniquely important. In addition to her work with children and in schools, Whitestone is a part of the executive board for the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She also served as a spokesperson for the Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation as well as the Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation.
Today, Heather is happily married and has written 3 books. In September of 2002, Heather received cochlear implants and had them activated for the first time. I find Heather Whitestone to be incredibly inspiring and I hope she is doing well on this whole new