Testimonials

It was 1990; I was in 6th grade. At an orientation for Norland Middle School, where I would be attending in the Fall, my drama teacher told us about a show several of her students were in and encouraged us to purchase tickets. My mother bought the tickets and took me to see the show, City At Peace by Peace Child Miami. My life was forever changed.

I auditioned for Peace Child Miami’s 1991 show and dedicated the next 6 years of my life to the process, the friendships, and the lessons about life that Peace Child/Voices United embodied. Back then, I knew I was a part of something much greater than what I could ever do alone, but only now, looking back as an adult, do I fully comprehend the role that Voices United played in my life.

Voices United provided me with an outlet to say what was on my mind without the fear of judgment. There, I was not just some kid or teenager with naïve ideas about social change and what was happening in my world or in my own life. There, I could be Sarah, and Sarah’s ideas were important and respected and then channeled into something larger than life for all to hear. To a teenager, the idea that what you feel and have to say is important to someone, is a very powerful thing. Voices United taught me how to express myself, how to embrace and accept others, and how to work toward changing the world—or at least the small corner of it that I occupy—for the better. I did not have to be powerless. I did not have to blindly accept the prejudices and the social norms that adults/society lay before me in the name of what is truth or reality.

Most importantly, through Voices United, I found my passion. Unlike many of my VU friends, that passion was not theater or singing or dance, although I still love those too… In 1994, Jose Alvarez joined Voices United. Jose is Deaf. At first we communicated by writing back and forth. I soon learned the American Sign Language alphabet and we would spend entire Saturday rehearsals spelling to each other. As our friendship grew, Jose taught me some signs, culminating with the two of us signing a song during my final Voices United performance in 1996. Sign Language would be my life!

Since then, I have gone on to earn degrees in Deaf Education and Secondary English Education. For six years I was a teacher of the Deaf at a high school in Broward County, FL. Currently I am teaching American Sign Language as part of the foreign language department in another Broward County high school. EVERY time someone asks me how I became a teacher of the Deaf or how I learned ASL, I tell them about Voices United. I also take the lessons that I learned at VU into my classroom everyday. I know that my students think I am different from their other teachers. They often share with me and work for me in ways that their other teachers are astonished by. When those teachers ask me how I get “that kid” to do my work and not sleep in class, I just smile and say “I respect him and care about where he comes from and who he is at his core and, I listen.”

I began with Voices United in 1990 & my life was forever changed.  I had finally found a place where my voice and my opinion could be heard. I felt like I was not being judged and there were so many people from all different walks of life, but we were all alike.
I was involved with Voices United for 6 years. In that time I learned so much about myself and how to work with others. The experiences that I had with Voices United have stayed with me and helped me deal with so many  things in my life.
I feel so fortunate that my kids, Kayla 12 and Brandon 4, have been given the opportunity to be involved in Voices United! I have seen such a change in my daughter since she began! Voices United is such a big part of my life and I am so happy to be able to share this with my children!