Katharina Buczek
This 16-year-old guy got into a car crash about five years ago. And ever since then, he has been mute.
Apparently, his neck got cut in the accident, and the wound became infected. So, his vocal cords suffered damage, and he is now unable to use them.
That’s why he has learned American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. But, in school, being heard is still a challenge– since none of his teachers know ASL.
“Most of them will just let me leave the room whenever I need something because they know I will come back,” he explained.
However, one specific teacher always demands that he get up, go to the front of the class, and ask her for whatever he needs.
And since this particular teacher does not know ASL, she wants him to get up to the front of the room and either gesture or write down what he wants.
“Which is honestly just insulting,” he said.
He definitely prefers to just walk out of the room instead of drawing attention to himself or making things more complicated. And he also just hates being treated as though he is stupid because he is mute, which is exactly how his teacher makes him feel.
He has suggested other solutions to this problem, as well. For instance, he had an idea to make a sign that says, “May I please leave?” to hold up. And one of his other teachers was okay with that.
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