Deaf Zookeeper |
in North Dakota |
An Associated Press story on May 12, 2002 reported on Mandy Lawyer, the new reptile and bird keeper at the zoo in Minot, N.D. who is deaf. The story says that when she arrived from Duluth, Minn., not one employee at the zoo knew sign language. The zoo staff are adapting after initially communicating through writing back and forth. General curator Scott Wahlberg has developed a sign language made up of letters, formal sign language and some of his own symbols. Ron Merritt, the zoo director, is taking sign language classes as is Brandi Clark, a veterinary technician.
Lawyer, who has a bachelor's of science degree at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, did her internship at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth. The Minot zoo was impressed with her credentials and experience. They didn't know she was deaf. At her job interview, Lawyer used a sign language interpreter and convinced them she was the right person for the job.
- Thanks to USA-L News and NVRC
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