The following entry highlights Alison O’Hara, a participant from our Youth Ability Summit. This entry is a part of our “Where Are They Now?” series. Here is what she had to say about his experience in Syria:
It’s been over a year now since our trip to Syria and I would give anything to go back in time and re-live that amazing experience again. I left there with many fond memories and with a changed perspective on the world.
One of my favorite memories was trying to communicate with our Syrian friends sans interpreter/translator. I remember sitting down and gesturing with Zinab, another deaf girl, and successfully being able to hold a conversation with her. I still remember how we talked about hearing aids and being struck by how someone halfway across the globe could be going through the same experience I went through. I’m not sure why, but I was expecting our Syrian peers to be really different from us, and they weren’t. We all got along and friendships were formed in a matter of hours. That’s one of the things I miss most about the summit, the ease in which we all were able to come together for a common goal.
Flash-forward several months and I’m currently a freshman at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., the only deaf university in the United States. I am considering a double major in International Studies and Education with a minor in Spanish. I play volleyball for Gallaudet and I am loving every minute of my college experience. I hope to graduate in four years and follow my passion by working internationally improving conditions for deaf people worldwide.
Going to Syria confirmed my love of travel and pushed me towards majoring in international studies. It also made me realize just how lucky we are in America regarding disability access and rights as compared to in other countries and because of that, I hope to make a difference within disability rights for others. But most of all, I want to meet people from all corners of the globe, sit down with them, and simply try to make conversation. I don’t think it can get much better than that.