Interview with Cathy Haas : Disability at Stanford Oral History Project
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Cathy Haas, a lecturer in the Language Center at Stanford’s Humanities and Sciences School for over 40 years, shares memories of growing up deaf in a hearing family, attending the California School for the Deaf, and her experiences with teaching ASL and SEE Sign. She also speaks about working on signing research with Koko the Gorilla and how that eventually led to a lecturer job at Stanford teaching ASL. She speaks about change over time with regard to disability at Stanford, including her involvement in creating the Disability Staff Forum, and recalls the impact of Section 504 protests in the 1970s, some of her work on disability issues in San Mateo County, and her experience as a delegate at the United Nation’s Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | May 19, 2021 - 2021-06-03 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Haas, Cathy | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Haas, Cathy | |
| Interviewer | Gonzalez, Rosa | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Language Center. Stanford University |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. School of Humanities and Sciences |
| Subject | Stanford Disability Staff Forum |
| Subject | People with disabilities |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | I have been a Lecturer in the Language Center in the School of Humanities & Sciences at Stanford since 1976. I grew up in San Francisco and I was born hearing. I became Deaf at age 2 1/2 after I had Scarlet Fever. Before coming to Stanford, I taught Deaf students in Elementary school for three years, and I taught Deaf students in High School for three years before coming to the Psychology Department at Stanford in 1974, where I worked on a research project about communicating with Koko, a gorilla, in 1974-1975. In addition to teaching at Stanford, I served on the San Mateo County Commission on Disability from about 1980 to 1990, and I was also on the Board of the Section 504 Committee in Redwood City. I was also involved in the Demonstrations for Disability Rights Rally in San Francisco in 1977. In 1995, I was a delegate representing the World Federation of the Deaf at the United Nation’s 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. The World Federation of the Deaf is involved in the Defense of Disability Rights Education. I am currently the Chair of the Disability Staff Forum at Stanford and I have been on the board since 1979. I was also a supporter of the Deaf President Now movement in 1988, and I invited former Gallaudet University leader, Jerry Covell, to make a presentation at our campus for a week in 1990. I have also done some training sessions at the Stanford Medical School for helping them communicate better with Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients in medical situations. I really enjoy teaching and learning about different Sign Languages and disabilities around the world. I also enjoy doing research and helping with the Stanford Community. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:29:28] Becoming deaf from scarlet fever • Growing up with hearing siblings and parents • Being sent to an oral school to learn how to speak and lip read • Attending the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley • Learning American Sign Language (ASL) • Realizing she was deaf • Parents learning sign language at the Marina Junior High School • Attending San Jose State University • Accommodations available at college like SEE Sign (Signing Exact English) • Working as a deaf teaching assistant at Oster School • Communicating with ASL versus SEE Sign • Teaching at Leigh High School [00:29:28 – 01:00:42] Impact of Section 504 protests in 1977 • Successfully advocating for a lecturer job at Stanford • Working with Koko the Gorilla in Stanford’s Psychology Department • Haas’s neighbor San Francisco Mayor George Moscone learning more about deafness because of their interactions • Joining the Commission of Disabilities in San Mateo • Appreciation for Stanford President Donald Kennedy • Accommodations available to people with disabilities during the early 1980s • Creating the Disability Staff Forum • Change over time regarding disability [01:00:42 – 01:28:03] Approach to teaching • Teaching students about deaf culture in the US • Being deaf during the COVID-19 pandemic • Thoughts on cochlear implants • Encouraging students to advocate; welcoming all students to her ASL classes • Deaf President Now Movement at Gallaudet University • Actions Stanford can take to be more inclusive to people with disabilities • What her perfect world would be like |
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:24:23] Working with Anna Eshoo on Section 504 Board in San Mateo County • Serving as delegate from the World Federation of the Deaf at the United Nation’s Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995 • Legacy of diversity, embracing people with disabilities, and helping others at Stanford • Memorable advice from her father • Gratitude for Stanford and the Disability Staff Forum |
| Audio/Video |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/vw532zy9571 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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